Lin Shen and Palace Master Lingyue noticed a visitor entering the Time Chamber, but the dust was too thick, revealing only a hazy silhouette.
Soon, a pair of ox horns became visible atop the figure's head, along with a pair of wrist blades on his arms and a cape fluttering in the wind that exuded an imposing aura. As the dust settled, a head of short red hair stood out sharply.
Lin Shen was instantly dumbstruck at the sight. *Ox horns, red hair, wrist blades, a cape—how on earth did this guy end up here?!*
Terrified, he stammered, "Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chonglou!"
The man looked at him with contempt and asked, "You... know me?!"
Lin Shen nodded.
Palace Master Lingyue asked, "Who... is Chonglou? To frighten my young friend like this."
Lin Shen replied, "The Supreme of the... Demon Realm. When it comes to strength across the entire Six Realms, if he claims to be number two, few would dare claim to be number one. On top of that, he's a total combat maniac who loves challenging powerful fighters everywhere."
Upon hearing that Chonglou belonged to the Demon race, Palace Master Lingyue immediately raised her guard.
Lin Shen pulled her back and said, "Daoist Master, don't be rash. The Demon race and the human race are just different races; there's no need to fight to the death."
Chonglou glanced at the two of them, dismissed Palace Master Lingyue entirely, and looked at Lin Shen. Lin Shen asked, "Boss Chonglou, what... what are you doing here?"
"Let's fight!"
Just as Lin Shen's legs were shaking with fright, the System's prompt sounded: "Ding! Side quest issued: Fight Chonglou!"
Lin Shen almost blurted out a curse. *System, are you messing with me? You want me to fight Chonglou? Do you think I'm living too comfortably? I still know how to write the word 'death'."*
The System replied, "Given your level, nobody expects you to beat Chonglou. Just engage him in combat."
Lin Shen took a deep breath, opened his palm, and pointed to the side. "Boss Chonglou, please!"
After taking their stances and standing opposite each other, Lin Shen didn't dare make a reckless move. Chonglou made a gesture, signaling Lin Shen to attack.
Lin Shen thought to himself: *Knowing Chonglou's hyper-combat-maniac personality, if I don't give it my all, he definitely won't be happy. If I mess up, the series finale is coming early. At this point, I have no choice but to fight—at least so I don't lose too miserably.*
With that, Lin Shen condensed a Fireball and hurled it at Chonglou. Chonglou didn't dodge; he caught the Fireball with one hand and tossed it right back.
Seeing this, Lin Shen had to use his staff to blast it apart, the resulting shockwave forcing him back three steps.
Lin Shen put away his staff, switched to a long sword, and swiped his left index and middle fingers across the blade. Infusing it with Armament Haki, the sword instantly turned pitch black, and he lunged forward to thrust at Chonglou.
Chonglou raised his wrist blades and charged at Lin Shen. With a crisp "Clang!", blade and sword collided.
The two locked in a contest of strength, but the gap between Lin Shen and Chonglou was simply too vast. With a burst of exertion, Chonglou blasted Lin Shen flying backward.
Chonglou condensed a black light sphere and shot it at Lin Shen. Lin Shen cleaved downward with his sword, splitting the light sphere in half, and it exploded behind him.
Lin Shen stamped his foot on the ground, summoning countless black hands that reached out toward Chonglou. Chonglou sliced them all to pieces, one by one.
While Chonglou was entangled with the black hands, Lin Shen secretly gathered a Wind Blade and hurled it at him the moment Chonglou paused. Chonglou fired a light sphere straight at the Wind Blade. When they collided, another explosion occurred, kicking up a gale that made it hard for Lin Shen to keep his eyes open.
Yet Chonglou didn't use the opportunity to attack Lin Shen; instead, he patiently waited for the dust to settle. With a flick of his wrist blade, Chonglou sent a wave of black blade qi surging toward Lin Shen.
Lin Shen met the blade qi head-on with his sword. It pushed him back dozens of steps before he managed to deflect it.
Countering, Lin Shen struck back with a bolt of Lightning. Chonglou met it with a punch; after an explosion, Chonglou was completely unharmed.
Lin Shen had no choice but to charge at Chonglou with his sword once again. Engaging in close combat, the crisp ringing of clashing steel echoed throughout the entire Time Chamber.
Watching the battle, Palace Master Lingyue was sweating profusely. *This Chonglou's strength is terrifying,* she thought. *No wonder the young friend shivers all over the moment he sees him. But I can't butt in—what should I do?*
After more than a dozen exchanges, Chonglou found an opening in Lin Shen's defense and drove him back with a burst of palm wind.
Regaining his footing, Lin Shen was left panting heavily, while Chonglou didn't even break a sweat. Chonglou gestured for Lin Shen to attack again.
Palace Master Lingyue was about to speak up, but Lin Shen stopped her. He lunged at Chonglou once more, leaping into the air before bringing his sword down in a heavy slash. Chonglou blocked it with his wrist blades.
At that exact moment, the black color on the sword faded. With a sharp "Clang!", the sword in Lin Shen's hand snapped in two, leaving both Lin Shen and Palace Master Lingyue stunned.
Lin Shen muttered, "Boss Chonglou's Yanbo Blood Blade truly is a divine weapon."
Looking at the broken sword in Lin Shen's hand without a word, Chonglou turned and walked away.
Exhausted of all physical strength, Lin Shen collapsed to the ground unconscious. Palace Master Lingyue hurried over and began treating him with spells.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Shen regained consciousness. Seeing the Palace Master tending to him, he said, "Palace Master, thank you."
Seeing him wake up, Palace Master Lingyue said, "Young friend, as long as you're alright."
"I'm fine, just a bit overextended from that fight."
"Who on earth is that person?"
"Didn't I tell you? Boss Chonglou is the Supreme of the Demon Realm. He finds it hard to meet a match across the entire Six Realms; the moment he senses a strong fighter, he catches the scent and comes running."
"Young friend, what are these 'Six Realms' you speak of?"
"The Six Realms of Gods, Immortals, Mortals, Ghosts, Spirits, and Demons. Those in the Demon Realm value strength above all. When they die, they do not enter the reincarnation cycle; after many years, their demonic essence simply reaggregates."
"You know quite a lot, young friend."
"A modest amount."
Just then, Chonglou returned, carrying a single-edged sword that was pitch black all over, featuring a dragon head carved onto the hilt guard, sawteeth along the back, and a D-shaped handguard.
Palace Master Lingyue asked, "Why have you come back?"
Chonglou said nothing, simply tossing the sword toward Lin Shen so that the tip embedded itself in the ground. He told Lin Shen, "Pick up this sword."
Lin Shen got to his feet and walked over to the sword. The moment he reached out to touch it, a jolt of electricity shocked his hand, causing him to instinctively recoil.
*Chonglou must have a purpose in making me pick up this sword,* Lin Shen thought. *Whatever, here goes again.*
Reaching out once more, Lin Shen gripped the hilt, though he was instantly jolted by the currents of electricity discharging from the Black Sword, causing him to cry out. Watching him get shocked, Chonglou demanded, "Pick it up!"
Zapped to the point where he nearly cursed aloud, Lin Shen thought: *Li Xiaoyao, Zhao Ling'er, Lin Yueru, lend me your strength!* With a fierce roar, Lin Shen pulled the sword free.
The current from the Black Sword ceased, leaving Lin Shen smoking all over from the shocks. At that moment, the System's prompt sounded:
"Ding!
Congratulations to the host for acquiring the equipment: World-Destroying Demon Blade!
World-Destroying Demon Blade: A demonic sword capable of destroying all things and phenomena. Whether it be the will of heaven, destiny, or miracles, this sword can destroy them alongside the logic behind them. Before the World-Destroying Demon Blade, all logic loses its meaning!"
Listening to the System's explanation, Lin Shen was completely dumbfounded. *Isn't this Anuosi's signature weapon? Could this be the will of heaven, giving me the means to sever the fate of the Nuwa Clan?!*
Observing the scene before him, Chonglou remarked, "It seems this sword has acknowledged you."
Regaining his composure, Lin Shen respectfully said, "Many thanks to Boss Chonglou for bestowing this divine weapon upon me. But boss, where did this sword come from?"
Chonglou replied, "One day, this sword descended upon the Demon Realm, and I picked it up."
"Thanks."
Chonglou took up his combat stance and said, "Enough nonsense, let's fight again!"
With that, Chonglou unleashed a wave of blade qi toward Lin Shen. Lin Shen countered by slashing out a beam of sword qi. The explosion triggered by the collision of their energies sent shockwaves that forced both of them back five or six steps.
Chonglou gave a slight smile and said, "Interesting."
He charged forward with his wrist blades, and Lin Shen raised his sword to parry. After thirty rounds of close-quarters combat, Chonglou voluntarily withdrew, and Lin Shen did not pursue.
Chonglou said, "To still be able to hold out this long right after getting shocked—interesting. Kid, you've got potential, but you're still lacking a bit of seasoning. Let this seat help you along."
With that, Chonglou began casting a spell. A black magic array appeared beneath Lin Shen's feet, enveloping him in a surge of dark energy. "Kid, it's up to you from here on out," Chonglou said before vanishing entirely.
Before Lin Shen could figure out what that meant, a sudden surge of electricity coursed through his entire body, causing him to howl in agony inside the magic array. Seeing this, Palace Master Lingyue began chanting a cleansing incantation, but it had zero effect.
Lin Shen thought: *Chonglou must have another reason for doing this. Since that's the case, I'll take it.*
He shouted, "Daoist Master, don't come over! This time, I have to rely on myself."
Watching Lin Shen get repeatedly shocked, Lingyue knew that worrying was useless and could only wait patiently.
(End of Chapter 9)