Chapter Sixty-Five: The Renowned Immortal-Binding Rope

After transforming back into human form and putting on his clothes, Zhou Tian planted his foot on the back of the demon and cursed, “Didn’t expect to end up in my hands, did you? Since you dared to ambush me, let’s see how I deal with you.” With a smoldering anger barely contained, Zhou Tian vented his frustration by ruthlessly stomping on the demon’s back, eliciting cries of pain with every blow.

“That’s enough, Captain, he’s about to be stomped to death.” Though Vivian herself wanted nothing more than to rough up the demon, she was far more rational than Zhou Tian. Seeing the demon beneath his foot beginning to falter, she immediately pleaded for mercy.

After a few more vengeful kicks, Zhou Tian finally let the demon off.

“Speak! Where are your companions hiding? If you confess honestly, I’ll grant you a swift end.” Casting a cold glance at the demon, Zhou Tian began interrogating him, his gaze icy and intimidating.

“You’ll never get any intel from me. I’d rather die than betray my companions.”

With a sharp slap, Zhou Tian sent the demon flying, unfazed by his defiance. He spat another string of curses before striding over to him again.

“I’m not someone known for mercy, and you’re just a wretched demon. I advise you to speak up, or I can’t guarantee you’ll leave here with all your limbs attached.” With that, Zhou Tian gave a powerful kick and flipped the demon over onto his back.

But just as Zhou Tian rolled the demon over, the demon, whose hands were bound by Zhou Tian’s rope, seized the fleeting opportunity to grab Zhou Tian’s ankle. Before Zhou Tian could react, the demon sneered, “You were careless… Explode! Explode! Expl— What’s going on?”

Given the demon’s ability, he should have been able to detonate Zhou Tian’s leg with a mere touch. Yet, after several failed commands, Zhou Tian remained entirely unharmed.

Zhou Tian gazed at the demon with mocking amusement, secretly wiping the cold sweat from his brow. He was well aware of the demon’s power—anything the demon touched could be detonated. Normally, unless he intended to take himself out as well, the demon would never use his ability in close proximity. Zhou Tian, while cautious, simply hadn’t expected the demon to have the courage for a suicide attack, and so had not taken every possible precaution.

In truth, the demon’s attempt had nearly succeeded—if not for an unexpected factor, the situation might have ended very differently.

“A famous brand is a famous brand. This Binding Immortal Rope was worth every bit of the two million spirit energy I paid.” Glancing at the rope that held the demon fast, Zhou Tian couldn’t help but feel grateful for his earlier decision.

After suffering a setback in his last clash with the demon’s explosive power, Zhou Tian had quietly pondered how to subdue him. Killing the demon would have been easy—given the element of surprise, he was eighty percent confident even his Serpent Pit could have finished the job. But this mission required information, and after discussing it with Vivian and the others, they had agreed that capturing the demon alive was the best course. This, of course, made things infinitely more difficult.

The demon’s ability was absurdly formidable—anything he touched could be detonated. If Zhou Tian tried to restrain him with ordinary means, the demon could easily break free. Killing him was easy, but capturing him alive would require something special.

It was under these circumstances that Zhou Tian turned to the System Store. Though the store offered many treasures, those suited for subduing enemies were few and far between—perhaps a dozen in total. After much deliberation, Zhou Tian decided to spend both the spirit energy he’d received from the Pope’s demon core and nearly all his savings to purchase a ‘famous brand’ magical item from the store.

“Binding Immortal Rope (Innate Treasure), price: two million spirit energy. (Ability: Binds gods, restrains immortals.)”

The price of the Binding Immortal Rope had pained Zhou Tian deeply, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Whatever the cost, the rope’s current performance had more than justified his expenditure.

Realizing his power had been neutralized, the demon finally quieted down. But though he ceased his tricks, he remained stubbornly silent in the face of Zhou Tian’s questioning, causing Zhou Tian’s already short temper to flare, resulting in frequent blows.

Zhou Tian, however, had little talent for interrogation. He couldn’t bring himself to employ the cruel punishments of Earth’s grim history, and ordinary methods yielded no results. After exhausting threats and violence to no avail, Zhou Tian reluctantly turned to the System for help.

The System, true to form, was as reliable as ever: as long as he had enough spirit energy, nothing was out of reach. In no time, Zhou Tian had found over a hundred products to loosen the demon’s tongue. In the end, with his funds running low, he settled for a potion with some lingering side effects.

“Heart-Seeking Water, price: three hundred spirit energy. (Effect: The drinker loses consciousness for a short period and answers any and all questions asked. Note: Those with strong mental defenses may resist.)”

Under the demon’s anxious gaze, Zhou Tian force-fed him the Heart-Seeking Water.

True to the System’s reputation, the potion worked flawlessly—the demon soon lost consciousness, lying motionless on the ground, eyes open and vacant. Had he not still been awake, Zhou Tian might have thought he was asleep.

“What is your name?”

“Dogzi.”

“Your real name?”

“Dogzi.”

Zhou Tian stared curiously at the demon. The potion should have taken effect, and even if the demon were faking, he wouldn’t have given such an absurd answer. That meant the demon’s real name was, indeed, Dogzi.

Exchanging bewildered glances with Vivian and the others, everyone found it hard to believe—a demon with such a formidable power, named Dogzi. It was the most ridiculous truth Zhou Tian had heard in some time.

Curious, Zhou Tian pressed further, “Why are you called that?”

“I don’t know.” The demon’s expression shifted slightly before he replied, “That’s just what everyone has called me since I was a child.”

“You’re an orphan?”

“Yes.”

“So how did you become a demon?”

“Demon?” Dogzi looked puzzled and shook his head in confusion.

“You don’t know that you’ve become a demon?”

“No.”

Surprised, Zhou Tian and Vivian exchanged glances. Vivian was quicker to speak, “Then how did you acquire your explosive ability?”

“Three months ago, while begging, I found a pouch containing a beautiful bead. I thought it was a gem and tried to sell it. The shopkeeper told me it was a fake, and after realizing I was a beggar, accused me of trying to swindle him. He and a few others forced the bead down my throat. I don’t know what happened next, but after swallowing the bead, I gained this ability.”

“A magic pearl, just as I thought.”

Hearing Vivian utter a term unfamiliar to him, while the others nodded knowingly, Zhou Tian shot her a questioning look.

Vivian returned him a “I’ll explain later” glance, then continued questioning the demon.