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--- Chapter 98 ---
A wave of shock spread to the whole Illusory Demon Realm. The Demon King, Yun Canghai, was still alive and used the Yun Family's order call to expose Duke Ming. Everyone didn't expect this and was wary for some reason. His sudden appearance startled them.
"Well, that was surprising," Hayate commented while staring at Yun Canghai. "I have assumed that you're a straightforward person, Senior Canghai. To think you would expose your enemy just like that is beyond my expectation."
Yun Canghai grinned and replied, "I have enough of that bastard's scheme. It's not hard for me to make a direct move like this because Illusory Demon Realm has to take my words seriously. My status as Yun Family's Patriarch and the Demon King is on the line, boy."
Hayate gave him a nod and didn't utter anything because Yun Canghai's decision was beyond him. He glanced at Luna and noticed her playful smile. "This will be a long trip..." He said wryly.
Meanwhile, Rong Rong, Liu Mei, and Shui Cun have grave expressions. The elder demon was too hot-headed, but they couldn't do anything about it because he activated Yun Family's order call.
"We have to prepare for the worst now. Duke Ming might have sent his army to this place already." A sigh escaped Liu Mei's mouth. "We have to secure civilians inside the Profound Demon City... Rong Rong and Shui Cun applied the barrier on the wall, and I'll call my underlings to calm down everyone."
"And Senior Canghai, I hope you take responsibility for your actions. You dragged us into this conflict."
Yun Canghai nodded and replied, "Don't worry, everything that happens from now on will be on me. If Duke Ming was somehow able to get out of this, I still have strong evidence to prove his crime."
...
Hayate picked the shadow demon kid and threw him into a cold river. He watched the young demon struggle for a few seconds before pulling him up, gasping for air. "So you're part of the Demonic Path. That's amusing." He commented with a smile on his face.
The young demon stared at Hayate with fear, but he casually leaned on a rock and asked, "Hey kid, have you ever wondered why this world is so unfair?"
"I have..." The young demon answered quietly. "I am always jealous of others with lucky backgrounds. They were born within an influential clan, living in a comfortable house without enduring harsh winters."
Hayate stared at the evening sky and remembered the scenery of the orphanage where he grew up. A broken place with damaged walls and roof, having no protection against harsh weather.
Inside one of the rooms, A young child shivered under a brown blanket, cursing at the world's cruelty. "It's not my fault I was born poor and weak." He whispered indifferently.
"Kid, I give you a chance to become stronger. Do you want to survive in this cruel world?" Hayate asked the young demon, who stared at him with a suspicious look.
"And yes, I'm not joking."
The shadow demon kid didn't trust Hayate's words because this man single-handedly destroyed half of the Demonic Path's Third Squad. However, having no way to run or even retaliate, he could only look down at the ground. He thought deeply for several minutes and felt a splash on his face.
Hayate threw a rock at the river, creating a ripple on the water surfaces. It skipped one hundred times and formed a beautiful arc similar to a half moon.
"What do you think?" He smirked and threw another rock.
"I noticed your race's ability when running away from the crowd after stealing my spatial ring. With your shadow-like movement, learning this throwing technique will make you one of the deadliest assassins. As for the price, you had to become my loyal subordinate."
"Can I?" The young demon wanted to confirm Hayate's proposition. He doesn't want to end like other Demonic Path members, being swayed by the sweet words of Heavenly Demon.
Hayate stretched a little and replied, "Yeah."
"Then, I, Tang Chen, will be your utmost loyal subordinate from now on." He suddenly kneeled, which caused Hayate to chuckle under his hood. This kid is amusing.
Hayate crossed his arms and commented, "Tang Clan, huh? What a familiar term to hear."
Tang Chen tilted his head a little and muttered, "Tang Clan, what was that? Is that some miracle food??"
Hayate flicked the young devil's forehead and replied, "Haha, Nope. Tang Clan is a famous clan in my homeland. It rivaled my Fuma Clan in assassination technique and poison manipulation, but they disappeared one thousand years ago, leaving only their name."
"Anyway, Tang Chen. You can call me boss now."
"Okay, Boss!" Tang Chen yelled while bowing his head.
Hayate ruffled Tang Chen's hair casually and checked his physical condition, finding his Profound Veins way more abnormal than he expected. It is several times thicker with faint darkness energy around it.
He was actually surprised by this discovery and opened all the Profound Veins' entrances with Sky Poison Pearl, causing Tang Chen to fall to the ground. The young demon's body trembled violently, releasing black glass similar to smoke.
Tang Chen is formerly a young man, one or two years younger than Hayate. Yet, he suddenly grew a spurt and became a man with a darker skin tone. His black hair is shorter but has a sharp quality.
"Hmm?? This feeling, I feel so free." The young demon muttered quietly. He tried to pick a pebble near him, but his hand seemed to pass through it.
Hayate wanted to check something and launched a kick at Tang Chen, causing a wind breeze in the air. It was a success because the young demon abruptly exploded into smoke and appeared a meter away.
"This is...?" Tang Chen stared at his hand, shocked.
Hayate shrugged and said, "I guess that was your race's true ability. Shadow-like movement is just part of it."
"Let's return to the city. I'll introduce you to someone."
Tang Chen felt overwhelmed with happiness and shouted, "Yes, BOSS!"
...
...
Profound Demon City.
Yun Canghai stood on top of the tallest building, staring at the starry sky with a nostalgic look. It's been slightly over one hundred years since he saw this lovely scenery.
"I'm back." Hayate suddenly teleported beside him with an unknown man.
Yun Canghai glanced at them and asked, "Who is this brat?"
"Shadow Demon, his name is Tang Chen," Hayate answered while grabbing beef jerky from his spatial ring. "I recruited him as my subordinate."
A weird ray flashed on Yun Canghai's eyes because he hadn't heard about Shadow Demon for years. That demon race lived in the Illusory Demon Realm for a long time, dating back to when the first Demon Emperor reigned on this continent.
He was genuinely shocked to find a Shadow Demon at this place because they usually lived in the Shadow Land, north of the Illusory Demon Realm. There must be a reason why this man arrived here.
"Can I check his mind for a moment? I'm just being cautious, don't worry." Yun Cangai's Profound Handle released a faint cyan light.
Hayate closed his mouth and stared at Tang Chen. He could use this to test the shadow demon's loyalty, though they were only acquaintances a few hours ago.
"Tang Chen, stay put." He ordered naturally.
Yun Canghai grasped Tang Chen's forehead and checked his mind. After a few minutes, the elder demon frowned because the shadow demon was clean. Tang Chen lived in the street for his entire life until Demonic Path took him in.
"He's clean, and having Shadow Demon as your subordinate is beneficial. I hope you could train him to become a good man and warrior because this kid had gone through a lot." Yun Canghai released his hand off Tang Chen's head, waking him from a sleep-like state.
"Huh??! Where am I??!"
"Yeah, I never treated my subordinate horribly," Hayate replied while chewing on the beef jerky.
Enormous energy suddenly arrived from the south, and they moved their gazes there. A masked man in a white robe floated in the sky with a menacing dark aura around his body.
Yun Canghai recognized this person and commented, "Ah, The Heavenly Demon. To think a brat like you would come here personally, Demonic Path is not bad, huh."
"Yun Canghai, The Demon King..." The masked demon was quiet and gazed at them silently.
...
"I'm here to take my demonic warriors back, give them back, and I won't do anything bad to this city." His arrogant declaration made Yun Canghai's nerve twitch in annoyance.
Yun Canhai wanted to smack this guy badly, but he was waiting for Duke Ming. He doesn't have time to fight with this delusional kid.
Hayate patted Yun Canghai's shoulder and said, "I'll take care of him. You can stay here and wait for Duke Ming."
"I have to show my new subordinate how powerful and cool his boss was, after all."
"Tang Chan, watch this fight well." He jumped and floated toward the Heavenly Demon.
"Who are you-?"
"Let's take this fight somewhere else."
Before the Heavenly Demon could finish his word, Hayate suddenly dragged his masked face away to a mountain.
BOOM!
"Heavenly Demon, was it?" Hayate rolled his sleeves.
The Heavenly Demon quickly waved his hand and created a shockwave, which Hayate dodged by tilting his head to the side.
"Oh, so You're a martial artist."
"Then, let's see how long you can dance." An excited grin appeared on Hayate's face.