Hua Jiuming sat upright in the seat of honor and earnestly asked Qu Zhengding, “Are you willing to submit to me?”
Qu Zhengding did not hesitate and agreed immediately. It was not that he lacked backbone, but that his backbone had been completely shattered yesterday. After all, Hua Jiuming had been grievously wounded then—and still had been able to control him with ease. Now that he had fully recovered, killing him would be as simple as turning one’s hand over.
Hua Jiuming, unsurprised by Qu Zhengding’s prompt answer, did not bother to question his sincerity. It was irrelevant—once one possessed absolute strength, there was no need to fear the schemes of such minor players. After all, one trial of resolve would be their death sentence.
He then proceeded to recount his own history. His first words stunned Qu Zhengding into silence:
“I come from the Celestial Realm. There, after countless trials and sweeping aside great enemies, I spent hundreds of thousands of years climbing the ranks, until at last I ascended to the Divine God Rank. Among the mighty of the Celestial Realm, I held a place of prominence. Yet two sworn enemies ambushed me by treachery, wounding me grievously so that I was forced to flee. Though on the brink of death, I encountered a divine miracle that not only sustained my life but transported me into the Demon Realm. From that moment, I swore to live on, return to the Celestial Realm, and tear those two enemies to pieces.”
Hua Jiuming chuckled softly. “To be honest, you ants of the Lower Five Realms are not worthy of my concern. But for trivial tasks, I deign to employ you. Lowly demons, do you long to strike at the Celestial Realm and become masters of both Demon and Celestial Realms? From that day forward, you would stand second only to me!”
Qu Zhengding’s breathing grew rapid. If Hua Jiuming truly hailed from the Celestial Realm, perhaps he could help Qu Zhengding fulfill the long-cherished ambition of the demons: to overthrow Heaven! Then his name would surely be enshrined in demonkind’s history for all to admire—a great hero of the Demon Realm! Faced with such temptation, Qu Zhengding could not refuse.
Under Hua Jiuming’s guidance, his power advanced swiftly, and he broke into the Demon Emperor Rank. Yet having only just attained it, his position remained unstable—and Hua Jiuming was not satisfied. He personally forged a set of black battle armor and presented it to Qu Zhengding. Embedded in the armor were Celestial Realm formation arrays that vastly enhanced Qu Zhengding’s defense.
Thanks to that armor, Qu Zhengding was able to rampage through the Celestial Realm’s forces on the front lines without fear for his safety. According to Hua Jiuming’s plan, Qu Zhengding would remain in the spotlight while Hua Jiuming worked behind the scenes. Qu Zhengding proposed the Plan to Overthrow Heaven to the various Demon Lords; with Ling Qiansha absent, they all treated him as supreme.
In one day they would seize the eastern Celestial Realm; within ten days they would conquer the entire Celestial Realm—this was the death-or-glory order. If they encountered an enemy they could not handle, they could call on Hua Jiuming for assistance, and he would appear. Everything had proceeded smoothly—until Qu Zhengding met Ye Yu and was incinerated by the power of the Blazing Sun before he could employ his Dao.
After reading Qu Zhengding’s memories, Ye Yu’s brow lifted slightly. He had not noticed before that Qu Zhengding had truly broken into the Demon Emperor Rank—and had not let him unleash his Dao. Otherwise it might have taken more effort. Qu Zhengding’s memories also revealed much else.
First, Hua Jiuming might indeed be a false deity; even at Demon Emperor Rank, one would have no hope against him. Second, Qu Zhengding had kept all knowledge of Hua Jiuming to himself—none of the other major Demon Lords knew of this false deity, nor did the rank-and-file demons. He had not even told his Dao spouse—only his most beloved son, Qu Congchun.
If so, who was Hua Tianjun’s mole? It could not be Qu Congchun himself, since he was Qu Zhengding’s most doted-upon, most talented, and most loyal son. Hui Tianjun had hidden himself deeply—he even had a mole close to the Demon Lord’s own son. That individual was formidable indeed.
Third, Hua Jiuming had not come personally to the Celestial Realm. Though he spoke grandly of solving any problem, when the campaign began he had gone elsewhere, leaving only a magic-artifact communication jade for Qu Zhengding to contact him. Now, finding the false deity did not seem too difficult—simply use that jade to summon him.
But should he do so? Ye Yu pondered deeply. According to Qu Zhengding’s memories, Hua Jiuming’s strength indeed exceeded that of an Emperor-rank cultivator—but by how much, Qu Zhengding could not say, for he had never allowed him to unleash his full power. It was unlikely to be so great that the Demon Realm’s Dao would not accommodate him.
Should he go alone to meet him? Ye Yu picked up the jade pendant from the ground and rubbed it between his fingertips, then made up his mind. He would bring Hua Tianjun along—if anything went awry, at least there would be a cushion...ahem, not a scapegoat. Hua Tianjun was only to accompany him because they had agreed to meet this false deity together. Nothing more—honestly. No questions accepted!
With that thought, Ye Yu produced the communication jade and contacted Hua Tianjun.
“I’m at the Heart-Slashing Immortal Sect in ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) eastern Celestial Realm. Come to me. I’ve found a lead on the false deity; whenever you’re ready, we can summon him!”
The reply came quickly.
“All right. I’ll head over soon. I’ve got a few tailing me that need dealing with. Is any demon looking at you right now?”
Ye Yu glanced around calmly. “No.” Then he put the jade away and sat upon the former Immortal Sect Leader’s seat to rest.
Bai Qingsong stood awkwardly, neither standing nor sitting well—and so he knelt and asked softly, “Elder Brother, is there anything else? If not, perhaps I should return?”
Ye Yu opened his eyes and asked quietly, “You wish to return?”
Those three simple words sent cold sweat down Bai Qingsong’s spine. He hurriedly corrected himself, “Elder Brother, I don’t mean to return. I mean to bring you some local specialties. We’ve obtained many treasures here in the Celestial Realm. They may not suit your taste, but they’re my humble offering—please don’t scorn them and accept them!”
Ye Yu smiled at the familiar survival instinct. This fellow was quite tactful. He teased, “Old Bai, have you ever thought of becoming Lord of the Demon Realm?”
