Ho Chen rushed back into the room. He found Yue Qi already sitting up. Her beautiful face looked much fresher now, with no sign that she had just been poisoned.“Why do you look so tense?” Yue Qi asked.“That damned physician tried to poison you. He thought Duke Li Hong was the one staying in this room,” Ho Chen replied angrily.“So I was actually poisoned? I was asleep, so I had no idea if…”“I miscalculated,” Ho Chen cut in. “I assumed the poison he used would be the same as the one he tried on Duke Li Hong, but it turns out this one was much stronger.”“Then what now? What should we do?” Yue Qi asked anxiously.“Are you sure you’re alright now?” Ho Chen asked in return.“Mhm.” Yue Qi nodded.“Stay here and watch over the Duke. Uncle Zong Rui and I will go to the palace to capture that damned physician ourselves!”Yue Qi pouted, and that made Ho Chen chuckle.“Hahaha…! I didn’t mean to leave you out, but I need someone with connections inside the palace. If you come with us, then wh

Once there was nothing more to worry about in the room, Ho Chen invited Zong Rui to leave. Their main goal now was to heal Princess Zhen Ni and either kill or capture the Rebellious Demon that had possessed her, and then report it to King Qiang Zu.Their hope was that everything could be resolved quickly—so that he and Yue Qi could continue their journey.“What’s our next plan?” asked Zong Rui.“I’ll try to heal Princess Zhen Ni. As for Duke Li Hong, he’ll certainly recover by tomorrow at the latest,” Ho Chen replied confidently. From the last time he channeled solar energy into Duke Li Hong’s body, the improvement had been significant. He planned to give the Duke another small burst of energy before they departed tomorrow, to ensure he regained consciousness quickly.“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until tomorrow after the Duke recovers? That way, you could rest tonight.”“Uncle, here’s the thing. I didn’t enter this contest for

Ho Chen dodged the swipe of the claw by leaping upward. But it turned out to be the wrong move—his body was thrown back once again when the tail of the Lizard Demon struck him squarely in the chest.Fortunately, he managed to stabilize himself in mid-air, preventing a collision with the nearby trees. Even so, a searing pain surged through his chest.He cursed under his breath. Every part of the demon’s body could strike suddenly without warning. Besides its tail, the creature’s long-snouted, sharp-toothed head also launched fierce attacks. That was what he had to be wary of now.“Come on, you ugly demon! Attack me!” he shouted from a distance.The Lizard Demon growled furiously. The opponent who had just taken a direct hit was still standing and even provoked him to strike again.“I’ll kill you, cursed human!” it roared before darting forward with another attack.The creature from the demon realm attacked Ho Chen using

Without hesitation, the Lizard Demon quickly dodged and ran off on all fours. Its movement was so fast that in less than two seconds, it had already distanced itself more than thirty meters. “Damn! My body is too big. I need to change my form!” it grumbled inwardly. The desire to change form wasn’t without reason. With no more chances left to heal itself, it had to anticipate the worst as early as possible. Its large body was a perfect target for its opponent’s staff. Seeing his opponent retreat, Ho Chen took the initiative to give chase. But when the distance between them narrowed to just ten meters, the young man halted his rapid steps. He saw thick black smoke billowing from the Lizard Demon’s body, enveloping it completely. The terrifying giant figure was no longer visible. Ho Chen’s eyes couldn’t penetrate the dense, darkening smoke. Then, only a few seconds later, a strange occurrence unfolded as the thick

Ho Chen gave a faint smile. He already knew that poison was spreading through his body, but he was still holding it back, preventing it from spreading further. “This poison is very strong. Please take me to an empty room and don’t let anyone in. Even the fumes could kill anyone who inhales them.” “Can you still walk?” Zong Rui asked. Ho Chen nodded. “I can still run if I have to,” he replied with a smile. Yue Qi tried to help him walk, but Ho Chen stopped her. “No! I can still walk on my own. The demon’s poison can enter through the pores. I’m afraid there may still be traces of it on my clothes, and if it touches you, it could get into your body.” “All right. But… am I not allowed to enter the room either?” Ho Chen shook his head. “For your own good, it’s better if you don’t. Once I’ve expelled all the poison, then you may come in.” Yue Qi looked deeply worried. H