The Rise of a Demon's Name

Chapter 95: The Rise of a Demon's Name

Han Li raised his head and looked out over the scene. Everywhere he looked, whether from the Seven Mysteries Sect, the Wild Wolf Gang, or the smaller gangs, he saw faces drained of all color, staring back at him with eyes full of terror.

The retrieval of the 'Flying Sword', the killing of the Brilliant Gold Elder, and the incineration of Jia Tianlong and dozens of his elite fighters in an instant—these actions had proven beyond any doubt that Han Li was not just a celestial master like the dwarf. He was also a man of cold, merciless means, no benevolent saint. His gaze swept across the crowd, and everyone instinctively ducked their heads, avoiding his eyes. None dared to meet his stare. At this moment, Han Li was truly a figure to inspire fear in all who saw him.

"Still here? Do you want me to see you off the mountain as well?" Han Li’s cold voice cut through the air towards the remnants of the Wild Wolf Gang.

His voice was not loud, but to the thousands gathered on the peak, it struck like a thunderclap, sending a wave of panic through them.

"Run! If we don't go now, he might burn us too!" someone in the crowd finally screamed.

In an instant, chaos erupted. The members of the Wild Wolf Gang and the other smaller gangs broke into a frantic stampede, all scrambling and shoving to reach the single path leading down the peak. The dense black mass of men clogged the narrow road, and in their haste, countless were trampled and injured underfoot.

In a few short moments, Sunset Peak was left empty, occupied only by the disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Wang Juechu was a mixture of shock and elation. The sect’s crisis had been resolved, and Jia Tianlong had been utterly annihilated. But alongside his wild joy was a creeping unease. He understood that if this man could resolve the Seven Mysteries Sect’s greatest threat with such ease, he could just as easily crush the sect itself, reducing its fate to something far worse than the Wild Wolf Gang’s current state. His brief moment of relief evaporated as he turned his gaze toward the center of the field.

"Eh? Where is Doctor Han?" The sect leader was struck with alarm.

The man who was now both their savior and their greatest uncertainty was no longer in his spot.

"Has anyone seen Doctor Han?" Wang Juechu quickly asked his周围的人.

"I don't know."

"I didn't notice."

Almost everyone shook their heads. It was understandable. The entire assembly had been paralyzed by the sight of the living being burned alive; who would dare to keep a close watch on such a demonic figure? And with the ghostly movement techniques Han Li had displayed, disappearing was a trivial matter.

"Don't bother looking. I saw him slip into the crowd heading down the mountain just now," the gray-robed man, whose complexion had somewhat improved, suddenly spoke up.

"He's gone down the mountain? Where would he go?" Wang Juechu muttered to himself, his expression a complex mix of emotions as he gave a bitter smile.

As he scanned the crowd once more, his eyes unexpectedly landed on a single person. A flicker of keen intelligence sparked in his gaze, and the corner of his mouth curled into a crafty, fox-like smile.

At that very moment, Li Feiyu, who was ecstatic that his friend had suddenly revealed himself to be a transcendent expert, was speaking with Zhang Xiuer, completely unaware that someone had their sights set on him.

And so it was. The Wild Wolf Gang and the other sects retreated from the Cai Xia Mountains with all speed, not stopping until they had fled the territory of the Seven Mysteries Sect that very night. The high-ranking members of the Seven Mysteries Sect, under Wang Juechu’s leadership, were too weakened to pursue.

In the days and months that followed, both the Wild Wolf Gang and the Seven Mysteries Sect licked their wounds, falling into an uneasy silence.

The tale of this tumultuous battle soon spread across thousands of miles of land, becoming a local legend laced with myths of immortals and demons. It was discussed by both the righteous and the unrighteous circles, and even ordinary folk retold it with relish, a story that would last for ages.

In the story, the great battle began as a duel between a peerless swordsman wielding Sword Light and an Immortal master controlling a Flying Sword. The Immortal’s sword was a mystery, proving superior to the swordsman’s mortal skill. But then, the great villain, the Fire Demon, appeared. Taking advantage of both sides' exhaustion, he killed the righteous Immortal and, in a fit of demonic rage, burned nearly a thousand faction members to death, the Wild Wolf Gang’s leader being one of his victims. In the end, the Fire Demon’s slaughter was so grievous that it offended the heavens, and a celestial deity struck him down with a divine thunderbolt, leaving no trace behind. This was why he had vanished.

When Han Li heard this thoroughly demonized version of events from Li Feiyu in his residence at Divine Hand Valley, he stood frozen in shock for a long while, utterly speechless. Li Feiyu, meanwhile, was doubled over with laughter, clutching his stomach and unable to straighten up.

It was now the fifth day after the deadly battle.

On that night, Han Li had slipped away amidst the chaos, found Qu Hun, and returned together to the valley. As soon as he arrived, he hung a sign at the valley’s entrance declaring that he was seeing no one, turning away the Seven Mysteries Sect’s high-ranking officials who had come to see him that very night.

Given Han Li’s recent fearsome reputation, these men dared not show any dissatisfaction or enter the valley uninvited, and after waiting for a time, they dejectedly returned the way they came.

In the days that followed, Han Li began practicing the Telekinetic Art, using the talisman painted with the small sword. He knew his time was limited. Every day before dawn, he would use the Telekinetic Art to turn the talisman into a gray streak of light that circled and danced within the valley until his magical power was exhausted. Then he would sit quietly to recover his energy. As soon as his magic power was back to normal, he would drive the talisman again and continue his practice.

He repeated this monotonous cycle for three days, only stopping when he felt he had grasped the fundamental practical application of the Telekinetic Art.