Two Experts

A clash of light and silk webs resounded in space, Cain retreated while his opponent stayed in place, radiating calmness.

'Damn it! He's only revealed three of his souls, all spirits. I know he has the Desire Demon but he definitely won't use it, otherwise he could easily get possessed. Do I have to show more of my cards?'

So far, Cain only used his Sword and Space Spirit, along with his thousand-faced spider. The only cards he had left were his innate spell and the Star Flame Butterfly.

'All his attacks are combinations of his spirits, each one does something different. I wish I picked a proper technique now, no wonder the last practitioner died in that small chamber in the mountains!'

Cain gritted his teeth and snapped his fingers. Instantly, 6 orbs of fire appeared around him from dying embers. He moved forward towards the Demon Slaughtering Celestial and revealed Bloodletter, infusing it with sword energy.

"Oh? What kind of weapon is that?" The Sect Leader's interest was piqued, the strange weapon Cain held gave off a powerful feeling that suppressed him.

Bloodletter was currently a Tier 7 Unparalleled Treasure. By feeding it his remaining Evolving Spirits and the Corrosive turtle, as well as hunting from time to time in the Valley, Cain broke two locks, boosting Bloodletter's strength to the big leagues.

This weapon was what allowed him to reach the fighting strength of an Expert in the Enlightenment Stage.

The two clashed again, and this time the Demon Sealing Sect Leader quickly found his defenses were smashed through, he sent out thousands of light blades but all of them were destroyed and devoured by the crimson sword.

"Oh?" For the first time, he was pushed back. "Chained Coffin Demon, Light Fragmenting Pigmy!"

Small portals opened behind the Sect Leader as steel chains flew out. Light reflected the polished steel, it then fragmented, becoming smaller and weaker.

The chains wrapped around Bloodletter, restricting Cain. Then, the small fragments of light began to pierce his skin and rampage through his body. Organs were punctured and veins sliced, Cain cauterized most of it, causing a great deal of pain, but he dealt with it as he flushed his body with sword energy, shattering any fragments left into oblivion.

However the Demon Slaughtering Celestial didn't stop, he pulled his hand back like one would a javelin as a large shard of light condensed in his palm.

All the while, Cain was being restricted as more and more chains wrapped around him. He was unable to move, the chains nullified his ability to teleport.

Smiling, the Demon Sealing Sect Leader launched the spear at Cain.

'Too weak, I'm too weak! Facing real experts I'm still below their level. Damn it all!' Cain watched as the spear of light neared.

Reaching a certain distance, the spear broke into fragments, yet these fragments didn't get smaller but larger. Cain then realized he was still in the field of light made by the 8th Tier Light Spirit!

He didn't have time to escape and could only wrap his body in steel webbing as the fragments assaulted him. The volley of light demolished the webs as they seeped into Cain's flesh like parasites, completely invading his body.

They broke more and more, becoming smaller and smaller. Cain bled from his pores.

His eyes bulged as light leaked out from behind them. Still, he used everything in his power to protect his important organs.

The barrage lasted for ten seconds, but the onslaught in his body lasted for over a minute. By the end, Cain's body was more ragged than his clothes.

His red eyes burned while witnessing his state.

Cain's skin was strewn and cut to pieces, his bones showing more than the ripped draping of his flesh. Everywhere he could see was covered in drifting blood. His organs were like bagpipes, holes littering them, and his veins and arteries hung low, cut.

Luckily, Cain could keep everything together before he lost too much blood, immediately wrapping himself in a cocoon of webs. He wasn't stopped as the heat around the cocoon lit up, Cain turned himself into a furnace.

The star flame butterflies could light a fire in space due to an organ in their body that used Spiritual Qi to produce oxygen.

Cain used that same property, using his Spiritual Qi and making mass amounts of oxygen as he burned himself.

Charred flesh would burn off him and collect at the bottom of the steel webbing, creating a puddle. Cain would use this puddle to seal everything up, creating black patches all around him.

The Demon Slaughtering Celestial waited patiently, he had never run into someone like Cain, someone able to take such actions to survive. There were a few people that were close, but not like this. Cain was in a league of his own when it came to self-mutilation.

Cain could persevere through this pain because he believed he had gone through worst. This belief was like a steel wall that no flame could melt. Even now, when he was burning himself alive, perhaps even experiencing more pain than he had ever had before, he still believed it to be nothing.

This belief was what allowed him to survive, a delusion that helped him strive. It was a symptom of his madness. 

Worst of all, deep down, Cain knew what he was doing, he knew he was tricking himself, but the results were needed. Cain was someone who needed to lie to himself to get an edge, he needed to believe his will was strong so then it would be. Belief was a powerful tool.

In the end, Cain was still human, he still felt pain. He was a human who only believed himself numb. A childish fool thinking himself greater than what he was. 

The cocoon opened, and a hand reached out. It was as black as the void around it. Another hand escaped and the two together separated the cocoon, easily splitting it open.

What was left was a ghastly figure full of burn wounds, having no hair and a dimorphic body akin to a child who misshapen dough into a human figure. Yet his eyes burned red, for they would forever burn.

This made the Demon Slaughtering Celestial happy, "Hahaha! You are good I admit. You may be weaker than most, but I'll chalk it up to you only recently advancing. Ah, my desire to fight strong opponents is quenched thanks to you. For this help, I'll kill you quickly!"

Who was the Demon Slaughtering Celestial? Not many knew, but he was in fact, a man who wanted strength more than anything.

Over his long life, he fought opponent after opponent, fighting the strong to satisfy his desire. Eventually, his innumerable fights led to him becoming who he was today, the Sect Leader of the Second Strongest Sect in the 7 Provinces.

Yet, throughout his life, he had two regrets, losing to the Sect Leader of the Beast Master Sect, and being fooled by his desires.

The Demon Slaughtering Celestial wasn't stupid, but that was only when his desires weren't in play. When he fought the Grand Desire Demon he didn't know his weakness was ever present to it. The result was he thought he had won but in reality, he became the Demon's host. It was only until later he understood his folly.

Slowly, the great Demon Slaughtering Celestial was being taken over.

He couldn't reach the Fusion Stage because of it. This great figure could only wait, keeping this demon sealed within his body.

Over time, this caused him a great deal of pressure and stress. He wasn't a bad person, he was someone who wanted to leave the world better than he left it, but he was finding it more impossible day after day.

He internally felt melancholic, 'This will be the last time I will be able to use this move, the next time I do, perhaps the Demon will find a loophole in my body to use. Alas, using it now feels a bit of a waste, but this person has proved themselves worth something.'

His white hair fluttered as this great figure prepared to finish off Cain. "Try and survive against my Zenith level Innate spell! My understanding of Light Dao! Light Diffusion!"

The entire void started to become bright. 

Cain tried to move but found he couldn't. Not because the Demon Slaughtering Celestial was stopping him but because he abused his body too much.

Even though he bared the pain of burning himself, his body could not. Even if he was still alive his body was in an inoperable state. Without using his mist, without using his true power, he was a sitting rock.