The four cultivators barely made it out of the broken outer wall of Lingxu when something huge blocked their path.
It wasn't a person. It wasn't a friendly forest critter. It was a high-level demon. And from the way it stood there, it seemed like it had been waiting for them.
The thing was horrifying. Its skeletal frame towering with unnatural height. Its charcoal-gray skin, cracked and peeling, revealed veins of molten flame pulsing beneath, as if its very flesh were forged in the depths of a cursed inferno. Its limbs were wrong. Too long. Arms and legs ended in claws scraping the ground with a hiss, each finger stretched out and tipped with talons dripping liquid fire. Wherever the fire dripped, the earth smoked and sizzled.
The face wasn't any better. Hollow. No nose. No mouth. Just two glossy black orbs bulging unnaturally from its skull—too round, too large, too still. Looking into them felt like staring straight into nothing.
From its back, tattered, burning wings stretched outward like a butterfly's but all wrong. Orange and crimson flames coiled off them. Every small shift sent embers raining down, setting the air itself on fire. As if that wasn't enough nightmare fuel, it had not one but two tails. Spiked and barbed, both tipped with fire that lashed and cracked the ground with every flick.
The air grew heavy. The ground blackened where it stood.
Song Meiyu whispered in terror, "Okay… sightseeing officially over."
Linyue's eyes narrowed as she studied the high-level demon ahead. "Level nine demon. Bloodfire King."
He Yuying let out a long sigh. "Great. No need to prepare funerals then. We'll be cremated on the spot. Very efficient."
Linyue and Shen Zhenyu swung down from the horse in perfect sync, their movements calm despite the blazing nightmare waiting for them.
"Sister Meiyu, take the horse. Go with Brother Yuying," Linyue said firmly.
"But—"
Shen Zhenyu's voice cut in, sharp and steady. "Leave. Now."
He Yuying gave a lazy shrug. "Alright. Don't get charred, you two. I prefer medium rare."
"I prefer well done," Linyue replied flatly.
Song Meiyu blinked, and because apparently this was a conversation now, she mumbled, "I… I prefer well done too."
Shen Zhenyu sighed deeply. "Stop talking about food and go."
Song Meiyu and He Yuying didn't argue this time. They yanked the horse's reins and bolted. The sound of pounding hooves quickly swallowed by the burning wind.
The demon didn't move. It just stood there, towering and horrible, its ember-filled wings twitching slightly.
Linyue tilted her head. "Do you think the demon is sleeping?"
Shen Zhenyu gave her a flat look. "Do demons even sleep?"
"I don't know." Linyue patted her pouch. "If not… maybe we can negotiate. I still have moon dumplings with me."
Shen Zhenyu's mouth twitched like he couldn't decide whether to sigh or laugh. "I don't think it wants your dumplings."
"It hasn't tasted them yet," Linyue said with perfectly serious face.
Before Shen Zhenyu could reply, the air changed. Heat rippled out from the demon like a suffocating tide. The ground under their feet cracked, glowing red as if the earth's core had risen to the surface. Trees combusted one after another, flames climbing their trunks. Stones melted into glowing puddles. The air thickened, hot and heavy, each breath scalding their throats.
Linyue narrowed her eyes and gathered her spiritual energy, blue flame sparking across her skin as a protective layer. Her body still screamed under the pressure, like it was seconds from melting. Beside her, Shen Zhenyu's fire spiritual energy flared in waves, his sword already in his hand, its blade shimmering with heat.
"Negotiation failed," Linyue muttered.
There was no time for a reply. The demon lunged. One moment it was a hulking statue, the next a blur of orange light tearing through the air. The ground exploded beneath its leap.
Linyue's body moved on instinct. She twisted and leapt sideways just as a massive claw slammed down where she had been standing.
The impact shattered the earth. Molten rock erupted, sizzling and flying in all directions. The shockwave hit her midair, sending her spinning violently. Her blue flames hissed and flared, barely shielding her from the blast's searing heat. The edge of her sleeve curled and blackened.
Shen Zhenyu wasn't as lucky. The demon's spiked tail slammed into his guard. The force blasted him backward, his boots scraping deep trenches into the glowing, cracked ground. His sword flared desperately, absorbing most of the impact, but his arms still shook. And before he could recover, the Bloodfire King moved again.
It was a blur of charred limbs and liquid flame, its body twisting with unnatural speed. Shen Zhenyu barely brought his sword up in time before the demon's claws slammed down. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, toppling burning trees and splitting the earth. The force sent him flying, crashing through a flaming trunk that disintegrated into ash on contact.
"Brother Zhenyu!" Linyue shouted, her voice sharp and steady even as her heart jumped.
She shot forward, blue flames spiraling wildly around her arms. The air crackled with power. She exhaled hard and punched, releasing a swirling blast of azure fire. The flames tore across the battlefield, coiling around the demon's tattered wings. For one brief moment, the molten veins froze. Brittle cracks forming along the burning flesh.
The Bloodfire King paused, its hollow black eyes turning toward her. Then it vanished.
A low, vibrating hum filled the air.
Linyue's instincts screamed. She spun just as the demon reappeared in front of her in a flash of orange light, its claw already descending like a flaming meteor. She threw herself to the side, rolling across the scorched ground. The claw smashed down where she had been, creating an eruption of molten stone and flame.
The heat was unbearable. Even with her protective energy, her skin prickled painfully, and the edge of her robes curled and blackened. She leapt up and slammed her palm against its ribs, her blue flames detonating in a violent burst. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, the flames eating into its cracked skin.
For a split second, the Bloodfire King staggered. Then its chest hissed and bubbled as molten flesh regenerated, sealing over the burn in seconds. A sound like cracking embers rumbled from its throat—low, harsh, almost like laughter.
"Oh, wonderful," Linyue muttered.
The demon's claw came sweeping at her in a wide arc. She ducked low, skidding across the molten ground as its talons sliced through empty air above her. Sparks sprayed around her boots, but she didn't stop moving. Behind her, Shen Zhenyu emerged from the debris, his flames blazing higher, his eyes sharp.
"Left!" he called out.
Linyue didn't question. She veered left as Shen Zhenyu launched a barrage of fiery slashes. Blades of flame streaked through the air, striking the demon's shoulders and arms. The impacts slowed it, but only barely.
The Bloodfire King roared, its twin tails lashing out with terrifying speed. The first tail slammed into Shen Zhenyu's fire shield, cracking it like glass. The second tail shot toward Linyue, barbed tip glowing molten red.
Linyue raised her hands, blue flame flashing across her palms, and caught the tail between her crackling flames. Energy sparked violently as the two forces clashed. The barbed tip writhed and thrashed, hurling her backward across the battlefield. She rolled, sparks and ash flying, and dug her heels in to stop herself.
Shen Zhenyu darted to her side, his breathing steady despite the heat. "New plan?" he asked.
"Survive," Linyue replied flatly.
"Good plan," he said, raising his sword as the demon shrieked again and lunged forward.
Shen Zhenyu's sword blazed with crimson energy as he slashed again, sending a crescent of fire so dense it split the air. The Bloodfire King caught the strike with its bare hand, the flames splashing harmlessly against its molten skin.
Linyue's eye twitched. "Uh-oh."