Chapter 482: Heart Demon Growing Strong
Seeing such overwhelming power coming his way, Tathāgata couldn't help but wonder—had he come to the wrong place?
If he had known this man's power was so terrifying, he wouldn't have joined the crowd here in the first place.
But now that he was already here, it was far too late for regrets.
"Tathāgata Divine Palm!"
A colossal palm appeared at that moment, pushing directly toward the mighty surge of power. A deafening boom followed, and the void itself seemed on the verge of shattering. The two opposing forces clashed, sending a violent shockwave blasting in opposite directions.
The two figures remained locked in the air for a while, but eventually, both were forced to retreat several steps.
"Cough, cough!"
Tathāgata hadn't expected his opponent to be this terrifyingly powerful. After coughing once, he found that he had actually spat out a mouthful of blood. Witnessing this, Ye Tian became even more convinced of the strength of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pay Homage technique he cultivated.
Though the opponent was undeniably strong, at this point, defeating Ye Tian was no longer possible. After sustaining such a heavy blow, did he even have the strength left to continue the fight? Most likely not.
Now, Tathāgata looked like nothing more than a spent force. Ye Tian said coldly, "Tathāgata, your power is clearly failing. If this continues, you won't be able to match me at all. So I suggest you leave now—don't waste your energy on a pointless fight."
"You—fine! I'll remember this!"
With that, he turned and left, no longer willing to stay even a moment longer. He knew remaining here was meaningless, and since Ye Tian was letting him go, he had to seize the opportunity.
He didn't want to linger at all—it was far too dangerous.
After those parting words, he quickly turned and departed. Seeing him leave, Ye Tian simply smiled. He had no intention of pursuing. If he truly wanted to end him, there would've been no escape.
"Tathāgata, you're seriously wounded now. I don't want to kill you. If you were to die, the Buddhist sect would fall into chaos—something I don't want to see."
Ye Tian smiled. He truly meant it. A moment later, Tathāgata returned and went into seclusion to recuperate.
"Ye Tian, you're far too powerful. I don't know when—or if—I'll ever surpass you. Maybe… maybe I never will."
That was the thought occupying Tathāgata's heart. As he dwelled on it, he felt a pang of disappointment.
Why couldn't he be a match for Ye Tian? If only he were strong enough to stand against him. But alas, he wasn't.
"Sigh… forget it. Once I recover, I'll continue to train even harder. I must surpass him one day!"
That was his resolve. Once his body healed, he had to find a way to surpass Ye Tian. Only then could he stabilize his heart. Otherwise, this frustration would fester into a heart demon—and if that happened, he might never recover.
He could already sense the growing power of that heart demon. If he didn't find a way to eliminate it, his cultivation path would be crippled.
Ye Tian, on the other hand, had returned. Passing by the area where Black Servant was staying, Ye Tian turned to him and asked, "Would you like to come back with me?"
"You… you'll take me with you?"
Ye Tian nodded. "Yes, of course. Come with me now—I'll bring you somewhere better. Once we're there, I'll personally train you. I'll make you one of the strongest."
Hearing this, Black Servant was overjoyed. "I don't even know how to thank you. I've longed to improve, but I've always struggled to make any real progress."
"Let me examine your body. We'll see what the problem is."
Ye Tian reached out and carefully examined him. After a moment, he found the source of the issue.
There was a strange force inside Black Servant's body—one that directly opposed the energy he was cultivating. Smiling, Ye Tian said, "I understand now why your cultivation has been so slow."
"Is it because my talent is poor?"
"No, your talent is actually very good. The issue is that there's a restriction inside your body—a suppressive force that's absorbing most of the energy you're trying to cultivate."
"What? Why would that be there? You're saying there's a restriction in my body—how did that even happen?"
This powerful restriction had been artificially implanted. Based on Ye Tian's guess, it had to have been placed there by Black Servant's previous master. He explained, "Yes. Most likely your former master put it there."
"Him? Why would he do such a thing?"
"Because he was afraid. Afraid that one day you'd surpass him. So he secretly placed that restriction in your body. Your talent is excellent. If he hadn't done that, and you surpassed him, he'd lose control over you."
"So that's it… I was loyal to him all along. I never thought he'd betray me like this."
Ye Tian chuckled. Human nature was like that. He said, "But don't worry. As long as you're with me, I'll never take advantage of you. I can remove that restriction for you right now. Once it's gone, your cultivation speed will soar. If you work hard, you might even surpass me someday."
"What? That's impossible! You're so powerful—I could never catch up to you."
"No. As long as you follow me, anything's possible. You have to believe in yourself."
With that, Ye Tian dispelled the restriction inside Black Servant's body. The moment it was gone, Black Servant immediately felt refreshed, as though a heavy shroud had been lifted from his soul.
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