Chapter 281: A Duel
by 夜阑妖歌Chapter 281: A Duel
Wen Ying carelessly tore the leather of the sofa.
Wu Shaluo proudly offered himself to Lan Jiaying, who looked at him for about ten seconds before saying, "Not for now…" His voice was drowned out by Wen Ying's before he could finish his sentence.
"I accept your challenge. Are you of age tomorrow? We'll meet in the arena back at the academy."
Both Wu Shaluo and Lan Jiaying were stunned. Wen Ying was well aware that Wu Shaluo would turn eighteen the next day, yet he had still agreed to the challenge.
Why would he accept it despite knowing?
Wu Shaluo felt deeply provoked. He immediately responded, "It's settled then, no turning back." Tomorrow, he would make Wen Ying pay. He would retaliate against all the humiliation he had suffered at Wen Ying's hands.
In his mind, Wu Shaluo could already picture himself effortlessly defeating Wen Ying, who would be begging for mercy on his knees. The corners of his lips curled up involuntarily, and he made no effort to suppress his smile.
Lan Jiaying was not particularly pleased. He placed a hand on Wu Shaluo's shoulder and turned to Wen Ying, "Let's wait until the end of this semester." If Wu Shaluo were to hurt Wen Ying too severely, it might affect the Devil King's grand plan.
Persephone lifted an eyebrow, glancing first at Wu Shaluo standing at the door, then at Wen Ying, whose smile on the sofa held a hint of menace. He was the only one who knew the secrets hidden behind these events.
"No need to wait. Tomorrow will do," Wen Ying chuckled. "His powers might be unstable the day after his coming-of-age ceremony, and I believe that would work in my favor."
A dark glint flashed across Lan Jiaying's eyes. You're asking for it yourself. He turned to Wu Shaluo and said, "Let's give it a try then."
Wen Ying, the mixed-blood Demon Mirror, had grown up in the Human Realm and was completely unaware of the vast difference in strength between a demon before and after they came of age.
Perhaps he had become too complacent with his smooth sailing journey so far.
Wu Shaluo immediately agreed without any hesitation, his smile particularly exhilarated. He couldn't help but grin at the thought of defeating Wen Ying the following day.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time!
Outside, Scarlet muttered, "Damn, if only I were born a few months earlier."
Wen Ying seemed entirely ignorant of the extent to which a demon's power doubled upon reaching adulthood. Defeating him at such a time would surely cast a shadow over Wen Ying.
No matter how powerful any future demons might be, they could never leave as deep an impression on Wen Ying as the one who reminded him of his own lack of strength.
Upon hearing Scarlet's muttering, Koroy glanced at him. Suddenly, Muershi tugged at her sleeve, gesturing for her to step aside to have a private conversation.
Koroy followed Muershi away from the door and asked, "What's wrong?"
"You don't think something is off, right?" Muershi's voice was low. "Wen Ying… he doesn't usually do things without a plan. Beros' attitude is also strange."
Koroy furrowed her brow and hesitantly said, "I do feel like something's not quite right. If his bloodline wasn't so special, I could use a crystal ball to predict what might happen."
The incident where she nearly suffered severe injuries from the Law still haunted her. If she hadn't retreated quickly enough, she would have been bedridden for at least a week and needed months to recover her mental energy.
Wu Shaluo and Lan Jiaying walked out as the butterfly mermaid went in. Koroy didn't approach Wen Ying but went to Beros. His tone was indiscernible as he asked, "Lord Beros, will you truly always love Wen Ying?"
Beros had the desire to snatch the position of Demon King. Phileus admired and looked up to this powerful Hellhound of their generation. Privately, the Merfolk would side with Beros without surprise.
Wouldn't the proud Hellhound have any unusual emotions towards a weak Magic Mirror Demon who had taken the step ahead of him to become the Demon King?
Looking at the seemingly indifferent Beros, a subtle disappointment flashed in Phileus' ice-blue eyes. The prospective king he idolized had actually changed his true nature. The once-arrogant demon didn't seem to have any difficulty accepting a Magic Mirror Demon as the Demon King, even if it was just nominal.
This was an instinct all demons had. The stronger the demon, the more they would possess this instinct.
Wen Ying accidentally tore the leather on the other side of the sofa. He twisted his smile and said, "Phileus, it seems you've forgotten something."
Phelous looked at Wen Ying doubtfully.
"I'm still Aruda's successor."
Suddenly, the scales on Phelous's body began to ache. "You don't possess Lord Aruda's power, nor do you have the innate qualities for it."
"Who knows?" Wen Ying shrugged. "I can't predict the future, but I know I need some Scalewing Mermaid's scales right now, and…" Wen Ying glanced towards the door.
The demon at the entrance disappeared from Wen Ying's sight within three seconds.
Phelous: "…You dare." The arrogance and glory would come later, because he was thinking about the future as the Demon King, but at this stage, Wen Ying held all the cards, while they were at his mercy.
Phelous thought Wen Ying was just issuing a verbal threat. He prepared to leave, but Wen Ying placed a hand on his shoulder with a bright smile.
Phelous felt a chill run down his spine. All pride in his high-ranking demonic bloodline vanished, as memories of his previous forced scale extraction resurfaced.
Hearing the curses coming from inside the room, the demon standing by the now doorless dormitory entrance leaned against a wall to block his view, recalling the unpleasant experience of being used as a source material by Wen Ying.
Scarlet clicked his tongue. "How can he still be so arrogant? Is this his last burst of defiance before despair?"
Essence teased, "Are you brave enough to enter now?"
Scarlet rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid. This is the Human Realm, his territory, and I'm still underage. Wouldn't I just be walking into a trap?"
As he finished speaking, Wen Ying emerged, standing at the door with a sinister smile on his face.
Scarlet: "..." Damn it, he turned around and left.
Wen Ying toyed with the bloodstained fish scales in his hand and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"
The demons: "..."
Essence chuckled. "Aren't you afraid we'll retaliate when we come of age? It won't be long."
Wen Ying remained composed, smiling as he replied, "Go ahead and try. I won't shy away from your challenge."
The demons were puzzled. Was Wen Ying's confidence born out of ignorance or did he truly hold some hidden advantage?
"You seem completely unfazed," Lilith observed. "Looks like you've been keeping quite a bit from us regarding that Heavenly Earth Palace incident."
Wen Ying crossed her arms. "I still have Lord Aruda."
Lilith sized up Wen Ying and said in a teasing tone, "Then you really don't need to worry. By the way, Levimo and I won't make a move on you unless there's something going on. You saved us, we aren't the kind of demons who repay kindness with malice."
She was still suspicious of the underground palace, but Muershi had remained silent this whole time, which was odd.
Back in the room, Phelous was sprawled on the ground, his face twitching as he tried to stifle his gasps. Beros was also present. To avoid appearing weak, Phelous endured the pain without making too much noise.
Beros looked at Phelous and thought about how the merfolk had subtly taken his side. He gave a subtle hint, "I only like powerful demons."
Phelous' eyes lit up. "I knew, I just knew that Your Excellency would never change!"
Beros stood up expressionlessly, grabbed Phelous by the leg, and dragged him out of the dormitory.
There was no saving him.
He wasn't devoid of emotions like these other demons. He had simply experienced them all earlier, resulting in his current calm appearance. In fact, he had suffered more shocks than the others.
He wasn't calm, he was... numb.
Their commotion had drawn considerable attention from various factions who were already seeking information. Rumors spread that the young demons of the Demon Realm were discontent with Wen Ying.
It was only natural for them to be dissatisfied. Now, everyone was eager to see how the current Devil King would overcome objections and pass the throne to Wen Ying.
The reactions of the young demons had, in turn, alleviated the suspicions of some skeptical humans. If those young demons had shown no reaction at all to a Devil Mirror becoming the Devil King, that would have been abnormal and indicative of a conspiracy.
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