Half an hour later, in the Myriad Flower Valley, the vast sea of blood that had filled the sky gradually receded, revealing three figures — Li Shiqing, Huo Lun, and the unfamiliar Blood Demon.
As for the burly Strength Demon who had been there before, he had long since vanished without a trace. Three against one, the outcome had been predetermined. The path of martial cultivation was never free of bloodshed and slaughter — life and death hung by a single thought.
It had to be said that the Strength Demon who had come today was truly formidable. His strength was immense, his methods impressive. In a true one-on-one fight, none of the three would have been his match. After the battle, both the Blood Demon and Huo Lun bore a number of new wounds, while only Li Shiqing remained unscathed — though her complexion was slightly pale, evidence of the tremendous toll the fight had taken.
After fighting side by side in a life-and-death struggle, a sense of mutual respect had sprung up among the three. Li Shiqing stepped forward to express her gratitude — the whole affair had started because of her, and both Huo Lun and the Blood Demon had come to lend a hand. She naturally needed to thank them properly.
When she called him "Big Brother Huo," Huo Lun felt a strange flutter in his chest, though mostly it was pleasure. He accepted the address with a smile.
The Blood Demon, for his part, was the straightforward sort. He waved his hand and said, "No need for thanks. A man bullying a woman — I just couldn't stand to watch it. If you really want to thank me, give me something to drink. Got any alcohol?"
"Of course!" Li Shiqing nodded eagerly. She didn't drink much herself, but she had several jars of homemade flower wine in her spatial ring — fragrant and mellow. Today these two had saved her life, so she invited the Blood Demon and Huo Lun to her peak to sit for a while, as a gesture of her gratitude.
Huo Lun hesitated, but the Blood Demon agreed at once without the slightest reluctance.
Compared to the other man's forthrightness, his own hesitation seemed rather petty. There was nothing more to say, so he simply went along.
On the mountaintop, beneath the stilted house, tables and chairs were arranged neatly. Li Shiqing personally cooked several dishes and brought out jars of flower brew to entertain her two saviors.
It was a vegetarian feast — no meat — and the ingredients appeared to be various exotic flowers. But Li Shiqing was skilled and deft-handed, and these floral dishes turned out to be quite delicious, much to the enjoyment of both the Blood Demon and Huo Lun, the latter praising them repeatedly without end.
After several rounds of drinks, both Huo Lun and the Blood Demon were feeling pleasantly tipsy. Li Shiqing had taken a few sips as well, and a rosy flush graced her fair cheeks, making her look remarkably lovely.
Having forged a bond through fighting together earlier, and now sharing drinks and passing cups back and forth, the three naturally grew more at ease with each other. Li Shiqing and Huo Lun each gave their names, then turned to look at the Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon took a sip of wine and said with great nonchalance, "Mo Sheng!"
Huo Lun shot to his feet with a start, eyes wide. "Demon Saint?!"
The Blood Demon burst out laughing, as though he had long expected this reaction. He carefully repeated his name character by character, and only then did Huo Lun relax, sitting back down with a bitter smile, his heart still pounding.
This Mo Sheng hailed from a continent under Beili Mo's dominion. Yang Kai had already devoured all of Beili Mo's territory, and those Demon Race members had all been swallowed into the Small World.
His name really was something. Mo Sheng, Mo Sheng — anyone unfamiliar with the details would think he was a Demon Saint. How this fellow had managed to stay alive until now was beyond Huo Lun's reckoning. He figured that if he himself had such a name, someone would have beaten him to death sooner or later.
"Miss, you're not of the Demon Race, are you?" Mo Sheng took a sip of wine and suddenly asked.
The wine cup that Huo Lun had raised to his lips paused momentarily, and he lifted his gaze to look at Li Shiqing as well. He hadn't noticed anything unusual about his beautiful neighbor before — he'd merely thought her name had a certain exotic flair. But the moment the fighting had started, he'd realized that Li Shiqing bore no demonic aura, and what she wielded was not demonic power. It bore some resemblance to the legendary force wielded by inhabitants of the Star Boundary.
But he had never visited the Star Boundary himself, nor had he participated in the war between the two realms, so he couldn't be certain.
Mo Sheng, on the other hand, was blunt by nature and had raised the question without any reservation.
Li Shiqing pressed her red lips together and glanced at Mo Sheng. He seemed to have asked casually, his expression open and calm, with no intention of pressing for a deep answer. Still, there was no real need to hide it. She nodded and said, "I am of the Human Race."
"Human Race!" Huo Lun was stunned. This beautiful neighbor really was from the Star Boundary — only the Star Boundary had humans.
Mo Sheng, however, seemed to have expected this all along and showed no surprise. "I hear that Demon Venerable Yu Rumeng has a human under her command named Yang Kai, and that the Venerable thinks highly of him. Do you know him?"
"I do," Li Shiqing said mildly.
Mo Sheng's interest in Yang Kai was clearly quite pronounced. He perked up immediately. "I heard he participated in the Battle of Zhoutian and seized a Great Emperor's fortune. Is that true?"
"What Battle of Zhoutian?" Huo Lun looked utterly bewildered. After the Battle of Zhoutian, Yang Kai had fled to the Cloud Shadow Continent, capturing Huo Lun along the way and using his help to pass through the World Gate. Huo Lun knew nothing of the matter.
"Brother Huo doesn't know about it?" Mo Sheng looked at him with surprise.
Huo Lun shook his head.
Mo Sheng then proceeded to recount the entire story of the Battle of Zhoutian. In truth, he was merely repeating hearsay — he hadn't been there himself. But the affair had caused an enormous stir throughout the entire Demon Realm, and it was common knowledge that very few people were unaware of it.
Huo Lun listened with his mouth hanging wide enough to swallow a fist, swallowing nervously over and over again.