Chapter 51: Sparring, Victory and Defeat
The matter of sworn brotherhood, Yu Qiye did not wish to delve into deeply. The Handsome Monkey King, unaware of future events, considered their oath a bond of brotherhood and thought it kind to include him. But now...
Yu Qiye spread his wings and descended from the sky.
“Xue’er…”
“At your service.”
Qingqiu Xue knelt on one knee.
“Search the Five-Colored Deer’s cave residence and gather everything.”
“Yes.”
With a prompt response, Qingqiu Xue immediately led his men away.
At that moment, Yu Qiye called out again:
“Divine Mastiff.”
“Master.”
At his summons, a fierce black creature appeared before Yu Qiye.
“This, I give to you.”
He snapped his fingers.
“Roar...!”
With a sudden howl, the Divine Mastiff trembled all over.
This was the ability—Devour Heaven (Red).
Unsuitable for Yu Qiye but perfect for the Divine Mastiff.
“Perhaps this fellow can one day rival Erlang Shen’s Howling Celestial Dog.”
Yu Qiye’s face showed no concealment of his expectations.
Erlang Shen’s Howling Celestial Dog was at most at the Xuanxian Realm.
But this one was about to step into the True Immortal stage.
Its future as a Xuanxian was still uncertain.
Combined with the many abilities Yu Qiye had bestowed, its combat power was truly fearsome.
Would the Divine Mastiff betray him?
Impossible.
Yu Qiye had repeatedly nurtured the Divine Mastiff largely because it possessed the Loyal Heart (Purple) attribute.
Loyalty was the prerequisite for Yu Qiye’s cultivation.
“Roar, roar, roar...”
Low growls sounded continuously as the Divine Mastiff’s form shifted, radiating an extremely fierce aura.
“Thank you, Master. In this life, I vow to follow you to the death.”
After a long moment of digestion, the Divine Mastiff prostrated itself, its gaze burning with fervent loyalty toward Yu Qiye.
At that instant, Yu Qiye’s eyes narrowed slightly as the Divine Mastiff’s attribute changed.
[Sworn to Death Loyalty (Red) — Absolute loyalty, even at the cost of life, will follow without hesitation.]
“Not in vain was my cultivation of you.”
Yu Qiye smiled, and before the Divine Mastiff could say more, his entire figure melded with the breeze and vanished into the world.
...
Yu Qiye departed.
He headed straight for the Overturned Sea Palace.
Previously, though he had fought beyond his level at the True Immortal realm, facing the likes of the Peng Demon King and Bull Demon King, he still fell short.
Yu Qiye was a genius—so were those Demon Kings.
Moreover, their cultivation was one realm higher than his.
But now, having stepped into the Xuanxian realm, his combat power was unimaginably strong.
It was time to seize their powerful attributes.
“Perfect. I can also use this sparring to stabilize my realm.”
A smile crossed his mind, and Yu Qiye felt a surge of anticipation.
Unknown to him, most of the demons in the Overturned Sea Palace had already dispersed.
Even several major Demon Kings had left.
---
Pleasure and revelry were always fleeting.
They all had their own lives.
But shortly after, as if sensing something, the Jiao Demon King sitting deep within the palace suddenly raised his brow.
“What is that aura?”
He instinctively stood, raising his eyes toward the distant sky.
“Brother, take this!”
With a fierce shout, Yu Qiye raised one hand and grasped at the void.
Boom!
A terrifying storm condensed and shrank in his right hand.
In mere moments, a spear of wind materialized in Yu Qiye’s grasp.
This was the Wind Spear.
It was a new insight Yu Qiye had gained into wind magic after stepping into the Xuanxian realm.
Wind had no fixed form or shape.
But in Yu Qiye’s hands, it had form and shape, capable of free transformation.
Boom!
The Wind Spear shot forth like a meteor, tearing through the sky toward the Overturned Sea Palace.
“Well struck.”
With a long roar, the Jiao Demon King waved his massive hand.
Rumble, rumble.
The entire sea seemed to roar as towering water tornadoes howled up, rushing to intercept the Wind Spear.
Boom!
With a fearsome thunder, the entire sky trembled.
The once clear sky suddenly unleashed a torrential downpour.
“Again!”
The Jiao Demon King roared once more.
“Good.”
Seeing this, Yu Qiye’s demonic energy surged rapidly.
Countless wind blades gathered behind him, merging and forming.
In moments, a great blade hundreds, even thousands of feet long appeared.
“Slash.”
At his command, the blade descended from the sky, as if intent on ripping apart the sea.
“Water Torrent Strike.”
Simple four words, yet they seemed to summon the entire ocean.
Splash, splash...
Wave after wave surged forth toward the blade.
Boom, boom, boom...
Continuous roars as countless waves battered the blade.
One wave was insufficient.
Then ten, a hundred, even more.
“So this is what it means to stand atop the water element.”
Yu Qiye’s eyes narrowed.
The Jiao Demon King was a Jiaolong, but with his profound mastery of water magic, his strength surpassed even ordinary true dragons.
Though this was partly due to the decline of the dragon race and loss of much heritage.
More so, it was because the Jiao Demon King was extraordinarily gifted.
But it was not enough.
Far from enough.
His internal magic surged to its peak.
His blood seemed to race wildly.
“Brother, the test is over. From now on, take it seriously.”
Yu Qiye shouted loudly.
---
“Good.”
At his words, the Jiao Demon King smirked.
“Wait, this was only a test?”
“Oh my, since when did Demon Kings become so terrifying?”
“Seriously? They’re battling so fiercely the heavens and earth change color, and that was just testing?”
One exclamation after another arose from the Turtle Steward, Crab Commander, and countless shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
They knew their master was strong.
But never had they imagined him this formidable.
...
Time passed slowly, nearly half an hour gone by.
Yu Qiye and the Jiao Demon King continued their sparring.
More precisely, they were engaging in a magical duel.
One wielded wind magic with ease, the other water magic perfected.
The repeated clashes between wind and water stirred waves tens of thousands of feet high in the Northern Sea.
Even the underwater Dragon Palace was disturbed.
“What is happening? What on earth is going on?”
The Northern Sea Dragon Palace roared from its depths.
“Reporting to the Dragon King, it is the Jiao Demon King and an unknown Demon King dueling.”
“What? Just a duel causing such upheaval?”
The Northern Sea Dragon King’s face shifted repeatedly as he heard the Turtle Chancellor’s report.
“He’s grown to this extent…”
The Dragon King sighed, his expression complex beyond words.
At that moment,
“Bang!”
Like the clash of metal and iron, a sudden explosion rang out above the sea.
It was Yu Qiye’s claws colliding violently with the Jiao Demon King’s steel fork-like weapon.
Bang, bang, bang...
Amidst the continuous thunder, the two figures battled from sea surface to deep ocean, then from deep ocean to sky.
The duel was exhilarating and unrestrained.
Even Yu Qiye could not help but let out a long roar.
Yet...
“I must win!”
A sudden sigh escaped Yu Qiye’s heart.
He had to win.
Only then could he seize his second brother’s attributes.
So, apologies, brother.
“Rage!”
Yu Qiye suddenly opened his mouth and unleashed a piercing, earth-shattering scream.
“Not good.”
The Jiao Demon King sensed ill fortune and his entire body and spirit shook.
Even so, he rapidly retreated, putting distance between them.
But no matter how fast he was, he could not outpace the cold gleam of a flying blade.
A throwing knife came like a shadow, aiming straight for the Jiao Demon King’s neck.
“I lost...”
The Jiao Demon King stared at the blade poised at his throat, paused, then graciously admitted defeat.