That morning, Shun Jin climbed down from the dark red tree before it started acting to hunt its prey.
She saw herself reflected in the flash of a slender sword's back. Inspecting every part of her changed body.
"My face, and my body have changed slightly... Did I actually level up last night?"
Then she smiled slightly and walked along the path she made to leave the Blood Valley.
Shun Jin stopped to pick some crying baby heads and ate them while humming. She mischievously poked the bushes and stabbed each human-fingered spider with a happy face.
"La la la la~ today I am finally free~"
She paused at a pool of blood, drank a few sips before tendrils of intestines appeared but Shun Jin quickly slashed them.
"Naughty tendrils~"
She walked over to a cow-headed man, patted his head once before slashing the cow-headed man's neck and milked its udder to drink directly from the mouth.
"Although it's quite bitter, drinking milk straight from the teat feels refreshing~"
She also chuckled and played with butterflies with human faces. Or ran happily alongside floating eyes that followed her.
She met a dragon-headed tiger on the road. Shun Jin became more cautious. But her mood was still cheerful and she didn't pay much attention, just walked past. For some reason, the dragon-headed tiger didn't dare to chase Shun Jin.
And some of those reasons were, because behind Shun Jin. A white snake had already opened its mouth wide and swallowed Shun Jin who was still humming in one gulp.
"La la la—"
I who was following her from the tree branches above was startled to see Shun Jin suddenly disappear from my sight. And I just realized, the camouflaged white snake swallowed her in one gulp!
I immediately drew my demonic sword and jumped down very quickly. Aiming to behead the white snake that was camouflaged with the trees and earth. However, my slash was stopped by a man above the white snake.
Just two fingers. With two fingers he stopped my slash that could easily cut through stone right now.
I immediately jumped to the side of the white snake. The man was not human. I could tell because he had the same aura as the Fool inside the demonic sword.
His hair was a very white-gray, waist-length. His face was very pale like a corpse, almost transparent. His pupils matched the color of his hair. He wasn't wearing any clothes. Naked. As if he didn't care.
"It seems that people who have reached levels like you have started to get bored of wearing clothes. You truly have no taste."
I pointed at the pale white man. He seemed to be the spirit king mentioned by the regretful ghost on the first night.
"..."
The white snake now revealed itself. Its body was truly long and huge. If the snake curled up while sleeping, I'm sure ordinary humans would think it was a hill or a large mound of earth.
"Are you the spirit king?"
The spirit king nodded once.
"Nice to meet you. By chance, I am a demon. It seems we can get along well."
I stepped swiftly and stood five steps in front of him. The spirit king glanced at me and looked me over from head to toe. I was indeed more handsome than him, and I wasn't interested in the same sex, sorry.
"You. Demon."
"And you, spirit king."
"You shouldn't be in this world."
"Likewise for you, spirit king. Return the young girl that your pet just grabbed. If she dies, I will make sure you return to your original world, spirit king."
"..."
The spirit king was silent. Then he snapped his fingers. The white snake flicked out its tongue and Shun Jin was wrapped by the snake's long tongue. His body was wet with acid and poison, but for some reason, the acid and poison did not harm Shun Jin. Or rather, it hadn't yet injured Shun Jin.
"Let her go."
"No."
"Why?"
"I want to make her my wife."
I was silent. My mouth even hung slightly open in surprise at hearing that. The spirit king wanted a wife? And why did it have to be Shun Jin?
I narrowed my eyes. I couldn't believe it.
"Since when does a spirit king want a partner? Are there no beautiful women in your world that you have to choose a crazy girl like her?" My sword pointed at Shun Jin. She was unconscious.
"She's the suitable woman to be my wife. She adapts quickly and her mind doesn't go mad when regretful spirits talk to her or even devour her soul. She has a rare soul. A soul that only appears once every million years."
I closed my mouth tightly. Whether his words were true or just an excuse, I wouldn't hand Shun Jin over to him.
"Sorry, but she's my disciple. I won't let my disciple fall into someone else's hands without my permission."
"In that case, give me your permission."
Now my eyes widened. He… was seriously wanting Shun Jin as his wife? This wasn't a joke?
"What will you do after making her your wife?"
"I will take her to the spirit world and live there with me."
Trang!
I shot forward and slashed at the spirit king's neck. He raised his hand first and created an invisible shield made of very dense dark Qi so my sword stopped.
"Taking her into the spirit world is basically killing her in the mortal world."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do."
Thud!
I kicked the transparent snake scale shield and sent the spirit king flying a few steps back, landing beneath the mouth of the white snake which remained still despite two men fighting on its back.
"I won't give you permission."
"In that case, I will take my wife by force."
"She isn't your wife yet."
The spirit king and I glanced over at Shun Jin who was still unconscious, tangled in the long white snake's tongue.
"Snake."
The white snake's tongue moved toward the spirit king.
I pressed down powerfully so the white snake's back surged forward.
Slash!
Before Shun Jin, tangled in the white snake's tongue, could be taken by the spirit king, I appeared in front of them first, slashing the tongue wrapped around Shun Jin's body and reaching out to catch her with one hand.
The spirit king didn't stay still. He stabbed my stomach and face in one quick hand movement seeing Shun Jin was about to land in my arms.
Crat! Crat!
I couldn't see for a few seconds because the spirit king stabbed my eyes. He stabbed my stomach to stop my leg movement for a few seconds.
After grabbing Shun Jin in his hands, he immediately jumped far back and ordered his pet to attack me.
"Snake, eat that crazy demon."
The white snake opened its mouth and swallowed me whole in one gulp. Inside was full of acid and poison that absorbed directly into my flesh. But unfortunately, I was a demon with unbelievable regeneration ability. The acid and poison only melted the robe I was wearing.
"Flaming sword slash technique; Sixth step; Sun Ring."
The entire one-kilometer area around me was slashed by a circular flame slash. The white trees burned and collapsed. Unlucky monsters and beasts caught in my ring slash burned to death.
The white snake that swallowed me was now cleanly split in two, burning fiercely along its entire body from head to tail.
"Flaming sword slash technique; Seventh step; Dragon Step."
Trang!
"You truly are a demon from another world."
Within seconds, I caught up to the spirit king who was running toward the middle of the Blood Valley. Leaving fiery footprints with every step I took.
My attack was blocked by the transparent snake scale shield. The spirit king looked lazy facing me. Just like me who stared at him lazily. The two of us then took a stance ten steps apart.
"Give me the girl, and I will leave without bothering you any further, spirit king."
The spirit king shook his head slightly.
"No. I've lived alone for too long in the spirit world. I need someone with a spirit like this girl's to keep me company for the next thousand years in the spirit world."
"Looks like there's no other choice, huh?"
I loosened the muscles in my shoulders. My whole body turned dark pale, filled with black veins. In front of me, the spirit king walked calmly while carrying Shun Jin in his left hand.
The two of us immediately dashed forward like lightning. Attacking each other blindly.
Trang! Trang! Trang!
"By the way, I now understand why you prefer to be naked. Being naked without a single cloth makes it easier for me to move."
"I'm glad you understand. I haven't worn clothes for hundreds of years."
This was a fight between two completely naked men fighting over a girl.
The area around us instantly burned fiercely. White trees collapsed from sword slashes aimed or dark qi cuts from empty hands that left slash marks in the ground.
All day until the sun set, the two of us exchanged attacks, and none of my strikes managed to penetrate the spirit king's transparent snake-scaled defense. Meanwhile, my body was ripped apart repeatedly and regenerated very fast until I lost count of how many times I had died.
At night, the bright moon illuminated the middle of the chaotic Blood Valley. The remaining white trees were ashes. Dry land carved with many slash marks. Around us was already leveled into a wide field due to our intense battle.
And now, the spirit king invited me to negotiate.
We were one step apart. We sat cross-legged facing each other with Shun Jin lying on the ground as the mediator between him and me.
***