Chapter 68: The Old Man

Chapter 66: The Old Man

Lothe didn’t answer.

He was already completely exhausted, barely able to remain standing. Even the purple-black tendrils that had emerged from his body had faded away, unable to remain manifested with his depleted strength.

The Demon, now free from the bindings, looked down at his charred and injured body.

His anger surged to its peak. Pure, undeterred killing intent swirled within his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked again, his gaze locking onto Lothe. "How are you able to use my master’s Abyssal Hell Technique?"

The main reason for his shock was simple: Lothe could use his master’s bloodline technique. But what shocked him even more was that Lothe was a human—and somehow, he was still standing.

"Ha..." The Demon chuckled coldly. "How can I forget?"

His eyes narrowed into lethal slits.

"Humans will be humans. You hide your evilness beneath righteous preaching, while envying our long lifespans and coveting our techniques."

His killing intent intensified.

"Human, I’ll give you credit once more. Since you can use my master’s bloodline technique, that gives me even more reason to eliminate you."

His enormous butterfly wings spread wide as he slowly rose into the air. Then he brought his hands together before his chest.

Lothe’s eyes narrowed.

His fingers began moving—one seal, then another, then another. His fingers flowed in an intricate rhythm that Lothe couldn’t understand.

Dark Qi began spreading behind the Demon. With every hand seal, the energy grew darker and denser, swirling unnaturally through the chamber.

Even without understanding what was happening, Lothe and Seana could feel it. Whatever he was preparing... this was it. Their final moment.

With one final seal—the swirling black Qi suddenly stopped.

WHOOSH!

A gigantic phantom butterfly emerged from the darkness. Its body was shrouded in dark-red light, while its enormous wings spread outward with eerie elegance, leaving trails of crimson smoke in their wake.

It hovered silently behind The Demon.

Then—

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

Multiple enormous eyes opened across its wings. Every single one locked onto the two humans standing before it.

FWOOM. FWOOM.

Each beat of its massive wings caused the surrounding air to tremble. Countless tiny black butterflies fluttered around the enormous phantom, filling the chamber with an ominous presence.

The Demon looked down at Lothe and Seana.

"Humans..." his voice was cold. "Die."

He waved his hand.

Instantly, the world around them turned dark. Black smoke flooded the chamber.

The enormous phantom butterfly behind him moved. Thousands of smaller butterflies surged forward with it, swarming toward Lothe and Seana like a tide of death.

For the first time, both of them felt completely helpless. They were exhausted, wounded, and utterly drained.

Even while facing death, Lothe refused to give up. He desperately tried to summon every remaining strand of Qi within his core.

Nothing. He was spent.

His gaze slowly shifted toward Seana. His eyes softened, and he reached for her hand, holding it tighter.

Guilt washed over him. It was because of him that they had come here. If not for him, they wouldn’t be in this situation.

Yet Seana hadn’t complained even once. Instead, she had constantly checked on him throughout their journey, worrying about him even while facing danger herself.

Lothe knew how powerful she was. He knew that if she continued growing, she would eventually become even more terrifying. And more importantly... she still needed to find her father.

He couldn’t even bring himself to look at her properly. The more he thought about it, the heavier the guilt in his heart became.

With one final tug, Lothe pulled Seana into his embrace and hugged her tightly.

"I’m so sorry," he whispered into her ear, his voice trembling. "I’m very, very sorry."

He almost cried.

"I don’t blame you, Lothe."

Seana understood immediately why he was apologizing. She didn’t blame him—not even a little. After all, because of this journey, she had awakened her incredible alchemy talent and gained something she had never imagined possible.

Unfortunately... even good things had to come to an end.

The swarm of butterflies was only inches away.

When—

Everything stilled.

Not stopped. Stilled.

Time itself froze.

The butterflies hung motionless in the air. The smoke stopped flowing. Even the strands of Lothe’s hair remained suspended in place.

Then an ancient voice echoed through the silent chamber:

"That’s enough, Cangming."

An old figure appeared in the air. With nothing more than a wave of his hand—

Everything disappeared.

The butterflies dissolved into particles. The darkness vanished. The black smoke dispersed. And time began to flow once again.

Ye Cangming’s eyes widened. "Senior... why?"

The Cursed Soul Butterfly Demon stared at the old man who had suddenly appeared.

"They intruded into Master’s tomb and intended to steal from it!" He pointed toward Lothe. "And he can even use Master’s bloodline technique!"

Seana stared at the old man in shock. "You..."

The old man glanced at her. "We meet again, young one."

His voice remained cold and stern, but Seana could somehow feel a slight warmth within it.

Lothe stared between the two of them. They’ve met before?

But that wasn’t important right now. The old man had just saved their lives from coming face-to-face with the King of Hell.

Lothe and Seana immediately stood and bowed toward him.

"Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives," they spoke simultaneously.

The old man didn’t even look at them. His eyes remained fixed on Ye Cangming.

"Cangming, that’s merely your assumption. Besides, your hatred for humans has clouded your judgment," his voice was cold.

"But they’re humans—" Ye Cangming still tried to defend himself.

"And not every human is Su Lixie," the old man cut him off brutally.

For the first time, Lothe saw Ye Cangming shift uncomfortably. His head lowered like a scolded child.

"Besides..." The old man narrowed his eyes. "Are you calling my disciple a thief?"

Ye Cangming’s head snapped upward. Even Lothe and Seana froze.

"Dis... disciple?"

Ye Cangming couldn’t believe what he had just heard. This old demon had finally taken a disciple? After thousands of years?

If the Demon Realm heard this news, it would undoubtedly descend into turmoil.

Then—

"Hehe." Ye Cangming suddenly smiled. "Senior... which one, to be specific?"

His previous cold indifference had completely vanished. The terrifying executioner from moments ago was suddenly replaced by someone almost... friendly.

"Hmph." The old man snorted.

Then he walked toward Lothe and Seana.

With a casual wave of his hand—Lothe and Seana were forcibly separated!

Seana was pulled toward his side. The old man looked coldly at Lothe.

"Don’t even think about touching my disciple without seeking my permission."

Lothe’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. What the hell?

Even from their brief interaction, he already disliked this old man. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do; the old man’s power was far beyond his imagination.

"And why should I seek your permission?" Lothe’s voice remained defiant. That didn’t mean he would simply accept the old man’s attitude.

"Because she is my disciple," the old man answered just as coldly. "And you... what right do you have to touch my disciple?"

"I’m her boyfriend," Lothe answered without hesitation.

The old man’s eyes narrowed. "Boyfriend?"

His gaze swept over Lothe. "You couldn’t even protect her a moment ago."

He had been watching the battle unfold from the beginning, and he was far from impressed.

"That’s none of your business," Lothe shot back.

"It is now." The old man didn’t back down either.

Two pairs of eyes locked onto each other, neither side willing to yield.

The other two spectators could only stare at them in stunned silence.

Especially Ye Cangming. He unconsciously pinched his own cheek.

"Ow."

He felt the pain. This wasn’t a dream. His gaze shifted between the old man and Lothe. Was this really happening?

As for Seana...

"..."​