The Little Demon Empress looked at the two men who had abruptly arrived in shock.
Duke Huai was someone she was accustomed to seeing at annual meetings, someone who always tried to antagonize her to remove the Yun family from their position as one of the Twelve Guardian Families of her Royal Family, so it was no surprise to learn that he would try to kill her in this situation. However, she never expected the person accompanying Duke Huai!
"Princess Caiyi, it's been one hundred and fifty years, how have you been? Oh, no, I suppose I should refer to you as… Little Demon Empress!"
… He was a person who had disappeared for one hundred and fifty years without a word!
"Duke… Ming!" The Little Demon Empress's chest heaved intensely. For this person to suddenly appear here today, alongside Duke Huai, she wouldn't foolishly believe he was here to take her back to the Royal Palace. In fact, no one should even know she was in the mountains…
"It's been one hundred and fifty years, but Your Highness still looks the same." Duke Ming spoke with a slight, gentle smile. If not for the terrifying airflow, anyone who saw that smile would feel it was a warm spring breeze: "What a pity. Although Your Highness possesses the purest Demon Emperor bloodline, even if you forcibly seal your vital Yin and maintain your body in a state of youthfulness, the sensation of the bloodline devouring your body must be unbearable. It must be difficult for you to endure this all these years. Although the Little Demon Emperor died early, there are many men within the Illusory Demon Realm. You could have found any of them to release your vital Yin and lived comfortably for the past hundred years. Hahahahahaha!"
Duke Ming and Duke Huai both laughed hysterically. Their insulting words shattered any hope within the Little Demon Empress as she continued to carefully stare at Duke Ming… Staring at this person her father used to trust and value; this person she herself used to greatly respect. In her heart, her anger was like a volcano erupting wildly.
He had come to end her life, an opportunity that would only appear once. But how the hell had both of them discovered her condition? Even if the Little Demon Empress had her suspicions, she had no time to reflect on them, as she was facing two formidable enemies with her cultivation sealed. Her eyes glanced at Ren Zu's back with concern, recalling his words about their relationship…
Ren Zu was undoubtedly as strong as she was, but she also clearly knew how terrifying Duke Ming's profound strength truly was… Before, he was the third strongest person in the entire Illusory Demon Realm, behind the Demon Emperor and the Demon King.
However, now that both the Demon Emperor and the Demon King had passed away, he had become the undisputed number one within the Illusory Demon Realm! In one hundred and fifty years, his strength had obviously grown tremendously. Under the effect of his profound energy, even at the Little Demon Empress's level, her body felt coldly frozen, and her chest felt a suffocating pressure.
While the Little Demon Empress had her own thoughts about the situation, Ren Zu moved in a way that completely hid her behind him. He raised his chin and stared at the two men fearlessly, spitting a stream of blood onto the ground before speaking in an indifferent, almost lazy tone:
"Hmph… interesting. Two dead men talking so loudly… and still daring to raise a hand against Caiyi."
His voice echoed through the valley like unexpected thunder.
The smile on Duke Huai's face froze for a moment before twisting into mockery. He laughed loudly, the sound harsh and arrogant, filling the air:
"Dead? Hahahaha! And who are you, insolent brat, to dare say such words before us? You were lucky to barely survive my earlier attack. If it had hit your heart, you'd already be a corpse…"
"… Well, isn't that obvious? When you hit someone's heart, they die; do you need to make this ridiculous show to say your attack was strong and all that? That's pretty hilarious. I wonder what people would say if they knew the renowned Duke Huai attacked a fragile woman by surprise and still boasted about his attack? Not to mention Duke Ming himself who accompanied him…"
Duke Huai gave a disdainful snort and was about to step forward to say something when his face suddenly froze… Because, when Ren Zu spoke just now, he had clearly mentioned… those two words, "Duke Ming"!!
What was going on… How could he know the name "Duke Ming"?! Even the people in the Demon Imperial City hadn't seen him for over a hundred years, and his existence had practically been forgotten? Who was this boy, really? They had received information that the Little Demon Empress had suffered an accident while cultivating and was living as a mortal in the Great Zhou Mountain alongside an unknown man. After verifying and being certain, they wanted to seize this opportunity and didn't investigate the boy thoroughly…
For a moment, astonishment crossed the Little Demon Empress's face.
"Oh?" Duke Ming's eyes instantly narrowed into two long slits, and the gaze from those slits rested unfailingly on Ren Zu's eyes: "Interesting, you actually recognized this Duke."
"Of course I would recognize you…" Ren Zu said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Facing this terrifying figure, whose strength dominated the Illusory Demon Realm and who could cover the sky with one hand, whose intellect and cunning were deep and unfathomable, he didn't seem the least bit nervous. Instead, he smiled cheerfully and replied: "Not only do I know you're Duke Ming, I also know that…"
"It was you who conspired with the Divine Sword Power Region a hundred years ago to kill the former Demon Emperor… and it was also you… who personally killed the Little Demon Emperor!!"
Ren Zu's words were, without a doubt, shocking and terrifying. The Little Demon Empress's entire body trembled dramatically, and she raised her head fiercely and suddenly; she seemed to slip into a daze for a moment… while Duke Huai didn't have time to hide the look of pure astonishment that appeared in his eyes. Even Duke Ming, who had been staring directly at Ren Zu the entire time, had a whirlwind in his eyes for a moment.
On the other hand, Ren Zu turned his gaze to the two men who had appeared exactly as he had planned during the week he spent by the Little Demon Empress's side. It was all a carefully staged act: he intended to eliminate both of them and, at the same time, win Caiyi's heart. Naturally, he had taken care not to leave any evidence that could expose him…
The man before his eyes was someone at the Tenth Level of the Sovereign Profound Realm! In this world where the Profound Gods were merely a mythological existence, the Tenth Level of the Sovereign Profound Realm was the pinnacle of all profound practitioners! Whether in the Profound Sky Continent or the Illusory Demon Realm, these beings were true monarchs who looked down on everything beneath the heavens and could not be surpassed! An existence that humans would call a God!
But he wasn't worried. After reaching the Heavenly Profound Realm and also achieving the Eight Inner Gates in physical terms, he was confident he could kill him with a single punch… As for the earlier injury? Well, he let it happen to test his body's regeneration and begin his "theatrical performance"…
Now he was truly looking like a villain, plotting so deeply just to achieve his goals… Why did that feel so good…?
"What… What did you say?!!" The Little Demon Empress's tone was deep and rigid, revealing an incredible violent confusion.
"Oh?" Duke Ming raised his eyes, looked at Ren Zu with some interest, and said, "This Duke doesn't seem to understand what you're saying very well."
"Hehe!" Ren Zu's face revealed disdain, and his eyes even showed obvious mockery and scorn: "It was just a guess, but you just confirmed it for me. Judging by the fact that you want to take advantage of Caiyi's situation to kill her, I can tell that you, Duke Ming, have the ambition to take over the world. From what I've heard about you, you have unmatched profound strength, a calculating mind that even ghosts and gods cannot predict, and a heart ten thousand times more wicked than snakes and scorpions… I originally thought you were a formidable person who couldn't be more qualified, but what a pity… seeing you today, it seems you're just a chicken who dares to act but not to confess. That really disappoints me."
"You're courting death?!" Duke Huai instantly became furious and abruptly extended his hand, wanting to grab toward Ren Zu. This was the first time in his entire life that he saw someone actually insult his own father.
However, Duke Ming extended his hand and stopped Duke Huai. Then he raised his head and laughed loudly, "Hahahahahaha! You're an intriguing young man…"
At the end of his words, he narrowed his eyes once again. The light coming from his narrow, long pupils was even more terrifying than that of a venomous snake: "However, there are very few things in this world that interest this Duke and very few things I want to know the answer to that are regrettable, so this Duke will grant you more time to live. Here, tell this Duke, what else do you know?"
The words Duke Ming said were not a question but rather an implicit confession. The Little Demon Empress's breathing was completely disordered, and her eyes shone with a horrifying hatred from the purgatory of hell.
Ren Zu scoffed softly and said unhurriedly: "Before, the Profound Sky Continent suddenly invaded the Illusory Demon Realm… it was because of you! You used some method to let the Four Great Sacred Grounds of the Profound Sky Continent know about the existence of the 'Samsara Mirror' of the Illusory Demon Realm, which was treasured as a sacred artifact by the Demon Emperor, and fabricated that the 'Samsara Mirror' had some divine powers, sparking their ambition and making the people of the Profound Sky Continent, with all their resources, invade the Illusory Demon Realm just to capture the Samsara Mirror… and the reason they were able to invade again and again and retreat unscathed was because you were their insider!"
He pointed at Duke Huai and said coldly: "And the reason you did what you did was to replace the Demon Emperor and become the ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm! The reason the former Demon Emperor would personally pursue to the Profound Sky Continent was absolutely not because of anger and recklessness… he must have fallen into your trap! The death of the Little Demon Emperor… it wasn't because he acted rashly after drinking too much and forcibly infiltrated the Profound Sky Continent, but… he died at your hands, Duke Ming!!"
"You'll deny these things?"
Almost every sentence Ren Zu said made Duke Huai's face change each time. Deep down, his eyes were filled with shock. He thought that the things he had said, in the entire world, were secrets that only they, father and son, knew, and it was absolutely impossible for a third person to know… even those people in the Profound Sky Continent didn't know the identity of their insider from that time.
Clap… clap… clap… clap…
"Hahahaha!" Duke Ming laughed coldly and clapped his hands, his eyes without any fluctuations, "Brilliant, you are truly brilliant. This Duke will generously admit; what you said is absolutely correct. The reason those Sacred Grounds of the Profound Sky Continent invaded the Illusory Demon Realm was because of this Duke. This Duke merely told them at that time that the Samsara Mirror of the Illusory Demon Realm, which was guarded by the Demon Emperor, contained a profound divine mystery. If they could break the secret of the Samsara Mirror, then they could break the limit of the Sovereign Profound Realm, step into the Divine Profound Realm, and become the legendary 'Profound God.'"
"Those people were even more greedy and foolish than this Duke expected. They not only believed it, but a year later, they could no longer wait and were preparing to step into the Illusory Demon Realm. This Duke naturally was happy to help them build the spatial tunnel and tell them what this Duke wanted them to know… Those people from the Profound Sky Continent truly didn't disappoint this Duke. They left the Demon Imperial City in complete chaos and made the death of the Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Emperor go even more perfectly than this Duke planned!"
Duke Ming laughed wildly.
"Hahahaha! What Profound Sky Sacred Grounds, they were just chess pieces that this Duke used and played with in the palm of my hand. As for that Demon Emperor and Little Demon Emperor, in the hands of this Duke, they were just two pitiful little insects. This Duke merely used a small trick and easily led the Demon Emperor to where the spatial tunnel was. Of course, no matter how foolish he was, he wouldn't recklessly chase into the spatial tunnel and commit suicide in the Profound Sky Continent's territory… it was this Duke's timely appearance that helped him. Princess Caiyi, your pitiful father was truly surprised when he saw this Duke's appearance. Even when this Duke approached to a distance of only two steps from him, he didn't have any guard up and was lightly kicked by this Duke into the spatial tunnel…"
Little Demon Empress, "!!!!"
"…"
"On the other side of the spatial tunnel, the 'Heavenly Power Soul Suppression Formation' was waiting for him. As soon as he entered the 'Heavenly Power Soul Suppression Formation,' even if he had the strongest profound strength, he wouldn't be able to use it." Duke Ming laughed lightly, his expression of vast arrogance as if everything in the world couldn't escape his control, "As for the Little Demon Emperor who had just ascended the throne, it was even easier. On the night of his grand wedding, he was just like you today; he generously gave this Duke an absolutely great opportunity. He truly went to commemorate the former Demon Emperor alone… But, this Duke didn't kill him. I merely crippled him and threw him into the spatial tunnel leading to the Profound Sky Continent. That way, there wouldn't be a trace of this Duke left behind. This Duke only randomly left some last words for him… The next day, the entire Illusory Demon Realm knew that the Little Demon Emperor, who had just ascended the throne, acted rashly after drinking too much on his wedding night with the Little Demon Empress and invaded the Profound Sky Continent alone… compared to the sorrow for the Little Demon Emperor's death, there must be even more people cursing his stupidity, hahahaha!"
"Duke… Ming!!!"
The Little Demon Empress was furious, her small body trembling incomparably violently.
Ren Zu, who was closest to her, could clearly feel that her anger, hatred, and murderous intent were exploding so strongly that they almost tore through space completely. He glanced sideways at the Little Demon Empress and found that her face was still pale as a sheet of white paper… and at the corner of her mouth, there was bright red blood slowly dripping.
She hadn't been injured when Duke Huai attacked them by surprise; that trace of blood… was from an internal injury caused by anger and hatred that was too intense.
Until today, she didn't know that the culprit for her father and brother's deaths wasn't the Profound Sky Continent, but Duke Ming right in front of her! He killed the two people closest to her, caused the extinction of the Demon Emperor Clan's bloodline, caused chaos in the Demon Imperial City, and even harmed the entire Illusory Demon Realm.
He could imagine how strong that hatred and murderous intent must be…
But even so, she was able to strictly maintain her rationality and didn't let go of everything under the influence of bone-piercing hatred to attack Duke Ming. Because not only was it impossible to kill Duke Ming, whose ability was terrifyingly incredible, especially with her cultivation sealed, but she and Ren Zu would only die even sooner… At this moment, in this second, she had to seize every breath of a chance to survive, so there would be a possibility of her taking revenge in the future!
Duke Ming shifted his eyes, then narrowed them and savored the Little Demon Empress's expression at this moment… Yes, 'savored.' That hatred that so strongly wished to burn their bones to ashes, that hatred that so strongly wished to tear him to pieces, made him savor and gave him pleasure, "Knowing the truth and still able to refrain from attacking this Duke, you are indeed Princess Caiyi. It was worth this Duke not seizing the perfect chance to kill you for these hundred years. You should thank this Duke graciously for letting you know who destroyed your clan before you die… Oh, by the way, do you know, back then, when the Little Demon Emperor clearly saw this Duke's face, how remarkable his expression was? Tsk-tsk, it was so remarkable that even now, when this Duke thinks about it, it gives me endless aftertaste."
"Duke… Ming…"
The Little Demon Empress's voice was so hoarse and deep that it didn't even sound like a human voice. The two short words were as cold as if they came from purgatory, but they couldn't compare to a ten-thousandth of the hatred in her heart.
Ren Zu looked at him and said lazily: "Duke Ming, your clan was able to be a royal clan; that was all because of the Demon Emperor Clan! Not only were you not grateful and failed to serve loyally, but you grew your own ambitions and were cruel to this extent! Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for your sins?!"
"Such childish words." Duke Ming laughed lightly, "The emperor of the world naturally must be someone with ability. From the moment this Duke was born, I was destined to be the one who rules the people under the heavens. The people who stand in this Duke's way, no matter who they are, this Duke will do anything to get rid of them. That so-called 'loyalty' and 'righteousness' are things that belong to ridiculous weaklings!"
"What you wanted this Duke to confess, this Duke has already confessed everything. Now, tell this Duke, about this Duke's information, how did you find out?" Duke Ming looked directly at Ren Zu, the gaze from his eyes like two sharp blades; it almost pierced through his heart and soul, as Duke Ming continued, "This Duke thought that no matter what I did, I wouldn't leave any trace. For the past century, the entire Illusory Demon Realm never had anyone suspect this Duke. How did you, little boy, find out about this? Could it be that this Duke made any mistakes along the way?"
"I calculated it with my fingers," Ren Zu said slowly.
While Duke Huai was puzzled by this response and the Little Demon Empress was too focused on the hatred in her heart, Duke Ming was obviously not satisfied with this answer, but he didn't continue to ask; instead, he sneered, and his eyes, which already revealed a dangerous light, immediately became even colder: "A guess, huh…? This Duke will believe your answer for now. Next, how will you save Princess Caiyi's life and your own in front of this Duke? Hmm? I'm curious to know how you'll do that… You said you wouldn't let anything happen to her, right?"
"So, the Duke believes he is capable of killing both of us? I don't see any danger in facing a mere Tenth Level Sovereign Profound Realm. It's not enough to reach the apex…" Ren Zu said calmly.
"You!" Before Duke Huai could rebuke the boy, his father clapped his hands again.
Clap… Clap… Clap…
"Hahahahaha… Not enough to reach the apex? This is the first time this Duke has met someone so arrogant, even more arrogant than this Duke! So this Duke is curious; why do you think you could escape from the palm of this Duke's hand?" Duke Ming asked with a smile. His calm but dangerous expression was as if he were telling Ren Zu that although he had some great tricks, it was absolutely impossible for him to escape from him.
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