Chapter 28: Provocation—Never Back Down

By the time Li An regained his composure,

the Origin Energy Shuttle had already descended at Border Zone 67.

Tianshui City, a frontier settlement, lay just 800 kilometers away.

Before disembarking,

Li An spotted Old Zhu trading barbs with the demon forces.

A demon commander stood at the border, roaring:

“Send out GHOSTFACE to face our young master!”

“Or we’ll trample your pathetic Great Wall today!”

On the ramparts, Old Zhu sneered:

“Fight or shut your trap!”

Xido stepped forward, voice dripping with mockery:

“Today’s your ‘Coming-of-Age Festival,’ yes? Wouldn’t want orphans crying on such a joyous occasion.”

“Hand over Ghostface.”

“A duel to the death—spares your weaklings from slaughter.”

Old Zhu spat:

“Screw your flip-flopping demands! This is the HUMAN REALM’S WALL, not your demon brothel!”

“I’ve held this line for a decade—heard your ‘we’ll breach it tomorrow’ crap a thousand times!”

“All bark, no bite. Typical demon trash!”

“BRING IT!”

He bellowed: “ALL UNITS—BATTLE FORMATIONS! NOW!”

Such was border provocation—raw, crude, a contest of sheer audacity.

To any observer, Xido’s tantrum stemmed from his prior humiliation by Ghostface. Yet instead of honesty, he’d cloaked his vendetta in taunts.

Old Zhu, limping along the parapet, hurled vulgarities with veteran relish.

Across the field,

demon soldiers shifted uneasily. They’d been promised a symbolic show of force—not actual war. Now, their prince’s ego risked their lives.

Xido, sensing their resentment, barked louder:

“SEND OUT GHOSTFACE!”

His voice boomed, yet carried a brittle edge.

Old Zhu relented—no one wanted corpses piling up on a festival day.

“Ghostface is en route.”

“Pray he doesn’t snap your neck too quickly.”

Xido scoffed:

“I’ve studied his ‘talent’—a joke! Beg your gods he survives!”

On the Wall

Li An reviewed Xido’s dossier:

Name: Xido

Race: Polycerebral Demon

Talent: Five Fiend Generals (SSS+)

Cultivation: Mid-Fourth Realm (Mental/Physical), Elemental Realm unclear

Combat Style: …

Strategy flowed through Li An’s veins—effortless as breathing.

Behind him, students from Daoshi High gathered.

Why bring children to a warzone? Li An frowned—until he spotted Meng Chen sheepishly hovering near the command center.

Frost Snow tugged his sleeve.

“It’s fine,” Li An reassured. “Meng Chen’s ambitious, not malicious.”

She nodded, drifting toward the ramparts. Her fingers traced ancient stone stained with blood and time.

Alone, she opened a small notebook, its pages filled with crooked script:

Li An. Good.

Want to live.

Fistplay fun.

Warmth nice.

Spicy yummy.

Wall smells like iron (blood?).

Wind here… big.

Students gawked as she passed—a blue-robed vision, trailed by discreet guards.

“Holy stars—is that a goddess?!”

Lin Zhou froze. He’d seen her at Li An’s home. Then realization struck—

“They’re here for Ghostface!” a classmate whispered excitedly. “Xido wants to kill him for his Infinite-Grade essence!”

Ghostface.

The name punched Lin Zhou’s gut.

Two years prior, a fugitive had nearly gutted him—until a black-cloaked figure intervened.

Ghostface.

Lin Zhou had idolized that shadow ever since—the epitome of heroic mystique.

Now, the truth carved his soul:

Li An IS Ghostface.