“Brother Yuan, will you allow me to stay by your side?” Seeing Shen Changyuan seemed slightly moved by her words, hope arose in Xia Qinxin’s heart. As she looked up with tearful eyes, Shen Changyuan finally spoke, his tone was indifferent: “Leave, or die. Choose one.”
“…” Xia Qinxin’s body shook heavily, and she almost collapsed in shock.
With a wave of his hand, Shen Changyuan signaled the armed guards to approach, “I do not wish to see her in the palace again. If she is still here after half an hour, you are the one I will hold accountable.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The guards harshly seized Xia Qinxin and quickly dragged her away. With the emperor’s direct order, the guards dared not disobey, knowing the severe consequences if they failed to execute this task.
“Brother Yuan…!!!” Xia Qinxin looked back in panic. But when she met Shen Changyuan’s cold gaze, she didn’t dare to call out again. Brother Yuan wasn’t joking; he was serious. Xia Qinxin feared that if she persisted, he truly might kill her. She did not dare to speak anymore and followed the guards away with a sorrowful look on her face.
The world is so vast, but where would she belong now?
Brother Yuan, are you really so heartless?
Brother Yuan had changed; he was now someone she no longer recognized. He used to be so kind to her… her Brother Yuan wouldn’t treat her this way…
With the annoying thing finally gone, Shen Changyuan’s mood remained unaffected. He continued to read Yaoyao’s letters. No matter how many times he read her letters, his longing for her never abated and only increased.
Shen Changyuan pondered. Now that the situation had stabilized, the hidden dangers within the Demon Realm were of little concern to him, and he didn’t need to stay seated here any longer. Perhaps it was time to take a trip to the Cultivation Realm and finally see Yaoyao again.
He had never told her he had become the Demon Emperor, thinking it would be best to tell her in person.
…
In a city on the border of the Cultivation Realm, dozens of houses sprawled in an orderly manner across the southern district, interconnected by streets and alleys bustling with people. This area, inhabited by mortals, was lively and vibrant. A middle-aged man with an inconspicuous appearance made his way through the crowd, blending perfectly with the bustling pedestrians. Without gathering any attention, he soon turned into a cobblestone alley and continued for a while until he finally stopped in front of a nondescript wooden door.
He knocked on the door, waited for a while, and then pushed the door open and entered. The man walked through the courtyard and made his way through the corridors, turning around the corner several times, until he reached a room. Dusting off his clothes, he straightened up and respectfully announced himself, “Hong’er, requesting an audience with the master.”
Silence ensued from within the room. Hong’er waited respectfully until the door opened, revealing a towering, muscular man with a commanding presence. Just a glance was enough to identify the man as a powerful cultivator of high caliber.
“Come in.” The deep, slightly raspy voice made Hong’er’s ears ring and his back sweat, but he tried his best to maintain composure and followed the man inside. As he walked in, the room was much larger than it appeared from outside, revealing a vast space.
Following the man for a while, Hong’er detected the scent of spiritual herbs and instinctively looked up to see a shirtless man sitting with his back to him. A gruesome, still bleeding wound stretched from his right shoulder to his left waist, deep enough to expose the bones. A woman stood beside him, carefully applying medicine.
Hong’er quickly averted his gaze and bowed his head. “Master, Hong’er is here to deliver his report.”
The man called ‘Master’ did not say a word, keeping the room in total silence. The only sound was the woman’s gentle movements as she continued applying the medicine. Hong’er stood still, lowering his back even more and barely breathing, until the woman softly announced, “Master, it’s done.”
Clothing rustled as Yin Ao put on his dresses. He was draped in a loose black robe with the front casually open, revealing white bandages covering his chest and abdomen. The heavy injuries caused his handsome face to look pale, and there was a sinister atmosphere on his person. His gaze was expressionless as he looked at the incoming person.
At that moment, Hong’er shuddered all over, feeling like prey under the gaze of a dangerous predator. Nearly losing his balance from fear, he quickly regained his composure, showing even more respect, “Greetings to master.”
Yin Ao took the spiritual tea offered by the woman, “Any news?”
“Replying to master, there’s been no activity at the border, and no demons have crossed.”
The woman smiled coyly, “It seems Yin Changyuan hasn’t discovered master’s presence here. You can rest easy.”
Without a warning, Yin Ao suddenly smashed the teacup to the ground.
The woman’s smile froze as she kneeled in trepidation.
Hong’er and the man who opened the door also knelt down in fear.
“How can I rest assured? Am I to live like a bereaved dog, hiding and skulking for the rest of my life?” Anger surged within Yin Ao. He was just one step away, just that one step, and his years of planning were ruined in an instant. Yin Changyuan! Yin Changyuan! Yin Ao’s eyes reddened with hatred.
He had plotted for two hundred years, meticulously planning step by step, and was on the verge of seizing control of the Demon Realm. His father was about to ascend to the throne of the Demon Emperor, and he would continue to expand his power from the shadows. Everything was within reach, but Shen Changyuan returned from the dead!
His plans in the Demon Realm were completely destroyed, and he suffered significant losses. How could he rest assured?
“Master, please calm your anger!”
The woman bravely spoke out, “Master, please. Your injuries should not be agitated by strong emotions.”
The mention of his injuries only fueled Yin Ao’s fury. He didn’t know what kind of weapon Yin Changyuan used; no matter how many spiritual pills he consumed, his wounds refused to heal and could only slowly recover with topical medicines. Yin Changyuan had caused him such a great fall, and he would not let this go! Absolutely not!
“We should properly ‘welcome’ my dear brother.” Yin Ao’s laugh was filled with murderous intent. Yin Changyuan had given him such a spectacular ‘gift’, and as a younger brother, it was a courtesy to return the favor accordingly.
The three people kneeling before him bowed even lower.
“Hong’er.”
“At your command.”
“Go to the Demon Realm for me…” Yin Ao issued his command indifferently.
After Hong’er took his leave, the woman also exited the room, leaving Yin Ao with the tall, sturdy man. Yin Ao’s mood eventually calmed down, and after a moment, the man respectfully asked, “Master, shall we continue with the plan as intended?”
Yin Ao picked up a teacup from a small table to his right, filled with tea that emanated spiritual aura. He sipped leisurely before setting it down. “The plan remains unchanged.”
Yin Ao’s expression grew even darker. He was a man of great ambition, having always desired to become a true dragon and unify the three realms. The Dragon King lineage proclaimed themselves as true dragons, but in reality, they were pseudo-dragons, scaled dragons, with only a trace of true dragon essence remaining in their bloodline. Yin Ao, who lacked a pure bloodline, had set his sights on Yin Changyuan, the person with the purest bloodline in their family.
After years of scheming, his wish was finally realized. His bloodline, refined using his brother’s dragon core, became pure, and he quickly advanced in cultivation. At the same time, he kept a close eye on the Human and Devil Realms. In his plan, the Demon Realm would serve as the base for his great plan, with the chaos he would stir in the Human and Devil Realms eventually becoming the stepping stone for his greatest ambition.
Just as the throne of the Demon Emperor was within his grasp, he realized that the time had come and launched his plan. But as it turned out, man’s plans were no match for fate’s. While his schemes in the Human and Devil Realms progressed smoothly, he lost his footing in the Demon Realm. Yin Ao sneered; the Demon Realm would return to his hands sooner or later, and he would eventually be the king of the three realms.
“The most treasured artifact of the Guiyuan Sect, the dragon pearl from a divine dragon ten thousand years ago…” Yin Ao tapped his knuckles lightly on the table. Originally, he could have taken his time, but now, with Yin Changyuan closely watching him, he could no longer wait. He needed to enhance his cultivation as soon as possible. If Yin Changyuan could awaken the divine beast’s bloodline and transform into a divine beast, so could he. The dragon pearl was a must-have for him.
Yin Ao glanced at his subordinate, “Convey my orders. Within ten years, I want the Dragon Pearl in my hands.”
“Yes, master.” The man accepted the command, and Yin Ao gestured for him to leave. “I must enter seclusion. Unless it’s a matter of urgency, there’s no need to disturb me.”
“Yes, master.” The man respectfully withdrew.
Yin Ao was left alone in the room when a hoarse voice spoke up, “Years of planning destroyed in an instant. I was merely asleep for a while, and you’ve brought such a surprise to me.”
Yin Ao’s expression darkened, “The Demon Realm will eventually return to my hands!”
“And you, didn’t you say it was foolproof? Why is Yin Changyuan still alive and able to return?”
The voice sighed, “I never expected that boy to transform into a Qilin divine beast. He must have had met some incredible fortune.” Relying on a mere trace of a divine beast’s bloodline to transform into a divine beast was far more difficult than a scaled dragon evolving into a true dragon. In thousands of years, this was the first time he had seen such a thing… truly enviable.
Upon closer inspection, this voice was emanating from within Yin Ao’s body, making it eerily unsettling.
Yin Ao’s expression grew even darker, “What of the Qilin? I shall be the only true dragon in the world!”
“Of course…” The raspy voice gradually faded away.
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next>
Translator’s Note:
Sponsored chapter tomorrow~ (it’s a timeskip!!)
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
I’m betting one of those marbles Yaoyao plays with is the pearl he’s after
Wow.. Yao² is bigger?
What an interesting development! I never expected that there was another soul in Yin Ao’s body. I wonder if he’s also a transmigrator, so his knowledge of the plot enabled Yin Ao to develop his forces more easily; unless Yin Ao made a pact with an evil cultivator who was so powerful at the time of death that he could escape via a soul possession. Hopefully we’ll learn the truth soon!
Thanks for the chapter! 😀