Calamity of Tomorrow

Stroking his right eye, Zhou Bai struggled to suppress the urge within him.

Just then, Xuan Nu approached him with concern, "Zhou Bai..."

Feeling someone drawing near and the uncomfortable restlessness inside him, Zhou Bai reacted like a frightened cat.

Instinctively, he reached out his hand, suddenly grabbed Xuan Nu's neck, pushed her against the wall, and stared intently at her eyes with his blood-red pupils.

Xuan Nu watched Zhou Bai in surprise, feeling his grip on her neck tighten and her breathing slowly becoming difficult, yet she did not resist and managed to say with difficulty, "Zhou... Bai..."

The blood-red pupils stared at Xuan Nu, seeming to sense that she was not a demon, and the red in his eyes gradually faded.

At the same time, faint whispers seemed to come from his eyes.

"Only slay the demons... do not kill wantonly..."

Realizing this, Zhou Bai suddenly understood, "The Demon Illuminating Eye brings forth an urge to slay demons, but the purpose of slaying demons is to protect humanity.

So, to prevent the impulse for slaughter from causing accidental injuries... and to prevent the user from getting accustomed to and indulging in bloodshed.

Once the killing intent arises, but there are signs of harming non-demonic lives... can the urge to slay demons self-suppress?"

Of course, such self-suppression of the urge to slay demons wouldn't prevent Zhou Bai from killing; it would merely temporarily prevent the urge from affecting him.

"This indeed seems to be a good method. The urge to slay demons brought by the Demon Illuminating Eye is troublesome, but it greatly enhances my abilities to investigate and track, as demons are present everywhere in the world, and I can easily track any demonic energy in people."

"And removing the Demon Illuminating Eye would also be troublesome."

Thus, Zhou Bai thought of Christina and Elsa currently in his inner sea of consciousness, and Jiaojiao beside them, and quickly felt that all three were not suitable for reducing the urge to slay demons.

He eventually looked at Xuan Nu before him and thought inwardly, "The best choice is Xuan Nu, to use her to self-suppress the urge to slay demons. How convenient, Xuan Nu is becoming more and more useful, transforming her into my dependent was indeed the right decision."

Although Zhou Bai thought so, he said instead, "I'm sorry, Xuan Nu, I'm very tired."

Saying this, he loosened his grip on Xuan Nu's neck, and his eyes were also filled with exhaustion.

"Can I hold you for a while?"

Although Zhou Bai asked, his body had already embraced her.

At the moment Zhou Bai hugged her, Xuan Nu's body stiffened for a moment, instinctively wanting to push him away.

But feeling Zhou Bai holding her like a child, all tiredness displayed on his face, a flicker of sympathy crossed her eyes as she silently thought, "Zhou Bai has been facing continuous threats from the heavens, humanity, and Heavenly Demons in recent days. Surrounded by enemies besides me, the pressure must be immense."

"He hasn't truly rested in a very long time, not even having time to sleep for a while."

Thinking of this, Xuan Nu's heart softened, she stroked Zhou Bai's head and said with a hint of heartache, "Zhou Bai, why don't you rest for a few days."

Zhou Bai, leaning in Xuan Nu's arms, shook his head, determination flashing in his eyes, "There's no time to rest, there's still so much to do."

Meanwhile, Zhou Bai felt the urge to slay demons from the Demon Illuminating Eye completely disappear with his embrace, he nodded inwardly, knowing this method was effective.

Zhou Bai's lips slightly curved upward, "Ji Wuchang thinks, aside from me, the world is filled with demonic hybrids, but he must not have imagined I could use a deformed body to suppress the Demon Illuminating Eye.

But really, only Xuan Nu is somewhat nicer to hold, the rest are just too repulsive."

At the side, Jiaojiao had watched this scene from start to finish, seeing through everything, and thought with mixed feelings, "This kid stood up just now with a sharp gleam in his eyes, clearly at the peak of his strength, showing no signs of exhaustion.

This sly boy's lies come so easily, no wonder he can make Xiaopei so dizzy."

Without dwelling on Jiaojiao's conflicted thoughts, Zhou Bai, after holding Xuan Nu for a while and feeling the urge to slay demons completely disappear, released his hold. Leaving Xuan Nu still somewhat soft beside him, he suddenly invoked the Supreme Mysterious Divine Thunder Breath.

The Supreme Mysterious Divine Thunder Breath is a Body Refinement technique that enhances one's physique through respiratory practices, creating apertures within a cultivator's body.

In every aperture, the powers drifting within the void and the earth are drawn, then circulated like the explosion of stars to utilize their surging power hidden within the apertures.

Each aperture contains the limit of power that a cultivator's Primordial Spirit can achieve.

"That is to say, if a cultivator's Primordial Spirit power is exhausted, the power from a single acupoint, when released, can replenish the Primordial Spirit power back to its peak state."

"Of course, the power in this acupoint can also be directly transformed into light and heat, equivalent to the cultivator releasing all of his Primordial Spirit power in one strike."

"Up to this point, Supreme Mysterious Divine Thunder Breath was already considered one of the top Dao techniques in the world. What was even more shocking, however, was that it claimed that as long as one continued to cultivate, one could create an infinite number of acupoints within the body."

"With each additional acupoint, the cultivator could contain double the amount of power within his body."

"But with each additional acupoint opened, the difficulty of cultivation would also double from the previous acupoint."

"In recent days, Zhou Bai had been under extreme pressure, striving hard in his cultivation, and had only managed to open one acupoint, which was enough to contain twice the power of his own body."

"As he activated the Supreme Mysterious Divine Thunder Breath, an acupoint inside his body suddenly opened wide, and a strong aura surged skyward."

"It was as if endless Thunder Fire burst out from this acupoint, spreading waves of Thunder Fire."

"The Thunder Fire instantly covered his body, the wild energy filled his insides, continuously supplying power to his physical strength and Primordial Spirit power."

"Jiaojiao's eyes brightened by the side, 'Good, I didn't expect that in just a few days, you have already opened an acupoint. If it were an ordinary person cultivating, this one acupoint would likely take three years. Your talent is indeed very high.'"

"Zhou Bai nodded, thinking this was quite obvious, as since the beginning of his cultivation journey, he had yet to meet a cultivator more talented than himself."

"'The Great Elder really is getting old, always rambling and liking to state the obvious.'"

"Zhou Bai then stopped the Supreme Mysterious Divine Thunder Breath, closing the acupoint, and all the Thunder Fire abruptly vanished."

"Next, he formed a hand seal and activated the Great Black Flame Fire Dragon Formation."

"As the Primordial Spirit Power circulated through Zhou Bai's bones, blood vessels, and nerves, black runes containing his blood, will, and Primordial Spirit power gradually appeared and spread from the depths of his being, turning into dense black patterns on his skin."

"These black runes that emerged on the surface of his skin twisted and combined to form a two-meter-long Black Yan Dragon that roared as it flew out."

"Seeing the flames spit from the mouth of the Black Dragon, the mystic woman beside him felt a fatal threat, as if being burned by these flames would cost her something."

"Jiaojiao nodded in satisfaction, the Great Black Flame Fire Dragon Formation being the top offensive Divine Skill among the five great Divine Skills, and there was no way in heaven and earth to truly defend against this Supreme Divine Power; all defenses were merely delays."

"And once hit by the Black Flame, even if unharmed, it would reduce one's lifespan."

"But the Great Black Flame Fire Dragon Formation was even more difficult to cultivate than the Supreme Mysterious Divine Thunder Breath, and being able to condense a Black Yan Dragon in such a short span of time truly classified him as a once-in-a-generation genius."

"Throughout history, Jiaojiao couldn't remember a single genius cultivator who had mastered the Great Black Flame Fire Dragon Formation so quickly."

"At this moment, Jiaojiao increasingly believed that Zhou Bai might truly be the glimmer of hope referred to by the master of Leiyin Temple, the hope for humanity's rise."

"After controlling the Black Yan Dragon for a while, Zhou Bai then retracted it, feeling very satisfied inside."

"Although both Dao techniques were just beginning to show, they truly lived up to the name of Supreme Divine Power. The Supreme Mysterious Divine Thunder Breath greatly enhanced his burst power and endurance, while the Great Black Flame Fire Dragon Formation enhanced Zhou Bai's most lacking destructive power and siege capability."

"Combined with his original resilience and various control abilities, this at least doubled Zhou Bai's combat strength."

"Imagine if he could further cultivate the unity of the five great Divine Skills, then his originally weakest attack ability would become the strongest aspect."

"By then, he probably wouldn't need to rely on any tactics, he could directly crush immortals like Wan Xing True Monarch with brute force."

"So Zhou Bai said to Christina in his mind, 'Tina, how is it? Have you successfully practiced the Ice Soul Freeze Light?'"

"Ever since Zhou Bai demonstrated the Great Black Flame Fire Dragon Formation and Supreme Mysterious Divine Thunder Breath, Christina had fallen silent, silent up until now. Hearing Zhou Bai's question, she slowly lay down, then turned away, her entire being exuding an air of negativity."

"'Hey, I asked if you've mastered it! If you have, we could try to combine the five great Divine Skills.'"

"Christina looked at Zhou Bai, who had mastered two Supreme Divine Powers in just a few days, then looked at herself who had still not advanced the Ice Soul Freeze Light to the tenth level, and heaved a deep sigh, 'I haven't mastered it...'"

"'Sigh,' Zhou Bai said disappointedly, 'Christina, you've really disappointed me.'"

"'I've told you before to strive hard, to be ambitious, to spend more time cultivating. Look, I've prepared such good conditions for you to cultivate in peace, letting you lie in the sea of consciousness all day long, with nothing to do but cultivate.'"

"'And yet, what have you done? You just idle around, rarely ever diligent in your cultivation.'"

"'Are you cultivating for me? You're cultivating for yourself.'"

"Ugh, my strength increases so slowly, and I can't learn to show off either. Neither literature nor martial arts work for me..."

Christina curled up in shame and shouted, "Stop saying that! I know! I'll practice diligently every day from now on!"

Zhou Bai said, "What's the use of saying that now when we're about to battle with gods?"

Christina retorted angrily, "I still have one method left."

Zhou Bai asked curiously, "What?"

Christina said uncertainly, "After I transform, maybe I can cultivate faster."

"Transform?" Zhou Bai squinted his eyes, recalling Christina's appearance after her Taoism reached 60%.

However, he also thought of Jiaojiao's reaction to Christina and Ming Ri's plan. They were about to battle with gods, and he didn't want to use the gemstone here.

After some thought, he nodded to Jiaojiao and Xuan Nu, left Donghua City, and arrived at a secluded valley. It was there that he let Christina out.

The next moment, he saw Christina enveloped by bursts of light, her body stretching and elongating, gradually taking on a human shape, with only a pair of large eyes visible through the light.

Zhou Bai felt intrigued. This was Christina's transformation ability after her Taoism reached 60%, allowing her to become human for a few seconds each day. But what use was it?

Zhou Bai suddenly thought, "Perhaps it's not just about becoming human."

Then, he saw the human-form Christina forming hand seals, and an endless chill emanated from her mouth.

The temperature of the chill dropped sharply, turning from white to blue, then deep blue, and finally a blackish blue, as if it were the color of an abyss.

As the chill transformed, Zhou Bai felt his head getting cooler and cooler, as if his sea of consciousness was about to freeze.

At the same time, everything around them seemed to fall into silence, as if the whole world was about to stop.

He was alarmed and was about to stop Christina when he realized her human form had vanished, returning to a cat's shape.

Christina exclaimed excitedly, "Hahaha, I've mastered the Ice Soul Freeze Light!! Turns out I'm the real genius!"

Zhou Bai's eyes lit up, "So, your cultivation speed increased after you transformed into a human?"

Christina replied, "After turning human, I felt like I understood everything. Things I didn't know before seemed clear after a mere thought, and things I couldn't do before seemed possible."

"It's like I always knew how, always could do, I just remembered it now."

Christina nodded vigorously, "Yeah, I must have always known how, I just remembered it now."

Zhou Bai suggested, "Let's try combining the Five Divine Skills."

So, Zhou Bai and Christina, in their cat-human combined form, began attempting to perform the Five Divine Skills together.

Soon, they could hear constant explosions in the valley, flattening the mountain peaks.

Unfortunately, neither had yet learned the true Five Divine Skills, nor had they experience in combining them. After some practice, they still hadn't succeeded.

Zhou Bai felt the gap was more than slight.

Christina said resigned yet proudly, "Looks like I need to transform again tomorrow and recall some more things."

Christina sighed, shaking her head, her fur seeming to puff up.

"Sigh, it all comes down to me in the end. Zhou Bai, maybe in a few days, I'll be stronger than you. Then, would you consider staying inside my sea of consciousness?"

Zhou Bai smirked, feeling she might be getting a bit too inflated.

Although he thought this way, Zhou Bai acknowledged Christina's statement that the hope of combining the Five Divine Skills in a short time indeed rested with this cat.

Meanwhile, he thought about the need for extended cultivation time and his unsuitability for returning to Donghua City to cultivate. Thus, he decided to go and say goodbye to Jiaojiao and the others.

After all, he had not cultivated the Ice Soul Freeze Light and it wasn't suitable for Jiaojiao to see him practice combining the Five Divine Skills, as it would increase her mistrust.

Thus, after Zhou Bai returned to Donghua City, he bid farewell to Jiaojiao, "I have some new ideas that I want to test out with a few newly learned Divine Skills. However, the space here is too small; I'd like to go out and find a different place to cultivate."

Jiaojiao asked curiously, "New ideas?"

"Yes." Zhou Bai nodded, "I can't explain it right now, but if successful, my combat power might increase several times over."

Jiaojiao had great trust in Zhou Bai's aptitude and talent by now, and upon hearing that his combat power could possibly increase several times upon succeeding, she was both curious and anticipatory.

Jiaojiao added, "Then go ahead, I will take good care of Donghua City. Don't worry about any burdens."

Standing nearby, Xuan Nu said, "Zhou Bai, let me accompany you. I can protect you while you cultivate."

Zhou Bai practiced the integration of five Divine Skills, harboring many secrets that he was reluctant to expose to Xuan Nu.

However, Zhou Bai patted Xuan Nu's shoulder, yet still said, "You've been following me around tirelessly lately, take this time to rest a bit. If we need to support the Sky Flipping Sect later, you'll be busy."

"Also, the Daoism techniques I'll be attempting next have too much destructive power, and it would be dangerous for you to be nearby."

Xuan Nu shook her head, about to say she didn't need to rest, but upon hearing the latter part, thought to herself, "Dangerous...?"

"Zhou Bai's strength has indeed been increasing greatly. If I don't make an effort, I'll be left further behind."

"I need to catch up to him, so I can be of help to him."

Remembering Zhou Bai's exhausted demeanor, Xuan Nu refrained from insisting on cultivating together with Zhou Bai, "I can't let him shoulder it all alone."

With this thought, Xuan Nu unknowingly glanced at Jiaojiao.

Xuan Nu nodded, "I understand, you go."

Zhou Bai smiled inwardly, "Xuan Nu is truly strong-willed. A little stimulation, and she'll likely focus on her training for a while, probably keeping her from causing any trouble."

Thinking this, Zhou Bai, before leaving, telepathically said to Xuan Nu, "By the way, if there's any problem, you can always contact me through my mechanical familiar, and I'll check your messages immediately."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Nu felt a warmth in her heart, as if Zhou Bai, although leaving, remained by her side. She nodded, "I understand."

As Zhou Bai departed, Xuan Nu sat down cross-legged and started to adjust the Power of Deformation within her body, a power she originally used to seduce humans towards deformation to strengthen her own Deformation Power, adapting to even more potent forms.

Through such training, she could make her physical body more robust and her deformation abilities stronger.

...

While Zhou Bai and Christina were practicing the integration of the five Divine Skills,

In the distant southern city of Nanshan, a super-massive city belonging to Evil Sect, chaos was also brewing due to the upheaval caused by the Sky Flipping Sect.

Streaks of sword light occasionally sliced through the city's skyline, patrolling everywhere.

And at a tower in Nanshan City, the current Sect Master of the Evil Sect, Abnormal Master Wang Yan at the ninth realm, looked at the city's nightscape and sighed lightly, "The tree wishes to stay still, but the wind doesn't cease. The Sky Flipping Sect really is making an all-out effort this time."

Voices behind him asked, "How many people in Nanshan City are now practicing the Heavenly Demon Ten Techniques?"

Wang Yan answered, "Just in the past seven days, no less than a thousand people were caught. The actual number could be higher."

That voice scoffed, "Isn't that perfect for your human refining material, for crafting zombies?"

Wang Yan shook his head and said, "Don't speak so openly. Since the conflict between good and evil ended and we joined the Evil Sect, we've turned to the righteous path, and it's been a long while since we've done such things. Moreover, with the Immortals from the Heaven Court overseeing the work here, how could we dare?"

The voice faintly responded, "After so many years, I hope you haven't forgotten your traditions."

Wang Yan sighed, "Although the Heaven Court manipulated the struggles between good and evil, eradicating my White Bone Sect entirely, thankfully our predecessors had infiltrated other demonic groups and joined the Evil Sect, thus preserving the complete tradition."

"As long as the bodies you bring have no issues, I can uncover the secrets of that bloodline."

-----

Promoting 'Distances Within a Handbreadth All Become Enemy States'

The story of Baili Qingfeng, who vows to kill your whole family – a troubled high-school student shaping the world around him. If you see how he, 'acts righteously,' 'punishes the wicked,' 'maintains world peace,' yet remains unstoppable, you'll understand Zhou Bai truly is a good person.