Chapter 68:The Devil and The Blood Emperor

Thousands of spectators filled the stands.

Nobles in luxurious robes.

Royals wearing golden crowns.

Sect leaders and elders from the unorthodox factions.

Even the infamous Blood Demon himself sat upon his crimson throne overlooking the arena.

Today was supposed to be a grand tournament.

A celebration.

A festival of martial arts.

But something was wrong.

The arena was empty.

There were no contestants.

No warriors waiting for their turn.

No competitors discussing strategies.

No rising geniuses hoping to make a name for themselves.

There was only one person.

A lone figure dressed in black.

A man whose clothes still carried the scent of blood.

A man with crimson eyes.

A devil.

Lucifer Morningstar.

He stood in the middle of the arena with one hand inside his pocket while Chirin rested on his shoulder.

He was already the winner.

Because there was no one left to compete.

Everyone who had entered the tournament had died last night.

Some were nobles.

Some were royals.

Some were veteran martial artists.

Some had only recently stepped into Jianghu.

Some were men.

Some were women.

Lucifer had not cared.

To him, they were simply prey.

And a beast never asks its prey for permission.

Silence filled the arena.

No applause.

No cheering.

No celebration.

The crowd looked at Lucifer with fear.

Because last night they had heard the screams.

They had smelled the blood.

And this morning…

only one person remained alive.

The Devil.

The awkward silence continued.

Then—

The Blood Demon suddenly laughed.

His laughter echoed throughout the entire arena.

Everyone looked toward him.

The Blood Demon slowly stood from his throne.

His crimson robes fluttered in the wind.

His eyes locked onto Lucifer.

"Your title precedes your character."

The entire arena became silent.

Lucifer slowly looked up.

His face remained expressionless.

Then he spoke.

"As expected."

A smirk appeared on his face.

"Since I alone am the Devil."

Silence.

Then—

The Blood Demon laughed again.

Louder this time.

Even the elders looked shocked.

No one had spoken to the Blood Demon in such a manner.

Yet this young man did not show the slightest fear.

The Blood Demon nodded.

"How arrogant."

"But you have earned the right to say those words."

He looked directly into Lucifer's eyes.

"Tell me, Lucifer."

"Would you join me?"

The entire arena exploded.

"What?!"

"Did I hear that correctly?!"

"The Blood Demon is recruiting him?!"

The nobles stood up.

The elders widened their eyes.

Even the princess looked shocked.

Because everyone knew what this meant.

Lucifer belonged to the Demonic Cult.

Recruiting him meant provoking the Demonic Cult itself.

It could lead to war.

But the Blood Demon didn't care.

Because he understood something.

The young man standing before him…

was a monster.

And monsters should either become your allies…

or your enemies.

The Blood Demon spread his arms.

"Think about it."

"Together, we could conquer everything beneath heaven."

His voice echoed throughout the arena.

"The Murim Alliance."

"The Demonic Cult."

"The Orthodox Sects."

"The Unorthodox Factions."

"Everything beneath the heavens would bow before us."

His eyes shone.

"And I promise you this."

"You will never be left out."

The arena became silent.

Everyone waited for Lucifer's answer.

Lucifer rubbed his chin.

"Hmm…"

"The offer is quite tempting."

Several elders smiled.

The Blood Demon smiled.

But then—

Lucifer looked toward the sky.

"I plan to stand above heaven."

His crimson eyes glowed.

"So…"

He smiled.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

Silence.

Then—

The Blood Demon burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"As expected of the Devil."

Lucifer stretched his body.

"The winner of this tournament is supposed to receive a reward."

The Blood Demon raised an eyebrow.

"You can take anything you desire with your strength."

"Why bother asking?"

Lucifer grinned.

"Because it's fun this way."

The Blood Demon smiled.

"So you dislike following rules."

"You would rather break them and create your own."

"That's why you caused such a massacre last night."

Lucifer shrugged.

"I'm just doing what I like."

The Blood Demon nodded.

"Very well."

"What do you want?"

Lucifer looked directly into his eyes.

Then smiled.

"I want your head."

He pointed toward the arena.

"So come down here."

Silence.

No one breathed.

No one moved.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

Then—

The Blood Demon laughed.

Laughed harder than ever before.

Since becoming the Blood Emperor…

nobody had spoken to him this way.

Nobody had challenged his authority.

Nobody had demanded his head.

But today…

a lone devil stood before him.

The Blood Demon slowly descended from his throne.

Each step shook the arena.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

He finally landed before Lucifer.

The entire arena trembled.

The Blood Demon smiled.

"Very well."

"If you won't stand beside me…"

His aura exploded.

"Then I cannot allow you to stand against me."

His blood began floating around him.

"You are a monster."

"And if left unchecked…"

The blood condensed into a crimson sword.

"You will become an even greater monster."

He raised the sword.

"So for the sake of the future…"

"I will kill you with my own hands."

Lucifer smiled.

Finally.

A worthy opponent.

He grabbed Chirin.

No countdown.

No signal.

No referee.

Lucifer attacked first.

"Cleave."

A crimson slash erupted.

The arena split apart.

But—

The Blood Demon casually raised his blood sword.

BOOOOM!!

The attack dispersed.

Not even a scratch.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

The Blood Demon smiled.

"How impatient."

"You couldn't even wait for the start."

Then—

Their swords collided.

BOOOOOOM!!

Black aura.

Crimson aura.

The entire arena was engulfed.

The shockwave blew away countless spectators.

Several elders hurriedly created a formation.

Thousands of runes appeared.

A massive barrier surrounded the arena.

An elder swallowed.

"Will… will the formation hold?"

Another elder nodded.

"This formation can contain even Sovereign Realm experts."

"There is nothing to worry about."

Yet…

for some reason…

everyone felt uneasy.

Inside the arena—

Lucifer attacked again.

"Cleave!"

The Blood Demon blocked.

Lucifer suddenly changed the angle.

"Severance."

SHING!!

The Blood Demon was cut in half.

Gasps echoed throughout the arena.

Did…

did he actually kill him?

Then—

Both halves laughed.

Their bodies transformed.

Now there were two Blood Demons.

The crowd froze.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

Without hesitation—

"Dismantle!"

SHING!

Both were cut apart.

Four Blood Demons appeared.

"Raging Tempest!"

Eight Blood Demons.

"Severance!"

Sixteen.

Thirty-two.

Sixty-four.

The more he killed…

the more the Blood Demon multiplied.

The arena became filled with countless Blood Demons.

The most terrifying thing was—

Even Lucifer's Demonic Eyes couldn't distinguish the real one.

Every clone had a core.

Every clone possessed life.

Every clone was real.

It was impossible.

The Blood Demons smiled.

Then—

Thousands of blood swords appeared in the sky.

Lucifer's eyes widened.

Rain.

A rain of blades.

BOOOOOOM!!

They descended.

Lucifer dodged.

Parried.

Countered.

Used Cleave.

Used Severance.

Used Raging Tempest.

Used Dismantle.

But there were simply too many.

Some blades pierced his body.

Some cut his flesh.

Some crushed his bones.

Blood spilled everywhere.

Then—

The swords embedded in the ground moved.

Spikes erupted.

Lucifer jumped.

Another spike appeared.

Another.

Another.

The entire arena became a forest of blood spikes.

Attacks from above.

Attacks from below.

No escape.

No breathing room.

By the time the storm ended—

Lucifer stood barely upright.

Blood flowed endlessly.

His flesh was torn.

His bones cracked.

His meridians twisted.

Even his vision became blurry.

The Blood Demon sighed.

"If only you had accepted my offer."

"You always choose the difficult path."

Lucifer smiled.

Because he had always been this way.

If he had bowed…

perhaps his family wouldn't have abandoned him.

If he had submitted…

perhaps he wouldn't have become the Devil.

But…

he had no regrets.

Because from the very beginning…

he had only done what he liked.

Lucifer looked toward the sky.

"The sky isn't big enough for both of us."

He raised Chirin.

"So let's end this."

The Blood Demon smiled.

"As you wish."

The Blood Demon concentrated all his blood into the tip of his sword.

An attack capable of annihilating kingdoms.

Lucifer took a deep breath.

In his mind, he thought:

After reaching King Realm, I awakened my Upper Dantian.

I now possess three dantians.

But whenever I try to merge them…

they collide and disperse.

Then—

A thought appeared.

People say that at the brink of death…

limits are broken.

New powers are born.

A smile appeared.

Then I won't control it.

I'll let it flow.

Like a river.

His qi surged.

The meridians inside his body screamed.

Blood erupted from his mouth.

Pain spread everywhere.

Yet—

everything suddenly aligned.

The three dantians resonated.

For a brief moment…

his entire body became one.

Lucifer's eyes widened.

This feeling…

Without hesitation—

he jumped.

At the same time—

the Blood Demon attacked.

A crimson beam descended.

Lucifer raised Chirin.

"Dismantle."

SHING.

The impossible happened.

The attack…

was cut.

Not the Blood Demon.

Not the air.

The attack itself.

The Blood Demon froze.

"What…?"

He couldn't understand.

But that single moment—

was enough.

Lucifer appeared before him.

SHING!

One slash.

Another.

Another.

Another.

Faster.

Faster.

Even faster.

The Blood Demon regenerated.

Lucifer cut him again.

Regenerated.

Cut again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Lucifer's eyes became crazed.

"You can survive with one drop of blood?"

He smiled.

"Then I'll destroy every single atom in your body."

The Blood Demon tried to regenerate.

Lucifer cut faster.

Tried again.

Cut faster.

More power.

More speed.

More slashes.

The sky split.

Space cracked.

The formation array exploded.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The entire arena disappeared.

People screamed.

Everyone fled.

The shockwave spread for miles.

Then—

Silence.

Dust covered everything.

Nobody could see.

Slowly…

the dust settled.

A lone figure stood.

Lucifer Morningstar.

His clothes were ruined.

His body was drenched in blood.

He could barely remain standing.

But he was alive.

Before him—

there was nothing.

No ashes.

No blood.

No remains.

The Blood Demon had ceased to exist.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Then—

one person kneeled.

Then another.

Then another.

The unorthodox sect leaders.

The nobles.

The royals.

The elders.

One after another…

they bowed.

Because today they had witnessed something impossible.

A man weaker in cultivation…

had slain the Blood Emperor.

A devil had devoured an emperor.

And now—

the unorthodox world had found its new master.

Lucifer looked at the countless people bowing before him.

He sighed.

"What a pain."

Yet—

none of them dared raise their heads.

Because today…

the Devil had become something even more terrifying.

The new ruler of the Unorthodox Murim.