Chapter Thirty-Five: Just One Punch!

The million-strong human army, for reasons unknown, all shuddered at once, swallowing hard in unison. Cold sweat soaked their faces as if some monstrous, peerless beast had set its sights upon them.

“We will not hand her over! Nor will we ever again! My imperial clan scorns the notion of surviving by groveling, and we will never bow to beasts for the sake of one person!”

“From the moment she befriended your kind, she became a traitor to the human race!”

Perched atop his warhorse, the man kept his gaze fixed forward, unaffected by the leader rising from the opposing ranks. His voice remained as cold as ever, as though steadfastly upholding some unshakable conviction.

“A traitor? So? What have you done to her?”

A faint suspicion flickered in the eyes of the figure upon the palanquin. The man gradually lowered his head, his expression hidden, yet a subtle sorrow seemed to emanate from him.

“A traitor must be executed with utmost severity!”

The words, spoken so lightly, struck like thunder on a clear day.

After a long silence, a soft, bitter laugh escaped him. “Ah, humans really are unbearably troublesome, always entangled in rules upon rules. That woman too—clearly born of humanity, yet insisting on walking among us beasts. The ridiculous thing is, she truly managed it; no matter how hard we tried to chase her off, she would not budge. I was a fool as well. I told myself long ago to stop caring about her; had I simply killed her, none of this would have happened. But who could have foreseen that I’d fall as well? Utterly laughable.”

He slowly raised his head again. The golden vertical pupils had vanished, replaced by a pair of hellish crimson slits—demonic, seductive, bloodthirsty—daring none to meet their gaze.

The air around them grew ever heavier, stifling breath itself. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and a cold wind finally swept the field.

The already dim world descended into deeper darkness, the only light those faintly glowing crimson eyes—chilling, unblinking, impossible to ignore.

“She once made a wish for herself—that this world should know war no more, that none should die on the battlefield, and for that, she would exhaust herself, roaming far and wide.”

“She once made a wish for me too; she knew of my dream to become invincible, and pledged to offer what little strength she could, to stand by my side, to witness my moment of unrivaled glory.”

“Alas, I cannot help her fulfill her first wish.”

“But the second—I think she will see it yet.”

Upon the palanquin, the man looked up at the sky. A fine, misty rain began to fall—so light, it merely dampened his face. He slowly closed his eyes.

“This sky! I shall shatter it with a single fist! This earth! I shall crush it beneath a single step! Beneath heaven and earth, none shall stand as my equal!”

In the midst of darkness, voices arose. One by one, pairs of beastly eyes lit up like lanterns—tens of thousands of lights flickering upon the field.

“We vow, for our great Emperor, to brave boiling cauldrons and burning fires, to be shattered and ground to dust, never to shrink back!”

“We vow, for our great Emperor, to conquer all beneath the heavens, and win eternal glory for our kind!”

“We vow, for our great Emperor, to offer up our humble lives, that our race may endure for all generations, never to be forgotten!”

A hundred thousand demon soldiers threw back their heads, their faces twisted and terrifying, unleashing wild, unrestrained roars—unstoppable by any foe.

“If anyone dares insult our demonkin, what shall we do?”

“Kill!”

“If anyone dares slaughter our demonkin, what shall we do?”

“Kill!”

“If anyone wishes us to cower in a corner, or even to annihilate us, what shall we do?”

“Kill!”

“Today, I proclaim her Empress of the Demons. Should anyone slight her, disgrace her, or condemn her, what shall we do?” This time, the words were soft—so very soft—yet they rang clear in every ear, heavy with sorrow and a fury barely restrained.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The multitude of demons roared themselves hoarse, their rage pouring forth in bestial howls.

“This enmity cannot be reconciled under the same sky. Kill.” His voice remained gentle—so gentle it pained the heart.

But at those words, tens of thousands of demon soldiers surged forward, sweeping aside all who stood before them like so much worthless chaff.

The man upon the warhorse watched the distant roar, the beastly howls, and the vertical pupils of the towering figure. His expression was grave, his palms slick with sweat as he gripped his cold blade, tightening his hold again and again.

At last, as the demon army charged, he exhaled a deep breath, slowly drew his blade, and raised it high.

“Whoever offends the Grand Xia, no matter how distant, shall be destroyed! Kill!”

“Kill!”

A single, thunderous shout shook the skies. Resolve burned in every pair of eyes—there was no retreat.

A million troops charged forward, horses screaming, armor clashing, the momentum overwhelming.

In a flash, all illusions vanished, and reality unfurled before Yu Daoyi’s eyes: a narrow alley paved with blue stone, rows of uniform houses, market stalls yet to be closed for the night. Beyond, looming over the rear of the human army, stood a magnificent imperial palace—red walls, yellow tiles, resplendent as gold. Even beneath the darkened sky, the glazed tiles gleamed faintly.

This was an imperial city.

Aside from the two armies, not a soul remained. The grudges and hatreds of two races, nurtured over countless years, now burst forth in full—the war had begun.

“Xia Xianyu, you should not have killed her. Do you realize how many will die because of what you’ve done?” Atop the palanquin, he looked down on all, his tone cool as he addressed the horseman.

“I do not, because you will have no chance! You wish us dead, but have we not longed to slay you here as well?” Xia Xianyu sat astride his horse, answering with equal calm.

“And that is why you humans are so self-righteous—so hopelessly foolish.”

Contempt filled the crimson vertical pupils staring down from above.

“And you are ruthless to the core—you showed your own sister no mercy.”

“From the moment she spent her days among you and begged us for mercy, she ceased to be my sister. She is unworthy.”

“Indeed, to have a brother like you—she truly suffered. To me, you are no more than a dog or a chicken. It is you who is unworthy of being her brother.”

“I’m glad it was I who took action. The mere thought that I might have had a demon beast for a brother-in-law makes me sick.”

“Ha, you dare to speak so boldly? I fear you shall have no chance after today.”

Upon the palanquin, his voice returned to tranquility, though the anger within seemed ready to ignite at any moment.

The trumpet of war had long since sounded. Demons and humans clashed, and though the demon army was far outnumbered, they slaughtered wildly, matching the million-strong host blow for blow.

The crimson eyes watched coldly ahead, his body shrouded in an ever-brighter, eerie red glow. Short hair grew rapidly, tumbling to his waist and turning a deep, demonic red within moments. His burly frame grew lean, black markings slowly surfaced beneath his skin, spreading until they covered him entirely, while his aura surged, spiritual power swirling ever stronger.

In just a few breaths, his entire form transformed. The rugged man became a strange and handsome youth; the burly build, now slender and graceful. His face was proud and striking, his gaze cold and disdainful, demon-red hair billowed in the wind, and from his head grew a pair of curved horns. His features, once sharp, were now impossibly beautiful, inscribed with intricate black patterns that only heightened his otherworldly allure. At his lips played the faintest of mocking smiles, as if deriding all present.

“The Ancient Demon’s Nine Transformations—truly extraordinary.” Though Xia Xianyu had braced himself, he could not help but offer a word of praise at the sight.

“Watch carefully—this will be the last scene of your life.”

With that, he took a single step forward, and in the next instant, appeared in midair—right beside Yu Daoyi, who had been stunned into speechlessness.

He slowly raised his right hand, black lines flickering across his skin, crimson light gathering at his fist.

With a single punch, he struck from the heavens!

With a single punch, the earth split apart, a chasm thousands of feet deep!

With a single punch, the magnificent imperial city was cleaved in two!

With a single punch, tens of thousands of soldiers were annihilated, leaving not a bone behind!

With a single punch, the morale of a million troops crumbled, their courage forever broken!

“I told you—not one of you will leave here alive.”

His tone was light, his voice gentle—yet utterly beyond refute.