Beelzebub rose and stepped onto the dueling platform, his ash-grey long hair billowing in the wind, emanating an indescribable air of wild belligerence. His sharp eyes were fixed on Qian Jin, who was slowly entering the ring.

Lucifer Flowing Water watched the demon announcing the pairings on the stage with unexpected surprise. How could this be? Qian Jin was indeed strong, but Beelzebub was the second-ranked demon on the Saint Ranking, and rumors even suggested he had already ascended to Sainthood, though no demon knew for sure.

“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Beelzebub’s fighting spirit sharpened with increased curiosity. Never had a member of the younger generation met him without showing nervousness; this Flowing Mirror of Torrent before him was actually quite excited.

Unprecedented. Beelzebub had never encountered anything this strange. He sized up Qian Jin from left to right. “If you could reach Sainthood, I’d fight you then. Now?”

Beelzebub tilted his head, glancing toward Lucifer Serig in the distance. He then turned and bowed deeply toward the Great Demon King Lucifer’s position, suddenly announcing, “For this match, I forfeit.”

Forfeit!

Every demon present froze. Beelzebub, the most combative demon who never let slip an opportunity for battle, had lost his mind? He was forfeiting? Could this truly be Beelzebub?

Serig glanced triumphantly toward the seventh and eighth princes. The Great Demon King’s gaze toward Serig held a deeper approval. It was already difficult enough to secure a madman like Beelzebub, whose warlike desire even his own clan leader could not control, yet the Crown Prince managed to make him avoid a fight!

“The Crown Prince said you are very useful to him. I also heard a demon used battle gear you forged and beat up my old man. That’s something that made me very happy,” Beelzebub leaned close to Qian Jin. “Sometime, can you make me a full set? I’ll cover five times the cost of materials! The New Demon King Tournament is coming up, and I don’t want to lose to that good-for-nothing Lucifer Starlight.”

Qian Jin re-evaluated the frenzied warrior before him. His file suggested a mindless fiend known only for combat, but this warlord now appeared to be a being with considerable cunning. Not only did he forfeit, but he immediately offered five times the material cost, explicitly showing he wasn't concerned about Qian Jin profiting from the fabrication fees.

“Find a time,” Qian Jin nodded. “I will have the demon deliver the items to you. Rest assured on that count. However, you must also arrange for a demon to deliver the materials to me.”

“No problem!” Beelzebub turned and walked away without looking back. “I trust you!”

“You’re really going to make it for him?” Duan Fengbuer watched Qian Jin, who had won without fighting, step down from the platform. “Such a madman…”

“Make it! Why wouldn’t I?” Qian Jin’s eyes swept over the Eighth Prince in the stands. If Beelzebub was truly strong enough, having him face the genius demon prince equipped with a full set of Super Battle Gear—if he managed to strike down this prince who might be on the verge of ultimate awakening—wouldn't that be the best outcome?

It was only a set of Super Battle Gear! As long as the materials were available! Qian Jin was confident he could forge more than one set, and when crafting the Super Battle Gear, weaving in some kind of leverage or hidden flaw would be the easiest thing in the world, wouldn't it? In the future, should he ever face Beelzebub, others would see the demon clad in terrifying equipment.

But in the eyes of the crafter, what he wore wasn't terrifying gear; it was dangerous equipment capable of ending his own life at any moment.

“Flowing Mirror of Torrent, according to the rules, if a contestant wins because another forfeits for external reasons, any participating demon is entitled to challenge you! Now, I issue you a challenge!”

A figure rose from the Seventh Prince’s faction, his arrogant declaration instantly drawing the attention of all the demons.

Wanyan Lifeng! Qian Jin looked up at the human-like challenger in the Seventh Prince's ranks. He didn't need to compare against the picture on the Saint Ranking to know this human, who joined the Seventh Prince's faction at the venerable age of over sixty, must be the rumored Iron Arm Mantis Bloodline Warrior, Wanyan Lifeng!

“My Lord bullies the young?”

Duan Fengbuer’s sharp, grating, and highly sarcastic words carried perfectly to the ears of every observing demon. Wanyan Lifeng’s aged face flushed crimson.

While the Imperial Duels had no age restrictions—the rule being that any subordinate recruited by a prince within that year could participate freely—someone of this age was indeed exceedingly rare.

The Imperial Duel was a rule originally established by a former Great Demon King to test the performance of each prince and princess over the year. Only new retainers recruited that year could compete; older retainers could not enter the fray.

Lucifer Zhenshi, the Seventh Prince, had exploited this loophole, finding an old demon warrior old enough to be the Flowing Mirror of Torrent’s grandfather, intending to use this Imperial Duel to crush the recently rising great demon.

Lucifer Zhenshi smiled faintly. “On the Human-Demon Battlefield, if you run into that old butcher Qian Zhanxuan, try telling him, ‘My Lord bullies the young.’ See if he spares you just for saying that. On the battlefield, the enemy won't care about your age. If you get hung up on an opponent’s age, perhaps this fight doesn’t need to happen at all; your vision is too narrow.”

What a silver tongue! Munu Zhence looked at Lucifer Zhenshi. This generation of the Lucifer royal family indeed produced many outstanding figures, remaining poised and self-possessed even when ridiculed.

The demons nodded one after another. Although Lucifer Zhenshi’s words were somewhat domineering, they were reasonably argued.

Qian Jin watched Wanyan Lifeng in the Seventh Prince’s camp quietly, a faint aura of sorrow lingering in his eyes. This Iron Arm Mantis Bloodline Warrior, once a glory that covered the entire Zhence Dynasty, had now become a member of the demon race, willingly serving as the lackey to a demon prince.

Ancestors of the Iron Arm Mantis Bloodline! Are you looking down from the stars? Can you see that your descendant has abandoned your glory?

“That makes sense,” Qian Jin slowly rose and walked toward the platform. “Since Your Highness the Seventh Prince compares this place to the Human-Demon Battlefield, then if I kill your retainer, there will be nothing to say, correct?”

Kill? Although demons died every year in the Imperial Duels, more often than not, participants chose to stop once an opponent was defeated.

A confrontation where the first words immediately aimed at killing the opponent was also rare in the Imperial Duels.

The demons inevitably turned their gaze to the Seventh Prince. Lucifer Zhenshi merely shrugged with a faint smile. “If Master Flowing Mirror of Torrent is not afraid of being killed, then this place can indeed be considered the Human-Demon Battlefield.”

“Very good!” Qian Jin unfolded his Battle Domain and dragged out the Jidu Horse-Slaying Saber, a weapon he hadn't used since entering the demon territory. The solid pommel struck the black diamond-paved ground with a crisp sound. “Since entering the demon race, I have never used my true weapon! Don’t assume only Qian Jin uses the Horse-Slaying Saber. My Saber Technique as Flowing Mirror of Torrent is even stronger than his!”

The Horse-Slaying Saber! The gazes of the demons immediately focused on the broad blade.

Rumor had it that Qian Jin also used a Horse-Slaying Saber, his strikes possessing the momentum of a vast river, giving men and demons an unstoppable surging force. Everyone thought the Flowing Mirror of Torrent’s specialty lay with hammers and a strong bow, yet unexpectedly, he also wielded a saber, and a Horse-Slaying Saber at that!

The Fenjin Lian Zhan seal flashed, and battle aura flowed into the Horse-Slaying Saber. The blade erupted in dazzling light, visible energy blade projections scattering outward as if wielded by a hand using the Fenjin Lian Zhan.

The Iron Arm Mantis Bloodline Battle Skill was Qian Jin’s soul skill. Fenjin Lian Zhan was now completely perfected, and even the second layer, [Duan Shui Lie], was already more than half mastered.

Soul skills were far more difficult to cultivate than ordinary Saint Skills; they required a certain level of insight to truly reach great completion. However, once each layer reached a state of great completion, the power it could unleash would always surpass its original strength, and the recovery time after shattering would also be extremely fast.

With the battle saber drawn, blade energy surged! Wanyan Lifeng’s proud expression instantly shifted, a glimmer of caution appearing in his pupils. This level of momentum was something he had absolutely not anticipated before challenging.

Fenjin Lian Zhan! Wanyan Lifeng’s eyelids twitched repeatedly. His ashen pupils betrayed a shock bordering on disbelief at what he was seeing.

That’s right! It was Fenjin Lian Zhan! Though there was only one Horse-Slaying Saber, the special battle sequence was unmistakable! Wanyan Lifeng instinctively wanted to retreat, yet a feeling of uncertainty about how to face Qian Jin suddenly welled up in his heart.

Beelzebub, seated beside the Crown Prince,’s eyes lit up. He sighed and shook his head repeatedly, his towering battle intent palpable to anyone nearby.

“A fine saber, a fine aura!” The Seventh Prince clapped lightly and stood up, patting Wanyan Lifeng’s shoulder. “Fight well, let us witness a spectacular duel.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Wanyan Lifeng slowly walked onto the platform. A cold, dead-ash color flashed in his pupils. He slowly raised both hands above his head, then separated them slowly to the front and back. In his hands now appeared two three-foot-long battle knives, which moved with the subtle flick of his wrists, mimicking the two massive forelimbs of a mantis.

The power of his bloodline instantly unleashed. Wanyan Lifeng’s eyes became completely dead-ash, with only a tiny black dot swirling within the grey orbs. A pair of wings, thin as a cicada's, slowly unfolded behind him.

Combat was imminent! The surrounding demons held their breath, watching the two fighters on the field tensely, afraid to miss even a fraction of the action.

The sky, unnoticed, had filled with thick, dark clouds, obscuring the sun, as if large raindrops were ready to fall at any moment.

Battle Soul! It slowly rose behind Wanyan Lifeng—a massive ashen mantis, only its two blade-like forelimbs were stained a blood-red, as if fresh blood were about to drip from the arms.