Chapter 128: The Slaughter of the Demonic Horde

After clinking glasses with the Dragon Lord, several demons drained their cups in one gulp. Before they could even set them down, a sudden surge of murderous intent struck them.

"Die!" the Dragon Lord roared. Channeling his demonic energy, he hurled his crimson wine cup at the nearest clam spirit.

The clam spirit, sensing something blood-red flying toward him, had no time to react. He heard the projectile arrive and could only instinctively pull his shell inward as tightly as possible.

"Crack!" A sound like shattering porcelain echoed through the hall. White fragments sprayed in every direction. The other demons, who had just finished their drinks, felt their courage shatter; a chill that seeped into their very marrow rose to the tops of their heads.

"Ah..." The rest of the demons in the hall had not yet realized what was happening when they heard a blood-curdling scream from the floor.

A moment ago, the clam spirit had been perfectly fine, having simply shared a drink with the Dragon Lord. Now, he lay on the ground, his shell—previously intact—smashed into pieces by the cup infused with the Dragon Lord's demonic essence. Some fragments scattered everywhere, while others were embedded deep into his flesh.

The clam spirit lay there, a mangled mess of blood and gore, his eyes wide with terror as he shrieked in agony.

The other demons instinctively took a step back. The crocodile demon stood there, maintaining a facade of deep respect, though his followers were visibly shaken. They felt a sense of relief, realizing that those who had toasted the Dragon Lord were surely doomed, which only deepened their gratitude toward the crocodile demon.

The demons who had drunk with the Dragon Lord watched the suffering clam spirit and felt a sudden, profound sense of shared doom. Realizing that the situation could not end well, they secretly began forming hand seals, preparing for whatever move the Dragon Lord might make next.

All eyes turned to the eldest among them, the bearded fish demon. His influence in Dongting Lake was second only to the crocodile demon's, and his cultivation was among the highest present.

The fish demon, sporting two long whiskers, cursed his own misfortune. He realized too late that he had misjudged the situation. As the most powerful and influential among them, he knew that retreat was no longer an option. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, Dragon Lord, what this means? If we have committed some transgression, we can rectify it. Why must you resort to such slaughter?"

"Heh heh," the Dragon Lord let out a sharp, piercing laugh. "Didn't I say? I am here to send you all on your way."

"What does that mean? Are you planning to keep all of us here permanently?" the fish demon asked, his expression darkening as he hid one hand behind his back, secretly gathering his demonic energy.

"Hahahaha!" The Dragon Lord erupted in wild laughter. A dark, vaporous energy billowed from his body, swirling around him like a tangible shroud. In that moment, the Dragon Lord appeared like a demon from the Nine Hells.

"The Dragon Lord has been corrupted by madness! Everyone, attack together and kill him!" one of the demons behind the fish demon, who had intended to flee, realized his body was locked by a powerful spiritual sense. With no other choice, he cried out to those beside him.

The other demons felt the same paralyzing grip. Seeing the Dragon Lord’s demonic transformation and his clear intent to end them all, they were forced to summon their courage and fight for their lives.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the crocodile demon feared the Dragon Lord’s bloodlust might turn toward him and his own men. He stepped forward and asked, "Dragon Lord, do you require your humble servant to act?"

The Dragon Lord glanced at the crocodile, a gaze that sent a chill through the latter's body. Then, the Dragon Lord laughed, finding the crocodile’s subservience timely.

According to ancient tradition, this water palace was a sovereign fiefdom, and he was entitled to rule as a solitary monarch. Though he had never cared for such formalities before, the crocodile's declaration of fealty brought him a sense of immense satisfaction. "These fleas are no match for me," he said. "Just watch, Minister Crocodile."

"As you command, Dragon Lord," the crocodile demon said, stepping back. He let out a silent sigh of relief, realizing that while the Dragon Lord was clearly deranged, he had no intention of killing him for now.

The Dragon Lord turned his gaze toward the group he had toasted, watching them prepare to fight, and offered a sinister smile.

"Roar!" With a dragon’s cry, he lunged, his hands transformed into claws, aiming straight for the fish demon’s face.

The fish demon felt a wall of murderous intent pressing down on him. He summoned a horsetail whisk to parry the claws and screamed, "Attack!"

The other demons drew their weapons and charged. The Dragon Lord’s smile grew even more twisted. One of his massive claws grabbed the fish demon’s whisk.

"Bang!" With a clash of magical power, the whisk was shredded into a thousand strands that filled the air, leaving the fish demon holding only the handle.

"Oh no!" The fish demon turned pale, panicked that the weapon he had refined from his own whiskers over many years had been destroyed in a single strike.

"Roar!" The Dragon Lord bellowed and swung his other claw at him.

The fish demon extended his hand and summoned a rope—a magical artifact fashioned from the same whiskers as his whisk. He threw it forward without hesitation and performed a desperate roll to retreat behind the other demons.

A demon wielding a golden trident charged to the front, pouring all his strength into a single shout: "Die!"

The Dragon Lord had been momentarily slowed by the rope, allowing the fish demon to escape, but with a violent shudder, he shattered the artifact into pieces. The fish demon, having escaped by rolling away, coughed up a mouthful of life-essence blood.

At that moment, the Dragon Lord saw the demon with the golden trident rushing toward him. Consumed by rage, he didn't even think; he simply swiped his claw.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous crash, the demon and his golden trident were reduced to dust, scattering into the air. The sheer heat of the Dragon Lord's surging energy instantly vaporized the remains.

Several more demons charged with their weapons, but the Dragon Lord struck out with his claws.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

A rhythmic sequence of sounds followed. Five headless corpses remained standing in place, and the Dragon Lord, his momentum undiminished, charged at the survivors.

The remaining demons were already paralyzed by terror, their resistance crumbling to nothing.

"Roar!" The Dragon Lord let out a long, piercing howl. His head transformed into that of a dragon, and he unleashed a deafening roar at the group. The demons, already broken in spirit, were stunned by the sound of the dragon's cry. They felt a sudden explosion in their minds and collapsed to the ground, their orifices bleeding as they reverted to their original forms.

The fish demon, who had hoped to catch his breath, watched in horror as the Dragon Lord slaughtered the others in a single heartbeat. Suppressing his fear and the agonizing pain from his damaged artifacts, he shouted, "Blood Evasion Technique!"

A cloud of blood mist erupted around him, and he shot toward the exit.

"Die!" the Dragon Lord roared, grabbing at the mist. With a loud pop, the mist dispersed, revealing the fish demon as he surged forward.

Seeing him about to escape, the Dragon Lord was too far away to catch him. The crocodile demon, sensing the Dragon Lord’s mounting fury, realized that if the fish demon escaped, he might be implicated as well.

Gathering his demonic energy, the crocodile transformed it into a sharp blade and launched it forward, shouting, "Where do you think you're going?"

The fish demon, nearly at the threshold, felt a wave of killing intent strike him. He recognized the aura as the crocodile’s. Under normal circumstances, he would not fear a one-on-one fight, but now, he was severely weakened—his artifact destroyed, his blood-evasion technique used, and his life nearly claimed by the Dragon Lord. He was injured upon injury.

"Hah!" The crocodile lunged, jaws snapping at the fish demon. The fish demon felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. In a split second, he transformed his arm into a fin, blocking the crocodile’s mouth to keep from being bitten. Had those jaws connected, even the Dragon Lord might have been maimed.