My Beautiful Duchess Wife

It's truly baffling. This guy doesn't even know if he's a demon or not. It seems he hasn't truly grasped any basic common sense from the very beginning!

They were practically...humans with black hair! Although Nadas didn't possess any powerful bloodline, he had once heard the princess mention that in another dimension lived what were called humans. They didn't have great power, and moreover, they lacked the talents of demons. They didn't even know how to transform to enhance their strength!

In the demon race, not having the ability to transform is considered extremely shameful.

It seems we've never actually seen Lin Peng transform before!

Seeing Nadas resting quietly against a tree trunk, Lin Peng had no idea what he was thinking. He assumed Nadas was genuinely tired and was just resting. Squinting, Lin Peng also found a giant tree to lean against and rest.

Although I said I won, it was really a Pyrrhic victory. I was exhausted after unleashing that scorching beam of light. Plus, the constant escape and intense fighting had taken their toll.

It's a miracle he didn't faint immediately. Just like Nadal's final strike, with such an injury, being able to stand up and stab again is nothing short of a display of incredible willpower.

But reality didn't go as Lin Peng wished. Not long after closing his eyes, the heat returned. Opening his eyes, he looked at the already fast asleep Nadas and shook his head helplessly: "You'd better come out. With your current strength, you're not capable of evading my eyes and ears!"

A rustling sound came from the forest, and at the same time, Nadas slowly awoke. He looked at Lin Peng with a bitter expression. Although Lin Peng had said that, if things were truly going to turn against the two of them, he currently had no strength left to fight.

However, when that somewhat thin figure appeared, both of them were stunned.

He looked like a young man under twenty. Although he was about the same age as Lin Peng, this young man definitely couldn't possibly have Lin Peng's strength. The demonic markings on the young man's face hadn't even faded yet!

"It's you, hehe, I remember you! You must be the boy from the Furen family!" Lin Peng said with a wicked smile and a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"You're about the same age as me, so why are you calling me 'kid'?" The thin figure seemed to dislike being called that, and after frowning, he asked coldly.

Lin Peng was speechless for a moment. Come to think of it, he really was about the same age as him. But... it seemed he had been thinking of himself as old!

"You guys must have been chased by Fowles and his gang, right? How come... you're the only one left?" Lin Peng didn't say much more about this topic and continued leaning against the tree trunk.

The young man ignored Lin Peng and Nadas, turning instead to look at the three lying on the ground. At the same time, he turned to look at Fowles, still in the pit: "You guys... are really strong, you actually killed them. But... it seems there's one survivor!"

Lin Peng and Nadas were both taken aback. They had actually forgotten that although Fowles in the pit was seriously injured, he was at least not truly dead. Now that it was mentioned, both of them felt embarrassed.

The young man didn't say much, but slowly walked into the deep pit of Fowles.

Suddenly, Fowles, trapped in the pit, began to curse in terror: "You brat, you're still alive! Haha... If you kill those two, Young Master Jess will definitely make you... Ah... You..."

During their intermittent conversation, Lin Peng and Nadas exchanged a glance, both filled with surprise. They hadn't expected this kid to be so ruthless, killing Fowles outright.

When the young man pulled the head out of the pit and threw it in front of Lin Peng, his calm and cold expression made him seem like someone who was used to this line of work.

"I know you must be the head of His Majesty the Duke's task force this time! Can I join you guys in exchange for this position?" This unexpected question startled Lin Peng. What's up with this kid?

The young man frowned slightly, thinking Lin Peng disagreed. He took a deep breath, found a tree to lean against, and sat down. "I know a lot about Fowles' plans. The reason they came along this time is because they are confident they can kill you!"

"Oh...how did you know?" Lin Peng asked with some interest.

The young man's sharp eyes swept over Fowles' head, and he grinned: "Heh... they didn't spot me when they were hunting our group. Because, from the very beginning, I was invisible!"

As he spoke, his body began to slowly fade away until it disappeared completely.

After revealing himself once more, the young man looked at Lin Peng with some hesitation: "But, when I came here just now, I was invisible... How... how did you find me!"

Lin Peng and Nadas were dumbfounded. Hearing this, Lin Peng sniffed, "Hehe...you don't need to worry about that. But...how can you become invisible? That's quite an ability!"

The young man shook his head, his eyes filled with hatred: "If it weren't for this ability, perhaps my family wouldn't have died! I'm a mutated demon, without the ability to transform, but the Demon God granted me the ability to become invisible. So... after the Furen family found out, they killed my parents, and then saved me. Did they think I didn't know...? I knew all along... This time, they gave me the mission to kill you too... Hmph... What I want to kill is the entire Furen family!"

The young man slammed his fist heavily into the tree trunk, making the trunk seem to tremble.

Judging from his strength, he should be close to becoming a high-level demon!

"Hmm, that's a good intention. Of course, if possible, could you tell me your name?" Lin Peng nodded and asked seriously.

The young man felt a little embarrassed, not expecting that so much time had passed without him introducing himself.

“Lei… just call me Lei. You don’t need my old name or surname anymore. As for this operation, if you had started escaping any later, you might have truly met a gruesome end!”

"why?"

Lin Peng and Nadas exchanged a glance, not understanding Lei's words. At the same time, they were also unsure about the information this guy possessed!

“The annual beast tides, to be precise, are actually caused by that guy Jess. Because the Prime Minister’s snake demon exists here!” Ray squinted, watching the two’s reactions.

Similarly, Lin Peng still looked completely bewildered; Nadas, on the other hand, looked utterly shocked.

"Snake demon? What is that? It's a very powerful monster!" Lin Peng looked at Nadas with no clue. Judging from his expression, it must be a very powerful creature.

Nadas gave another wry smile, looking at Ray with an embarrassed expression. Ray, however, didn't notice Nadas's gaze and was utterly speechless at Lin Peng. Was this guy even a member of the Dark Empire?!

After hearing Nadas's answer, Lin Peng felt another headache coming on. He hadn't expected the prime minister to have such a dirty trick up his sleeve. His original plan was to create a beast tide with the arrival of the snake demon and then pin the blame on Sia.

Meanwhile, this year also marked the beginning of their operation. However, they hadn't expected that Sia would seize the initiative upon their return. This time, Fowles and his group's purpose in coming to the Abyss was primarily to kill Lin Peng and then have the snake demon once again command the beasts to attack Darkmoon City, after which they would use words to subdue Sia.

Meanwhile, after killing the rest of Lei's group that day, they summoned the snake demon. However, they couldn't find Lin Peng and his companion. And when they finally found them, the snake demon was no longer there.

Even when Lei was sent to inform the snake demon, he did not do so.

As for the snake demon... it was a Demon King-level, a true Demon King-level magical beast. It seems that, under the Prime Minister's command, it wasn't even the most powerful. It was merely a stepping stone!

"Hehe...that snake demon, is it terrifying?" Lin Peng asked, somewhat bored. Of course, he was referring to the snake demon's power.

“Even a Lundy wouldn’t be a match for that snake demon!” Lei’s cold words startled Lin Peng. He looked at the demonic markings on Lei’s somewhat handsome face, and at his similar height.

Beneath his brown hair and with sharp eyes, Lin Peng smiled: "Welcome to join us!"

Chapter Seventeen: Firebird vs. Snake Demon

Under the blazing red moon, even the sand-like soil emitted billowing heat. There was no sign of life in the sky. Walking on this soil, one felt a trembling, flickering sensation, as if entering a dreamlike realm.

Lin Peng finished the last drop of water, shook the kettle, and sighed helplessly, "Lei, are you sure this is the direction? We've been walking for two days, and we still haven't seen anything like a fortress. I remember last time we were all separated for only a few days; we shouldn't have been able to travel back and forth this quickly!"

Lei, who was walking at the front, frowned slightly and turned to Lin Peng: "As I said, they summoned the snake demon using a special method. And Fowles said that only by crossing the loess soil behind the middle section can we truly find the snake demon. At the time, Fowles was afraid that if you escaped, you would come looking for trouble with the snake demon. Then... His Excellency the Duke and Her Highness the Princess would definitely intervene. So... I don't know the exact location. But... I believe... as long as we keep going, we will definitely find it."

After saying that, he turned and left without paying any attention to Lin Peng's complaints.

Of course, Lin Peng wasn't really complaining, just a little annoyed! They'd been walking for two days already, and if they continued, they might not even find water. And if it was a trick by Fowles, they'd truly be doomed.

He exchanged a glance with Nadas, shook his head with a wry smile, and caught up with Lei. This kid was stubborn. He was also very competitive. But when it came to caution, he was no less cautious than Lin Peng and Nadas.

On the first day, he was the one who killed the snake hidden in the soil. Of course, he also told me that only true demon king-level magical beasts could exist within a certain range, and no other magical beasts could exist there.

So even though he was dying of thirst, Ray insisted on staying in this desert-like place.

The three of them walked at an extremely fast pace. As the crimson moon was about to set behind the mountains, against the backdrop of the purple sky on the horizon, the earthen fortress that suddenly appeared before them, like a dream.

Lei grinned, pointing at the earthen fortress in front of him, which, though not imposing, resembled a bandit's stronghold. He laughed loudly, "See? I told you so! Haha... We've finally found it!"

Lin Peng wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded with a smile. But he immediately became serious: "Your task is complete. Now it's up to Nadas and me!"

With that, he stepped forward and led Nadas toward the earthen fortress.

However, Lei, seemingly oblivious, continued following the two. This amused Lin Peng, who, hands on his hips, turned and shouted, "Are you disobeying orders? I said, your mission is complete!"

Nadas also stared fiercely at Ray, as if a fight could break out at any moment.

Lei remained unfazed, calmly stating, "The snake demon is a demon king-level magical beast. You two high-ranking demons going won't make a difference whether I'm there or not. Besides... my invisibility technique is actually a little safer than yours!"

Lin Peng's lips twitched slightly. He patted Lei's shoulder and said, "I understand your intentions, but... you have to understand, we're just going to test the waters. Or rather, to try our luck. Two high-level demons fighting a demon king is a death sentence. Are we... that stupid?"

Nadas nodded. Standing over two meters tall, he was already stronger than Lin Peng and Lei. So, he patted Lei on the head, speaking like he was disciplining a child, and said, "Alright, be good, go back and wait for us!"

The two turned around again, about to leave, but Lei was still standing there, quietly watching them with a resolute expression.

Lin Peng was getting fed up, feeling as frustrated as a teacher instructing a pig. He turned away angrily, about to curse, when a loud commotion erupted from the direction of the earthen fortress. The enormous sound made his eardrums ache. At the same time, it caused the parched, desert-like ground to tremble.

All three of them stared intently toward the earthen fortress, where an astonishing scene unfolded.

Its enormous, lizard-like head was raised high, staring at the sky. Its serpentine body coiled atop the earthen fortress. One could even see, beneath the serpentine form, the small, sharp claws.

The oppressive aura emanating from the over ten-zhang-tall body surprised Lin Peng. After all, even a single scale was as large as him; how could he not tremble?

When Lin Peng and his companions discovered that the loud noise was caused by another, relatively smaller magical beast and snake demon engaging in combat, their mouths gaped open even wider. A creature resembling an eagle made of flames was completely obscured. However, judging from the intensity of the flames, it seemed to have the upper hand over the snake demon.

However, its body was more than half the size of the snake demon.

Just now, it was the firebird's fire projectiles that collided with the serpent demon's sand shield, causing the tremor. Now, you can still see the scattered flames and the flowing earth that has turned back into sand.

"This... this is... this is powerful! Is this the strength of a Demon King?"

Lin Peng frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly: "No... perhaps, both magical beasts are close to advancing to the level of Great Demon King. They should be at the peak of Demon King strength." His certainty surprised Lei and Nadas.

I keep thinking to myself, "You know all about this."

Of course, Lin Peng did indeed find out. After waking up that day, the power he had comprehended began to probe Sia and Eileen. Eileen's aura was a true red, a deep red with a hint of purple. It seemed to indicate she possessed the strength of a peak Demon King.

Lundy's, which appears to be a bright yellow color, must be the Great Demon.

Nadas and the others were all dressed in an earthy yellow color. Clearly, they were high-ranking demons.

And Sia... is purple, a true deep purple. So... she should at least be stronger than red! Probably. The colors of the lower levels are all clear. In terms of strength, Sia is far more powerful.

So... what Sia possesses is the power of the Great Demon King.

Now, these two magical beasts are a deep red with a hint of purple. They are at least at the same level as Eileen. So... they are at least at the peak of the Demon King realm.

Is this the power of a peak Demon King?

Lin Peng had initially thought that since the Great Demon had been defeated and wasn't particularly strong, then... perhaps adding a few high-level demons to the Demon King would be enough to win! However, after thinking about it now, he suddenly realized... even sending hundreds of high-level demons might not be enough.

"Take cover! Otherwise... we won't be able to withstand the aftershocks of this impact!" Lin Peng shouted in a low voice, then ran towards a higher ground on the other side. He was extremely fast, and by the time Nadas and Ray reacted, they had already run nearly a hundred meters.

After the three of them ran to the back of the high ground and hid behind a huge, rock-like boulder, they looked once again at the place where the two beasts were fighting.

At this moment, the firebird held an absolute advantage. Every time the serpent demon charged at the firebird with spears made of sand, it always managed to dodge at top speed. In the air, it had become the undisputed ruler.

But aiming from the air at the ground was truly humiliating. Each of those fiery missiles, at least ten meters in size, was a formidable opponent. In an instant, the earthen fortress was reduced to ruins.

The explosions were deafening, and each one sent flames shooting out. If Lin Peng and his two companions had remained standing there, they would have been dead for sure.

Rumble...

Once again, after the fire missile was blocked by the sand shield and exploded, the serpent demon suddenly leaped up. Its speed was extremely fast, like a snake suddenly raising its head to bite.

Even with the speed of a flamingo, it couldn't escape. Bitten on the wing, it was flung into the earthen fortress by the snake demon.

Boom... Another loud noise, and a high sandstorm exploded, engulfing the firebird's body.

"No way, this works too!" Lin Peng was dumbfounded. The Moltres, which had been in the lead the whole time, was suddenly attacked like this and actually let out a shrill cry as if it were injured.

At the same time, a pair of steel-like, burning bird claws burst through the smoke and dust, grabbing at the serpent demon. This time, the serpent demon was also severely injured. Struggling to break free of the bird claws, it coiled its body around the firebird. Seemingly no longer afraid of the firebird's flames, it desperately tried to strangle the firebird to death. The final battle between the two beasts was surprisingly a hand-to-hand fight.

Just as the firebird, relatively small compared to the serpent demon, was about to be ensnared, its previously still beak, resembling a giant longsword, suddenly shot out, pecking like a woodpecker at the serpent's neck with its claws.

"Hiss..."