"Boss Guangcheng truly embodies magnanimity!"
"Stick with the boss and you're in for a feast!"
"Thirty thrombin pills and two blue treasure chests—absolutely delightful! And we're just spectators!"
The crowd lauded Chen Guo's liberality.
Unconcerned, Chen Guo addressed City Lord Dugu, "With the Fiend Demon's minions now utterly vanquished, lead me to its very essence!"
City Lord Dugu responded, "With your divine abilities, Young Hero, you are sure to defeat the Fiend Demon. Follow me, please!"
City Lord Dugu resumed his role as the pathfinder.
The group kept tight on his heels.
The demise of the Four Great Demon Kings had significantly weakened the malevolent aura within the Blood Evil Cave, yet this was merely the fringe.
Deeper within the Blood Evil Cave, the blood fiend aura was overwhelming, painting the world in a sinister scarlet. Lurking in the perilous blood fog seemed to be a presence of unspeakable horror.
Swiftly, City Lord Dugu led them to a circular altar.
Carved with dense, malevolent runes, the stone altar was eerie yet mesmerizing. Currently, the runes glowed faintly.
"Fiend Demon, your underlings have perished, and today marks your end!" City Lord Dugu proclaimed, "Your wickedness will be terminated!"
With City Lord Dugu's declaration, the altar's runes ignited, casting a brilliant red glow.
The blood mist above the altar thickened and solidified until it formed a woman clad in red.
With her crimson hair and eyes, the woman's sinister aura altered the expressions of Zhou Tao and the others, who found themselves unable to discern her stats.
"You are quite insolent," the woman in red spoke icily. "Having slaughtered so many of my playthings, I shall now make you my new toys!"
Unable to ascertain the woman's stats, Chen Guo invoked Divine Insight.
The efficacy of Divine Insight was undeniable, revealing the woman in red's stats without a trace of concealment:
Fiend Demon Gudu Hongyu, Level 30 Legendary character, Battle Strength: 55,000!
Chen Guo was encountering a mythological figure for the second time. His first encounter had been during an adventure quest, where he met an Earth Immortal on the brink of death. The mythological being before him now, the Fiend Demon, was in prime condition with a formidable fighting capacity of 55,000—a true legend by any standard.
Yet, what really drew Chen Guo's attention was the Fiend Demon's name.
Gudu Hongyu?
Gudu Tianfang?
The Fiend Demon was known as Gudu Hongyu, while the City Lord was Dugu Tianfang. There had to be a link between the two!
"The heroes gathered this time are unlike any before. Your four henchmen have met their end, and your own demise is inevitable!" City Lord Dugu declared, "Enough with your empty boasts!"
With a captivating smile, the Fiend Demon cooed, "Do you find me beautiful?" Her beauty was exceptional, the kind that could eclipse the moon and shame the flowers. Her figure was equally stunning, draped in nothing but a sheer red gauze that made her pale skin tantalizingly visible. Her smile alone was enough to topple empires.
Zhou Tao and the others were instantly spellbound, and even Jiang Yan, a woman herself, was not immune to the Fiend Demon's charm. However, Chen Guo was unaffected; he recognized the Fiend Demon's ploy and maintained his composure, feigning enchantment.
In a sudden twist, City Lord Dugu, who stood beside Chen Guo, brought his hands together, forming a fiery blade that he thrust at Chen Guo in a despicable sneak attack. Conflict played across City Lord Dugu's face, but it was swiftly replaced by a look of triumph.
The Fiend Demon's face bore an unmasked smirk of self-satisfaction. "Though he is a formidable foe with astonishing strength, I've outsmarted him with ease. My wit and beauty are indeed unparalleled in this world!" he boasted to himself.
But as the Fiend Demon believed victory was at hand, Chen Guo let out a cold laugh and, with a swift palm strike, sent City Lord Dugu flying—his counterattack swift and decisive.
Chen Guo's eyes widened as he pointed accusingly at City Lord Dugu and exclaimed, "You scoundrel, lacking any sense of honor! To deceive and launch a sneak attack on a 19-year-old warrior—is that right? It's not right at all!"
The onlookers snapped out of their trance and were taken aback to see City Lord Dugu's failed attempt to backstab Chen Guo.
Despite his severe injuries, City Lord Dugu was quickly rejuvenated by a blood mist and recovered. He stared at Chen Guo in astonishment and asked, "You were prepared for this?"
"I've had you pegged as a no-good trickster for a while now and was ready for your move," Chen Guo retorted.
"How did you see through my perfect disguise?" City Lord Dugu demanded.
"To the naive, your disguise might seem impeccable," Chen Guo replied, "but to someone as astute as myself, it's riddled with holes."
The Fiend Demon, intrigued, pressed, "And how exactly did you figure it out?"
Chen Guo began, "Firstly, when City Lord Dugu claimed he was cursed by you, Fiend Demon, to be undying, I had my doubts. If immortality is a curse, then surely everyone would be clamoring for such a 'curse.' Secondly, City Lord Dugu was too eager, not once considering our capabilities before leading us straight into the illusion."
"Moreover, within the illusion, City Lord Dugu knew the paths all too well. His most revealing mistake, however, was his refusal to attack the monsters here—and the fact that they didn't attack him either. That's when I suspected that City Lord Dugu might not be your enemy at all, but rather your henchman."
The Fiend Demon clapped his hands, a look of delighted surprise on his face. "Brilliant deduction, young hero. But conjecture alone isn't enough to convict someone."
"The real giveaway," Chen Guo continued, "was Roshan. Roshan is a creature stitched together from a thousand skilled fighters. So where did these thousand fighters come from? It led me to conclude that City Lord Dugu's role was likely to lure righteous warriors into your illusion to serve as fresh fodder for your power."
Laughing, the Fiend Demon said, "You're remarkably close with your guess, yet there's still a gap between you and the full truth."
"That remains to be seen!" Chen Guo countered confidently. "If I'm not mistaken, City Lord Dugu is your father, isn't he?"
In that moment, both the Fiend Demon and City Lord Dugu were utterly dumbfounded.
Could he really have deduced that?
This man's intelligence was almost supernatural!
"You've actually figured this out?" the Fiend Demon asked incredulously. "How did you do it?"
Chen Guo explained, "Firstly, despite your beauty, there's a subtle resemblance between you and City Lord Dugu. Secondly, the pagoda tree in the backyard marks a spot where the City Lord's family resides, suggesting the mutation occurred among the household members. But the clincher is that I know your name is Dugu Hongyu, and City Lord Dugu's name is Dugu Tianfang. Guessing your father-daughter relationship was straightforward from there!"
The Fiend Demon laughed softly, "You are truly clever. Dugu Tianfang is indeed my father. Even after merging with the Fiend Demon, I had no intention of killing him, so he remains alive, albeit as my puppet. What I'm really curious about is how you came to know my name as Dugu Hongyu? Ever since you entered the City Lord's Mansion, I've been watching you, yet you've had no inkling of my name!"