Something came up today and I need to head out soon, so there's only one update. Apologies.
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Under Shaya's scrutinizing gaze, Yang Kai wore a perfectly composed expression, as though he were truly just curious about the Demon Heart.
Shaya smiled faintly and, in a move that caught everyone off guard, tossed the Demon Heart to Yang Kai. "Be careful with it," she said coolly. "Don't go breaking it."
Yang Kai caught it and turned it over in his hands, examining it from every angle.
Yu's heart was pounding so hard she could hear every beat. She stared at Yang Kai with desperate hope, momentarily forgetting that he was the man who had killed her sister. Only one thought echoed in her mind: Crush it! Crush the Demon Heart!
If Yang Kai could truly crush this Demon Heart and kill the Demon King standing before him, then Lu's death would not have been in vain. If he actually did it, that would mean everything before had been a lie — that his surrender to the Demon Race was merely a ruse to find an opportunity to slay the Demon King. Even if Lu had died because of it, she could forgive that.
But what filled her with disappointment was that Yang Kai held the Demon Heart and studied it for a long time, showing no intention of making a move.
"What are you hesitating for? Crush it already!" Yu finally couldn't hold back and cried out.
Shaya glanced at her with a smile, her eyes brimming with mockery.
Yang Kai raised his hand and tossed the Demon Heart back. "What happens now?" he asked. "You didn't just pull your own Demon Heart out of your body so I could marvel at it, did you?"
This scene, witnessed by Yu, drained all color from her face. Her legs gave way and she crumpled to the ground as though she had lost all strength.
Wu Niu had truly defected to the Demon Race. Lu had died for nothing. How laughable that she had harbored even a sliver of hope for this spineless, cowardly wretch. The very thought made her feel ashamed.
Shaya, meanwhile, broke into a radiant smile as she caught the Demon Heart, her expression one of deep satisfaction. "Of course I didn't bring it out just for you to look at."
Without any visible motion, the Demon Heart in her hand began to seep a thin thread of pitch-black blood. The droplet was perfectly round and overflowed with unimaginable demonic power. Shaya extended it toward Yang Kai and said with a smile, "Swallow it. From this moment on, you belong to me."
Yang Kai didn't hesitate for a heartbeat. He tipped the demonic blood into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. A muffled grunt escaped him as dark energy surged violently across his skin.
Shaya bit her lower lip and laughed sweetly, regarding Yang Kai with approval. "You've made a wise choice."
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity, my lord," Yang Kai said, his expression perfectly calm.
"Then now…" Shaya stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield. The Demon Race forces had already crumbled into disarray. Even the most powerful cavalry under her command could no longer reverse the tide. Yet there was not the slightest trace of panic in Shaya's eyes — only unwavering confidence in victory. She raised her hand and declared, "Let us bring this farcical war to an end!"
The Barbarian Race commander had already defected. The remaining forces, though numerous, were hardly worth worrying about. As long as she joined hands with her newly acquired slave, victory would be effortless.
"Oh, I haven't even asked your name yet," Shaya said without turning her head.
"Wu Niu! My name is Wu Niu!" Yang Kai replied.
Even as he spoke, the power inside his body was surging like a tidal wave. A blinding golden radiance erupted from beneath his feet and plunged deep into the earth. The next moment, a series of muffled thuds rumbled from underground.
One after another, the Sand Demons hidden beneath the surface were cut down by Yang Kai before they could even react.
Shaya froze. Before she could turn her head, she felt a searing pain in her chest. When she looked down, a broad sword tip had already punched clean through her full, heaving breasts, trailing a streak of bright red blood.
Her beautiful eyes trembled violently. Shaya could scarcely believe what she was seeing.
From the other side came a sharp cry of shock from Yu, staggered by the sudden turn of events.
"How does it feel, my lord?" Yang Kai's voice drifted from behind her, perfectly flat, as casually as if he were asking whether she had eaten. Shaya coughed several times, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, her face twisted in a savage snarl. "You swallowed my Demon Blood — how can you still defy my will?"
If not for this, she never would have let her guard down so completely, never would have so carelessly exposed her back to this Wu Niu.
All those tests before — Wu Niu had passed every single one flawlessly.
She had demanded sufficient proof of sincerity, and he had dragged two Wus from his own ranks over to her, even killing one with his own hands right in front of her.
And when she had casually tossed him the Demon Heart, that too had been a test. Had Wu Niu suddenly attacked at that moment, Shaya had methods to counter him. Even if the Demon Heart had truly been crushed, she would not have died. Yet he had shown not the slightest hint of treachery. After studying the Demon Heart for a while, he had simply handed it back.
If he truly harbored rebellious intent, that moment would have been the perfect time to strike.
From that point on, Shaya had genuinely believed him.
And feeding him her Demon Blood had been the final safeguard. Once he swallowed it, he would belong to her from that day forward — she would hold the power of life and death over him, and he would possess no ability to resist whatsoever.
That was why she had so confidently turned her back to him.
She never imagined it would earn her a genuine betrayal and a devastating, thunderous strike. His betrayal had come without the faintest warning, as though he had acted on impulse, yet the sheer decisiveness of the blow made it clear — this had been planned all along.
The Demon Heart seared with agony. Shaya could feel it being pierced by the blade. Even as powerful as she was — a Demon King — her slender body trembled, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Hahaha!" Shaya let out a laugh instead of a roar. Straining to tilt her head, she looked at Yang Kai from the corner of her eye. "To win my trust, you were even willing to kill one of your own subordinates?"