Chapter 306: Demon God: Ants, How Dare You

At the words, Li An's whole bearing changed in an instant.

For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to catch fire.

Li An gripped his long sword tightly; the blade hummed and buzzed, as though venting its fighting spirit alongside its master, and the flickering runes lit up his cold, resolute face.

The Demon God saw Li An advance instead of retreat; a flash of surprise crossed its eyes, then was swallowed by raging fury. It let loose an earsplitting roar, the sound waves spreading outward like blades made solid—everywhere they passed, the rubble on the ground was shattered to dust, and the air seemed to be torn apart with a sizzling hiss.

"You reckless fool, then die!" the Demon God bellowed, sweeping a hand upward; black flames surged like a tidal wave, sweeping toward Li An in an overwhelming tide.

Those flames seemed alive, twisting and rolling, and within them one could faintly see the hideous faces of vengeful spirits, letting out hair-raising shrieks, as though trying to drag Li An's very soul down into an endless abyss of darkness.

"That's all you've got? How laughable!"

Li An's gaze hardened. Unhurried, he drove the magic power within him at full speed, forming a dazzling shield of spiritual energy before him.

Across the shield's surface, light flowed and runes flickered, like ancient, mysterious incantations, holding back the black flames' assault.

The flames slammed into the shield, sending sparks flying in all directions, but could not pierce it even a hair's breadth—they could only burn and struggle uselessly against its surface.

"Hmph, is that all you've got?"

Li An gave a cold snort, the mockery plain on his face.

His body flickered—seeming to teleport—and in an instant he broke through the ring of fire, closing in on the Demon God.

Now he was moving at the absolute limit of speed, leaving an afterimage in the air, like a meteor streaking across the night sky.

The long sword in his hand, wrapped in surging magic power, stabbed viciously toward the Demon God's belly.

Seeing this, the Demon God hastily raised a hand to block; its arm, like forged steel, collided with Li An's sword with a thunderous crash, the shock rippling outward in rippling layers through the very air around them.

Li An, however, did not retreat an inch. Borrowing the force, he flipped through the air, spun a full circle, and drove both legs—keen as battle-axes—straight at the Demon God's head.

The Demon God couldn't dodge in time; the kick landed square on its jaw, and its massive body swayed slightly.

"You ant—how dare you!" the Demon God roared in humiliated fury, waving both hands; black flames gathered once more, shaping into two roaring black dragons that came lunging at Li An with bared fangs and claws.

Wherever the black dragons passed, the air seemed scorched with blackened trails, giving off a sharp, acrid smell of burning.

Li An was utterly unafraid. He slammed his feet into the ground, steadied his stance, and the magic power within him surged like a raging river, churning wildly.

Both hands gripped the long sword; the blade hummed and trembled, as though resonating with his very soul.

"Ten Thousand Swords Return as One—God-Slaying Strike!" Li An roared. In an instant, countless long swords seemed to materialize out of thin air in the sky, each one glinting with lethal cold light, like falling stars, raining down on the Demon God in an overwhelming volley.

Those swords gradually merged as they flew, fusing into one colossal beam of light that pierced heaven and earth, and—bearing the momentum to destroy all creation—stabbed ruthlessly at the Demon God.

The Demon God's face changed; clearly it had not expected Li An to still have such a killing move.

In its haste it crossed both arms, forming a black shield before itself, trying to block this fatal blow. With a tremendous "Crack!", the black shield instantly spider-webbed with cracks; the giant beam of light lost none of its force and drove straight into the Demon God's body.

The Demon God let out a heaven-shaking scream; the black flames around its body seemed torn apart by a gale and rapidly scattered. Its massive frame began to totter, its eyes filled with terror and unwillingness.

"How… how is this possible?" The Demon God's eyes went wide, its face a mask of utter disbelief.

Li An sheathed his sword expressionlessly and stood, looking coldly down at the fallen Demon God: "Before me, Li An, the God-Slaying Demon King, you are nothing but a pitiful clown! Today is your time of death!"

Saying so, he reached out through the air and snatched; the long sword, as if summoned, flew back into his hand.

At that moment, a clear, ringing sound came from deep within the castle, like the echo of an ancient bell, and Yukinoshita Haruno called out joyfully: "Li An, it's finally open—the secret passage to the depths!"

Li An turned to look, and saw a corridor radiating a soft glow appear before him.

He walked briskly toward the women, a rare, gratified smile crossing his face: "Let's go, we're going in."

Yuigahama Yui cheered and threw herself into Li An's arms, her eyes full of worship and adoration: "Li An, my lord, you're amazing! I just knew you could defeat the Demon God!"

She hugged Li An tightly, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.

Teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka stepped forward, patted Li An on the shoulder, her eyes full of praise: "Kid, this time we really owe it all to you—otherwise we'd all have been done for here."

Yukinoshita Haruno gave a slight nod, the gem clasped tightly in her hand, and said softly: "At the crucial moment this gem seemed to resonate with Li An's magic power as well—perhaps it still holds more secrets waiting for us to uncover."

Xiang Xiang Monan followed behind, muttering under her breath: "Li An, my lord, those moves you just did were way too cool—I was completely stunned."

The group advanced along the secret passage; strange lights flickered on the walls of the corridor, as if guiding their way forward.

Along the way, Yuigahama Yui chattered nonstop—now asking Li An about the moves he'd just used, now marveling at how wondrous the passage was—turning the once-tense atmosphere light and pleasant.

As they walked, a spacious secret chamber suddenly appeared ahead; in its center sat an enormous treasure chest, ringed by a circle of mysterious runes that glimmered faintly, as though guarding the treasures within.

"Wow, there must be tons of treasure in here!" Yuigahama Yui cried excitedly and ran forward—only to be pulled back by Li An.

"Careful, there may still be danger." Li An watched the chest warily, his grip on the long sword tightening once more.