Ch. 1321 - You Have Shamed Your Ancestors’ Glory

The figure descending through the air gradually touched the ground.

Xu Zimo’s feet landed within the solid earth of the prison.

Looking up, he saw the towering structure before him, a massive cage shrouded in infernal energy.

The prison rose like a black tower into the heavens, its peak shaped like an oval spearpoint stabbing toward the celestial vault.

The demonic aura here was unlike any ordinary miasma, it was wilder, more violent, saturated with endless resentment.

The earth beneath his feet was cracked in every direction, fissures carved by the weight of countless ages.

Xu Zimo paid no heed. Stepping across the broken ground, he advanced slowly, one step at a time.

As he neared the sealed tower, the once-turbulent infernal energy suddenly calmed.

It became subdued, like servants bowing before their king.

Only after stepping closer did Xu Zimo notice that the entire tower was bound by countless iron chains.

Whenever the demonic aura surged, those chains would flare with violet light, suppressing everything within.

Before Xu Zimo could move further, three figures appeared before him.

They had not materialized out of nowhere, he had sensed them since entering the Ancient Demon Realm, lurking in the shadows, always watching.

He knew they were sent by Hellfire Asura to monitor him.

Though he had not yet met the Fiend, Xu Zimo knew well that the man cared, cared so much he dared not appear.

He feared seeing Xu Zimo. He feared what Xu Zimo’s return would mean.

“Honored guest, this is not a place you should come,” said one of the three figures, stepping forward.

Their faces were hideous, not from expression, but from birth itself.

Each wore a great black robe, shaped like a predatory eagle’s cloak, covering their bodies completely.

On the backs of those robes were three blood-red lines, symbols of the Blood Demons.

The Blood Demons were the personal guard of Hellfire Asura.

Xu Zimo recalled what he had read: another buried chapter of history.

The Blood Demons were once a proud branch of the Ancient Demon Race, powerful and revered.

But tens of thousands of years ago, they committed a great sin, one that nearly led to their annihilation.

Hellfire Asura had spared them from extinction, but ever since, they had vanished from public sight.

The Ancient Demon Race despised them, and they became the his secret guard, confined to forbidden places, never seen by outsiders.

To the rest of the Ancient Demons, they were like living corpses, dead men bound only to one master.

“The Ancient Ancestor sent word, you are not to come here,” said the Blood Demon standing in the middle.

“And why not?” Xu Zimo asked calmly. “Is there still a place in the Ancient Demon Realm forbidden to me?”

“The Ancient Ancestor says that what lies inside must never be released,” the Blood Demon replied. “The Ancient Demon Realm needs peace. I hope... you understand.”

Xu Zimo laughed coldly.

Peace, they said!

He understood Hellfire Asura’s fear perfectly. He feared that if the imprisoned Ancient Demons were freed, their hatred accumulated over millions of years would consume the Ancient Demon Realm in ruin.

The fragile calm of the demonic lands would collapse into chaos and war.

“Tell Hellfire Asura,” Xu Zimo said evenly, “these are my people. Whether there is peace or chaos, it is mine alone to command!”

The three Blood Demons exchanged uncertain looks, then shook their heads.

“We follow orders. Nothing more. You cannot step inside.”

“If you must enter,” said the Blood Demon on the right, “then you’ll have to walk over our corpses.”

Xu Zimo’s voice was calm, almost indifferent. “Do you really think I’ve refrained from killing because of mercy? Even if I must tread upon your corpses, why not?”

As his words fell, the blade spirit behind him unsheathed itself.

A dazzling surge of sword intent flooded the sky, slicing through the heavy demonic clouds above.

The Blood Demon on the left didn’t even have time to react, he was obliterated instantly, leaving not even a scrap of flesh.

The other two stared in horror.

The one on the right lunged forward, claws several meters long, fangs bared like a beast, no, worse than a beast.

The Blood Demons were among the strongest branches of demonkind.

They drew power from blood, the more they drank, the stronger they became.

To fight a Blood Demon was to fight against time; delay meant death.

Yet as this one charged, Xu Zimo didn’t even flinch.

He merely flicked the blade with his finger.

A single clang resonated, sharp and pure.

In that instant, one of the Ten Primordial God-Scriptures manifested.

The Infernal-Creation Eternal-Canon.

A divine art of sound, it did not need instruments. Wherever sound existed, it could weave its power.

The note from Xu Zimo’s finger exploded through the world like thunder.

Under that resonant wave, the Blood Demon was reduced to ashes, erased completely from existence.

Xu Zimo lifted his eyes calmly. Only one Blood Demon remained.

That last one stood frozen, staring at him in mute terror.

Then, trembling, he stepped back. “You… what do you intend to do?”

Xu Zimo did not answer. He simply walked forward, slowly, relentlessly.

For every step Xu Zimo took forward, the Blood Demon stepped one back.

Until there was nowhere left to retreat.

“Don’t kill me,” the Blood Demon stammered.

Xu Zimo placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. “Among Ancient Demons, we were once kin. Why must it come to this? I remember,” Xu Zimo said softly, “your clan once basked in glory.”

“Our ancestor,” the Blood Demon whispered fearfully, “once carried the sedan of a great figure. That’s what I’ve been told.”

“Yes,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile. “He carried it well, steady, unshaken, even if the heavens themselves were collapsing. You should not have shamed his name.”

He patted the Blood Demon’s shoulder. A wisp of Zhurong’s Fire flared to life, burning the demon into nothingness.

A long sigh escaped Xu Zimo’s lips.

He turned and walked toward the great tower.

Gripping the massive iron chains that sealed it, he felt their heat, searing, molten, almost alive.

They burned at his flesh like magma, but Xu Zimo did not let go.

He held tight, pulling with all his might, intent on tearing them apart.

As if sensing his strength, the violet chains began to writhe.

Their light surged, runes flashing wildly across their surface like flickering stars.

The whole tower began to quake, earth-shaking, deafening booms echoing one after another.

Then, suddenly, the violet light blazed brighter than ever.

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