“Hmph! I’d like to see him try. I’ll tear him to pieces if he does!” Demonhawk seethed viciously.
He had ample reason for this hostility. Forefather Bluefalcon had been one of the leaders at the Rejuvenation Isles and met his end at the hands of the young lord and four beasts.
Seeing his eyes bloodshot in anger, Demonroc advised urgently, “Fellow daoist, as members of the same tribe, I urge you not to look down on the kid after everything he’s done. Why have so many forefathers like us fallen at his hands? There must be something peculiar about him.”
“Aren’t you glorifying him a little too much? Humans can only come up with some scheme or another, or tinker with formations and talismans. What else can they do? During the ancient times, only a handful of them were worth our attention. The situation on the continent has only deteriorated since, especially in the human domain. I’ve heard that, at its lowest, the domain didn’t even have a single empyrean cultivator!”
Contempt for humans was deeply ingrained in Demonhawk.
“Well, maybe it was a ruse to appear weak? Without empyrean cultivators, how did they rout our tribes time and again?”
Demonhawk snorted coldly. “You’re well aware of our bad habits. Things are manageable if everyone belongs to the same tribe, otherwise… It’s either infighting, or more infighting. There were three tribes in the Rejuvenation Isles: golden demons, shadow demons, and us. Why were the shadow demons made leaders? What’s their claim to fame? The outcome is proof enough that their inept.i.tude was the fundamental reason for failure. Perhaps some serious internal friction arose between them.”
Well aware of his companion’s stubbornness, Demonroc gave up trying to convince him. Instead, he pointed at the scene below. “Let’s put that aside for now. Look, a heated battle’s obviously taken place here. The two forefathers from the fire demon tribe must have been involved. I suspect Jiang Chen’s party has already snuck into Sunrise and Radiance territory.”
Demonhawk’s eyes shone. “Is he really here?”
“Very possibly.” A hint of nervousness was still visible in the cautious Demonroc.
His companion couldn’t help but mock him for it. “Daoist Demonroc, why are so spineless when you possess the great bloodline of a winged demon? We’re among the stronger tribes. Where’s your courage? Are you that scared of this Jiang Chen?”
A little unhappy, Demonroc snorted quietly as his face darkened. “Fellow daoist, I’m warning you for your own good. Feel free to mistake my good intentions for cowardice, but don’t blame me if you suffer in the future.”
Demonhawk grinned toothily. “Am I supposed to thank you then? My only question for you is, will you dare fight by my side and take down the kid if we really run into Jiang Chen?”
“That kid is a deep thorn in our side. Of course I won’t let him escape if the opportunity presents itself.” Demonroc wasn’t actually afraid of the young man, but simply thought the human unusual. He favored a sound plan and better understanding of this enemy before engaging in a fight. That was much preferable to rus.h.i.+ng headfirst and possibly succ.u.mbing to one of his sinister traps.
Were the keen golden demons, the towering t.i.tan demons, or the savage monster demons any weaker than Jiang Chen? So then why had all of them been defeated in the end?
This issue was well worth pondering. If Demonhawk were to persist in his contemptuous ways, he might well ultimately emerge the loser!
“Good! That was what I was waiting to hear.” Demonhawk sneered. “I really hope he hands himself to us on a silver platter!”
Demonroc sighed inwardly. There was truly no changing his fellow’s att.i.tude. Instead, he pointed down at the scene below. “You should take a close look at the aftermath over there.”
As Demonhawk did so, his expression gradually turned solemn. “The fire demons really did fight here. The fire elements are so agitated they haven’t dispersed entirely yet. I fear Forefather Blazingsun even ignited his life essence. There’s no other possible explanation for this appalling atmosphere.”
Although irascible, obstinate, and opinionated, Demonhawk was nevertheless extremely discerning. His companion replied, equally solemn, “And what kind of enemy do you think compelled him to such extreme measures?”
They looked at each other, a sliver of dread flas.h.i.+ng in their gazes. After igniting his life essence, Blazingsun would be a fearsome existence that even the two of them fighting in tandem might not be able to withstand.
They narrowed their eyes in concern.
Demonhawk said, “In the ancient times, you could count on one hand the number of humans capable of suppressing him outright.”
“But most of those human masters ignited their life essences in the last decisive battle and went down fighting. They surely can’t possibly come back to life after such a long time, right? I don’t think humans possess this kind of resurrection art.”
When mentioning human powerhouses, the ones that first came to mind were the few ancient figures that once stood at the peak of mankind.
“Fellow daoist, can’t you admit it yet? All of this is more than likely related to Jiang Chen,” Demonroc warned again.
“Jiang Chen? Jiang Chen?” Demonhawk repeated this name, obviously conflicted.
Admit the possibility? He could, but simply didn’t want to. From what he knew, the youngster hadn’t reached divine realm yet. The only reason he could contend with the demons was the presence of several strong sacred beasts by his side. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be qualified to face a forefather even with a thousand years more of training.
“Stop being so vague. Just spit it out.” Demonroc’s humming and hawing was starting to get on Demonhawk’s nerves.
“What I mean is, we don’t know whether the two fire demons are still alive. If they’re dead, then what comes next is…” This train of thought was simply too terrible to pursue.
If dead, then the winged demon tribe would surely be the young lord’s next target.
“You mean he’ll come for us?” Demonhawk sucked in a breath. The seriousness of the situation had finally dawned on him. No longer so arrogant, he observed the area in earnest. “The fire demons shouldn’t have died, no? We rushed here as soon as we noticed the fighting. Not much time has elapsed since.”