Chapter 158: The Heir’s Duel

A warm hand wrapped around her waist with irresistible force, pulling her into an embrace filled with an aggressive, invasive scent.

Ha ha…

Ling Shuangjue’s low laugh sounded in her ear, the warm breath sending a tingling numbness through her earlobe.

The Demon Sovereign had somehow arrivedsomehow at her side, casually picking up another copy of “The Spotted Sparrow in the Tyrant Demon’s Palm” from the ground and flipping through two pages with interest.

“Nice drawings.”

She pressed close to Shen Zhaoqing’s ear, whispering ambiguously in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Just… not deep enough.”

Deep enough my ass!

Shen Zhaoqing roared inwardly, but her body was stiff and immobile, trapped in the embrace.

This sudden farce plunged the entire hall into an eerie silence.

And Luan Xiao seized this golden opportunity.

He let out an exaggerated sneer, pointing at the “evidence” scattered on the floor, and addressed the sovereign on the throne with a tone of grievous indignation:

“Father! Do you see this? This is the honored guest my sister brought back!”

“A human woman, fickle and unchaste, entangling herself with both righteous and demonic paths! Now she has stirred up gossip and slander, even allowing such filthy pamphlets to spread within our Demon Imperial City. She is defiling the honor of our imperial clan!”

“I request that Father expel this woman from the city to set the record straight!”

“Luan Xiao! Shut up!” Luan Ge stepped forward.

Shen Zhaoqing wasn’t listening to Luan Xiao’s accusations. All her attention was fixed on Tu Mianmian, who had shrunk into a terrified ball.

You’re dead.

Tu Mianmian met her gaze, rolled her eyes, and nearly fainted on the spot.

Watching this splendid drama unfold below, the Demon Sovereign Di Jun, seated high on his throne, burst into laughter, clapping his hands.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

The laughter was full of amusement and relish.

He slowly rose, descended from the throne, and walked to the center of the chaos.

First, he shot a meaningful glance at Gu Chang’an, whose face was icy cold.

Then he glimpsed at Ling Shuangjue, a smile curling at the corners of her lips.

Finally, his gaze fell on Luan Ge, trembling with rage, and Luan Xiao, full of righteous indignation.

He patted Luan Xiao’s shoulder and, in a tone that seemed fair but was actually fraught with hidden danger, went along with the current: “Xiao’er speaks sense. This matter does indeed concern our clan’s honor.”

He paused, then shifted his tone.

“However, this Immortal Shen is after all the benefactor of our demon clan and a guest brought back by Luan Ge. To expel her outright would make us seem ungrateful.”

He swept his eyes across the hall, his voice abruptly rising with undeniable authority.

“It seems this immortal is truly the eye of the storm. Since you siblings both dispute her custody, further talk is pointless.”

“To settle the dispute, why not… resolve it according to our clan’s most ancient rite?”

A glint of cruelty flashed in Di Jun’s golden pupils.

“Three days hence, my son Luan Xiao and my daughter Luan Ge shall engage in an heir’s duel in the Ancestral Hunting Grounds. The victor shall have priority in deciding the fate of this Immortal Shen!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire assembly was stunned.

What did “priority in deciding” mean?

Luan Xiao’s smugness was almost overflowing as he shot a taunting look at his sister.

All color drained from Luan Ge’s pretty face, leaving it as pale as paper. She stared incredulously at her stern, cold father on the throne, her body trembling slightly with fury and despair.

“Bastard.” She lifted her head, and all the grievance and fear in her beautiful amber-gold eyes vanished, replaced only by the resolve of one pushed to the edge.

“I accept the duel.”

Di Jun nodded in satisfaction. He raised his hand, and the demon clan ritual master immediately intoned loudly: “According to our clan’s ancient rites, in the heir’s duel, each side may select one ‘co-fighter’ to enter the Ancestral Hunting Grounds and fight together! Life and death are not to be regretted!”

Co-fighter?

Without a moment’s hesitation, Luan Ge whirled around and fixed her burning gaze on Shen Zhaoqing.

“I choose her!”

She pointed at Shen Zhaoqing.

She firmly believed that only with Shen Zhaoqing by her side did she have a chance of winning, a chance of survival.

Shen Zhaoqing: …

Luan Xiao let out a sneer, as if he had expected this outcome. He clapped his hands and introduced to everyone with a sinister smile: “Since my sister has made her choice, I won’t hide it either.”

He stepped aside, revealing the figure who had been silently standing behind him.

It was a warrior completely encased in heavy black armor, tall and straight, impossible to tell male from female. The armor’s design was extremely strange, neither of the immortal path nor the demon sect, and completely different from the demon clan’s style. It was inscribed with complex, cold runes, radiating a chilling, ominous aura.

“This is my closest friend from my travels in the northern borderlands, also my most trusted partner,” Luan Xiao announced proudly.

The black-armored warrior slowly stepped forward, giving a slight nod to Di Jun as a greeting. Not a single word was spoken throughout, like a cold steel statue.

Yet, at the moment this person passed by Shen Zhaoqing…

A familiar scent, a mix of wind, snow, and rust, wafted faintly into Shen Zhaoqing’s nose.

That scent… Shen Zhaoqing’s pupils contracted sharply.

The Northern Snowfield. She had smelled that scent on the corpses of the “Canglang Iron Cavalry.” It was a unique odor belonging to mortal troops who had endured long years of killing in the extreme cold.

Her heart suddenly jolted, a lightning bolt exploding in her mind.

Tuoba Yanxue!

Impossible?

“No!”

“I disagree!”

Two different voices exploded almost simultaneously. Gu Chang’an and Ling Shuangjue both stood up.

Senior Sister Gu’s face was as dark as water, her hand already on the hilt of the Frostbright Sword. The chilling sword aura made the surrounding demon experts change color, as if she would cleave the Ten Thousand Spirits Hall in two with a single strike.

Ling Shuangjue was even more direct. Her blood-red pupils were filled with brutal killing intent, and a dense demonic aura surged behind her, manifesting into thousands of rose phantoms aimed directly at Di Jun on his throne.

“Di Jun, do you want to die?” The Demon Sovereign smiled strangely, her tone cold as ice. “Daring to stake my property? Who gave you the balls?”

The atmosphere in the hall instantly switched from palace drama to the end of the world.

Yet, facing the combined pressure of two of the era’s peak experts, Demon Sovereign Di Jun didn’t even lift an eyelid.

He simply gave them a faint glance and then gently flicked his finger.

“Whoosh—”

An indescribable, vast as the star sea, terrifying pressure descended from the heavens!

“Both of you, calm down,” Di Jun’s voice remained serene. “This is the internal affair of my demon clan, a family matter.”

“Ha? Your family matter?” The sword was already drawn.

“Senior Sister, Demon Sovereign.” Shen Zhaoqing stepped forward with a headache. She glanced at Luan Ge. “Since Princess Luan Ge has decided, I am willing to give it a try.”

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