The Weak Prince Is A Cultivation God
Chapter 39: The Devil’s Breath

Chapter 39: The Devil’s Breath

Wind howled through the wreckage of the tavern, carrying the scent of blood, ash, and steel.

Lan stepped forward slowly, his grip on The Devil’s Lie firm but relaxed. Sparks flickered around the cursed blade like embers caught in a storm, but no flame came. Only pressure—crushing, weightless pressure—that made the stone beneath his feet groan.

Venom rolled his shoulders, the massive axe spinning once in his hand. He bled from shallow cuts across his forearm and side, but his stance was steady.

A predator at the edge of desperation.

"You’ve got skill," Venom grunted. "I’ll give you that."

Lan’s eyes narrowed. "And you’ve got stamina. Let’s see how long it lasts."

Venom spat blood into the dirt and stamped his boot. The mana around him raged—greenish-black and thick like oil.

Then, he vanished.

[Shadow Lunge]

A ripple tore through the ground as Venom shot forward like a torpedo, axe raised over his head, warping the space behind him. The pressure of his charge sent debris hurtling backward.

Lan was unfazed.

He spun, sidestepped, and twisted the cursed blade in a smooth arc. The axe came down like a meteor, but The Devil’s Lie whispered through the air, meeting the brute’s weapon with a spine-shaking clash.

BOOM.

The explosion of force cracked the earth beneath them and flung broken cobblestones in all directions. Nearby buildings shook, windows shattering into fine crystal dust.

Venom grinned. "Still standing?"

Lan replied with silence—and a step forward.

He pressed the advantage. His strikes came faster now. Clean, refined. Every motion was intentional. The tip of The Devil’s Lie sliced through the air with barely a sound, yet each cut threatened to split bone from soul.

Venom deflected, pivoted, countered.

His axe danced with surprising grace, his footwork solid despite his massive frame. Each deflection reverberated down his arms, but he didn’t falter.

[Iron Skin]

A glint shimmered across Venom’s flesh. His muscles bulged, veins alighting with metallic light. The next slash from Lan struck his shoulder and sparked, barely cutting through the toughened flesh.

Lan raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."

"Had this one saved for tougher bastards," Venom huffed, swinging in a wide arc meant to cleave the air itself.

Lan ducked low, sliding beneath the swing, then popped upward with a slash aimed for Venom’s ribs.

[Flesh Coil Reversal]

With a grunt, Venom twisted unnaturally, absorbing the momentum and slamming his elbow into Lan’s side. A solid hit. A loud crack.

Lan slid back two meters, boots grinding through the dirt. He coughed once, then smirked.

"Oh?, now we’re getting somewhere."

Without warning, crimson light flared around him.

[Qi Blades]

A ring of floating blades erupted into existence, buzzing through the air like angry wasps, each one pulsing with concentrated killing intent. They darted forward in unison.

Venom snarled.

[Grave Maw]

Slamming his axe into the ground, Venom summoned a spectral serpent jaw from the earth. It snapped upward, devouring half of the incoming Qi Blades in a single bite, then crumbled into dust.

The rest of the daggers zipped around, slicing at his arms, legs, and chest.

Blood splashed. Venom roared and charged again.

The two met in the center of the courtyard with a thunderous crash. Axe and blade clashed, danced, sang. One built like a warhammer, the other a scalpel. Lan weaved through Venom’s brutal strikes, parrying with the cursed blade, letting it slide past steel and bone like water through cracks.

Lan ducked low and whispered.

[Dark Step]

He vanished.

Venom turned his head a second too late.

Lan reappeared behind him, slashing down. The edge of The Devil’s Lie bit deep into his back, drawing a line of blackened blood. Venom grunted and stumbled forward, turning to defend just in time to block the follow-up strike with the haft of his axe.

Lan kicked him in the chest.

Venom flew backward, crashing into the remains of a crumbled building.

Lan didn’t pursue.

He stood there, breathing steadily, blade still humming low.

"You’ve got raw power," Lan said. "But you’ve spent years fighting gutter rats. Not trained mages."

Venom pulled himself from the rubble, face bloodied, panting now.

"And you think you’re different?" he growled.

Lan tilted his head.

"I am."

Venom’s aura flared again, pushing outward in pulses. "You don’t know Ranevia. This place eats strength. Spits it out as bones. That’s why no one rules here. Only survives."

Lan stepped forward.

"That’s where you’re wrong."

He pointed The Devil’s Lie at Venom’s chest. The air around the sword distorted, warping subtly with invisible force.

"I’m not here to survive. I’m here to rebuild. And if that means tearing down everything first, so be it."

Venom stared at him. Something in his gaze shifted—not fear, but something close to respect. Warped, reluctant, bitter respect.

Then he barked a laugh.

"You talk like you’ve already won."

Lan’s expression didn’t change.

"I haven’t drawn my sword to win. I drew it to judge, and you are yet to impress me."

Venom’s laughter died.

The Devil’s Lie pulsed. A subtle shimmer along the blade. The rust deepened in color for a moment. It still slumbered, sealed—but it hungered.

Venom charged again. Faster this time.

[Crimson Fang Rush]

A series of mirage-like strikes swept forward, his axe flickering through the air as if wielded by five men at once. The ground beneath him cracked from the sheer pressure of the technique.

Lan stepped into the barrage. He deflected, weaved, danced between each swing. His cloak fluttered like smoke, his blade moving like a ghost’s breath.

Then he retaliated.

[Severing Touch]

His hand lit with dark energy as he touched the edge of Venom’s weapon. A violent pulse discharged, sending tremors up the shaft of the axe and causing the weapon to briefly shimmer—almost fracture.

Venom’s hands nearly slipped.

Lan drove a punch into his gut.

Venom spat blood.

He staggered.

And this time, Lan didn’t follow. He stood there, letting the silence expand.

"Give it up," Lan said calmly. "You can’t win. Only delay the inevitable."

Venom coughed, then wiped the blood from his lips.

"You don’t know what inevitable means in this place."

Lan stared at him, blade low at his side.

"Then show me."