"Ridiculous!"
"In your dreams!"
"Are you out of your mind?"
The Demon Kings erupted in a clamor immediately. Though this fellow called Wu Niu appeared unstoppable in raw power, the notion that they would voluntarily submit to him was utterly absurd. Most Demon Kings were the kind who'd rather break than bend — Sha Ya was the rare exception.
Baoqi stood beside Yang Kai, watching the scene with cold detachment, a silent sneer forming in his heart.
He'd been just like these Demon Kings once, unwilling to submit to Lord Wu Niu. But how had that ended? Lord Wu Niu hadn't needed his cooperation at all — he'd simply shattered his sea of consciousness by force and branded him without so much as asking permission.
The experiences of others were lessons for the future. The fate awaiting the lot of them below would probably be no different. In this place, no one could resist him. The moment these former colleagues had willingly set foot in this world, everything had already been decided.
"You want us to be your slaves, just like Baoqi?" Phil's jaw cracked open as he let out a string of eerie laughs. "Then I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken!"
"If you've got the guts, kill us all!" another Demon King shouted. That was the sentiment of every Demon King present — Sha Ya had her own designs, but the rest all wore expressions of unwavering resolve.
Yang Kai's gaze drifted toward the speaker. The Demon King met his stare head-on, showing not a flicker of weakness.
Yang Kai gave a slight nod. "Since you want to die, I'll grant you that."
The instant the words left his mouth, he raised one hand. The Demon King who had spoken felt his expression twist in horror as his body rose of its own accord into the air above, as though seized by an invisible fist. No amount of struggling could break free.
The other Demon Kings naturally had no intention of standing idle. In a single exchanged glance, they channeled their demonic energy in unison, preparing to rush in together.
But before they could so much as move, Yang Kai pressed his other hand downward. Simultaneously, an overwhelming and irresistible force descended between heaven and earth — so powerful it felt as though the very will of the world itself had crashed down — pinning all fifteen Demon Kings in place. They couldn't even twitch a finger.
The demons' faces changed drastically. Though this Wu Niu had demonstrated inconceivable power before, they had all believed that if they joined forces, they might stand a chance. With this many Demon Kings acting together, even a Demon Saint would surely be thrown into disarray.
Reality, however, tore their courage to shreds.
Suppressing fifteen Demon Kings with a casual wave of his hand — and seemingly without expending any real effort — such power could only belong to a true god.
One by one, the Demon Kings' eyes trembled violently as they strained to raise their heads.
"Cook!" Phil snarled through clenched teeth. "Never bow!"
The Demon King called Cook had every trace of panic and bewilderment vanish from his eyes, replaced by an ironclad resolve. He ground out a heavy response: "Never bow!"
He forced his head upward, locking his gaze directly on Yang Kai's eyes.
Yang Kai's phantom grip tightened. A soft pop echoed out, as though something had been crushed — and Cook, who had been floating in midair all this while, suddenly split apart. His flesh and blood transformed into chunks that resembled stone, cascading from the sky and clattering against the ground.
Cook belonged to the Stone Demon clan. His flesh and blood had always been as hard as the most unyielding stone in existence. His defense was the strongest among all the Demon Kings — even the Shadow Demon Mokoto would not have been confident in breaking through his defenses in a single strike to deliver a killing blow.
Yet this very Demon King had been crushed like an insect by that fellow called Wu Niu, crushed from a distance with nothing more than a casual squeeze.
Stone fragments rained down — fragments of Cook's flesh — and among them were three heart-shaped objects.
Those were Cook's Demon Hearts!
As long as a Demon Heart endured, the demon would not die. Even if only one of the three survived, Cook would have a chance of resurrection.
Pop, pop, pop…
As they fell, the three Demon Hearts burst in rapid succession. Pure, terrifying demonic energy erupted forth, plunging all of heaven and earth into darkness.
The remaining Demon Kings felt their spirits plunge into an icy abyss, a bone-deep chill spreading through every fiber of their being.
Cook was dead! He had died without accomplishing a single thing. All three Demon Hearts destroyed — not even the Great Demon God would have the power to bring him back.
Every Demon King knew this was Wu Niu's way of killing the chicken to scare the monkey, yet they couldn't help but be horrified all the same. He had actually killed Cook. They had assumed that since he wanted them as his slaves, he would at least make some effort to preserve their lives — after all, a dead man couldn't serve as a slave.
But he had killed Cook without a moment's hesitation, as though a few more wouldn't make the slightest difference.