Chapter 1358: Chapter 418: Is the Demon Ancestor Still Alive?
Now that things had come to this point, Hong Mingyue finally understood that by her own strength alone, she could never take down Ye Lingyue.
Thinking carefully about Ye Lingyue, Hong Mingyue kept feeling that something was off.
Before the age of thirteen she was still an idiot, so how did she, after suddenly becoming enlightened, undergo a complete rebirth and become unstoppable? Every time she made a move—if she didn’t act, fine, but once she did, she would always stun everyone.
Every time, Hong Mingyue felt she lost in the most baffling way.
Now she only wanted to provoke the Demon Empress Moonflower into making a move and tidying up Ye Lingyue for her.
Because of Ye Lingyue she had become a demon; she wanted the other woman’s end to be a hundred times more miserable than her own.
But things did not go as she wished. After hearing Hong Mingyue’s account, the Demon Empress Moonflower truly did not place her attention on Ye Lingyue, this new Newbie City Lord.
On the contrary, from Hong Mingyue’s words, Moonflower heard some hidden meaning.
"No. Do you really think this time you all failed at the hands of a mere Human Clan City Lord? That’s not it. The reason you lost this time is because someone from the Divine Realm interfered."
The South Nether Empress shook her head.
When news of Shadow Concubine’s failure first arrived, the South Nether Empress had also found it strange: why would such a meticulous plan be seen through?
It wasn’t until Hong Mingyue was brought back that she realized the truth of the matter was far from as simple as she had imagined.
Someone from the Divine Realm?
Hong Mingyue was puzzled. What did this have to do with people from the Divine Realm?
"This should be your corpse. I brought it back as well." The South Nether Empress pointed at a few pieces of skeleton on the ground.
Hong Mingyue naturally recognized her own skeleton.
The moment she saw her completely ruined body, hatred surged in her heart.
"Look carefully at what’s inside your bones."
Reminded by the South Nether Empress, Hong Mingyue then noticed that there were a great many glowing fragments inside her bones.
They were very peculiar fragments; if you didn’t look closely, they were entirely invisible to the naked eye.
But upon close inspection, those fragments were like grains of sand, glittering faintly and exuding a chill.
"It’s that bitch Guangzi."
Seeing those fragments, Hong Mingyue finally knew that what had been inside her earlier, tormenting her beyond endurance and leaving her entrails punctured and rotting, was this thing.
"Guangzi—she’s the one you’re talking about from the Divine Realm? These fragments aren’t ordinary. This is the Finger Force of the Lingxiao Ice Finger from the Northern Territory of the Divine Realm. Only the Divine Master Xi Jiuye of the Northern Territory and a few of his top generals can use it. Who would have thought that a dignified Divine Realm War God would actually deign to lower himself and come to the Ancient Nine Provinces."
Moonflower’s eye power was impressive.
The Demon World and the Divine Realm had been at war for several hundred years. Over these centuries, because of the existence of a few War God Level Divine Generals, the Demon World had been forced to shrink back into its barren lands.
As one of the two empresses of the twin empires, Moonflower was naturally far from content.
As for that Xi Jiuye, because he had crossed paths with the South Nether Emperor Zhanhen on the battlefield many times, and had repeatedly defeated large Demon Clan armies, he had always been a thorn in the side, a nail in the flesh of the South Nether Empress.
Moonflower had always wanted to eradicate Xi Jiuye, but unfortunately, the other man possessed a Heavenly Gifted Divine Body, making both assassination and battlefield tactics useless against him.
"The Divine Realm? You’re saying Guangzi is someone from the Divine Realm? But she looked like just a dancer."
Hong Mingyue hadn’t expected Ye Lingyue to be so lucky, that even a seemingly ordinary dancer at her side would be someone from the Divine Realm.
"No, she should only be a Divine Envoy under Xi Jiuye. But the fact that a Divine Realm War God has arrived in the Ancient Nine Provinces is real. The Demon Clan in other cities have already discovered his tracks within Human Clan cities."
Moonflower pondered.
Why would Xi Jiuye, who had never liked meddling in mortal world affairs, suddenly take an interest in the Ancient Nine Provinces? Or... had he also discovered something...
It seemed this matter had to be thoroughly investigated.
"There is one more thing I wish to ask you. Who killed Shadow Concubine? Was it also that envoy from the Divine Realm?"
Given Shadow Concubine’s cultivation, she should still have been able to fight that Divine Envoy to a standstill, especially since she had cultivated the Ancient Demon Technique, the Shadow Sewing Technique.
"Shadow Concubine was killed by Ye Lingyue, together with someone else."
The moment Hong Mingyue thought of Ye Lingyue and Di Shen, that pair of adulterous dogs, hatred filled her to the core.
"Oh? Describe to me how they killed Shadow Concubine, then." Moonflower asked again.
A Demon Clan member capable of defeating Shadow Concubine, and yet fallen into the Human Realm—this inevitably stirred Moonflower’s desire to recruit. She knew all too well how much effort the South Nether Empress had spent back then to cultivate one Shadow Concubine.
"This humble concubine recalled something. Before Shadow Concubine died, she seemed to say that the man was also of the Demon Clan, and that he possessed extremely powerful demonic power. His name is Di Shen."
Hong Mingyue had just finished speaking when she noticed Moonflower’s expression suddenly change.
She grew agitated, almost anxious as she asked,
"What did you say his name was?"
As the Demon Empress, Moonflower very rarely lost her composure like this.
"Di Shen, Your Goddess, he and Ye Lingyue are a Dual Cultivation Couple. Do you know him?"
Hong Mingyue was puzzled.
"Impossible. It should only be a case of the same name and surname."
Moonflower muttered, somewhat absent-minded, not even clearly hearing what Hong Mingyue was saying anymore.
Even though the South Nether Emperor Zhanhen had spared no effort to conceal it, Moonflower had still caught some rumors. She had heard that Yan Jiu, who had been missing for many years, had appeared in the Demon World.
Ever since that man died, Yan Jiu had never shown himself again.
Yan Jiu and "him" had been bound by an unbreakable Life and Death brotherhood. Back then, when "he" was besieged by the Divine Race, Yan Jiu had been the first to suspect the truth. Yan Jiu had left in anger, even swearing that he would definitely uncover what really happened.
Now Yan Jiu had returned.
And right at this time, the mortal world saw the appearance of the Moonflower king, while in the Ancient Nine Provinces, someone with the same name, "Di Shen," had emerged. Could all of this really be just a coincidence?
Moonflower’s emotions were extremely complicated; she didn’t know whether she should feel joy or fear.
Did this mean she had to ask Yan Jiu in person?
But if Zhan Hen learned of this, he would probably stop at nothing to kill "him."
Moonflower’s loss of composure lasted only an instant.
"I will investigate that Demon Clan member myself. As for his existence and his name, I do not wish for any Demon Clan member besides you and me to know."
Hong Mingyue was full of doubts, but she did not dare ask more. She hesitated, then spoke.
"Your Goddess, this humble concubine has an unreasonable request. In this state of mine..."
She was now nothing but a wandering soul; her original body had been destroyed by that little bitch Guangzi.
"You are very talented. I intend to cultivate you into a new Sky Demon, but you are not originally of the Demon Clan. If you wish to possess the noble status of a Sky Demon, you must have illustrious military merit. I happen to have an opportunity for you to earn such merit. Do you have the courage to seize it?"
Moonflower scrutinized Hong Mingyue. It was said the Human Clan was crafty; Hong Mingyue’s methods in dealing with the Ghost Valley Moth had left a deep impression on Moonflower.
"If Your Goddess is willing to nurture me, this humble concubine is willing to serve like a dog or a horse."
Hong Mingyue also understood that in her current state as a wandering soul, only the South Nether Empress could help her.
The identity of a Sky Demon was incomparably noble; she dreamed of becoming a Sky Demon.
Besides, there was no dirty deed she hadn’t done before. No matter how filthy the means, as long as they could help her rise again, she was willing to try.
