Crimson Flame Demon Lord

Hearing those three questions, the Red-Haired Man remained unconcerned.

"Looks like you're in a hurry to die." He burst into laughter. "I am the Crimson Flame Demon Lord..."

"You're the Crimson Flame Demon Lord?" Lin Chen retorted loudly. "I'm also the Crimson Flame Demon Lord."

The Red-Haired Man froze for a moment, then glared furiously at Lin Chen.

"Bullshit! I'm the one who is..."

The title Crimson Flame Demon Lord was one he had won only after risking his life through countless battles.

How could he allow someone else to profane it?

Lin Chen chuckled. "You can't deny that Crimson Flame Demon Lord is merely a name. Anyone in this world can call themselves that.

Since everyone can use it, when you say you are the Crimson Flame Demon Lord, aren't you saying you are me? When I say I am the Crimson Flame Demon Lord, aren't I saying I am you?

You are me, and I am you, yet you are not me, and I am not you. Then you cannot say that you are the Crimson Flame Demon Lord. Now answer again: who are you?"

Lin Chen's tone was calm, but to the Red-Haired Man's ears, it was like a thunderclap that shook the deaf awake.

He began to ponder who he was. The more he thought, the more muddled he became.

Gradually, he grew agitated. Even the chains binding him began to tremble. "I... I am... Crimson... No, no, no! I am... Who the fuck am I?"

The Red-Haired Man flew into a rage.

Every strand of his red hair stood on end, and a savage aura radiated from his entire body.

Ripples of space spread outward from him in every direction.

Lin Chen was equally astonished at the sight.

To be honest, he had just been spouting nonsense. Even he did not know what he was saying.

Never in a million years had he expected to talk a generation's Demon Lord into a breakdown.

Still, he guessed that this Old Devil had not been quite right in the head to begin with, which was why Lin Chen had so easily led him around in circles.

This was precisely the result he wanted.

"Enough!"

He shouted, "Since you can't answer that, answer my next question. Where did you come from, and where are you going?"

Rather than calming down after hearing him, the Red-Haired Man became even more frantic and crazed.

"Hahaha... I came from the Demon Realm, and I'm going to... going to... Where am I going? Ah—"

The Red-Haired Man's eyes were bloodshot, his beard and hair bristling. Though his power had been suppressed, the lingering might he exuded was still terrifying beyond measure.

Rumble!

That instantaneous eruption made the space around him quake, and tiny cracks actually appeared.

Seeing that things were going south, Lin Chen grabbed He Yiliang from the ground and withdrew.

Looking at the Spirit Stones scattered across the floor, Lin Chen's heart bled.

But he knew he could not take them.

They were part of the sealing Formation. Once they were moved, no one could predict what consequences would follow.

If this Old Devil were released, they would be utterly doomed.

"There's no road ahead. I'm going for it!"

Lin Chen aimed at the stone wall through which he had entered and slammed headfirst into it.

"Ow!"

Lin Chen smashed a dent into the stone wall and landed on his backside.

Fuck, it had been fine on the way in, but now he couldn't get back out!

Behind him, the Old Devil was going mad, hurling Space Wall after Space Wall. If one hit him, death or injury would be inevitable.

Wasn't this going to kill him?

Lin Chen stored He Yiliang's body in the Storage Ring and examined his surroundings again.

At the critical moment, his Spiritual Sense came into play. He discovered that beneath the ore vein was a passage leading downward.

At this point, he could not worry about anything else.

Lin Chen took three strides as two and rushed over, diving straight inside.

The sounds outside vanished at once.

The passage spiraled downward, then ran straight ahead, and after that, it climbed upward all the way.

After a full half hour, Lin Chen miraculously found an exit.

The instant he stepped out, Lin Chen froze.

This place was actually outside the Green Mountain Sect.

It was on an utterly unremarkable little hill several hundred meters from the sect gate.

The place was covered in weeds and thickets. Had he not emerged from here himself, he never would have known there was a cave entrance.

"Now this is interesting!"

Lin Chen looked around from atop the hill.

A small path passed nearby.

Judging from the state of the road, people seemed to travel it often.

Lin Chen felt that this matter was not so simple.

He followed the path down the mountain.

As he walked, he observed his surroundings and gathered useful information.

After crossing mountains and ridges, he really did find a village.

From afar, the village was shrouded in a layer of mist like drifting smoke and clouds, making it impossible to see clearly.

Lin Chen quickened his pace. When he approached, a dense stench of blood struck him head-on.

"Killing intent!"

Lin Chen drew his Flying Sword, spread out his Spiritual Sense, and advanced slowly.

Within the range of his Spiritual Sense, a corpse with blood-red hair and a blackened body appeared ahead.

"A Devilfolk?"

Lin Chen was shocked.

How could there be a Devilfolk at the foot of the Green Mountain Sect?

"Little Junior Brother, why are you here?"

Just then, Ming Bufan's voice suddenly rang out ahead.

Not only did Lin Chen not relax, he became even more vigilant. "Who are you? How dare you imitate Eldest Senior Brother's voice?"

Before his words had faded, Ming Bufan had already appeared beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Lin Chen only felt the scenery before his eyes shift. The next moment, he appeared in a courtyard.

In the courtyard, he saw Zhao Qingshan pacing back and forth with a grim expression.

Second Senior Sister Jian Rushuang sat in a chair with a pale face. There were bloodstains on her arm; she had likely been injured.

"Master, Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, where is this? What happened to you?"

Lin Chen was full of doubts.

What had happened today was simply too bizarre for him.

Even now, he still felt as though he were lost amid clouds and mist.

"Fourth, why did you come out? This is utter nonsense!" Zhao Qingshan's face was stern.

This mission had been too dangerous. He had not even brought Qi Ruming along.

Even so, Jian Rushuang had been injured, yet they had failed to wipe out the Evil Cultivators.

"Master, it was like this..." Lin Chen answered truthfully, beginning with his encounter with He Yiliang's Ghost and recounting everything up to now.

By the time Zhao Qingshan heard the end, he understood.

Thinking of how vile those people were, his face turned livid, and anger nearly exploded from him.

"Outrageous! This is clearly raising venomous insects in a jar."

He smashed the ground with one palm, blasting a huge pit directly beneath his feet.

"Master, are you saying someone imprisoned Devilfolk and exchanged souls and blood for Devil Race bloodlines, cultivating Human Devils?" Ming Bufan quickly caught on as well.

Zhao Qingshan nodded. "This time, the Human Devils slaughtered the village because they were surely testing their methods. Unfortunately, we arrived too late."

Everyone in the village, from eighty-year-old elders to infants less than one year old, had been slaughtered without exception.

It was simply cruel beyond all measure.

Most importantly, the culprits had taken their souls and blood.

One could imagine that next time, they would certainly create an even greater massacre.

Originally, they had no clues at all and had already planned to give up.

Who would have thought that Lin Chen would suddenly bring good news?

This kid was practically a lucky star!

The way Zhao Qingshan looked at Lin Chen became kindly. "Fortunately, Fourth stumbled upon the source by accident.

However, we still cannot destroy it yet. Having obtained blood and souls, they will certainly continue exchanging them for devil blood, cultivate Human Devils, and commit crimes again. When the time comes, we'll wipe them out in one fell swoop. Fourth..."

"This disciple is here!" Lin Chen bowed and cupped his fists.

Zhao Qingshan nodded with satisfaction. "Do you still remember the way there?"

"I do." Lin Chen raised his head.

"Good. Bufan, you and Rushuang clean up this place. Fourth, take your master there to have a look."

The four split up.

Lin Chen led Zhao Qingshan back into the underground passage.

After twists and turns, they entered that mysterious space.

"Who am I? Who the hell am I?"

The moment they poked their heads in, they heard the Crimson Flame Demon Lord roaring furiously.

Zhao Qingshan looked utterly baffled. "What's wrong with him?"

"Uh... Maybe being locked up made him stupid!" Lin Chen scratched his head and hurriedly changed the subject. "Master, can we take away the Spirit Stone ore vein here?"

"What are you thinking?" Zhao Qingshan rebuked lightly. "This is the energy source suppressing the Purple Demon Abyss. If we take these Spirit Stones away, wouldn't that release even more demons..."

As he spoke, he suddenly froze.

Zhao Qingshan immediately realized that Lin Chen was not asking whether he himself could take the Spirit Stones, but what would happen if the enemy took them.