The wind and rain was dreary as the sounds of thunder rumbled. A great feast was underway in the Taotie parlour.
“A tiger?” Heretic God Baitun furrowed his brows and licked his lips. “Tiger bones for the soup. Hmph hmph, that would be perfect.”
He raised his kitchen knife again. “Now, let’s begin with the second dish!”
The sounds of gulping rang out around the table. The Demon Sovereigns watched eagerly as the knife fell.
A slice, a slice, and another slice. It was like the torture of slow slicing, but even more brutal—pan-fried, stir-fried, and deep-fried, steamed, simmered, and stewed. The diners chewed, swallowed, and savoured, yet as the ingredient, Qian Rongzhi smiled away as she watched this all unfold.
“C’mon, eat! The strong prey on the weak. That is the nature of the world, so why hide it and feign your intentions? Who doesn’t eat people? Who doesn’t get eaten? All joys lie in the joy of eating. All pain lies in the pain of being eaten.”
She hissed and whispered away, fanning on the flames and pushing the banquet towards the climax.
Heretic God Baitun was shocked as well. This woman! This banquet was originally his ceremony of offering to the demonic heavens in exchange for even more blessings, yet right now, the blessing around her grew heavier and heavier, while he, the main offeror, received almost nothing. She had stolen his spot.
He found her gaze very unbearable as well as if she was looking at a pig head being offered up.
In a daze, the difference between the diners and the food was blurred as if she was not being eaten, but wolfing away instead. She was the offeror, while they were the offerings.
A sense of unease grew heavier and heavier. Something seemed amiss! No, impossible, it must be a false impression. This is the depths of the Demon domain, my territory. Unless the Zhenwu Emperor shows up in person, nothing…
Boom!
The doors swung open, and wind and rain swept through the building, making the flames flicker wildly. They cast a long shadow into the rainy and windy night.
Heretic God Baitun’s knife-wielding hand trembled slightly. The demons all looked over.
A man stood at the entrance with his back to the wind and rain. His long hair drifted with the wind, flickering like fire. His thick brows were furrowed together firmly, with a pair of scarlet eyes that resembled embers sitting below.
In a flash, he glanced past Qian Rongzhi’s figure that had been reduced to just skin and bones, the gluttonous diners, the array of utensils before finally settling on the pig-headed head chef.
“These damned demonfolk!”
He stepped over the vermillion door sill and strode in. He was so composed that it seemed like he was entering his own home.
A Demon Sovereign slammed the table and yelled after standing up, “Stop right there! Who are you? How dare you intrude on the Taotie parlour!”
The Demon Emperors immediately gathered over as a black mass. They all thought he was a remnant of the Ming cult. Even their cult leader was being butchered at their whim right now, so only death awaited anyone who came. It was a perfect opportunity for them to demonstrate themselves to the Heretic God.
The other Demon Sovereigns thought the same. They wiped their mouths leisurely and leaned back against their tall seats.
“These guys from the Ming cult really know how to die!”
“Perfect, another side dish to change up the tastes.”
“Yeah. This woman’s flesh is getting sweeter and sweeter. It’s a little sickly. Ah, no. Sir, I’m not doubting your culinary ability.”
Heretic God Baitun ignored all of it. He just stared straight at the newcomer. His heart thumped away as an indescribable sense of fear surged through his mind. He did not feel like he was currently located in the Taotie parlour with the lights ablaze, surrounded by a group of powerful subordinates.
Instead, he felt like he was roaming through the dark jungle alone, having come across the king of beasts on the prowl. These so-called subordinates were merely a flock of noisy crows, while he himself had actually turned into a pig.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “Sir, the tiger bones you ordered are here. They’re truly delicious.” She licked her lips. “Though, I’d much rather find out about how you taste.”
Heretic Baitun tore off his apron and swung his kitchen knife, pointing towards Li Qingshan. “Butcher him! Butcher him!”
Under the power of the Heretic God, the entire Taotie parlour sprung alive. The walls wriggled and oozed with blood, splitting open to form gaping mouths.
He bellowed viciously, “This is my food hall, my demon capital! Only I eat people! No one! No one can eat even a piece of me!”
With his order, the Demon Emperors rushed over. The Demon Sovereigns did not dare to disobey him either and began to move as well, mostly just to put on an act. From the moment he appeared, the newcomer had not given off any aura that threatened him. They were unable to understand why Heretic God Baitun was so furious, and perhaps even a little panicked?
The lanterns suddenly dimmed. Pitch-black demon qi gushed out in the narrow space, surging towards Li Qingshan like the tide.
Li Qingshan suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed all of the demon qi. His chest rose up, turning into a Tiger Demon’s Fierce Roar.
Roar!
The violent, sharp roar washed away everything.
The Demon Emperors received the full brunt of the blow. They did not even hear the roar properly before they were pulverised in the attack.
However, that was only the beginning. It seemed like he was trying to vent all of his conflict and gloominess.
The expressions of the Demon Sovereigns changed drastically, powering their demon hearts desperately to fend off the attack with demon qi. Some tried demonifying to resist the attack with their tough bodies.
However, all of their so-called defences were no different from paper. Their tough demon bodies were no different from a splat of minced meat.
The tiger’s roar tore through everything, pouring into their bodies forcefully and blowing up the demon hearts.
After breaking through the sixth heavenly tribulation, Li Qingshan’s Qilin Transformation had broken through several layers, so his strength had progressed yet again. Demon Sovereigns had ceased to be his opponent a long time ago.
However, it still should have been impossible for him to kill them in a single, simple strike. If he were a regular Human Immortal, it was even more impossible for him to do something like that. This was the depths of the Demon domain after all. Just the suppression from the laws of the Demon domain was unbearable.
However, he was special. Even without devouring the Black Sun Demon Heart, the blood of the qilin continued to flow through his body.
The demonic heavens constantly beckoned for him. In particular, when he unleashed his abilities and techniques at full strength, he could hear the wind gently call to him, “My proud son, my beloved son…”
With just a single strike, he slew all the Demon Emperors and annihilated all the Demon Sovereigns.
However, none of them were the prey of the tiger. His scarlet eyes remained fixed on Heretic God Baitun the entire time. The tiger’s roar was for him as well. As the roar rang through the air and the demon hearts exploded, he lunged over.
“How is this possible!? Who are you?”
Heretic God Baitun was basically unable to believe his eyes. Even for him, he could not kill so many Demon Sovereigns in a single strike. However, when he met the scarlet eyes, he seemed to be gripped by a nightmare, leaving him utterly shocked and immobilised.
The crows had dispersed. The tiger now hunted the pig!
However, Heretic God Baitun just was not a pig at the end of the day. In the moment of life and death, he swung the kitchen knife right towards him.
His kitchen knife was no regular arcane treasure, but a spiritual treasure bestowed upon him by Demon God Taotie. Even Human Immortals would avoid clashing with it directly. He thought viciously, You want to use all your strength like this? Watch as I split you in two!
At this moment, the tiger opened its fangs. An ancient, bronze sword was drawn from its sheath. The sun, moon, and stars, and the mountains, rivers, and trees were all there, spiralling away endlessly.
Heretic God Baitun shivered inside. Without any hesitation, he stowed his blade away and left, but it was already too late.
Spurt! With a flash of red, his knife-wielding arm flew into the air.
Even a lion would use its full strength to catch a rabbit, not to mention he was in the enemy’s territory, facing a Heretic God.
However, even a Heretic God was unable to fend off a full-powered lunge from him.
With a great boom, the Demon Sovereigns’ demon hearts exploded completely, blowing up the entire building and swallowing several dozen skyscrapers in the surroundings, dispersing the gloomy clouds in the sky.