Meng Lei smiled as he said, “That’s the imperial palace.”
“Oh, it over here!”
Dodola suddenly realized.
“Who are you?”
A cold voice rang as a human figure came with the wind. Although it was in human form, the intense aura and scorching breath revealed its identity.
A Divine Netherworld Phoenix!
And it’s a pure one!
It was Meng Lei’s first time meeting a Divine Netherworld Phoenix other than himself. He could not help but size this person up, forgetting to reply in the process.
“Who are you?”
Seeing that Meng Lei did not answer, its voice became amplified. Meng Lei could not help but pick his ears and reply dryly. “I’m the new Ice Demon Prefecture Master!”
With the previous experience, Meng Lei did not bother to explain further by adding the word ‘new’ to his introduction.
The Divine Netherworld Phoenix understood straight away as it took another look at Meng Lei. It then said respectfully, “Please follow me.”
It did not doubt Meng Lei’s identity since it was unnecessary. He would be meeting the other Prefecture Masters, princes and princesses, court officials, and even the Demon Emperor. If Meng Lei did not have the capability and impersonate the Prefecture Master, he would surely die a horrible death.
Meng Lei and Dodola arrived before the grand hall under its lead.
At present, the palace was full of demons. There was a strong, forceful aura around each of them, and they gave off a powerful demonic might—they were all savage devils.
“Please proceed... Ice Demon Prefecture Master!”
The one leading Meng Lei stopped by the door of the palace hall and cued him to enter. It then shouted, “The Ice Demon Prefecture Master has arrived!”
Upon hearing this, a burst of hearty laughter sounded off. “Hahaha, my brother Cador you’ve finally come. I thought I would be meeting you on the way here, yet who knew that you would reach after I’ve been here for three days. You’re pretty slow this time!”
“Why would you think that Cador is as impatient as you. He’s an Ice Demon, not a Fire Demon...”
“Prefecture Master Cador?”
Meng Lei shook his head and giggled softly as he stepped into the hall.
Whoosh!
Many pairs of eyes looked over. When the demons saw Meng Lei, astonishment, puzzlement, and confusion surfaced on their faces.
Was that Cador?
“No! He isn’t Cador!”
“It’s a stranger!”
“Perhaps...”
After being stunned for a short moment, the demons came to their senses and started whispering among themselves. It seemed that they had realized what had happened.
“Who are you? Where’s my brother, Cador?” a Fire Demon bellowed. It was bathed in flames as it stared at Meng Lei coldly with its brass bell-like eyes.
Having read the memory of Cador, Meng Lei would naturally know this guy. Cato, the Prefecture Master of the Fire Demon Prefecture who had a lifelong brotherhood with Cador.
“Since I’m standing here, why would you still ask what happened to Prefecture Master Cador?” Meng Lei shook his head. “But if you want to know, I don’t mind telling you that I killed him.”
The moment the words left his mouth, a furor went through the entire hall!
Even if they had already guessed it, hearing the confirmation from Meng Lei still sent shockwaves across the hall.
“Cador had been in the Prefecture Master position for more than 40,000 years, plus he was one of the stronger one of the 108 Prefecture Masters. Who would have thought he was killed!”
“Do any of you know this guy?”
“I don’t know who he is!”
“Never seen him before!”
“Never heard of him at all!”
“That’s weird! To think that such a nameless guy could kill Prefecture Master Cador, it just sounds fishy...”
“Scoundrel! My big brother had been a solid Ice Demon Prefecture Master for over 40,000 years, proving his combat prowess! How could a little scoundrel like you defeat him head-on?”
Prefecture Master Cato’s demonic aura was surging as its eyes were bursting with flames of rage. “Own up now! How did you assassinate my brother?”
“Assassinate?” Meng Lei sneered, “Why do I need to plan an assassination when it’s just Cador? You’ve overestimated him.”
“How dare you disrespect my big brother!”
Cato was enraged further as his overwhelming aura attacked Meng Lei.
If it were an ordinary Great Demon God, it would have struck onto the ground. However, Meng Lei did not even move as if the suppressive aura was a breeze.
“In Dark Hell Continent, power speaks the loudest!” Meng Lei snapped his fingers and continued coldly. “Since Cador was weaker than me, isn’t it normal for me to look down on it?”
“Since power speaks the loudest,” Prefecture Master Cato’s eyes were spitting fire, “Do you dare to fight me?”
A hint of joy flashed across Meng Lei’s eyes as they lit up. This fellow was a genuine mid-level Great Demon God, which killing it should at least earn him 60 million Divinity Crystals from the system.
Not forgetting the spatial ring it carried around...
“Why? So you’re afraid?”
As Meng Lei did not reply, Prefecture Master Cato thought Meng Lei was afraid as its voice became even bitter.
“What is there to fear?” Meng Lei hummed. “If you want a battle, we shall have one. Why would I be afraid of you?”
“Follow me then!”
Cato left these three words behind as it turned into a fiery beam that shot out of the palace. A smile appeared on Meng Lei’s face as he followed suit.
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s go out and take a look!”
The various Prefecture Masters, princes, and princesses could not sit still as they got out of the palace. They all flew above the palace as they anticipated the battle that was about to start.
No-one stopped them!
And no one would ever think of it!
In the Demon’s world, only the strong were revered. Thus, they would settle any disagreement with a fight.
Conflict? Feud?
Fight it out, and it’s settled!
Just do it!
Chapter 341: Killing Cato Instantly, An Assembly of The Powerful
Chilly winds blew as thick smoke roiled.
Meng Lei and Prefecture Master Cato stood facing each other with a great distance between them above the tall, magnificent volcano. They were at swords’ point and ready to fight any moment. A short distance away, the other Prefecture Masters, princes, princesses, royalty, and officials were also watching the battle with rapt attention.
A handsome and attractive youth with black hair and black eyes asked, “Dear Prefecture Masters, between the two of them, who do you think will win?”
He was the Dark Hell Demonic Kingdom’s Eldest Prince and was also a Divine Netherworld Phoenix with the purest bloodline. His combat strength was in no way inferior to the many Prefecture Masters present.
“Prefecture Master Cador and Prefecture Master Cato were evenly matched. If that man had really defeated Cador by his own strength, then he would undoubtedly emerge victoriously,” replied one of the Prefecture Masters without hesitation.
“That is certainly so!”
The other Prefecture Masters nodded in agreement.
Everyone knew that Cador and Cato were brothers who were evenly matched. Since Meng Lei could defeat Cador, then he would be able to defeat Cato for sure. There was no doubt about that.
“However...!”
The same Prefecture Master suddenly changed the course of the conversation at this point. Suspicion filled its speech as it said, “That new Ice Demon Prefecture Master appears extremely unfamiliar to the eye. If memory serves me right, it seems like an expert like him has never existed in the Dark Hell Demonic
Kingdom—or even the Dark Hell Continent—before!”
“Prefecture Master Cyril, you mean—”
The astonished Eldest Prince cocked an eyebrow and prompted it to go on.
“No matter what, Prefecture Master Cador was undoubtedly still an old-timer mid-level Great Demon God. Up-and-coming rising stars are no match for it.”
A smiling Cyril said, “Perhaps Prefecture Master Cato was right, and that fellow had indeed used some kind of dishonest method to defeat Prefecture Master Cador.”
“That makes sense!”
“That kid looks awfully unfamiliar to the eye. He’s likely a young one that’s only just emerged during these recent few years. How could a mere junior have been Prefecture Master Cador’s match?”
“There are only a few experts in the whole of Dark Hell Continent who could kill Prefecture Master Cador, and it definitely doesn’t include that fellow who came out of god knows where!”
“Going by what everyone is saying, that newly-appointed Ice Demon Prefecture Master won’t be Prefecture Master Cato’s match, then?” asked the Eldest Prince with his eyebrows raised.
“That’s most likely the case!”
“It’s more likely than not that he was able to kill Prefecture Master Cador because he had used some kind of dishonest means!”
“Yes, that must be it...”
Meng Lei and Cato’s battle had already begun while the Prefecture Masters were still engaged in speculation. Fury burst forth from Cato as it roared deeply, “You despicable young one who knows no shame! I will avenge Big Brother Cador and make you pay a heavy price for your despicable actions!”
A flash of fire shot by immediately after it spoke, and then Cato was already right in front of Meng Lei. A fearsome punch then followed right after.
“Die, you bastard!”
The punch broke a hole into the dimension right away, and its fist went smashing toward Meng Lei’s skull alongside the hole—evidently, it intended to blast Meng Lei’s head apart with its fist!
“Can he deflect the attack?”
All the Prefecture Masters, princes, princesses, royalty, and officials’ gazes shifted to Meng Lei in this instant. All of them wanted to know whether or not he could deflect the attack.
“Thinking of killing me with just this bit of strength? You think too highly of yourself!”
Meng Lei shook his head lightly. Then, he reached out his right arm and made a light grabbing motion. A loud bam rang out, and Meng Lei immediately caught Cato’s earth-shattering punch in his palm.
“What?!”
This greatly shocked Cato, as well as the other Prefecture Masters, princes, princesses, and everyone else who was watching the battle. All of them were utterly astounded!
He managed to parry Prefecture Master Cato’s attack so casually?
“It’s my turn to attack now!”
Meng Lei disappeared in a flash and appeared behind Cato like a phantom. Then, he bent his fingers and flicked them lightly against the back of Cato’s head.
Crack!
As though a bullet was piercing through a watermelon, yet also like a steel bead passing through an egg, a crisp crack rang out, and a bloody hole immediately formed in between Cato’s brows.
Cato froze at once, its eyes widening to a size larger than even discs as a look of disbelief came over its features.
“H-how... could... this...”
Before it could even finish speaking, the light in its eyes was already beginning to gradually dim. Then, it plummeted straight down toward the ground.
Meng Lei easily froze Cato’s body in mid-air with a wave. Then, in front of the many Prefecture Masters, princes, princesses, royalty, and officials, he gouged out Cato’s demonic core and killed its divine spirit.
A system notification rang out.
“Ding! 1 Fire Great Demon God killed. 60 million Divinity Crystals gained!”
“Not bad!”
A satisfied smile appeared on Meng Lei’s lips. Then, he slipped off Cato’s spatial ring and began to inspect the contents.
The smile on his face widened the moment he did, and he remarked, “Tsk, tsk! As expected of a Prefecture Master. Even the treasures it brings about on its body are of such a generous standard!”
“System, collect all the items that you can collect!”
A brief moment later, his Wealth had spiked by 40 million Divinity Crystals.
Added to this the other 60 million Divinity Crystals that he had just gained, they just so happened to make up a total of 100 million Divinity Crystals. In the twinkling of an eye, he had already made back the 100 million Divinity Crystals that he just spent to boost his metal-origin divine body’s assimilation rate.
Sweet!
Meng Lei only tossed Cato’s dead body to the little golden tree after he was done with all these. Then, he turned to the other Prefecture Masters, princes, princesses, royalty, and officials—only to discover that every one of them was in a state of astoundment, and all of them were staring at him as if they were staring at a freak.
The place... was filled with dead silence.
Evidently, everyone had received a shock.
Dodola chuckled and poked fun at Meng Lei as it said, “You’ve scared them all, Meng Lei!”
“What can I say? It’s all because I’m too strong!” Meng Lei returned Dodola a smile and flew toward the others.
“He’s coming over!”
A furor went through the demons.
A smiling Meng Lei asked, “Dear all, I’m sure no one doubts my combat strength anymore, right?”
The Prefecture Masters were rather embarrassed, especially Prefecture Master Cyril, who had passed judgment on Meng Lei without any restraint earlier. It wished even more than the others that it could bury itself into a hole somewhere.
Up-and-coming rising star?
Dishonest means?
What nonsense!
How many Prefecture Masters among those present could even instantly kill Cato in a flick of their fingers?
Given his frightening combat strength, would he even need to resort to dishonest means?
“I didn’t expect the newly-appointed Ice Demon Prefecture Master to possess such strength! One can say that this is a blessing for the Demonic Kingdom. I believe Father will be extremely pleased to know of this.”
A bright and hearty smile appeared on the Eldest Prince’s countenance, and he said, “Dear all, Father will summon us for an audience soon. Let’s return to the conference hall for now.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Everyone returned to the same palace as just now. Meng Lei had originally planned on just taking any random seat, but unexpectedly, the Eldest Prince instead arranged for him to take the seat of honor at the front.
The other Prefecture Masters didn’t say much about it—evidently, they had all acknowledged Meng Lei’s strength.
The strong was revered in the world of demons. Since Meng Lei was stronger than them, his status would also be more venerable than theirs.
The Demonic Emperor of Dark Hell Demonic Kingdom showed up shortly after they took their seats. The Prefecture Masters present felt immense pressure the moment it took its seat.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
“You may dispense with the formalities, my beloved subjects.”
The Demonic Emperor gestured to everyone to take their seats. His gaze swept across everyone before it quickly landed on Meng Lei, who was seated in the seat of honor below. He couldn’t help but be slightly surprised.
At the sight, the Eldest Prince quickly leaned over and whispered softly in his ear. The moment he did, a light burst forth in the Demonic Emperor’s eyes, and he declared unhurriedly, “To be able to instantly kill Prefecture Master Cato with just a flick of his fingers shows that the newly-appointed Ice Demon Prefecture Master boasts pretty impressive strength. This is the Dark Hell Demonic Kingdom’s good fortune!”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”
Meng Lei
nodded lightly.
“Hearing such great news just as the Dark Canopy of The Heavens is imminent foretells great rewards for the Dark Hell Demonic Kingdom during the Dark Canopy of The Heavens this time!”
It seemed like the Demonic Emperor was indeed very pleased. He turned to Meng Lei and said, “Ice Demon Prefecture Master, I’m counting on you and all the other Prefecture Masters for this round of Dark Canopy of The Heavens!”
“You’re too kind, Your Majesty. I’ll definitely do my very best!”
Meng Lei adopted a fairly humble stance.
“Dear all...”
After giving everyone another pep talk, the Demonic Emperor then led everyone to the Dark Canopy of The Heavens. None of the three most powerful experts, such as the Demonic Emperor, entered the Dark Canopy of The Heavens every time it opened. The reason behind this was obvious—they were worried that someone would take Dark Hell Continent’s Heart of The Existential Plane for themselves and refine it.
Though they themselves didn’t go in, the three emperors nevertheless didn’t hold back at all when it came to the treasures brought out by those who had gone in.
In other words, the three emperors had priority in taking anything that the others brought out, no matter what it was!
If the others refused to hand it over?
Then they could just go to hell!
No one would bother reasoning with anyone here!
The group made their way to the Dark Canopy of The Heavens three days later.
The Dark Canopy of The Heavens had yet to open at the moment. Thus, what appeared in their sight was instead a steep, 1,000-feet-tall cliff. There were innumerable amazing sights and sceneries of cliffs to be found in Dark Hell Continent, so a 1,000-feet-tall cliff was actually nothing impressive. However, the cliff currently standing before them was no ordinary cliff because it was where the Dark Canopy of The Heavens would be opening.
For countless years, a great number of powerful demons had visited the area on account of its reputation in hopes that they could catch a glimpse of the amazing Dark Canopy of The Heavens. Thus, all the more demons would gather on the day that the Dark Canopy of The Heavens would open every time.
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