The Great Demon Emerges

In the Misty Rain Tower, the crowd stirred with excitement as they surrounded the white-haired old man, pressing him for answers.

"Who was that man?"

"Old sir, you seem to know the truth—please tell us his identity!"

The old man stroked his beard but shook his head, saying, "My eyes are old and dim. I mistook him for someone else. I do not know who he is."

No one believed him. They all knew he was hiding something.

"Could he be the legendary Great Demon King?" someone ventured.

A sharp intake of breath swept through the room. The legends of the Great Demon King had been passed down for over a century, distorted by time, but the name still carried dread.

"I've heard that the Great Demon King bears a grudge against the Tiger Clan. He has already gone upstairs—we'll know the outcome soon enough."

All eyes turned toward the staircase leading to the private chambers, waiting in hushed anticipation.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen had ascended to the tenth and highest floor, which was decorated like a celestial palace—carved beams, painted rafters, gold and jade gleaming in splendor. The floor was paved with white jade, the ceiling studded with luminous pearls. Tables of purple diamond yin wood shone with a crystalline luster, and plates of emerald jade sparkled with green light.

The dishes laid out were nothing short of shocking: dragon liver, phoenix marrow, demon ape brains, divine bear paws, five-colored golden ginseng, and longevity soup. The fruits were equally rare—holy king fruits, seven-colored dragon-scale dates, and others beyond counting.

The feast had just been set out, the immortal wines not yet poured, when Xiao Chen arrived at the perfect moment. He sat down without the slightest hesitation. Tiger Xifeng started in surprise.

Sha Polang followed close behind, ascending to the tenth floor. The Small Asura also charged up, murderous intent plain on his face. Last came the burly Tiger Clan expert at the Perfected Man realm.

"How dare you! To cause a disturbance at a Tiger Clan banquet—you don't know your place!" the burly man bellowed, reaching out with a massive clawed hand toward the back of Xiao Chen's neck.

"Stand down!" Tiger Xifeng shouted hastily. He had already sensed that this man was no ordinary foe and feared for his kinsman's safety.

But it was too late. Without turning his head, Xiao Chen caught the outstretched hand with a casual grip.

"Spare him!" Tiger Xifeng cried out, his right hand forming a white tiger-claw energy blade that slashed toward Xiao Chen.

With his other hand, Xiao Chen lightly deflected the tiger-claw blast. In the same motion, he flung the burly man away.

The Tiger Clan Heavenly King tumbled down the staircase, his whole body numb, rolling helplessly.

On the seventh floor, the crowd was listening intently when the door to a private chamber burst open. The Tiger Clan's Perfected Man Heavenly King crashed out, sprawling on the floor, unable to move.

The Misty Rain Tower erupted into uproar!

A Perfected Man Heavenly King had been thrown down like a helpless child! The sheer strength on display was terrifying.

"He's too powerful! The one who frightened off Wu Ming earlier must have been him!"

"No question about it—his strength is unfathomable!"

The white-haired old man murmured to himself, "It really is him..."

At once, the crowd swarmed around him again. "Old sir, who are you talking about?"

On the top floor, Tiger Xifeng sat on a purple diamond yin wood chair, staring at Xiao Chen across the table. "Friend, who are you? Why are you doing this?"

Wu Ming sat nearby with a faint smile, maintaining an air of detachment.

Sha Polang sat uncharacteristically quiet, not daring to speak.

But the Small Asura, burning with rage and killing intent, swept his five fingers toward Xiao Chen. Blood light burst forth as the void itself collapsed—this was the Asura Finger, capable at its peak of annihilating space and reducing it to primordial chaos.

Xiao Chen smiled gently, extending two fingers. Ethereal afterimages flickered as he caught the Small Asura's wrist between them, halting the shattered void. "Young man, you're too impulsive."

The Small Asura's heart seized with shock. Beside him, Tiger Xifeng's pulse also raced.

"Who are you?!"

In an instant, the Small Asura's divine power erupted. Blood-colored radiance enveloped his entire body, bursting through the windows and staining the whole Misty Rain Tower crimson. Across Chang'an, many cultivators saw the eerie light and felt the overwhelming energy.

With a roar, two Asura swords, like bolts of blood-red lightning, tore through the void from nowhere. Waves of terrifying power surged forth as they slashed toward Xiao Chen.

These were the holy swords forged personally by Leng Hanbing, the foremost expert among all Heavenly Kings. In times of dire crisis, they would automatically tear through space to strike—their power unmatched.

Clang! Clang!

Two crisp sounds rang out. Xiao Chen's jade-like fingers flicked lightly, sending both Asura holy swords flying hundreds of zhang away. They shot out of the Misty Rain Tower and hung in the sky, ringing with metallic resonance, their crimson light piercing the clouds.

The Small Asura's face drained of color. No one knew better than him the terror of those two swords. Wielding them was like having half of Leng Hanbing himself present. But now, they had been casually deflected.

"Who... are you?" the Small Asura whispered, disbelief written across his face.

Xiao Chen beckoned lightly, and the two blood-red Asura swords streaked back into his hands. He tapped their blades with a finger. "You are far too arrogant. Even if Leng Hanbing himself stood before me, I would not fear him."

Ding! Ding!

Two piercing notes rang out as the swords' crimson light faded completely—sealed with effortless ease.

"Young man, you act too rashly. In this world, there are many people you cannot simply decide to kill."

With that, Xiao Chen applied a slight pressure. The Small Asura's body trembled uncontrollably, and he collapsed onto the white jade floor, kneeling on one leg.

"Even the Asura Heavenly King and the Asura Saintess dared not act so arrogantly in my presence back then," Xiao Chen said, resting the two swords on his knees and laying their blades across the Small Asura's neck. "Do you think you are their equal? I was the one who dealt with them both. If you do not wish to follow their fate, you will rein in your pride before me."

The Small Asura's face turned deathly pale. Staring at Xiao Chen, he stammered, "You... it's you!"

Xiao Chen's attention had already shifted away, as if the Small Asura were beneath his notice. But the kneeling youth dared not move, his whole body trembling. Though the swords were merely resting on Xiao Chen's lap, killing him would take only an instant.

On the seventh floor, the commotion had reached a fever pitch.

Many cultivators had flown into the sky, peering through the open windows to see inside. The sight of the Small Asura—pale-faced and kneeling before the mysterious expert—stunned them. That proud, untamable youth, the foremost Heavenly King trained by Leng Hanbing himself, was now on his knees!

It was an image that shook everyone who witnessed it.

"This mysterious man's strength is simply too great. He forced a Heavenly King to kneel before him. If word of this spreads, it will cause an earth-shaking storm."

"No mistake—it's him!" the white-haired old man repeated from the sky, drawing exasperated looks from those around him.

But none were more shaken than Tiger Xifeng on the tenth floor. He stared fixedly at Xiao Chen, his expression shifting repeatedly. The ease with which this man had subdued a Perfected Man Heavenly King filled him with terror.

"I think you already know who I am," Xiao Chen said, looking at the refined Tiger Xifeng. "Come now, let us eat and talk. Dragon liver and phoenix marrow—truly fine delicacies. Even the gods would be hard-pressed to enjoy such fare."

With that, he picked up his chopsticks, helped himself to a piece, and savored it with evident enjoyment. Then he poured himself a cup of immortal wine, fragrant as nectar, and drank deeply.

"Excellent wine!"

Tiger Xifeng glanced at Wu Ming, who gave him a bitter smile—silently signaling that he had already decided not to provoke this man.

"Are you Xiao Chen, who vanished over a hundred and fifty years ago?" Tiger Xifeng asked. His clan bore a deep grudge against Xiao Chen, but he had never seen his nemesis in person.

"You have a good memory for the years." Xiao Chen drank another cup.

Guessing was one thing; confirmation was another. Tiger Xifeng's expression changed completely. That name was a curse to the Tiger Clan. Every outstanding member of the family dreamed of destroying this man. Yet he seemed to possess an inexhaustible vitality—every time they thought him dead, he would reappear in the world.

Tiger Xifeng would never forget the cataclysmic battle at the Forbidden Sea a hundred and fifty-five years ago. After that war, no one could underestimate the danger this man posed—his threat level rivaled that of a Half-Ancestor.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The stairway shook. The burly Tiger Clan expert had recovered and charged up like an enraged beast. A dignified Perfected Man Heavenly King, tossed down the stairs like a child—the humiliation burned in his veins.

He lunged at Xiao Chen once more, completely berserk. In his rage, he had forgotten the gulf between their strengths.

A dozen black holes opened in the void—his divine ability, the Star Roar, capable of annihilating space and simulating a miniature cosmos. Stars shimmered as if both near and far, and within them, the black holes exuded destructive force. A狂暴 aura burst from the Misty Rain Tower, pressing down on all of Chang'an.

"No!" Tiger Xifeng screamed.

Xiao Chen said coldly, "You do not know when to die."

He remained seated on his purple diamond yin wood chair. With a single finger sweep, he shattered the entire starry void—every star and every black hole obliterated in an instant.

Then he slapped the burly man to the ground, directing all his overwhelming pressure solely upon him.

In that moment, the Heavenly King's body trembled like a leaf in a gale, unable to withstand the savage assault on his divine consciousness. He stared into Xiao Chen's eyes, and in those expressionless pupils, he saw a million demons wailing, endless malevolent spirits perishing in screams; he even saw the fabric of the universe itself collapsing.

The indescribable, unimaginable might of that gaze made him feel as if this man could casually tear apart the stars and all creation with a wave of his hand. The Tiger Clan Heavenly King knew this was no illusion—his very soul shivered.

Those cold eyes contained too much. The overwhelming pressure crushed him utterly, and with a thud, he fell to his knees, shaking uncontrollably.

The cultivators who had flown into the sky to watch were stunned into silence. Through the open window, they clearly saw the Tiger Clan's Perfected Man Heavenly King kneeling before the mysterious expert, trembling violently—plainly terrified out of his wits.

For a long moment, no one could speak.

Finally, someone murmured, "Who in the world is this master? Could he really be the legendary Great Demon King?"

"I think so. Look at that old codger on the seventh floor—he keeps muttering 'it really is him.' That must be the Great Demon King."

On the top floor, Tiger Xifeng's face darkened. "Xiao Chen, you go too far!"

"And what would you consider 'going too far'?" Xiao Chen set down his chopsticks and fixed his gaze on him. "A hundred and fifty years ago, did your clan spread word that you were holding a certain woman captive, hoping to lure me out and kill me?"

Back then, Xiao Chen had dismissed the rumor, knowing the whereabouts of every woman important to him. But now that he had returned from the world of the dead and encountered Tiger Clan experts, he intended to get to the bottom of it.

A flicker of surprise passed through Tiger Xifeng's eyes, quickly concealed—but not before Xiao Chen caught it.

"Explain. What is the truth of this matter?" Xiao Chen pressed, sensing that he might have overlooked something serious.

"It was merely a false lure. There was no woman involved. After all these years, my clan has no desire to be your enemy any longer." Tiger Xifeng kept his expression steady.

"You lie!" Xiao Chen's voice cracked like a thunderbolt, shaking the entire Misty Rain Tower.

A blinding white light shot upward as Tiger Xifeng unrolled a scroll. Without a word, he vanished from the tower, retreating through space.

"You cannot escape!"

In the next instant, Xiao Chen appeared above the Misty Rain Tower, his eyes like ice. He stretched out a massive hand into the void.

With a roar, he tore open the fabric of space, dragging Tiger Xifeng back into reality. Such a feat—seizing someone who had teleported through the void—seemed almost demonic to the onlookers.

Another flash of white light: Tiger Xifeng had activated an even more powerful spatial scroll, vanishing once more.

"If I do not wish you to leave, no one can make you go!"

Xiao Chen stood in the void, like a giant towering between heaven and earth, radiating a vast, unfathomable pressure that made all of Chang'an tremble.

A colossal golden hand appeared two li away, shattering the void and forcing Tiger Xifeng—the third-generation leader of the Tiger Clan—back into the open.

With a thunderous crack, the golden hand closed around him, holding him fast.

Countless cultivators witnessed this scene, horror dawning on their faces. This was Tiger Xifeng, the commanding figure of the Tiger Clan's third generation—a man who had defeated members of the Celestial Race at the same cultivation level and dominated among his peers. And now he was clutched in that golden hand, blood trickling from his mouth.

The sheer disparity left everyone shaken.

"Speak!"

That single word carried the weight of Xiao Chen's overwhelming presence, shaking the skies above Chang'an.

"It was a rumor spread by the elders. I truly know nothing more," Tiger Xifeng gasped.

"Very well. I will go to your Tiger Clan myself. If you do not give me a satisfactory answer, prepare for annihilation."

With a flash of light, Xiao Chen vanished from the sky. Only Wu Ming heard a voice echoing in his ear: "I will find you in a few days."

Wu Ming cursed inwardly but dared not show it. He fled the scene without delay.

Chang'an erupted into frenzy. Countless cultivators took to the air, speeding westward toward the mountains where the Tiger Clan's ancestral home was said to lie, a few hundred li from the capital.

But when they arrived, they found only a wasteland.

A wasteland that chilled the blood!

For dozens of li in every direction, not a single blade of grass remained. Everything had been utterly destroyed.

Towering mountains had been cleaved in two by sword energy. The Tiger Clan's grand ancient castle was reduced to powder, a colossal handprint clearly stamped into the ruins—as if a giant hand had crushed it from the sky.

Dozens of severed peaks lay scattered, each one split by a single sword stroke.

"Over there!" someone shouted.

In the west, a blaze of sword light soared into the sky, a peerless radiance that became the sole focus of heaven and earth, piercing the clouds.

The crowd rushed toward it, but caught only a fading afterimage.

Twenty-seven War Swords hung in the air, reducing dozens of mountains to fine dust in an instant. For fifty li around, nothing remained.

Such devastating power made everyone's blood run cold.

"Look—more sword light rising from the other side!"

"It's over. The Tiger Clan's stronghold in these mountains has been razed to the ground!"

Above the ruins, cultivators from Chang'an and reclusive old masters from the western lands stood in stunned silence. They could hardly believe what they were seeing. Twenty-seven War Swords had completely obliterated this mountain range.

Some of the elder experts wore expressions of shock. "So it is him... Twenty-seven War Swords... He has emerged once more."

"This will be quite the spectacle. Since he found only an empty shell here, he will surely pursue the Tiger Clan to the west. When he does, the Tiger Clan and the Sun Church's five hundred Divine Knights will have a serious problem on their hands."

"Old sir, what are you muttering about? Is that the Great Demon King from over a century ago?"

"Youngster, do not speak carelessly, or you may invite deadly trouble."

"Is it him or not?"

"Of course it is. Who else could wield twenty-seven War Swords? The Sun Church's five hundred Divine Knights can challenge even a Half-Ancestor. If he chases them west, we are in for a spectacular conflict."

"Is the Great Demon King's name Xiao Chen?" many young cultivators pressed.

That day, the Nine Provinces were no longer peaceful. The Great Demon King had emerged once more, stirring countless hearts.

Xiao Chen himself had not expected that, after a hundred and fifty years, he had become a legend—and in the mouths of many, the Great Demon King.

He found it rather speechless.

On the overseas Asura Island, when the Small Asura trudged before Leng Hanbing with a dejected expression, the foremost of all Heavenly Kings saw the furrows on his wrinkled face twitch uncontrollably. He was livid.

Hearing the news of Xiao Chen's reemergence, he naturally recalled that damned bald monk who had inflicted the greatest humiliation of his life—a memory etched into his bones.

At the same time, the Five Element Heavenly Kings all frowned. The War Clan kings likewise changed color.

Nearly every king among the Hundred Races felt a twinge of unease.

Of course, when the Yaksha Half-Ancestor, the Asura Half-Ancestor, the Skeleton Sovereign, and others received the news, their brows furrowed even more deeply. None of them felt at ease. The battle at the Forbidden Sea all those years ago had left them all humiliated and ashamed. They received the tidings in silence; it was impossible to guess what they were planning.

The Nine Provinces and the Four Worlds were no longer tranquil. Xiao Chen's reappearance had touched a nerve in countless powerful beings.

Xiao Chen had not expected that the Tiger Clan had already fled far to the west, joining forces with the Sun Church in the most distant lands. What remained in the Nine Provinces was but an empty shell. He resolved to venture into the far west.

Even as he made this decision, others had already entered that region ahead of him.

Jin Sanyi, Tianya, and Qi'er had traveled westward several days earlier. Jin Sanyi had received word that some old friends were living in seclusion there, so he had followed the trail.

Under the bright moonlight, the snow-covered earth glittered like silver.

Tianya exhaled a puff of white breath. "I hear tomorrow is a very important festival in the West. Tonight, an old man from the divine race is supposed to go around giving gifts. Let's catch him and see what he looks like and what treasures he has!"

"Forget it. He's a benevolent spirit—don't disturb him," Qi'er said, shaking his head.

"Well, alright," Tianya agreed, dropping the idea.

Jin Sanyi looked at them with contempt. "You two blocks of wood have no idea what tonight really means. Tonight is a truly wondrous night!"

With that, the rogue's peach-blossom eyes gleamed. He threw back his head and bellowed over a great city, his voice shaking the snowflakes from the air:

"Brothers, don't make mistakes! Sisters, if a hand wanders where it shouldn't, slap it hard!"

Merry Christmas Eve, and may all be joyful.