Against the Gods - Volume 06 - Lordship in Illusory Demon

by Mars Gravity

  “Mu Family’s Mu Hengyi.”

  It was only a short four words, but it was incredibly imposing.

  “Oh, so you are the Mu Family’s Third Grand Elder’s young master Hengyi.” Duke Huai looked at Mu Hengyi with an admiring expression for a while, then turned to the side and said, “Who among you will come forward for the battle?”

  No one responded to Duke Huai’s calling. The corner of his mouth slanted slightly, and said, “If no one would willingly come forward on their own, then this duke will make the selection. Zihuan, you will be the one to fight against the Mu Family’s Young Master Hengyi.”

  As soon as Duke Huai spoke of the name “Zihuan”, the expression of everyone in the west wing changed altogether.

  Duke Zihuan, a young duke from Duke Zhao’s Duke Palace, but this wasn’t his most notable title. His other identity was one of the “Illusory Demon Seven Scions” that were prestigious in the Illusory Demon Realm, and he was ranked fourth!!

  Yun Qinghong’s guess was right. The first person that Duke Huai had sent forward was someone who wasn’t in the first tier, but was someone who definitely was not weak. Even though they had enough mental preparation, the faces of the dukes and patriarchs from each family still showed nervousness. Especially the people from the Mu Family, half of them immediately stood up.

  Because Mu Hengyi, was definitely not a match for this Duke Zihuan… definitely not!

  Just in terms of profound strength, Mu Hengyi was at the third level of the Tyrant Profound Realm, whereas Duke Zihuan was at the peak of the Tyrant Profound Realm’s fifth level! Among the many in the east wing, his strength was placed in the middle, but in the west wing, only Su Zhizhan could beat him.

  At the lower stages of profound strength, a difference of one stage wouldn’t be too much, but once it reached the Tyrant Profound Realm, a difference of one stage would amount to an enormous disparity in skill. Even with the Yun Family’s powerful Profound Handle, it could only surpass one stage. Mu Hengyi and Duke Zihuan’s difference of two stages was something that could not be compensated. Moreover, Zihuan was not a normal level five Tyrant Profound Realm, he was at the peak of level five.

  On top of that, Zihuan belonged to the Illusory Demon Royal Family. Even though his Demon Emperor’s bloodline was thin, it was still the blood of a divine beast. In terms of physique, he already greatly exceeded normal humans and demons.

  So, Mu Hengyi would definitely lose this battle!

  Duke Zihuan, whose name was called upon, was distracted for a second. Then, he stood up, gave Mu Hengyi a glance, and responded with an “Oh” in a feeble tone; he obviously looked unwilling to do so. He jumped up and entered the arena. He held his arms around his chest and gave Mu Hengyi a sideways glance. His eyes were filled with disdain, even a fool could see it clearly… It was obvious that he didn’t even take the competition in front of him seriously, and he was even somewhat upset at Duke Huai making him fight against someone who was this weak.

  Duke Huai said slowly, “Zihuan, Hengyi is the grandson of the Mu Family’s Third Grand Elder, and is the number one in the Mu Family’s young generation. He is a strong opponent, you must not underestimate him. You must give him your best.”

  “Oh, I got it.” Duke Zihuan still responded with a feeble tone. A profound formation flashed in his hand, and a blood-red long blade instantly appeared in his grasp. With its blade tip pointing at the ground, he put his other hand behind his back, then gave Mu Hengyi a twisted smile, “Um… oh, what was your name again… let’s hurry up and start this. Oh, you can go first, attack however you like.”

  Even though Mu Hengyi’s expression didn’t change, his eyes almost shot out fire.

  He himself knew that his profound strength could not compare to this Duke Zihuan, but he was still number one of the Mu Family’s young generation, and everyone in Demon Imperial City knew that he was the Mu Family’s third young master. He had never endured such contempt before!

  His eyes showed disdain, his expression showed disdain, even what he said was filled with mockery and loathing.

  Even if I can’t beat you… I must leave a scar on your neck!!

  It was as if a volcano exploded within Mu Hengyi’s heart. He roared deeply as he swung his Ice Crystal Long Whip, and created countless ice crystals that could pierce through bone. They flew towards Duke Zihuan like a swarm of locusts in the sky. At the same time, a blue light flashed on his body. A layer of ice crystals formed on the surface of his body, and as his shadow swayed, it created a freezing-cold storm that headed straight towards Duke Zihuan, who hadn’t entered his fighting stance.

  “Looks like Hengyi is completely enraged. He used ‘Frost Crystal Annihilation’ as soon as the fight started,” someone from the Mu Family said.

  Yun Qinghong’s eyebrows fiercely jumped at this moment, and then he sighed helplessly, “Oh no!”

  Standing there, Duke Zihuan, whose face expressed laziness, suddenly flashed with a split-second sneer. The hand that was at his back grabbed onto the handle as quick as lightning. His body that was originally not imposing at all, immediately burst with a strong aura of profound strength… the long blade in his hand shined with a bright, blood-red profound light.

  The silence just now wasn’t because of underestimation and arrogance… he was quietly building up his power! And it exploded at this very second!

  Because people from the Illusory Demon Royal Family possessed the Golden Crow’s bloodline, they had an incomparable gift when it came to cultivating fire attribute profound arts. Therefore, even though the dukes of Illusory Demon Royal Family didn’t have the right to cultivate the 《Golden Crow’s Record of the Burning World》 that was exclusive to Demon Emperors, they all cultivated fire attribute profound arts.

  It was no different for Duke Zihuan.

  The blade he wielded in his hand was named “Scarlet Blood” and the skill he executed was the “Blood Flame Strike” that all the Illusory Demon profound practitioners feared!!!

  The Duke Zihuan before his eyes, who was previously as calm as lake water, suddenly became as ferocious as an oncoming tsunami. Since Mu Hengyi’s all-out attack was made in anger, added to the fact that he never expected the opponent who was obviously looking down on him to suddenly burst out with a fierce counterattack, there was no chance for him to avoid this strike, and he could only face the Scarlet Blood Blade straight on…

  A scarlet, blood-red radiance flashed past the sky and the cool air became a vicious storm, as the ice crystals that filled the air quickly turned into the smallest of particles.

  Bang!!

  Mu Hengyi’s Frost Crystal Annihilation which bore great destructive powers was instantly torn apart. After that, the ice layer on the surface of his body was also cut open… The red beam continued onwards, and slashed onto his protective profound energy. A ball of red light burst mercilessly at that instant… and right now, a sneer appeared on Duke Zihuan’s face.

  “Kid, what we want is not only to win, but to make you lose in the ugliest way possible!!”

  A low, mocking whisper resounded in Mu Hengyi’s ears as he flew out of the battle arena with his body covered in shattered ice crystals and long streaks of bloodstains, crashing toward the Mu Family’s seats.

  “Hengyi!!!”

  A Mu Family member cried out in alarm. Mu Yubai quickly flew over, catching Mu Hengyi who had been sent flying while splattering blood.

  A deep cut went from Mu Hengyi’s waist all the way to the position of his heart. It was a foot long, so deep that even his internal organs could be seen.

  “Hengyi!!”

  “Hengyi, are you alright…”

  “Quick!! Quick, bring the medicine!”

  Mu Family’s members quickly gathered at Mu Hengyi’s side. Several Great Elders evenly channeled profound energy, sealing his wound. Mu Hengyi unwaveringly gritted his teeth, not uttering the slightest of screams, but his complexion was as white as paper. He gasped heavily, looked at Mu Yubai and Mu Feiyan, and
said in shame, “Patriarch… Hengyi is useless… lost… so unsightly… lost… our clan’s… face…”

  Everyone knew that Mu Hengyi would lose, but no one would ever think that he would actually lose this fast.

  Instant defeat… a completely unexaggerated instant defeat!!

  Even though there was a large disparity between the strengths of Mu Hengyi and Duke Zihuan, an all-out reaction should not have caused such a tragic defeat. However, the other party’s strength was obviously an absolute advantage, yet he still used such an act of contempt and ridicule to anger Mu Hengyi, causing him to lose his cautiousness. As for Duke Zihuan’s disdainful appearance, he was actually already maneuvering the energy in his body in secret… In an all-out direct collision, how could a level three Tyrant Profound Realm defeat a peak level five Tyrant Profound Realm, moreover, against an Illusory Demon’s duke who held an absolute advantage in terms of innate talent?!

  Not only was Mu Hengyi instantly defeated, he didn’t even cause the other party the slightest bit of injury, and the amount of power the other party used was also very small.

  Number One Under Heaven flew to Mu Hengyi’s side and injected his elven powers. Soon after, Mu Hengyi’s cut stopped aching.

  Mu Feiyan’s chest heavily heaved. He didn’t blame Mu Hengyi, and instead said with a heavy expression, “Your loss was indeed unsightly, and losing this match is of no value… However, to you, this match has great worth! Because luckily, you are not against your mortal enemy this time, otherwise, you wouldn’t have ended up just being simply injured and defeated! Properly reflect on why you have lost this shamefully. Once you realize it, you would be able to live longer next time!”

  “Yes…” Mu Hengyi closed his eyes, and said in shame, “It was I… who let my guard down… because of the opponent’s provocation… I will remember this lesson for my entire lifetime…”

  “Alright, close your eyes and rest now. If you have something to say, say it when you’ve recovered from your injuries.” After Mu Yubai finished speaking, he turned around, and icily gazed at Duke Zihuan.

  “Cough, didn’t expect Brother Hengyi’s body to be this weak. This humble duke merely hit him once, and he was injured this seriously. If I knew beforehand, I would have only used half of the strength just now.” Duke Zihuan acted as if he was blaming himself, “Senior Mu, during the competition, injuries cannot be avoided. You won’t give this humble duke a hard time because of this, right?”

  No one could be held responsible for the wounds from a sparring competition. Moreover, it took place in Demon Imperial Hall with everyone watching. Mu Yubai knew for sure that even if he intentionally maimed Mu Hengyi, he couldn’t say anything about it. He scoffed, and didn’t say half a word to Duke Zihuan, turning his gaze towards Yun Qinghong.

  They could already tell, not only did Duke Huai’s side want to beat them, they wanted to make them lose in the most awful, miserable, ugly way possible, and step all over their dignity and pride.

  Chapter 548: Four Consecutive Defeats

  “Wen Ji, you’re up!” Yun Qinghong said after he pondered in silence for a while.

  “Ah… me?” Behind Yun Qinghong, a callow youth dressed in the attire of the Duke Palaces pointed at himself as he wore a lost and panicked look on his face.

  Wen Ji was the son of Duke Xu, and his talent and strength were both uncommon. But taking account his profound strength at the second level of the Tyrant Profound Realm at the age of twenty-nine, he would be labelled as a bottom-feeder among the creme de la creme of the Illusory Demon Realm’s young elites that were gathered here… Even among the west wing, which was much weaker than the east wing, he was still at the bottom.

  In the first round, Mu Hengyi had already suffered a crippling defeat at the hands of Zihuan. So for the second round, it stood to reason that a person who was sufficient to challenge Duke Zihuan should step up to the plate, because even if that person could not win, that person would still be able to retain some dignity in defeat. And if Wen Ji were to face an opponent who had completely dominated Mu Hengyi, he would only lose in a more spectacular fashion.

  “Yes. Wen Ji, you’ll be the one taking the second round.” Yun Qinghong turned to face him and declared with sunken brows, “The one you are about to face is indeed an opponent that is hard for you to fight, but as both of you are dukes of the Illusory Demon Royal Family, even if you lose in battle, you would have simply lost in power. However, you cannot lose your fighting spirit even before you have not even lost yet.”

  Wen Ji ground his teeth together and quickly regained his equilibrium. He simply stated, “Understood!”

  “Even though you and Zihuan are separated by three levels, the two of you are still both Overlords. Even if he wins, he will still have to exert himself. Your goal is to exhaust as much of his profound energy as you can… Remember, concentrate thirty percent of your power on offense and the rest on defense and when you attack, only target his vitals when you are confident of delivering a critical strike. Also, no matter what he says, you must always maintain your cool! If you can do all of the above, then this match can be counted as a win.”

  “I understand!” Wen Ji nodded his head vigorously and flew into the air to land inside the arena.

  “Duke Xu Palace’s Wen Ji, please give me your guidance.”

  “Ah, so it is Brother Wen Ji.” Duke Zihuan said as he narrowed his eyes and smiled, “It really looks like your side can’t find any proper candidates, because they actually sent you out as well. Ah, even I am filled with pity for you right now.”

  Wen Ji, “….”

  Duke Zihuan extended his finger towards him and beckoned him with an incomparably contemptuous crook of that finger, “Come, feel free to attack whenever you want. Because if I can’t subdue an amateur like you in ten moves, then I won’t have any face to continue living in this Demon Imperial City.”

  Any member of the Illusory Demon Royal Family were individuals exalted above all others, so they would never have faced such humiliation before. So Wen Ji clenched both his fists tightly, he almost lost himself to rage, but he quickly recalled Yun Qinghong’s advice. There was a quick intake of breath as he sought to swiftly calm himself down, and after that, he did not speak as he planted both feet on the ground. A golden spear then appeared in his hands. As it pierced towards Duke Zihuan’s chest, it produced a golden afterimage; at the same time, his domain was opened at full strength.

  “Explosive Flame Domain!!”

  A deep red flame was concentrated at the tip of the golden spear as the gigantic energy of the domain suddenly explosively swelled up like a tsunami, amplifying the power of the spear as it streaked towards Duke Zihuan’s body… Scarlet flames might have been the lowest form of profound fire, but the scarlet flames used by the Illusory Demon Royal Family was the lowest form of the Golden Crow’s Flames and its strength was far superior to even the regular deep purple profound flames.

  “See how this duke will shatter your lousy spear!”

  Duke Zihuan roared out arrogantly as he swung his Scarlet Blood Blade, instantly producing seven blood-colored blade beams. These extremely sharp blades beams carried a scorching heat and easily tore Wen Ji’s domain apart. The sound of the blades splitting air was akin to a blade being scratched over glass; it was extremely ear-piercing.

  At this time, the golden spear that was streaking towards Zihuan suddenly slowed down and after a violent shudder, it was instantly displaced. Four of Duke Zihuan’s blade beams that shot out of his Blood Blade struck empty air, but the other three clashed with the tip of Wen Ji’s spear. After a chaotic and ear-piercing shattering sound, the three energy blades were completely neutralized and Wen Ji was pushed ten steps back by the ensuing impact.

  “Mn?” Zihuan’s eyebrows twitched, then let out a cold laugh. His body blurred and his blade danced like a dragon as he instantly unleashed a lightning quick slash at Wen Ji.

  “True Flame Shield!!”

  Bang!!

  The Sca
rlet Blood Blade made contact with the flame vortex that suddenly materialized in front of Wen Ji, but it only took a breath for this flame vortex to be torn. With the flashing of two blood-colored flashes, the flame vortex completely disappeared. As the Scarlet Blood Blade plunged straight through, it smashed into Wen Ji’s golden spear with a resounding clash.

  A heavy ring resounded in the air and Wen Ji’s body swayed as blood leaked out from the corner of his mouth. However, he stubbornly endured and did not retreat. The Scarlet Blood Blade had cut half an inch into the golden spear he had infused all of his might into, but it was still very far from cutting it apart.

  Zihuan had arrogantly yelled that he wanted to shatter Wen Ji’s spear, but after five strikes, Wen Ji still managed to hang on… Wen Ji initially looked as if he had poured all his strength into a fierce assault, but he suddenly switched positions, avoiding Zihuan’s attacks and reverted from defense to attack as quickly as he possibly could. Even though he had been injured, he had yet to retreat a single step.

  Zihuan’s eyes narrowed and he yelled in a low voice, “You punk, collapse!”

  The flames on the Scarlet Blood Blade suddenly flashed and an enormous energy exploded outwards as Zihuan put all of his strength into this strike. Wen Ji’s face paled and his body was blown backwards, but Zihuan’s blade followed after like a striking viper. In a short space of time, three streaks of thick, eye-piercing blood-colored blade beams flew out.

  Clang!! Clang!! Scree!!

  After enduring the second blade beam, the golden spear finally flew out of Wen Ji’s hand. The third blade beam slashed into his chest, cutting apart the profound energy shielding his body and the breastplate wrapped around his chest… But after it had cut through both the profound energy and the armor, the Scarlet Blood Blade had no more power. Wen Ji flew through the air, but he managed to land solidly on his feet, and underneath the broken breastplate, his chest only had one thin red line drawn across it.

  Wen Ji made a gesture with his hand and the golden spear was recalled into his hand. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and chuckled, “It has already been eight moves.”