True Solution of the Sword Dao

Lin Fei gazed into the distance for a moment.

Only then did he retract his gaze.

He knew what Griffin meant.

"This world belongs to its original master. He wants to see who can take over more, faster. I didn’t expect Griffin to actually be the Black Flame Demon Lord, or to say, the Successor chosen by the Black Flame Demon Lord. Looking at it this way, it seems like I’ve entered the scene halfway through and seized the legitimate inheritance that should have belonged to someone else." Lin Fei turned around, his voice calm and indifferent. "Let’s go."

Yuan Yicheng also frowned and glanced at the big clock tower’s top in the distance. He didn’t speak, just followed behind Lin Fei and then quickly left.

Annis couldn’t help but follow Lin Fei. She didn’t know why she was following this person who had turned himself into something incomprehensible. But she had a feeling that if she didn’t keep up with him and stayed here, the only outcome would be death.

The three of them quickly vanished amidst the chaos of the streets.

*************

At the top of the clock tower

Griffin quietly watched the three people disappear into the streets below.

Suddenly, a whiff of black smoke appeared round his head. The smoke twisted in the air for a few moments and condensed into a human head, its features nothing but blackness.

"Griffin, how do you plan to compete with the Ice Crystal Demon King for control of this world?" The voice of the black smoke head was deep, filled with much static.

Griffin looked around. The numerous strong beings surrounding him were turning into streaks of light like raindrops, shooting off towards all directions of the city.

Sounds of explosions, gunshots, and human screams continuously erupted overhead in this area.

Red glows of light occasionally illuminated nearby. The police announcements continued to echo, but to no avail.

Griffin took a deep breath.

The air was thick with the scent of blood mixed with gunpowder and energy, giving him a sense of deep intoxication.

"Two hundred years ago, I already inherited a large amount of the original master’s knowledge from your avatar. When it comes to understanding the methods of the original demon master, Yan Fei is far less clear than me." He seemed slightly inebriated.

The black smoke humanoid head chuckled maliciously.

"So you’re preparing to deal with Yan Fei now?"

"Deal with? Why should I deal with him?" Griffin responded. "We both are Golden Council members; our strengths are united. Why would I push a powerful Sword Canon inheritor to the opposite side? The reason why you, demon lords, were destroyed in the past is because you knew nothing about cooperation and compromise." Griffin’s face showed a hint of disdain.

"Foolishness!" the black smoke humanoid head said harshly, "The Sword Canon is the foundation of the mightiest organization of Sword Dao practitioners, the Royal Court. It’s in their nature to conquer everything. Everything they see or encounter will be captured and become their slaves!! It’s completely a different opposing system from our Monster Clan!!"

Griffin scoffed condescendingly, "So what? The most powerful Holy Canon inheritance is only a relatively high starting point for someone. The final destination has never been about what is given and inherited. As strong as the Sword Canon might be, wasn’t it still destroyed by our mightiest Demon King back then? Over the years, how many Sword Masters have the Sword Canon gone through, and how many were as strong as that person from the last time? A life’s strength lies in its will, not some foreign power. For the strong, opportunities are just a small push needed for advancement. And for the weak, no matter how much power is conferred upon them, they remain weak nonetheless!"

The black smoke humanoid head huffed coldly. "Do as you wish, just don’t regret it in the end."

"You need not say more!" Griffin’s eyes flashed gold. The black smoke humanoid head beside him instantly dispersed.

"The truly strong are not afraid of others catching up. Those who fear being overtaken and suppress others will never reach the Peak. Even if they suppress their competitors, so what? In the end, it’s just self-deception," he said with a resolute look in his eyes.

Deep down, he recognized that the strong are strong; no matter how many times they are defeated, as long as they are alive, there will always be a time for a comeback. No matter how many times they are defeated, they will always stand up again.

As for the weak, it only takes one or two defeats. Because they will forever be complacent and sink further down.

*******************

4:13 PM

Demon Realm United Kingdom, Solomon City

Boom!!

A streak of lightning flashed, followed immediately by thunder that grew from distant to near, rapidly spreading throughout the city.

As the thunder gradually quieted down and silence fell, sparse raindrops suddenly began to fall from the gloomy sky.

Soon, the sparse drizzle turned into a torrential downpour, rushing down to form a curtain of rain, enveloping Solomon City in a veil of drizzle.

Raindrops struck the streets, the sides of cars, people’s umbrellas, splashing into countless smaller droplets. The pattering sound was incessant.

Outside the Solomon City short-haul bus station.

People bustled back and forth, hurrying along the sidewalks. Various colored umbrellas under the shop lights on the street side reflected a kaleidoscope of halos.

Just outside the bus station, at a small T-junction, hung an electronic advertisement screen on a building, right above the flow of people and vehicles.

The screen was clearly broadcasting news.

"... In response to the strange pillar of light that occurred at noon today, government departments have provided a specific response. This was a high-tech golden laser illumination system test conducted by a research institution, primarily aimed at future applications in the field of fast signal transmission in space."

"This system has consolidated the tremendous effort of numerous research institutions under the UK government over several years. We have invested massive funds and energy, gathered a large number of top-notch scholars, and been granted access to join the research program, eventually achieving commendable results. However, the specific outcomes and experimental effects are still under further testing. Please, everyone..."

The blonde news anchor on TV was gravely narrating a grand lie concocted just that afternoon as if it were true. She seemed natural, perhaps even believing herself that this was truly a special technological feat developed by government departments.

Right across the screen, at the edge of the train station.

A handsome man with light golden patterns on his forehead stood in front of a grocery store, paying for three bottles of mineral water.

The chubby male owner sneaked a glance at him and quietly took part of the change meant for the man, returning only half of it.

The man took the change without concern and casually stuffed it into his pocket. He picked up three bottles of water, handing two of them to someone behind him.

Behind him stood a man with a stern face in a suit who took a bottle of water and immediately unscrewed the cap to take a big gulp.

Another beautiful woman with flaxen hair also received the remaining bottle of water but didn’t open it, merely holding it in her hand.

"Buying water to drink on a rainy day... and with my wallet..." the woman muttered, looking utterly baffled.

The three of them stood at the entrance of the grocery store, taking shelter from the rain just under the awning.

All three had extraordinary demeanors and attractive appearances, which drew the occasional lingering glance from the pedestrians who passed by quickly.

Inside the store, the male owner’s young daughter, who was originally watching a variety show, somehow ended up sitting at the store’s entrance, occasionally eyeing the three with a curious and interested expression.

These three were none other than Lin Fei and his group, who had just come over from Norsent City.

Annis silently followed behind Lin Fei’s two companions, easily strutting past the blockade as if invisible to everyone. Then, at their request, she led them by car to another neighboring district—Solomon City.

They had been traveling by car from noon and had only just arrived in Solomon City.

Along the way, Annis managed to learn the names of the two men from their idle chatter—one called Yan Fei, the other Yuan Yicheng. Their names sounded similar to those from a couple of countries in the East. Fortuitously, as an intelligence agent, Annis had self-taught Chinese and Japanese for a while and barely managed to grasp the pronunciation.

From Norsent City to here, she gradually realized just how bizarre the strengths of the two men before her were.

"I’ve already brought you here. If there’s nothing else, can you let me go?" Annis asked calmly.

"Unfortunately, I’d like to let you go, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to get too far from me now," Lin Fei replied casually. "Once you’re too far away, you’ll instantly lose your sanity, and then..."

Annis’s face changed slightly. "I’m just a nobody. I’m of no value to you. There’s no need to deceive me like this, right?"

"You can try," Lin Fei said indifferently. "If you want to leave, go ahead. We’re not interested in keeping you here."

Annis’s expression flickered. "If I leave now, will you really not..." She was somewhat tempted.

Yuan Yicheng coldly interjected from the side, "You talk too much."

Annis’s face turned pale.

"Fine, you’ve said it yourselves. I’m leaving!" She stepped back cautiously, eyeing the two men under the awning.

However, they ignored her, both seemingly absorbed in watching the rain, with the man called Yan Fei even turning his head to look the other way.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Yan Fei suddenly spoke up. "You should feel something once you get about ten meters away."

Annis swallowed nervously and suddenly turned and ran.

Her feet slapped against the rain-soaked pavement as she quickly disappeared around a street corner at the intersection.

Lin Fei shook his head slightly.

"Humans that I’ve demonized will lose all reason and become slaves to their demonic nature if they wander beyond twenty meters from me, turning into monsters that only know slaughter and predation. Unless they return to my side, only then will they slowly recover."

Yuan Yicheng opened his mouth as if to say something, considering how the Monster Clan indeed seemed like an inferior race. But then he remembered that the Sword Master was now part of their group and he held his tongue, not voicing his thoughts.

Lin Fei’s gaze continued to sweep around the area.

To him, demonizing Annis had cost merely one ten-thousandth of his demonic energy. Moreover, after the demonization, Annis continuously sent back streaks of pure demonic energy. That was the vast majority of demonic energy she subconsciously absorbed, leaving only a trace for her own enhancement while instinctively transferring all the rest to Lin Fei.

This was a natural trait known as ’worship’ among the Monster Clan, Lin Fei knew from the memories of his inheritance.

The Monster Clan was actually divided into many types, with the original holders naturally at the pinnacle of power and might. Those below them were classified into many levels based on the nobility of the bloodline in their bodies.

Those with powerful bloodlines had formidable demonization strength and high absorption and feedback of demonic energy, receiving more power and privileges from the original holders, thus commanding higher status.

And as the quantity of feedback demonic energy varied, the Monster Clan could be split into different ranks. According to the inherited memories, the lowest ranked among the Monster Clan were like Annis—unable to stray too far from the original holder without consequences, the lowest of the low.

This indicated that her bloodline was exceedingly low-grade, so much so that even her range of activity had to be restricted. Otherwise, she simply could not control the nature within her. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast Recommendation Votes and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)