Chapter 67:The Devil at The Blood Cult

The harbor was decorated with red lanterns that swayed with the river breeze. Colorful banners hung from every building, and music echoed through the streets. Merchants shouted excitedly, selling roasted meat, sweet wine, and expensive treasures. Martial artists from every corner of Jianghu gathered here for one reason—the Blood Demon's grand tournament.

It was supposed to be a festival.

A place of laughter.

A place of opportunity.

One after another, ships docked at the harbor, and every passenger stepped onto the port with excitement and anticipation.

Then another ship arrived.

The moment it touched the dock…

Chaos erupted.

People screamed.

Nobles pushed commoners.

Commoners shoved nobles.

Royal guards abandoned their formations.

Even arrogant young masters, who usually walked with pride, ran as though death itself had boarded the ship.

"Move!"

"Get out of the way!"

"Hurry!"

"He… he's coming!"

The townspeople stared in confusion.

What could make nobles and royals panic like this?

Then they saw him.

A lone man stepped off the ship.

His black clothes had been dyed crimson.

Blood dripped from his sleeves.

His boots left red footprints on the wooden dock.

His crimson eyes looked utterly calm.

It wasn't his blood.

That made it even more terrifying.

Behind him, the once luxurious ship looked like a floating graveyard.

Everyone on board had witnessed him destroy the legendary Eighteen Strongholds.

They had seen rivers painted red.

They had seen pirate ships split apart.

They had seen mountains of corpses.

And now…

The devil had arrived.

The entire harbor fell silent.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

Lucifer scratched his cheek.

"Man… I need another set of clothes."

Chirin floated beside him.

"That's not even your blood."

Lucifer blinked.

"Right."

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"Hehehe…"

Chirin also laughed.

"Hehehe…"

The people around them nearly fainted.

Who laughs while covered in blood?

Only a lunatic.

Only the devil.

Ignoring everyone's horrified gazes, Lucifer casually walked toward an inn.

As though he had merely gone fishing.

The Inn

After taking a bath and changing into fresh black robes, Lucifer finally looked human again.

Well…

As human as Lucifer could look.

He sat beside the princess and began devouring food.

Plate after plate disappeared.

Chicken.

Fish.

Rice.

Soup.

Everything vanished.

The guards standing outside couldn't even believe their eyes.

Ordinary men weren't even allowed to approach the princess.

Yet this man was eating with her as if they were old friends.

No one dared to stop him.

Because everyone on the ship knew something.

Standing in the devil's way…

was equivalent to suicide.

The princess sighed.

"Let's go over the rules of the tournament."

Lucifer didn't even look up.

"Not interested."

She blinked.

"What?"

Chirin nodded.

"That's normal."

The princess looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Chirin crossed his tiny arms.

"He's here to play, not to follow rules. In fact, he hates rules."

Lucifer stuffed another piece of meat into his mouth.

Chirin continued.

"He doesn't break rules."

"He destroys them."

The princess nearly choked.

"Then how are we supposed to win?"

Lucifer finally looked at her.

His crimson eyes were calm.

"There won't be anyone who wins besides me."

Silence.

The princess suddenly felt both relieved…

and terrified.

She had brought the devil as her representative.

Now she was beginning to understand what that truly meant.

Meeting the Blood Demon

By evening, all participants were escorted to the Blood Cult.

The headquarters looked more like an imperial palace than a sect.

Thousands of red lanterns illuminated the night.

Giant statues of demons lined the stairs.

The air itself smelled of blood and incense.

One by one, nobles and royals stepped forward.

Each brought gifts.

Precious gems.

Ancient herbs.

Treasures.

Rare weapons.

Everyone wished to please the Blood Demon.

When it became the Vermilion Princess's turn, she stepped forward gracefully.

She presented a jade box.

Inside lay a thousand-year-old ginseng.

Gasps echoed.

Even the elders nodded.

"A valuable gift."

The princess bowed.

Her retainers bowed.

Everyone bowed.

Except one man.

Lucifer.

He simply stood there.

As if none of this concerned him.

The atmosphere instantly became cold.

One elder frowned.

"The gift is acceptable."

"But your servant is rather arrogant."

Another elder's aura exploded.

"Kneel."

A third elder stepped forward.

"Show respect before Lord Blood Demon."

Boom.

Several terrifying auras descended upon Lucifer.

The princess's face turned pale.

Yet Lucifer…

smirked.

Then…

he released his own aura.

BOOOOOOM!

The air exploded.

The floor cracked.

The elders' expressions changed.

Their legs trembled.

Then—

THUD!

All of them kneeled.

Silence.

The entire hall became deathly quiet.

The princess's jaw dropped.

The nobles froze.

Even the guards forgot to breathe.

Lucifer looked at the kneeling elders.

"Is that all?"

The elders' faces turned white.

Impossible.

According to information, Lucifer should still be in the Purple Realm.

Yet now…

he was in the King Realm.

First Stage.

How?!

No one knew.

Far above, seated upon a throne of crimson jade…

the Blood Demon finally opened his eyes.

For the first time.

He looked directly at Lucifer.

His lips curved into a smile.

"So it's true."

"You single-handedly destroyed the Eighteen Strongholds."

Lucifer met his gaze.

"What do you think?"

The hall exploded.

The elders became furious.

How dare someone speak to the Blood Demon like this?!

One elder roared.

"Insolent brat!"

Another shouted.

"Know your place—"

BOOM!

The elder exploded.

Blood rained across the floor.

Silence.

Another elder trembled.

"Lord…?"

BOOM!

He exploded too.

Everyone froze.

The Blood Demon slowly lowered his hand.

"When did I give you permission to speak?"

Dead silence.

Nobody dared move.

Nobody dared breathe.

The Blood Demon smiled.

"I was speaking with him."

He looked at Lucifer.

"Let us continue."

Lucifer nodded.

"Sure."

The two simply looked at each other.

No auras.

No killing intent.

Yet everyone could feel it.

Two monsters were testing each other.

Both hiding their true strength.

Both smiling.

Both dangerous.

The Blood Demon suddenly laughed.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The Guest Building

Eventually, all participants were guided toward the guest quarters.

The building was massive.

Yet strangely…

there were no separate accommodations.

Royals.

Nobles.

Commoners.

Everyone stayed together.

Exactly like the ship.

The princess immediately collapsed onto her bed.

"I thought I was going to die back there."

Lucifer sat down.

"But you didn't."

"Thanks to me."

She glared at him.

"We got into trouble because of you."

"Would it hurt to bow?"

Silence.

The room became cold.

Very cold.

Lucifer slowly turned his head.

For the first time…

he looked genuinely annoyed.

"I didn't bow before the Creator Himself."

"So why would I lower myself before them?"

The princess froze.

She immediately regretted her words.

"I'm sorry…"

"I didn't mean—"

Lucifer cut her off.

"You people always bow before strength."

"You wag your tails before the powerful."

This time she became angry too.

"Not everyone is as strong as you!"

"Should we die because we aren't strong?"

Silence.

Lucifer looked outside the window.

Then he said quietly:

"Rather than living as a slave…"

"I would rather die as a rebel."

The words struck her heart.

Her entire life…

she had seen men kneel.

Sacrifice pride.

Sacrifice principles.

Sacrifice dignity.

All for power.

All for wealth.

All for fame.

Yet this man…

would rather die.

The princess stared at him.

Perhaps…

that was why people called him the devil.

Because he refused to kneel before heaven itself.

Suddenly, Lucifer stood up.

"Lock the door."

She blinked.

"What?"

"Guard this room with your life."

"No matter who comes."

"Do not open it."

She sat up.

"Why?"

"I'm going out."

She pouted.

"You explain nothing."

Chirin sighed.

"That's because he hates explaining."

Then his expression became serious.

"This place is about to become a slaughterhouse."

The princess paled.

"What do you mean?"

Chirin floated toward the window.

"There was never a rule against killing each other before the tournament."

He pointed outside.

"And look."

"There are no guards."

The princess's face turned white.

She finally noticed.

No guards.

No patrols.

Nothing.

"But…"

"There's a formation around the building."

Chirin nodded.

"Exactly."

"It's not to protect you."

"It's to trap you."

The princess felt cold.

"The game…"

"Already began."

She covered her mouth.

"No…"

"They threw us in here to kill each other?"

Chirin smiled bitterly.

"This is Jianghu."

"The strong prey on the weak."

He flew toward Lucifer.

"Lock the door."

"Stay awake."

"I'm going with him."

The two disappeared.

Leaving behind a horrified princess.

The Slaughterhouse Opens

The corridor was dark.

Then—

AAAAAHHH!

A scream.

CRACK!

Bones breaking.

SPLAT!

Blood splattering.

Lucifer smiled.

The game had begun.

He walked forward leisurely.

As though taking an evening stroll.

Then he stopped.

"Since the game has started…"

"Why don't you come out?"

Silence.

Then shadows moved.

Four figures emerged.

Sword King.

Blade King.

Spear King.

Axe King.

The Four Kings.

Each famous.

Each powerful.

Each capable of ruling their own territory.

Yet all four stood together.

For one man.

Sword King smiled.

"Seems the rumors about you are true, Lucifer."

Lucifer grinned.

"Well, well."

"The Four Kings coming together to kill one guy."

"How ironic."

Blade King spoke.

"If we wish to take you down…"

"This much is necessary."

Lucifer slowly drew Chirin.

"No."

"You need more than this."

"To merely slow me down."

The atmosphere exploded.

The four kings attacked simultaneously.

BOOOOOOM!

Lucifer swung Chirin.

"Cleave."

A crimson slash tore through the corridor.

All four kings blocked together.

The walls shattered.

The floor cracked.

Yet the formation remained.

Lucifer smiled.

"Not bad."

"Seems you're worth fighting."

The Four Kings' expressions became serious.

This monster…

was actually enjoying himself.

The First Exchange

The Sword King attacked first.

His sword moved like flowing water.

One strike.

Ten strikes.

Hundreds of strikes.

Each one targeted a vital point.

At the same time—

The Blade King attacked from the left.

His blade descended like a falling mountain.

The Spear King attacked from behind.

His spear became countless afterimages.

And the Axe King attacked from above.

The giant axe could crush a fortress.

A perfect formation.

No blind spots.

No escape.

Even a King Realm expert would be cornered.

But Lucifer simply smiled.

Raging Tempest.

BOOOOM!!

A storm of sword energy exploded around him.

The corridor was destroyed.

Wooden pillars shattered.

The walls burst apart.

Yet—

The Four Kings still pressed forward.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Weapons collided repeatedly.

Sparks flew everywhere.

Lucifer's body moved like flowing water.

He dodged.

Parried.

Countered.

Retreated.

Advanced.

He looked less like a human and more like a demon dancing in battle.

The Spear King widened his eyes.

"Impossible…"

The Sword King gritted his teeth.

"He adapts too quickly!"

Because every time they attacked—

Lucifer improved.

Every exchange made him stronger.

Every mistake became experience.

The longer they fought…

the worse their situation became.

Sin of Pride

Lucifer's eyes glowed.

A sinister smile appeared.

Sin of Pride activated.

At that moment—

The Sword King's footwork entered his mind.

The Blade King's grip.

The Spear King's thrusting technique.

The Axe King's timing.

Everything.

He copied it all.

The Blade King suddenly froze.

"He copied my stance…"

The Spear King widened his eyes.

"That thrust… that's my technique!"

The Sword King felt chills.

No.

It wasn't imitation.

He was learning their arts in real time.

The Axe King roared.

"Monster!"

He charged.

His axe descended.

A mountain-shattering attack.

Lucifer smiled.

He used the Axe King's own footwork.

Then—

He avoided the attack.

The axe smashed the floor.

BOOOOOOM!!

The entire corridor caved in.

Dust filled the air.

Then—

Slash.

Blood splashed.

The Axe King's shoulder opened.

He stumbled backward.

Everyone froze.

The Devil had wounded the Axe King…

using the Axe King's own movement.

The Pressure Increases

The Four Kings immediately changed strategies.

They attacked together.

No pauses.

No openings.

No breathing room.

The Sword King's sword became rain.

The Spear King's spear became lightning.

The Blade King's blade became a hurricane.

The Axe King's attacks became earthquakes.

Even Lucifer began receiving injuries.

Cuts.

Bruises.

Bleeding arms.

Torn clothes.

Yet—

He was smiling.

Shaking.

Excited.

The Four Kings felt cold.

Who smiles while getting injured?

Who enjoys fighting four kings simultaneously?

Only one answer existed.

A lunatic.

A battle maniac.

A devil.

Chirin sighed.

"There he goes again."

Lucifer laughed.

"THIS IS FUN!"

He suddenly rushed forward.

The Sword King attacked.

Lucifer copied his movement.

The Spear King attacked.

Lucifer countered.

The Blade King attacked.

Lucifer redirected his force.

The Axe King attacked.

Lucifer narrowly dodged.

The Four Kings felt as if they were fighting…

themselves.

Demonic Eyes

Then—

Lucifer's eyes changed.

The white part became black.

The pupils became crimson.

A terrifying aura erupted.

The Demonic Eyes.

The world changed.

Everything slowed.

The breathing of the Four Kings.

The flow of their qi.

The tension in their muscles.

The smallest weaknesses.

Everything became visible.

Then—

Sin of Envy activated.

He could even read their thoughts.

Sword King:

Aim for his heart.

Blade King:

Cut off his arm.

Spear King:

Attack from behind.

Axe King:

Destroy the floor.

Lucifer smiled.

"I can see everything."

The Four Kings shivered.

For a moment—

it felt as though a true devil had opened his eyes.

The Final Move

The Four Kings understood.

If this battle continued…

they would lose.

The Sword King shouted.

"NOW!"

They nodded.

All four used their strongest techniques.

Sword energy.

Blade energy.

Spear energy.

Axe energy.

Four ultimate techniques.

Four killing moves.

The entire corridor disappeared.

The formation trembled.

The building began collapsing.

The attacks merged together into an unstoppable storm.

Everyone inside the building felt despair.

No one could survive this.

Even Lucifer stood still.

He did not move.

He simply watched.

Observed.

Calculated.

A normal person saw four attacks.

Lucifer saw something else.

A line.

A tiny gap.

A weakness.

Because—

there is no perfect technique.

No perfect defense.

No perfect attack.

And his Demonic Eyes found it.

Lucifer slowly raised Chirin.

He smiled.

"Found you."

Then—

Severance.

A single slash.

Silence.

Everything became quiet.

No sound.

No movement.

The world seemed frozen.

Then—

The four ultimate techniques…

split apart.

The corridor behind them…

split apart.

The building…

split apart.

And—

the bodies of the Four Kings…

split apart.

Blood painted the air.

The Sword King looked at his body.

The Blade King dropped his weapon.

The Spear King widened his eyes.

The Axe King laughed bitterly.

"So this… is the Devil…"

Their bodies fell.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

Dead.

The Four Kings had fallen.

Killed by one slash.

Killed by one man.

Killed by Lucifer Morningstar.

Silence filled the corridor.

Then—

Ding.

Karma Points increased.

New Title obtained.

Title: Slayer of Kings.

Lucifer stood amidst the corpses.

Blood dripped from Chirin.

His clothes were torn.

His body was covered in wounds.

Yet—

he smiled.

A terrifying smile.

He slowly looked toward the other rooms.

Screams echoed.

People were still killing each other.

Lucifer twirled Chirin.

His crimson eyes shone.

"Hehehe…"

Chirin sighed.

"That smile again…"

Lucifer slowly walked forward.

"Now then…"

He placed Chirin on his shoulder.

"Let's test my new Severance."

He looked at the countless rooms.

At the countless people.

At the countless screams.

His smile widened.

"Let's kill everyone in this building."

And with that—

the Devil disappeared into the darkness.