One more catty, one more attribute point-Chapter 563 - 464: A Glimmer of Hope, Demon Engine

Watching Ryan’s face shrouded in shadow, Ji Xuance remained silent, his robust knuckles gently tapping on the armrest of the throne, creating a rhythmic thumping sound. The fat excavated from a Demon God crackled in the brazier, diffusing an odd fragrance in the air. Ji Xuance’s gaze became distant, and the bright moonlight outside the door gradually took him back to the past.

Over two hundred years ago, under that same moonlight.

At that time, Emperor Wu had just ascended to the throne and had already demonstrated a strength that made him seem invincible in the world, as well as the corresponding ambition. Blood stained the Royal City, and in the distance, one could see a huge courtyard burning, the night aglow in a deep red. From time to time, fighters of the Heavenly King Level, with their powerful aura bursting forth, would attempt to seize the chaos for rebellion or escape, but in the next instant they would extinguish, turning into ignored bones on the ground.

Outside the high walls, the storm was murky, but inside, harmony prevailed.

The three siblings gathered together, their father dressed in plain clothes, personally imparting Martial Arts to them.

Under such circumstances, being personally taught by Emperor Wu, the significance of this Martial Arts was self-evident. The technique was named Emperor’s Dragon Fist, comprising a total of three moves. One punch embodied the hearts of heaven and earth’s people, another punch the mountains and lakes, and the last punch was the millennial fortune of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Whether one could smoothly master it also related to whether they could contain Dragon Qi, which was equally a test for succession to the throne.

The Crown Prince made the fastest progress in this technique, mastering the entry level in less than three days.

As for Ji Xuance, he was slow to grasp the essence. At that time, he was very young and extremely impatient. Due to his eagerness for quick success, he nearly injured himself several times. It was only after many days of sparring and exchanging moves with Princess Ji Huaxi that he gradually progressed from form to essence, fully integrating the true meaning of the technique.

Back then, he was just excited.

Only later did he slowly realize that in terms of comprehension alone,

among the three, Princess Ji Huaxi was truly the strongest.

It was just that before their eldest brother’s fall, she had always kept a low profile, never revealing her talent.

That he could smoothly master the technique was also because Princess Ji Huaxi had first grasped the true essence of the moves to a certain extent, then, through sparring, gradually fed it to him broken down bit by bit.

To this day...

Two hundred years had passed since then.

But Ji Xuance still remembered clearly, the recollection bringing a warm feeling to his heart.

The stronger the individual, the more difficult it was to have offspring. To this date, Ji Xuance had no descendants, and after their father’s death, Princess Ji Huaxi was his only family. Even though after assuming this position, he would call himself ’this solitary individual,’ supposedly without personal matters. But the thought of killing his own sister for power, Ji Xuance was still unwilling in his heart.

Ji Xuance’s gaze became sharp, and he coldly said to Ryan below, "Do not bring this up again in the future."

"Then, as you wish." Ryan placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly to the Third Prince. His face, hidden in shadows the firelight could not reach, bore a mocking smile that was hardly concealed. But Ryan knew it was not yet the right moment, so he said no more and turned to leave Taihe Palace with elegance.

...

Central State.

A hideout temporarily made.

It looked like a small cabin built by a hunter in the forest, situated in a naturally formed cave. Orange-yellow oil lamps hung on the walls, with the floor laid out in thick logs, and through the window one could see the drizzling rain outside. Algres, wearing a shirt and vest, pushed a glass of chilled wine in front of Ryan.

Ryan took the glass of wine with a nod and a smile to Algres.

In the warmth of the orange light, he gently swirled his glass, waiting for the brew and the juice to fully mix, and then took a light sip.

"Ha..."

Ryan let out a long sigh, his face instantly showing a look of infatuation and nostalgia.

"The taste of lime, slightly sour. It’s probably been over two thousand years since I last tasted this. It’s nostalgic," Ryan’s slender fingers caressed the edge of the glass, and a gleam flashed through those deep, forest-green pupils, "It’s a pity..."

"What’s a pity?"

"That such a taste, I might not have many opportunities to enjoy in the future," Ryan said with a smile.

Crack!

Algres was cleaning the glassware on the table.

His motion suddenly halted, and amidst the snapping sound, fine cracks appeared on the mixing glass.

Looking at his king, the expression on Algres’ face was no longer as respectfully compliant as before, but carried an unusual questioning and anger, "We all believe you could lead our tribe to victory, to renew the glory of the Kaleen Dynasty, and yet, now you seem to think this war is destined to fail, what does that mean!?"

"It means exactly what you understand," Ryan shrugged, set down his wine glass, and then forcefully pried off Algres’ fingers that were clutching his collar.

"We have all seen that guy fighting with the King Insect, and his strength hasn’t even reached its peak. Even at the pinnacle of our ancestors’ power, they only managed to expel the King Insect and directly shattered the foundation that had been built up over thousands of years, let alone us now; we are just a group of lost souls. To meet force with weakness is to court death without any doubt."

Algres’s face was filled with pain, and he fell silent.

The rain outside poured down harder, beating against the window, forming ripples of transparency.

With a thunderous roar, a blindingly white bolt of lightning struck down, frightening several gigantic birds which flapped their wings and vanished into the gloomy sky.

Pulling his gaze back from the window, Algres suddenly relaxed the breath he had been holding, and a look of despair washed over his face. After a moment of silence, Algres picked up a shard of glass scattered on the table. With a bit of confusion on his face, he couldn’t help asking, "If you think we stand no chance against that monster, why choose to stay and even take the initiative to strike at him?"

"Haven’t we talked about this before?"

Ryan smiled bitterly and said, "What has sustained our race to this day? Hatred. Everyone is craving a war, hoping to slaughter all enemies and wash away the shame with their blood. If we turn and leave now, what would that bring..."

"Division, wars, or even fratricide," Algres answered.

"Exactly."

Ryan nodded, "Extreme hatred must be dispelled by even more extreme fear. War is inevitable. The only choice we have is to move people into this war, to preserve some and carry the last hope away."

Recalling what Ryan had just said, Algres looked at him with some concern.

"From the moment I was born, I was tasked with the revival of the Demon Descendants, with everyone’s hopes placed upon me. Although I am indeed uniquely gifted, this life is simply too exhausting. Moreover, no matter what the reason, this choice is, in fact, a betrayal of my people."

"Let me stay here, and I have already found a suitable successor." Ryan leaned his hands on the bar counter, his gaze intense as he looked at the four-armed Demon Descendant opposite him.

Algres was full of surprise, pointing at himself with some disbelief, "Me!?"

"Yes, it’s you, brother!" Ryan slapped Algres’s shoulder hard, then took off a ring engraved with a crown from his thumb and placed it in Algres’s hand. The guy showed a ’I have faith in you’ smile and said, "Think about it, no matter what, you’ve fought that monster three times and survived." Continue your adventure at novelbuddy

"No matter if it’s luck or strength, you’ve managed to survive in such a perilous situation. I believe you can lead our remaining people forward," Ryan said with an encouraging face.

As he looked at the sincere face in front of him, Algres was at a loss for words.

"Since you’ve already thought it through, what’s your plan?"

"I just had a chat with Ji Xuance, he’s a useful pawn," Ryan mumbled with a piece of fruit in his mouth.

"But he’s already declined your request."

"No, that wasn’t a rejection," Ryan said. "After all, if he really thought I was crossing the line, things would have gotten ugly. But in reality, even though he keeps saying no, he is actually hesitating. He just needs a push."

"I think I understand now. What we need to do next is to fan the flames on this matter," Algres nodded.

"Correct!"

Ryan snapped his fingers, "He’s already made a mistake, we just need to expose it a bit. Once Ji Xuance senses the threat, he will take action on his own, and then we will have a very crucial card in our hands."

"Maybe... perhaps we can indeed find some way to counter that monster with this card," Ryan said, looking out at the rain curtain.

In the Blood Realm, beneath the volcano and within the lava lake.

Boom!

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With a blast from below.

The previously calm lake suddenly churned, bubbling up with gases, and its temperature soared rapidly. Then one after another, pillars of fire erupted explosively. Each explosion sent tens of thousands of tons of magma into the air like gigantic waves heavily crashing into the walls nearby. The once smooth walls became covered in thick, jagged volcanic rock, causing the Flame Demon Lanterns on them to shake violently.

"What’s happening?" Inside the Magma Lake, Su Heng grunted twice, opened his eyes, and slightly recuperated his consciousness from a deep meditative state.

He felt bursts of stabbing pain from his body, accompanied by gushing blood.

This was due to the rapid growth stage his body entered after absorbing a massive amount of nutrients, such that the original Scale Armor could no longer accommodate the expanding body, much like a python shedding its skin. The process, however, was much more brutal – the expanding Muscle tore the scales apart, bleeding profusely, before new and tougher scales regrew on the wounds.