Chapter 248: Kun Peng! Not One Can Escape!

Demon Kings and Grand Masters are universally recognized as pinnacle attainments; since the great upheaval of heaven and earth, the Ming Empire has produced only a handful of Grand Masters over all these years, few enough to count on one hand.

Before the emergence of alchemical pills, only Zhuge Zhengwo, a Grand Master, was openly present.

This shows how rare Demon Kings have become, once thought to be legends.

The moment the seven Demon Kings appeared, all major sects were struck with speechless shock.

When Chu Yang annihilated the seven Demon Kings with a single punch, the sects' shock turned into extreme terror.

Those were Demon Kings! The Demon Race's pinnacle, on par with Grand Masters! Yet they were erased as casually as slaying a demon beast; Chu Yang's terrifying power left them trembling in dread! The Demon Race likewise was terrified to the utmost; the battlefield fell so silent that even breathing could be heard clearly.

Whether Human or Demon, the gaze toward the figure in the sky held only intense awe.

But Chu Yang only cared about the three presences ahead, whose aura surpassed the Demon Kings'.

The rumors are true.

Above the twelve paths of Demon Kings, three great Demon Emperors also exist.

Only…

The Demon Emperors' aura, though powerful, seemed oddly strange, reminding Chu Yang of the pre‑demonic Tie Dan Shen Hou Zhu Wushi.

The faint stench of corruption hinted that the Demon Race's three Demon Emperors had already been infected by demons, struggling to resist the erosion.

'Even the Demon Emperors are infected; no wonder the Ten Thousand Demon Nation, which commands three Demon Emperors and twelve paths of Demon Kings, dares not launch an offensive against the Ming Empire. By this account, many within Ten Thousand Demon Nation must be infected.'

Chu Yang furrowed his brows; after this is over, he should definitely visit Ten Thousand Demon Nation.

The radiance of sun and moon hung above everyone's heads, shattering all false phantoms, and the true forms of the three Demon Emperors gradually revealed themselves.

Two men and a woman.

Among the two men, there was a frail elderly man and a vigorous man in his prime.

The old man's hair was white, his eyes bright, his back hunched, and he coughed occasionally, looking much like an ordinary village elder.

However, Chu Yang noted the elder's arms were extremely long, nearly touching the ground, his palms covered in calluses as if he had long wielded heavy objects; his arm strength must be astounding.

The robust man beside the elder stared at Chu Yang, and even from afar Chu could feel his resentment.

A resentment that pierces to the bone!

The Demon Race's resentment is nothing unusual to Chu Yang; there is nothing to comment on.

The woman among them had an exquisite fox‑charming face, dressed revealingly, exposing astonishing legs and a pronounced cleavage.

The top courtesan of the capital brothels would pale in comparison.

Disciples of all sects, male or female, many of them lost composure the instant they saw the fox‑charming woman, their gazes fixed blankly on her, bodies involuntarily moving forward.

The sect heads and elders could not stop them; they too clung stubbornly, fearing they might become walking corpses the next second.

The Heavenly Gate flew out on its own, without any action from Chu Yang, emitting a clear sword‑ringing sound, the air rippling in concentric circles.

Hearing the sword‑ring, the sect disciples snapped out of their daze, their eyes clearing, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.

The fox‑charming woman narrowed her pupils.

'Looking for death!'

Chu Yang stared at the fox‑charming woman, murderous intent in his eyes; the Heavenly Gate also sensed its master's mind, and its blade flashed away, vanishing.

'Whoosh—' the sound of breaking air exploded beside the woman's ear, a terrifying sword aura as if countless sharp blades pierced her body.

The moment pain struck, she let out a sharp scream, waved her fair hand, and pink smoke billowed, shielding her body.

The Heavenly Gate's blade flickered, one becoming a hundred, a hundred becoming ten thousand; ten thousand flying swords raged like a gale, shredding the pink smoke.

The fox‑charming woman, sensing the unfavorable turn, transformed, revealing her true form: a Nine‑Tailed Celestial Fox as large as a mountain appeared before everyone.

'Damned Human Race!'

The moment the curse rang out, the Nine‑Tailed Celestial Fox generated a massive demonic wind, forming a huge tornado that shielded her.

The elder and the robust man did not idle, each stepping forward to aid the Nine‑Tailed Celestial Fox.

The robust man moved at extreme speed and possessed spatial ability; as he caught up with a flying sword, he opened his mouth and swallowed the blade into his belly.

The elder was even more decisive, smashing a flying sword with his fist; his strength was such that a single punch could shatter a flying sword.

Except for the Heavenly Gate's core, the other flying swords were derived from the Ten Thousand Sword Form; once sufficiently damaged, they revert to source Qi.

Chu Yang observed the elder and the robust man, gaining some insight into their motives.

The three, as Demon Emperors, were not weak in physique or divine abilities, yet against the ten thousand flying swords fashioned by the Heavenly Gate, they could not retreat unscathed; before long, the Nine‑Tailed Celestial Fox was the first to fall.

One of its tails was severed by the Heavenly Gate.

'Ah!!!'

The tail is where most fox demons store their cultivation; even the Nine‑Tailed Celestial Fox is the same—having one tail cut off by Chu Yang, it would need to devour an entire city's populace to replenish the void.

After losing a tail, the corrupt aura around the Nine‑Tailed Celestial Fox surged dramatically, its eyes instantly filled with a ferocious glare.

The elder, seeing this, suddenly grew frantic, rushing forward to suppress the corruption within the Nine‑Tailed Celestial Fox with demon power.

The robust man acted as a protector for the two, revealing his true form to block the remaining flying swords.

The sky suddenly darkened, a body larger than the Nine‑Tailed Fox blocking the sun above everyone's heads.

Chu Yang glanced up, and a famous passage immediately came to mind.

'In the northern abyss there is a fish, called Kun…'

Kun Peng!

The swift robust man's true form was an enormous Kun Peng.

After the Kun Peng appeared, sect heads down to ordinary disciples—almost everyone—lost the will to resist.

Such a beast that only appears in myth and legend—how could they possibly stand against it? Apart from throwing their necks forward to be slaughtered, they could not conceive any other way.

That thing could swallow all warships in a single bite!

However, Chu Yang noticed that when the Kun Peng reverted to its true form, pain occasionally flashed in its eyes, as if this shape caused it great suffering.

Maintaining a human shape, by contrast, was far better.

Kun Peng opened his mouth and sucked all the remaining flying swords into his belly, then immediately reverted to human form, his complexion not looking good, still staring at Chu Yang with a hateful gaze.

Chu Yang suddenly thought of something, his expression odd as he asked, "That Golden‑winged Great Peng King is your offspring, right?"

Kun Peng's face turned iron‑blue, a hoarse voice rang out, "Yes, so what?"

"Nothing special…" Chu Yang shook his head, grinned and said, "I have to thank you for giving birth to a fine son, providing the Human Race with a blood‑flesh Great Pill, thereby adding two Grand Masters for free."

Hearing this, Kun Peng's eyes widened to the brink of bursting, the space before him roiled like tides, and the next moment he appeared in front of Chu Yang, his jet‑black fingers like refined steel, clamping down hard and tearing the fabric of space.

Chu Yang raised his hand and punched, blasting his entire arm. Kun Peng shivered, his form vanished again, retreating to the side of the elder and the Nine‑Tails Celestial Fox.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you think this is enough to avenge your son?"

Kun Peng thought that even without reverting to his true form, he could still slaughter Grand Masters in his human state, yet when facing that young man, he suffered a crushing defeat at an absolute disadvantage.

The opponent used sheer bodily strength to blast his own right arm!

For a moment, he even began to doubt who truly belonged to the Demon Race…

Kun Peng was so enraged he was near madness; had it not been for the damned demonic corruption inside him, why would he confront this person in human form?

The elder beside him wore a grave expression; being able to punch through Kun Peng's right arm meant the opponent's strength was not beneath his.

"You are the new Human Race emperor, then?"

The elder suppressed the impurity within the Nine‑Tails Celestial Fox, turned and bowed to Chu Yang, saying,

"I am the ruler of the Ming Empire."

Chu Yang's expression was flat, coldly looking down at the three demons, "Facing death, still have words to say?"

Kun Peng's right arm regenerated at lightning speed; hearing this, he clenched his fists, seeming ready to battle Chu Yang again.

The elder reached out to stop him, his tone softened as he said to Chu Yang, "His Majesty the Emperor, please hear me. Your campaign today is nothing but concern that the Demon Race might invade the Ming Empire's borders."

"I can take the lead and make an oath that the Demon Race shall never set foot in the Ming Empire again. May I ask whether you will cease your attack on that basis?"

Chu Yang smiled without replying, a mocking sneer at the corner of his mouth.

The elder gritted his teeth and said, "The Ming Empire needs Demon Race flesh to forge pills; we can compensate the loss with 100,000 spiritual demon flesh."

As soon as the words fell, rapid breathing rang in Chu Yang's ears, almost all coming from the martial sects of the jianghu.

One hundred thousand spiritual demon flesh could produce how many first‑rate masters who have undergone nine blood‑exchange cycles—truly unimaginable.

Hearing of the 100,000 spiritual demon flesh, Kun Peng could not sit still; he stepped before the elder and shouted, "Old monkey, what are you up to?!"

The elder glanced at him, silently transmitting, "It's only 100,000 spiritual demon flesh. As long as you and I are alive, recovery is merely a matter of time. But if you and I clash with the Ming Emperor in blood, the outcome is uncertain."

"Even if we win, without suppressing the demonic corruption inside, we will eventually become new demonic beasts. You need no reminder of what a Demon Emperor‑level demonic beast is, right?"

"When that time comes, the Demon Race on this island will truly be finished!"

Kun Peng fell silent, then stood quietly aside, his face full of humiliation.

The elder cheerfully looked at Chu Yang and asked, "His Majesty the Emperor, how do you find this condition?"

Chu Yang shook his head, "Not acceptable."

The elder's smiling face suddenly hardened, becoming a bit awkward, "If 100,000 spiritual demons aren't enough, we can add more—double it. How about 200,000 spiritual demons?"

Chu Yang still shook his head.

The old man's smile vanished; he took a deep breath and said, "What about 500,000 spiritual demons?"

On the warships below, breaths rose and fell in waves; not only the jianghu folk, even the soldiers of the Qi family army felt unsteady upon hearing of 500,000 spiritual demons.

The concept of 500,000 spiritual demons is enough to turn the entire Qi family army into masters who have undergone nine blood‑exchange cycles, with plenty to spare.

If luck is on their side, many Grand Masters could also be born.

Which force in the world could resist such temptation?

Yet the next moment, everyone saw Chu Yang continue to shake his head, his eyes full of contempt.

A heart‑breaking sound rang out.

Many sect heads clutched their chests, as if they could not bear the blow, feeling as though a boiled duck had flown away.

Qi Jiguang's eyes flashed with satisfaction.

In his mind, if the Emperor agreed to a peace treaty with the Demon Race, he, as a soldier, would have to obey, yet he would feel deep resentment.

With so many soldiers and civilians buried within the Demon Race's belly, how could the Qi family army account for them? A peace treaty is not the answer the people and soldiers want.

Nor is it the answer Chu Yang desires.

"Could it be that the Ming Empire still wants a million spiritual demons?" the elder sneered, "His Majesty the Emperor, your appetite is a bit too big!"

Hearing this, Chu Yang burst into a deafening laugh; the three Demon Emperors felt uneasy all over, a vague unease rising in their hearts.

After laughing, Chu Yang looked at the three demons with pity, saying, "You bargain with my things, you three are all in my grasp!"

"The entire island's Demon Race, and the three of you, are all my possessions!"

"Not a single one can escape!"

The three demons' faces turned iron‑blue, trembling with anger! The Qi family army's soldiers erupted in fierce cheers! Qi Jiguang excitedly gazed at Chu Yang's retreating figure.

Right! That's how it should be! My Qi family army will be exterminated, yet we will not accept peace with the enemy! "But you did say something right," Chu Yang sneered, "My appetite truly is impressive."

Seeing Chu Yang so overbearing, the elder also wore no pleasant expression, threatening loudly, "We do not fear you; we merely refuse to over‑expend ourselves and become demonic beasts. If you wish to burn both jade and stone, you must be prepared to face three Demon Emperor‑level demonic beasts!"

"Kid, I advise you not to underestimate demonic beasts!"

Chu Yang laughed, "The Demon Emperor‑shaped demonic beasts are indeed intimidating, but worry not; in my hands you have no chance of turning demonic."

"Shameless boasting!" The already seething Kun Peng could no longer restrain himself, reverting to his true form again, ready to risk his life against Chu Yang, even if it meant becoming a demonic beast.

Chu Yang still held the lives of his own child in his hand; the two sides were truly irreconcilable.

As Kun Peng struck, the negotiations collapsed; the elder's eyes filled with murderous intent, murmuring, "This is what you forced us into."

The elder stepped forward, his form swelling, and in an instant became a mountain‑moving giant ape, wielding a hundred‑zhang long Hidden Iron Staff, swinging it casually, causing heaven and sea to overturn.

The power of this demonic beast was comparable to higher‑tier beings, impressive even in a xianxia world.

The giant ape understood that since a fight was inevitable, he must exert all his strength to kill Chu Yang swiftly, thereby avoiding the risk of demonic transformation.

If the old women drag it to the end, no person or demon here can walk out alive.

The Nine-Tails Celestial Fox that had just barely avoided demonization was the last to act; she hesitated more than the other two demon kings, because given her current state, she has the highest chance of demonization among the three.

With misgivings in mind, on the battlefield one cannot attend to both front and rear; let alone slaying enemies, one ends up hindering one's companions.

The sun and moon hanging in the high sky turned into a great grindstone that pressed down on the giant fish-bird; the bigger the giant fish-bird's body, the more the sun-and-moon grindstone swelled.

The giant fish-bird is extremely swift, but when struck by the light of the sun and moon, its body becomes as slow as sinking into a mire.

The merciless light of the sun and moon wore away his flesh, large amounts of meat and blood falling into the sea and causing the sea tribe to frenziedly scramble! Now it was the turn of the various major sects to panic, hastily commanding their warships to go retrieve the giant fish-bird's flesh and blood.

Qi Jiguang saw this and shook his head helplessly; these people still only remember to eat, not to fight.

As expected, the old ape locked in battle with Chu Yang gave a cold snort, turned and swung a staff at random, smashing down; half the warships instantly capsized. (End of chapter)