Aren't You All so Powerful?

Xu Rouguang was nothing but livid. He knew what Lai Mingjie promised the demonkind who were behaving, but he also knew Botangca's responsibilities as the demon empress of the region. Perhaps she had no way of stopping those who had run amok, but she should have known about these.

These pills circulated throughout the city under her nose. She was the only one allowed to create Bloodvein, but right now, someone was feeding her subjects with a stronger type that would make them lose rationality. Most of them had been killed tonight, and Xu Rouguang wouldn't hesitate to hurt more if he had to.

The demons were only terrified and anxious while hiding in the club. The music was playing, and yet no one was feeling the beat. Everyone was pissed and annoyed that they were like children in detention: they weren't at fault, but they still had to be punished lightly. Even Botangca was limping weakly on her couch in her office. The things that Emodao had said... they were right. She shouldn't shelter rule-breakers especially if they would implicate the entire demonkind.

If it was before, even Emodao would spit at these immortals' faces. He wouldn't care if they were in the wrong; as long as the heavens punish the demonkind, he would fight back. However, every one of them realized that they were only ants at the moment. Aside from their heightened senses, they were now nothing different than humans. They could not afford to anger Nuwa, and so they could only suffer in silence.

Then again, if an immortal would be asked, the demons were already having it nicely. Their presiding general wasn't asking for a war or a massacre, he just asked them to dispatch a few demons from sight. If they could be saved by expelling the demon energy, they would have to see through it. The immortals were working their bums off in fear of invoking the fury of their presiding general. They were also forced to watch these demons do nothing but stay in a comfortable space.

Who would have thought that the comfort would be shattered? Who knew that Xu Rouguang would suddenly make his murderous aura explode right beside Bloodvein Café as a method to summon Botangca out of her hole? Not only the small demons—but even the other immortals felt their knees tremble as Xu Rouguang did so.

Botangca almost flew out of her office and out the club just to quell the budding anger of the deathless general. How he slaughtered her in her first life was still fresh in her head. Even if he had no memory or that he was civil towards her because of Lai Mingjie, she still greatly feared him.

Who didn't fear Xu Rouguang though?

"Xu Rouguang!" Botangca took a deep breath before calling his name. She was later joined by the others who were brave enough to watch. However, as soon as Xu Rouguang's image emerged, her body trembled. "Xu... Xu Rouguang, why are you...?"

"Hmph, I get to talk first please." Xu Rouguang almost snorted.

Behind him were the immortals who were participating in the hunt. Some of them were holding onto some former demons who were left crying as they didn't dare struggle from their binds. Louyan was quietly standing there as he knew Xu Rouguang's temper a bit. As long as he wasn't extremely provoked or that it would make Emodao unhappy, he wouldn't do anything. It was because when he decided to do something, even an entire empire would be decimated.

The other demons started yelling in anger. They demanded for their friends and colleagues to be released. Even Botangca would say the same, but with that furious look at Xu Rouguang's face, she might have to endure a bit more.

"Alright. Speak!" Her voice made the demons gradually grow silent.

"I want to know if you're aware of this." Xu Rouguang produced the small bottle and tossed it for Botangca to catch. He watched her inspect the bottle and the pills. "These demons all bought a bottle or two from a strange peddler. They also identified their friends among the corpses we gathered.

"They all claimed that it was being sold to them as a more potent Bloodvein. These rascals didn't know better and bought them... some of them even taking more than one pill a night." He snorted with so much disdain in his eyes. "They also said it's the most effective during the night. No wonder they wouldn't do anything in the day.

"Botangca, tell me... are you either treacherous for authorizing this or neglectful for knowing nothing?"

The demon empress had no idea why the deathless general was in such a sour mood. Even if she was faulty, he wouldn't dare call her out by terrorizing the entire community or to even march to her doorstep with his soldiers. She stared at the bottle. She didn't need to taste it to know what it was.

However, she knew it would be very difficult to prove her stance. She could only chance that he wouldn't get rid of her in one brutal blow.

"Release my demons, General Xu. This isn't Bloodvein!" She threw the bottle back at him. "I create Bloodvein, and I can tell just by the smell. That pill isn't Bloodvein. Perhaps I had been lacking in securing everything that goes around the demon market, but you couldn't really blame us. In these worthless and powerless forms, why wouldn't my demons think of rebelling?

"Look at us right now. We couldn't even do anything against you. Why wouldn't we want to grasp at that small chance of becoming more powerful?" She then chuckled, swaying her hair behind her. "General Xu, we might be a little tight because of Emodao, but don't think for any second that I will let you easily order me around now that my demons are involved."

"I see. A rebellion." Xu Rouguang stared at the bottle. He wanted to mock Lai Mingjie for sticking his head up for these demons. It seemed like they would never cooperate—even Botangca refused to cooperate now that her reputation was being put on the line. "The demons wanted to rebel against heaven... following the appearance of one of the demon sentinels? Do you think you'd be strong again just because that Dunzhao broke out of prison? Very well..."

A maniacal grin tore his icy face apart, eyes glinting with utmost desire to kill. "Why don't you all take all of this and try?!" He signaled the immortals to toss all the collected bottles towards Botangca's direction. The deathless general made another display of his horrifying aura, his face now smeared with such crazed expression. "Take them!" He swiped his hand and produced his switchblade, aiming directly at Botangca's face. "Come on! Let's see how strong you get by simply depending on Dunzhao's appearance and these rubbish pills! I'll let you hit me for five minutes! Come on! Aren't you all so powerful now?!"

Botangca took a deep breath in. Her eyes watered at the threats as she was forced to relive her last moments. This was the Xu Rouguang she knew. Not the quiet Xu Rouguang, not the uninterested-in-other-demons Xu Rouguang—it was the maniac that would love bathing in the blood of demons.

None of the demons moved. Even those who were held by the immortals didn't dare to breathe—just like the immortals that held them. General Qiang even felt her knees weaken at such a soul-penetrating gaze; General Qilin wasn't doing any better at all.

Only a snort came from Xu Rouguang. He brought his hand down and closed his eyes, erasing the emotions on his face. He kept his blade and spoke to his soldiers, "Release all of them."

The immortals exchanged gazes, but they still did what was asked. The bound demons ran towards their colleagues, not even bothering if they stepped on some bottles on the way.

"Botangca, someone's smuggling poison into the city. Find out where it came from and stop them from selling anything." Xu Rouguang only turned to leave, taking his soldiers along with him.