The Fen clan master's head tumbled down, and as all citizens followed its fall, silence settled on the scene. For thousands of years, the overbearing Fen clan held Burning Spear supercity in awe, propping up the racial bias and classist laws that made this supercity into a house of disgrace for non-Spirit scions. Still, the Fen never failed in their martial duties, taking pride in standing at the frontlines of all the city's conflicts. For their status and contributions, they commanded tremendous respect, yet by the time the clan master's head reached the ground, no one doubted that the Fen clan's glory ended here and now.
The Dao Revelation Fen elders—eight in total—blinked, dazed and speechless at their clan master's fall. Did their brain refuse to register the outcome? Or did the pain and fear for the future petrify them all? We will never know. Xinzi's form blurred past the eight. His cobra tail struck at a nearby elder, sinking its venomous fangs in the fire spirit's neck. The venom made short work of the elder's defenses, and his body shrank into an atrophied mess of bony flesh—then burst into blood and gore.
"I will kill you!" Here, the Fen elders regained their wits, all jumping Xinzi with demented levels of bloodlust.
Their rage served no purpose. Xinzi slammed two with backhanded fists. Their heads made a 360 spin, with flesh and bones twisted beyond repair. Their bodies fell limp, but even before they could drop onto the ground below, Xinzi's claws sank into two other elders' chests—ripping their hearts out.
Five died in a heartbeat. The remaining three knew themselves outgunned, and in desperation, set their Nascent Divinity ablaze for one grand explosion. Xinzi denied them the right. His Klesha Haze poured out, and though with the Armored Lion King's current level of cultivation and Evil Qi, Xinzi's haze couldn't overpower healthy Dao Revelation experts yet, it was more than enough to destabilize them for a moment. That moment sealed their fate. Xinzi's cobra tail morphed into a razor-sharp blade, whipping at and beheading two elders while our monk vanished, and reappeared above the Fen clan's great elder, locking his neck between his legs.
"Valiant effort..." Xinzi's grip tightened on the great elder's neck. His cultivation base provided no help, leaving him entirely helpless underneath the demon's hold. The infernal monk made a 360 spin, twisting and tearing off the great elder's neck before tossing it towards the ground. His blood geysered up, all eight elders' gored remains tumbled down, but Xinzi's Swallowing Skill kicked, in, keeping both bodies and Nascent Divinities within reach.
"A pity that effort alone ensures no reward," Xinzi said. The screeching Nascent Divinities flew towards his mouth—settling in his demon hearts for later use while the remains became food for the Armored Lion King's cultivation.
Our monk folded his arms, and with a sideway spin, looked past the barrier to stare at Yan Zhong. Burning Spear supercity's bewitched guard hovered at his back. The Heroic Banners fluttered still, and as the staredown went on, Xinzi's lips curled into a knowing smile.
'Why...is he smiling at me?' Yan Zhong couldn't make sense of Xinzi's smile. Was the demon taunting his abandonment of the Fen elders, or suggesting hidden messages. Again, the citizens took note of this silent exchange, and their brows furrowed.
Burning Spear supercity's army had formed around the array nodes already, powering the formation so that even a Void Tribulant level powerhouse couldn't leave a dent within...or so they hoped, at least.
"As you can see, my abilities are not what your city can contend with. However, senseless bloodshed doesn't appeal to me, either. So, in my royal generosity, I have decided to spare you all...all except for the Fen clan's scions. You worms have offended This King, and must follow your elders to the grave." Xinzi's offer boomed throughout Burning Spear supercity, setting it abuzz with considerations.
In record time, the demon had successfully suppressed the city guard and slaughtered the Fen clan's Dao Revelation powerhouses. Granted, he received help from the Yan leaders' sabotage, but this level of battle-prowess still made the citizens unwilling to confront the scourge. The human lord descendants sneered at the Fen scions, clearly eager to see them all slaughtered by the superior demon.
The Fen had always been the hot-blooded type. Eager to fight, reveling in carnage and never one to compromise. But when faced with complete clan extermination, the young ones floundered—dropping on their knees. The seniors were not much better. And as the realization that the Yan might very well use this opportunity to wipe them all out settled in, blood drained off their faces.
'A demon that doesn't want to shed blood? What a joke. With that said, should we consider his offer?'
'Nonsense. We can blame the Fen elders' deaths on the tragedies of war, but if we don't fight tooth and nail, if we choose to compromise and give up souls to a demon for survival, the Demon Slaying hall will not let us off...' Yan Zhong denied an elder's thought, but here, his voice trailed off, and his eyes widened—trembling continuously.
'By the Heavenly Emperor, what have we done? Quick, alert the Demon Slaying hall and bring forth the Spiritual Arks for a large-scale bombardment, quick! It's us! We're the target!' Yan Zhong's panicked voice boomed in the Yan elders' minds, making their faces twist into frowns.
Alas...
"This attack doesn't make any sense! The city guard has barely suffered any damage, and all Yan scions among them don't have a scratch. But on the opposite end, every expert of our Fen clan is either injured or in the grave. All our elders are dead already, and yet this fiend still targets the survivors hiding in the city? Based on what hatred?"
"Right! How could we not see this till now? From the start, the Yan have been cooperating with the fiend, making it as simple as possible for him to subdue the city guard and destroy the Fen elders."
"A demon hovers above our city, and yet the Yan don't even consider fighting back! What about alerting the Demon Slaying hall? Of course, they haven't! No matter how you analyze this fight, this demon is just helping the Yan destroy the Fen!"
The senior Fen clansmen's voices boomed out, and the allies that once flocked to them to oppose the Yan followed promptly. Now throughout Burning Spear supercity, the belief that the Yan cooperated with a demon to exterminate the Fen took root.
Yan Zhong had reacted too late. High-end Spiritual Arks rose in the sky, aiming colossal turrets at Xinzi. Faced with this doom-tier artillery, our monk's face twisted into a grimace of shock and rage. His form blurred again, Qi Blasts followed wherever he went, and the land underneath became a storm of fire.
"YAN ZHONG! THIS KING HAS STAYED TRUE TO THE ARRANGEMENT AND HELPED YOUR YAN CLAN EXTERMINATE THE FEN ELDERS! NOW, THIS KING ONLY WANTS WHAT WAS PROMISED—ALL THE FEN CLAN'S SOULS! DAMN! WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL THIS KING?! FAITHLESS BASTARD, THIS KING WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" In a perfect use of the Armored Lion King's voice, Xinzi said, confirming all the citizens' thoughts.
"No...please don't say that! Noooo!" At last, the Yan realized that they'd jumped head-on into a fiery pit.. Some even wondered if there wasn't some truth to the demon's words, and Yan Zhong held his face—breaking into tears.
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