Chapter 588 - 584: Demonized People

"Divine Generals? What a pile of shit!"

Hong Yu looked down from on high, a cold sneer on his face as he gazed at the three survivors. A chilling intent gleamed in his eyes. "I told you before," he said, "dare to harm anyone from my Hong Alliance, and your death is guaranteed!"

At his words, the two Divine Generals, who had just been hunted down by Hong Yu after he shattered their formation, tensed.

Before this, if someone had told them that they would be beaten like stray dogs in a fight against a new True Dragon, they would have scoffed, thinking the person was spouting nonsense.

But now, having personally fought Hong Yu, they were truly terrified.

"How could this batch of new True Dragons be so strong? This... this kid's strength might even be comparable to the three great Divine Kings," one Divine General said with a bitter smile.

The other, still shaken, said, "A character like this is definitely a king among Unparalleled Geniuses. How could we be so unlucky to run into him?"

Hai Wen snorted. His expression was also grim, but he showed no signs of panic.

He glanced at the two of them, then suddenly grinned, revealing two rows of deathly pale teeth. "Don't you two worry," he cackled. "I'll avenge you!"

"What revenge?"

"Hai Wen, you…"

The two were first confused, then dumbfounded, the expressions on their faces instantly freezing.

Their skin began to shrivel as if dehydrated, their bodies growing gaunt and withered.

Hai Wen's expression was a mask of indifference. "Why do you think the City Lord had me accompany you on this mission?" he asked coolly. "Hee hee hee… did you really think the City Lord gives a damn about dregs like you from the bottom of the Divine General List? He was just creating this opportunity for me—an opportunity to devour you!"

"You… You'll die a miserable death!"

The life force of these two Divine Generals gradually faded away as they stared at Hai Wen with venomous hatred.

Hai Wen was as impassive as ever. "Hmph. I was planning to let you snatch the great treasure, then I would have found a way to devour you all one by one. But you're all such a waste. Seven of you were killed, and I've only managed to devour three. My *Dao Heart Demon Devouring Scripture* still can't break through to the Seventh Layer. But no matter…"

His greedy gaze fell upon Hong Yu. Hai Wen grinned viciously. "This one's blood and qi are so potent, far stronger than all of you combined. Once I devour him, I'll naturally break through to the Seventh Realm. Then I can return to the Eastern Divine City and become the fourth Divine King! Hee hee hee…"

As his voice fell, the two men in his grasp withered like dead wood, instantly crumbling into piles of ash on the ground.

GULP!

This unexpected scene left Mang Kun and the others dumbfounded.

A chill ran down their spines.

This Hai Wen was simply too terrifying!

To devour his own companions alive without even batting an eye… he was just like a Demon.

HUMMMMM!

Streams of strange energy flowed over Hai Wen's body.

The dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gathered into two long dragons of Spiritual Qi, which coiled around his body before flowing into his mouth.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

A series of sharp cracks echoed from Hai Wen's bones.

He writhed for a moment before—BANG!—the black cloak he wore exploded, revealing his true, shocking form.

His shape was still generally human.

It was just that… his body was covered in jet-black Scale Armor, and while his face retained human features, he had a pair of ghostly green eyes. His pupils weren't round and black, but were vertical, awl-shaped slits.

A strange, ghostly light danced within them, and as they darted about, they radiated a chilling, sinister aura.

BANG!

A long tail covered in scales, like that of a crocodile, slammed down behind him.

It swept lightly across the ground with an incessant SSSSKKK! SSSKKK! The friction of the scales against the earth left behind dark gouges that gave off a corrosive stench.

GASP!

Mang Kun sucked in a sharp breath, recognizing Hai Wen's true nature. "A Demonized Person? H-he actually cultivates the *Dao Heart Demon Devouring Scripture*… he turned himself into this half-man, half-demon monstrosity! H-h-he's a complete psycho!"

"What's the *Dao Heart Demon Devouring Scripture*? What are Demonized People?" Xiahuang Wudi asked, gulping nervously.

Mang Kun took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Hai Wen in alarm.

Fear flickered in his eyes as he muttered, "In the core region, there are the Eight Great Battle Clans, and each clan can contend with the Four Great Divine Cities. Among them is a tribe called the Demon Tribe. Their bodies contain the bloodline of the Ancient Demon Race, and they are born with the power of Demons. The clan also has a legacy scripture called the *Dao Heart Demon Devouring Scripture*. It's said that cultivating this Cultivation Technique can awaken the spirits of their Demon Race ancestors and grant them an inheritance of Magic Power."

"This Divine General must have inherited the legacy of an ancient Heart-devouring Demon's spirit. His power and defense are incredibly terrifying!"

The shock in Mang Kun's eyes gradually turned into excitement.

He shouted to Hai Wen, "Lord Divine General, you can rest assured and kill Hong Yu! We'll take care of these small fries from the Hong Alliance for you!"

"Mm, you're not bad!"

Hai Wen nodded and opened his mouth, exhaling a foul stench. His teeth were like sharp saws, flecked with viscous saliva.

Hai Wen's cackle was piercing. "Hong Yu, if you obediently hand over the great treasure—the Golden Bone—I can grant you a quick death. Otherwise, I will devour your life force bit by bit and let you die screaming in terror!"

Evidently, while the Jade Order had told him the Golden Bone was the great treasure the City Lord sought, he had no idea it was a legendary Venerable Golden Bone!

Hong Yu frowned. "You think a creature that's neither human nor demon can make me submit?"

"Hee hee hee, you really are a tough one!"

Hai Wen licked his lips. The scales at the corners of his mouth were as black as cold iron, glinting with a frigid light. "Since you've given up your last chance, then die! I can feel the blood and qi in your body are as vast as a rainbow, surging and pure. Devouring you will be of immense benefit to my *Dao Heart Demon Devouring Scripture*! Hee hee hee!"

"Hmph, funnily enough, I was just thinking about killing you and taking your *Dao Heart Demon Devouring Scripture* for my friend to cultivate!"

Hong Yu chuckled, completely unafraid.

The friend he spoke of was naturally Xingtian!

As his strength increased, the *Five Yin Demon Prison* was clearly becoming insufficient for Xingtian. Once he broke through to the Five Tribulations Corpse Realm, the *Five Yin Demon Prison* would be completely obsolete.

This *Dao Heart Demon Devouring Scripture*, however, was perfectly suited for Xingtian's cultivation!

"Hee hee hee, you're quite arrogant. But no matter. Geniuses are always a bit cocky."

Hai Wen cackled, the sound so piercing it felt like steel needles stabbing one's eardrums. "My favorite thing is watching arrogant geniuses like you scream and beg for mercy, groveling at my feet as I devour you. Hee hee hee… now die!"

BANG!

The tail behind Hai Wen suddenly slapped the ground.

He shot up like a coiled spring, his speed astonishingly fast, and appeared before Hong Yu in an instant.

"Demon Beak Divine Fist!"

A fist blasted out, carrying a violent, fetid wind.

The fist was covered in black scales and several Bone Spikes. A black aura swirled around it, instantly coalescing into the image of a Demon Crocodile with a gaping maw, which lunged for Hong Yu's throat.

A blue light flashed in Hong Yu's eyes.

As it did, Hai Wen's lightning-fast movements slowed to a crawl in his vision. He tracked the trajectory of the punch and abruptly dropped down.

He dodged the punch in the nick of time. Then, bending his knees slightly, he powerfully pushed off the ground with his ankles and shot back up.

He drove his shoulder upward. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

BANG!

The shoulder slammed viciously into Hai Wen's armpit.

URK!

Hai Wen's right arm was immediately dislocated. With a low grunt, his figure shot backward.

CRACK! SNAP!

His left hand grabbed his right arm, and with a twist, the arm instantly popped back into place.

Hai Wen grinned ferociously. "Now this makes things interesting. But that was just me being careless, and I was only using fifty percent of my strength. From now on, I will use seventy percent of my power. I believe you'll soon have your limbs crushed by me. Oh, right, your shoulder really hurt me just now. I'll be sure to break it, too!"

RUMBLE!

His body suddenly dropped to all fours on the ground.

Black streams of qi burst from his back, swirling in the air and condensing into long Bone Spikes that resembled steel spears.

A total of nine Bone Spikes formed in a line down his back.

The scales on his hands and feet grew even blacker, shining with a blinding light and radiating a heart-stopping power.

A low, beastly ROAR bellowed out.

Black qi billowed from Hai Wen's body, enveloping him and transforming him into the shape of an ancient Demon Crocodile.

BOOM! BOOM!

His long tail swept around, and wherever it passed, the air exploded and space trembled.

It seemed that with a single movement, it could blast a mountain peak to rubble.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The sound of ten swords being drawn at once was enough to make one's skin crawl. Ten sharp, silver-gleaming claws shot out from his forearms.

Each claw was incredibly terrifying.

Comparable to a Sixth Grade Divine Weapon.

SCREEE!

He dragged his claws lightly across the ground, instantly tearing open terrifying, jagged furrows in the earth.

"Hong Yu, die!"

His voice instantly became terrifying and deep, like muffled thunder.

His hind legs kicked off the ground, causing an explosion behind him. The immense energy blasted two huge, deep pits into the ground, from which black smoke rose.

His figure shot forward like a cannonball.

SWISH!

He swept out with his hands crossed. Ten cold gleams of light converged, crisscrossing as they flew toward Hong Yu.

Hong Yu's gaze was icy. "*Cyan Celestial Transformation Dragon Technique*—Dragon Spirit Sacred Body!"

A cyan light shot toward the heavens. The phantom of a Cyan Dragon erupted from his body, soaring upward before descending and wrapping itself completely around Hong Yu.

The gale stirred up by the dragon's body impacting the ground swept out in all directions, sending dirt and rubble flying and scraping half a meter of soil from the ground.

A cyan brilliance enveloped his body.

"Watch the Cyan Dragon slay the Demon Crocodile!"

Hong Yu raised both fists high, fist light shooting to the sky, and suddenly unleashed the *Great Destruction Fist*.

Nine Energy Auras circled his arms. They surged forward one after another, merging into a single Nine-Colored Fist Light that blasted forward.

BANG!

The Fist Gang and the Demon Crocodile's claws collided fiercely, both exploding. They were evenly matched.

ROAR!

Hai Wen roared and lunged at Hong Yu with his claws.

'A contest of strength?'

A mocking smile touched Hong Yu's lips. His arms, now covered in cyan Dragon Scales, swung out fearlessly. His hands clashed heavily with the giant Demon Crocodile claws, and he gripped them tight.

BOOM!

Their fingers interlocked as they began a contest of raw power.

They were actually evenly matched in strength! The powerful force radiating from them was too much for the ground to bear, and with a series of rumbles, it caved in several meters.

The two stood in the crater.

"This strength is really quite impressive. No wonder you were willing to turn yourself into this thing that's neither human nor demon!" Hong Yu sneered.

Hai Wen's face was shrouded in black qi, his expression unreadable, but he suddenly grinned, revealing a mouthful of slimy, sharp teeth. The piercing sound "Hee hee hee" rang out. "My strength isn't my only asset. I'm even better at sneak attacks!"

"Hm?"

Hong Yu was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed slightly.

The Demon Crocodile tail had appeared before his lower abdomen at some unknown point. Its sharp tip was like a poisoned sword, about to pierce his Dantian. The icy aura sent a chill through Hong Yu's entire body…

'This is bad!'