Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 455 : Ruining The Crown Prince

Chapter 455: Chapter 455 : Ruining The Crown Prince

The stench of the Demonic Realm clawed at his throat, a suffocating miasma of decay. Rotting flesh oozed its putrid essence, mingled with the metallic tang of blood gone bad and the sulfurous bite of tortured souls.

It was a perfume unique to this accursed place, one that clung to the demons like a badge of dishonor, easily marking them from their kin who traversed the Human Realm.

Qiao Wei had been locked in this infernal dungeon for what felt like eons, days blurring into nights under the oppressive darkness. The fetid air was a constant torment, an insidious reminder of the death that swirled around him. Questions, sharp and unanswered, festered in his mind, each unanswered one a fresh stab wound.

His only solace, a fragile ember in the suffocating darkness, was the knowledge that Bai Ling and Huang Taichen remained free. He didn’t know where they were, lost in the vastness of the Human Realm, but their freedom was a sliver of hope, a defiance against the oppressive darkness that threatened to consume him.

He imagined them, weary but determined, searching for a haven, fighting for survival. At least they were breathing clean air, their lungs untainted by the putridness that poisoned him.

One day, someone finally deigned to pay him a visit.

Someone who smelled the worst of them all. The First Demon King.

Months had crawled by since their last confrontation at the Heavenly Realm, yet the ruler of the Demonic Realm seemed unaffected by the passage of time. He sauntered in, filling the room with his imposing presence. His dark horns grazed the ceiling, and his coal-black eyes sparkled with an unnerving amusement. The confident smirk etched across his scarred face was as familiar as the taste of ash, a constant reminder of his ambition -- the subjugation of the Human and Heavenly Realms.

"The First Demon King," Qiao Wei said through gritted teeth.

The First Demon King flashed him a smirk.

"Nice to meet you again, Crown Prince. Ah, no. You have died, and reincarnated. Or better said, you have been sucked into the body of a mere mortal."

Goosebumps erupted on Qiao Wei’s skin as the First Demon King bore down on him, and he writhed against his restraints.

The First Demon King chuckled before he straightened his back and stepped away from Qiao Wei.

"No need to panic. The way you currently are, you can hardly rouse my appetite. I have to say that your Golden Lotus body was exceedingly delicious. Too bad that you were unable to appreciate grandeur and chose to lay with that tiger cub instead."

Qiao Wei narrowed his eyes at the First Demon King.

"I heard that you haven’t been able to beat that tiger cub for five years, though."

"How dare you talk back to the First Demon King!"

A demon guard was quick to make Qiao Wei pay for his insolence. The kick against his stomach tore the previous wound open, making him spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.

The First Demon King sneered at Qiao Wei.

"You can say the same thing about him. I guess he is rather useless without you."

Qiao Wei raised his eyes to meet the First Demon King’s.

"Fengxi is strong. He will only become stronger. It is only a matter of time before he catches up to you. By then, you will be sorry."

"Heh."

The First Demon King’s hand shot out, wrapping around Qiao Wei’s throat like a constricting vine. A muffled moan escaped Qiao Wei’s lips. Days of torture in the demon’s lair had sapped his strength, and now, each labored breath felt like a battle for survival.

Qiao Wei’s eyelids fluttered shut, a shudder racking his thin frame. He braced himself for the bittersweet sting of oblivion, for the finality of darkness. But then, the crushing weight on his chest eased, the iron grip around his throat loosening like a serpent shedding its skin.

Air, a frigid torrent, flooded his starved lungs, ripping a choked cough from his lips. He gasped, each breath a desperate claw at life, the icy air a stark contrast to the encroaching darkness moments ago.

"Death will only send you back to the Heavenly Realm," the First Demon King remarked with a chuckle. "I am sure that both you and the Supreme General would love that."

Qiao Wei smirked.

"I am pretty close to death already. Would you rather keep me alive like a bird in a golden cage?"

"Well, kind of."

A mysterious smile laced the First Demon King’s lips.

"I am pretty sick of chasing your shadow and your reincarnations, Crown Prince. I think it is time to get my hands on you for good. You shall never return to the Heavenly Realm."

Qiao Wei stared at the demon opposite him.

"No human being can live forever. No dark arts can prolong a human’s life," he slowly said.

"Oh, you will die, of course."

The First Demon King grasped Qiao Wei’s chin and forced him to look up.

"But you will only die after I defile your mind and soul thoroughly, Crown Prince. That way, you shall die an evil man. You shall spend several years in Hell, but once you reincarnate, you shall be born as a demon in the Demonic Realm."

"I will never!" Qiao Wei spat at the First Demon King, who released his chin abruptly and retreated with booming laughter.

"That might be more difficult to do when you are a heavenly creature. Thankfully, Crown Prince, you are but a mere mortal in this lifetime. Mortals are quite impressionable."

Qiao Wei’s head exploded in a searing agony the moment the First Demon King’s palm touched his forehead. A tendril of inky blackness, cold and suffocating, snaked its way into his skull, corrupting him from within.

He convulsed, the scream erupting in his throat choked by the icy tendril constricting his voice. Panic surged through him, a desperate battle raging inside his mind. The screams, his own yet not his own, echoed in the cavernous darkness it created, their pleas and threats a chilling counterpoint to his struggle.