Mo Fan’s words made every demon in the hall frown.
Xiao Huang also looked at his own king in astonishment. Not long ago, Mo Fan had warned him to respect the fate of others and that there was no need to take risks for unrelated people.
Yet in the blink of an eye, the king had changed his tune.
This was not the moment to question it, however. Whatever Mo Fan chose, Xiao Huang would only support him. Demonic qi gathered around his body as he readied himself for battle.
Clearly, all the humans here were reserve food for these demons. Snatching people from their mouths would hardly be easy. One wrong move and fighting would break out.
Sure enough, the moment Mo Fan spoke, the entire hall fell silent.
The Heishi Demon King narrowed his eyes and stared at Mo Fan for a long time before suddenly slapping his thigh and laughing loudly. “Great Peng King, do not take offence. It was this king who neglected his duties. My hospitality has been lacking, truly lacking!”
With that, the Heishi Demon King barked at the demon generals nearby. “What are you standing there for? Hurry and bring those little pieces of white meat!”
“Ah? Yes, Your Highness, right away!”
Several demon generals nodded repeatedly and headed for the door.
Seeing this, Mo Fan immediately added, “This king prefers live food. Do not bring any dead ones!”
“Did you all hear that? Live ones only! If they are dead, do not bother bringing them out!”
The Heishi Demon King’s words instantly made Mo Fan frown slightly.
What did he mean by “if they are dead, do not bother bringing them out”?
Did that mean quite a few human children below had already died?
Though the remark made him feel a touch queasy, Mo Fan said nothing more. Taking food from the mouths of these creatures was already difficult enough. There was no need to create extra complications now.
Soon, a group of children was led in by the demons. Like the women earlier, these children were completely naked, their bodies emaciated and sallow, their eyes filled with terror.
Unlike the women, however, light still shone in these children’s eyes. They were not yet pools of dead stillness. This brought Mo Fan a slight measure of comfort.
“Brother Laibao?”
Suddenly, a faint, mosquito-like voice reached Mo Fan’s ears, making his whole body tremble.
He immediately looked towards the source and saw, in the furthest corner, a scrawny little boy who looked like nothing but skin and bones staring timidly at him.
In the boy’s eyes, Mo Fan saw a glimmer of hope, yet far more fear and confusion.
He looked familiar…
Mo Fan’s brows knitted, then his pupils suddenly contracted. He remembered.
It was Bao’er!
The little fellow from Yunling Village all those years ago!
Seeing Bao’er now, looking so pitiful, Mo Fan felt both shock and joy.
Shock at the boy’s tragic circumstances, joy at their unexpected reunion.
Since arriving in this world, Mo Fan had few ties with humans, and even fewer he could remember. Bao’er was one of them.
But Mo Fan quickly withdrew his gaze. He gave a wicked grin, baring a mouth full of fangs, and smiled at Bao’er. “Little brat, were you talking to this king?”
“This king is not called Laibao, nor is he your brother. If you dare spout nonsense again, be careful this king eats you!”
Mo Fan’s words left Xiao Huang deeply puzzled. He instinctively glanced at the child called Laibao and saw the boy retreat several steps in terror, tears welling in his eyes as though they might spill at any moment.
Yet what astonished Xiao Huang was that the seemingly seven- or eight-year-old boy, with his messy hair, ultimately held back his tears.
Though Xiao Huang knew his king must have some connection with the child, he also understood this was not the time to ask. He immediately looked away.
By contrast, the Heishi Demon King on the main seat raised an eyebrow and grinned at little Bao. “Little fellow, you know him?”
As he spoke, the Heishi Demon King lifted a hand and pointed at Mo Fan.
Terrified, Bao’er lowered his gaze, not daring to meet the Heishi Demon King’s eyes. Instead he looked at Mo Fan, stared for a long moment, then finally shook his head and muttered, “No… I mistook him for someone else.”
“You really don’t know him?”
The Heishi Demon King frowned. He raised his hand and reached out towards Bao’er across the air.
As demonic qi surged, a wine bowl suddenly flew over, filled to the brim with liquor.
Interrupted, the Heishi Demon King could only withdraw his qi and instinctively caught the bowl.
“What is this, Brother Heishi? Do you doubt this king?”
Mo Fan spoke faintly. He lifted his own bowl of wine, raised it towards the Heishi Demon King from afar, then drained it in one gulp without waiting for a reply.
The Heishi Demon King was briefly taken aback. His eyes flashed, then he laughed loudly. “How could that be?”
“Brother Great Peng is a high-ranking member of the Demon Net, and that Moon-Gazing Token cannot be faked. How would this king dare suspect you?”
“It must be that this human brat has a dishonest mouth and tried to sow discord between us!”
“I always say humans are treacherous. Even a child this young is so cunning. Let this king rip out his heart and see whether it is red or black!”
The Heishi Demon King grinned and prepared to strike Bao’er again.
“Brother Heishi, this king wants all these human children!”
“And this king has one rather bad habit. When it comes to food, I do not like sharing with other demons. Please forgive me!”
Mo Fan spoke quickly, then glanced casually at the wine bowl in the Heishi Demon King’s hand. “This king just toasted you, yet you still have not drunk.”
“Hahahaha… I never expected Brother Great Peng to be so possessive of his food!”
The Heishi Demon King laughed loudly, then crushed the wine bowl in his grip, letting the fine liquor drip through his fingers. Without another word, he reached out and sucked a child into his hand across the air.
The child screamed as he landed in the demon’s grasp.
Mo Fan’s gaze instantly turned icy. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
“Oh yes, Brother Great Peng, this king also has a rather bad habit. On my territory, this king’s word is law!”
With that, the Heishi Demon King bit down on the screaming child.
As blood sprayed everywhere, the piercing scream abruptly ceased.
While chewing, the Heishi Demon King looked at Mo Fan and said provocatively, “By the way, this king has another habit. I do not like drinking liquor made by humans.”
“Truth be told, it is far too harsh on the throat. How can it compare to the sweet, juicy blood of this white meat?”
Having spoken, the Heishi Demon King swallowed the bones and flesh in his mouth with a gulp. He then lifted the headless corpse and shook it violently over his open maw, gulping down the gushing fresh blood like fine wine.
Mo Fan took a deep breath. His heaving chest gradually calmed. He turned to Xiao Huang beside him and said, “Put all those children into the pouch. Take the women as well!”
“These are generous gifts from Brother Heishi. This king must bring them home to savour slowly!”
“Yes!”
Xiao Huang understood perfectly. He stepped forward into the centre of the hall, demonic qi surging around him. In an instant he enveloped the group of children, then opened his mouth and inhaled sharply.
In the blink of an eye, every child had been sucked into his storage pouch.
Throughout the entire process, the Heishi Demon King watched coldly from the side. Only after all the women had also been taken did Mo Fan rise to his feet, cup his hands towards the Heishi Demon King, and say, “Brother Heishi, this king still has urgent matters to attend to and will not disturb you further. Farewell!”
With that, paying no heed to whether Heishi agreed or not, a dazzling light suddenly burst from the spot between Mo Fan’s brows. The next instant, he swept Xiao Huang up with him and transformed into a colossal blazing sun that shot into the sky!
