In Ye Yuâs sight, a rotund manâfat as a pigâstood atop the vast training platform and began rolling back and forth in a smooth, rounded motion.
His speed increased steadily, his form blurring into afterimages, giving the impression of a wild boar plowing through the earth.
After several breaths, the man thrust out a foot â NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»t â (Only on NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»t) and came to an abrupt stop.
The impact sent a tremor through the entire platform.
His flesh rippled in waves as well, like tides rolling in and out.
To describe a person as âmajesticâ would normally seem misplacedâbut here was undeniable proof.
Ye Yu met the fat manâs gaze and, as fellow disciples greeting one another, was about to speak when the man cleared his throat and spoke sternly âIn ancient times, demons were famed for their fleshâs might.
âRecords in the old tomes speak of ancient demon bodies that shrugged off Immortal artifacts, tore Immortals limb from limbâthat was basic practice!
âBut today, the Demon Realm has grown weak. Those who ought to bulldoze all before them with their bodily might have been supplanted by feeble Blood Demons and Heart Demons. It is a disgrace to our kind!
âThe very reason the Blazing Demon Hall exists is to reverse this shameful trend!
âI will lead every demon in this sect to rise up together, to restore the Ancient Demon Path, and make the Six Realms tremble!â
Having finished, the fat man slowly turned his back, tilted his head at a forty-fiveâdegree angle to gaze skyward, and a flurry of petals drifted down around him.
The scene could almost be called beautifulâwere it not for the revolting sight of that piggish form.
Ye Yuâs expression grew infinitely complex. He stood in the breeze, disheveled, for a long moment before shaking his head to clear it and speaking âHeyâhold the petals for now.â
âOh!â The pale Heart-Demon at the fat manâs side quietly gathered up the petals and stepped back to check how many remained in his basket.
Ye Yu sighed, then turned back to the fat man and asked softly âMay I askâwho might you be?â
The fat man faced him again and said with utmost seriousness âI am Mo GeÂlian, Lord of the Blazing Demon Hall. You may address me as Lord or by my nickname, Ten-Thousand Demons Rising.â
Ye Yuâs curiosity was piqued. Ten-Thousand Demons Risingâwhat did it signify?
The Heart-Demon leaned in and explained in a low voice âDidnât I tell you yesterdayâwhen ten-thousand demons emerge together, thatâs majesty incarnate. The Lord calls himself Ten-Thousand Demons Rising. After todayâs display, doesnât it make perfect sense?â
Ye Yuâs lip twitched. Playing word gamesâhow amusing he thought himself to be.
Sensing the sudden hostility, the Heart-Demon backed away without hesitation.
Mo GeÂlian, however, paid no mind. He extended his right hand palm-down and said in a deep voice âWelcomeâofficially join the Blazing Demon Hall!â
In the northern Demon Realm, there existed a special ritual: when a disciple was formally admitted, the finest among them received the Lordâs âhand-touchâ ceremony. This was no mere formality; it signified closeness to the Lord and allowed him to infuse the disciple with a layer of demonic qiâguiding cultivation or marking their aura for rescue if needed. For newcomers, it was the highest honor.
Ye Yu, however, did not raise his hand. Instead, he scrutinized the pig-like Mo GeÂlian. From the fluctuations of demonic qi around him, he seemed to be at only the Demon Lord Realmâequivalent to an Immortal Ascendant. This fell far short of the famed Profound Demon Realm master who wielded the strongest Body-Tempering Method.
And his physique hardly looked formidable.
After pondering, Ye Yu lifted a finger and jabbed sharply into Mo GeÂlianâs belly.
The latter collapsed to the ground, face flushed and drenched in sweat, clearly in tremendous pain.
âWhat the hell are you doing?â Mo GeÂlianâs voice came out hoarse.
The Heart-Demon hurried forward to assist him.
Ye Yu felt a wave of disappointment. He himself had once possessed the Ancient Demon Body and understood which body-tempering points were hardest to train. A mere poke should never have produced such misery if Mo GeÂlian truly practiced a âsupremeâ method.
âYour Body-Tempering Method is utterly worthless,â Ye Yu muttered, brow furrowing âWhy the rumor of such strength? Why does your sect still stand if everything is a lie? Donât you know sects survive on hype to attract disciples?â
The Heart-Demon explained matter-of-factly âTo build momentum, we hired many demonsâincluding those Strength-Demons you saw yesterday. They each got a hundred demon stones for a show fee!â
Ye Yu could hardly contain his laughter. In this world of magic and martial power, even false advertising thrivedâan absurd level of competition indeed.
Seeing Mo GeÂlianâs agony, Ye Yu abandoned further tests and turned toward the exit.
At that moment, a fierce shout rang out behind him âStop right there!â
Ye Yu looked back to see Mo GeÂlian clutching his belly, forcing himself upright, and snarling âI admit I lied about Demon Lord Realm cultivation! But the words âstrongest Body-Tempering Methodââthereâs not a shred of falsehood in those!â
âJust look at my fleshâdonât you see?â
Ye Yu inhaled deeply and replied calmly âI regret wasting even ten breaths listening to your nonsensical garbage.â
He turned to leave once moreâbut after only two steps he halted and spun back around.
This time, the mocking expression had vanished from his face.
Mo GeÂlian stood with eyes shut, forming an ancient fist posture. Though still comical in appearance, the imprint his foot left on the stone slab behind him was enormous. He emanated an aura of extreme danger.