The Demon Emperor of Inner Demons was on the verge of a mental breakdown after being struck again.
"Why? Your strength is one thing, but how do you always manage to predict my moves?"
"Because I have a sharp blade and sharp eyes."
Of course, that wasn't the real reason. Su Luo had relived this battle dozens of times, and his combat skills were already at their peak. With just a glance, he could roughly gauge the Demon Emperor's level.
"Don't get too cocky, kid. Phantom Raging Gale!"
"Falling Heaven Seal!"
"Devouring Demon Sound!"
The Demon Emperor unleashed one technique after another in rapid succession.
Think, think! What other moves do I have?
But the Demon Emperor froze. None of his previous attacks had worked. A sense of despair, long forgotten, crept into his heart. Yet, as an Emperor, he couldn't allow himself to succumb to such feelings.
"Damn it, damn it! Inner Demons, attack this brat!"
The Demon Emperor believed that Su Luo's sudden rise in strength was due to his inner demons. Although his previous attempt to control Su Luo's inner demons had failed, he had no choice but to try again—no, he had to try.
He poured all his energy into casting a spell to control the inner demons.
Su Luo's inner demon sneered, "It's useless. He is the King, and I am his steed. You can't control me."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Who understands this 'King and steed' talk?" The Demon Emperor's eyes began to bleed, but he intensified his control spell.
"He is the King who reigns over all, and I am the steed that enhances his power. This relationship is beyond your control."
"Are you kidding me? How can you call yourself an inner demon? This is a disgrace to all inner demons!"
"You don't understand? Let me explain further. I simply enjoy the game to the point of obsession. There's no conflict with the main body; in fact, our ideals align."
"Shut up! Attack the main body!"
The Demon Emperor frantically cast his spells, to the point where blood streamed from all seven orifices. Yet, Su Luo's inner demon remained completely unaffected.
Su Luo remarked, "Losing to a Golden Core cultivator is a disgrace even for an Emperor."
With another slash of his blade, Su Luo sent the Demon Emperor crashing to the ground once more.
"But losing to me? That's still something to be proud of."
As the dust settled, the Demon Emperor lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
"It's over." Su Luo raised his blade high. Would the Demon Emperor dodge this time?
Slowly, the Demon Emperor knelt up, pressing his head firmly against the ground. In a pitiful voice, he begged, "Please, spare me."
Su Luo's inner demon chimed in, "Spare you? No way. Use whatever secret techniques you have, or you'll miss your chance."
"Please, I can't take it anymore. Spare me, and I'll do anything."
Su Luo's inner demon feigned sympathy. "Fine, I'll give you a chance. Since you're out of tricks, let's do a 'No Laugh Challenge.'"
"A 'No Laugh Challenge'?" The Demon Emperor looked up, confused.
What kind of challenge is this?
Su Luo's inner demon explained, "If you can go fifteen minutes without laughing, I'll let you go."
"Really?"
The Demon Emperor swore to himself that he wouldn't laugh, no matter what.
Su Luo's inner demon declared, "Of course. Let's begin."
Su Luo sighed at the childishness of it all but decided to play along.
[The Joy of a Trickster]
The Demon Emperor burst into laughter. "Hahaha!"
"You laughed."
With a smile, Su Luo brought his blade down.
"Ahhh!" The Demon Emperor let out another howl of pain.
But when he saw Su Luo raising his blade again, he forgot about the pain.
"Give me another chance, please! I swear I won't laugh this time."
"Fine."
Once again, the Demon Emperor's laughter echoed through the air.
He laughed, but inside, he was breaking. He didn't want to laugh; he didn't want to die.
After years of waiting for freedom, why had it come to this?
"You had your chance, and you wasted it."
Finally, the Demon Emperor realized, "It... it was you all along, wasn't it?"
Su Luo's inner demon confirmed, "Yes, from the very beginning, I never intended to let you go."
Ah, ah, ahhh!
The Demon Emperor was utterly broken. He tried to speak, but only incoherent sounds came out. Tears streamed down his face as he watched the blade descend.
Yet, even then, the Demon Emperor still clung to life.
No matter. If one strike wasn't enough, Su Luo would keep slashing until the job was done. Finishing off enemies was something Su Luo excelled at.
Finally, the power he had absorbed from the Demon Emperor faded, signaling that the Demon Emperor was truly dead.
Su Luo teased his inner demon, "You're really something, you know that?"
"Don't say that. He was the one who provoked us. We're the victims here."
"True. It's been a while since I've had a real fight. Thanks to him."
"Li Siyi is still fighting over there. Should we lend a hand?"
"No, she can handle it."
"But I want to help."
"Why?"
"I'm not done yet. The battle has only just begun."
After the recent fight, Su Luo's inner demon had faded to a faint black color. Soon, it would disappear entirely. But for now, it wanted to have a bit more fun.
"Alright."
Su Luo wasn't one to be rigid, and by this point, the story was nearing its end.
Lin Xuan had probably dealt with Qin San by now.
Wait, could the appearance of the inner demons cause any unexpected twists?
Better go check. But before that, let's help Li Siyi deal with her inner demon.
Nearby, Li Siyi was still locked in combat with her inner demon, though she occasionally glanced over at Su Luo.
When she saw Su Luo's inner demon merge with him, she couldn't help but taunt her own demon.
"Look at Su Luo's inner demon, then look at you. Why don't you just surrender?"
"Hmph. Just because they teamed up to defeat the Demon Emperor? If I defeat you and join the Demon Emperor, we can survive."
"I'd rather die."
Then Su Luo effortlessly crushed the Demon Emperor.
Li Siyi didn't fully understand what had happened, but she was deeply impressed.
Wasn't he at the Foundation Establishment stage? That kind of power from a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Li Siyi felt that even a single blow from him would reduce her to ashes.
But now was the perfect time to mock her inner demon.
"So, still planning to kidnap Su Luo?"
"Hmph. There are other ways. Crude methods are plentiful." Even the inner demon, having witnessed the recent events, couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated.
But changing strategies wasn't something to be ashamed of.
"Hahaha, you were so arrogant earlier."
"Shut up! Just hand over control of the body."
"Only if you can take it."
Su Luo, having slain the Demon Emperor, now turned his blade toward them.
Li Siyi's inner demon panicked. "Quick, kill me!"
Li Siyi: ?
"What's going on? Weren't you just fighting for control? Now you're begging me to kill you? Trying to trick me? No way."
"That massive blade is pointed right at me! What else can I do? I'd rather die by your hand!"
"Why?"
"You're driving me crazy! I'm your inner demon! If you don't defeat me, how will you grow stronger? You're so dense! Fine, I'll do it myself."
Rather than die for no reason, it was better to let the main body benefit.
With that, Li Siyi's inner demon charged at her and impaled itself on her sword.
Li Siyi won, but it felt utterly bewildering.
Seeing that the inner demon was gone, Su Luo sheathed his blade and headed toward Lin Xuan's location.
From a distance, the sounds of their battle could still be heard.
It seemed there was still a second half to this fight.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
