How foolish I was, why didn't I let them in.

Su Luo smiled, signaling for the opponent to attack.

The city guard didn’t hesitate—he swung his sword.

"Thirteen Deadly Strikes, Throat Slash!"

Su Luo dodged effortlessly.

Then, a [Void Hand] appeared.

Yet, the city guard blocked it with ease.

"Oh, interesting," the guard remarked.

That pitch-black hand had appeared without a sound, and he hadn’t sensed any spell fluctuations from Su Luo.

Fortunately, his reflexes were sharp enough to counter it.

"Again! Thirteen Deadly Strikes, Wrist Break!"

The same scene repeated—another Void Hand emerged, and the city guard still couldn’t decipher its mechanics.

Mysterious. Unpredictable.

Is this the legacy of the Demon God?

"This is the Demon God’s legacy," Su Luo said, as if reading his mind.

After all, he needed a signature move to establish his reputation.

The [Void Hand] fit the bill.

Of course, Su Luo had other powerful techniques, but free stuff was always good.

"Again."

The city guard attacked swiftly, but Su Luo evaded every strike without a scratch.

"Time’s running out..."

Su Luo began a countdown, adding pressure.

Indeed, failing to land even a single hit in fifteen minutes would be humiliating.

And now, spectators had gathered.

The city guard refused to back down and accelerated his assaults.

But the faster he attacked, the more Void Hands appeared.

Their accuracy was terrifying—dodging was futile, so he resorted to parrying.

A headache, truly.

By now, murmurs spread among the onlookers.

The gist? "Can’t even handle this, weakling?"

His pride stung.

"Ha!"

With a roar, the city guard mustered his full strength to block all the Void Hands.

Then he launched another offensive—fiercer, more reckless, abandoning defense entirely.

The Void Hands weren’t overwhelmingly powerful.

He could tank a few hits and focus on attacking.

Just one strike. Just one.

That was his mantra now.

But Su Luo had no intention of going easy. Not actively counterattacking was mercy enough.

Deliberately taking a hit? Unnecessary.

A single Void Hand might be negligible, but their cumulative force wore him down.

Gradually, instinct took over—he started defending again. His gut warned him: prolong this, and he’d be the one severely wounded.

With no offense, no new Void Hands formed.

A stalemate ensued, mostly because the city guard found it too grueling.

Finally, he sheathed his sword. "Time’s up. Pity we couldn’t finish. You win."

Cutting losses now would spare him further embarrassment.

Whatever.

At least this way, he could blame the clock and save face.

Su Luo strode gracefully toward the City of Villains.

But then—the city guard drew his blade again, blocking the others.

"Su Luo, you may pass. These two? Not unless they earn my approval."

The City of Villains didn’t tolerate group entries without scrutiny.

Of course, Little Yu had already removed her cloak, revealing herself.

The guard recognized her—the so-called "genius" who defected from the Seven Stars Sword Sect to the Heavenly Demon Sect.

But recognition didn’t matter. He wanted redemption.

Little Yu unsheathed her sword.

"Perfect," the city guard sneered. If he couldn’t best Su Luo, he’d reclaim dignity from his follower.

A genius?

How genius could she be?

Yet Little Yu had long reached the Void Treading realm—a prodigy capable of surpassing her level.

The fight erupted instantly, surprising the crowd with an unexpected second round.

"Hahaha, fight! Fight!"

"That girl’s doomed. The guard’s furious—how pitiful. Wait, no, why pity her? Beat her down!"

"Don’t collapse too fast. At least give him some pressure."

The spectators reveled in the chaos.

But Little Yu remained unfazed. In combat mode, she was ruthlessly focused.

A few moves in, the city guard was already struggling.

She’d dabbled in demonic techniques—not masterfully, but well enough to disguise her roots.

After several exchanges, the guard sheathed his sword again.

"You may enter."

He’d realized: continuing would only deepen his humiliation.

No point.

Thankfully, his helmet hid his grimace.

The crowd buzzed in confusion. Why stop mid-fight?

Since when was the city guard this easy to handle?

He ignored them. They had no idea how strong Little Yu was—probably thought he’d gone soft.

Then his gaze landed on the last cloaked figure in Su Luo’s group.

Should he fight her too?

Reluctance crept in. The first two rounds proved this trio wasn’t to be trifled with.

Maybe… just let her pass?

But Jiang Ningshu, noticing his stare, understood. "It seems I must battle you as well."

The guard froze. A foreboding sense gripped him.

He was right.

Jiang Ningshu didn’t need to lift a finger.

An overwhelming pressure erupted—now fused with heavenly tribulation, even more terrifying than before.

The onlookers collapsed unconscious, too fast to react.

The city guard was crushed flat, unable to move or rise.

His consciousness teetered on the edge.

"You—you may pass!"

With his last strength, he spat it out, fearing death if he delayed.

How foolish. Why didn’t I just let all three through?

Regret consumed him.

Jiang Ningshu withdrew her aura.

But the guard remained dazed, mind blank, unsure what to do—even how to stand.

"Such dominance," Su Luo praised.

Even he couldn’t match Jiang Ningshu’s oppressive might.

"No matter how dominant, I’m merely your subordinate."

"Don’t say that. You’re no subordinate of mine."

Su Luo had no memory of Jiang Ningshu ever serving him.

"I’m just boosting your reputation."

True enough—the guard, jolted awake by her words, gaped in shock.

Someone this powerful willingly submitting to Su Luo? The Demon God’s heir was truly extraordinary.

"Your kindness is hard to repay."

"Since I can’t reveal myself, acting as your subordinate is fine for now."

"That… makes sense."

As they conversed, they entered the City of Villains.

Their goal here was simple:

Recruit two future pillars of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

These two were necessary for the plot.