Deception, That's Also My Specialty

Sui Changsheng halted his steps. It was one thing for him to admit his own fear, but hearing someone else say it inexplicably angered him.

He had been completely seen through.

"Young man, how long do you think I’ve lived? So what if I’m afraid? It doesn’t affect my strength. If we fight, I’ll make you pay a heavy price."

"Only a price? You don’t even have the confidence to kill me, do you?"

"What an arrogant brat. Sooner or later, you’ll end up like Luo Ta—dead without even knowing how. But lucky for you, you’ve met me today. I’ll spare you this time." Sui Changsheng insisted on leaving, even quickening his pace.

It wasn’t that he thought he was certain to lose—just that the odds of victory weren’t high enough. And that was reason enough for him to abandon the fight.

No battle without certainty.

"Even after being provoked like this, you still hold back. You’re truly cautious."

Su Luo didn’t dislike that quality. But even so, Sui Changsheng had to die.

Su Luo’s sword was already behind him.

Sui Changsheng turned to defend. "Damn brat! If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll really think I’m nothing!"

A colossal stone dragon erupted from the ground, charging straight at Su Luo.

Su Luo dodged—but the dragon suddenly exploded, sending a hail of rocks flying toward him.

Yet Su Luo evaded those too.

Sui Changsheng cast another spell, but no matter how many times he attacked, Su Luo effortlessly dodged and countered.

Why? Why was he so familiar with his techniques?

This should have been the first time Sui Changsheng had used them in front of him!

Many of Sui Changsheng’s moves were layered, with follow-up strikes or even tertiary damage, making them impossible to predict.

But Su Luo seemed to know every single one like the back of his hand.

This baffled Sui Changsheng even more. He had been constantly developing new techniques precisely to avoid his moves becoming predictable and useless.

So why were even his new techniques ineffective?

Sui Changsheng couldn’t help but ask, "Why? Why are you so familiar with my moves?"

This wasn’t something reflexes alone could explain.

Su Luo didn’t answer. Instead, he said, "You claimed fear doesn’t affect your strength. But the truth is, you’ve long lost the burning will to fight with your life on the line. You can no longer push your power to its limit."

"Answer my question!"

Su Luo ignored him, moving at blinding speed to appear above Sui Changsheng’s head—his sword slashing downward.

Sui Changsheng’s face twisted in panic.

But deep inside, he was rejoicing.

Victory!

He had waited so long for this exact moment.

Sui Changsheng had never fought at full strength. The power he displayed was only at the late-stage Nascent Soul realm—but in truth, he had already reached the peak of Nascent Soul.

Learning this method of concealing his true strength had taken him years, but it had never failed him.

By feigning weakness, he lured his enemies into a false sense of security.

And the moment they let their guard down—that was when he struck the killing blow.

Sui Changsheng burst into laughter, a surge of immense energy gathering in his palm as he unleashed a devastating spell straight at Su Luo’s abdomen.

"Maybe you’re right—I may have lost my fire. But I’ve lived far longer than you. Years of experience are why I can still kill you!"

Sui Changsheng smirked in triumph. "You got careless, kid."

Yet his confident strike didn’t kill Su Luo. It didn’t even make him budge.

"Years of experience? You mean that obvious feigned weakness just now? That won’t fool me."

Su Luo’s interrupted sword strike resumed its descent.

"Besides… deception is my specialty too."

Su Luo dispelled [What You See Is Only What I Let You See].

A terrifying pressure instantly crushed down on Sui Changsheng.

His eyes widened in shock!

Peak Nascent Soul? No—Void Tribulation! That was definitely the aura of Void Tribulation!

How could someone so young be at the Void Tribulation realm?!

There was no fighting this!

He should have fled from the very beginning!

But it was too late for regrets. The sword had already fallen.

"Spare me—"

Pleading was useless. Su Luo cut him down without hesitation.

......

After tidying himself up briefly, Su Luo resumed his journey.

The Left Enforcer had made a move against him—not a good sign.

But as long as he didn’t act personally, things were still manageable.

Su Luo trusted that the current Demon Lord could still keep the Left Enforcer in check for a while longer.

After some thought, he decided there was no need to worry yet. The Left Enforcer would be tied up with other troubles soon enough—he’d have no time to focus on Su Luo.

With that, Su Luo hurried back.

Upon his return, he found Little Yu still deep in cultivation, while Yun went about her own business.

"Su Luo! You’re back!"

Little Yu was, as always, the first to rush over.

"Yeah. Everything went smoothly."

"I’ve made a lot of progress these days too~"

"Good, good."

Su Luo didn’t hold back his praise. He knew it would motivate her further.

"Hehe."

Then, Yun also approached. "Me too! I’ve been working hard!"

Su Luo rapped her lightly on the head. "Stop joking. I bet it was Xiao Pa doing the work while you watched."

"You saw through me. As expected of the boss."

"Slacking off will only lead to regrets when it matters."

Su Luo had known from the start—Yun was just like him, someone who preferred idleness. Maybe that was why he’d let her stay by his side in the first place.

But unlike him, she didn’t have any cheats. What did she even have?

He’d given his warning. Whether she listened was up to her. Su Luo wasn’t one to force things or fret needlessly.

"Eh, it’s fine."

Nangong Xiyun chimed in, declaring she’d already passed the stage of hard work—now was the time to enjoy life.

Su Luo glanced around. "Where’s the Demon Lord?"

"Oh, she went back," Yun replied.

"Good that she left."

Her constant visits were probably why the Left Enforcer had targeted him in the first place.

Now he could finally relax in peace.

Su Luo finally reached his favorite recliner and sank into it with a satisfied sigh.

After all that activity, he deserved a few days of doing absolutely nothing.

Then, Little Yu settled down beside him.

"Tired?"

"Not really. I just wanted to lie here with you for a bit."

"Mhm. Rest is important too."

While Su Luo and the others lounged, the rest of the world was bustling.

The conflict between the allied sects and the Heavenly Demon Sect raged on. Yet no matter how many schemes the Left Enforcer deployed, none bore fruit.

The Heavenly Demon Sect suffered continuous losses—even titled demons were dying at an unprecedented rate.

The real issue was the Left Enforcer’s refusal to admit defeat. Still plotting his next move, his misplaced confidence baffled everyone.

Discontent toward him simmered within the sect, but voices of dissent remained quiet—his strength was undeniable.

Besides, he had the Demon Lord’s authority backing him. Though, it had been a long time since anyone had seen the Demon Lord. Many wondered when she would finally step in to turn the tide.

She was, after all, their greatest hope against the allied sects.