Chapter 44. Confrontation (2)

"…All preparations for the Bashun Festival are complete. Even if there are minor changes, we can handle them without any issues."

"You have done well."

Mudan knelt and bowed her head.

Lee Cheon-sang gently swirled his wine glass. The little wine left inside swayed.

"Would you like a drink?"

"It would be an honor."

Lee Cheon-sang's fingers, resting on the armrest, twitched.

Rumble.

At the same time, the glass on the table beside him floated up and slowly flew to Mudan.

A sense of wonder was evident on Mudan's face.

Using inner strength to move objects without touching them, the skill known as "Xukong She Wu" (Moving Objects in the Air), was something Mudan could also perform effortlessly. However, he could not do so without leaving any trace of his inner energy.

Controlling objects with willpower alone, not just inner strength, was a divine skill achieved through the pinnacle of "Shangduan Shenqi" (Divine Qi), akin to what enthusiasts call superpowers.

Even after decades, he still felt a fresh sense of wonder from this person.

Mudan bowed deeply and took the glass. He felt that even saying "impressive" would belittle Lee Cheon-sang's greatness, so he remained silent.

"Good wine. Drink up."

Thus, the two of them drained their glasses.

Swoosh.

Before Mudan knew it, the glass in his hand had flown back to Lee Cheon-sang's table.

"Where is the third one?"

It was an unexpected question. Lee Cheon-sang often asked such contextually disconnected questions.

Mudan cautiously opened his mouth.

"Since the incident in Zamiru, it has been quiet…"

"Are you curious about what the third one is doing?"

"…Pardon?"

"You are curious about the third one's changes."

Changes? What does he mean?

Reading the confusion on Mudan's face, Lee Cheon-sang tilted his glass and said,

"It seems there's nothing much yet."

It was a hard-to-understand statement. Mudan bowed again.

"There is nothing noteworthy about the third one's condition."

"I see. You may go now."

Mudan bowed to Lee Cheon-sang and left.

Alone, the unique and unparalleled Demon God's eyes filled with subtle curiosity.

"…Was it not that the brat chose Shilang, but rather Shilang chose the brat?"

Or was it just a matter of fate?

* * *

Boom!

A deafening explosion and one side of the VIP room's wall was completely blown away.

Startled by this sudden disaster, Hong Weimen and Xin Hui turned their heads to the window.

Their faces immediately froze.

Rumble!

The broken wall of the VIP room hit the adjacent building. Fortunately, it did not collapse, but it suffered severe damage, losing its original beauty.

"Ah!"

"What, what is this?!"

"It's the VIP room! The VIP room has collapsed!"

"Call for help! Hurry!"

People were startled and making a fuss.

But they were too quick to panic.

Flash! Boom! Flash! Roar!

A bright red glow would rise, followed by an explosion and the wall would shatter. The debris from the broken wall flew in all directions, turning the entire guest hall into a chaotic scene.

Amid the people screaming in shock, a distinct voice was heard.

"Damn it! How do you manage the VIP room!"

The voice, resonating loudly, carried a tremendous authority and an indescribable ferocity.

"You bastards! I tolerated it because it was my brother's residence, but this is unacceptable! I'll clean it all up!"

Rumble! Rumble!

This time, it was not a glow. The air swirling in all directions seemed to be sucked into something, and then a red whirlwind gathered at the broken side of the VIP room.

Bang!

Still invisible, 'someone'.

The ground beneath Hong Weimen's spacious residence shook with the step of this 'someone'.

"Ah!"

With a fierce battle cry, a red wave of sword energy surged towards the entrance of the guest hall.

Boom!

The entrance of the large guest hall, which spanned several floors, shattered into pieces.

Fortunately, there was no one around, or the impact would have left no bones intact. It was an incredibly powerful martial skill.

Moreover, the concentration of demonic energy was so thick that even average demons would lose consciousness upon contact.

The face of the guest hall owner, who had been watching the scene in a daze, gradually turned pale.

"What, what is this?!"

Roar!

A burst of sound revealed three people.

A tall, handsome young man brandishing a sword, a middle-aged man in his early thirties with a slightly trembling face, and a fierce woman with a scarred face, swaying unsteadily.

The woman, Wei Honglian, roared.

"You bastards! Why aren't you opening the way?!"

The demons, who had been murmuring, were startled and looked at her.

Suddenly, a gasp was heard from somewhere.

"Y-You're the Great Demon Lord Guangma?!"

The atmosphere instantly turned cold. No demon was unaware of how dangerous the Great Demon Lord Guangma, Wei Honglian, was.

Wei Honglian smiled.

Of course, she was not smiling because someone recognized her.

"Who is it?"

"…?"

"Who is the arrogant bastard who called me by my title? Huh?"

"…!"

"If you don't come out quickly, I'll cut out the tongues of everyone I see! Come out now!"

It was a ridiculously insane reason for anger.

But Wei Honglian was serious. The thought that such disrespectful people were eating away at the New Sect made her feel dizzy.

Naturally, she did not consider the countless arrogant and chaotic acts she herself had committed.

At that moment, Xuliang stepped forward.

"It's me, the third prince."

Usually, he would introduce himself as Xuliang, but at this moment, he called himself the third prince. He had a purpose.

And his introduction had the desired effect.

"Whoa!"

"Y-Your Highness, the third prince?!"

Wei Honglian's face twisted.

'So, people do care about names and appearances.'

For some reason, she felt as if she had lost the attention of the crowd. Normally, she wouldn't care, but the alcohol had made her particularly sensitive.

She shouted again.

"Hey! You bastards! Do you really want to die? Get on your knees now!"

All the demons, hearing her voice filled with inner strength, knelt down.

"New Sect, invincible! Ten thousand demons, bow! We greet Your Highness, the third prince!"

The voices, united in reverence, were filled with awe. Even if they were the people of the New Sect, they knew how noble his status was.

Xuliang looked down at them with a haughty eye.

"Where is the fourth one?"

The guest hall owner, representing everyone, lifted his head.

"Y-Yes?!"

"Where is the fourth one?"

"That is…"

Flash! Boom!

A beam of light rose, and a long sword mark was etched into the ground, extending to the broken entrance of the guest hall.

Everyone's mouths dropped open.

It was hard to believe that a single sword could create such a terrifying scene. Xuliang, sweeping his gaze around without any sign of fatigue, was the very image of the tyrant described in rumors.

Xuliang shouted.

"Fourth one! Where are you!"

His thunderous voice echoed beyond the New Sect's residence, reaching the nearby buildings.

"Your subordinates are managing the guest hall too loosely! Your reputation will be ruined, you fool!"

It seemed like a simple, ignorant, and straightforward older brother worried about his weak and delicate younger brother. In fact, the demons, even in their fear, perceived him as such.

"You fool! Come out here! How can you keep me waiting for half a day! Have you found a new favorite woman lately?!"

Hong Weimen, hearing this from a distance, stiffened.

"Even if that's the case, isn't it too much?! Is that woman really that good? And…"

Xuliang smiled slyly.

"Why have you planted so many bugs everywhere! Have you buried treasures in the guest hall?!"

Sss.

Sitting in his residence, Hong Weimen's body finally emitted demonic energy. It was difficult to endure being made a laughingstock, but Xuliang was taking it a step further.

Planted bugs? This was a deeply meaningful statement. It sounded like he had secretly planted people to monitor the guest hall.

If this continued, his reputation would crumble in no time. Even in the demonic world, where power was paramount, there were limits. He couldn't afford to lose the people's support.

"Xin Hui."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Go out the back way and check the surroundings! Make a list of the demons who know about this situation!"

"Understood!"

As Xin Hui disappeared, Hong Weimen's face twisted grotesquely.

Rumble!

A deep purple demonic energy rose from his body.

Unlike Xuliang's fiery and fierce demonic energy, this one was eerily sinister, almost resembling an evil art.

This mysterious and wicked demonic skill was known as the "Snake King Demon Skill."

"…So, you are the kind of person who can act so recklessly, huh?"

Hong Weimen smiled and licked his lips. His tongue was unusually thin and split at the end.

"I'll make you pay for your ignorance of crawling into a tiger's den."

Roar!

The window shattered, and Hong Weimen's body shot out like an arrow.

Whoosh!

Hong Weimen flying through the sky at an incredible speed.

A smile spread across Xuliang's face as he spotted him from a distance.

'Finally, you come out.'

The old man said that to seize the initiative, one must push forward honestly and stubbornly.

Xuliang's method included inviting an audience to the scene, thus manipulating the situation to make the false seem true.

And his method worked perfectly.

Whoosh!

A young man emitting a particularly deep purple demonic energy, even in the twilight, descended at a terrifying speed.

Bang!

The impact of his landing was truly fierce.

Swoosh.

Xuliang slowly descended.

Finally, Hong Weimen lifted his head.

Flash!

Their demonic eyes, each emitting a different light, glared at each other.

Hong Weimen spoke coldly.

"To cause such a commotion in someone else's home, aren't you ashamed?"

Xuliang laughed loudly.

"Strangely, I'm not ashamed at all."

"As the third prince, you should have the dignity and decorum…"

"Before talking about dignity and decorum, this foolish older brother has something to say to his beloved younger brother."

"…"

"Where is the Great Demon Lord Jinma, who is supposedly watching us from the shadows?"

"…What?"

"Huh? From your reaction, it seems you're serious?"

The smile remained, but a chill began to form in Xuliang's eyes.

"You knew the Great Demon Lord Guangma was here but didn't call the Great Demon Lord Jinma. You know they have a rather complicated relationship, don't you?"

"…!"

"Moreover, you knew I was waiting but still lounged in your residence? Hmm… This smells fishy."

"Third brother!"

"Why?"

"I won't tolerate any further insults."

"Then why didn't you come out if you were in your residence? Hmm? Could it be…"

Xuliang wiggled his little finger.

"Are you shy?"