Chapter 323: Chen Hu: Mom, My Brother Is Amazing, Pursuing the Demon King

As the two rocket launcher vehicles finished firing, a sharp whistle pierced the air, and several missiles descended from the sky.

Boom! Boom!

Blinding flames erupted, instantly destroying the two vehicles. Moments later, more missiles rained down, covering the abandoned warehouse. With a series of explosions, two mercenaries were blown to pieces.

In the midst of the burning flames, several figures sprinted over from a distance. After searching for a moment, one of them spoke into an earpiece. "Report, there are only two mercenary corpses and some counterfeit money here."

Hundreds of kilometers away, in a military base, high-definition satellite images of the convoy were displayed on a large screen, showing the aftermath of the fierce battle that had nearly turned the surrounding area into ruins.

The hillside had collapsed, and the forest was ablaze. At both ends of the highway, ten kilometers away, law enforcement had set up checkpoints, barring any vehicles from passing through.

"A Sixth Realm, five late-stage Fifth Realms, eight late-stage Fourth Realms. How could the Demon God Cult still be hiding so many high-level cultists?"

"That's normal. During Kyrola's siege, the primary targets were the high-ranking members of the Blood and Giant Cults. Although the main forces of the Demon God, Shadow, and Black Horn Cults were suppressed, some external members managed to evade capture due to their dispersed locations.

"This time, however, the remaining forces of the Demon God Cult should be fully drawn out. The remaining small fry won't pose much of a threat and can be eliminated with further tracking."

The middle-aged man in the main seat looked to the side and asked, "Have we detected any high-frequency divine soul fluctuations?"

A staff member loudly reported, "The Soul Crystals Les and his team are carrying showed no reaction. No king-level soul fluctuations were detected within ten kilometers of the battlefield."

A colonel below frowned and said, "Was this just another probe?"

"No, it wasn't just a probe; it was a combination of real and fake moves." The staff officer with glasses shook his head. "A few days ago, we tracked a signal to a town over seven hundred kilometers away. The intercepted communication confirms that Kaotoros is nearby, although it's well concealed.

"These guys are cunning. They know we're waiting for them, so they won't make a move without certainty."

The middle-aged man said, "Regardless of their caution, Akunus will act before Yan Ruoyi's soul deteriorates. If she dies from soul exhaustion, the dragon will disappear too. Akunus won't allow that.

"He has waited over a decade for this moment. Were it not for the disappearance of Heavenly King Xuanwu, he wouldn't have dared to show himself, let alone send a soul avatar back to our planet. We just need to wait patiently in turn.

"As for Kaotoros, Yan Ruoyi doesn't hold as much attraction for him as she does for Akunus. To force him to act, we need to raise the stakes—make it so significant that sacrificing a soul avatar becomes worth it."

The staff officer's eyes narrowed. "General, you mean... the Innate Awakener?"

The middle-aged man nodded. "Yes, didn't East Xia deliberately let two ‘rats’ into the battle zone? They likely had the same idea.

"We can leak information about Li Daoyi, especially here in Gunado, emphasizing his strength and potential. At that point, I don't believe Kaotoros will be able to resist. Killing a Sixth Heavenly Realm Innate Awakener is nearly equivalent to slaying a half-step king[1].

"There’s no need to worry for Li Daoyi’s safety. Preparations have been made, and exposing his identity was always part of the plan.

"Just wait. This game has only just begun. Two soul avatars aren't worth such a grand display. Our target is their true forms..."

***

"Damn, damn, damn! I'm on fire!"

"What did I just see? So many missiles blown up with a single punch!"

"Incredible! I think I'm a fan now; that was too cool."

After Chen Chu punched and destroyed the incoming missiles, the international hitman group's live stream exploded with excitement. University students, office workers, and homebodies, all holding their phones, were left in utter disbelief.

Even Chen Hu was gaping, staring at the figure standing on top of the vehicle. The imposing aura radiating from him was awe-inspiring. So powerful, so strong that Chen Hu couldn't help but wonder if he had made a mistake.

Wasn't his brother only at the Fourth Heavenly Realm? Could a cultivator at the Fourth Heavenly Realm be this strong? Or had his brother made an even more astonishing breakthrough in the past two months?

Amid the shock and astonishment, the battle quickly subsided.

The bodyguard in the Daoist robe crushed the demonic monsters cloaked in black auras with a single strike of his thunderbolts. Even the seven-meter-tall monsters, so fast they were nearly invisible, were obliterated by the descending purple lightning dragon, leaving a huge crater on the ground.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was immense.

"Is this the power of high-level cultivators? It's incredible, far beyond what those martial arts academy experts can compare."

"Of course. Those guys are just show-offs, they haven't seen real blood. This is the battlefield, where one strike obliterates everything."

Super Second Generation was also stunned. "No wonder that bodyguard is so arrogant, if he can blow up countless rockets with one punch. His cultivation must be at least at the Sixth Heavenly Realm."

Long Batian remarked, "The Sixth Heavenly Realm isn't that powerful. This guy must be at least Seventh Realm."

"How do you know?"

The undercover official going by Long Batian chuckled to himself. "I was lucky enough to witness a Seventh Heavenly Realm expert in action once. I have some understanding of advanced cultivators' strength."

"Woah! A Seventh Heavenly Realm expert. Someone mentioned he's not even twenty yet."

"A Seventh Heavenly Realm expert under twenty? What a monster!"

"This genius actually became Yan Ruoyi's bodyguard. The background of Goddess Yan Ruoyi must be extraordinary. What does her family do?"

"I heard Yan Ruoyi's family has significant influence in the military..."

Long Batian then commented, "Did you notice the young man with the thunderbolt? I think he's even stronger than Chu Batian."

"That guy does look impressive, but he's not as handsome. I still think Chu Batian's punch was cooler."

"Aren't you missing the point? No matter how strong this guy is, it has nothing to do with us. The question now is, can Mr. Kainar defeat him?"

The chat room fell silent, and Kainar tensed up behind the camera.

Oh, brothers, please don't discuss this topic. I'm just a beginning stage Fifth Realm cultivator, how could I possibly fight a Seventh Realm expert?

Fortunately, no one was paying attention to him anymore; the people in the live stream had started sharing their excitement on social media. Soon, with all the shares and reposts, the videos and screenshots spread quickly across the internet, even reaching various forums.

The cover images and screenshots all depicted Li Daoyi surrounded by thunderbolts, standing in mid-air and wielding those thunderbolts to obliterate a demonic creature in a domineering scene.

Although the scene of Chen Chu standing on top of the vehicle and destroying dozens of rockets with one punch was also circulated, it couldn't match Li Daoyi’s popularity, especially when the latter’s images included terms like "Innate Awakener" and "future king within ten years."

By six o'clock, Zhang Xiaolan had returned home from work. Seeing Chen Hu's shoes at the entrance, she called out, "Ah Hu, you're back so early today?"

"Mom, my brother is so damn cool! Seventh Heavenly Realm, he's at the Seventh Heavenly Realm!"

"...What are you talking about?" Zhang Xiaolan was puzzled as she looked at the excited and elated Chen Hu upstairs.

The battlefield was shrouded in smoke, and flames were burning. Chen Chu stood on top of the vehicle with a stern expression, gazing into the distance.

At that moment, a flash of lightning brought Li Daoyi to the vehicle's side. With a casual demeanor, he said, "Brother Chu, the enemies are all taken care of. Come down."

Chen Chu calmly replied, "No rush, I'll stay here a bit longer."

"As expected of you." Li Daoyi showed admiration on his face.

Even after the battle, he still wants to stay on the roof to show off. This level of confidence is something even I, the King of Show-offs, have to bow down to. But this time, I definitely outshone him. Haha...

Thinking about this, Li Daoyi felt delighted.

Chen Chu ignored Li Daoyi, his expression growing serious as he continued to experience that demonic gaze, observing them through someone else's eyes.

The opponent was stronger than Ling Yi and the others had estimated. The invisible gaze made even him feel slightly threatened. Since the vision was "refracted" through another pair of eyes, though, Chen Chu couldn't lock onto the opponent's position through his gaze. He could only vaguely sense the general direction.

A true demon king-level expert indeed. In addition to strength, the opponent’s methods were also very cunning.

This avatar was quite far away, about a dozen kilometers. However, it was still close enough that he could potentially find and eliminate it...

Chen Chu’s gaze flickered as he suddenly said, "Brother Li, keep an eye on Miss Yan and the others. I need to step out for a moment."

Li Daoyi’s eyes narrowed. "Have you discovered something?"

Chen Chu replied softly, "I’ve sensed something vaguely but can’t pinpoint the location. I want to see if I can lure it out.

"However, we can’t all leave at once. We need someone to stay behind to protect Miss Yan and guard against any potential ambush by Akunus. I don’t trust anyone else with this."

Li Daoyi’s expression grew serious. "Are you confident?"

"As long as I want to leave, it won’t be able to stop me," Chen Chu said calmly, exuding a powerful confidence.

He didn’t mention killing or suppressing the demon king’s avatar; after all, it was a king-level being, and even an avatar wouldn’t be easy to handle. Who knew what secret arts or demonic techniques the opponent possessed? Defeating and killing were two different concepts.

When there was a difference of one or two minor realms, it was difficult for the weaker side to be caught if they tried to escape, unless they refused to back down.

Chen Chu continued. "Don’t worry, I won’t be reckless. Even if I locate it, I’ll just keep it occupied until the reinforcements arrive."

To keep the opponent from hiding, the military had stationed Eighth Heavenly Realm experts at each checkpoint, though they usually remained a hundred kilometers away, which was merely a few minutes' travel for them.

"Be careful." Li Daoyi didn’t say anything further, knowing that Chen Chu’s strength was comparable to his own. Keeping a king-level avatar occupied for a few minutes was entirely feasible.

Les’ imposing figure approached. Seeing this, Chen Chu pointed toward Kainar and Kasa. "Major Les, there are still two people over there."

"D-Don’t kill us!"

"We surrender! We were just passing by!"

"Yes, just passing by..."

Chen Chu had just finished speaking when Kainar, at the edge of the hillside forest, and Kasa, who had been hiding in the grass a few meters ahead, scrambled to their feet, both raising their hands in a gesture of surrender.

These guys were too terrifying. Doing anything else could potentially lead to being mistaken for attackers and killed.

After glancing at the two, Chen Chu’s feet stomped heavily on the ground.

Boom!

He leaped over a hundred meters into the air, his figure tracing an arc as he landed in the forest more than three hundred meters away. The earth beneath him cracked, and the ground shook.

The action startled the Demon God Cultist lying on the ground twenty meters away, who had been hiding his presence.

Boom!

As Chen Chu threw a punch, a domineering force instantly erupted. The air in front of him was compressed into a tangible substance by the overwhelming power, forming a ten-meter-wide golden fist imprint.

Boom!

Under its impact, the ground collapsed as soil was thrown into the air. Trees within a radius of several meters snapped violently, and the wind howled.

The cultist was directly blasted to pieces, with not even a trace of flesh remaining, including the high-definition camera they carried.

Amid the fierce wind and debris, Chen Chu stood quietly.

"The eyes are gone, but I still have a faint sense of its presence," Chen Chu said, looking into the distance and pressing his hand to his ear.

"This is Chu Batian. I’ve vaguely sensed some traces of the demon king and am preparing to take action to see if I can draw it out."

"What!"

Everyone at the base sprang to their feet, astonished that Chen Chu had already discovered Kaotoros’s traces.

The middle-aged man said gravely, "Tell him that his safety is the top priority. If he actually encounters the opponent, he should just hold on. Reinforcements will arrive soon.

"Send Chu Batian’s coordinates to General Rake and instruct him to keep the distance within fifty kilometers."

For a demon king’s avatar, the danger posed by an Eighth Heavenly Realm expert was too great; any who tried to approach too closely could be sensed by the king’s divine soul from afar.

Chen Chu’s figure moved, instantly becoming a black shadow that shot out and quickly emerged from the forest. At the same time, his middle-stage Sixth Heavenly Realm aura erupted without restraint.

As he approached a small town over ten kilometers away, a faint aura flickered in the distance, remaining about ten kilometers away from him.

Whoosh!

Chen Chu’s figure dashed into the town ahead. When his heavy steps hit the road, the cement shattered, and the fierce wind he generated made many people scream in shock. He passed through the town in just a few breaths, leaving a trail of afterimages.

The faint aura flashed again ten kilometers away.

"Trying to lead me somewhere?" Chen Chu’s eyes flickered. Without hesitation, he shattered the ground and shot forward, maintaining a balanced speed. At the same time, he spoke into the earpiece again.

"The opponent is leading me toward Miamir City."

A serious voice came through the earpiece. "Be careful, try not to engage in the city."

"I understand."

With Chen Chu and the demon king avatar’s combat powers above the Seventh Heavenly Realm, fighting in the city would cause tremendous destruction and result in countless casualties from the aftermath.

However, due to the distance, Chen Chu could only vaguely sense the opponent’s presence without being able to pinpoint their exact location.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Chen Chu’s figure appeared on another highway, speeding past car after car, causing drivers to gasp in astonishment.

He normally traveled at two hundred meters per second, but in just a few minutes, he covered over thirty kilometers and entered the bustling Miamir City.

1. "Half-step king" is the title given to people who are nearing the king-level, but haven’t reached it yet. Basically, half a king ☜