Chapter Six: Slaying the Demon Emperor of the Great Saint Realm

The minor demons under the Red Scale Demon Emperor, terrified by the formidable power of Liao Chen and his servant, fled back to the demon cave to report the situation.

"My Lord Emperor, many of our brothers and sisters have been slaughtered by those two villains! Please, I beg you to step in and put them to death!"

"What is the background of these two? Do they not know that there is no good end for those who provoke the Red Scale Demon Palace?"

"My Lord, one is a human and the other is a demon cultivator from the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. Perhaps they believe they have the strength to challenge your status, for they are acting with such reckless disregard in killing our kin."

"In that case, I shall teach them the consequences of provoking me. Come, let us go and see!"

Shortly after, the Red Scale Demon Emperor led a host of minor demons to confront Liao Chen and his servant.

"Hah! So, you are the wretched human brat who slaughtered my subordinates?" the Red Scale Demon Emperor demanded loudly. To its utter disbelief, the opponent’s cultivation was only at the Imperial Realm, and even the dragon-servant beside him was merely at the first heaven of the Great Saint Realm. As a Great Saint of the third heaven, the Emperor could not fathom how they dared to challenge its authority.

Liao Chen grinned. "I assume you are the Red Scale Demon Emperor. You’ve come to avenge the many demons I’ve killed? If so, then let’s begin!"

Seeing such arrogance from an Imperial Realm upstart, the Emperor flew into a rage. "Brat, since you seek death, I shall grant your wish!"

"Endless Poison Mist!"

The Red Scale Demon Emperor unleashed its ultimate technique immediately. The mist instantly engulfed Liao Chen and Little Long. While such a bizarre attack would be difficult for ordinary people to resolve, Liao Chen possessed an Imperial-grade robe that provided powerful defense against various elemental attacks. As for Little Long, while it lacked such a defensive treasure, its cultivation had reached the Great Saint Realm, and its dragon bloodline granted it immense resistance to toxins. Thus, the Emperor’s attack caused them no substantial harm. Liao Chen, refusing to sit idle, signaled for Little Long to strike.

Little Long nodded and stopped concealing its aura, revealing its full power as a first-heaven Great Saint.

"Divine Dragon Tail Sweep!"

A massive dragon tail descended from the sky, crashing toward the Red Scale Demon Emperor. The Emperor did not dare to be careless and countered with its own tail sweep. However, its technique was merely a simplified version, whereas Little Long, having activated its dragon bloodline, wielded the authentic ancestral skill. The two collided, surprisingly matching each other in power. Given that the Emperor was two full realms higher than Little Long, this proved that Little Long’s bloodline rank was sufficient to bridge the gap in cultivation.

With Little Long pinning the Emperor down, Liao Chen launched constant sneak attacks, quickly forcing the Emperor onto the defensive. The Red Scale Demon Emperor was filled with regret; had it known these two were so formidable, it never would have provoked such malevolent stars.

But the enmity was set, and reconciliation was impossible. Liao Chen would not agree to it; he was determined to slay the Emperor to advance his own cultivation to the Saint Realm.

"Human boy, I have no grievances with you! Why must you force this to the bitter end?" the Emperor demanded indignantly. "If you push me too far, I will simply self-destruct, and we shall all perish together!"

Liao Chen laughed. "You want to self-destruct? Please, be my guest. Let’s see if you can take us with you."

"You..." The Red Scale Demon Emperor finally realized that this was a fight to the death. Abandoning all restraint, it went all out.

"Nine Serpent Transformations!"
"Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Finger!"
"Toxin Domain!"
"Void Evasion!"

As the Emperor pursued him, Liao Chen signaled Little Long to ambush the foe. Consequently, the Emperor could not land an effective blow. In particular, Little Long’s Quasi-Imperial weapon caused severe wounds with every strike, and the Emperor’s condition steadily worsened.

Just as Liao Chen prepared to deliver the final blow, the Emperor feigned a retreat, pushed Little Long back, and attempted to flee. Startled, Liao Chen immediately produced the Void Mirror and shouted, "Space Lock!"

Before the Red Scale Demon Emperor could escape, a force of spatial containment seized it. Liao Chen’s cultivation was insufficient to hold the Emperor indefinitely, but he managed to freeze it for three seconds. In that moment, Little Long struck with its Blazing Sword. There was a sharp hiss as the blade pierced deep into the Emperor’s body.

The Red Scale Demon Emperor shrieked in agony. It tried to self-destruct, but it was too late. Liao Chen brought his Supreme Imperial weapon, the Purple Gold Thunder Hammer, down heavily upon its head. This strike contained Liao Chen’s absolute peak power. In its prime, the Emperor might have survived, but in its severely wounded state, it perished instantly.

System: "Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the mission: First Kill of a Great Saint Realm enemy. Reward: Primordial Dao Body (Host’s comprehension of any Dao rules will no longer be restricted); cultivation advanced to the first heaven of the Saint Realm; one Supreme Imperial weapon 'Azure Lotus Imperial Blade'; one Supreme Imperial weapon 'Demon Emperor Ruler'; three Quasi-Imperial weapons 'Purple Lightning Trident', 'Two Worlds Mountain and River Map', and 'Infinite Ice Sword'; two sets of Imperial-grade robes. Also awarded: three peak-grade Enlightenment Tea Trees, ten peak-grade Imperial Pills, one hundred Divine Spirit Pills, one hundred Divine Beast Pills, ten thousand peak-grade Spirit Beast Aptitude Pills, ten thousand Transformation Pills, ten thousand Saint Essence Pills, one million Heavenly Spirit Pills, and one ton of Foundation Establishment Pills. The rewards have been placed in your storage ring. Please check them."

Liao Chen had expected a rich reward for slaying a Great Saint, but he never imagined the system would be this generous. Two Supreme Imperial weapons and three Quasi-Imperial ones—combined with the robes, it was effectively four Imperial-grade treasures. Furthermore, with the ten peak-grade Imperial Pills added to the one he already possessed, he now had eleven. If he wished, he could cultivate eleven Imperial-level followers. The other pills were merely icing on the cake. Liao Chen absolutely loved the system.

"Excellent! This was a massive haul!" Liao Chen rejoiced. He turned to Little Long and said, "Little Long, you played a vital role in this kill. Take these Divine Spirit Pills as your reward. Use them to reach the peak of the Great Saint Realm; I have more boons in store for you later."

"Thank you, Master!" Little Long accepted the pills and immediately began refining them.

Liao Chen set up a grand formation to protect Little Long, then turned his gaze toward the Red Scale Demon Emperor’s cave. He intended to wipe out every one of its subordinates to ensure no news of this event leaked out.

Soon, the minor demons were all eradicated. Liao Chen entered the cave and emptied the Emperor’s hoard of years. It contained various spiritual herbs, including one stalk of Immortality Herb—which was essentially a second life. Liao Chen stored the Immortality Herb and moved the other herbs into his Spirit-Nurturing Tower, where they would eventually evolve into higher-grade specimens.