Chapter Forty-Seven: The Demon Lord’s Temptation

Willow Shore Wind didn’t seem to notice anything amiss with Xiao Zi. He simply clapped his hands, and several men in black carried in trays. Upon them rested meticulously prepared steaks and a set of silverware—an impeccably arranged Western meal.

Xiao Zi didn’t dwell on it. Instead, controlling Wang Hui’s body, he deftly cut into the steak and ate with practiced ease.

As Willow Shore Wind uncorked a bottle of red wine and poured for Xiao Zi, he remarked, “For someone who’s never left Qianyou Town, a high school student at that, I’m surprised by how adept you are with a knife and fork.”

On the surface, it sounded like a simple compliment, but in truth he was signaling to Xiao Zi that he was aware of his presence.

Xiao Zi paid it no mind. He licked the juice from his lips and said, “So, what the hell do you want? If you have something to say, say it. If not, I’ll kill you.”

A smile curled on his lips, but his words were savage and cold.

“No need to rush. I’m just intrigued by you. You aren’t an anomalous being, nor are you a spirit handler, and certainly not a decision-maker. So what exactly are you?”

“Are you interrogating me?”

Xiao Zi’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t release the faintest trace of anomalous energy, but what radiated from him was pure, unadulterated killing intent.

This was the legacy of his previous life’s work—an aura of death that clung to him, something that needed only a glance to convey.

Outwardly, Willow Shore Wind remained composed, but his heart had just leapt violently in his chest.

What was this feeling? As though he’d just laid eyes on a heartless killing machine, and in the next instant, his life could be snuffed out.

“N-no, not at all.” Even he began to panic, losing his composure. “I only wanted to ask if you’d consider working with the Liu Financial Group.”

“No interest,” Xiao Zi replied crisply, glancing past Willow Shore Wind’s shoulder. “But those fellows behind you do pique my curiosity.”

Willow Shore Wind’s heart skipped a beat. What was behind him?

His bodyguards, and members of the loan shark syndicate he’d brought along. But he was certain Xiao Zi wasn’t referring to them—it was something lurking in the shadows...

The next moment, several anomalous creatures emerged from the darkness.

These beings were all fairly powerful, most at grade E, with one even reaching grade D.

Yet, they only poked their heads out, making no move.

Willow Shore Wind felt the oppressive, repugnant aura these anomalous creatures radiated, and immediately halted his actions. “If you refuse to cooperate, your end will be very ugly!”

“Watch your tone when you speak to me,” Xiao Zi said, lifting his head with a look of utter disdain.

“This is my tone. I speak on behalf of the Lord of Demons of the Wushang Nation!”

At his words, the anomalous creatures behind him sprang into motion. In the blink of an eye, every human in the room—without exception—was slaughtered.

In a split second, only Xiao Zi and Willow Shore Wind remained breathing.

The thick, malignant aura of the anomalous beings now saturated the room.

“If you won’t submit to the Lord of Demons, your fate will be utterly miserable!”

Xiao Zi calmly finished the last bite of his steak, wiped his mouth with a napkin, took a sip of wine, and finally turned his head. “What are you all doing, crowding around me like this?”

By now, the anomalous creatures had completely surrounded Xiao Zi, their hostility palpable—poised to strike at any second.

“They’re all combat-type anomalous beings. There’s no point talking to them; they can’t understand you.”

“Oh, then I’ll just tell you directly: I have absolutely no interest in your so-called Lord of Demons.”

With those words, the air seemed to freeze.

Within a heartbeat, every anomalous creature lunged at Xiao Zi. In response, he simply lifted a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

He murmured softly, “Domain of Anomaly—Unleash.”

Instantly, with Xiao Zi at the center, everything began to transform. The world was shrouded in a blood-red haze.

Before the anomalous beings’ attacks could land, they were ensnared by crimson tendrils, which yanked them relentlessly into the ground.

Such was the tyranny of his forbidden domain—it could absorb anomalous beings into itself, turning them into fuel for its power.

The anomalous creatures thrashed desperately, but their struggles were futile. In mere seconds, only one grade-E being remained.

This meant his domain was full; it couldn’t accommodate another.

Xiao Zi merely glanced at the remaining creature.

In an instant, countless wind blades tore through it. Within moments, it was reduced to pure vital essence, which was then absorbed directly into Xiao Zi’s body.

Before Willow Shore Wind could react, the room had returned to normal.

All of it seemed to happen in a single heartbeat.

When Willow Shore Wind finally realized what had happened, he collapsed onto the floor in terror, all his former composure gone.

“You… You actually dared attack the Lord of Demons’ followers? Do you have any idea what that means?”

The Lord of Demons?

Xiao Zi rifled through his memories and soon recalled information about this so-called Lord. He remembered Si Liren mentioning once that one of the Lord’s subordinates had been instantly killed by an elder of the Great Xia.

With this thought, Xiao Zi’s expression turned scornful. “The Lord of Demons? And what rank is he, exactly?”

The question, coupled with his disdainful gaze, made Willow Shore Wind believe Xiao Zi was looking down on the Lord.

It never occurred to him that Xiao Zi might truly be ignorant of the Lord’s identity or merely curious. In his world, the Lord of Demons was the most formidable anomalous existence, someone all extraordinary beings should know.

But who could possibly look down on the Lord of Demons? At the very least, only someone mightier than the Lord himself.

And the Lord of Demons had already infiltrated and controlled anomalous beings across several nations—if this man before him was even stronger...

He didn’t dare dwell on it. Survival came first.

Swallowing, he said, “I—I’m just a messenger. I bear you no malice whatsoever!”

“I know that. But why don’t you let the thing in your pocket speak to me directly?”

These words left Willow Shore Wind utterly stunned, disbelief etched across his face.

After a long pause, he slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. “This is the Shadow Demon’s avatar.”

Inside the bottle was a swirl of black mist, within which a devilish face appeared, grinning at Xiao Zi.