The Strongest Businessman

"Squash me like a bug? Hmph, that means you don't even know the slightest thing about my Heavenly Twelve-Leafed Lotus. That means you will never be able to defeat me, much less kill me." Barry smirked which actually served as provocation. The arrogance hidden deep inside his bones that was supressed for over fifty decades has finally shown itslef!

"Me? You're saying I can't defeat you? You're even more foolish than I thought! I know that it could devour vitalty from it's surroundings and foes which will strengthen you indefinitely! But you think I don't know the effects, right? I'm sorry to disappoint you but I know that this three-meter radius circular domain is it's range and you can only absorb life force within this domain." The Poison Demon laughed like what Barry just said was the most hilarious thing he has heard yet..

The Poison continued his maniacal laughter and scowled,"So, I would just have to exit the domain and prevent you from absorbing any of my vitality. But even if I didn't I am still a Tier 3 Grand Poison capable of killing even kill Mortal Moulting Experts! Hahaha, I think that even my spit is enough to kill an arrogant and naive Spirit Gathering Realm like you! Stop dreaming fool, I can kill you however I want. Hahaha."

Amidst his laughter, The Poison Demon noticed that Barry actually chuckled like he was holding back his laughter, "Pfft." Hearing that greatly insulted the Poison Demon so he arbritarily shouted, "Human, what are you laughing about? Do you actually believe that I won't dare kill you right here and right now?! You underestimate me too much!"

"I am not making fun of you or underestimating you but I was just excited that I could finally cultivate and battle once more. You're right. You are incredibly strong compared to any practitioner at the Spirit Gathering Realm but I should remind you that I am not just any cultivator at the Spirit Gathering for I possess a Grade 9 Avatar! Since you're the one who was underestimating me, I will show you what I'm truly capable of and crush you!" Barry swore and taunted the Poison Demon with a provocative gesture.

...

At the same time, Dylan who was thinking of ways as to how to help Barry suddenly received a spirtiual message from Barry, 'Dylan, retreat about several hundreds of meters for now and call Rian for help. Currently, I still can't beat him because of the large disparity in strength but stalling him until Rian returns is not a problem at all.'

'But I can help you stall for time. It will be much more efficient and safer that way. Plus, I can still contact Rian whilst in battle. With Rian's speed, no matter where he is in this forest, it will only take one to two minutes. Let's stall him together.' Dylan urgently transmitted.

'Bro, I wanted to face this tribulation alone as much as possible but his strength is just too much for me right now. So at least let me stall him myself until Rian returns." Barry emotionally sent that transmission.

In just a moment, Dylan nodded. Using Wings of Lightning, he turned around to retreat just like Barry said as he sent one last message, 'Okay, I trust you. I have already told Rian and he said that he'll be here in two minutes. So, don't die!'

...

"I don't have any intentions of dying here." Barry smirked. Seeing the livid expression on the Poison Demon, he knew that it was unaware of the dialogue that Dylan and him had just now. He taunted him in order to make it focus on him and he was able to successfully do so.

"Just you wait, I will definitely make you regret saying those words!" The Poison Demon no longer dillydallied and directly went for the attack! Its wings flapped backwards and cunningly exited from the transparent light green domain in an instant. With that single action, he was able to cross approximately seven meters!

*Swoosh* *swoosh*

"I knew you're going to do that. But let me tell you that what you said about my Heavenly Twelve-Leafed Lotus is only half-right. Hehe." Barry smiled as he gave chase to the Poison Demon. The static life force in the Endless Vitality Domain around him suddenly spiralled towards him and created a light green whirlpool of vitality.

The vitality that Barry absorbed shockingly raised his strength by several folds! His cultivation rose from 11th Awakened Spirit Realm to the Pinnacle of the 15th level Awakened Spirit in the blink of an eye! This ridiculous sort of strength flabbergasted the retreating Poison Demon, "It could raise his power by almost four levels! What kind of abnormality is this Avatar of his?!"

'I can't allow him to drain my vitality!' The Poison Demon furiously flapped its wings and flew upwards but before he could do it, a familliar scene happened. The Heavenly Twelve-Leafed Lotus was actually drawing more strength and vitality from the plants nine meters around Barry! Behind Poison Demon, he could see that there was still a faint boundaryone meter away from him.

The Poison Demon was beyond shocked that the Endless Vitality Domain actually had two layers! He knew he had to escape quickly but the next instant, dozens if not hundreds of vines and extended leaves of different plants tried to wrap the demon. He struggled to break free from such an entanglement but he was outnumbered by the sheer numbers of the vines that licensed aound him. Thus, he was eventually captured and wrapped like a cocoon.

Seeing the incomprehensive shock on the demon's face, Barry smiled contemptuously at the Poison Demon. "The Endless Vitality Domain has an inner and outer layer. The outer being the one which extracts a fraction of the life force of a plant and the inner as the site in which all of that life energy are absorbed and refined. Within the domain, my control over plants is supreme!'

The great amount of vitality derived from the life force of the surrounding plants once again surged towards Barry! The immense vitality that was rapidly being converted into spirit energy actually compressed and condensed into it's higher form which was the Origin Energy! With the condensation of Origin Energy, Barry has officially stepped into the realm of the Origin Palace! His level quickly continued to soar once more and only halted once it reached the Peak of the 16th level of the Awakened Spirit Realm!

'The greatest strength of the Heavenly Twelve-Leafed Lotus is indeed the absorption of vitality that allows one to jump an entire realm!' Barry smiled confidently as he felt the endless vitality coarsing through his body. But to his disappointment, his confidence would be later shattered by the sudden turn of events. The cocoon oddly expanded on different spots, then it eventually swelled to the point that it exploded in flames!

The Pouson Demon pierced out of the cocoon and soared to the scar. His entire body was clad with three oddly colored flames. His appearance no longer resembled that of Barry's but instead, a true flame demon from the unerworld! "Hahaha! I actually forgot of your greatest weakness and the bane of all Vernons, extreme vulnerability against fire! With my Tri-fire Demon form, you are not even a month in my eyes!"

The Poison Demon got out by entering his Tri-fire Demon form which could be achieved by turning nearly eighty percent of his body into flames and reducing his poison composition to twenty percent. After that, he merely ignited himself and the plants covered by Barry's aura quickly evaporated

and burned the grass easily. He laughed as he assaulted Barry with nine poison fireballs!

*Zzzhhh*

"Damn it!" Barry felt reality once more when he was reminded of their clan's curse. But he gripped his hand and calmed himself. He looked to the incoming foreballs and quickly commanded the plants who have water elemental affinity and block the flames by making an aqua wall. But despite the wall being formed, it quickly detriorated but it was just enough to help Barry run from his position.

The Poison Demon ignited a flame on his arms and placed it on the ground. The small poison flame encircled the two of them and formed a small battlefield. With a thought, the Poison Demon intensified the combustion of the poison flame until it reached two and a half meters high and barred any sort exit, "Hehe, you won't escape from this!"

"You..." Surrounded by flames, Barry felt powerless and he could feel his body get weaker every time a second ends. His aura could not circulate properly and his body's homeostasis was in chaos. Instead of becoming redder from the heat, he was turning as white as paper.

The Poison Demon formed more than a dozen fire balls towards Barry. He crazily laughed as each fireball hit it's mark and scorched a part of Barry's skin. "Tremble in fear! If you beg, I will do it as swift as possible. Hahahaha!"

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*

But contrary to his expectations, Barry smiled despite his scorching injuries. An uneasy feeling emerged in the demon's mind when he saw that smile. After that he heard Barry saying something like this, "Perfect."

"What are you babbling on about?! Your aura is clearly getting weaker! How can you smile!" The Poison Demon roared. Dylan was barely standing and despite being morale the skin his arms were scorched black. The same happened to his feet where his right femur could be faintly seen.

"I was just saying how perfect this scenario is. With this flame as the blockage, not even Rian would be able to see what is going to happen here. Thus, I have to pay you back equally!" Barry put both of his arms on the middle of his chest as he chanted a mantra.

"What is this...?" Barry's action lead the Poison Demon to be frozen on the spot as he did not think such things would actually happen here. By the time he regained his sense, Barry also finished chanting a mantra and was already near him.

"Sacred Vernon: Life Imprisonment!" Barry pressed his palms to the chest of the unprepared Poison Demon. The Heavenly Twelve-Leafed Lotus and his 20% of his vitality used formed into ten chains which bounded each limb with two chains, one for his torso and another for his neck. Now, the Poison Demon was floating while entrapped.

Sacred Vernon: Life Imprisonment is a technique used to forcefully connect two peoples life and bind the target to the user for life. The target is bounded by chains and is forced to go where the user wants to unless he/she is permitted to go somewhere. But if the user wills it that the target shall never get out of the chains than it would be impossible to do excape. The prerequisites for this technique is to offer 20 percent of his grades and a target has to have deep grudges or grievances towards the user.

"This? What is this! You wasted your life to capture me?! Do you really think you could subdue me?! I will never submit to the likes of you!" The Poison Demon panicked becaused it did not know what was going to happen next. He did not expect that Barry would actually sacrifice one-tenth of his life to capture him.

"Hahaha, you got no choice now because I am going to start!" Barry returned to his spot earlier and collected his vases. After breaking a certian vase and getting the pill inside, he ate another Tier 7 King Pill named Heavenly Lotus Pill that was made to recover all external wounds in a minute. After a minute, his injuries were quickly treated.

When he sensed that Dylan and Rian was already nearby, he quickly sat crosslegged and absorbed the Poison Demon by placing the Heavenly Twelve-Leafed Lotus which continued to absrob and assimilate the energy of the Poison Demon which was very compatible to his.

"Noooooo!!!" The Poison Demon struggled desperately with fear on his eyes! Barry quickly used his herbal solutions and started the reconfiguration the composition of the poison demon.

But just as he started, dark clouds shriuded the once blue sky with a cloudy dark grey shade. The dark clouds continued to accumulate in order to become bigger and stronger! Yellow lightning sparks and rumbling sounds of thunder could already be heard. It seemed like the Heaven's does not permit this fusion.