Chapter 41: The Blood Demon Versus Tang Yi

Blood Demon lounged comfortably on the sofa, sipping tea and chatting with Tang Yi—or rather, negotiating. Outside, Lu Changsheng grew anxious. Tang Yi had been inside for so long without the slightest sound; had he perhaps been drained dry by the Blood Demon? The aura seeping from behind the seal grew even more intense. With no other choice, Lu Changsheng hurried to notify the heads of all the major sects. Unbeknownst to him, the reason the Blood Demon’s aura had strengthened was simply because of the Yunxian tea that Tang Yi had served.

“To put it plainly, Blood Demon, the reason you were able to absorb so much energy this time, so quickly, is mostly my fault. So I have the obligation to see this matter through and handle it properly,” Tang Yi said earnestly.

“Oh? Then I suppose I should thank you properly,” the Blood Demon replied with a chuckle.

“Spare me your fake smiles. Have you ever looked at yourself? Your grin is both hideous and terrifying.”

“Terrifying? What is that supposed to mean?” the Blood Demon asked, confused.

“You don’t know? Terrifying means frightening and dreadful combined! Understand now?” Tang Yi mocked.

“Oh, I see! Wait a minute—you’re insulting me!” The Blood Demon’s face twisted in anger as he realized.

“So what if I am? Does it bother you? Want to fight about it? Come on! I, Tang Yi, will gladly oblige,” Tang Yi retorted with scorn, seeing the Blood Demon’s expression grow so cold it could freeze ten tons of ice.

“You... Do you take me for a sick cat just because I haven’t lost my temper? At first I thought you were a promising kid and didn’t want to fight you, but now you’ve angered me. The consequences will be serious—howl!” Tang Yi had successfully provoked the Blood Demon’s murderous intent. That was precisely his plan: to battle the Blood Demon, show his own strength, and ideally, compel the Blood Demon to admit defeat on his own. After that, everything would be much simpler.

The Blood Demon’s eyes blazed crimson as he spat a ball of black mist toward Tang Yi. Unperturbed, Tang Yi called forth a deep blue energy shield, calmly gathering up the teaware and sofa as he teased:

“Blood Demon, you’re tens of thousands of years old. Why are you still so hot-tempered? Next time I visit, I’ll bring some chrysanthemum tea to help you cool off. When people get old, bad tempers can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. As a divine physician, I suggest you maintain a calm mind. Treat this seal as a closed-door cultivation, won’t you? Sure, it’s a bit too warm here, but just think of it as a sauna… Seriously, are you done yet? You keep spewing black smoke—aren’t you tired? I’m already exhausted just watching you. I’ve told you, you can’t beat me, but you’re determined not to believe it. Fine! Today, Brother Tang will show you a couple of moves and convince you once and for all.”

Though Tang Yi was a bit lazy by nature, his cultivation had recently advanced to the initial stage of Soul Integration, and his psychic abilities had risen as well—with some frequently used powers even leveling up twice. His overall strength was now comparable to the mid-stage of Grand Ascension—a match for the Blood Demon as he was now. However, one must not forget that the Blood Demon’s true form was still sealed. This avatar, though endowed with his entire primordial spirit and soul, was still markedly weaker than his original body. That was why Tang Yi dared to challenge him.

The Blood Demon kept spewing black mist, but it was all blocked by Tang Yi’s energy shield, which grew ever larger, thinning the mist until it was barely visible. Tang Yi even had time to retrieve the formation stones into his ring. Realizing this, the Blood Demon formed two deep red energy blades in his hands, radiating a chilling bloody light. With both hands, he slashed at Tang Yi, but his energy shield was like a great soft cushion—no matter how he cut, it instantly restored itself. The more he attacked, the more alarmed the Blood Demon became. No wonder he’d never been able to see through Tang Yi’s cultivation.

“Heh, this ring is my newly refined multifunctional storage ring, with some new features. This is the perfect time to test them out,” Tang Yi said with a wicked grin. He clenched his right fist, and the ring on his fourth finger glowed with a gentle violet light. Wherever the violet light passed, the black mist dissipated—not quickly, but with an inexorable pressure that made the Blood Demon deeply uncomfortable. When his blood-red energy blades touched the violet light, they became stuck, unable to move, as if trapped in a swamp—the more he struggled, the deeper they sank. He tried to disperse them, but found he couldn’t. These blades were condensed from his own essence blood; they were part of his being. Now, as they sank deeper into the violet glow, the Blood Demon became increasingly passive.

“Well, Blood Demon, has your temper cooled a bit now?” Tang Yi asked with a smile.

“Hmph!” The Blood Demon merely grunted, putting all his focus into the tug-of-war with the violet light.

“There’s no point fighting it. I call this technique ‘Auspicious Violet Qi Arrives from the East’—classic, isn’t it? It doesn’t require my own spiritual power; it draws directly from spirit stones stored in the ring. And let me tell you a secret: this ring contains nearly a hundred top-grade spirit stones, not to mention plenty of middle and lower-grade ones. What’s more, you don’t have to worry about replacing them—I designed a fully automated spirit stone replacement system. In the time it’s taken to say this, it’s already swapped out a lower-grade stone. How does it feel? Heh…” Tang Yi continued to provoke the Blood Demon.

The Blood Demon’s cave was close to Mount Shu, so Li Xianyun was the first to arrive. Just as he landed, a powerful aura of battle surged from within the cave, passing through the seal.

“Lu Zhang, what’s going on?” Li Xianyun asked, puzzled.

“Uh, Daoist Tang is inside, negotiating with the Blood Demon. I guess talks broke down and they’re fighting now,” Lu Changsheng guessed.

“In that case, how about we make a bet?” Li Xianyun proposed.

“What kind of bet?”

“Let’s wager on who wins in the end—the Blood Demon or Tang Yi? Five hundred top-grade spirit stones as the stake.”

“Alright! I bet on Tang Yi to win. Deal—no take-backs!” Lu Changsheng agreed at once, giving Li Xianyun no chance to back out.

“Ha! As expected of an old fox. Fine, I bet on a draw between them! Hahaha…” Li Xianyun burst out laughing—he was no fool either.

“Right back at you! Sect Master Li is quite the fox himself,” Lu Changsheng replied with a smile.

“That goes without saying. In fact, all cultivators are wily foxes in their own right…” Li Xianyun remarked, uttering a profound truth.

“…,” Lu Changsheng responded, speechless.