Chapter 1680: Be More Arrogant! I Want Your Life!

"My name is Zi Yan, and I have wandered here."

Xu Jingming's expression was calm. He gave a slight nod and spoke the pretext he had prepared in advance.

"I did not know my lord was arriving. Karos has failed to greet you from afar — please forgive the offense!"

Karos did not hesitate in the slightest.

His divine body, over ten meters tall, swiftly shrank to three meters — shorter than Xu Jingming.

Then his figure flashed.

He appeared before Xu Jingming, bowed in salute, and lowered his posture to the extreme.

This scene stunned the surrounding guard demons.

A lord of the Seventh Step of Immortality, bowing so respectfully to a demon of the Second Step of Immortality?

"No matter."

Xu Jingming spoke lightly, his voice low as thunder.

His demon tongue had long been tutored by Vera.

It could be called perfectly idiomatic — even this fortress lord could find no fault with it.

"Please, my lord, come into the inner hall for a word."

Karos hurriedly stepped aside and made an inviting gesture:

"I have already ordered a banquet prepared, to welcome my lord and wash away the dust of travel!"

Xu Jingming nodded and strode toward the side hall.

Karos followed close behind, his manner as respectful as a servant's.

The guest hall lay to the left of the main hall — a vast chamber covering over five hundred square meters.

At its center stood a black crystal long table thirty meters in length, already laden with every delicacy.

"My lord, please take the seat of honor!"

Karos personally pulled out the chair at the head for Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming did not stand on ceremony and sat down directly.

Karos took the seat of lesser honor to his left — the seat that should rightfully have belonged to the fortress's vice lord.

Soon, ranks of demon maidservants filed in carrying even more dishes and fine wine.

Xu Jingming swept a glance over the food on the table, secretly startled.

Though he did not recognize the ingredients of these dishes,

judging by the energy waves they emitted, they were certainly no ordinary fare.

"My lord, this is my 'Lava Demon Emperor's Blood,' hoarded for a hundred thousand years.

It is an SSS9-grade resource. Please, my lord, taste it."

Karos personally poured a cup for Xu Jingming, his attentiveness excessive.

"Tsk, tsk. I still underestimated the influence of an ancient demon."

Vera's voice rang in Xu Jingming's mind, tinged with wonder:

"This Karos is at least a fortress lord of the Seventh Step of Immortality, yet before you he acts like a servant."

Xu Jingming betrayed nothing on his face. He lifted the cup and took a sip.

The scalding liquid slid down his throat, transforming into pure energy that merged into his divine body, bringing him a wave of comfort.

When the banquet was half done, Karos finally could not help asking:

"May I ask what important matter brings my lord to Black Flame Star?

If there is anything Karos can do to serve you, please do not hesitate to speak!"

His tone was sincere — clearly he truly wished to curry favor with this scion of an ancient demon.

Xu Jingming set down his cup and looked at Karos.

The corner of his mouth curved into a half-smile:

"What if I told you I want this Black Flame Star fortress?"

At his words, the guest hall fell silent for a beat.

Karos visibly froze for a moment, then burst into great laughter:

"My lord jests! If you wish to be fortress lord, simply say the word!

With your bloodline, you need only apply to the clan.

Forget Black Flame Star — even a more important fortress could be yours for the asking!"

His smile was perfectly natural; he did not feel Xu Jingming's words were any offense at all.

On the contrary, he felt it was only right and proper.

A scion of an ancient demon wanting a fortress to play with — what of it?

"This works too?"

This time it was Xu Jingming's turn to be shocked.

He knew the demon race valued bloodlines, but not to such an extent.

"This is how our demon race is.

Remember — among the demon race, bloodline is everything."

Vera emphasized in his mind: "You are a demon of the Void Realm, one of the bloodlines of the Eight Ancient Demons.

Forget asking for a fortress — even if you demanded all of Karos's wealth, he would not dare say no.

Moreover, you can act even more arrogant."

"Even more arrogant?" Xu Jingming felt his words just now had already been arrogant enough.

He narrowed his eyes and spoke again:

"Carlos, what if... I want your life?"

The words came out flat, yet carried a bone-chilling cold.

The smile on Carlos's face froze instantly.

He stared at Xu Jingming in some bewilderment, not understanding what this ancient demon lord meant.

He probed cautiously:

"If you truly wish to kill, then in the entire Black Flame Fortress, anyone below Immortal rank is yours to kill at will."

The demon race was violent by nature, and every demon had its own peculiar quirks.

He instinctively assumed this was the other's personal interest.

"Hmm?"

Xu Jingming was genuinely shocked now.

Good heavens.

An entire planetary fortress, anyone below Immortal rank he could kill at will?

This was something that could never happen on a human planet.

'Truly worthy of the demon race.'

With a sigh in his heart, Xu Jingming slowly rose to his feet.

The dark-purple scales around his body shimmered with a ghostly light, and a savage grin spread across his face:

"Sorry, I don't want to kill anyone else, so it's you."

The instant his voice fell, Xu Jingming moved!

Boom—

T1-grade Doushen Shenlei surged wildly from within his body, and dazzling gold-green lightning instantly filled the entire banquet hall!

Rumble rumble rumble!!!

The lavishly decorated castle exploded apart!

The surrounding Cosmic-rank demon warriors were even directly annihilated by the lightning!

"What?!" Carlos's face changed drastically.

He never imagined that this descendant of an ancient demon would be so utterly capricious—saying he'd strike and striking at once!

But the reaction speed of an Immortal Seventh Stage was terrifyingly fast.

Almost at the same instant Xu Jingming moved, the three pairs of membrane wings on Carlos's back flared open violently.

Black flames shot skyward, transforming into a flame shield before him!

"My lord! Is there some misunderstanding here?!"

Carlos defended himself while trying to explain.

"No misunderstanding." Xu Jingming's voice was ice-cold.

His right hand clenched in the air, and the Ninefold Thunder Prison Spear materialized in his grasp!

Gold-green wild thunder coiled around the spear shaft, its destructive aura causing even space to begin twisting!

"Damn it!"

A vicious glint flashed in Carlos's eyes; he knew explanation was useless now.

That's just how the demon race was.

Once that impulse rose up, it wouldn't stop until it was vented.

"Forgive me! Black Flame Domain!"

Carlos roared, and the terrifying aura of Immortal Seventh Stage erupted fully!

Black flames spread outward centered on him, instantly blanketing a radius of ten kilometers!

Within the flame domain, the temperature was terrifyingly high, even space itself twisting from the heat!

This was a domain ability innate to the divine body Carlos had condensed—its power was extremely strong!

However—

Under Xu Jingming's formidable physique, it couldn't even burn through his protective Lei Gang.

Immediately after, his mind stirred slightly, and his figure vanished from the spot without warning.

The next instant, he appeared directly behind Carlos!

"What?!"

Carlos's pupils contracted sharply; he had detected no spatial fluctuation whatsoever!

This was the innate ability of a Void Realm demon—teleportation that ignored spatial barriers!

"Die!" Xu Jingming thrust his spear.

The spear tip condensed the power of three Origin Laws—Lightning, Destruction, and Life!

Puchi—

The spear tip, wreathed in gold-green lightning,

pierced through the flame shield behind Carlos without any resistance and drove viciously into his back!

"Ah—!!!"

A shrill scream echoed through the castle!

Carlos felt his divine body being madly annihilated!

That single spear strike had directly annihilated 10% of his divine body!

"Impossible?! You're only Immortal Second Stage!"

Carlos was horrified to the extreme; he could not understand.

How could an attack from a Longevity Second Stage cultivator be this terrifying!

"Nothing is impossible."

Xu Jingming's voice was indifferent. His long spear trembled, and the violent Doushen Shenlei exploded inside Carlos's body!

Boom—

A great hole was blasted open in Carlos's chest, and dark-red divine blood gushed out!

The remaining 90% of his divine body had another 15% annihilated by this strike!