Chapter 66:The Devil of The Yangtze River

Lucifer stuffed another piece of meat into his mouth.

"As long as there is food and liquor."

The princess blinked.

Then she smiled.

This was the first time someone had accepted an invitation from a royal princess solely because of food and alcohol.

Around them, everyone was dumbfounded.

A commoner…

No.

At least someone they thought was a commoner…

was being personally invited by a princess.

It was unheard of.

Soon, Lucifer was led to the upper deck.

The difference between the upper and lower sections of the ship was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Luxurious carpets covered the floor.

Golden lanterns illuminated the hall.

Exotic dishes filled long tables.

Fine wine flowed endlessly.

Dancers moved gracefully to the sound of music.

The nobles watched Lucifer with disdain.

A mere commoner had entered their domain.

Meanwhile, Lucifer didn't care.

He sat down and immediately began eating.

Again.

Chirin nearly fainted.

"How are you eating again?!"

Lucifer looked at him.

"What?"

"You literally finished an entire basket of fish!"

Lucifer took another bite.

"I'm different from ordinary people."

He swallowed.

"I have the Sin of Gluttony. It can convert food into pure qi. The more I eat, the more energy I gain."

Chirin's eye twitched.

"Then cultivate like everyone else!"

This time, Lucifer looked genuinely offended.

He put his food down.

"Why would I torture myself?"

Chirin grabbed his collar.

"You are in Murim!"

"Yes."

"You have cultivation!"

"Yes."

"And you don't cultivate?!"

Lucifer nodded.

"I don't like sitting in a lotus position for hours just to gain a tiny bit of cultivation. My aptitude is trash anyway. I'd rather find my own path than sit like an idiot."

Silence.

Chirin's body trembled.

"What… did you just say?"

Lucifer resumed eating.

"I won't repeat myself, you idiot."

The princess couldn't help it anymore.

She burst into laughter.

For a moment, even the nobles were stunned.

Their princess was laughing.

Genuinely laughing.

It wasn't the fake smile of royalty.

She wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'm sorry."

She smiled.

"You two are unexpectedly close."

"Nah."

"Not really."

Both answered simultaneously.

The princess laughed again.

Finally, she straightened herself.

"I suppose I should introduce myself properly."

She bowed slightly.

"I am the Princess of the Vermilion Kingdom."

Lucifer continued eating.

"Not interested."

Silence.

The princess blinked.

Did…

Did this man just say he wasn't interested in a princess?

A strange smile appeared on her face.

"Then perhaps you'll be interested in knowing why so many nobles, royals, and commoners are on this ship."

This time, Chirin became interested.

Lucifer didn't even look up.

The waitress, sensing that the conversation had become important, quietly excused herself and left.

The princess lowered her voice.

"Recently, a new power has risen in Jianghu."

Now Lucifer looked up.

"A power capable of rivaling both the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult."

Chirin frowned.

"Impossible."

"It is true."

The princess nodded.

"The Blood Cult."

The atmosphere changed.

"It is ruled by the Blood Demon."

"He has united countless unorthodox factions under one banner. Every day, his forces continue to grow."

Chirin frowned.

"If that's the case, why aren't the Murim Alliance and Demonic Cult stopping him?"

The princess sighed.

"Because war has a price."

"If the Murim Alliance attacks the Blood Cult and wins, they will be weakened."

"If the Demonic Cult attacks and wins, they will also be weakened."

"And once one side becomes weak…"

"The other side will devour them."

Understanding dawned on Chirin's face.

The Blood Demon was exploiting the deadlock between two giants.

The Murim Alliance was waiting.

The Demonic Cult was waiting.

Meanwhile…

The Blood Cult was becoming stronger every day.

The princess continued.

"The Blood Demon is holding a grand celebration for his birthday."

"Royals."

"Nobles."

"Merchants."

"Martial artists."

"All are invited."

"There will be a tournament."

"The winner will receive one wish from the Blood Demon."

Finally…

Lucifer stopped eating.

He slowly put his cup down.

The entire hall became quiet.

"He isn't even close to the Heavenly Demon…"

His crimson eyes narrowed.

"...yet he acts as if he stands on equal footing."

A dangerous smile appeared.

"I don't like people who don't know their place."

The princess stared.

This man…

Was comparing the Blood Demon to the Heavenly Demon?

Then Lucifer looked directly at her.

"You want me to participate as your representative."

The princess smiled.

"Sharp."

"Actually…"

She looked toward Chirin.

"I originally wanted your mythical sword spirit."

Chirin puffed his chest.

"See? Even royalty recognizes my value."

"But after seeing your relationship…"

She smiled.

"I abandoned the idea."

"A mythical sword spirit standing beside me would intimidate even the Blood Demon."

Lucifer nodded.

"Oh."

"You can have him."

Silence.

Chirin stared.

"Screw you."

"I refuse."

"I'm staying with you until the end of hell."

The princess laughed again.

"There is another reason everyone is on this ship."

"What?"

"This voyage itself is the first test."

Before anyone could ask—

BOOOOOOM!!

The entire ship shook violently.

Screams erupted.

Another explosion followed.

People stumbled.

Wine spilled.

The music stopped.

Then—

"Pirates!"

Everyone rushed toward the deck.

When they looked outside…

their faces turned pale.

Eighteen massive ships surrounded them.

Black flags danced in the night.

Skulls were painted upon the sails.

The infamous…

Eighteen Strongholds.

The strongest pirate group in Jianghu.

Panic spread instantly.

Then…

Lucifer smiled.

"I thought tonight would be boring."

His crimson eyes glowed.

"But it seems the Blood Demon prepared entertainment for me."

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

Hooks shot through the air.

Eighteen iron chains pierced the ship.

Immediately, pirates began pouring onto the vessel.

Chaos erupted.

The strongest fighters aboard the ship rushed to defend the chains.

Everyone had the same thought.

Protect the ship.

Defend.

Survive.

Everyone…

except one lunatic.

Lucifer grabbed one of the chains.

And ran.

The pirates blinked.

Why…

was someone running toward them?

Lucifer smiled.

"Let's begin."

SHING!!

Chirin flashed.

Heads flew.

Bodies fell.

Blood painted the chains.

Like a demon crossing a bridge of corpses…

Lucifer sprinted toward the pirate ship.

The pirates panicked.

"STOP HIM!"

Too late.

BOOM!!

Lucifer jumped into the air.

"Chirin."

The sword hummed.

"Cleave."

A crimson slash descended.

The entire pirate ship…

split in half.

Silence.

The people aboard the passenger ship froze.

An entire pirate vessel…

destroyed…

with one strike.

As one pirate looked upward—

THUD.

Lucifer landed behind him.

Holding a fish.

"Looking for me?"

The pirate nearly died from fear.

Immediately, all pirates formed an attacking formation.

Lucifer smiled.

"One down."

He pointed at the remaining ships.

"Seventeen to go."

Then he charged.

"Dismantle."

SHING!!

The formation exploded.

Bodies were cut apart.

Seeing their comrades die, another pirate ship fired its cannons.

BOOOOOOM!!

The entire ship sank.

The pirates cheered.

"We got him!"

"We killed him!"

Then—

"Hehehehe…"

Their laughter froze.

Lucifer was standing among them.

Completely unharmed.

Everyone slowly turned.

He smiled.

"Did you get me?"

Screams erupted.

When the cannon fired…

he had already moved.

Using Sin of Sloth…

he crossed to another ship before the explosion even occurred.

"Three down."

He looked around.

"I'll let you do the remaining math."

The massacre continued.

Cleave.

Dismantle.

Severance.

Raging Tempest.

One ship.

Then another.

Then another.

The Yangtze River turned red.

The mighty Eighteen Strongholds…

were being erased by one person.

Even the pirates couldn't believe it.

Even the passengers couldn't believe it.

One man…

was destroying forces comparable to sects.

Alone.

At last…

only one ship remained.

The pirates there had already given up.

They simply waited for death.

Lucifer stepped forward.

Then—

BOOM.

An overwhelming aura descended.

For the first time tonight…

Lucifer stopped smiling.

After fighting the giant spider.

After killing Great Elder Snake.

After reaching Purple Realm Second Stage…

he could clearly tell.

The person before him…

was in the King Realm.

A giant stepped forward.

Nearly eight feet tall.

An axe rested upon his shoulder.

His body looked like a mountain.

The leader of the Eighteen Strongholds.

Pirate leader.

He looked at the corpses around him.

Then at Lucifer.

"I don't need weaklings."

"Everything you've destroyed can be rebuilt."

He smiled.

"Because the Blood Demon stands behind us."

Lucifer's smile disappeared.

"So all this bravado…"

"...and you're just another man's dog."

The pirate leader laughed.

"Then prove you're worthy of meeting my lord."

Lucifer drew Chirin.

"As you wish."

BOOOOOOM!!

Their first clash destroyed the ship.

BOOOOOOM!!

Their second clash shattered the mountains nearby.

BOOOOOOM!!

Their third clash made parts of the riverbed visible.

They no longer looked human.

They looked like monsters.

Lucifer used Cleave.

The giant axe descended.

Blood sprayed.

Lucifer was injured.

He used Dismantle with Sin of Sloth.

Thousands of invisible cuts attacked.

But the pirate leader's body was coated with such dense qi that the attacks barely penetrated.

The leader struck.

Lucifer parried using Raging Tempest.

A gap appeared.

Severance.

CLANG!!

Blocked.

Again.

Again.

Again.

The battle continued.

Lucifer used Sin of Gluttony.

The corpses of dead pirates released essence.

His stamina recovered.

His vitality returned.

Yet the fight remained difficult.

At King Realm…

fighters constantly evolved.

Every technique changed.

Every move adapted.

Even copying became difficult.

Finally…

Lucifer stood covered in blood.

His clothes were torn.

His body shook.

Not from fear.

From excitement.

He laughed.

"There are so many monsters in this world."

The pirate leader smiled.

"Nobody survives this long against me."

He raised his axe.

"If you had a few more years…"

"You may have defeated me."

"But now…"

"It ends."

The axe descended.

At that moment—

Lucifer's eyes changed.

The whites became black.

The irises glowed crimson.

A demonic aura exploded.

Innate Ability.

Demonic Eyes.

Every Innate Realm expert awakened an ability.

Some were weak.

Some were extraordinary.

Lucifer's…

allowed him to perceive weaknesses.

Because no defense was perfect.

No technique was flawless.

No human was invincible.

Then…

Sin of Envy activated.

The world changed.

The pirate leader's movements slowed.

Weaknesses appeared everywhere.

Cracks.

Openings.

Imperfections.

The battle that had seemed impossible…

suddenly became winnable.

The night continued.

The Yangtze River became red.

Corpses piled into mountains.

The moon disappeared.

The sun slowly rose.

At dawn…

only one figure remained standing.

Lucifer.

He sat upon a mountain of corpses.

Smiling.

The Pirate leader lay dead.

The Eighteen Strongholds…

had been annihilated.

Silence covered the river.

The people aboard the ship couldn't speak.

One man…

had destroyed the equivalent of numerous sects.

Alone.

Meanwhile…

far away…

inside a dark palace…

a man slowly opened his eyes.

His robes were crimson.

His aura was like an ocean of blood.

The Blood Demon.

He looked toward the horizon.

And smiled.

"So…"

"The Devil has finally arrived in my territory."

His smile widened.

"Interesting."