I Was Careless And Didn’T Dodge

As the strength of the black-clad demon cultivators increased, their appearances grew more grotesque and distorted.

First, their bodies swelled to immense sizes, with muscles bulging like hills, almost as thick as tree trunks. Thick scales began to cover their skin, forming an almost impenetrable armor over their entire bodies. Even their eyeballs became shielded by a tough, hard film. Their fingernails thickened into razor-sharp claws that gleamed menacingly at the tips.

At a glance, these demon cultivators no longer resembled humans but rather monstrous lizard-like creatures.

Thud... thud... thud...

The largest of these semi-saint black-clad figures lumbered toward the Third Prince, each step causing the ground to tremble beneath his massive weight.

"My lord... Should we head to Beiyang City next?" the semi-saint asked in a voice that rumbled like distant thunder. "Maybe we can pay a visit to the Sword Sect."

"Orion passed through there. There must be plenty of corpses for us to devour," he added, licking his fangs with a twisted grin. "Hehe... But it's best to ask the Sword Sect. I especially enjoy the taste of those monk corpses."

The man's breath reeked of blood, and his mouth was filled with sharp fangs, still dripping with the remnants of the flesh he had recently consumed. Even after devouring the flesh and blood of hundreds of millions, the hunger in his eyes remained unquenched, a bloodthirsty light gleaming within.

Boom!

Before the man in black could finish his sentence, a fist—too fast to see—smashed into him, sending him flying.

"Fool!" the Third Prince snarled. "Your strength has improved, and yet you still crave those corpses? Where's your ambition?"

"How can the rotting flesh of corpses compare to the fresh blood of Orion's elite soldiers?" The Third Prince's temper had become increasingly volatile after his transformation, and he didn't hesitate to strike out in anger.

"These subordinates... the more they demonize, the more brainless they become," the Third Prince thought in irritation, watching as the man in black clambered to his feet. His body, now as tough as iron, showed no sign of injury from the blow that would have obliterated a lesser being.

The man in black shook the dust off himself and grinned stupidly, his voice buzzing like a hive of bees. "Yes... Yes, my lord!"

"Then let's go after Orion!" he added, eager to please.

The Third Prince curled his lip in disgust. If this man hadn't been the only semi-saint among his subordinates, the Third Prince would have likely crushed him on the spot.

"Snort!" The Third Prince let out a cruel laugh. "Kill all of Orion's elite soldiers and devour their blood essence. If I do that, I may even touch the realm of the Demon Emperor."

"The flesh and blood will be your reward," he continued, "and you'll likely advance a level or two, even if it's not much."

The Third Prince's recent surge in power had filled him with a dangerous confidence.

"Thank you... Thank you, my lord!" The man in black's eyes gleamed with anticipation, his mind clouded by the thought of consuming fresh flesh and blood. The Lord's enemies, he reasoned, must be even more delicious.

Meanwhile, in Chang'an, Longting.

A flash of light tore through the void, and Zhou Qianfu appeared at the entrance of the secret realm, coughing up blood, his face pale and drawn. The side effects of the elixir he had taken to forcibly increase his strength were now exacting their toll.

Ugh... Zhou Qianfu spat out another mouthful of blood, feeling as though his internal organs were in turmoil. The combination of the elixir's backlash and his grievous injuries nearly caused him to lose consciousness.

"Damn it... That little bastard, I won't let him get away with this!" Zhou Qianfu's face twisted with rage. How many years had it been since he, the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, had been humiliated like this? Orion had now become his sworn enemy, one he was determined to destroy.

And as for Orion's master, Luo Yi, Zhou Qianfu vowed that he too would not escape his wrath.

"Emperor!"

At that moment, Zhou Huangye and others from Longting arrived at the scene, alarmed by the sight of Zhou Qianfu's weakened state.

"Emperor... What happened to you? Who could have hurt you like this?" Zhou Huangye asked, his voice filled with shock. The idea that someone could injure a half-emperor, the top powerhouse on the continent, was unthinkable.

"Could it be... Orion?" he wondered, his mind racing.

Beside him, Zhou Linglong's face had turned grim. She had a strong suspicion about what had transpired. After all, the Emperor had mentioned going after Orion before he left. Now he had returned in this pitiful state. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Orion..." Zhou Linglong muttered, her heart trembling with anger as she clenched her teeth. First, Orion had killed her grandfather. Now, even the patriarch of her dynasty had been seriously injured by him. Was it possible that she could never exact her revenge?

The group hurriedly carried Zhou Qianfu into the secret realm, where he consumed several eighth-grade holy pills to suppress the elixir's backlash temporarily.

"Emperor, what exactly happened?" Zhou Huangye asked, his concern evident.

Sigh... Zhou Qianfu let out a weary sigh. "Who would have thought that Orion would have such a powerful master with him? There was even an imperial weapon involved!"

"I was careless," Zhou Qianfu admitted, though he couldn't bring himself to confess the full extent of his defeat. "I didn't realize there was a Half-Emperor with him, and I failed to dodge the attack."

"But the attacker didn't escape unscathed. I managed to seriously injure him as well. He won't be recovering anytime soon."

Zhou Qianfu couldn't bring himself to admit that he had been utterly crushed. It would be too humiliating to reveal the truth. Instead, he claimed that the injuries Luo Yi had suffered earlier were his doing.

The others didn't doubt him. In their eyes, Zhou Qianfu was nearly invincible—almost on par with Emperor Wu. That he had been able to seriously injure his opponent despite being caught off guard was impressive enough.

"Damn Orion! That little thief is truly despicable!" Zhou Huangye spat, his anger boiling over. "Knowing he couldn't defeat the Emperor head-on, he resorted to such underhanded tactics!"

"That's right! Sneak attacks are the mark of a coward!" another added. "If he had any honor, he'd face our Emperor in a fair fight and see how quickly he'd be crushed!"

As the others around him expressed their outrage, Zhou Qianfu could only blush in silence. There was no way he could correct them without revealing his own humiliation, so he kept his mouth shut, unwilling to slap himself in the face with the truth.