Chapter Forty: Cruel Slaughter

The fist landed on the Demon Lord's head, but there was no scene of blood splattering. Yet, this blow caused one of the Demon Lord's eyes to bleed tears.

"I've long found your eyes an eyesore," Chu Jie said coldly, his foot stamping fiercely upon the Demon Lord's head, grinding down slowly. "I won't let you die easily. Do you see the brothers behind me? Some of them gave their lives because of you. They will show you what it means to wish you were dead!"

"Haha! Hahaha... I, the Demon Lord, have dominated the Abyss of Gods and Demons for so long, and yet I fall in your hands. How laughable, how utterly laughable," the Demon Lord sneered, lying on the ground, casting a venomous glance at Chu Jie.

Chu Jie kicked the back of the Demon Lord's head, abruptly ending his laughter.

"I'll deal with you later," Chu Jie said, having knocked the Demon Lord unconscious. He hurried to check on the wounded members of the Mad Dog Camp.

The brutality of this battle had been beyond his expectations. Not a single person behind Chu Jie was able to stand; after capturing the Demon Lord, everyone had immediately begun meditating to recover.

In the end, after checking, Chu Jie found that four brothers from the Mad Dog Camp had died. Seeing their bodies, Chu Jie clenched his fists again, his eyes bloodshot.

These brothers had trusted him so deeply. Even at the moment of death, they had maintained a high fighting spirit, facing death unflinchingly.

"Good brothers, in the days to come, we will live on for you," Chu Jie said, gently closing their eyes to let them rest in peace.

Here, all were accustomed to life and death, but at this moment, every surviving member of the Mad Dog Camp gazed at their fallen comrades.

Scenes from the past flashed before their eyes: training together in the Abyss of Gods and Demons, advancing layer by layer, rehearsing battle formations, applying medicine for one another, confronting powerful enemies as their bodies grew stronger—each had found their own sense of purpose.

But now, some had left forever.

Blood debt must be repaid with blood!

Grief spread and turned into hatred, and every member of the Mad Dog Camp fixed their gaze on the Demon Lord, staring him down.

At this moment, the Demon Lord's body lay twisted on the ground. Perhaps sensing the hatred directed at him, his stiff body suddenly trembled.

"Recover and rest assured. I will leave him to you," Chu Jie said, sitting cross-legged to restore the spiritual energy in his dantian.

Once Chu Jie had spoken, the others closed their eyes to recover. Each silently resolved to become stronger, so that such tragedy would never happen again.

Chu Jie understood that if they could not vent their grief, the shadow would remain with them forever. Only by releasing it could they rid themselves of all negative influence.

Once Chu Jie and the others had recovered somewhat, he led his brothers to surround the Demon Lord in a circle.

Chu Jie stomped on the Demon Lord's arm, the sound of bones shattering echoing sharply.

The Demon Lord awoke screaming, his only functioning eye blinking as he looked around, instantly grasping his predicament, but his lips still curled in a mocking smile.

"So what if you've captured me, so what if you kill me? You're all trash. If I hadn't been careless, you would all be dead by now!" the Demon Lord spat defiantly.

Veins bulged on the foreheads of Chu Jie and the Mad Dog Camp; their eyes were cold and murderous as they stared at the Demon Lord trapped in their midst.

"Demon Lord, you relied on your higher cultivation and stronger physique to torment us. Now, having been captured, what pride is left for you? Do you know what we'll do to you?" Chu Jie signaled for one of his brothers to come forward.

That brother stepped up and dragged the Demon Lord's body across the ground.

"You killed my best brother. Yesterday he applied medicine for me; today he’s dead by your hand. You deserve to die!" the brother shouted, kicking the Demon Lord’s body like a ball toward the others.

The Demon Lord spat blood, his mouth full of dust.

"Trash, trash..." the Demon Lord muttered. Now that his physical strength had been ruined, he was essentially a cripple. The pain was unbearable, yet his pride remained unbroken.

A member of the Mad Dog Camp stepped forward, planted his foot on the Demon Lord's head, then hooked his chin with his toe, flipping the Demon Lord into the air before kicking him toward the others.

The Demon Lord landed hard, breaking several teeth, mumbling, "A dragon stranded in shallow water..."

"Stranded, my foot! You’re nothing but a worm about to die!" another brother shouted, sending the Demon Lord flying through the air to land before Chu Jie.

Chu Jie stepped forward, seized the Demon Lord by the throat, and lifted him up. "What, still not convinced? Our cultivation may not match yours, but when our hearts are united, nothing can stand against us! Watch closely, and see how my Mad Dog Camp torments a worm like you!"

With these words, Chu Jie flung the Demon Lord to the ground, dragging a long trail of blood until he stopped before another brother.

That brother, already itching for vengeance, rushed forward and kicked, but missed his mark, bending the Demon Lord's leg at an unnatural angle.

"Sorry, missed," he said, before shattering the other leg as well. His expression wild with rage, he spoke slowly, "Consider this too merciful. My best brother died because of you, but I can't kill you just yet—my brothers' grief runs deeper than mine."

The Demon Lord was kicked high into the air like a ball.

The brothers of Mad Dog Camp unleashed their fury, kicking the Demon Lord’s body relentlessly, using only their physical strength, no spiritual energy.

The Demon Lord's body flew about the circle, thuds resounding nonstop.

Though crippled, his body was still resilient. Only after an extended beating did signs of death begin to show, blood spraying everywhere.

After a while, one brother kicked the Demon Lord’s head so hard that he was dazed.

"I yield, stop kicking! I'm a worm, not a dragon—spare me!" the Demon Lord coughed up blood, but no one paid him any mind.

Thud! Thud!

One brother kicked the Demon Lord’s head clean off, his body torn asunder. At last, Chu Jie stepped forward, delivering a final kick that reduced the Demon Lord to a mist of blood.

After this outpouring of grief and rage, everyone had released their sorrow. Had that hatred remained bottled up, it could have affected their future growth.

"Recover a bit more, then we'll leave this place," Chu Jie said, taking a deep breath. They had lingered here too long already, and someone might soon come to investigate. In their current state, they would be at a disadvantage.