My Beautiful Duchess Wife

What?

Lin Peng's eyes widened in disbelief. Such a divine artifact existed! Wasn't that something similar to the Dark Empire's national treasure? He never imagined Jerry would possess something like this.

"Then they..." Lin Peng was frustrated. Such a powerful item wasn't kept close to Jerry's body. Instead, it was placed in a place like this, and they even had someone guarding it.

Medusa shook her head, giving the house below a strange look: "If I'm not mistaken, that should be Jerry's treasure hideout. And he couldn't possibly know about that magic bow. The magic bow has lost some of its power; without a secret technique, it simply cannot be activated!"

"A secret technique? Then... you also have some connection with this demonic bow?" Lin Peng asked in surprise. It seems that before Medusa was seriously injured, she was definitely a great master, perhaps even a demon god.

Medusa completely ignored Lin Peng, making him so frustrated that he felt like banging his head against a wall.

Under the cover of night, the guards outside the treasure vault remained as vigilant as ever, diligently performing their duties. A short while later, the Demon Emperor-level expert returned, accompanied by a young man. Lin Peng recognized the young man.

It was Gree, his expression tense as he followed the Demon Emperor-level expert into the small house. At the same time, a thought suddenly popped into Lin Peng's head. After a sudden shiver, he chuckled, "Looks like we won't get anything today. Hmm, let's head back!"

Medusa nodded, but her gaze towards Lin Peng held a strange quality. That laughter just now seemed to carry a hint of conspiracy, which displeased her. So, on the way back, she deliberately grabbed one of Lin Peng's feet and carried him back upside down.

At this moment, from beneath the cloak in the small building below, a pale, zombie-like face finally appeared. It coldly stared at the clock tower, muttered a few words, and then turned and walked into the small building.

Chapter Fifty-Six Assassination Attempt

Lin Peng, somewhat relieved, returned to his room and was surprised to find Duke Shia standing there. His ashen face clearly indicated that nothing good was about to happen.

"Jerry wants Gree to marry me?"

Lin Peng was taken aback by those unexpected words. After regaining his composure, he quickly looked around, then pushed open the door and invited Shia in. However, he didn't realize what it meant for a lone man and woman to enter a room so late at night. At least, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of a powerful expert lurking in the shadows.

Inside the room, Lin Peng first poured coffee for Shia, then sat down on the sofa. Both remained silent, seemingly caught in an awkward silence. After a long while, Lin Peng finally spoke: "It seems that coming to the Red Devil territory this time is truly not a simple matter!"

"What do you mean?" Shia was taken aback, then asked with some surprise.

“Well, ever since I invited you to this Crimson Demon Territory, I’ve been wondering. Why would I invite you to the Crimson Demon Territory? Why did I invite you in the first place? In terms of strength, Jess’s backer is the real boss. In terms of seniority, the one in Jess’s family is the one he needs to curry favor with. But… why you of all people?” As he said this, Lin Peng slowly tapped his fingers on the coffee table, looking deep in thought.

At this moment, Shia also nodded and fell into deep thought.

At first, she thought it was just a show of force. If she didn't dare to go, the road ahead would be even more difficult. At the same time, it would also prevent her from gaining the respect of the people. Coming to the Crimson Demon's territory was just to test the waters.

Unexpectedly, things have changed like this. Marrying a duke is no small matter. At least, among the major dukes of the Dark Empire, there are only a handful who are truly qualified to marry him, and Gree is one of them.

“Hmm, it seems they definitely won’t resort to underhanded tactics. Perhaps…” After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Peng sighed, staring at the somewhat puzzled Shia, “Perhaps they’ll just kidnap the bride.”

"What? They dare?" Shia slammed her hand on the coffee table, shattering it into countless pieces. With just that one strike, the reddish glow of the crystal coffee table slowly faded. Finally, the fragments turned to dust.

Lin Peng chuckled, implying that Xia shouldn't get so excited.

He stood up, walked around the living room, and continued, "What do you think of the strength of the Crimson Demon Territory?"

"Strong, very strong!" Shia said simply and directly. Lin Peng nodded in agreement. From the very beginning, they had discovered two Demon Emperor-level experts and one Demon Emperor-level being.

Moreover, those hidden masters haven't actually shown themselves yet.

"I can't speak for the other territories, but the Crimson Demon Territory alone is definitely a powerful force. Even the Chancellor should think twice before acting. That's why Jess was so eager to curry favor with Abel back in Darkmoon City. Hmm... to be honest, I don't think the Chancellor and his group are really that united. After all, the Crimson Demon Territory alone is this powerful. So... what about the Blue Demon Territory?"

Upon hearing Lin Peng's words, Shia frowned slightly and nodded. She sighed and suddenly said, "Actually, I knew from the beginning that this kind of battle would be very difficult. Perhaps, the chances of death are very high. But... I have to keep fighting. No matter how strong the enemy is, we must fight!"

These words were spoken with absolute certainty, and the word "battle" was emphasized with particular weight. His gaze was cold as he looked at Lin Peng, his expression unreadable, whether it held hope or something else entirely.

Lin Peng felt a little guilty under his gaze and gave an awkward laugh: "I have a famous saying: I'm not afraid of god-like opponents, but I'm afraid of pig-like teammates! What do you think?"

Shia was taken aback, then surprisingly nodded with a smile. That moment of radiant joy momentarily stunned Lin Peng. The Duke's aloofness was well-known. But, it was his genuine smile that made him most beautiful.

……

At dawn, as the first rays of the crimson moon shone down, Lin Peng was already strolling through the streets of Fireshield City. Not many shops were open. In fact, there were hardly any pedestrians on the streets.

However, after finding a snack shop that had already opened, Lin Peng smiled and slowly walked into the shop.

After a casual chat with the innkeeper, he managed to book a private room all by himself. The room wasn't very big, and from the window, he could see pedestrians slowly starting to appear on the street. There was a knock on the door, and a somewhat overweight man, probably around thirty years old, entered.

He sat down directly opposite Lin Peng and chuckled, "Lord Lin Peng, I'm not late, am I?"

Yes, this person is none other than Brook, who was originally in Darkmoon City. However, this time he returned secretly. He also brought Ray and Howard with him. It's just that the two of them haven't shown themselves yet.

Lin Peng smiled faintly and waved his hand slightly: "This time, I'm afraid I really need to trouble you. I didn't expect the Crimson Demon Territory to be so powerful. It seems I underestimated it a bit. Hehe... I wonder how much you can help me then?"

His eyes were fixed on Brooke's fat, small eyes, and the glint in them seemed to say, "You must do this or that."

Brooke didn't answer directly. Instead, he took a sip of coffee and said hesitantly, "In Fire City, my power isn't that great. But hiding someone shouldn't be a problem. And... if you're planning to escape, perhaps I can help you find a way."

"What channel?" Lin Peng asked seriously. This concerned their future escape, and he had to find out the answer.

Brook chuckled: "Just like the ranger organizations in Darkmoon City, the ranger organizations in the Crimson Demon Territory are the most powerful. Do you know the Blood Knights?"

Lin Peng was taken aback; it seemed he had done someone a favor on the way here. He nodded, looking at Brooke with some confusion. What did this have to do with the wandering swordsman?

"The rangers of the Crimson Demon Territory are the most powerful ranger organization in the entire Demon Realm. Their leader is a Demon Emperor-level figure?" Brook said cautiously, as if afraid that others would find out.

"What? The Demon Emperor?" Lin Peng was shocked. Having witnessed Jerry's methods firsthand, he knew that Jerry's mere aura could almost make him vomit blood. If he had disregarded everything else at the time, perhaps that aura alone could have severely injured him.

"To the southeast of the Crimson Demon Territory, facing the center of the Great General's Territory, lies the City of Sin and Punishment. Although the land there is barren, it's teeming with powerful experts. The entire city is essentially a bandit organization. Their leader is a Demon Emperor-level powerhouse. Under their command are four Demon King-level experts, and there are numerous Demon King-level and Great Demon King-level experts as well. Tell me, if you really utilize such an organization, could you escape the Crimson Demon Territory?" Brook said with a sly glint in his eyes, his squinting eyes and twitching lips creating a rather comical scene.

However, Lin Peng couldn't laugh at this moment. He hadn't expected a mere wandering knight organization to possess such formidable strength. Then… just how powerful was the Crimson Demon Territory, which had been suppressing him all along?

Unbelievable, Lin Peng suddenly felt so insignificant.

Seeing that Lin Peng remained silent, Brooke continued, "Furthermore, I can contact the people in this wandering knight organization. I can even get their Demon Emperor-level expert involved. When that happens... I'll discuss it with you after I get in touch! For now, you guys just need to stay calm."

Lin Peng nodded slightly, and after exchanging a few more things, the two parted ways.

Walking down the street, Lin Peng couldn't help but let his mind wander. What exactly was the Crimson Demon Territory planning? Marrying the Duke, but they were on the Prime Minister's side. Clearly, such an action was impossible.

At the very least, the prime minister would not agree. Or rather, the prime minister would not be able to refrain from organizing it.

However, it seemed that the Prime Minister didn't react at all. They should have known when Shia was invited... The more Lin Peng thought about it, the more confused he became. Just as he was lost in thought, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him and crashed into him.

Instinctively, Lin Peng jerked his body forward, dodging the collision. However, he retreated to the street corner. The pedestrians seemed oblivious, continuing on their way.

The person who bumped into him never appeared again. Lin Peng was certain that someone had tried to bump into him. Frowning, he stopped thinking about anything else and started walking towards the castle.

This isn't Darkmoon City. This is the true territory of the Crimson Demons. If he's not careful, they might send a Demon Emperor-level expert, and he might not even have time to escape. However, this street is quite secluded, so he needs to pass through the Red Maple Forest to get to the castle. As soon as Lin Peng reached the Red Maple Forest, he immediately stopped his rapid pace.

The fire within him was pounding fiercely. However, it wasn't a pounding of fear, but rather a pounding of excitement. It had been pounding like this before his battle with Arthur on the way to the Crimson Demon's territory.

So……

It seemed that the person in the shadows posed no threat to him! He chuckled, a beautiful smile curving his lips, and strode into the red maple forest like a sinister young master.

The leaves, like flames, grew exceptionally lush at this time. The entire forest seemed to block even the light of the red moon. However, these fiery red, flame-shaped leaves also gave Lin Peng a comfortable feeling, as if he were in a fire.

It wasn't as stuffy as the other space, but rather warmed by a strong fire element. It felt as if his entire body was enveloped in the embrace of fire. After walking only a few dozen meters, Lin Peng stopped.

With arms outstretched and a deep breath in, a fiery red dagger suddenly flashed toward him.

Chapter Fifty-Seven: High-Stakes Gambling

The dagger, glowing faintly red and tinged with flame, moved with incredible speed. And it was aimed directly at his throat. If it hit, he would almost certainly die. With a light tap of his left foot, Lin Peng accelerated and dodged the attack. His expression turned cold, and he clenched his fist. With a whoosh, flames erupted from it.

After dodging backward with his neck, he threw a punch.

With a loud bang, a figure crashed through several trees before disappearing into the dust.

Lin Peng gave a cold laugh. At this close range, they still wanted to escape? He closed his eyes slightly, and a wave of heat swept through the countless trees. However, to his surprise, there was absolutely no sound. Moreover, it seemed as if there was no one there at all.

This startled him greatly. Such heat could only be felt by someone far stronger than himself. Given his current peak Demon King level strength, only a Demon Emperor level expert could wield it.

But surely, there's no need to send a Demon Emperor-level expert just to assassinate me. There's absolutely no need. Besides… right now, I probably couldn't even defeat a seasoned Great Demon King-level expert.

"Ability?" he asked with a slight sigh.

At that moment, the forest rippled once more. Countless fire elements seemed to have encountered something, and they converged in one direction. With a whoosh, the red maple trees even began to burn.

Lin Peng smirked. Using a large amount of fire elemental magic in front of him was tantamount to suicide. He coldly snorted, and the fire seed arrogantly snatched away the fire elements that had already gathered.

This power seemed to immediately freeze the person who had been invisible. Stunned, a figure suddenly appeared. It looked like a pile of flames. It seemed the entire human form was composed of flames.

"Huh? A fire person?" Lin Peng was taken aback, then burst into even louder laughter. He wondered if absorbing such a fire person would be a good idea. As he spoke, he activated the fire seed, and the fire elements of the entire Red Maple Forest seemed to surge into his body.

There were no other extra elements involved; simply absorbing the fire element immediately created a vortex of flames. During its rotation, it completely transformed Lin Peng into a human torch.

A crimson glow, fiery power, and a massive vortex formed from countless whirlpools. The fire-man, a hundred meters away, seemed startled and tried to flee. However, the enormous vortex had already formed, and its power was too great for him to escape. After a moment of hesitation, he seemed to be pulled too far and slowly moved towards the vortex surrounding Lin Peng.

"You... don't kill me! I'm from the Fire Demon Clan. If you... kill me, you'll definitely be hunted down by the Second Young Master!" After his entire body seemed to fade, he finally took on a human form.

However, at this moment, he was so panicked that he wanted to beg for mercy. After the human form appeared, a face also appeared. He looked lewd and jealous, as if the whole person was the epitome of lewdness.

Looking at this face, Lin Peng's lips twitched slightly: "The Fire Demon Clan?"

The man, thinking Lin Peng was frightened, suddenly became arrogant. He tossed his head back, chest puffed out like a rooster: "That's right, I am a member of the Fire Demon Clan. The demon clan most closely related to the Flame Demon Clan. Heh, I only cultivate elemental knowledge. But now that a true member of the main clan has arrived, perhaps you are already dead!"

As he spoke, he even looked at Lin Peng with a hint of disdain. This infuriated Lin Peng, who almost wanted to kill the guy on the spot. To extract more information, Lin Peng could only feign fear: "So, this time, was it your second young master who sent them?"

The sleazy man nodded, looking at Lin Peng with amusement: "I didn't expect you to be so bold. You actually dared to make a move against the person the Second Young Master had chosen. Well, this time I'm no match for you. Next time, perhaps someone else will be the one to deal with you."

Lin Peng nodded and pursed his lips: "Are the cultivation methods of your main family and your branch family different?"

Ignoring Lin Peng's expression, the lewd man was now extremely arrogant. He chuckled, "Of course, our branch family only cultivates elements. It's just that we can better control the elements. Therefore, we are inherently closer to the fire element. But the main family members cultivate their bodies to be like molten lava. Hehe… Now, although your fire power is very strong, no matter how powerful fire is, can it be a match for molten lava? Hahaha…"

Lin Peng was very annoyed by the way the fire seed stood with its hands on its hips and laughed so arrogantly. Suddenly, the fire seed seemed to be even angrier than Lin Peng. It directly gathered all the surrounding fire elements towards Lin Peng, and instantly, a small vortex appeared once again.

Suddenly, the lewd man walked directly into the vortex. Instantly, the fire element was completely devoured, leaving not a trace. He seemed utterly exhausted and collapsed to the ground.

His terrified eyes betrayed his true feelings.

Lin Peng clenched his teeth and slammed a punch into the lewd man's face. However, a burst of flame, along with the fist, slammed the lewd man into the ground, creating a crater two meters deep and more than ten meters wide.

This blow will definitely kill the sleazy man.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Lin Peng burned the sleazy man to ashes. Amidst a cold laugh, Lin Peng stroked his chin and chuckled, "Looks like this Jerry really is hiding a lot of power! According to him, they should have a large clan..."

Thinking this, Lin Peng unknowingly arrived at the castle.

However, it wasn't until a commotion arose among the people around him that Lin Peng realized something seemed to have happened. The civil and military officials were all running towards the council hall at breakneck speed.

Meanwhile, among these passersby, Lin Peng watched as Shia, seemingly unwilling, slowly followed in that direction. Upon seeing Lin Peng, her eyes lit up, and she whispered, "It seems something has happened in the southeast of the Red Demon territory. Let's go take a look!"

Lin Peng nodded slightly and followed them to the council hall.

The council chamber was enormous, practically the size of a banquet hall. A huge table sat around which sat individual seats. These seats seemed to be the true domain of those in charge.

When Jerry entered with his two sons and took their seats at the head of the table, the others who had been whispering stopped. Lin Peng had been listening intently the whole time, and of course, Shia didn't miss the opportunity either.