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Chapter 256: The Envy Devil
"Sword Saint, you already know who I am, so you’d better get out of my way. Don’t unnecessarily involve yourself in my lord’s plan. I know you are strong, but you are still not enough to defeat me or the devils," the Envy Devil said.
He uncovered his head, revealing his long black and white hair. Standing before Xin Haotian and Lorenzo, the Envy Devil seemed relaxed, as if he didn’t consider them a threat.
Lorenzo also recognized the Envy Devil by his purple fire and distinct description. He was one of the Seven Deadly Sins that rarely came out of the dark, making information about him difficult to obtain. Yet, every time he stepped into the light, misfortune and disaster would inevitably befall countless people.
Lorenzo tried to contact Emperor Durand about the sudden appearance of the Envy Devil, but he discovered that the communication artifact wasn’t working.
"It’s futile. Inside my domain, every communication artifact is useless," the Envy Devil said.
Lorenzo’s heart trembled.
"Since when were we inside his domain?" he thought.
"Now that you’re already trapped here, don’t think you can leave this place alive! To save time, why not attack me together so I can finish this quickly?"
"One is enough." Xin Haotian said.
In a split second, he vanished from his position and—
Tring!
His sword clashed with the Envy Devil’s hand, successfully blocking Xin Haotian’s attack.
"I’ve never fought the famous Sword Saint before, but you’ll regret picking a fight with me," the Envy Devil said.
The Envy Devil smiled at Xin Haotian, but with a calm expression, Xin Haotian twisted his sword and delivered an upward slash, aiming for the Envy Devil’s chin.
The Envy Devil tilted his head back in a quick motion to dodge the slash before creating distance and launching a palm strike at Xin Haotian.
Inferno
From the Envy Devil’s palm, the purple flames spread, forming a giant wave of flames. This was one of the Sky Flame-grade flames, possessing immense destructive power—so intense that even space itself seemed to burn under its heat.
The massive wave of purple flames surged forward like a tsunami, rushing toward Xin Haotian and Lorenzo. Behind them, the entire mansion was also at risk of being reduced to ashes.
Facing the giant wave that contained the power of a High Emperor-stage cultivator, Xin Haotian remained calm. With swift movements, he unleashed his technique.
Dance of the Sword of Light
His hand moved in a series of slashing motions. At first glance, the technique appeared simple, without any intricate or impressive gestures to the untrained eye. Yet, in an instant, the massive wave of flames was cleaved into countless pieces. Like waves crashing against rocks on the coastline, the flames shattered, breaking apart after being slashed repeatedly.
The Envy Devil raised his eyebrows as he observed the scene. To ordinary eyes, Xin Haotian’s movements appeared simple, almost unimpressive. However, with his sharp senses, the Envy Devil could see the truth—Xin Haotian had unleashed thousands, even tens of thousands, of slashes within that brief moment.
Each strike layered upon the previous one, relentlessly attacking the wave of flames. The combined force of the strikes stacked together, breaking the wave apart
The Envy Devil was truly impressed now. Even within his domain, Xin Haotian was still able to unleash such power. His domain had a unique property: any advantages his opponents might have would be nullified. It was imbued with his curse laws.
This was no simple curse domain; it affected both the mind and body of its victims. Anyone within his domain would find their strength reduced by 25%, as the surrounding energy was tainted by the curse, preventing them from unleashing their full potential. In addition, their minds were constantly under attack, bombarded with negative thoughts, especially the feeling of envy that festered in the hearts.
With all of these effects combined, facing the Envy Devil would be a nightmare for anyone. Yet, what he saw in Xin Haotian truly impressed him. And to note, Xin Haotian was only at the Low Emperor stage!
"Well, he’s called the strongest swordsman on the continent for a reason," the Envy Devil thought.
He then used another of his techniques. Muttering something under his breath, a symbol appeared on his palm. His hand, now engulfed in purple flames, radiated an ominous aura, sending a foreboding feeling to anyone who dared look at it.
Xin Haotian’s face turned solemn. He had guessed that the Envy Devil was finally using one of his curses. The ominous aura surrounding the Envy Devil’s hand was unmistakable. Without hesitation, Xin Haotian dashed toward the devil, launching a swift slash. In response, the Envy Devil moved to meet him, striking with his palm, now engulfed in purple flames.
The slash and the palm strike collided, each blocking the other, and Xin Haotian finally engaged the Envy Devil in close combat. Within mere seconds, they had exchanged numerous moves, too fast for most to see. From a distance, some people could sense that a battle had erupted in this direction.
The entire front garden of the mansion had been destroyed by their exchange, and even Lorenzo could barely follow their movements.
"This is a battle I can’t involve myself in; they are on another level." He felt a stifling sensation in his chest, and negative thoughts kept appearing in his mind. He felt weak, but he knew it was the effect of the Envy Devil’s domain. Despite being a Low Emperor stage cultivator, he found it difficult to endure the pressure of this domain.
Inside the mansion, Eleine, Sylphia, and Baek Ji-Min appeared to be in poor condition. The effect of the domain was too powerful for them, as their cultivations were much lower than Xin Haotian’s or Lorenzo’s. It felt as if they were standing in a cramped room with no oxygen, cut off from the energy of heaven and earth. Negative thoughts began to rise in their minds, influencing their souls. They believed they were facing their inner demons and struggled to resist.
Xin Haotian and the Envy Devil flew into the air, standing not far from each other. The Envy Devil frowned as he noticed people starting to flock toward their location. It seemed his time was running out. He even sensed some powerful cultivators approaching. The battle with Xin Haotian was taking far longer than he had anticipated.
"It looks like that alchemist isn’t really here, I can’t sense his presence at all," the Envy Devil thought.
He gritted his teeth. All the plans he had devised were in ruins due to the sudden intrusion of an unknown entity. Their hidden base had been exposed, and there were reports that the emperor’s poisoning attempt had failed because the poison did not take effect on him. He knew how potent the poison Wei Zhi had created was, so for the emperor to survive after consuming it, he couldn’t understand how it was possible.
He had already been assigned a task by the Devil Lord to oversee the Doria Empire’s plans and make arrangements in case any unexpected situations arose. After the sudden disruption of their plans, he was determined to compensate for the loss. He needed to capture that alchemist, as the devils could gain a significant advantage from him. The person capable of concocting the Six Stripes Pill was someone who could become a game-changer in the future.
If he were to simply kill the alchemist, he felt it would be a waste. So, he decided to either force him to join the Devil’s side or eliminate him.
He looked at the mansion but was suddenly stunned. He sensed something interesting. Smiling at Xin Haotian, he vanished without warning. However, Xin Haotian could see his movement as he made his way toward the mansion, and he followed him.
"No, you don’t."
The speed of light was not something that could be outrun by a mere movement technique. Xin Haotian had already appeared beside the Envy Devil and struck at him with his sword. The Envy Devil swiftly dodged the strike and continued his dash toward the mansion.
"To think that the princess of the Ivory Empire is here, this is better than I expected," the Envy Devil thought. If he could capture the princess, it would be even better—he could control her and sow discord between the Ivory and Doria Empires at the same time. 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
Xin Haotian also realized that the Envy Devil had given up on their battle and was attempting to take a hostage. Xin Haotian blocked the Envy Devil’s movements, but the Envy Devil seemed to pay him no mind, focusing all his strength and speed on evading Xin Haotian. In the middle of their cat-and-mouse game, the Envy Devil suddenly unleashed a powerful strike, sending a wave of purple flame toward the mansion.
Xin Haotian, who had intended to block the attack, suddenly saw the Envy Devil dash to the other side and throw an artifact toward the mansion—more specifically, toward Sylphia’s location.
"Shit."
If Xin Haotian blocked the attack, the artifact would fall to Sylphia’s location. If he blocked the artifact itself, the mansion would be destroyed in the process, instantly killing everyone inside. He didn’t know what kind of artifact it was, nor did he want to find out. Everything the Envy Devil did was bad news for them.
His mind raced as he quickly decided to use one of his trump cards to block everything at once. But before he could activate his domain, he sensed the sudden appearance of someone. The artifact froze midair, as if caught between spaces. The purple flames in front of him were also swallowed by a spatial crack before it closed again.
When he finally saw a familiar face, he let out a sigh of relief.
"What took you so long?" he asked.
"I’m sorry, there were a few things I needed to take care of. Thank you for holding him off until now," Aldrian replied.
