This is a pretty big chapter, so I hope you'll get involved. Vote with your power stones if you liked it.
...
Thanks to the ring Xie Qing received from Alfred, he successfully passed through the barrier of the Supernatural World.
After flying for a while, he decided to descend to the central contingent where humans ruled.
The sharp sound of the wind rang in Xie Qing's ears and he closed his eyes, savoring the moment. The pleasure of the fall was really something to behold.
Xie Qing lowered his head and saw a small spot that increased in proportion to Xie Qing's fall.
That spot was a city whose name he did not know. Surrounding himself with magical energy, he hid himself from the people around him.
Before he touched the ground, Xie Qing used wind magic and descended smoothly, unharmed.
Crackle.
The ring broke, but Xie Qing didn't feel too bad. After all, it was disposable and wouldn't be needed anymore.
The pressure fell on Xie Qing, which surprisingly did not affect the other residents of the city.
A loud voice asked: "What purpose did you come here for?"
Shaking his head, Xie Qing noticed that the townspeople were not responding in any way. They don't seem to be listening.
"I'm here to travel." Xie Qing shrugged his shoulders.
The voice went silent for a good five minutes. When Xie Qing began to get annoyed, the voice came again.
"Don't cause trouble."
Xie Qing raised an eyebrow, but did not reply. He wasn't going to cause any chaos anyway.
He stepped forward and began to stroll through the city. It was especially unpleasant when passersby stepped on his feet.
Xie Qing frowned and kicked the boy who had stepped on his foot in the head.
"Ow!" The boy narrowed his eyes miserably and turned back, but no one was there.
...
It was unbearably hot in the bare desert. There were not even any plants, and the temperature reached 500 degrees Celsius.
However, this had little effect on Xie Qing, for his body is strong enough.
But he was still hot.
"Damn, the formation is scary after all. It can create suns and moons that are far superior to the normal versions!"
The Supernatural World Formation was also on the Z level, and the space level is P6.
There were only 6 levels of space, and the highest level was P6.
The spaces on this level were the Mortal World, the Elf World, Heaven, Hell, and finally the Supernatural World.
The worst thing is that ordinary people do not even realize that they live in the formation.
"I remember trying to study the Elf World Formation, but I simply didn't understand anything..."
The usual formations consisted of geometric shapes, each with its own specific meaning.
A square is protection.
A triangle is invisibility.
Circle - attack.
Rectangle - illumination.
(A/N: There will be more details in chapter 0.)
And these are just the basics. But the formation of the Elf World consisted of letters with geometric shapes and different numbers and symbols on them.
It was impossible to decipher without special knowledge. After all, you must first separate each letter, each number, and each symbol from each other.
And Xie Qing could not do that yet, because his knowledge was very limited.
Under the intense heat and sand under his feet, Xie Qing walked straight ahead. He didn't know the exact map, but he felt he had to go there.
Suddenly there was the sound of hooves and the neighing of a horse. Xie Qing turned his head and saw a cart with white horses.
It seemed that the coachman noticed him because the horses began to stop.
"Hey, brother!" Suddenly there was a loud shout that nearly deafened Xie Qing.
A burly man jumped down from the cart and smiled at Xie Qing. He was six feet tall.
He had short-cropped black hair. His bare torso released a powerful chest and every slight movement seemed to cause the air to sway.
"What are you doing here without a cart?" The man smiled and held out his hand.
Xie Qing squinted slightly, but soon smiled back and shook the man's hand, "I was short on money, but I needed to get to the other side of the desert very quickly."
"Oh, I see. Times are pretty tough right now, no money at all." The man nodded understandingly. "How about I move you?"
"And I won't give you any trouble?" Xie Qing smiled.
"Ha ha, what are you talking about, brother? I won't be able to sleep properly if I leave you here. Come on, hop in!"
Xie Qing smiled and nodded. He jumped into the cart and sat down.
"I'm Bel, by the way." Suddenly the man said.
"My name is Xie Qing." The guy also introduced himself.
Throughout the journey, Bel was actively talking and asking all kinds of questions about where Xie Qing was from and why he had come here.
Xie Qing smiled and answered with lies, of course. He wouldn't think of trusting some left-wing man, even if he helped him.
"Brother, what is the purpose of going to the other side? If I'm not mistaken, at the end of the Desert of Death is the Continent of Witches."
"I want to buy something." Xie Qing smiled and replied.
"Yes? I don't know if I can change your mind, but be careful. Witches are incredibly greedy and good at lying."
"Thanks for the reminder." Xie Qing grinned, but the man didn't see it because his back was turned.
The cart shook, going up and down. The temperature in the Wilderness of Death was beginning to drop, and the grass on the horizon was slightly withered.
But it was enough to make the adventurers traversing the desert shriek with joy and cry tears of happiness.
Xie Qing smiled and looked as if he had come for a vacation. It was as if the desert were a beach and he was lying on a the couch near the sea, watching the tides.
"Listen, brother..." Suddenly Bel's voice rang out.
"Yes?" Xie Qing replied in a neutral voice, still smiling.
"Can you die, please?" The man suddenly turned and disappeared.
Boom!
The cart shook from the impact and Xie Qing looked merrily at Bel, who was frightened as he examined his fist.
Bare bones and veins were visible on Bel's formerly powerful fist, and his frightened look only gave Xie Qing pleasure.
The man looked frightenedly at Xie Qing, or where he had been earlier, and shuddered.
Suddenly a voice full of mockery and sarcasm sounded behind him:
"Your patience deserves respect." Xie Qing smiled and rubbed Bel's head.
"However, that does not negate the fact that I will shove your head up your ass."
Bel jumped back frightened and jumped out of the carriage. The horses let out a startled scream and rushed forward, carrying the broken cart behind them.
Xie Qing and Bel stood at the end of the desert. One step and they were on the Continent of Witches, but neither of the two men moved.
However, it is worth noting the difference in mood.
Bel stood with a frightened look and tried to heal his wound, but every time his flesh recovered, black smoke erupted and everything went back to normal.
As for Xie Qing, he acted so relaxed that one would think he was out for a walk.
"Shit!" Bel shouted and stomped on the ground, causing small earthquakes.
"AAAAH!"
The man screamed into the sky like a wounded tiger before his final attack.
A halo of red light appeared around the man, turning his skin red.
Black horns grew on his forehead, and his body was covered in scales. A hideous dark aura thickened around Bel.
"Demon conversion? Uh-oh... And into a High Demon, at that. The level before the conversion was B-, but it's A-. Amazing!" Xie Qing whistled and smiled.
"Graa!" Bel, however, apparently wasn't listening to him.
The converted Bel jumped toward Xie Qing, striking him with his fist. By the way, even after the conversion, the wound remained.
Boom!
Xie Qing parried the blow with his palm, and then changed its trajectory, flipping his arm to the left.
Bel, however, did not give up. With quick punches he tried to exhaust Xie Qing, but in vain.
Xie Qing easily dodged all the blows, while still managing to taunt him.
"Where's your grace, man?"
"Damn, there's no shortage of "ORA-ORA-ORA!" sounds. Give me more!"
Xie Qing ripped off Bel's hand and waved it, "You dropped it, bro." And then...
He thrust his hand into the demon's stomach, making him squirm in pain. A deep and distorted scream escaped Bel's throat, making the desert tremble.
Xie Qing smiled brightly and continued the battle. He was having a lot of fun right now.
...
In a beautiful and comfortable room, a girl of eighteen was looking at the screen. She was wearing a witch's hat.
A black gothic dress complemented her seductive form, and her bright dark green eyes made me fall into an illusion and want to look into them even more.
The soft and long purple hair stirred slightly as the witch touched the screen.
In that screen was a video of Xie Qing fighting a converted Bael. She smiled weakly.
"How interesting..."
Her seductive yet gentle voice echoed through the room. Stars appeared in her dark green eyes, and her smile grew wider.
"I want to know more about him... I want... WANT!"
The room shook, and so did the castle in which the room was located. The maids sighed heavily as they felt the earthquake.
"The princess is overexcited again..." Said the seductive maid with a bitter smile.
"The last time this happened was when she found the ancient temple..." Another older maid answered her.
"Then she killed all the explorers from other races, causing an international scandal..."
"The Queen had to make a discount on the witches' services, which caused us to suffer losses."
Boom!
There was another earthquake.
"""Here we go again..."""
In the end, all their emotions turned into a long, heavy sigh: "Ha-ah..."
...
Xie Qing deflected Bel's punch and smiled. His foot shot into the man's stomach, causing the latter's body to take the shape of a C.
"Gha!" Bel spit out black blood and breathed heavily.
He was furious, and he also did not understand the reason for his loss.
Every time Bel tried to strike Xie Qing, he easily deflected and still managed to counterattack!
"Damn! Damn! At this rate, I'm going to fail my mission..." Bel muttered in despair.
"А? What assignment?"
The voice that sounded at his ear startled Bel greatly, causing him to jump back.
But during this action he slipped and fell on his back, facing the sky.
His eyes clouded over and tears gathered in the corners.
But before Bel could cry enough, Xie Qing's handsome face appeared in his field of vision.
"You never answered. What's the assignment?" Xie Qing smiled gently and twirled his fist, clearly showing his willingness to cooperate.
Bel sighed heavily and took a forced gulp of blood. He clenched his teeth tighter in an attempt to resist the pain.
But the pain only increased with every second. After half an hour, he finally gave up.
"...are..."
"А? I can't hear you." Xie Qing asked again.
"Please, spare me..." Said Bel. This time, it was loud.
"What? Hey, man, Is your mother asleep or what? Why are you talking so softly? Louder!" Xie Qing, however, continued to sneer.
"PLEASE, SPARE ME!"
This time the cry was much louder and even the sand rose slightly. Xie Qing smiled and rubbed Bel's head.
"But why? Give me a reason why I should spare you."
"I... have a family..." Bel muttered, looking pitifully at Xie Qing.
It was true. He had a family, which consisted of his wife and two daughters.
However, Bel was robbing and killing people in order to support his family. Xie Qing suddenly opened his mouth and theatrically closed his eyes with his palm.
"Oh God, noooo! I hurt the family man... How could I?!" Xie Qing wiped away a non-existent tear, and then walked over to Bel.
He could not move because of exhaustion. However, Xie Qing helped him up and even lightly patted his body, shaking off the sand.
"There, now you can go home. Give your wife and children a kiss from me." Xie Qing patted Bel on the shoulder.
Of course, the latter was puzzled. Xie Qing's behavior suddenly changed. However, the man did not immediately take notice, but only sighed in relief.
But suddenly, Xie Qing said: "No need, though. I'll kiss them myself."
Crunch.
There was a crunch.
"Bhk-!"
Bel vomited blood. His mouth felt as if it had turned into a waterfall, from which black water flowed.
He looked shocked at Xie Qing, whose hands were covered in black blood. However, what was most shocking was this...
That he was playing with Bel's heart. Xie Qing was tossing it up and down. This caused the blood to flow even more, staining the sand black.
However, Bel was not dead yet. He was still partially dead, but because of his transformation into a demon, he could live for a few more minutes before he died.
At the same time, Xie Qing caught the heart that landed after being tossed in the air. Without taking his eyes off the heart, he said.
"You know, dearie... I hate whiners more than anything." Xie Qing squeezed the heart lightly, causing more blood to leak out.
"I understand that life is boring without whining, but you are a man. And a man shouldn't show weakness."
Xie Qing smiled and squeezed tighter, "This is especially true in the Supernatural world. No one is allowed to show weakness here at all. After all, in this world..."
Xie Qing squeezed heart and it exploded, covering everything with blood and flesh, "The strong devours the weak. In my case, it makes literal sense."
Bel's eyes clouded over and lost their luster. Before he died, he saw the silhouettes of his wife and children.
Yet he would never have the chance to meet them again. For for the Eater...
The shadow of Xie Qing and Bel could be seen in the sand. Suddenly the shadow of the former increased and swallowed the shadow of the latter.
...the enemy is the tastiest delicacy...