Chapter 316 - A Demon God? They All Listen to Lin Tian!

At Lucifer's request, Demon God Azazel had no choice but to summon his youngest son to come forward. Before long, a figure wrapped tightly in thick burlap descended from the sky. Only a pair of dim eyes could be seen, nervously observing the surrounding crowd with fear. It was none other than Simir, once hailed as the most perfect man in Hell—the son of a Demon God, a second-generation hybrid angel.

Simir looked around anxiously, overwhelmed by the dozens of gazes fixed on him. His posture was stiff, and he couldn't even stand straight.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The so-called perfect man—how did he end up like this?"

"Looks like a rat that's been living in the sewers."

"I don't get it. He was strong, popular with women, and good-looking. How could he have fallen so low?"

The demons around him started gossiping, some lamenting his state while others mocked him.

Azazel couldn't bear to watch anymore. He strode forward and tore the burlap off Simir, scolding him with frustration, "You're still my son, for heaven's sake! Look at yourself, utterly disgraceful. Today, you'd better leave a good impression on Lucifer's daughter, or you're out of the family!"

"Father, no, please! I can't… don't do this…" Simir stammered in terror.

The sight of females triggered horrifying memories for him. The female demons present were eyeing him like a toy, making him feel even more uncomfortable.

Although Simir's current appearance was disheveled and unkempt, it couldn't hide his strikingly handsome features and fair complexion. As a hybrid angel, his genetic makeup was impeccable, a trait passed down to his children.

Looking at Simir now, Lin Tian couldn't help but think of two words: "shut-in."

In fact, this guy hadn't always been afraid of women or socially anxious. But centuries of isolation had turned him into this state.

Lin Tian remarked casually, "A shut-in is a shut-in. Why try to come up with excuses?"

Knowing his opponent was a shut-in made Lin Tian more confident. Even if Celeste threw herself at him, Simir wouldn't dare act on it. He might even be scared to death.

It couldn't be helped—shut-ins were like that.

Still, one couldn't deny that Simir had a certain charm. With a combat power of 24,000, he was nearly on par with Celeste.

"You're…?"

"You don't know anything about my situation, so stop making baseless assumptions!" Simir snapped, his emotions flaring.

Lin Tian smirked and didn't bother responding. Instead, he said, "Hurry up, Your Highness Celeste. Do as I instructed."

Satisfied that his objective was achieved—and with some unexpected gains—Lin Tian had no intention of staying any longer.

Hearing this, Celeste hesitated. "Fine, but he's had it pretty rough. See those female demons in the crowd? They used to force themselves on him all the time, in… those kinds of ways."

She gestured toward the crowd.

Lin Tian followed her gaze. A few—no, a group—no, several massive female demons were grinning broadly at Simir. Their laughter made their eyes squint into slits.

That was just one of them.

Next to her stood another, whose nose was even bigger and sharper than a goblin's, her pockmarked skin likely capable of squeezing out pounds of blackheads.

Seeing Simir's pitiful expression, Lin Tian immediately understood. Any man subjected to being ambushed and assaulted by such individuals, day in and day out, year after year, would probably go insane.

No wonder Simir had ended up like this.

In the demons' worldview, lust was considered perfectly reasonable—an exchange where neither side lost out. Simir, however, had no way to fight back after being overpowered and knocked unconscious repeatedly.

"What do you think? His strength is undeniable, and he's close to an angel in appearance. In a sense, he's still pure," Lucifer remarked.

After all, being forced didn't count as voluntary impurity.

Celeste hadn't expected to actually find a pure high-level male demon. Resigned, she said, "Let's go. We'll talk in private."

Simir shook his head in protest, but Azazel silenced him with a stern glare, leaving him no choice but to comply.

The two headed toward the back of the hall. Simir couldn't help but swallow nervously as he glanced at Celeste's graceful figure and exquisite face. She truly was stunning, like an angel descended from heaven.

But then—

Celeste's cold voice interrupted his thoughts. "Let me make this clear. If we get married, not only will you be required to satisfy me, but I'll also use you for my entertainment."

Simir froze. "What… what do you mean?"

Celeste, suppressing her embarrassment, explained with a serious expression—describing her fascination with certain illustrated works.

She went on to describe the fantastical and unrealistic ideas from the illustrations in her collection, which were mostly aimed at male audiences.

Simir stood frozen, his mind overwhelmed as he heard terms like "binding," "S&M," "gender swap," and "futa." His face twisted in horror as he shouted, "No! This is madness! The whole world has gone insane! I won't do it! Never!"

Muttering incoherently, he clutched his head and bolted from the room.

When he returned to the grand hall, his face was pale with terror. He pointed at the crowd and shouted, "Celeste—she's more terrifying than you can possibly imagine! Run! Run for your lives!"

Compared to being oppressed and tormented by brute force, this was a whole different level of hell.

Watching his panicked escape, Celeste couldn't help but feel she might have gone too far. Simir was already teetering on the brink of a mental collapse, and her words had been the final straw.

"Did I really say anything that bad?" she wondered aloud.

Even Lin Tian found it pitiable. "For a demon with such high combat power, this is just sad," he remarked.

The others, including Lucifer, were utterly baffled.

Azazel scratched his head in confusion. "What in the world just happened here?"

When Celeste reappeared, Lucifer asked her sternly, "Child, what did you do to him? How could he go completely mad?"

Feigning innocence, Celeste replied, "I don't know. He just suddenly lost it."

Nobody dared dig deeper into the matter. Azazel sighed heavily, ashamed. "This boy! He had limitless potential, and yet he's gone insane over a few women! And he didn't even lose anything from it! Hah!"

Lucifer, resigned, suggested, "Why don't you just pick someone else? Lower your standards a bit. You're not getting any younger, and…"

As he spoke, an image of Celeste's earlier collection crossed his mind, making him shudder slightly.

"Father, isn't there an impending war with the angels? Let's leave this matter for later," Celeste said seriously.

Lin Tian quickly chimed in, "Exactly. War is cruel—I know this all too well. If anything goes wrong, it'll be a disaster for both sides."

Lucifer paused, surprised at Lin Tian's insightful remark. "This goblin… I'll have to keep an eye on him," he thought.

Suddenly, Beelzebub's scornful voice rang out, breaking the moment of calm. "How dare a mere goblin interrupt our Demon God family discussions? I'll have your arms and legs broken and turn you into a living corpse!"

A group of high demons immediately surrounded Lin Tian, and the atmosphere grew oppressively heavy. Earlier, they had conspired to teach Lin Tian a lesson—without outright killing him to avoid disrupting their plans.

Beelzebub turned to the others and said coldly, "Let's cripple him and make him a living corpse. He can still use his powers, so no one should have any objections."

The Demon Gods wore grim expressions but said nothing, unwilling to oppose a friend they had known for so long.

Lin Tian frowned. He had been so focused on helping Celeste that he'd almost forgotten about this fool. Stepping forward, he poked Beelzebub in the chest and said mockingly, "I'm curious—where did you get the nerve to challenge me?"

Beelzebub sneered. "Don't think Lucifer will save you this time. He's already said that once the Eden Project is complete, I can kill you as many times as I want, and he won't interfere. I'll start by cutting off your limbs and turning you into a living corpse. After the plan succeeds, I'll kill you, imprison your soul, and torment you until the end of the world!"

His tone was filled with rage, and flames erupted around him, painting the world in his fiery aura.

Lin Tian glanced at Lucifer, who averted his gaze, tacitly allowing Beelzebub's actions.

Seeing this, Celeste stepped forward, unwilling to let her friend suffer such a fate. "Father, this isn't like you. Why would you…"

Demons weren't inherently cruel or wicked in every way. Perhaps due to his angelic past, Lucifer had always taught Celeste that one must relentlessly pursue power. With unmatched strength, even acts of evil would be lauded as virtuous.

Lin Tian's voice cut through the tense atmosphere, filled with contempt and fearlessness. "You've lived for thousands of years and still have so little sense? I'll give you one chance to kneel and beg for mercy. If you refuse, it'll be you who becomes the living corpse."

The hall fell into a stunned silence. Only Lucifer's lips curled into a faint smile as he murmured, "Interesting."

Laughter erupted from the surrounding demons.

"Ha! Another lunatic!"

"Is this guy brain-dead? Why would Celeste befriend such an idiot?"

"This is comedy gold! He's asking a Demon God to kneel? And become a living corpse?"

Mocking voices filled the hall, their sneering faces practically pressed into Lin Tian's.

Even Azazel couldn't hide his astonishment. "You've conquered the Uninhabited Zone and the Wilderness. You've opened the Gate of Eden, a feat beyond explanation. How can your mind still be so dull?"

Celeste was equally bewildered. "I promised to protect you, and I'll keep that promise. If they want to hurt you, they'll have to get through me first—"

Before she could finish, Lin Tian interrupted her. "There's no need. I don't even need them to touch me. I'll handle this myself."

Beelzebub was laughing so hard he was practically rolling on the floor. "Did you see that? This fool is so scared he's spouting nonsense! The one thing you should never have done was target the Uninhabited Zone!"

"Feel regret!"

"Feel pain!"

"Feel despair!"

Hearing this, Lin Tian calmly corrected him, "I was planning to deal with the Uninhabited Zone, but it was your subordinate Scarlett who acted first, dragging everyone—including you—into this mess."

Beelzebub squinted disdainfully. "Oh, really? Let's see what you can do now! Seize him, chop off his arms and legs first, and then force him to open the Gate of Eden!"

Before his command could be carried out, a wet, tearing sound echoed through the hall.

But it wasn't the demons attacking Lin Tian—it was Lin Tian himself.

He plunged his own hand through his chest, piercing his heart. Despite the gruesome sight, his face showed no pain. Instead, his lips curled into a wicked smile before he collapsed to the ground.

The grand hall erupted into chaos.

"What just happened? Did he just commit suicide?"

"Is this guy insane? Who tears out their own heart and smiles about it? That's terrifying!"

"Wait, does no one realize the problem? If he's dead, he can't open the Gate of Eden!"

"What?!"

A high demon's exclamation sent cold chills through the room.

Samael, one of the Demon Gods, snapped out of his shock, shouting, "Quick! Save him! Now!"

Azazel's pupils contracted. "Damn it, how could this happen?!"

Panic spread like wildfire. Moments ago, they had been brimming with excitement over the Eden Project, but now it seemed doomed to fail before their very eyes. If Lin Tian died, everything would be lost.

Abaddon, the Demon God who governed disease, stepped forward swiftly. Dressed in an outfit reminiscent of a medieval doctor, complete with a green monocle, he pulled out a black seed and planted it into Lin Tian's heart.

He carefully replaced the heart into Lin Tian's chest. The seed sprouted like threads, sewing the blood vessels together and fusing them seamlessly.

Next, Abaddon conjured a magical circle in his hand, chanting in the ancient tongue of the Old Gods. "Mythic-Class Magic: Life and Death Malady."

This exclusive ability allowed him to plant black seeds into a target's body, giving him control over their life, aging, illness, and death. He could choose to kill, heal, or afflict the target with diseases. However, the ability could only be used once on a person; any subsequent use would result in resistance, leaving him unable to control life or death, only inflicting sickness.

The Seven Demon Gods—Lucifer, Beelzebub, Samael, Azazel, Abaddon, Belial, and Mastema—watched closely as Lin Tian, previously lifeless, began to stir.

Lin Tian's sudden resurrection startled Celeste. "Your Majesty Lin Tian, are you all right? Why would you suddenly kill yourself? I told you—"

Before she could finish, Lin Tian moved again, raising his hand as though to rip out his heart once more.

This scene left the previously mocking demons dumbfounded. Their laughter vanished, replaced by dread.

What kind of person could so decisively and fearlessly attempt to kill themselves?

Only a lunatic.

But a clear-minded lunatic was a thousand times more terrifying than a madman.

Some began to realize Lin Tian's intentions. Samael's gray-black serpents shot out from his flesh, coiling around Lin Tian's hand. "Wait! I know what you want—just wait, okay?"

Beelzebub, still oblivious, felt an overwhelming sense of unease and instinctively stepped back.

Lin Tian shook off the serpents and rose to his feet, chuckling darkly. "Ah, so there are some smart Demon Gods among you. I thought you were all as stupid as Beelzebub."

"You bastard! Speak clearly!" Beelzebub roared, baring his teeth as he prepared to strike.

But Abaddon stepped in to block him.

Before Beelzebub could act, Azazel, Samael, Belial, and Mastema joined Abaddon, standing in front of Lin Tian protectively.

Lin Tian's sinister grin widened. "If you don't turn Beelzebub into a living corpse right now, I'll just kill myself again."

His voice brimmed with confidence and mockery.

Death scared him, sure—but he had the Rebirth skill. He hadn't even used it yet when Abaddon revived him. The entire spectacle was a calculated move to intimidate the Demon Gods.

This revelation left the assembled demons in stunned silence.

"What's going on? Why are Lord Abaddon and Lord Samael protecting him?"

Beelzebub's forehead beaded with cold sweat as realization dawned. "You despicable beast! You're threatening me!"

Lin Tian shrugged nonchalantly. "Yep. So what? Come at me, you dumbass."

When friendship collided with self-interest, friendship became worthless. If Lin Tian died, the hope they had nurtured for millennia would evaporate.

And so, until the Eden Project was complete, the Demon Gods had no choice but to heed Lin Tian.