Chapter 134: Is He Friend or Foe

Unbeknownst to them, Elusha was currently in seclusion, perhaps recuperating from injuries sustained in the previous battle that had caused some issues with her body.

"Report! Your Majesty, that young man in white—the human expert who defied you at the Feast of Elysium—has returned! For some unknown reason, he's already massacred his way through a hundred miles of our demon lair, claiming tens of thousands of our kin!"

Elusha raged, "It seems he truly believes our demon race is easy to bully!"

Meanwhile, Xu Yang continued his relentless slaughter until he reached the heart of the Myriad Demon Lair. This was the very place where the divine monk's body had been displayed during the Feast of Elysium, and it also served as Empress Elusha's personal dwelling.

"Empress Elusha, come out and atone for your sins!" Xu Yang bellowed. "Your crimes are unforgivable! Must I slaughter all your kin before you show yourself?"

Rumble!

A thunderous sound of shifting rocks suddenly erupted from deep within the cliffs at the heart of the lair. Empress Elusha, unable to withstand the intrusion of Xu Yang's vast, soul-shaking voice, was forced to break through her seclusion prematurely.

The Empress, floating in mid-air, was still of unparalleled beauty, possessing a breathtaking charm and formidable strength unrivaled by humans. But this time, as the leader of the demon race, she was equally enraged to the extreme.

"Regardless of your reasons for killing so many of my kin," she declared, "today, you must pay the price!"

The Empress, also possessing a fiery temper, raised her hand, unleashing an incredibly powerful burst of demonic flame that blasted towards Xu Yang. The two unleashed their full power in mid-air, engaging in a fierce and exhilarating battle for over a thousand rounds.

It must be said, this Demon Empress was incredibly powerful. Though she couldn't quite rival Xu Yang, the ancient monster, both were exceptionally rare and supreme experts in the entire Dao State when it came to combat prowess.

"Sword Pierces the Rainbow!" Xu Yang roared, and an immensely powerful sword aura formed countless streaks of auspicious light, enveloping the sword beam as it surged towards Empress Elusha.

"I want to see," Xu Yang muttered, "just how powerful the exalted Demon Empress truly is."

Frankly, Xu Yang's sword strike was powerful enough to instantly kill any of the Ten Sword Elders, with the sole exception of the Sword Saint!

Elusha gave a cold smile, and her hands began to draw an incredibly complex purple light totem. The totem continuously expanded, beginning to devour the endless demonic energy surrounding the entire valley. The demonic net finally expanded to a degree where it could withstand the sword beam, and the two world-destroying forces collided with a thunderous roar. The colossal sword-light blade wildly grated against the aura of the demonic net, and the clashing sounds of the two opposing forces caused the entire Myriad Demon Lair to tremble violently...

"My heavens!" exclaimed some onlookers. "This mere Qi Refining Realm kid actually has the ability to contend with the Empress! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be truly unimaginable."

Some of the slightly stronger demon warriors, observing the battle up close, became increasingly shocked by Xu Yang's power. However, they hadn't anticipated that an even greater shock was yet to come!

As the battle raged on, Empress Elusha, for some unknown reason, showed a pained expression on her face, pressing one hand to her abdomen as if she were injured.

"Hmph, starting to feign weakness?" Xu Yang scoffed. "Does the exalted Demon Empress also have moments of showing weakness?"

"Enough talk!" Elusha retorted. "You killed my kin. Today, you and I will fight to the death!"

Elusha gritted her teeth and once again gathered her power, unleashing terrifying reserves that finally managed to completely negate Xu Yang's offensive.

Whoosh!

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Yang suddenly surged forward and, with a heavy palm strike, forcefully slammed into Elusha's shoulder.

Thud!

The proud Demon Empress finally suffered a significant blow in front of Xu Yang, this living fossil who had lived for a hundred thousand years. She crashed with a thud against the colossal rock wall behind her. Severely injured and spitting out blood, Elusha, surprisingly, began to laugh instead of showing anger.

"It's been a long time since anyone has been able to injure this Empress..." she murmured.

Xu Yang had no intention of humiliating her; on the contrary, he somewhat admired this woman. If it weren't for her overly cruel methods, Xu Yang would not have wished to harm her.

"The demon race has its own way of survival," Xu Yang stated, "and I never wished to interfere. But this time, your methods are too brutal, and you deserve to be punished!"

"And what about you?" Elusha retorted, "Easily slaughtering tens of thousands of my demon kin—do they truly deserve death?"

Elusha grew even more furious, forcing herself to stand up again as the ice-blue divine artifact, Frostmark's Fury, reappeared.

"Your Majesty," a voice interjected, "you are injured. Why not let us deal with this fellow?"

"Heh heh heh..."

A sinister laugh suddenly descended from the sky. Xu Yang was not unfamiliar with this voice; it belonged to the hulking demon Gilda, whom he had just encountered earlier today!

"What are you doing here?" Empress Elusha exclaimed, her expression changing instantly. "The Myriad Demon Lair does not welcome you!"

Empress Elusha's expression changed instantly, her reaction appearing far more displeased than it had been during her fight with Xu Yang. Xu Yang, too, furrowed his brow slightly at Elusha's gaze. He vaguely began to feel that the attack on Linghan Temple was not as simple as he had imagined.

Sure enough, Gilda brought with him over a dozen top-tier demon experts. They varied greatly in appearance, even possessing extreme differences, but each emanated a terrifying aura of slaughter. Though all were demons, Empress Elusha and these individuals before her possessed fundamentally different temperaments. Noble and cold, aloof and arrogant—these words described the Empress, while hideous, brutal, and evil perfectly characterized Gilda's faction.

These individuals spoke with apparent sincerity, but they did not immediately attack Xu Yang. Instead, they locked their gazes and auras onto Empress Elusha. A dozen or so individuals surrounded the Empress, each with a strange, half-smile on their faces.

"Traitors of the demon race!" Elusha roared. "You are not welcome here! Get out of here, all of you!!"

Boom!

Without a word, the Empress raised her hand and unleashed a powerful palm strike towards Gilda, but the three-meter-tall giant effortlessly waved his hand, nullifying the force.

"You... you've succeeded?" Elusha stammered.

Gilda smiled contentedly. "The ultimate demon array has been completed by us. Your Majesty, it's time to hand over your supreme throne, and, of course, the matching Demon Emperor's token. You understand."

The sudden internal conflict left Xu Yang bewildered, but he quickly noticed a crucial clue. Earlier, Gilda had attacked Linghan Temple, claiming he was acting on the Empress's orders. However, these individuals clearly hadn't seen Elusha in a long time. Though both were demons, the two factions seemed to harbor irreconcilable enmity; they were not on the same side at all.

Understanding this, Xu Yang's stance began to subtly shift.

"You wouldn't dare!" Elusha raged. "Don't think that just because your demonic art is complete, this Empress will fear you!"

Just as Elusha was about to exert her strength, another sharp pain shot through her abdomen, instantly causing her aura to diminish by more than half.

"Hahahaha!" Gilda roared with laughter. "Don't think we don't know your only weakness, Elusha! Today, no matter what, you must hand over the Demonic Heart!"

"Demonic Heart??"

Several familiar images flashed through Xu Yang's mind!

"Buddha Heart, Sword Heart... Demonic Heart?" he pondered. "Could it be..."

"Stop!!"