The Three-tailed Crane stared at the airplane piercing through the darkness, flying toward another country, his eyes filled with indifference.

If it hadn't been for the Thunder God's personal decree, he never would have come to attack Xu Lai. To be perfectly honest, he was absolutely delighted about Orochi's sudden death! Years ago, he had fought with Orochi over a Spirit Plant, only to have it treacherously stolen. Ultimately, Orochi reached the Demon King Realm because of it. Meanwhile, because his own core had been injured, he had been stuck at the peak of the Great Demon Realm for a full three hundred years.

Even the Thunder God, whom he had always adored, was beguiled by Orochi. Yet during his cultivation, Orochi had a qi deviation and inadvertently ruined the Thunder God's face. All these grudges had accumulated over time. With his greatest nemesis vanquished, the Three-tailed Crane even wanted to raise a toast to the human who had killed Orochi!

If you were a demon, I would have become your sworn brother. What a pity… the Three-tailed Crane thought with a shake of his head. The Thunder God is one of the most powerful Demon Kings in Sakura Country. No target she decides to kill has ever escaped. This human named Xu Lai will be no exception.

"Hmm?"

The Three-tailed Crane's pupils suddenly contracted. He realized that his concentrated Spiritual Power attack had vanished into thin air and hadn't touched the airplane at all! Squinting, he looked closer and saw a young man standing atop the plane. His expression was unreadable, as if he were one with the night.

At first glance, the Three-tailed Crane thought he was just an ordinary man, the kind who would go unnoticed in a crowd. Could someone like him have really killed Orochi? To think that Orochi, that piece of trash who stole my opportunity and the woman I loved, ended up dying at the hands of some nobody… This thought brought the Three-tailed Crane a great sense of satisfaction.

"First of all, I want to thank you for killing the one I hate most," the Three-tailed Crane said, looking down from on high.

Xu Lai, hands clasped behind his back, said softly, "Get to the point. How do you want to die?"

The Three-tailed Crane let out a wild cackle filled with scorn.

Humans. How amusingly arrogant. Besides, Orochi's Demon King Realm status was never completely legitimate. This Xu Lai probably doesn't even know that the Thunder God is rapidly approaching, does he?

The Three-tailed Crane was about to voice his scorn when he heard the young man muttering to himself, "Forget it. Why waste words on you?"

Xu Lai beckoned with his hand.

Suddenly, the Three-tailed Crane couldn't move. He looked down and saw his body disintegrating, bit by bit. A thousand questions flooded his mind, but he couldn't find a single answer as his head began to crumble away as well.

In his final moments, the Three-tailed Crane heard a whisper in his ear. "No one is allowed to disturb my daughter and wife while they sleep."

Just for that? For such a ridiculous reason, I, the formidable Great Demon, the Three-tailed Crane, am going to die in this godforsaken place?

Filled with humiliation and reluctance, the Three-tailed Crane turned to ash and smoke. Xu Lai's figure flickered, reappearing inside the plane. Gazing at the sleeping faces of his daughter and wife, his icy expression gradually melted, replaced by a smile as warm as a spring breeze.

HEHEHE.

Yiyi is so beautiful!

***

"Mother, I can't get in touch with the Three-tailed Crane," Yomotsu Hiraka said gravely. The Three-tailed Crane had vanished as if he had evaporated, not responding to phone calls or Divine Sense.

"I know," the Thunder Beast replied indifferently.

"Mother," Yomotsu Hiraka hesitated. "Do you think something might have happened to him? Is that why…"

"After so long with no news, I'm afraid he's dead," the Thunder Beast stated calmly.

"Dead!?" Yomotsu Hiraka's heart shook.

The Thunder Beast wore no veil. Her ferocious, terrifying face bore a smile that would make a child cry. "He must have died at Xu Lai's hands. As expected of the human who killed your father. I surmise the Three-tailed Crane was killed instantly, which is why no message was sent."

Yomotsu Hiraka sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. To instantly kill the Three-tailed Crane, a master at the peak of the Great Demon Realm... Is that human, Xu Lai, really that strong? Can Mother truly defeat him? What if she dies at his hands, just like Father...

Sensing the aura of defeat emanating from the once battle-ready Yomotsu Hiraka, the Thunder Beast's brow furrowed deeply as a flash of disappointment crossed the depths of her eyes.

Cultivation was an act of defying the heavens. All cultivators, whether human or demon, were destined to be eliminated in this world where the strong prey on the weak if they did not possess a heart strong enough to face death and their own fears.

Someone like Yomotsu Hiraka… so hesitant, lacking the resolve to be invincible among his peers… he'll never achieve anything great.

"I will personally cripple Xu Lai and leave his head for you. My son… do not disappoint me again."

The Thunder Beast gave Yomotsu Hiraka one last, deep look, then turned and flew back to their base camp without a second glance at her son.

I need to find a suitable opportunity. I will have Yomotsu Hiraka break through his inner demons before a crowd and achieve the Demon King Realm!

***

It was already nine o'clock at night when they returned to Haitang Court. After leaving the airport, Xu Lai held Ruan Tang and his daughter Yiyi, teleporting directly back home in a single step.

"WHIMPER, WHIMPER, WHIMPER."

In the backyard, the Gold Swallowing Beast, Xiao Hei, seemed to have picked up a scent. It approached with a swagger that disowned king and kin, its gaze constantly searching for something.

Xu Lai understood, and of course, Beibei did too.

SWOOSH! She leaped from Yiyi's pocket and jumped into the lake behind Haitang Court, giving Xiao Hei no chance to slurp at her.

"WHIMPER, WHIMPER, WHIMPER."

Xiao Hei stared blankly at Beibei's retreating figure, his gaze as mournful as that of a husband abandoned by his wife.

After putting his daughter in her room, Xu Lai gently woke Ruan Tang. She saw the familiar room and only then realized they were already home. She went to the bathroom, planning to take a bath before going back to sleep. Just as she was about to close the door, she saw Xu Lai in the kitchen preparing a late-night snack.

"I'm not having any! Don't make one for me, I need to go on a diet!" she said quickly. The reason she had to diet was that Xu Lai's cooking was simply too delicious. She always ate far too much and was worried her figure would lose its shape if she continued.

"Don't worry, you won't get fat from eating this," Xu Lai replied without turning his head.

"Regardless, I'm not eating!" Ruan Tang insisted.

Xu Lai just smiled and said nothing. He wasn't worried. Once the food was ready, Ruan Tang wouldn't be able to resist. After all, a true foodie could never bear to watch delicious food grow cold. As a certain great writer once said, "The women who claim they'll only have one bite, or none at all, are actually the ones who eat the most," and Ruan Tang was clearly such a woman.

"By the way, honey, do you need me to scrub your back?" Xu Lai suddenly asked.

"Thanks, but no thanks!" Ruan Tang replied bluntly.

What is that big pervert thinking about all day? I'd rather die than let him into the bathroom!

"Alright then," Xu Lai said, undeterred. "Honey, I've recently developed a new energy substance for bathing. It has beautifying and rejuvenating properties. Want to try it?"

"..."

An energy substance. Beautifying and rejuvenating…

Ruan Tang's mind immediately went to a lewd place. Her face flushed crimson as she glared fiercely at Xu Lai. "You pervert!"

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