29: Chapter 29 The Dust Settles

"I suppose... that will do."

The Vulture Demon leapt down from the boulder and landed beside a corpse.

It was a Human Race Disciple with a sword pierced through his chest; his eyes were wide open, staring in death.

Just as the Vulture Demon lowered his head and opened his beak, preparing to tear into the corpse...

"Caw~"

A hoarse caw came from behind. It was not loud, but it pierced the Vulture Demon's ears like a needle.

"Who's there!"

The Vulture Demon's movements stiffened abruptly as he raised his head and looked in the direction the sound came from.

On a withered tree not far away, a black crow was perched on a branch, its bean-sized black eyes staring fixedly at him.

A glimmer of ferocity flashed in the Vulture Demon's eyes.

He recognized this crow; it was that old thing from Desolate Ridge, the one that had snatched the Vermilion Fruit.

But the Vulture Demon did not want to bother with such a small fry right now; the corpses littering the ground were waiting for him to enjoy.

"You old crow, do you have a death wish?"

"Get lost!"

The Vulture Demon's voice was hoarse and cold, carrying a condescending disdain.

Before his voice had even faded.

The Vulture Demon released a fierce pressure from his body; it was the aura belonging to a First Stage Late Stage demon.

However, after successive battles, his Demon Power was completely exhausted, and he was wounded. That pressure was at the end of its rope, a mere bluff—like a plucked rooster desperately puffing up its wings. It looked intimidating, but in reality, it could not even scare off a wild dog.

Wu Li sat perched on the branch, tilting his head as he watched the Vulture Demon's display, a trace of mockery flashing in his bean-sized black eyes.

"Telling me to get lost the moment we meet?"

"How damn rude!"

As he finished speaking.

Wu Li suddenly spread his wings, and his black figure shot straight toward the Vulture Demon like a sharp arrow.

The Vulture Demon's pupils constricted sharply, and he subconsciously tried to flap his wings to retreat.

But he was too weak. His wings flapped twice, but his body did not move an inch. He wanted to counterattack, raising his claws to swipe at Wu Li, but his Demon Power was depleted, leaving him completely powerless. Wu Li easily dodged the blow.

"Is that it?"

Wu Li turned and struck with a claw.

The Vulture Demon no longer had the strength to dodge. A sharp claw extended, its tips gleaming coldly in the twilight, swiping straight at the Vulture Demon's face!

"Squelch!!"

Blood splattered.

"Ah!"

The Vulture Demon let out a shrill scream, his body falling backward and crashing heavily to the ground.

His left eye had been completely gouged out by Wu Li's claw. Blood gushed from his eye socket, leaving an empty, bloody hole.

"My eye!"

The Vulture Demon shrieked in agony.

"Damn crow, I'll kill you!!!"

"Still acting tough!"

Wu Li cursed angrily and flapped his wings violently. A gust of wind rose from the ground, carrying his First Stage Mid-level Demon Power, slamming into the Vulture Demon like an invisible wall!

"Bang!!"

The Vulture Demon's body was sent rolling backward several times by the force of the wind, his grey-brown feathers scattering everywhere.

But he was a vulture after all; his First Stage Late Stage Physical Body strength was still there. Even though his Demon Power was exhausted, his hide was thick and tough. This gust did not cause him any substantial damage.

The Vulture Demon rolled twice on the ground before abruptly steadying himself, his single eye filled with madness and killing intent.

Ignoring his wounds, he pushed off with his claws, his entire body launching toward Wu Li like a cannonball!

"I'll fight you to the death!"

The Vulture Demon roared hoarsely, opening his beak to peck straight at Wu Li's head.

Wu Li's pupils constricted slightly.

He flapped his wings violently, drifting backward. At the same time, his Demon Power surged, and blood-colored scriptures emerged from beneath his feathers, condensing into a fingernail-sized blood-red rune at the tips of his wings.

"Who's going to fight you to the death."

"Blood Seal Curse!"

"Hum~"

The Blood Seal Curse took form. Wu Li waved his right wing, and the blood-red rune exploded, transforming into a red ripple that instantly spread outward.

The red light sank into the Vulture Demon's body.

The Vulture Demon's body stiffened abruptly, and his charge, wounded as he was, came to a sudden halt.

"Hmm?"

The Vulture Demon felt a scorching power surge from deep within his body, as if something had exploded in his veins.

His Qi and blood began to run wild, like out-of-control wild horses, rampaging through his body.

The wounds on his body began to bleed frantically. His eye socket, chest, wings, claws—every wound was spurting blood. The blood trickled down his grey-brown feathers, pooling into a dark red puddle on the ground.

"I... what is happening to me?"

"What did you do to me!"

The Vulture Demon lowered his head, looking at his constantly bleeding body, his single eye filled with disbelief.

He tried to lift his claws, but they trembled. He wanted to flap his wings, but they hung limply. The Qi and blood inside him were completely out of control, his Demon Power was dissipating, and he could barely stand.

"Don't talk so much before you die."

Wu Li landed in front of the Vulture Demon, tilting his head, his bean-sized black eyes filled with indifference.

He raised his right claw and thrust it forward, the sharp tips tightly gripping the Vulture Demon's bald head and pressing it forcefully into the ground!

"Bang!"

The Vulture Demon's head was smashed hard against the ground, creating a shallow pit as gravel flew.

His body struggled violently, his claws kicking wildly at the ground, but the Blood Seal Curse had already caused his Qi and blood to go completely out of control; his Demon Power was dissipated, and he could not muster any strength at all.

Wu Li's claw pressed firmly against the Vulture Demon's head. He leaned down, his hoarse voice ringing in the Vulture Demon's ear.

"You ugly thing, didn't expect you would have a day like this, did you?"

The Vulture Demon's single eye was filled with humiliation and anger, but even more so with disbelief.

He never imagined that one day, he would actually be pinned to the ground by this old crow from Desolate Ridge.

A few days ago, he was still the hegemon of the eastern Wanhui Mountain Range, a First Stage Late Stage Demon General. And now, he was being stepped on by a First Stage Mid-level crow, without even the strength to resist.

The law of the jungle.

A glimmer of fear flashed in the Vulture Demon's single eye, and his struggles grew weaker and weaker.

He opened his beak, his voice hoarse and trembling: "Don't... don't kill me... I am willing to submit... to be your subordinate... and never betray you..."

Wu Li tilted his head, looking at the Vulture Demon, a trace of mockery flashing in his bean-sized black eyes.

"Do you think I'm as stupid as you!"

The Vulture Demon's pupils constricted sharply.

As he finished speaking.

Wu Li's claw suddenly applied force.

"Crack!"

The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.

The Vulture Demon's head was crushed by Wu Li's claw; brains and blood mixed together, oozing out from between his claws and dripping onto the ground.

The Vulture Demon's body twitched violently a few times, then went completely limp and motionless.

Wu Li released his claw and stepped back two paces, looking at the Vulture Demon's corpse. Death Qi permeated his entire body, his eyes calm.

After finishing all this.

Wu Li breathed a slight sigh of relief. His bean-sized black eyes scanned the surroundings, and after confirming there were no more survivors, he finally withdrew his gaze from the Vulture Demon's corpse.

"This time, there shouldn't be any more twists, right."

Wu Li muttered to himself, his voice carrying a trace of lingering fear.

This series of events today, one linked to another, had made his scalp tingle. The schemes of the Human Race were truly terrifying; they could span such a long time.