Chapter 170: The Mysterious Female Gate

The stitched demon gathered his demonic energy and hurled a punch powerful enough to shatter mountains and split the earth. But the Guardian God simply raised the black shield formed by his Ghost Armor Technique and effortlessly blocked the blow.

Even the residual shockwaves were completely absorbed by the Ghost Armor, leaving Lu Yan untouched.

Lu Yan stood calmly atop the mountain, not moving a finger. His gaze swept across the battlefield, watching the various demons in combat.

Within the Ninefold Netherwind Formation, three demons had already perished beneath the ghostly winds. This confirmed Lu Yan’s theory—not all demons possessed the near-immortal traits of the stitched demon.

Each demon seemed to exhibit its own unique characteristic, something that allowed them to manifest abilities bordering on the essence of their own Dao.

For example, the white wolf demon riddled with boils wielded a plague trait of terrifying potency. Whether it was ghost soldiers, beasts, or even other demons—any creature that approached the oozing pus of the ruptured boils would suffer the plague’s corrosive effects.

Even brief contact could spread the infection, affecting both body and soul. The result was always the same—the rotting of flesh and collapse of the spirit.

Fortunately, aside from the plague, the white wolf demon wasn’t particularly strong. The moment the Ninefold Netherwind Formation was activated, its soul was blown apart, causing limited damage overall.

Then there was the one-legged giant locked in combat with the Giant Spirit God. Despite having only one leg, his speed was unreasonably fast.

Even Lu Yan could barely track his movements with the naked eye.

With such immense speed, combined with incredible strength and durability, the one-legged giant could easily be considered a tyrant among Foundation Establishment demons.

But unfortunately, he encountered the Giant Spirit God.

Treading the Path of Omniscience, the Giant Spirit God first weakened the giant with the Ninefold Netherwind Formation, leaving him with only a fraction of his power.

During their clash, the Giant Spirit God didn’t even need to see the giant’s movements. Relying on overwhelming soul processing power, he could predict every attack with precision and counter it with brute force, utterly crushing his opponent.

Lu Yan also recalled the Mist Insect Swarm he had seen previously.

Those insects could even devour Soul-Eroding Yin Wind. Their devouring ability had clearly reached its pinnacle.

And combining this with the stitched demon’s undying ability, Lu Yan was beginning to form a theory.

The stitched demon kept attacking, but no matter how he struck, he couldn’t break through the Guardian God’s defense.

What’s more, since the Guardian God never launched an attack of his own, the stitched demon couldn’t trigger his rebirth ability, which relied on death and reconstitution.

Instead, as he burned through his demonic energy, his body began to shrink—from over five meters tall to less than three.

This gradual weakening finally sparked fear in the stitched demon. The arrogance he had earlier was now completely gone.

He turned to flee—but was instantly snared by a Soul-Hooking Rope.

“You think this is enough to trap me?”

Demonic energy surged as he shattered the rope. But the next moment, **dozens—hundreds—**of ropes flew in and coiled around every inch of his body, pinning him firmly in place.

On the other end of the battlefield, the ghost gods and underworld soldiers had slaughtered the rest of the demons, including the one-legged giant.

Those powerful demons never even got the chance to show their full strength. They were all neutralized under the Giant Spirit God’s precise calculations.

Only the stitched demon remained.

Lu Yan walked over to the demon now bound like a dumpling. With his shrunken form and aura plummeted to the early Foundation Establishment stage, the demon was a mere shadow of his former self.

After a few futile struggles, the stitched demon could only glare at Lu Yan with venomous hatred.

“So this is the so-called undying demon my master spoke of?”

The Giant Spirit God stepped forward and studied the creature with curiosity.

“What a strange being. How could something like this exist?”

He reached out and channeled a stream of ghostly energy into the stitched demon’s body, which immediately triggered a violent reaction.

“I am undying! Even if you kill me ten thousand times, I’ll still return!”

The Giant Spirit God raised a brow and smiled faintly.

“Oh? If that’s true, you’ll make a perfect test subject.”

“For example—what happens if we slice your corpse into pieces and bury them across the world? Will a new you grow from one fragment? Or will the pieces need to merge?”

“Or… what if we cut up your soul and stitch the fragments into separate, whole spirits—then stuff all those competing souls into your body and let them fight for control?”

“Of course, we could also implant conflicting memories into your soul… make it impossible for you to tell reality from illusion.”

At this, the Giant Spirit God grinned strangely.

“For instance—how can you be certain that what you’re experiencing right now is real?”

Fear finally flooded the stitched demon’s face. He looked at the Giant Spirit God as if staring at a demon even more terrifying than himself.

Lu Yan’s lips twitched slightly as he turned to the Giant Spirit God.

“Can you determine the source of his undying ability?”

The Giant Spirit God’s expression turned serious as he replied.

“The one-legged giant’s speed and the white wolf’s plague trait are both innate abilities.”

“But this one—his original body is human. He became what he is through the cultivation of some forbidden technique.”

“Essentially, all of them are borrowing power from the Dao of this world—trying to derive traits far beyond their rightful tier.”

“But this world’s Dao is… twisted. The moment they merged their bodies and minds into it, they stepped onto a path of corruption.”

Those words ignited a furious reaction.

The stitched demon glared at the Giant Spirit God like he was staring at a mortal enemy and let out a growl.

“I’m not wrong! I was seeking the true essence of the Dao!”

“You fools will never understand how noble and grand the Dao truly is!”

He then turned his gaze toward Lu Yan, his eyes filled with scorn.

“Especially you! Hoarding seventeen top-tier true laws, hated by all life in this realm—and yet you don’t even understand what you possess!”

“With your strength, you’ll soon become food for a real great demon!”

Lu Yan’s expression remained calm as he slowly raised a hand toward the demon’s head.

The stitched demon burst into wild laughter.

“You can’t kill me!”

Lu Yan’s voice was flat.

“I’m not trying to kill you. I just want you to witness the Dao Truth you’ve longed for.”

As he spoke, space around his palm distorted, and a phantasmal gate began to open.

Everyone present stared at the gate.

It was as if they were witnessing the origin of all things—the very source of the Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Boundless mysteries unfurled from Lu Yan’s hand, revealing the beginning of all Daos.

The stitched demon’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

“Impossible…! Your body hasn’t undergone demonization. You haven’t fused with the Dao… How can you wield the Dao Truth?!”

“It’s fake! It has to be fake!”

“You’re lying to me! This is a false memory, a dream from the great demon!”

His mind completely collapsed.

In pursuit of the Dao Truth, he had discarded his body and sanity. He had lived in a daze most of each day and eventually made a fatal error that forced him to flee from the city.

And yet the very Dao Truth he had sacrificed everything for—Lu Yan could display it with a mortal body.

Worse yet, it was far grander and more complete than his so-called Undying Truth.

That revelation shattered what remained of his mind.

Lu Yan said nothing. He simply lowered his palm.

In that moment, the stitched demon’s soul shattered. His aura faded to nothing.

In the face of a true, supreme Dao Truth, his so-called Undying Truth was nothing but a delusion.

Lu Yan gazed at the gate in his palm, where countless Daos converged—the wellspring of all truth.

He softly whispered its name:

“The Mysterious Female Gate.”

(End of Chapter)