Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Emperor of Heavenly Demons

(I have revised these chapters. My state was not good a few days ago, so I ask for your understanding.)

He was the Demon Lord, supreme commander of the fourth terrace of the Divine Demonic Abyss, the leader of the Five Great Celestial Lords.

He was a Demon Emperor—an entity whose mere presence could make this desolate land tremble, black clouds billowing and churning, darkness following in their wake.

“This is bad!” Chen Long shouted, “Boss, that’s the Demon Lord himself, the leader of the Five Celestial Lords. He’s a devil incarnate, slaughtering without pause; where his cloud passes, only dry corpses remain.”

Chu Jie drew in a cold breath and nodded. “I know. But we are the Mad Dog Battalion. When the troops come, we stand; when the waters rise, we resist. To surrender without a fight—such a thing is not in the nature of the Mad Dog Battalion.”

A roar, brimming with authority, instantly lifted the spirits of his terrified brothers.

“Mad Dog Battalion! Mad Dog Battalion!”

Shouts and howls erupted. Thirty brothers of the Mad Dog Battalion stood in a line, eyes fixed as the black cloud approached, showing not the slightest hint of fear.

To them, the Mad Dog Battalion was invincible.

“Hahaha…”

A wild, arrogant laugh echoed from the cloud as black as ink, and the twisted face that emerged sent a chill through their hearts.

“What a spirited band of youths. You dare slay my Five Celestial Lords, seize my Divine Demonic Abyss, boasting with such arrogance. But I wonder—do you truly possess the skill to match your words?”

Gradually, the Demon Lord’s figure emerged from the black clouds.

Yet something even more terrifying occurred.

With his appearance, the barren and towering mountains surrounding them began to quake. Chu Jie’s heart tightened. “Demon Lord, you are a hero of your generation—do you intend to remain hidden, afraid to show yourself? Are you not worried that your reputation will suffer, that you’ll become a laughingstock?”

“Young child, how could you think I fear to face my enemies?” The Demon Lord’s face finally appeared, stubbled and wrinkled, eyes blazing red. “Four of my brothers were slain by you. If I do not claim your heads today, I am unworthy of my title.”

“A reckless old fool.”

Chu Jie sneered, turned, and seized the Wind-Leopard by the neck. “Beast, go and kill him now, or I’ll carve you up myself today.”

The Wind-Leopard, highly intelligent and already cowed by Chu Jie’s previous blows, trembled with fear deep in its bones.

A miserable howl tore through the air as the Wind-Leopard leaped skyward, reminiscent of the legendary Howling Heavenly Dog, its limbs clawing at the air as it charged into the black cloud.

“Hmph, little Wind-Leopard. You killed my fifth brother—now die.”

The Demon Lord suddenly stretched out a massive demonic hand, seized the Wind-Leopard, and with a squeeze, blood and pus spurted forth.

In an instant, the Wind-Leopard was crushed, reduced to nothing.

A jolt shot through Chu Jie’s heart. He looked at the Demon Lord in terror—this old monster was far too frightening.

The thirty brothers of the Mad Dog Battalion paled, especially Jiang Ziwen and Chen Long, who instinctively glanced at Chu Jie, then stepped forward, blocking him from the Demon Lord.

This gesture was genuine.

Moved, Chu Jie pulled them aside. “I am not the kind of man who uses his brothers as shields. Spread out.”

Chen Long and his companions exchanged glances, hesitantly stepping back.

“Hahaha, excellent. Before I slaughter you all, witnessing such loyalty is a rare sight for an old man like me.” The Demon Lord toyed with the Wind-Leopard’s corpse, making it dance like a puppet in his hand.

“Old fiend, die!”

Chu Jie’s fury erupted—he moved.

His figure moved like the wind; sword drawn, he charged forward. The Universal Treasure Wheel flew ahead as a shield, plunging into the cloud.

Countless shattered swords spun in the air; the thirty brothers of the Mad Dog Battalion gave their all, safeguarding their leader, knowing the odds were grim, yet charging without hesitation.

They were true brothers.

Their bond was genuine.

“Ha! Come, come, all of you!”

The Demon Lord, arrogance and pride fused, barely regarded Chu Jie and his men. Two massive hands emerged from the cloud, striking straight for Chu Jie.

“Courting death.”

Chu Jie’s heart was filled with hatred and wrath, channeling all his emotion into his sword. As he entered the black cloud, he suddenly realized he had lost all sense of direction.

He was in another space.

Within the black cloud, it was not the imagined pitch-darkness, but filled with light, yet all direction was lost.

The wind howled in his ears. His Universal Treasure Wheel, his cauldron, his shattered swords—gone. All gone, leaving him alone, stunned.

A man approached, built like a bull, his bald head shining, face plump yet radiating murderous intent.

“I am the heart of the Demon Lord. If you can defeat me, you will overcome him. If you fail, you will die here.” The massive man spoke with the same arrogance as the Demon Lord.

“No weapon? I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

Chu Jie loved battle, his body brimming with combative spirit. Bare-handed, he would kill, just as he had slain that worthless member of the Luo family.

Suddenly, moving like a phantom, Chu Jie closed the distance in a few swift steps.

He unleashed a flurry of blows, fists propelled by rage and bloodlust, but the man dodged every attack, never striking back.

A confident smile hovered on his face as he watched Chu Jie, like a clown—pity and sympathy in his eyes.

After dozens of swings, Chu Jie had landed none; not only had he failed to injure the man, he was now breathless with exhaustion.

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Chu Jie knew his own stamina—third level of the Spirit Convergence Realm. Even at his worst, he should not be tired after a few dozen punches. Worse still, why did the man never counter?

The man, seemingly seeing through Chu Jie, smiled mysteriously. “Here, you are but a mortal, stripped of all cultivation. You think you’re strong? Let me tell you: every minute, your strength will wane. Even if you stand still, you will suffocate here.”

Shock.

Chu Jie’s eyes widened. “Who are you? Why won’t you fight me?”

The man smiled again, shook his head in pity. “I am just as you are—no cultivation. But I don’t lose stamina, and I can dodge at will. As long as I live, you’ll never escape. Oh, and I forgot to mention: all your Mad Dog Battalion brothers have fainted. Their lives depend on you alone.”

Ah!

Chu Jie roared, fists clenched, head thrown back in a howl of despair.

His gaze became wild, locked onto the man, shouting, “I’ll kill you! Kill you! I’ll kill you…”

Anyone seeing Chu Jie at that moment would have been shocked.

For now, he resembled the moment he avenged his father and killed Yang Yun.

Rage, when driven to the extreme, turns to heartbreak.

Thunder rumbled. Because his heartbreak had reached its peak, the surrounding light receded, and the brothers of the Mad Dog Battalion, previously unconscious, suddenly awakened!

Chu Jie’s sword trembled, ripples flashing like dragons. He lifted his head, gazing at the Demon Lord, whose expression flickered between gloom and fury.

“Today, only one of us will survive!”

“Hmph! Foolish boy! You slew four of my brothers—do you think you’ll live? Today, all of you will die!”

The Demon Lord stepped forward, light from behind him sweeping outward. “You are but a second-level Spirit Convergence cultivator—how can you withstand me? How can you hope to match me?”

Chu Jie glanced back. His brothers of the Mad Dog Battalion stood behind him, not retreating a single step.

His eyes grew moist. He knew they understood that this battle might mean death, yet none flinched.

Mad Dog Battalion—never die, never surrender!

It had become a creed.

A faith that sustained them! For Chu Jie, Chen Long, Liang Bo, Jiang Zi Yun—all the same.

“Brothers born of the battlefield—what need for blood relations!” Luo Huang suddenly cried out.

All the Mad Dog Battalion brothers looked to Chu Jie, whose fighting spirit soared, unleashing a surge of energy.

“Facing a powerful foe! The Mad Dog Battalion never retreats!”

“I, Chu Jie, swear: if any brother of the Mad Dog Battalion is to die first, let it be me!”

Every brother was stirred by Chu Jie’s words, their blood burning within.

“A man’s life—what does death matter?”

“Yes! To die alongside the boss—so be it!”

Chu Jie’s fighting spirit blazed.

“My Mad Dog Battalion brothers are men of unyielding iron! If I live, we will not be defeated!”

A wave of fighting spirit swept skyward from the battalion, billowing outward. Chu Jie squinted, eyes locked on the Demon Lord.

He flicked his sword, unleashing a brilliant arc.

“If I live, we will not be defeated!”

Chu Jie charged forward, sword energy tearing through the black clouds around the Demon Lord, with the Universal Treasure Wheel and cauldron crashing forth in unison.

Chu Jie’s spirit entered that strange space.

In that instant, battle intent soared to the heavens!