Chapter 128: Toying

Why did Fang Qingyun want to leave?

It was not merely because the deal between the Snake King and Duke Song had displeased him.

More importantly, it was his instinct for danger.

Lately, he had been showing a little too much of his strength.

He was deeply worried that he would attract the attention not only of the demons and fiends, but also of his fellow humans. Was the human race truly so peaceful?

He had revealed far too much power. Who knew how many people were watching him, eager to uncover his secrets?

Even if he could hold them off, even if someone was protecting him, he still…

did not want to entrust his life to another person.

He wanted to control his own fate.

Other than himself, he trusted no one.

Zhao Junhong, however, was different. Everything about him had a clear explanation.

At most, his surging power had reached the Divine General level. Perhaps he had not even reached that.

That would give him a promising future. After this battle in particular, the higher-ups would surely value him even more and would not be foolish enough to harm him.

“Naturally, I’m coming with you!”

Zhao Junhong grinned. “What can you accomplish alone? Without me by your side, relying on your strength as a fourth-tier warrior, you wouldn’t survive two episodes.”

“Heh.”

Fang Qingyun shook his head and said seriously, “Go back, Zhao Junhong.”

“Hm?” Zhao Junhong frowned.

“I’m serious.” Fang Qingyun’s voice deepened. “Your strength is considerably inferior to mine now. In a real fight, if I encounter an enemy I cannot defeat, you certainly won’t be able to help.”

“Damn!”

Zhao Junhong rolled his eyes dramatically. “You’re looking down on me?”

“I’m only considering the safety of both of us.” Fang Qingyun smiled. “We’re brothers, so let’s be practical. There’s no need for empty talk.”

“Once you return, the Snake King will certainly make good use of you. Your status will rise, and you’ll be able to help me then, won’t you?”

“This…”

Zhao Junhong hesitated.

“Stop with the ‘this’ and ‘that.’” Fang Qingyun’s expression turned solemn. “If you want to help me, then climb as high as you can. Strive to become a marshal!”

Zhao Junhong paced back and forth. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, “All right. I’ll leave first. You must stay alive. Once I hold power, I will definitely help you!”

Just as Fang Qingyun had said, when he unleashed his full strength, he could almost fight a quasi-Divine General.

Even after entering his berserk state, Zhao Junhong was merely a high-ranking general. The gap between them was simply too great.

“That’s more like it!”

The two men bumped their fists together.

“Stay alive!”

“That’s what I should be telling you!”

Zhao Junhong departed.

Fang Qingyun watched his retreating figure and let out a quiet sigh.

In the end, things had proceeded according to the Snake King’s arrangements.

Before they left, the Snake King had made it clear that he did not want Zhao Junhong to go.

If two people were fleeing together, the stronger one would naturally have a better chance of survival. The weaker one would become a burden, slowing the other down.

Fang Qingyun had disagreed at the time. He had also believed that Zhao Junhong would refuse.

Yet after arriving on the Storm Continent for a month, he had taken the initiative to persuade Zhao Junhong to return.

Once Zhao Junhong went back, the safety of both men would improve.

For the two of them, this was the best choice.

“Now then…”

Fang Qingyun looked toward the direction from which they had come, a cold smile curling at the corners of his lips.

They had hunted him for so long. Now it was time for him to return a proper gift.

Did they really think Fang Qingyun was easy to bully?

That very day, the entire demon battalion responsible for pursuing the two humans was wiped out.

The news shook the nearby demon cities.

The demon general Thunderstorm was the lord of Thunderstorm City, a general-level demon.

When he received the report, he gave a mocking laugh and said coldly, “Was this not inevitable? Do the demons on the Storm Continent and the Thunder Continent still remember what blood tastes like?”

His advisers fell silent.

They understood what Thunderstorm meant.

Fortunately, Thunderstorm did not expect them to answer. He calmly asked, “How long will it take to eliminate those two humans?”

A demon adviser replied, “They will be dead within three days.”

“Good. I’ll give you three days.”

Thunderstorm nodded and said nothing more about the matter. Instead, he wore a contemptuous expression and said, “I heard that Bloodmane suffered a serious setback at Beast Lowering Its Gaze.”

“Yes.”

One adviser said, “Lord Bloodmane originally held the upper hand, but a sniper appeared among the humans. His skill is said to be extraordinary. He killed a great many officers under Lord Bloodmane.”

“Bloodmane is a useless wretch!” Thunderstorm said coldly. “Do not lose Beast Lowering Its Gaze. Even killing him afterward would not make up for it.”

Everyone fell silent.

They truly did not know how to respond to that.

Bloodmane and Thunderstorm were both heroes of the Demon Empire.

Above all the demons stood the highest leader of their race—the Demon Emperor.

Immediately below the Demon Emperor were the peak experts of the Azure Moon World: the Demon King level.

Their existence served primarily as a spiritual pillar.

They were the guardians of the demons. So long as they remained, the demon race would continue to prosper.

Below them were the twelve heroes of the demon race.

Their strength ranked among the very best of the Divine Generals, and they were responsible for all the demon race’s wars, great and small.

They were the objects of the demons’ worship—their representative champions.

The demon warriors worshiped them with fervor.

Bloodmane and Thunderstorm were two of them.

The relationship between the two had never been good. They had even fought one another in a life-or-death battle.

That time, Thunderstorm had been slightly inferior, so he returned to the Storm Continent and became the administrator of a region.

Bloodmane, meanwhile, became the supreme commander and great general of Beast Lowering Its Gaze.

Remembering the past, Thunderstorm’s expression gradually turned cold.

The advisers stiffened slightly and hurriedly changed the subject.

“Lord Thunderstorm, something seems wrong with the Storm Continent lately.”

“What is it?”

Thunderstorm’s expression shifted slightly, and his eyes fixed on the demon who had spoken.

The adviser was startled in turn.

He had merely found an excuse to change the subject. Why did it feel as though there was something behind this?

Could something be about to happen?

The demon quickly said, “Lord Thunderstorm, the psionic energy on the Storm Continent has recently become somewhat chaotic. It is still under control, but the entire continent is affected. That is highly unusual.”

“There are also the Void Behemoths!” another demon added. “The number of Void Behemoths around the Storm Continent has suddenly increased.”

Another demon said, “Some of the unenlightened members of our race, as well as the beasts, have become extremely violent. Reports of them attacking their own kind have been coming in frequently.”

Thunderstorm rose abruptly and said coldly, “Investigate. Find out where these disturbances are most severe. Pay special attention to the Void Behemoths and determine where they are gathering in the greatest numbers.”

“Yes!”

Seeing Thunderstorm so tense, the advisers immediately shouted their assent and hurried away.

This time, even without being told, they knew something was definitely wrong.

But what exactly was about to happen?

Chaotic psionic energy, rampaging beasts, Void Behemoths being drawn in…

Could a supreme treasure be about to emerge?

The thought left the demons both anxious and delighted.

Their delight came from the fact that this was the Storm Continent. The demons had cultivated and controlled it for thousands of years. If a supreme treasure truly appeared, it would naturally belong to them.

Their anxiety came from the humans and fiends. Neither side would remain idle.

If those two races attacked, no one knew how devastating the losses to the demons would be.

Back then, an entire continent had been shattered by the top experts.

Among the peak powerhouses, the demons had Demon Kings, the humans had Human Kings, and the fiends had Fiend Kings.

In terms of numbers at that level, the humans did not hold an advantage.

At the height of the demon race’s power, there had been seven Demon Kings. After all these years, how many were still alive?

Even those peak experts were subject to the limits of life.

The humans, by contrast, still possessed a living Chancellor of the Heavenly Kingdom. That alone was enough to make the others uneasy.

And they still had several other top experts.

The fiends, too, had an equally formidable figure still active.

But what about the demons?

At that thought, a gloom suddenly settled over the hearts of several demons.

…

Bang!

With the sound of a gunshot, a demon’s head exploded.

Fang Qingyun lowered his rifle, turned, and ran.

By the time a large group of demons arrived, he had already vanished without a trace.

“Damn human scum!”

The demon experts stamped their feet and cursed furiously.

They were utterly sick of this tiny human fly.

They had sent out a large number of experts, only to have the enemy kill almost all of them, leaving only this handful behind.

The man was slippery beyond belief. They simply could not catch him.

Worse, he was highly skilled at setting traps.

In one short month, three general-level demons and more than a dozen high-ranking warriors had been killed.

Even the peak general leading them had narrowly escaped death several times.

“Keep pursuing!”

The peak general-level demon was Iron-Tail, a noble of the demon race from the Azureflame Serpent clan.

Although he belonged to the serpent lineage, poison was not his specialty. The Azureflame Serpents were, instead, fire-attuned demons.

His strength lay in flame.

Those who specialized in fire tended to have rather violent tempers.

After pursuing Fang Qingyun for so long without achieving anything, his superiors had already begun to change their opinion of him.

Even the generals of his rank were looking at him strangely.

All of this made him desperate to eliminate Fang Qingyun.

The angrier he became, the faster the Azureflame Serpent and his subordinates moved.

“He’s still pursuing me?”

After rushing a great distance, Fang Qingyun stopped. Once he sensed his surroundings, he opened his eyes in surprise.

He knew that a powerful serpent demon was hunting him, with many experts under his command.

For that reason, Fang Qingyun had been taking time whenever possible to deal with them.

He had fired several ambush shots and killed a number of the enemy’s subordinates. Yet they were still after him?

They truly did not fear death!

Their tenacity was admirable.

Fang Qingyun shook his head.

If this had not been demon territory, he would have retaliated with all his strength and slaughtered them to the last man. But this was the Storm Continent, and he had to act carefully.

“Damn it. What exactly did the Snake King send me here to do? To be hunted by this venomous serpent?”

He had been on the Storm Continent for several months now. Other than cultivating, he had spent his time running for his life.

There had been few opportunities for a counterattack. He had to beware of being detected by the enemy’s diviners.

Once they locked onto him, a Divine General would inevitably come for him.

Because of that, he had always acted with extreme caution, not even daring to slaughter his enemies on a large scale.

The only thing that comforted Fang Qingyun was…

[Host: Fang Qingyun]

[Profession: Warrior]

[Level: Sixth Tier]

[Strength: 45 (+)]

[Speed: 45 (+)]

[Constitution: 45 (+)]

[Spirit: 50 (+)]

[Psionic Energy: 500 (+)]

[Shooting: Advanced]

[Blade Arts: Beginner (+)]

[Swordsmanship: Advanced]

[Traps: Beginner (+)]

[Psionic Control: Beginner (+)]

[Technique: Slaughtering Arts, Twenty-Fourth Revolution (+)]

[Summoned Beast: Dragon King Lion]

[Origin: 6,892]

His strength had advanced rapidly. Every attribute had increased by at least two points.

He had also gained a new skill: Traps.

He had developed it himself in order to evade pursuit and launch counterattacks.

The Slaughtering Arts had advanced as well.

His psionic energy had advanced too.

He was now a genuine sixth-tier warrior.

His overall strength had increased by another ten percent.

The increase in his power once again reminded him of the Snake King.

If he fought the Snake King head-on now, what would the result be?

He would probably still be crushed.

Fang Qingyun smiled faintly. There was no doubt that the Snake King was one of the stronger Divine Generals. He was still far from reaching that level.

At present, he was still at the peak of the general level, yet he remained a considerable distance from becoming a Divine General.

Even with his spirit reaching fifty points, that still did not qualify him as a Divine General.

Could it be that all his attributes had to reach sixty points before he could enter the Divine General level?

That made no sense.

No matter how he thought about it, Fang Qingyun could not understand.

He had long since entered the general level and had even reached its peak. Could it be that, at the peak of the general level, every attribute had to double before he could enter the Divine General level?

The crucial point was that “doubling” did not mean simply reaching twice the original value.

For example, if his strength had been twenty points, it did not mean that reaching forty points would constitute a doubling. Once it reached forty points, his strength would have increased by several times over.

His spirit was already at fifty points. By the time it reached sixty, it would have more than doubled and might even have multiplied several times.

After all, the power required for those ten attributes was far from insignificant. The amount needed was extraordinarily vast.

“What exactly is wrong?”

Fang Qingyun muttered to himself.

The next moment, he looked toward the direction from which he had come.

“They arrived quickly. Too bad I can’t kill you all.”

Fang Qingyun felt a little regretful. Then he smiled, drew his sniper rifle, and aimed at the pursuing demons.

Bang!

With the gunshot, a demon’s head exploded.

An enraged roar came from the demon ranks.

“Heh. Goodbye!”

Fang Qingyun laughed loudly and transformed into a streak of light, shooting into the distance.

When the demons came after him, they suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath their feet.

“Watch out!”

One of the demons cried out. The others avoided the danger with practiced ease.

Boom!

An explosion rang out from the spot.

A trap.

Although it had not injured any of the demons, the act was infuriating.

The demons wore ugly expressions. Besides their anger, there was also helplessness.

“My lord!”

A demon looked at Iron-Tail and sighed. “Are we still going to pursue him?”

Pursue him?

Were they really still the ones doing the pursuing?

Why did it feel as though the enemy was simply playing with them?

There were traps all along the way, and they had suffered heavy losses.

On top of that, cold shots came flying at them from time to time.

They had already grown numb to it.

Far too many of their comrades had died.

And yet they had not even managed to touch a hair on their enemy’s head.

Were they really going to continue?

If they did, would they truly be able to catch him? And even if they caught him, could they kill him?

Why did it feel as though the chances of being killed instead were quite high?

Iron-Tail’s face was dark, his fists clenched and trembling uncontrollably.

He was not stupid. How could he fail to realize that the enemy was toying with them?

But he had also placed himself in an impossible position.

Return just like this?

What would his clansmen and rivals think of him?

Yet if he continued the pursuit, the result would be nothing but repeated sniper attacks.

“Damn it!”

Iron-Tail cursed furiously.