Chapter 113 - The Curtain Falls

Chapter 113: Chapter 111: The Curtain FallsAs the light of destruction dissipated, the scene was unveiled. Tong Ling held up the Blood Holy Sword with both hands, straining against it, while the holy sword in Lu Hong’s right hand had already pierced through his chest.

"It’s quite a pity," Lu Hong forced a smile with difficulty. The two hadn’t only withstood the power of the singularity explosion but had also fought fiercely within it.

"I didn’t expect the Human Race to have a young powerhouse like you," Tong Ling said with a look of acknowledgment in his eyes, "This time, my victory is unearned. I shall seek guidance from you again in the future."

"You should do so sooner rather than later, or you might not be able to catch up with me," Lu Hong said, seemingly having the upper hand in the situation. However, the power of the singularity’s explosion had cost Lu Hong half his life, and his self-sacrificial blow had further damaged him. Only his unyielding spirit enabled him to continue speaking with Tong Ling.

As for Tong Ling, he acknowledged the undeserved nature of his victory. If it weren’t for Lu Hong’s last thrust piercing his chest, Tong Ling wouldn’t have sustained even a minor injury.

"What is this treasure called?" Lu Hong asked while looking at the precious blue garment on Tong Ling.

"This is the Green Armor; my father received it from a Third Transition Alchemist during his travels in the Di Ka realm. It can automatically activate once a month and is immune to all mortal wounds from anyone below Third Transition," Tong Ling replied earnestly. Without the protective magic of this artifact, which shielded him from harm, Tong Ling might well have been dead by now.

"The power of a magic artifact is indeed a part of one’s strength, but you owe your life to Tong Shuai," Lu Hong noted.

Hearing Lu Hong’s acknowledgment, a glint of sadness flashed through Tong Ling’s eyes before he said, "It seems you can’t hold on much longer, better get down. I won’t meddle in the affairs of the Kanggery family anymore; you win this battle."

Unexpectedly, the usually scheming Tong Ling displayed such magnanimity, refraining from killing Lu Hong while he was severely injured.

Tong Ling activated his Demonic Qi, slowly lowering them from the air. Lu Hong also gradually withdrew the Blood Holy Sword, which was just an inch away from Tong Ling’s heart. Tong Ling couldn’t help but groan in pain and then said, "That was close; you almost killed me."

"Blame my bad luck," Lu Hong replied as he pulled out the sword and collapsed on the ground, taking deep breaths. His body had been scorched by the energy he had expended, his flesh laid bare as if flayed, grievously burnt as if charred on coals.

"Here, take this Level 10 Spiritual Spring Magic Potion; it can help you recover sooner."

Tong Ling handed over a bottle of the magic potion, which Lu Hong drank in one gulp.

Seeing Lu Hong’s lack of caution towards him, gratitude flickered in Tong Ling’s eyes before he said, "Enough trouble for now, I should go back and apologize to my father. We’ll meet again some other day."

Lu Hong smirked, "Better not."

After Tong Ling’s laughter rang out, he strode confidently past the members of the Kanggery family, who looked on with eyes full of hatred.

"My benefactor, are you all right?" Once Tong Ling had left, Ku Le finally let out a sigh of relief and hurried to Lu Hong’s side to ask with concern.

"Don’t, you’d better stay away from me. Being around you is bound to bring me bad luck," Lu Hong was truly scared of Ku Le now, with every life-or-death situation they faced arising because of him.

"Alright, alright," Ku Le acknowledged, no longer bothering Lu Hong, though he noted the favor in his mind, planning to repay it slowly in the future.

After ensuring Lu Hong was unharmed, Ku Le turned his attention to the panicked Cui Xi and shouted, "Bring that treacherous girl up here!"

Following Ku Le’s command, two members of the Kanggery family forcefully captured the fleeing Cui Xi and dragged her before Ku Le.

Looking at his own niece, Ku Le was filled with mixed emotions and after a moment of silence, he said, "You treacherous girl, do you realize you almost destroyed our Kanggery family?!"

"I destroyed the Kanggery family?" Cui Xi quickly shook her head, her face innocent, "No, I was just trying to lead the Kanggery family to a new era of glory."

"Foolish! Foolish! Our Kanggery family has stood for a thousand years among the demon clans by being cautious and walking on thin ice daily. How dare you rashly provoke Tong Ling? What were you thinking?!"

Faced with Ku Le’s interrogation, Cui Xi dropped her panicked demeanor and her expression turned cold, "Should our Kanggery family’s fate only consist of groveling beneath the breath of demon clan powerhouses? Doesn’t the Family Head of our Kanggery family deserve a place within the Demon Court? At the annual meetings of the Demon Court, look at you, always standing outside the grand demon palace walls, forcing a smile to cater to others’ ridicule. Don’t you know how disgraceful that is?"

"You! You..." Ku Le, stunned by Cui Xi’s words, nearly had a heart attack and took a while to recover before he furiously responded, "Am I not doing all this for the continuation of our clan?"

"If you want the clan to continue, then strengthen it! Who says the Kanggery family can’t produce strong individuals?" Cui Xi retorted louder against Ku Le’s roar.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Your rebellion!" Ku Le pointed at Cui Xi, trembling with anger, "I never should have taken you back from the wilderness three years ago. You should have died in a foreign land just like your father!"

"Haha? Why did I leave the wilderness, if not to find a way for the clan to rise? It’s just that you are all ignorant! Closed-minded! If you’d listened to me, the Kangrei clan would have witnessed a new glory. A hundred years from now, no one in the demon race would dare underestimate our Kangrei clan!"

"Hmph!" Ku Le recalled the scene when he had just brought Cui Xi back three years ago. Cui Xi had been traveling outside for seven years, and the first thing they discussed when they met was the future path of the Kangrei clan. At that time, Ku Le only felt that his niece had been outside for too long and had forgotten the drawbacks of their clan’s bloodline. He had set aside the topic, never expecting Cui Xi to keep this matter hidden in her heart and almost destroying the entire clan because of it.

"The Kangrei clan has been passed down to this day. Do you think no one in the clan has thought of rising through force? Our Kangrei clan’s bloodline is inherently flawed; countless attempts by our ancestors have already told us descendants that this path is unworkable," Ku Le said scornfully, mocking her ignorance and arrogance.

Facing Ku Le’s mockery, Cui Xi remained very calm, "I know, but our ancestors took the wrong path. No matter how much they tried, it was useless. But I am different; I have truly found a feasible method."

"Nonsense!" Ku Le naturally refused to believe Cui Xi, this foolish woman, who would want to listen to her mad ravings, "Take this rebellious woman down and guard her strictly!"

"I knew it, I knew it; you would never listen to me." It was unknown where Cui Xi got the strength from, but she suddenly broke free from her restraints, stepped forward, and grabbed Ku Le’s neck with one hand, lifting his corpulent body into the air.

"How audacious! You rebellious woman, how dare you show disrespect to the Family Head!" Cui Xi’s actions upset a large number of Kangrei clan members, and they rebuked her as they tried to rush forward.

"Get out of my way!" Cui Xi shouted fiercely, and her power as a Second Transition Level 4 suddenly erupted, sending everyone around her flying.

"How...," Ku Le choked, unable to breath, his face showing an incredible expression.

"Do you know why I sought Tong Ling’s help?" Cui Xi said with some pride, looking at the struggling Ku Le, "I only did it to avoid revealing my own strength as much as possible. But now that it has come to this, you forced my hand."

After she spoke, Cui Xi did not give Ku Le any chance and forcefully snapped his neck; she loosened her grip, and Ku Le’s bulky body crashed to the ground, lifeless.

As Ku Le fell, the rest of the Kangrei clan members seemed to lose their backbone, staring blankly at Cui Xi, not knowing what to think.

After dealing with Ku Le, Cui Xi glanced at Lu Hong, who was still lying on the ground resting. She then turned to face the family members before her, "You are all blood of the Kangrei clan. I do not wish to harm the innocent. Ku Le’s stubborn ignorance is to blame, and from now on, the Kangrei clan, under my leadership, will surely rise!"

Cui Xi’s declaration did not resonate with the family members; their expressions remained blank, their faces still containing sadness over Ku Le’s death.

However, Cui Xi was not in a hurry; she asked calmly, "Now, who is in favor? Who is against?"

At such a time, naturally no one wanted to die. Speaking against it would probably result in death before they could finish, and they were not fools; remaining silent was the best option.

Fortunately, this deadlock did not last long. Pagas was the first to stand up and say, "My cousin is the core blood of the Kangrei clan and rightfully should be the Family Head. I personally am willing to follow and witness the rise of our Kangrei clan."

"Very well, then come stand behind me." Cui Xi nodded, not doubting Pagas’s allegiance, as this was all pre-arranged by her.

With Pagas taking the lead, the other members slowly gave in. After all, Ku Le was dead, and many treasures within the Kangrei clan could only be opened by core family members, so it made sense for Cui Xi to assume the position of Family Head, although the way it was achieved was somewhat chilling.

As time passed, the members of the Kangrei clan eventually chose to submit. Cui Xi was very pleased with this outcome, her tone slightly cheerful, "Very good, I believe that in the near future, you will all be grateful for the decision made today." She then dismissed everyone, leaving herself to approach Lu Hong.

Lu Hong slightly opened his eyes and glanced at her, his tone unfriendly, "What do you want?"

Cui Xi smiled slightly, her smile like a blooming rose, tempting and fragrant, "Thank you."

"This is just your family affair. I shouldn’t intervene. Besides, you acted so quickly just to prevent me from saving someone, didn’t you?" Actually, Lu Hong had not been unwilling to save Ku Le, as the latter still owed him a favor, and the fat man was alright except for being somewhat troublesome.

But Lu Hong indeed had no strength left after drinking the potion Tong Ling had given him, and his tight nerves had relaxed, making it hard to regain strength anytime soon. Moreover, while fighting Tong Ling, Lu Hong sensed a faint murderous intent from behind. Clearly, someone was watching him secretly, and it was not difficult to guess that it was Bai Tianhang. So he had to save some strength in case of a sneak attack.

"Would you like me to arrange a chamber for you to recover from your injuries?" Cui Xi playfully fiddled with Lu Hong’s hair, which was almost non-existent after the explosion, "Don’t worry, I will keep in mind the favor you’ve done for our Kangrei family and will definitely repay you well in the future."

"Alright, forget it. As long as you don’t plan to kill me, I’m satisfied." Having seen Cui Xi’s sudden action, Lu Hong’s understanding of her was completely overturned. This woman had been concealing her ability from the beginning, and even Lu Hong had not noticed her hidden strength. Not only that, she had also disguised herself as a foolish woman, the kind of acting and forbearance that was remarkable.

"Hehe, how could I? After all, you are my great benefactor. If you hadn’t defeated Tong Ling, I might still be racking my brain to figure out how to deal with him," Cui Xi said, as a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and the dagger hidden behind her reluctantly retracted into the Space Ring.

Yes, Cui Xi had not been confident in killing Lu Hong.