Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Notorious Black Demon Sword

The Grand Lord was a Tier 3, mid-grade mutated Rampaging Spirit Bear, level 21.

Needless to say, both its Sharpness and Tenacity stats exceeded 400, and its Speed stat was over 300 as well. As the ruler of the Deer-Chasing Plains, its spirit core had started to age, but its strength was still formidable.

At this moment, the Grand Lord was lounging comfortably on a high-backed chair—one paw holding a delicious glass of verdant nectar, the other rubbing its plump belly.

“Report! Grand Lord, the Swiftfire Birds have... returned!”

The Grand Lord leisurely sipped the verdant nectar before replying absentmindedly, “Mm, their efficiency is acceptable. Summon the Swiftfire Bird Lord to see me.”

“G-Grand Lord, the S-Swiftfire Bird Lord... has fallen!”

“And only two squads came back this time—the rest of the Swiftfire Birds were all wiped out!”

The Rampaging Spirit Bear who brought the news was trembling with fear as he reported the outcome of the battle.

Crash!

“What?! Impossible! How could so many elite flying Swiftfire Birds die all at once?”

“Did people from the Violet Spirit Manor or Blackwind Cliff come?”

The Grand Lord’s oversized cup fell to the floor, and he was so shocked that he seemed to lose focus for a moment.

“If Blackwind Cliff or Violet Spirit Manor has made a move, then we’re finished!”

All these years, he’d been treading the line between the two powers, just to survive in the gap between them. He had sent countless gifts to further that goal.

On the surface, Blackwind Cliff accepted everything without question, but secretly, they’d tripped him up time and again. Violet Spirit Manor was actually a bit better, granting him some face on occasion.

He had managed, after considerable effort, to procure a Violet Crystal Pearl and a Green Venom Mother from Violet Spirit Manor, only to have them robbed by Wolfma the Bandit.

But he hadn’t dared to make a fuss about it. On these plains, the “One Thief, One Bandit”—even if other spirits didn’t know their origins, he knew perfectly well.

The “One Thief, One Bandit” were both spirit creatures secretly recruited by Blackwind Cliff, dedicated to stirring up trouble on the Deer-Chasing Plains.

So this time, it was most likely that people from Blackwind Cliff were responsible.

In that instant, the Grand Lord’s thoughts raced, but unfortunately, his deduction was mistaken.

“No, according to the Swiftfire Birds, it was all the work of the Dark Demon Sword! The Dark Demon Sword is a level 18 purple-grade spirit weapon.”

Upon hearing this, the Grand Lord was dumbfounded. “Level 18, purple-grade spirit weapon? How is that possible? The Dark Demon Sword was able to slay even the Tier 3 Swiftfire Bird Lord? Does it really have such potential?”

But even more shocking news—enough to make him cough blood in madness—continued to pour in.

“Report! The Fleetfooted Leopards have been wiped out!”

“Report! The Bloodmad Lions have been wiped out!”

“Report! The Mammoth Beasts and Frostiron Bows have all been wiped out!”

“Report! The Thornhide Beast Lord’s lair has been raided, and he’s been slain as well!”

...

Splurt!

With disaster after disaster being reported, the Grand Lord spat out three mouthfuls of blood in fury, his spirit core dimming significantly.

“Damn it! Everything I’ve worked for over hundreds of years—gone, just like that?”

“Damn you, Dark Demon Sword! I will not rest until either you or I am dead!”

“No, I’ll tear you to pieces and swallow you bit by bit! I’ll make sure nothing is left of you!”

The Grand Lord was so livid that his bear face turned blue, then red, nearly steaming with rage.

“Report...”

Just as the Grand Lord had managed to calm down a little, another report came in, and he flew into a rage. “What now? Will this never end?”

This time, the reporting Rampaging Spirit Bear was so frightened he could hardly speak.

“Damn it, out with it! If you have something to say, say it! If you dare stammer, I’ll tear you apart myself!”

Seeing the poor bear’s terror only made the Grand Lord more irritable, his eyes glaring like copper bells.

The bear scrambled to the entrance and finally blurted, “G-Grand Lord, reliable sources say that the Forbidden Forest has been wiped out, and your youngest son also... It seems they were also killed by the Dark Demon Sword. Please, restrain your grief, Grand Lord.”

As soon as he finished, the bear dashed off—he didn’t want to be the innocent target of the Grand Lord’s wrath.

“What?! Ah!”

Boom!

Splurt, splurt, splurt!

Hearing this calamity, the Grand Lord spat out three more mouthfuls of old blood, his whole body seeming to age in an instant.

It was a long while before he finally gathered himself.

His teeth ground together, his eyes bloodshot and terrifying to behold.

“Dark Demon Sword, you have destroyed all I worked for—my hopes and dreams! Unless I grind your bones to dust, I cannot appease my hatred!”

“Someone! Find him for me—I’ll kill him with my own hands!”

“Yes, sir!”

After a while, the more the Grand Lord thought, the angrier he became. He couldn’t help but swing his claws at the cliff wall, hacking at it madly.

“Curse you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

“Report! Grand Lord, the Dark Demon Sword has been spotted!”

“Speak! Where is he?”

“He... he’s heading this way.”

“What?! Well, well! He has some nerve, coming to my doorstep! Let him in!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Grand Lord’s eyes grew dark as he forcibly suppressed the raging fury within.

“I want to see for myself just how powerful this Dark Demon Sword really is!”

While the Grand Lord was arranging his forces, Qin Chuan strode forward, brimming with confidence and singing leisurely.

“Boss, are we really just charging in like this?” Sleepy Bug asked, a little worried—they were, after all, about to rob the famous Grand Lord.

“Yes, just head over. No problem, just confront him!”

“But Boss, didn’t you say we should keep a low profile?”

At that moment, Qin Chuan was lying nonchalantly on Sleepy Bug’s back, looking like he deserved a beating.

“I am keeping a low profile! Look, am I being arrogant? Am I being prideful?”

Hearing this, Sleepy Bug nearly stumbled. “Boss, with lines like that, I really don’t know how to respond.”

“If you don’t, then don’t. Just keep moving.”

“Alright then.”

...

Compared to the relaxed and carefree atmosphere between sword and bug, the entire core region was shrouded in terror.

“Brother, did you hear? The six Lords and all their elites are dead!”

“Yeah, that Dark Demon Sword is said to be a purple-grade spirit weapon—wherever it goes, nothing survives. It’s absolutely ruthless!”

“Why would such a savage creature come to the Deer-Chasing Plains? How are we supposed to survive here?”

“I say we should slip away while there’s still time.”

“Right, while the guards are distracted, let’s sneak into the Bewildering Forest. Better than waiting to die here.”

“Agreed, let’s do that.”

As Qin Chuan and the Grand Lord were about to clash, many spirit creatures began to flee in secret.

In their eyes, the Dark Demon Sword was simply too fearsome—staying meant certain death.

The core region, already sparsely populated, emptied out even more, leaving the entire area eerily silent.

“The king commands me to patrol the mountains, so I’ll wander the spirit world a bit...”

From afar, the Grand Lord could hear Qin Chuan’s wailing song.

“Report! Grand Lord, the Dark Demon Sword has arrived!”

The Grand Lord growled viciously, “Good. Let him in—I’ll duel him myself!”

This was a decision made after deep consideration. Only he could restrain Qin Chuan now; any other spirit creature would be throwing its life away.

He simply couldn’t afford any further losses.

Following the Grand Lord’s orders, the sword and the bug met no resistance and soon came face-to-face with the Grand Lord, standing upon the open plain.