Chapter 501

Chapter 501: Handling the Aftermath

After hearing his disciple’s words, Flower Sword froze. Only then did he notice the battlefield’s shifting tides—the once-relentless demon army had thinned out, now fleeing in complete disarray.

"What… what’s happening?" Flower Sword stammered in shock.

"Fang Lie won! He killed two Demon Kings!" the disciple blurted, pointing into the distance.

"Impossible!" Flower Sword whipped his head around.

There sat Fang Lie atop the altar, flanked by two massive Great Demon corpses. His eight clones were pursuing the Emperor of Gold-Eating Rats, their thousand Fire Birds slaughtering demons and scattering the horde.

"Damn it all! How?!" Flower Sword roared, face twisted with disbelief.

Every human cultivator stood gaping. Ghostly pallor colored their faces as if they’d witnessed the unthinkable.

"How? Fang Lie’s barely twenty! Since when do youths possess such iron willpower?"

"Even high monks need millennia of discipline to resist the Blue Butterfly Demon King’s charms! How’d this brat manage it?"

"Exactly! That ten-thousand-year Great Demon once enslaved a thousand Human Tribe cultivators with a smile—Wind Tribulation Immortals among them! What trick did this boy use?"

None could unravel Fang Lie’s reversal. By all logic, escaping the Blue Butterfly Demon King’s bewitchment should’ve been impossible.

Truth was, they weren’t wrong. Though Fang Lie’s magic cultivation ran deep, his youthful mind lacked the tempering of centuries. Even a hundred years’ training couldn’t withstand a Great Demon King’s innate charm.

But they’d forgotten one thing—Fang Lie wasn’t alone. His consciousness sea linked directly to Old Bird.

As the item spirit of a Ninth-Rank Treasure, even Ninth-Rank Great Demons stood no chance against it. A mere Seventh-Rank Demon King’s tricks? Laughable.

Thus the Blue Butterfly Demon King and Black Flame Demon King marched blindly to their doom. Confident in her charms, they’d swaggered onto Fang Lie’s altar without precautions.

They’d even taunted the nine Fang Lies, planning to slap and humiliate them.

At the crucial moment, Old Bird coughed. The sound jolted all nine clones awake. A flick of Spiritual Light masked their expressions, leaving the demons none the wiser.

To Seventh-Rank fools, everything appeared normal—Fang Lie still seemed ensnared.

But the awakened clones struck without mercy. Nine sets of empty-space divine claws lashed out at point-blank range.

Caught off guard, the Demon Kings took four to five hits each. Hearts, Demon Pills, spines—vital organs vanished into void clutches.

The ten-thousand-year demons died screaming, slain by a Qi Sea realm youth. What humiliation! Their dead eyes screamed injustice!

In fair combat, Fang Lie’s treasured items and divine skills might’ve secured a pyrrhic victory at best. Killing either Demon King? Unthinkable.

Yet here he stood, having butchered two Great Demons instantly—a feat beyond two Fire Tribulation Immortals combined. Terrifying didn’t begin to describe it.

Smirking, Fang Lie pocketed the precious Demon Pills before eyeing his next prize: the Seventh-Rank Emperor of Gold-Eating Rats.

He’d assumed Sixth-Rank Rat Kings ruled this species. An Emperor changed everything.

Stronger leaders bred elite forces faster. Rat Kings spawned Elder-level Fifth-Rank demon rats through shared inheritance. Without guidance? Promotion crawled.

But with an Emperor? Rat King numbers exploded tenfold. This one already commanded dozens of Rat Kings and Fifth-Rank guards.

Treasure indeed. Capturing it would accelerate his Gold-Eating Rat army’s growth.

Eight clones surged forward, a thousand Fire Birds scorching the sky behind them. The hunt was on.

They had to mobilize such a massive force out of necessity. Though the Seventh-rank Rat King wasn’t particularly strong in combat power, its horde of over hundreds of thousands of demon rats and proficiency in earth-escape techniques made it notoriously difficult to capture. Full deployment was essential to ensure its capture.

Once Fang Lie got serious, the Rat King stood no chance. A thousand Fire Birds swiftly encircled the entire swarm, while eight of Fang Lie’s clones pinned the Rat King with their divine senses, leaving no escape route.

True enough, the Rat King and its forces were soon subdued in large numbers. Only after securing the treasures did Fang Lie finally relax, turning back toward the city.

But along the way, Fang Lie noticed something amiss—the streets were deserted. In the distance, he spotted the retreating army now hastily returning. Both parties eventually reconvened in the back garden of the City Lord’s mansion.

Fang Lie remained silent, eyeing the Three City Lords with a sardonic gaze. His simmering anger was justified—he’d fought tooth and nail, been slain once, nearly captured another time, all while these supposed allies fled without so much as a heads-up. Weren’t they just selling him out?

The Three City Lords burned with shame, their faces crimson. Immortal Qingning and Immortal Wulian particularly regretted heeding Flower Sword’s cowardly counsel. Had they stood firm and aided Fang Lie, they could’ve basked in victory now. Instead, their reputation as oath-breaking deserters was sealed—a scandal that would soon tarnish their sects’ honor.

Worse still was Fang Lie’s looming threat. As a Great Pill Master controlling both White Jade Divine Fish and Spirit Liquid trade—resources coveted by all righteous sects—their idiocy had made them instant pariahs. Even without Fang Lie’s direct retaliation, other sects would eagerly crush them to gain his favor.

Cold sweat drenched the Three City Lords as Mi Qing finally spoke, her voice icy. "How swiftly you fled earlier, esteemed City Lords."

Immortal Qingning stammered, "We…we had our clans’ fates to consider! Forgive us!"

"Our deepest apologies, Dao Friend Fang," Immortal Wulian added wretchedly.

"Had we known you could slaughter three Great Demon Kings alone," Flower Sword blurted, "we’d never have retreated!"

Fang Lie arched an eyebrow. "So this is my fault now?"

"N-no!" Flower Sword flushed. "We acted rashly!"

With a dismissive snort, Fang Lie boarded the Flying Boat.

Mi Qing coldly declared, "Settle the accounts. As for today’s betrayal—the world will judge."

The Three City Lords paled. Public exposure meant more than losing their titles—their sects might imprison them to save face.

"Wait!" Immortal Wulian interjected desperately. "Your master needs Gold-Eating Rats, yes? We’ll procure them tirelessly while in office!"

"Free of charge!" Immortal Qingning added.

Flower Sword seized the olive branch. "With the Three Great Demon Kings dead, we’ll personally hunt every Gold-Eating Rat in these lands!"

Mi Qing hesitated, knowing Fang Lie’s urgent need. "I’ll consult him."

Upon the Flying Boat, she reported, "They offer Gold-Eating Rats for your silence."

Fang Lie chuckled. "Their cowardice doesn’t surprise me. But if they deliver twenty billion rats, let the matter rest."

"Ten billion would suffice," Fang Lie amended. "Keep trading spirit pills for the rest."

"Twenty billion saves more pills," Mi Qing countered.

"Your call," Fang Lie waved. "But we leave within the hour—my cover’s blown."

Mi Qing nodded. "Terms will be set. We depart soon."