The sound of insects chirping could be heard in the silent jungle as a gentle breeze fluttered the leaves. However, silence swept across these woods as insects hid in their holes and a black figure flashed through the trees.
Andy's red eyes stared ahead as he made his way to the middle circle of the valley. But suddenly, the Demon Lord's voice echoed in his head.
"You could have absorbed their cultivation."
"I could have done it, but I didn't want to. I don't want to become a mindless demon who kills anyone just for the sake of absorbing the cultivation. Anyway, after absorbing the cultivation of those two men before, I'm feeling bloated, and I'm afraid I'll breakthrough in this valley and be evicted from here." Andy muttered as he sped through the woods.
"If you're worried about your breakthrough, I could hold it for you. But you are right; while absorbing may help you grow faster, you will become addicted to it and lose your sanity as a result. The best option is to keep everything in check," The Demon Lord's voice echoed in Andy's mind once more.
Andy nodded slightly, but his eyes turned blue as his steps came to a halt, his brow furrowed, and he turned to look in a direction.
The gurgling sound of the stream reached his ears, along with many other noises. His head tilted slightly for a moment before he vanished from the spot.
A smirk formed on his face as he sat silently on a thick branch of a tree, his eyes fixed on three beautiful girls laughing and sitting on the bank of a river. His brows arched when he saw the scene before him.
A girl stood up and splashed the water on the other two, giggling as she did so, and the other two followed suit.
But Andy's brows arched when he heard their words.
"Who do you think your cultivation partner would be?" said the girl in the pink robe, splashing water on one girl while her wet clothes revealed her perfect figure.
Another girl in a tight green robe stood nearby as drops of water cascaded down her hair and she wiped her face as her brows wrinkled. "I'm not sure, but if I had to choose. I'd definitely go with Young Master An Di or whatever his name is."
But another girl, who was sitting calmly on the riverbank, interjected, "Didn't you hear about him being a lustful demon? He kidnapped girls from two powerful families and no one said anything?"
Andy's eyes narrowed as he shook his head with a slight smile on his face. His gaze was drawn to the girl in green to hear her reply, and as expected, she answered back immediately.
"What do you think you know? He had the strength and courage to confront those families on his own. Even if I had to be his concubine, I would gladly accept the role. At the very least, he would brave the storm for me."
That girl spoke with a proud expression on her face. Even Andy was taken aback when he heard those words, and he silently laughed as he stood up to leave. However, his brows furrowed when he heard the words a voice of a man.
"Don't think of anything funny with that man. He simply used a trick to deceive those families. And this valley would be the place where he would spend his last days. And for you three, why don't you come with us? We all are the inner disciples of the Divine Flame Sect. We could take care of each other,"
He slowly turned around to see four men in red robes approaching those girls with a strange smile on their faces. But a voice drew his attention as his gaze shifted towards the girl in green who was chuckling.
"Who do you think you are? Even though we belong to the same sect, don't even think about looking at me with those filthy eyes. And don't you dare to compare yourself to him; you're not even comparable to the dust on his shoes? At the very least, he has the resolve to confront those families. And what are you doing? Trying to impress us with your mindless narratives?"
Before the man could say another word, the girl in green spoke again. "Leave him. Do you have the guts to compare to me? You couldn't even defeat me in the internal tournament and you are talking about defeating him. What a fool."
As he came to a halt, the man's face became strange, and his cheeks flushed red. "Xin Ru, don't speak nonsense. When you defeated me, I was already exhausted from previous matches. And don't be too proud of your divine flame body. One day, you'd be Young Master Lin's concubine. And then there's that Pretty Boy. Young Master Lin has been given the Lin family's ancestral seal; do you think he can handle it?"
Xin Ru's eyes widened as a ball of flame floated on her palm, which she threw at the man. A loud blast resounded as dust flew and bird chirps echoed through the forest as the ball of flames landed in front of the man. "Don't ever say anything non-sense in front of me. I'm only sparing you because you belong to the same sect, but if you say those words again, I'll burn you alive."
As soon as she said those words, Xin Ru grabbed the other two stunned girls and sprinted away into the forest.
Meanwhile, Andy's narrowed eyes were fixed on the departing figure of Xin Ru. "Divine Flame Body?" he muttered as his gaze shifted to the place where the dust was settling down after the blast. A smirk formed on his face as he disappeared from the spot.
"Bitch," the man muttered, his fists clenched, his gaze fixed on the river flowing through the forest. He took a deep breath and turned around to look at his partners before turning around to leave.
But he froze as his heart pounded faster, his body shivered, and sweat trickled down his face as he saw a Half Masked man in a black robe standing in front of him with a slight smile on his face and a pair of red eyes staring at him. But his heart skipped a beat when he heard a voice.
"You were saying something?"