Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 254: Who Wins, Who Loses?

He paused for a few moments, and when he continued, his voice turned sharp. "But this doesn't mean my heart isn't in agony. Just the thought of the woman I cherish most being in your arms—do you understand the bone-deep pain that consumes me? Do you understand how much I loathe you?

"My clan elders kept advising me that I should not be hasty. I just advanced to the twelfth order and I have time. A true man can wait ten years to enact his revenge, they say. But I truly cannot wait. All I can think of is that each day I delay, she spends another day by your side. These thoughts suffocate me with pain."

The Great Peacock Demon King listened silently, his mocking smile only growing deeper. "You claim to have no regrets? Then why endure such pain? Your words are meaningless. It's been fifteen years. Yes, nearly fifteen years. In fact, I should thank you. Had you not willingly stepped aside, I never would’ve had the opportunity. As the Great Peacock Demon King, I never imagined I could outlive my ancestors and see beyond a hundred years. And in my lifetime, these last fifteen years have been my happiest and most joyous. Indeed, you're right; most demons don't understand what love is. But you do, and so do I. Thus, we both pursued our love. And in that regard, I've won."

The Great Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor said coldly, "Are you deliberately trying to infuriate me?"

The Great Peacock Demon King calmly retorted, "I'm merely stating a fact."

The Great Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor sneered. "Hmph. Before coming to you, I visited her. She has agreed to leave with me and become my empress, provided that I defeat you."

The Great Peacock Demon King visibly shivered for an instant, but then...he started laughing. Turning around, he laughed heartily right in the face of the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor, a laughter so intense that it seemed like he was about to cry.

The Great Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor's eyes gleamed with a fierce coldness. "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at the fact that you've stooped to fabricating lies for your own amusement. Are you even serious?"

The laughter on the Great Peacock Demon King's face gradually faded, and he pointed at his enemy. "I might have believed you if you said you kidnapped her or something. But that she forgave you? You? If I could believe that, then I wouldn't deserve to be her husband. No one knows better than I how much she detests you. To say she hates you to the bone is an understatement. You think a mere claim from you will earn her forgiveness? I believe that even in death, she wouldn't forgive you. Her hatred for you is engraved in her heart."

"You're talking nonsense!" the Great Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor bellowed angrily. "Impossible, she loved me so much back then. Yes, I was wrong; I abandoned her for that opportunity. But she ran off with you. How is that fair to me? Shouldn't she have waited for me? Had she been willing to wait, I would have naturally returned to her after seizing that opportunity. Even though I left without a word to her, is it fair that she couldn't wait a few years for me? Are you saying she's not at fault at all? When I acquired the opportunity and returned to the Ancestral Court, she had already become your consort. Am I the only one to blame?"

The Great Peacock Demon King laughed, finding his mood unexpectedly lifted, "Right, the fault is yours alone. I would tell you the same if I weren't her husband. You're the one at fault. All that she has borne, all the pain she has suffered, how could you possibly understand? I know, but I won't tell you. Guess as you will. What does it matter if you are a Demon Emperor when you can't even protect the woman you love the most? What kind of emperor are you, then?"

"You're courting death!" The aura of Great Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor erupted suddenly, a crystal-like sheen spreading across his entire body. Large crystal formations gradually emerged throughout the surrounding space.

"What, are you so embarrassed you can’t handle it?" the Great Peacock Demon King said scornfully.

The Great Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor said coldly, "You know why I'm here today. There's no need for empty words. If you can defeat me, all this affair is moot. But if you lose, everything here is mine."

With a piercing gaze, the Great Peacock Demon King responded, "I have waited many years for this day, knowing it would inevitably come. Let our true powers be revealed. Show me if your strength as a Demon Emperor is enough to defeat me."

The Great Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, and the vast expanse of the sky around him turned into crystal. With a gesture, he transformed into a beam of crystal light, shooting off into the distance.

In the eyes of the Great Peacock Demon King, a brilliant blue-silver light shone, flames erupting from behind, following the Crystal Phoenix in the same direction.

Beneath them lay Kali City. A battle in the skies above would undoubtedly devastate the city below, something neither the Great Peacock Demon King nor the Great Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor wished to see.

Thus, they chose their battlefield to be the Kali Mountains.

***

Kali Academy.

Two figures descended from the sky, landing directly within the academy grounds.

Immediately, alarms blared, and figures began to emerge from within Kali Academy.

"Who dares to enter Kali Academy forcefully?" echoed an authoritative voice. A robust middle-aged man floated up from the center of Kali Academy, his body emitting a bright white light and his formidable aura seemingly illuminating the entire academy.

Feeling the pressure of this aura, one of the figures who had just landed in the academy hurriedly said, "Director Li, it's me, Wang Yan! An envoy from the Ancestral Court has arrived. Hurry and pay your respects!"

Director Li’s eyes narrowed. Wasn't this Wang Yan, the direct descendant of the city lord, who once studied at Kali Academy but was ultimately persuaded to leave due to his inadequacies?

Beside Wang Yan stood a figure cloaked in a long robe as dark as ink, seemingly woven from black feathers, emanating a rich aura of darkness that seemed even more sinister in the twilight.

A god-level Demon King!

"The Dark Raven clan?" Director Li landed in front of Wang Yan and the god-level powerhouse from the Dark Raven clan.

A hoarse voice emerged from the Dark Raven Demon King, "Indeed, I am an envoy from the Ancestral Court, Dai Yangning of the Dark Raven clan. Are you the Radiant Tiger King, Li Si?"

"Do you know me?" Li Si said coldly.

"Of course, the fame of the Radiant Tiger King is well-known. You are the first Radiant Tiger King to have a fallout with his clan," Dai Yangning, the Dark Raven Demon King, said lightly.

Perhaps because light and darkness were inherently opposed, when he looked at the figure before him, Li Si’s heart was filled with disdain, "What brings you here this time?"

Before Dai Yangning could speak, Wang Yan hurriedly said, "The Ancestral Court has come to investigate the whereabouts of the Ice Dragon Great Demon King. They request the gathering of our clan members for the investigation. Mei Gongzi is at the seventh order and she is required to participate, so we came to fetch her."

Li Si glanced at him, not hiding the disdain in his heart, "Mei Gongzi is a student of the academy and cannot be involved in matters related to the Ice Dragon Great Demon King. Please leave."

The Dark Raven Demon King coldly said, "This is an order from the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor. Do you dare defy the command of a Demon Emperor?"

Li Si responded indifferently, "So what if I do? Had I not defied a Demon Emperor's command, I wouldn't have been expelled from my clan. And that guy isn’t even my emperor. What are you to shout at me like that? Leave now, or I'll turn you into a roast chicken. No, I can't eat that; it would be disgusting. Pah!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the light around the Dark Raven Demon King instantly dimmed, as if everything around was absorbed into the night instantly.

Li Si snorted in disdain and his body instantly radiated intense light, like a sun suddenly appearing on the ground. The bright, blazing light instantly dispelled the darkness.