Punish the Heavens and Punish the Gods - Chapter 12
The demon cricket never managed to bite Li Wei’s cricket’s neck.
Just as its fangs were less than two fingers away from the target, Li Wei’s cricket—seemingly frozen with fear—suddenly moved. In a flash, it darted forward like lightning.
It leapt up and twisted beneath the demon cricket, brushing so close that the two nearly collided. The deadly bite missed by an inch.
That alone wouldn’t have shocked everyone so much—what stunned the crowd was what came next.
As the two crickets crossed paths, Li Wei’s black cricket struck back. Its sharp claws raked across the demon cricket’s soft, unprotected belly, slicing a deep wound.
The demon cricket let out a shrill cry and crashed into the side of the cage. Its body convulsed violently; part of its internal organs spilled from the gash.
In an instant, the entire battle flipped. The once-dominant demon cricket was now gravely wounded and reeling.
“Despicable! That was a sneak attack! Shameless!” Yu Deshui bellowed, his fat body trembling with fury.
Li Wei only smirked. “A sneak attack? Show me the rulebook where it says that’s not allowed. Don’t whine just because you’re losing, Fat Fish. Be a man—own your failure. Or better yet, check your pants—see if you’ve still got a pair.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Then Li Wei turned to Young Master Liu. “Well? Do you want to keep going? Demon breeds are rare. If you stop now, maybe you can still save it. Keep pushing, and it’ll die for sure.”
Young Master Liu’s face turned pale, but his pride refused to bend. “Young Master Li, don’t celebrate too soon. A wounded beast is the most dangerous. The fight’s not over yet.”
Li Wei’s grin faded, his tone turning cold. “Then let’s finish it.”
He had urged Liu to surrender not out of fear, but because he didn’t want his own cricket injured by a dying monster’s last attack. Now that the decision was made, he was ready to end it decisively.
Under Li Wei’s silent command, the black cricket approached the demon cricket but stopped about a foot away. It began flapping its wings and twitching its antennae—taunting it.
Li Wei couldn’t understand cricket language, but through their link, he could feel its emotion. It was mocking, provoking, and humiliating the demon cricket on purpose.
That was exactly Li Wei’s plan.
If the demon cricket took the bait and moved, its wound would worsen. The more it struggled, the faster it would bleed out. All he had to do was wait.
Young Master Liu and the others clenched their jaws, their faces tight. They saw what Li Wei was doing, but they were powerless to stop it. Unlike him, they had no bond with their cricket—no way to command or restrain it.
Provoked beyond endurance, the wounded demon cricket let out a guttural screech. Black mist poured from its body—pure demonic energy.
To everyone’s surprise, the gash in its abdomen began to close. The more energy it released, the darker and blurrier its body became.
As expected of a creature with monster bl00d—it refused to die quietly.
Driven into a corner, it was burning its own life force, pushing past its limits to heal and unleash one last, devastating attack.
Li Wei’s heart tightened. He immediately strengthened his connection with the black cricket, sending rapid mental commands and focusing all his spiritual power on control.
This move was suicide. The demon cricket was already mortally wounded. After this final strike, it would die for sure—but that one strike could still destroy his cricket.
If that happened, everything Li Wei had built so far would crumble in an instant.
And just as he braced for the attack, he noticed something else.
The hunchbacked old man standing behind Young Master Liu had moved. One hand had slipped from his sleeve—his fingertips glowing red, dripping bl00d—and he was pointing directly at Li Wei’s cricket.
Cold sweat beaded on Li Wei’s forehead.
Damn it… not just the demon cricket—he’s going to interfere too.
He thought quickly. There wasn’t time to counter both threats. He decided to trust his instincts and focus on the greater danger: the demon cricket. The old man’s interference would have to be dealt with by the hidden experts protecting him.
The next instant, the demon cricket exploded into motion. Its body, shrouded in demonic energy, shot forward like a bolt of black lightning.
BOOM!
It slammed into the iron cage, the impact so powerful that the metal mesh bulged outward and the whole cage skidded several feet across the floor.
The demon cricket’s body was now jammed in the bars.
Young Master Liu and the others immediately scanned the cage, searching for Li Wei’s cricket. They found it lying on its back in the corner, motionless.
A sigh of relief went through the group.
If both crickets died, the match would be considered a draw. That meant they wouldn’t lose much.
But their relief lasted only a heartbeat.
A sharp, triumphant chirp echoed through the cage.
Li Wei’s black cricket flipped itself upright, its wings fluttering proudly. Its antennae stood tall as it raised its head and cried again—like a victorious general announcing triumph.
The crowd fell silent.
Then came the final blow—this time to their hearts.
The demon cricket twitched once, then again. Cracks began to spread across its exoskeleton, glowing faintly with red-black light. In the next moment, it shattered—its body breaking apart into fragments, destroyed by its own demonic energy.
“No… no, this can’t be…” Young Master Liu’s face turned ghostly white. He trembled like a leaf in the wind.
“This isn’t real! This isn’t real!” he suddenly screamed. “Grab the silver notes! Now! Take them back—hurry!”
The hunchbacked old man hesitated, then darted toward the table stacked with silver bills.
“Evil Eye, stop!”
The shout came before he could reach it—and suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him out of thin air, blocking his path.
No one had seen where the man came from. It was as if he had materialized out of the air itself.
Everyone stared in shock—none more than Li Wei.
It was Old Wei.
The frail, stooped old servant who had always followed him around, the man he’d barely paid attention to.
“Old Wei?” Li Wei blurted out in disbelief.
The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth. “Young master, what a fine harvest you’ve made,” he said cheerfully, glancing at the piles of silver.
Before Li Wei could speak again, his expression suddenly changed. “Watch out!” he shouted.
The hunchbacked old man took advantage of the distraction, thrusting his bloodstained finger toward Old Wei’s head.
But Old Wei didn’t even flinch.
“Thanks for the warning, young master,” he said calmly. “But that fool’s too slow.”
The hunchbacked man froze mid-strike. His hand stopped two inches from Old Wei’s skull—completely still, like a statue.
No one had seen what Old Wei did. One moment he was smiling; the next, the attacker was paralyzed.
Old Wei chuckled, his tone easy. “Thanks to you, young master, I finally get to stretch my old bones. Catching this ‘Evil Eye’ will earn me enough money to drink ten-year-old wine for a while. Much appreciated.”
Li Wei blinked. “Uh… you’re welcome?”
Just as he was trying to process what had happened, the hunchbacked old man’s eyes flared with a strange red light—like twin blades shooting forward, aiming straight for Li Wei’s face.
Damn!
Li Wei cursed. He hadn’t expected the man to still be alive—let alone able to attack. It was too late to dodge.
Then, something deep within him stirred—the Tao rune in his mind flared to life. Energy surged from his eyes, meeting the red beams head-on.
For a heartbeat, the two forces collided.
Then, horror bloomed in the old man’s gaze. His pupils dilated in terror—as if he had seen something unspeakable.
A split second later, his head exploded like an overinflated balloon, bursting into a cloud of bl00d and flesh.