Although Ye Fan was momentarily shocked, he soon regained his composure.

At that moment, the Demon Emperor, disheveled and hoarse, sneered at Ye Fan. "Time to die! How confident are you now?" he asked, his gaze full of mockery.

"One hundred percent," Ye Fan replied.

Suddenly, he entered a demonic state. His eyes turned blood-red, making him more terrifying than a madman. It was an utterly horrifying sight, even more so than the frenzied Demon Emperor. He had exploited a flaw within his own body to enter this state. The auras of both men surged, their combat power seemingly transcending the realm of Kings. The battle had not even begun, yet the sheer pressure erupting from them was enough to drive one to despair—a despair that came from the very depths of the soul.

By this time, He Yu and Yu’er had arrived. They gasped in shock at the sight of the two frenzied Kings. This level of power struck fear into their very souls. Indeed, no King was simple, as this moment proved. This battle was destined to become a nightmare even for those just watching.

The Demon Emperor launched a devastatingly powerful attack, both swift and ferocious. In their current states, they were more terrifying than they were at their peak, simply because they were no longer themselves.

Not to be outdone, Ye Fan fully embraced his demonic state. He was like a true madman, but unlike an ordinary one who lacked awareness, his strength continued to climb with each passing moment. He met the Demon Emperor’s punch with his own, and in an instant, both were thrown backward.

After being knocked back, the Demon Emperor immediately charged forward again, landing a punch that sent Ye Fan slamming into the face of the cliff. He roared and rushed back, the destructive power of the two Kings astounding. If they were fighting in a city, hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people would perish.

Ye Fan erupted with his peak strength, an aura so immense it alone could make one tremble. He coiled around the Demon Emperor like a golden serpent, immobilizing him. Then, the two of them began to roll down the mountain. Ye Fan’s physique was formidable; though not a master of close combat, he felt no pain in his current state. The Demon Emperor, however, was not so lucky. He slammed against the rocks, the intense pain slowly dissolving his berserk power. It would not be long before he was beaten back to his normal form.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Ye Fan lifted the Demon Emperor and hurled him away.

SLAM!

The Demon Emperor spat out a mouthful of blood. He was undoubtedly injured. As his mind regained a sliver of clarity, Ye Fan’s fist came crashing down again.

"AARGH!" the Demon Emperor screamed in agony.

Hearing his cries, Yu’er’s heart pounded as she made her move, preparing to ambush Ye Fan.

"Where do you think you’re going?" He Yu shouted, blocking her path.

"Get out of my way!" Yu’er yelled angrily.

"You want to join their battle? You’re courting death!" He Yu said with disdain.

Yu’er didn’t reply, immediately launching an attack on He Yu. His strength was a notch below hers, and after a few exchanges, she landed a punch on his chin. He was sent flying, but Yu’er had no time to finish him off. She immediately ran toward the foot of the mountain. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

At that moment, Ye Fan’s voice was a hoarse roar. "This punch will take your life!"

The Demon Emperor was terrified. He knew he had no way to block this blow. In the blink of an eye, Ye Fan’s fist was upon him. Just as he thought he was about to suffer a mortal wound, Ye Fan’s strike descended.

BAM!

In the next moment, the Demon Emperor was stunned. Even the demonic Ye Fan froze his attack, as if time itself had stopped.

"Aah!"

All they heard was Yu’er’s piercing scream.

"Yu’er!" the Demon Emperor shrieked.

He lunged forward and caught her. The force of the impact sent them both flying backward, crashing hard against the cliff wall. The scene was one of tragic desolation.

Yu’er coughed up blood, already on the brink of death. Ye Fan’s punch had been one of his most powerful. Even though it had only grazed her, she could not possibly withstand it. An unbearable pain gripped the Demon Emperor’s heart. Though they had a master-servant relationship, he had never treated Yu’er like a servant, even if she had always seen him as her master.

Choking on his words, he asked her, "Why? Why would you sacrifice yourself to save me?"

"Because it was worth it, Master. I’m afraid... Yu’er can’t walk with you any longer," she said sorrowfully, stroking his cheek.

"No! Nothing is worth this! You shouldn’t have given your life for me! I don’t want you to die. I want you to keep walking with me!" the Demon Emperor cried out.

Perhaps in that final moment, the Demon Emperor truly awakened.

Yu’er nodded with a look of contentment before fainting completely, her fate uncertain.

THUD!

With a heavy sound, Ye Fan landed less than twenty meters away. The Demon Emperor, too, was on his last legs. With a cliff at his back, there was no retreat. Ye Fan closed in.

"I have no grievance or enmity with you," Ye Fan said, his voice still hoarse. Although half-mad, a sliver of his consciousness remained. "Why must you persecute me?"

The Demon Emperor’s face twisted with rage. "Because you stole everything from me! We are both men of the Divine Land’s Divine Dragon, once brothers who fought side by side!"

"You don’t have the right to use the word ’brother’!" Ye Fan shot back.

"That’s right, I don’t!" the Demon Emperor raged. "But why did you have to steal everything that was mine? You took my name, you took my rank. Everything you possess in the Divine Land’s Divine Dragon was supposed to be mine! You’re nothing but a usurper!"

Ye Fan shook his head. "You’re wrong. I am not a usurper, and I stole nothing from you. In the face of absolute strength, everything else is meaningless! Everything I achieved in the Divine Land’s Divine Dragon, I earned with my own two hands. You claim I stole from you only because you didn’t work hard enough. You lacked the spirit to fight for it with your life!" Ye Fan’s voice was charged with emotion.

Then, he declared, "All who betray me must die. You are just the first!"

He charged at the Demon Emperor, unleashing his full power, intent on finishing him quickly. Seeing this, the Demon Emperor gasped. In this struggle, he was now at a disadvantage.

Clutching Yu’er’s body, he backed toward the edge of the cliff. "King of Heaven, our conflict is not over. The next time we meet, I will make you tremble in a living nightmare!"

With those words, he leaped from the cliff with Yu’er in his arms. Even in his demonic state, Ye Fan stopped his pursuit, stunned by the Demon Emperor’s resolute action. He collapsed to one knee and then passed out.

"Big Brother! Big Brother!"

He Yu scrambled down the mountain and rushed to Ye Fan’s side, struggling to carry him away.

「Two days later」

Ye Fan awoke to find He Yu dozing by his side.

He Yu’s eyes snapped open. "Big Brother, you’re finally awake," he said hurriedly.

"How is Qin Yanran?" Ye Fan asked anxiously.

"Don’t worry, Big Brother, she’s fine. She was watching over you for the past two days, but she fainted from exhaustion and worry last night. The Qin Family took her home to rest, so I’ve been keeping watch," He Yu explained quickly.

"That’s a relief," Ye Fan said. "Did you find the Demon Emperor’s body?"

He Yu shook his head. "Big Brother, I sent people to search the base of the cliff for the past two days. We found no trace of him, only a pool of blood."

"It seems he’s not dead. He must have escaped," Ye Fan concluded. "That man is deeply cunning and calculating. When he returns, he will be even more terrifying!"

"Maybe his corpse was eaten by wolves!" He Yu offered hopefully.

Ye Fan was speechless. "Eaten by wolves? How could you even say that? Where would you find wolves around Shangjing? In any case, we must be on full alert. That man is extremely dangerous."

"Right!" He Yu nodded.

Now fully recovered from his demonic state, Ye Fan seemed largely unchanged. He asked He Yu, "What changes have occurred in the structure of Shangjing’s underworld recently?"