Thunder and Fire: A Tale of Two Extremes

"Dammit! I never expected the so-called Holy Envoy to be such a joke!"

Gu Qingfeng glared at the unconscious elephant demon, his anger boiling over.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Without hesitation, he mounted the elephant demon and delivered dozens of brutal slaps across its face, jolting it back to consciousness.

As the elephant demon regained its senses and saw Gu Qingfeng’s twisted grin, sheer terror gripped it. It tried to scream—

But Gu Qingfeng seized its throat, choking the sound before it could escape.

With one hand clamped around its windpipe, he summoned flames in the other.

Sizzle!

His burning palm plunged straight into the elephant demon’s body.

The fire raged inside, searing flesh and organs. The agony was unbearable—so intense the demon nearly passed out again.

It thrashed wildly, but resistance was futile.

It wanted to beg for mercy, but its crushed throat allowed no sound.

"Listen well, beast. I’ll give you one chance to live—swear loyalty to me and guide me to the Upper Realm. Do you submit?"

The elephant demon convulsed, gagging: "Ugh... ugh... nngh..."

Gu Qingfeng’s face darkened with fury. "Hah! So the Upper Realm breeds tough ones, eh? Fine!"

Rip!

He yanked his flaming hand free, leaving a gaping hole in the demon’s torso. Strangely, no blood poured out—the wound had already cauterized, the flesh charred shut.

The flames dissipated, replaced by crackling lightning dancing across his fingers.

Gu Qingfeng sneered. "Let’s see how you handle lightning and fire together!"

Zap!

His electrified hand stabbed back in.

"Nngh—!"

The elephant demon’s body spasmed violently, yet it refused to scream—like a hardened warrior enduring torture.

"Good! What resolve!" Gu Qingfeng roared. "Let’s see how long you last!"

Hearing this, the demon writhed desperately, but the iron grip on its throat stifled all protest.

Tears streamed silently down its face.

Sizzle—rip!

Again, he withdrew his hand, reignited the flames, and stabbed anew.

Fire. Lightning. Fire. Lightning.

Over and over.

Half an hour later...

The elephant demon lay unconscious, its skin blackened and crispy, tinged with golden hues—resembling nothing so much as an overcooked Peking duck.

Sniff.

Gu Qingfeng inhaled deeply. The faint aroma of roasted meat even made his stomach growl.

Abruptly, he released his grip and studied the limp demon, sighing in admiration. "To endure half an hour of this without breaking... truly, few demons have such spine. Fine. If you’d rather die than yield, I’ll grant you a quick end."

Just as he raised his hand for the killing blow—

Gasp!

The elephant demon jolted awake, sensing its chance. The moment the chokehold loosened, it wailed: "I submit! I’ll serve you, Master!"

Sobbing uncontrollably, it poured out its misery. It had wanted to surrender from the first strike—but that damned grip had silenced it, leaving it to endure endless stabbings.

Death would’ve been kinder. The only reason it clung to life was the desperate hope of finally speaking those words.

Gu Qingfeng blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift. One second, unyielding defiance; the next, bawling submission.

A trap?

Not that it mattered. Once the oath was sworn, escape would be impossible.

"Then swear your loyalty. A blood oath."

The elephant demon nearly wept with relief. A thousand oaths wouldn’t compare to ending this torment.

In seconds, the vow was sealed—and a glowing oath-bond materialized in the air.

The demon shuddered. Now it understood why a mere Lower Realm human could be so terrifying.

This was no mortal—but an avatar of the Outer Realm Demons!

If only it had known earlier! Why had it even come to this wretched realm? A few insults back home were nothing compared to this.

Regret gnawed at its soul.

"Now," Gu Qingfeng commanded, "explain the Upper Realm’s workings."

Though his system made him fearless against demons, the Upper Realm held more than just monsters. Caution was necessary.

The elephant demon, bursting with pent-up words, spilled everything—especially now that it knew its master’s true nature.

The cross-realm passage, it revealed, led not to the true Upper Realm—but to an isolated pocket dimension crafted by the Sacred Clan.

Moreover, it was located in an extremely remote area of the Cangming Realm.

Gu Qingfeng was quite curious about this. Since it was the Holy Clan's business, why not conduct it within their own territory? Instead, they chose such a distant region—weren’t they afraid of being discovered by the humans of the upper realm?

After all, no place could be safer than one's own domain.

The Elephant Demon provided an explanation.

If humans discovered the trafficking of lower-realm populations, they might intervene—or they might not. But if demons and monsters got wind of such a lucrative trade, they would undoubtedly try to seize it!

Since ancient times, profit has stirred the hearts of men!

Thus, they had to hide in remote areas to prevent other demons and monsters from locating their base.