With the aid of his Soul Power, Qian Jin’s mysterious potion from the Volcano of Might, and the Gravity Magic Device, Cekefu’li’te’s strength was making incredible daily progress. Reaching Sainthood?
Cekefu’li’te never considered reaching Sainthood an issue. Spending time on the Demon Lands these days, feeling the pressure all around, the Luci'li'fa bloodline within his body seemed poised for another awakening.
Another awakening? That would surely propel him directly into Sainthood! Cekefu’li’te had been suppressing that feeling. His goal was to surge to the peak of the tenth level of top-tier Soul Power, and then, with another awakening, break through to an even stronger realm, truly surpassing Qian Jin’s strength.
Friends were friends; on the battlefield, they could use their bodies to shield each other from blades, even sacrifice their lives to cover the other. But when it came to who was stronger, whether it was Qian Jin, Cekefu’li’te, or Duan Fengbuer—even Fen Tu Kuangge—everyone desired to surpass their companions.
Qian Jin smiled at Cekefu’li’te’s reaction. This handsome half-breed demon usually maintained a cold demeanor, but beneath it hid an intensely competitive spirit. He was clearly displeased simply because he wasn't ranked on the Sainthood List.
"Beelzebub Gule!" Luci'li'fa Liushui’s single eye snapped open in shock as he stared at a young demon standing beside the Crown Prince nearby.
A demon from the Beelzebub Clan! The moment Qian Jin saw this demon, his eyes felt a sharp sting—piercing! Brilliant! It was as if, beneath the starlight, he saw every creature as a worthy opponent for battle!
Even from a distance, Qian Jin could sense the thick, visceral aura of slaughter emanating from Beelzebub Gule—an aura forged only through constant, life-or-death fighting, by eliminating countless foes and gradually honing that edge.
“How many people has this kid killed?” Duan Fengbuer twitched the corners of his lips twice.
Beelzebub Gule! In an instant, all the demons present, save for the Great Demon King, widened their eyes while looking at Beelzebub Gule, who was seated next to the Crown Prince.
Beelzebub Gule, ranked second on the Sainthood List, that battle-crazed fanatic who slaughtered men and demons like a maniac—he was sitting beside the Crown Prince? What did this imply? He had submitted to Crown Prince Luci'li'fa Serig!
The Crown Prince, who always acted in a manner that was unremarkable, sometimes even absurd, had managed to subdue the battle fanatic Beelzebub Gule?
The chiefs of the major clans couldn't believe what they were seeing, yet they were forced to accept this reality.
That was a prodigy among the younger generation of demons, potentially ranked second on the Sainthood List, now pledging allegiance to a Crown Prince like Serig? If he had submitted to Luci'li'fa Xingchen, that might have been somewhat more palatable to the demons.
The Great Demon King Luci'li'fa looked at Beelzebub Gule’s appearance, his gaze shifting to his son Serig, nodding lightly.
Beelzebub Gule’s face was ice-cold. With a hint of curiosity and anticipation in his stare, he fixed his eyes on Qian Jin. This text is provided by the Baidu Qihang Update Group, courtesy of Feng Junzi Xian. Under the gaze of all the demons, he proactively nodded to greet Qian Jin.
“Be careful. He never smiles at demons for good reason,” Luci'li'fa Liushui murmured softly. “He only reserves that for his prey…”
Prey? Qian Jin smiled, his gaze sweeping toward another camp surrounding a prince that looked quite prosperous. These demons bore identical markings in various places on their bodies: an ‘Eight’.
Some were on their collars, some on their shoulders, some on their long sleeves, and some were simply branded right on their chests—this single number.
The demon seated in the center of this group of demons carried himself with flamboyant spirit. His long black hair was pulled high up behind his head, and the corners of his narrow eyes tilted slightly upward. An unsheathed longsword rested across his legs, making him look like a heroic youth stepping right out of a painting.
“The Child of the Stars, Luci'li'fa Xingchen,” Luci'li'fa Liushui said, a hint of bitterness in his tone. “He didn’t used to be called that name; it was Luci'li'fa Yu. Ever since he unlocked his bloodline power, he demanded a name change from his father the Emperor, and ultimately chose Xingchen for himself, signifying his status as the Child of the Stars.”
Worthy of the Luci'li'fa bloodline! Qian Jin sighed inwardly. This was arrogance etched into the very bone, to outright declare himself the Child of the Stars.
“Everyone is assembled, so I won’t offer opening remarks that might put you all to sleep,” the Great Demon King Luci'li'fa rose slowly and spoke. “We demons value strength; we never hide that fact! So, younger generation of demons, show your power to me and to the various Princes assembled here!”
The patriarchs of the major clans straightened their spines one after another, rising slowly and nodding lightly toward the assembled demons.
Qian Jin raised an eyebrow, only then realizing he had forgotten something crucial: the patriarchs of the ten great bloodline clans of the Demon Race were all (Princes of different surnames/Princes not directly related to the main line)!
He had only regarded them as clan leaders during these past few days, forgetting that they were also Princes.
“The first event, as in previous years, will be archery,” the Great Demon King Luci'li'fa slowly raised a hand. “Whether you use magic, bows and arrows, or any other means, demonstrate your marksmanship! On the battlefield, the ones who initiate the attack are always the shooters, only then come the others.”
A series of targets appeared along the edge of the dueling arena.
The targets were not circular; they were moving, human-shaped targets!
Living people! Qian Jin’s eyes widened, his pupils contracting sharply. He stared blankly at those bound Human Warriors at the edge of the arena—yes, they were living Human Warriors! Judging by their attire, they were clearly captives taken from the Human-Demon battlefield!
Shooting human warriors? Qian Jin took a deep breath. Such a thing was hardly strange to the demons. After years of war between humans and demons, shooting a few human warriors while simultaneously showing off one's archery skills was the best possible scenario!
If the moving target were Qian Zhanxuan… Qian Jin was certain he could draw his bow immediately, and if he couldn't kill him, he wouldn't back down.
But these human warriors before him—Qian Jin could not bring himself to do it.
“I’ll go.”
Cekefu’li’te’s voice was cold as he slowly stood up. The foremost cold-blooded assassin beside Qian Jin was once again exhibiting that side of himself capable of instantly freezing his emotions to become a ruthless killer.
Ever since Qian Jin saved him, Cekefu’li’te had made a decision: any dirty work that Qian Jin found inconvenient to handle, he would take care of it for him.
“Let me do it instead,” Qian Jin stood up and sighed, pressing down on Cekefu’li’te’s arm. “Everyone in the Luci'li'fa Imperial Dynasty knows that I killed the Mammon Demon. This is the time to display archery skills, yet I shrink back. How will the other demons view me? Will they harbor suspicions?”
Cekefu’li’te watched Qian Jin quietly. The two needed no words; their eyes rapidly exchanged understanding.
“Can you do it?”
“I… can! Rather than letting them die by the hands of the demons, I’d rather deliver the final blow myself!” With that, Qian Jin raised his hand, opened his Boundary of Conflict, pulled out the special longbow with three bowstrings, and slowly walked onto the dueling stage.
The demons on the stage, as well as those watching from the stands, all displayed looks of surprise and confusion when they saw the strongbow in Qian Jin’s hand.
In archery, having more bowstrings was never inherently better; a single bowstring was always the true path! Demons from the Celestial Demonic Eye bloodline, the family renowned for archery bloodlines, the Divine Arrow bloodline of the Zunyu Clan, and the Purple-Patterned bloodline of the Barbarians, all exclusively used single bowstrings.
If more strings were better, then bows with ten strings could easily be manufactured.
Many demons had heard tales of Jiliu Feijing’s astonishing archery, but the moment they saw the bowstrings on this bow, they began to doubt whether the rumors about Jiliu Feijing’s immense skill were merely exaggerations created by the Mammon Demons to mask the weakness of their own tribe.
“Demonic Eye, you go down and play a bit too.”
The Eighth Prince, Luci'li'fa Xingchen, spoke these light words, which carried clearly to every demon in the entire Martial Arts Arena. A demon stood up from the Eighth Prince’s camp, instantly drawing the attention and astonishment of all the demons—it was Jin Lengmoyan of the Celestial Demonic Eye bloodline? The most outstanding young member of the Celestial Demonic Eye bloodline! Not long ago, he had ambushed Pan Mengshen on the Human-Demon battlefield, working with several other younger demons to force Pan Mengshen to retreat!
Legend had it that during that battle, Pan Mengshen had even sustained injuries seemingly related to Jin Lengmoyan.
The Eighth Prince, Luci'li'fa Xingchen, had successfully recruited the new 'Shadow,' Jin Lengmoyan!
'Shadow' was a special title within the Jin Leng family of the Celestial Demonic Eye bloodline. It implied not just exquisite archery skills, but also profound concealment and stealth capabilities—only when these aspects were sufficiently powerful could one earn the title of Shadow.
Among the younger generation of the Celestial Demonic Eye bloodline, only two demon warriors had ever attained the Shadow title.
“Since it is the command of the Child of the Stars, I shall humor them and let them play a bit, so they can learn what true marksmanship is.”
Jin Lengmoyan pulled his own strongbow from his Boundary of Conflict. It was an unusual longbow intricately carved with runes, and embedded magical gems glittered upon it, signaling to everyone that he was not just an ordinary archer, but a rumored dual cultivator of martial arts and archery!
Qian Jin sized up Jin Lengmoyan as he slowly approached the dueling stage. The Celestial Demonic Eye bloodline was unique; their skin could change color to match the surrounding environment, and one could not discern any pupils in their eyes, only black lines forming concentric spirals.
This was truly a bloodline power born for archery! Qian Jin nodded inwardly. Skin that adapted to the scenery offered natural concealment, and the spiral patterns in the eyes made focusing on the target easier, while their naturally wider arm spans allowed them to draw the bowstring further back.
The moment Jin Lengmoyan entered the stage, Qian Jin immediately felt the previously soaring morale of the other competitors deflate.
The Celestial Demonic Eye bloodline! The strongest archery bloodline among the demons! And the title of 'New Shadow' imposed an intangible pressure.
Luci'li'fa Serig’s face immediately showed hostility and displeasure. The fact that Jin Lengmoyan had joined the Eighth Prince's camp was certainly unwelcome news.
In genuine frontal combat, Jin Lengmoyan might not be as overwhelmingly prominent, but his deterrent effect in the shadows was formidable.