His power and speed had already reached the limit attainable by a mortal body. If he were the rebellious cultivator from the Central Continent team, that would be one thing, but he was not. To achieve this level purely through physical means was... truly unimaginable.

Julian remained where he stood, rubbing his wounds. He shook his head with a wry smile, then fell into deep thought.

I made Reinhardt's mistake too, underestimating the strength of this Central Continent captain. Even though I haven't used my Ālaya-vijñāna yet, it’s still uncertain if it will affect someone who has broken through their inner demons. I absolutely cannot let the rest of the Central Continent team come over now; otherwise, even I might have to flee... Julian couldn't help but chuckle bitterly again. Earlier, he had intended to have the rest of the team move toward this location, but given the current situation, if they arrived, they wouldn't be killed—they'd be encircling him. He absolutely could not allow that to happen. Furthermore, Reinhardt on the other side seemed to have absorbed power from two members of the Central Continent team. To prevent him from growing stronger, Julian reluctantly decided to change his original objective and planned to use his mental power again to lure the rest of the Central Continent team toward Reinhardt’s position.

Creating a virtual scenario, especially one transmitted via mental scan to the others, was certainly not beyond Julian, who possessed high-level mental abilities. After effortlessly projecting the false images, he guided Xiao Honglu and the others toward Reinhardt. However, they were already quite far from Wang Xia and the other one; rushing there would take at least several minutes... With that settled, Julian finally focused all his attention on Zheng Zha. Up to this moment, this man was still standing there quietly, much like a normal person who had lost sight, touch, and hearing—no, more accurately, aside from an unusual calmness, he resembled an ordinary person in every other way, simply standing motionless.

This isn't quite right; he’s too unnaturally quiet... He’s Zheng Zha, after all. Has he really been rendered useless so easily by the sensory lockdown? This feeling of unease... Julian took a deep breath and slowly walked toward Zheng Zha, stopping when he was about twenty meters away. He then waved his hand, and the middle-aged Caucasian man immediately walked toward Zheng Zha without hesitation, a faint white light emanating from the sword sheath he held.

The middle-aged Caucasian man reached a spot ten meters from Zheng Zha, but just as he was about to take another step, an extremely dangerous aura washed over him. The previously quiet Zheng Zha abruptly changed direction and faced him. Zheng Zha lightly jumped and kicked out; an invisible, tangible wind blade sliced toward the middle-aged man—this was Tempest Kick (), one of Zheng Zha’s Six Powers. While its destructive force wasn't immense, its attack speed was top-notch.

Before the middle-aged man could react, the wind blade struck the white light hovering half a meter in front of him. This white light proved remarkably resilient; even when struck unexpectedly, it showed no signs of weakening. The middle-aged man, however, was propelled back over ten meters by the force of the wind blade. Even though the white light blocked the blade's destructive power, it couldn't completely negate the kinetic impact, demonstrating just how powerful the wind blade truly was.

He can sense it? Why? Without sight and hearing, he shouldn't be able to see or hear anything around him, and touch is sealed, so he shouldn't even feel the passing air... A sixth sense? Although the higher the Gene Lock level is opened, the greater the chance of instinct and the sixth sense triggering, these two are not standard senses; there’s an element of luck involved. He shouldn't suddenly explode when I get within ten meters. That attack was clearly powered up. Could there be another sense involved? A mental scan? Julian was no reckless brawler. Seeing that Zheng Zha was on guard, he decided against attacking immediately. His Heavenly Dance Tilottama () could lock down the senses for at least ten minutes. Even if Zheng Zha broke the seal, Julian himself wouldn't be in immediate danger, and relying on Ideal Land Far From Everything (), he could cautiously search for the opportunity to completely defeat Zheng Zha.

...It's not mental power. I detect no leakage of his mental energy. That makes sense; no matter how strong he is, first, he isn't a mental energy controller, and second, he didn't enter the deepest level of consciousness when passing his inner demon trial, so he couldn't possibly fight with mental power... Looking at it this way, his fighting style has always been purely physical? It’s just that his physical prowess has reached a level where it’s no longer inferior to fighting with energy. That’s right; the heat stored in the body alone isn't enough to sustain such a high intensity of consumption. He must possess an intrinsic energy attribute. I wonder if it’s limited to just Vampire energy... Julian pondered, then picked up a shattered piece of steel rock the size of his palm from the ground and casually tossed it toward Zheng Zha. The rock was attacked when it reached about ten meters from Zheng Zha. He suddenly spun and threw a punch, the speed of which was almost invisible to the naked eye. The resulting punch easily pulverized the steel rock, sending the iron fragments hurtling toward Julian.

Julian stood his ground, not moving, allowing the white light to flash and neutralize the attack. Only then did he furrow his brow slightly. He had actually left a faint spiritual imprint on that piece of steel rock. This imprint was a form of energy, condensed from mental power—a skill he had devised specifically to probe others' energy attributes. During this probe, he indeed discovered an unusual energy surrounding Zheng Zha’s body. Crucially, this energy possessed extremely corrosive properties; in an instant, his spiritual imprint was completely corroded. It appeared Zheng Zha used this energy enveloping his body to sense his surroundings.

Zheng Zha was indeed using energy to sense his surroundings—a capability he had realized long ago. For instance, emitting his internal energy or Vampire energy outside his body allowed him to use that energy to perceive his environment. However, due to the nature of energy, it dissipated faster the farther it moved from the body. Even with the existence of the Mithril Energy Storage Ring, he couldn't afford to expend energy so lavishly. Thus, after several trials, he shifted the energy source for this technique to True Essence () and Demonic Power ().

True Essence and Demonic Power are products of highly concentrated internal energy and Vampire energy. Once formed, these two energies generally do not dissipate on their own unless completely used up or consumed; this remains true even when they leave the body, as if they have condensed from energy into matter. Otherwise, cultivation artifacts wouldn't still retain intact True Essence and Demonic Power after countless years.

Zheng Zha possessed no cultivation or demon cultivation techniques, so he fundamentally couldn't use these two powerful energies as his base combat energy. In the spirit of recycling waste, after several experiments, he discovered this technique was best utilized purely for probing energy.

What luck. I was just trying it out for fun back then; I never expected it to save my life now... Zheng Zha mused internally. Having his three senses stripped away meant that the most vital senses for a warrior were completely gone. The remaining taste and smell were largely irrelevant to combat; at least, he hadn't learned how to distinguish and locate opponents by scent. Under these conditions, even being able to project a slight trace of Demonic Power within a ten-meter radius was more than enough for him.

"It's truly hard to imagine how terrifying this five-sense sealing technique is..." Zheng Zha sighed softly, then instantly appeared not far from Julian, unleashing several punches at speeds invisible to the naked eye. Although the white light from the sword sheath blocked the destructive force of these blows, the sheer momentum of the punches sent Julian flying outward over ten meters before he crashed to the ground. Zheng Zha didn't pause; he vanished again, but this time his destination was wrong, as he directly slammed into the wall over ten meters away from Julian, creating a deep human imprint in the wall.

Julian stared, dumbfounded. Only when Zheng Zha emerged from the wall and stood still again, seemingly lost in thought, did he offer a wry smile.

I get it now. He’s completely guessing. If an attack comes from a certain direction, he uses super-speed to instantly charge that way, relies on his ten-meter sensory range to attack anyone within that radius. Even though his attacks can't penetrate the sheath's defense, being pushed back by his power will still hurt... Julian smiled bitterly for a long time, utterly unable to devise a solution. This Zheng Zha was more terrifying than a turtle with spikes—impossible to defeat, impossible to fight properly. In short, he was incredibly difficult to handle. If he had known this earlier, he really should have exchanged for a high-tech weapon to attack him from a distance after blinding and deafening him.

There’s no other way. I’ll use Ālaya-vijñāna! Julian’s expression turned solemn, and he suddenly opened his eyes completely. The moment his eyes snapped open, the previously motionless Zheng Zha abruptly turned toward him. Though he didn't attack, all of Zheng Zha's attention was focused here.

"You noticed? Even though I haven't used it yet, you can feel this pressure, can't you? Yes, this is my ultimate trump card: Ālaya-vijñāna, also known as the Six Paths of Reincarnation. It's the power I gained after exchanging for the 'Shaka' attribute and immersing myself deep within my consciousness with this technique..." Julian chuckled coldly, flicking his finger toward Zheng Zha.

A sharp snap echoed from his fingertip. Simultaneously, Zheng Zha felt his internal energy and Vampire energy surge violently within him, almost causing an energy runaway despite being caught off guard. Even so, he suffered minor internal injuries, and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

That's right, this is... the Light of the Mind! The Light of the Mind, psychic power, mental force, AT Field—these terms all refer to the same thing: a power that a person can grasp upon unlocking the fourth stage of the Gene Lock and surviving their inner demon trial. For example, Zheng Zha’s Light of the Mind manifests as the Submerged Dragon Transformation (). Though it's a physical transformation, it is the expression of his Light of the Mind. Another example is the Light of the Mind for Zhao Yingkong’s main personality: Energy Devourment, that black light capable of breaking through energy. And the person Zheng Zha saw in Zhao Yingkong's memories, Zhao Ruikong, who possessed mental control abilities, her Light of the Mind was Deep Consciousness Hypnosis.

Julian's so-called Ālaya-vijñāna is an ability of the same nature. It can not only hypnotize and control living organisms but also genetically hypnotize and control them, leading to the body’s self-destruction and ruin. This is an overwhelmingly domineering and terrifying power. Without having unlocked the fourth stage of the Gene Lock or higher, one is essentially defenseless against this ability. Of course, the price for possessing this Light of the Mind is enormous: not only must one be a mental energy controller, but one must also fully immerse oneself in the deepest layer of consciousness, transforming into a demon there...

"I didn't expect... you to possess a power of this level."

Zheng Zha exhaled, then shouted suddenly. The level of his Gene Lock began to rapidly unlock, climbing continuously from the second stage until it reached the fourth stage, at which point Julian's expression finally changed significantly. Zheng Zha ignored this completely, continuing to unlock his Gene Lock with all his focus. Finally... at the intermediate level of the fourth stage Gene Lock, the product of his Light of the Mind—the Submerged Dragon Transformation—appeared! With a tearing whoosh, Zheng Zha's pair of dragon wings burst forth from his back, shredding his clothes to pieces. Simultaneously, his form and appearance continuously transformed until the final shape settled. Julian had already retreated over a hundred meters. This wasn't due to fear, but rather the immense pressure emanating from Zheng Zha, which felt like Mount Tai pressing down when standing near him.

"You are too dangerous. Power of this level shouldn't exist in the real world. I thought you only knew skills like sensory lockdown and basic hypnosis, but you actually use this technique... You are too great a threat to my companions. I must eliminate you here... The previous wager is void; I abandon the idea of keeping you..." Julian chuckled coldly. Confident in the absolute protection of Ideal Land Far From Everything, he knew he couldn't be killed, so he wasn't worried about dying. He spoke telepathically: "You actually know about Ālaya-vijñāna? This is an ability I cannot yet fully control even at my current level, but its advantages are already extremely obvious, do you know? I also call Ālaya-vijñāna the Seed. I bury the spiritual imprint of Ālaya-vijñāna deep within a person's consciousness. Before long, that person's consciousness will be completely corroded by my seed, and they will become one of my puppets—like this man with the sword sheath... You probably don't know, but I have already planted seeds in the consciousness of your companions. Only your consciousness is too strong; those who have passed their inner demon trials are indeed extraordinary. But if I defeat you, I will take over your companions... Oh, perhaps your clone possesses the complete version of Ālaya-vijñāna, otherwise why couldn't even the 'Main God' repair the person he controlled? Sooner or later, I will reach that level too, hahaha..." Zheng Zha ignored him, suddenly transforming the Demonic Power outside his body into long ribbons, stretching from the ten-meter radius around him into ribbons hundreds of meters long, which began to spin around him, centered on his body. The first to be touched by these ribbons was the nearby middle-aged Caucasian man. Upon sensing the man’s location, Zheng Zha lunged forward and delivered a powerful kick to his chest, sending the man flying over a hundred meters away.

As Zheng Zha’s foot connected, the white light flashed again, completely neutralizing the destructive impact. However, neutralizing the destruction could not negate the force; the middle-aged man was still flung over a hundred meters before he staggered to a stop and stood up unharmed.

Seeing this, Julian coldly laughed and spoke: "...Besides the destructive aspect you know, Ālaya-vijñāna has another method of attack. It's a pity I would absolutely never use this move on myself..." With that, he snapped his fingers again.

As the snap echoed, the middle-aged Caucasian man’s muscles suddenly began to swell violently. The muscles writhed as if alive, and soon they began to tear out from his body like writhing tentacles. The man’s entire body continued to expand until he reached over three meters tall before stopping. The entire figure, including the tentacle-like muscles, looked both disgusting and terrifying. The strange thing was that despite his skin and muscles tearing open like this, not a single drop of blood flowed, as if his body was naturally like this.

Zheng Zha didn't see any of this. The moment his Demonic Power ribbons contacted the middle-aged man, he lunged forward once more, launching several punches simultaneously. The destructive power of these blows was still completely absorbed by the white light. This time, however, the middle-aged man only shuddered slightly, not retreating even an inch. Immediately, several thick muscle tendrils coiled up and lashed violently toward Zheng Zha.

With a loud crack, the muscle strips were blocked by Zheng Zha’s arms. Although Zheng Zha didn't budge an inch, the steel floor beneath them instantly cracked and splintered. The immense force could only flow downward through their feet into the ground. Zheng Zha then grasped one of the muscle strips with one hand; a bright white light flared, and no matter how hard Zheng Zha squeezed, he couldn't damage the strip.

Julian sneered, "Stop trying. You're just a punching bag now. You can't hurt us as long as only we strike you..." As his words fell, a crimson great saber suddenly appeared in Zheng Zha's hand. As the Demonic Power around Zheng Zha intensely condensed, the next second, that thick muscle strip was cleanly severed. And the white light... couldn't stop the Tiger Soul Blade () condensed with Demonic Power at all! He leaped toward...