Having seen John Sullivan's lofty demeanor and mocking expression so many times before, now, to witness this face uncontrollably tinged with a faint blush, eyes darting away, and with John Sullivan's upper body bare—aside from a few thin yet unbreakable Immortal-Binding Ropes leaving red marks, only long, jet-black hair cascading down, half-concealing, half-revealing—Charles Clark's heart was filled with an indescribable tangle of emotions.

If John Sullivan were to find a metaphor for this feeling, it would be like a man watching a certain kind of movie, only to discover that the main character is the English teacher who calls on him to answer questions every day in class, and if he can't answer, smacks his palm three hundred times. What a complicated mood!

John Sullivan suddenly flashed a toothy smile.

Die'er asked warily, "What are you smiling at?"

John Sullivan drawled, "I'm laughing at you, missing the pearl while buying the box. There are three people here, yet the one most suitable for you to use as a skin, you haven't noticed at all."

Charles Clark's expression changed at these words.

He never would have imagined that, for no reason at all, he would be dragged into this mess!

John Sullivan wasn't just talking nonsense. Who is Charles Clark? His true identity is the descendant of an ancient heavenly demon, the future young master of the demon realm, with impeccable bloodline. For an ordinary demon, if they could obtain his skin, not only could they repair their damaged demon body, but they might even be able to dominate the world.

Die'er looked Charles Clark up and down. The latter forced himself to appear calm, but inside he was completely at a loss. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't understand why the focus had suddenly shifted to him.

Die'er said, "Even if you want to trick me, at least make up a believable lie. This kid may have good looks and fine bones, and is quite fresh, but how could he compare to you, someone at the mid-stage Golden Core level?"

John Sullivan tilted his head and smiled, "With judgment like yours, no wonder your cultivation is going nowhere. Think about it, who am I, John Sullivan? If this child were only good-looking and nothing else, why would I take him as my disciple? If I wanted disciples with good bones, there are plenty of talented ones among those who crowd to join Cangqiong Mountain Sect every year—wouldn't I have my pick? The real secrets and mysteries, of course, can't be told to outsiders."

Die'er immediately wavered. Excellent, this villain really does have a low IQ—this hastily concocted, full-of-holes excuse, and yet he was half-convinced!

John Sullivan pressed the advantage: "If you doubt me, that's easy to resolve. I'll tell you a way to prove my words. Go over there and strike the crown of his head with your palm, and you'll know whether I'm lying."

Charles Clark's face turned deathly pale on the spot.

No matter how precocious he was, he was still just a child. Even adults rarely remain unshaken in the face of death, let alone a fourteen-year-old.

John Sullivan tried hard not to look at him, silently apologizing over and over—I'll make it up to you in the future!

Grace Hill was terrified: "M-Master, y-you're not serious, are you?"

John Sullivan's heart was taut as a bowstring; he had no time to comfort her, only smiling at Die'er: "Whether it's true or not, you'll know with a try. It's just a slap on a young boy's head—even if I'm lying, you lose nothing, right? Or are you afraid that I'm telling the truth, so you don't dare to strike?"

To those who didn't know the truth, this was undoubtedly pushing Charles Clark to his death.

Charles Clark was utterly incredulous. He thought, could it be that John Sullivan hates him this much?

He couldn't help but struggle violently, the ropes binding him tightening, pulling Grace Hill so painfully she didn't even dare to breathe.

John Sullivan's words and tone were highly suggestive. Die'er thought it over—indeed, that's the case. Having killed so many people, could it really be afraid of a single slap?

It snorted, "I want to see what trick you're playing." With that, it strode toward Charles Clark, raising its hand to strike!

Author's note:

☆、A slap and a sweet date (revised)

There was only a split-second chance! John Sullivan's pupils contracted sharply!

Just as that palm was about to fall, as if guided by fate, a roof beam snapped...

If John Sullivan were still a reader of "The Arrogant Immortal-Demon Path" and saw this, he would definitely throw his phone and curse at the melodrama.

The system had already made it clear: the ironclad rule that never breaks is that the protagonist cannot die. In other words, as soon as the protagonist's life is threatened, a death flag is triggered!

John Sullivan deliberately incited Die'er to attack Charles Clark precisely to use this rule, to kill by proxy. Although it was rather unscrupulous, Charles Clark would not actually be in danger, and if he didn't do this, John Sullivan himself might not make it out alive. And by setting up Charles Clark here, looking at the long term, there would be chances to regain favor later.

But.

What do you take the readers' intelligence for, you "flying to the sky" hack! How could a perfectly beautiful, brand-new house suddenly have a roof beam collapse!

Even if you want the protagonist to escape death, this is way too forced—bad review!

That nearly brand-new roof beam, without missing a beat, crashed down right on Die'er, flattening it to the ground so it couldn't get up. It also knocked askew the pillar binding Charles Clark and Grace Hill.