Chapter 203: This Isn

Night fell.

In the northern sky, seven stars in a row shone with unusual brightness.

Countless lives emerged once more under the moonlit, watery night.

Hundreds of bonfires spread across the ruins of the former Great Jiang Mountain, scattered like stars across the open ground, burning fiercely.

The bright flames dispelled the darkness of night, and the demons, who should have feared light and hidden in shadows, all came out.

Countless red, blue, black, and ox demons—each with pointed heads, long horns, eight-foot-tall muscular bodies—gathered around the bonfires, roaring and shouting, reveling in their joy after surviving the catastrophe.

They dug up the last remaining alcohol from collapsed caves and shattered nests, drank to each other's health, and held a demon feast.

At least all present were strong-grade demons; over a dozen, even Xiong -grade ones, were there—truly a gathering of powerhouses.

Yet strangely, these demons, whose muscles were like iron blocks, no matter how drunk or foolish they became, dared not approach the center, for there stood their demon king—and…

a human.

A rare human unlike any other.

"Who are you calling rare?!"

Jia Ji, who had been lying flat on a flat stone, suddenly jumped up and snarled at the demons whispering about him, scattering them in panic.

Demons loved battle, even challenging foes far stronger than themselves—but clearly, after their kings had all lost to him, they had no right to speak of "challenges."

"Hmph."

Jia Ji let out a cold snort and lay back on the stone. Just that one movement left his entire body aching—his veins, muscles, bones, nerves—all felt as if a light tug would shatter them into a spray of blood and flesh.

"Alright, alright, don't scare my boys."

Of course, as the defeated ones, the demon kings fared far worse than he did.

Iblis Suixiang, who had shrunk from three-heads tall to barely two, gulped down a large draught from her wine gourd, then spun dizzily and collapsed with a thud.

Though she appeared unharmed, with no visible wounds, she had at the last moment used her ability to control density, dispersing herself into microscopic dust.

Even so, the body of the Demon King of Strange Things had been reduced to this tiny form after reassembling.

Xiong Yongyi looked the worst.

Her original clothes had turned to ash; now she wrapped only white bandages around the vital parts of her naked body.

Yet despite such exposure, no one could feel desire for her now—her body was covered in cracks of all sizes, blood-red muscle tissue exposed to air, nerves twitching visibly, skin seemingly stripped away by some force, a horrifying sight.

This was after she had spent a full day recovering—if not for the demon race's formidable vitality, she'd still be a charred lump of flesh.

Cishan had retreated quickly enough; only one arm had been reduced to ash, the rest untouched.

But losing an arm wasn't the same as having it stolen.

Thanks to the demon race's potent vitality, she could simply grow it back if she wished.

Jin Jieluo suffered the least—she was a "Qi Spirit."

"Qi Spirit" is a term describing an unusual "spirit."

Both Shinto and Buddhist traditions agree that "all things possess spirit," but "Qi Spirit" specifically refers to extraordinary spirits. As a "Buddhist Demon," Jin Jieluo practiced the Star You Step, allowing her to instantly enter the netherworld and block most damage.

"Want a sip?"

The tipsy little girl wobbled her head and tossed the oversized "Iblis Gourd" to Jia Ji, its contents emitting rich, potent liquor.

"This is a toast, okay~"

The purple gourd, sealed with a wooden stopper and inscribed with talismans, contained a strange creature called the "Wine Worm," alive for countless ages, capable of turning water into wine.

"Hey!"

As he shouted, Jia Ji grabbed the "Iblis Gourd" and gulped down a mouthful—the clear, fragrant liquor slid down his throat.

"Cough… cough…"

A fire ignited in his stomach. Jia Ji, who had never drunk before, turned bright red; he couldn't hold the "Iblis Gourd," and it rolled to the ground, returning to Suixiang's hands.

"Oh?"

He looked like a heavy drinker, yet his tolerance was terrible—this caught the other three demon kings' attention.

"I'll buy you all the liquor you can drink! Yongyi, lend me your Xiong Bear Cup!"

Suixiang took the red wine saucer offered by Yongyi with a half-smile and poured wine from the large gourd into it.

"Yongyi's 'Xiong Bear Cup' enhances liquor's quality—perfectly matched with my 'Iblis Gourd,' which pours endlessly!" Suixiang laughed wildly: "Hahahaha! This time I'll drown you in drink!"

"Who's afraid? I'll drink two bowls!"

Jia Ji said weakly.

Cishan smiled sweetly at Jia Ji and asked: "Another bowl?"

Bei Dou Lao San couldn't resist another liter.

Jin Jieluo snatched the "Xiong Bear Cup" and "Iblis Gourd" from Suixiang's hands, poured another full saucer, and thrust it at Jia Ji: "Good drinker! Drink again!"

Among demons, besides fighting, there's only drinking—it's the only real thing here.

After fighting and drinking, they become friends.

As a demon king, Iblis Suixiang possessed the ability 【Strange】: any wine she offered could not be refused.

It was one of the fundamental laws of the world.

"I've never found concept-based powers enjoyable."

The martial-side fighter, long tormented by concept-based abilities, loathed them bitterly.

Jia Ji, drunk for the first time in his life, was half-unconscious and nearly recited two lines of poetry—but Baoyun Zi, unable to bear it, intervened with the Realm of Drunkenness and Sobriety to stop him.

"Your fist technique is interesting. What's it called?"

Xiong Yongyi, the first to challenge Jia Ji, asked curiously. She wasn't a sore loser, but during battle, she kept hearing him shout strange technique names.

"Beidou Divine Fist."

Jia Ji added:

"The invincible ultimate assassination fist—Beidou Divine Fist!!!"

The four demon kings recalled the scene: the fist that shattered Great Jiang Mountain, the terrifyingly hard body, the qi cannon that nearly obliterated them all—and finally roared together:

"This isn't assassination fist at all!"

(End of Chapter)