Boom-
The earth shuddered.
Two immense surges of demonic energy crashed into each other.
Waves of force rolled outward like thunder erupting from level ground, scattering every wisp of mist for miles around.
Before the dust had settled,
the two figures had already broken apart after a single clash, each retreating to hold one side.
On the left, a man in crimson robes stood suspended in midair.
He was blessed with handsome features, his face like polished jade, his lips as red as rouge.
But his eyes were narrow, their corners slightly upturned, lending him an effeminate, sinister air.
Most striking of all was the tuft of crimson down between his brows, resembling a dancing flame and extending all the way to his temples.
The Demon Emperor of Spirit Mountain, Hong Ling.
Opposite him,
a colossal figure plowed the ground with both feet, carving two deep furrows into the rock before finally halting his retreat.
He had a bull's head and a human body, standing over thirty feet tall.
Knotted muscles covered him like piled stone, and crisscrossing scars riddled his blue-black skin.
His nose ring swayed as two jets of white vapor shot from his nostrils like sharp swords.
At that moment,
the old bull was staring fixedly at the red-robed man opposite him.
His bronze-bell-sized eyes brimmed with disbelief and towering fury.
"Hong Ling!"
The old bull's voice was deep, like muffled thunder exploding in his throat.
"You, the dignified Demon Emperor of Spirit Mountain... would stoop to something this vile?!"
"You said you were merely passing through and only wanted to admire it... I treated you to fine wine and meat, welcomed you as an honored guest!"
"And this is how you repay me?!"
Faced with the old bull's accusations,
the Crimson Silk Demon Emperor remained perfectly