1603 Self-Destruction Countdown!
*Rumble*
The Demon Palace suddenly shook vigorously. The shock came from the outside, apparently from the water’s surface. Cotillard and the others had grown impatient and decided to use some sort of powerful weapon to blast the Domain that surrounded the palace.
Cotillard was the City Lord in charge of weapons research, and the creation of large-scale a.s.sault weapons was his area of expertise. Perhaps he had gotten anxious, so he pulled out his most precious treasure, aiming it toward the Demon Palace under the sea, after a series of indiscriminate blasts. The crazy old weapons researcher had the nickname of ‘Bomb Maniac’, and the consequences of agitating him could be disastrous.
*Crunch*
!!
Xia Fan desperately lunged over to tear off Traveling Buddha’s combat armor, as Traveling Buddha took several steps back, horrified, “Just what are you doing? I’m not a woman, so why are you grabbing at my clothes?”
Xia Fan was speechless as he stared at Traveling Buddha. How was this man still in the mood for jokes given how dire the situation was?
As Traveling Buddha’s muscular shoulder was exposed, Xia Fan could see a black bruise on his left shoulder. Under the light, he could very clearly make out that a small hole had penetrated his combat armor, most likely the handiwork of Stanley planting the Demonic Seed that would turn Traveling Buddha toward Darkness.
The black bruise was like a poisonous mandala flower, slowly spreading over time. It would not take long before it would fundamentally change Traveling Buddha’s genes, turning him from a human into a Demon!
When that time came, Traveling Buddha would listen to the commands of the Thirteen Demon Kings. If they instructed him to go west, Traveling Buddha would go west, and if they told Traveling Buddha to kill Xia Fan, he would not hesitate to deal the killing blow.
The loss of freedom was a fate worse than death. Turning into a puppet that the enemy controlled was definitely an outcome that Traveling Buddha would not accept, given his personality. He would surely choose to end his own life before he completed this transformation.
Xia Fan’s heart sank, as darkness and coldness surrounded him. Ever since he had lost the Disasters, he had not made many friends, and Traveling Buddha was by far the most important one.
*Boom*
The a.s.sault weapon struck the Domain outside the Demon Palace once again. Because they had lost all lines of communication, there was no way for Xia Fan to know what Cotillard was thinking. Perhaps he thought that the team that he had sent had already been killed, which was why he was willing to risk the collapse of the Demon Palace and attack indiscriminately. Now it seemed like even if Xia Fan did not detonate the underground nuclear bomb he had fas.h.i.+oned, he would also be buried by the Bomb Maniac Cotillard!
“You humans sure are crazier than us Demons when you lose it!” Stanley looked up to the shaking ceiling and sighed. “Forget it. Do whatever you like. In any case, I’ve already completed my task here in your territory, so it’s about time for me to meet up with the others. If I stay for any longer, this Demon Palace of mine will be ruined by your fooling around.”
That was when Xia Fan got up. The ever-smiling young man had lost his smile. All that remained on his face was an expression colder than a ten thousand year Ice Age. His eyes were red from the rage and hurt he was feeling, and his whole body was slightly trembling.
“Thinking you can come and go as you please? What a joke. Do you think I’m just paper paste?” Xia Fan gnashed his teeth.
“I’m not joking.” Stanley deftly snapped his fingers. Traveling Buddha suddenly let out a shrill cry, one hand clutching his shoulder, painfully collapsing to his knees. Veins were visible across his face, swelling like pig liver.
Xia Fan was stunned. Though Traveling Buddha had an indifferent att.i.tude toward everything, fooling around all day, he was still a descendent of the Holy Buddha Clan. He was someone who had received elite training. For him to cry out such a cry of despair just went to show that the level of pain he was feeling was well beyond the threshold he could withstand, something at the level of an inhuman torment!
“The Demon Seed has already taken root, and I am in control of a portion of his body. I can let him live, or let him die. The intense pain alone will destroy his nervous system! I don’t think you all have ever seen someone die from pain alone, have you? Trust me, don’t try it. It’s very tragic.
“Actually, why bother looking so bitter and hateful? We Demons aren’t like you imagine; we also have feelings. We are also sad when a brother dies.
“Besides, our demands are very reasonable. Those people above had the Lower Realm split in two in order to suppress us, giving half of it to us and the other half to you humans. To put it bluntly, you people are just the weapons of those above, and they are using humans to deal with us, the Demons.
“That isn’t fair. We wish to take back the territories that originally belonged to us, so we can sit as equals with those hypocritical people above.
“A capable warrior like Traveling Buddha will no doubt be heavily used once he comes over to my side, so there’s no need for you to worry on his behalf. If possible, I also hope that you’ll join us. After all, you’re partners, and having just one of you would be too lonely. You’d both be able to demonstrate your greatest combat effectiveness if you’re together.
“There’s still some time before the war begins, so why don’t you think about it some more? I am the most gentlemanly individual among the demons, and I a.s.sure you that you would not lose out following me.”
Stanley’s voice gradually disappeared. He had returned to his throne, and the entire seat was sinking down. It was clear that it was a secret exit.
General Dresden could tell that Stanley was about to escape and he wanted to give chase, but Xia Fan’s shout stopped him.
“Don’t move! Let him go!”
Xia Fan looked ghastly. He was not afraid of the Scarlet Blaze Demon King, but did not want Traveling Buddha to be tortured any further. A simple wave from Stanley’s hand and Traveling Buddha would suffer an agony worse than death. That was akin to holding onto Xia Fan’s weak point, making it impossible for him to do anything to Stanley.
Dresden’s face twitched. As the old general that was partic.i.p.ating in this battle, he did not feel good letting a young man like Xia Fan shout at him, but he did his best to hold back. Xia Fan’s strength was beyond doubt, and he ought to show face to a young man with so much potential. After all, he was already old, and the future belonged to the young.
“How are you feeling?” Xia Fan asked with wrinkled eyebrows.
Traveling Buddha shrugged with a remarkable lack of worry. “Relax, I won’t die. How could you have let the enemy run off? This isn’t like you. Don’t you dare say you did that for my sake, because I’m not about to appreciate that.”
“It’s not because of you, but because I wasn’t confident,” Xia Fan replied.
“That’s more like it,” Traveling Buddha mumbled. “Being the imperious Little Old Buddha that I am, I am most afraid of being someone else’s deadweight. Relax, if there comes a day when I really can’t make it, I’ll find a place and end things by my own hands. Just be sure to relay the news of my death back home.
“Speaking of which, I can’t be reconciled with the fact of what happened. I’m different from a bachelor like you. I’m someone with a wife and kid. I don’t care that my father would be sad with my pa.s.sing since we’ve never seen eye to eye on things since I was young, but I do feel bad for Hidden Water. She’s really such a silly girl. There’s so many men out there in the world, yet she stubbornly decided to stick with me.”
To speak such nonsense even when he was at death’s door. That was truly Traveling Buddha’s style.
But every word of incoherent gibberish that Traveling Buddha uttered hung in the heart of Xia Fan, cutting like knives.
The atmosphere was heavy. Everyone was wondering why Traveling Buddha did not have a Demonic bloodline and who could have helped him fake the Runes on his arm, but this was definitely not the best time to look into matters, given the situation.
Nikai was surrounded by Dongfang He and Jia Yuntian on her left and right respectively, checking in on her health. Nevertheless, Nikai’s eyes were drawn to the slightly skinny man a short distance away. Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were seated on the floor together, with the latter still spouting nonsense, as if he was really going to die. Meanwhile, Xia Fan did not say a word, and was merely silently listening, tears br.i.m.m.i.n.g in his eyes.
‘He is a man who values emotions greatly, to treat his own sworn brother so well…’, Nikai thought to herself.
Actually, Nikai was not at all familiar with Xia Fan, but for some unknown reason, she felt as if she had known Xia Fan for many years already.
When she was trapped here, all alone, it was Xia Fan’s voice that had kept her company, telling such funny stories that Nikai nearly forgot what sort of situation she was in. Had her surroundings been a garden filled with flowers, it could easily have been mistaken as two people who were spending time together and gradually falling in love.
Being captured by Stanley and then made into a hostage, only for Xia Fan to risk himself and save her, s.n.a.t.c.hing her away from Stanley’s clutches. For this, he had even gotten his brother to tag along. Even the chubby Traveling Buddha looked big and tall in Nikai’s eyes. Without his involvement, she probably would have been spirited away by Stanley just now, and been forced to be his life companion.
“Dammit. To think Stanley managed to get away!” General Dresden was complaining as he hurriedly arranged for his men to look for a way to leave this place, or to reestablish contact with the people above at sea.
Actually, Xia Fan was capable of destroying the Domain. The Law of Gold had an amazing ability; the moment he imbued himself in its golden light, he would be able to pierce through any Domain!
It was just that Xia Fan currently had no desire to leave. The Law of Gold could not whisk Traveling Buddha away, so he might as well stay here and accompany his best friend, his brother for life, here. Even if Xia Fan had to die, he would rather die by his brother’s side.
“Quick run! This place can’t hold it anymore!”
All of a sudden, Xia Fan heard Cid Raleigh’s voice.
“Say, aren’t you being a bit too late?” Xia Fan muttered silently. “When I needed you the most, you didn’t even say a word. But now that Stanley has left, you suddenly appear. Just what are you playing at?”
“Who cares about playing you!” Cid Raleigh said in a stern voice. “With a Demon King around, if I dare make a sound, I would most definitely be discovered! Because of some things that I’ve done in the past, the Thirteen Demon Kings all basically hate me to the core. If I want to survive longer, I need to hide from them!
“Right now isn’t the time to talk about all this though. Stanley has already activated the Demon Palace’s self-destruction sequence. I know that person too well, calling himself a gentleman when he’s really far more vicious than anyone else! If you don’t run, you’ll end up being buried here with the Demon Palace. If you wish to save Traveling Buddha, you’ll first need to flee with him!”