As the fastest-rising newcomer to break into the top 100 of the International Demon League’s expert rankings, it was only natural for William White to be sent out to retrieve the item lost by the International Demon League.

Although William White was young, his arrogant and domineering behavior was as notorious as his international ranking. He was used to being proud and conceited, and although he knew nothing about Brian Lee, he showed none of the caution one should have when facing an opponent.

“Little brat? I’m already seven hundred and eighty-five years old this year—how could I be younger than you?” Brian Lee retorted coldly, instantly infuriating William White.

“Summon the surging waves—Crystal Trident!”

William White rode the waves, stretched out his hand, and a brilliant light suddenly burst from the seabed, shooting up a crystal trident like a rocket. Holding the trident across his chest, William White lazily declared, “I was just going to deal with you and be done, but your attitude really displeases me. Today, I’m going to…”

William White slammed the trident down, and towering waves surged behind him, his aura rising ever higher.

Striking such a satisfying pose, William White continued, “...beat you until your soul is scattered, turn you into a specimen, and soak you in formalin as a display.”

“Heaven and earth’s mysterious net, ice silk soul search—go!”

Brian Lee, by nature cold and indifferent, had long since lost patience with William White’s theatrics. He struck first.

Chapter Five: The Girl Next Door

Brian Lee’s innate attribute was that of an extremely cold and sinister being. The ice silk he exhaled after mastering his cultivation could even capture the essence and souls of others. Combined with the cultivation technique Brian Lee had developed himself, he could refine the absorbed essence to replenish his own vitality.

Although William White’s power had grown rapidly, there was still a vast gap in years of cultivation between the two. As soon as Brian Lee unleashed his soul-searching ice silk, William White was like a little fish caught in a net, unable to struggle free.

The icy chill coursed through his body, and William White’s protective demon aura was quickly breached.

“Damn it! What kind of demon is this guy? How come I’ve never heard of him? I really got the short end of the stick this time…” Feeling his demon aura rapidly draining away, William White regretted his recklessness, but he wasn’t entirely helpless. Although Brian Lee’s ice spider silk was formidable, the fact that William White could stand out among the hundreds of thousands of members in the International Demon League—and even surpass many great demons with far more years of cultivation—meant he had his own unique skills.

“If I keep fighting, I have at most a thirty percent chance of winning. The risk of death is too high. Better retreat for now—once I gather my brothers, I’ll come back to settle the score.”

William White’s mind worked quickly, and he immediately realized that brute force would do him no good. “Crystal Trident, explode for me!”

The crystal trident he had been gripping was exquisitely clear and completely transparent, modeled after the weapons in Hong Kong and Taiwanese strongman comics, which William White had always loved. Most importantly, the great god Poseidon, who ruled the seas in Greek mythology, wielded just such a weapon. William White always felt that holding this crystal trident made him look much more imposing; its actual power was secondary.

“Facing disaster today, I can only rely on you. Baby, transform!”

The crystal trident was condensed by William White from water of extremely high purity. Modern scientific theory shows that the surface tension of pure water is hundreds of times that of steel. However, due to water’s solubility, high-purity water does not exist in nature, and technology has no way to use it to manufacture objects.

But William White was a demon—what science couldn’t do, magic just might. This crystal trident was made of high-purity water.

Just as Brian Lee was about to tighten his ice silk, he suddenly found that William White had transformed the crystal trident in his hand into a curtain of water, forcibly propping up his spiderweb. Before he could increase his strength, William White shouted, and the water curtain formed from the crystal trident underwent a dramatic change—a massive explosive force suddenly erupted. Even Brian Lee couldn’t withstand such a violent shock and hurriedly retreated, dodging the blast.

“Water molecules are made of hydrogen and oxygen—once separated, they become the most powerful explosive material. Old demon, in your next life, you should study some modern chemistry!”

As the largest animal in the ocean, William White had unique expertise in diving. After blasting apart Brian Lee’s soul-searching ice silk, he escaped through the water, vanishing without a trace.

Standing on the sea’s surface, Brian Lee couldn’t help but laugh and cry at William White’s endless tricks. Clearly, this kid had some way of concealing his demon aura, making it impossible to track him down.

“Forget it. Someone else will probably take over these troubles soon enough.”

Letting go of the bloodthirsty state brought on by the recent battle, Brian Lee gave a wry smile. “Looks like after all these years of cultivation, I still can’t escape my own nature—my state of mind just isn’t there yet!”

A faint mist of ice faded from solid to ethereal, and Brian Lee vanished from the spot.

Lincoln Faulkner stood in the room, drenched in sweat. After his parents returned and saw the devastation in the house, they immediately called the police. The household appliances damaged by Huo Qi before leaving had even started a small fire. Basically, there was nothing left in Lincoln Faulkner’s home.

Lincoln Faulkner’s father, however, was straightforward. After tidying up a bit, he grabbed a newspaper to look for rental listings. A few phone calls later, he took his wife and son to rent a place for the night, planning to settle in for now.