Chapter 129: The Duel

Upon arriving at the grounds, Chen Ming paused slightly.

In the center of the clearing, a group of demon-men were singing and dancing. Among them, demon-men dressed as shamans whispered chants, seemingly performing some sort of ritual.

"Warrior, sacrifice..." The demon chieftain turned back, smiling at Chen Ming. His sharp teeth were exposed, giving him a ferocious appearance.

Behind the chieftain, another brawny demon-man stepped forward, his eyes filled with belligerence and arrogance. He also wore two feathers tucked into his hair.

Chen Ming’s heart tightened; he was startled by the strength of these beings. In a tribe that was not particularly large, there were already two second-tier powerhouses equivalent to Earth Knights—a ratio that was truly alarming. If one added the fact that these demon-men generally possessed the strength of knights, it was chilling.

"Even compared to some races with powerful bloodlines in my memories, they are only slightly weaker. It is no coincidence that this world has been eroded by an extraterrestrial demon god and has yet to be suppressed," he thought, observing his surroundings silently.

In the multiverse, powerful worlds, supported by vast origins, give birth to formidable races. Some of these races are so powerful that upon reaching adulthood, they possess world-shaking strength, potentially reaching the sixth tier—they are essentially natural world-class species. While these demon-men had not reached such terrifying levels, they had transcended the bounds of ordinary life. Not being of common stock, they could be considered naturally supernatural beings.

At this moment, at the chieftain's signal, a female demon-man approached Chen Ming, carrying a human thigh.

"Warrior, food!" she said slowly, her speech labored, indicating a barrier in communication.

Seeing the limb, Chen Ming frowned. It was clearly a human leg, and the blood had not even been cleaned off, splashed across it in a way that stirred a sense of revulsion within him. He looked at the surrounding demon-men; they were staring at the leg with undisguised salivation and intense appetite, leaving him speechless.

"As expected, although they were originally ordinary humans, after being infected by demonic nature, they have become almost an entirely different species."

He waved his hand, his body rippling with demonic energy in an intimidating display, and tossed the leg to a demon-man behind him. "A reward for you," he said coldly, causing the demon-man to erupt with joy.

Suddenly, a massive spear thrust forward from the front, aiming straight at Chen Ming. The immense force shattered the ground, leaving a deep crater. The demon warrior with the two feathers roared as he charged, brandishing his spear, his eyes filled with both a thirst for battle and a gluttonous hunger for Chen Ming.

Watching his actions, Chen Ming slowly raised his head. "So, he wishes to challenge me, and his heart is filled with the urge to devour me?" Sensing the demon-man’s emotions, a feeling of discomfort rose within him.

Demon-men are belligerent, murderous, and cannibalistic. It seems their demonic nature constantly amplifies their original desires, making their appetite for food—especially the flesh and blood of the strong—far greater. Thus, the custom of "blood duels" is prevalent here; when demon-men from different tribes meet, they often engage in fierce combat, with the victor consuming the flesh of the defeated.

As he contemplated this, he saw the demon warrior move again. The spear was raised high, and a surge of unusually powerful demonic energy began to well up within his body, reinforcing his physique before erupting with explosive speed.

"ROAR!" The cry awakened the entire tribe. All the demon-men began to howl excitedly, surrounding them in a frenzy, clearly anticipating the slaughter. The prevalence of the blood duel culture was evident.

Chen Ming looked around. In this situation, it was no longer a matter of his own willingness. The demon-man charged forward, thrusting his spear with a force that caused the very air to ripple in a startling display of power. Its intensity was terrifying, perhaps even surpassing that of an average Earth Knight. In particular, the strange undulation contained within the attack caught Chen Ming’s attention.

"Is this... some kind of power system built upon demonic energy?" he judged, sensing the fluctuations and the strange laws embedded within that power.

The next moment, amidst the shocked gazes of the surrounding demon-men, Chen Ming tilted his head slightly. In a split second, his hands clamped firmly onto the spear, and with a surge of demonic energy, he completely stifled the opponent's ferocious momentum.

Two powerful forces collided, and the resulting shockwave exploded outward, spraying demonic energy everywhere and wounding a dozen onlookers. The crowd was stunned, staring at Chen Ming with awe. The demon chieftain, in particular, looked as if his eyes might pop out of his head; he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"Is this really the strength of a second-tier warrior?" The thought flickered through his mind, and a chill began to take hold.

The demon warrior who had initiated the challenge was now bloodshot, the veins bulging on his arms—which were as thick as a grown man's thighs—as he exerted every ounce of his strength to pull the spear free. Yet, Chen Ming’s body, which did not appear as massive as his own, was far stronger than he could have imagined. One hand held the spear steady, showing no signs of strain.

Taking advantage of this close contact, Chen Ming’s true essence flared brightly within him. He utilized a sliver of his true power to quietly and thoroughly scan the demon warrior. Under this comprehensive probe, the demon-man had nowhere to hide; all his demonic energy and the laws governing its circulation within his body were laid bare.

As this happened, a profound, void-like depth flickered in Chen Ming’s eyes, and he instantly deduced a portion of the laws of demonic nature. Supernatural systems often contain the fundamental laws of their origins, and by deducing these, one can grasp a piece of that essence. Since the power of these demon-men originated from a demon god, their strength naturally contained some of the god's laws.

A moment later, after his deduction and understanding, a powerful surge of demonic energy condensed around Chen Ming at his will. It flowed through his body, transforming into a massive wave of power that pushed forward.

A brilliant ray of demonic light manifested as a black serpent, rushing forward. Before the eyes of the terrified onlookers, it struck the demon warrior’s chest, shattering his scales and sending him flying backward. Yet, relying on the demon-men's formidable vitality, he endured the blow, his eyes wide, staring fixedly at Chen Ming.