Compromise

"What do you want?" Unable to do anything about Azzinoth, Demon Hunter Yudian asked coldly. Although he had no way to expel Doom Guard Azzinoth from his body, making Yudian compromise would be no easy matter.

"I want you dead!" At those words, Doom Guard Azzinoth mercilessly struck at Demon Hunter Yudian's nerves, hoping to provoke his anger and create an opening to completely suppress the still extremely weak Demon Hunter before him.

Yet Demon Hunter Yudian's reaction greatly disappointed Doom Guard Azzinoth. His expression remained calm—utterly unruffled.

"Heh heh, you're far too weak right now. Since you won't attack me, I'll attack you instead!" Seeing that his provocation had failed, Doom Guard Azzinoth condensed his soul power into a miniature Doom Guard and charged toward the sea of consciousness where Demon Hunter Yudian resided.

"Bastard, you really are pushing your luck!" Seeing Doom Guard Azzinoth's actions, a chill flashed through Demon Hunter Yudian's eyes. The Demon Eye, blazing with red flames, instantly erupted with terrifying radiance.

"Heh heh, pathetic fellow. Is this all the strength you have now?" Mockery flashed through Doom Guard Azzinoth's eyes. He looked down on Demon Hunter Yudian's current strength, while inwardly feeling immensely satisfied. Back then, he too had fallen because of such a disparity in strength. Now was the perfect chance to avenge that old grudge. It truly echoed the words Yudian had spoken in the past—before absolute strength, all schemes and tricks were nothing but clouds of smoke.

"Demon Blade Slash!" The spectral demon claws manifested by Doom Guard Azzinoth clenched at empty air, and his soul power transformed into a warblade somewhat resembling the Warglaives of Azzinoth. It swung through the air and cleaved toward Yudian. A vicious smile appeared on his face, as though he could already picture the exhilarating sight of splitting Demon Hunter Yudian's soul body in two. His smile deepened further.

"It seems you really are seeking your own death." Seeing the phantom greatblade in Doom Guard Azzinoth's hand, Demon Hunter Yudian showed not the slightest hint of panic. A cold smile rose in his heart as he shouted, "If you had kept pestering me, I might have feared you somewhat. But you actually dared to fight me. I have to say, you truly are an incomparably stupid fool."

"What?" Doom Guard Azzinoth froze, unable to understand what Yudian meant. Though confused, he did not slow his attack in the slightest. Its might was far inferior to the earth-shaking power it possessed in the outside world, but it was still quite imposing.

"Mana Burn!" A strange smile appeared on Demon Hunter Yudian's handsome face. He softly uttered the words, relaxed his slender hand slightly, and flicked out a stream of green energy blazing with powerful soul-fire. Doom Guard Azzinoth had nowhere to evade, and it instantly entered his body.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!" A series of burning sounds rang out at once, followed immediately by Doom Guard Azzinoth's agonized, shrill screams.

"Roar! Bastard, how could this happen?!"

Forcibly enduring pain that felt as though a blade had gouged viciously into the very source of his soul, Doom Guard Azzinoth hurriedly retreated a great distance. He no longer dared approach Demon Hunter Yudian and stared at him warily, fearing that he would unleash that terrifying Mana Burn again.

"Heh heh, let's see if an ugly freak like you still dares act so arrogantly!" Demon Hunter Yudian did not press his advantage. He merely stood where he was, watching Doom Guard Azzinoth with a cold sneer. Though he did not pursue, the mockery on his face could not have been clearer.

Only by forcibly suppressing the fury in his heart did Azzinoth manage to restrain the impulse to charge forward again, though the rage in his eyes was impossible to conceal.

"Want to know why that happened?" Demon Hunter Yudian asked with a smile. At the same time, a strange glint flashed through his eyes, though hidden beneath the Demon Eye, no one could have noticed it.

Doom Guard Azzinoth did not answer. As Demon Hunter Yudian's old rival of who knew how long, he understood him well. If Yudian wanted to explain something, he would naturally explain it. If he did not, forcing him would be useless. Besides, even if Azzinoth forced him, Yudian might not tell the truth. The best course was to quietly listen to Yudian and search his words for any flaws. That was the most reliable approach.

Rather than waste effort and rack his brains trying to pry into it, he might as well slowly find the answer himself.

Demon Hunter Yudian glanced at Doom Guard Azzinoth, finding it rather strange. He did not understand why the fellow before him had no curiosity whatsoever and could remain so composed. Although Yudian was clever, it had never occurred to him that he knew this person before him.

"Hey, you bastard trying to seize control of my body, aren't you even a little curious about this?" Demon Hunter Yudian said irritably. To someone who possessed a secret, refusing to show any interest in that secret was even more infuriating than disrespecting the person himself.

"If you want to tell me, you naturally will. If you don't, I won't force you." A trace of disdain appeared on Doom Guard Azzinoth's face. At a time like this, Demon Hunter Yudian was still playing dumb and pretending not to know him. Did he really take him for an idiot?

Wait. Why have I always assumed Yudian didn't lose his memories? If Yudian truly has lost his memories, then everything that has happened would make perfect sense. Such a thought suddenly flashed through Azzinoth's mind and refused to leave.

Doom Guard Azzinoth was undoubtedly a clever man. Though he kept claiming that he had given up using schemes against his enemies, in the current situation, brute force alone could never deal with the irritating fellow before him.

Hearing Doom Guard Azzinoth's words, Yudian could not help curling his lips. He found Azzinoth's complete lack of interest deeply disappointing. However, thinking of his own safety, it was necessary to restrain this powerful soul and give him a warning. At the very least, he had to make this powerful soul before him wary of acting rashly.

"From your tone, you seem rather familiar with my skills, don't you?" Demon Hunter Yudian fell silent for a moment before finally spouting this nonsense.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, several black lines instantly appeared on Doom Guard Azzinoth's forehead, and the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitched from time to time.

"Actually, all of you only know that Mana Burn, the signature skill of us Demon Hunters, is used specifically to counter powerful mages when they cast spells. But you are all wrong. This skill was created specifically to deal with soul bodies. Any living being that uses magic or skills must use the soul as a medium."

"Only by communicating with the elemental forces through the soul can they be used. Mana Burn sears the soul at the very instant that communication occurs, throwing it into a brief state of emptiness and severing the link between the soul and the elemental forces. That is how it blocks magic. Some powerful spells, once interrupted, may even trigger severe magical backlash."

"That is why Mana Burn is hailed as the enemy of mages and known as the disaster of mages. Yet few know that Mana Burn is also called Soul Burn, a powerful means of dealing with souls. If you had a physical body, I might still have some reservations about you. But as a soul body, you are directly countered by me. Fighting me is simply seeking death."

Demon Hunter Yudian rambled on to Azzinoth. Everything he said was undoubtedly meant to make this seemingly powerful fellow abandon any intention of dealing with him, buying time until he became stronger and could slowly settle things with this fellow.

At the same time, Doom Guard Azzinoth was also thinking of stalling for time. He believed his strength could rapidly grow within a short period. Once he reached his peak, Yudian's Mana Burn would no longer cause him much damage. Besides, there was nothing for him to do by leaving too early. He might as well hide within this body, wait for an opportunity, then seize it swiftly and launch a sneak attack to achieve his goal of replacing Yudian.

"Actually, there is no need for us to oppose each other so sharply," Doom Guard Azzinoth said coldly. His acting was far superior to Huang Long's. He had actually forcefully reduced the irreconcilable hatred between himself and Yudian to a mere inconvenience. One could not help admiring the depth of Azzinoth's cunning.

"You're right. We can negotiate." Though he did not understand why the fellow before him had changed his attitude so quickly, this was exactly what Yudian wanted, and he did not think too deeply about it.

"I am a soul from ancient times that has only just awakened. Naturally, when I saw such a fine body as yours, I could not possibly let it go. But since you possess sufficient strength, you have earned my respect. I can stop competing with you for this body, but you must provide me with another suitable body. Let that be our agreement. What do you say?" After thinking for a while, Doom Guard Azzinoth slowly spoke.

His request happened to align perfectly with Yudian's own thoughts. Two men with hidden agendas reached a compromise because neither had any other choice...