Ye Yu raised a black ghostly flame from his palm, incinerating it completely.
A complete annihilation of soul and spirit.
“Why so damned foolish, still wanting to kill me now?”
“Too bad, you simply weren’t strong enough!”
That feud from twenty-eight years ago was finally settled.
No next life for you to worry about.
No, wait—almost forgot: when your soul is destroyed, there is no next life!
Still, I should thank you.
To Ye Yu, Wu Yao felt more like an enemy coming to repay a favor.
Not only did it save him the trouble of tracking Wu Yao down, but he also gained a major piece of information for free.
Half a month later, Kongming Prefecture would hold an open contest to select its state Demon Lord.
Let strength speak—winner takes the throne!
By then, heroes would gather from all sides; attending would guarantee a massive haul of submission points!
Of course, he had to become stronger first.
Only then could he face unknown dangers with confidence.
After all, bluffing at the Demon Lord contest would get you killed.
The last ones standing would be True Demon lords or Demon Emperor-level experts—if any rookie charged in, he’d die for sure.
With Ye Yu’s slight build, he’d freeze for certain!
Mastering the balance between bluffing and not being exposed was crucial.
With that thought, Ye Yu flickered away, racing into the distance.
Time passed.
Half a month flew by.
Soon it was the day of Kongming Prefecture’s Demon Lord contest.
Powerful demons from every region gathered here.
They all hungered for that supreme prefectural throne.
Of course, Kongming wasn’t the only place holding such contests.
Prefectures like Juque and Niepan also needed new Demon Lords.
The previous Ascension Battle had devastated the demon world.
Of the nine great Demon Lords, only Bai Qingsong of Dongyao Prefecture survived; the rest had perished.
Everything unfolded exactly as Ye Yu had planned.
Upon his return to the demon world, Bai Qingsong claimed the title of co-ruler of the demon realm.
After all, he was the only surviving Demon Lord.
At first it seemed fine, but as time passed, discontent grew among the demons.
For ages, nine Demon Lords had governed together.
“Why should Dongyao Prefecture break that rule?”
When voices of opposition rose, Bai Qingsong’s first reaction was to kill.
Whoever dared speak up was slain, leaving no dissent.
Thus he remained co-ruler.
As a might-makes-right realm, if Bai Qingsong had reached peak Demon Emperor Realm and crushed everyone, perhaps no one would object.
But he hadn’t.
As days wore on, calls to reelect the demon world ruler grew louder—he couldn’t slay them all!
Reluctantly, Bai Qingsong compromised, ignoring outside affairs and allowing each prefecture to hold its own Demon Lord selection.
Hence today’s scene at Kongming Prefecture’s Demon Lord Hall.
Whoever defeated all challengers would secure the seat.
The opening battles were fierce.
Though the first wave of contestants weren’t top-tier, their fights were spectacular.
They traded blows in a lively display.
Everyone knew these /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ early fighters only sought to make a name for themselves.
“Fighting from start to finish? Few have the stamina—or the will!”
It was an unspoken rule: the strongest contenders always appeared last.
Sure enough, two shi later real contenders emerged.
A martial Demon Lord of the late Demon Lord Realm strode out, iron fists smashing aside seven demon-immortal weapons.
Clearly a practitioner of the ancient demon body-forging path.
He didn’t last long before a bulky Blood Demon defeated him.
After several hours of continuous combat, night fell.
A gaunt Heart Demon stood alone before the hall.
By virtue of his peak Demon Lord Realm cultivation, he had felled several peers in succession.
Now no one dared challenge him.
By tradition, if no one dared step up within the next half-hour, he would become Kongming Prefecture’s new Demon Lord.
Lu Qingdao turned to glance at the closed hall gates, longing in his eyes.
One million three hundred thousand years ago his ancestor had been Demon Lord here.
Eight hundred thousand years ago his grandfather had held the title.
“Now I will restore the Lu family’s former glory and become prefectural Demon Lord once more.”
“Father, watch closely—your son will fulfill your wish!”
Soon less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn remained.
Everyone believed Lu Qingdao would prevail.
Some had already prepared the welcoming ceremony.
They waited only for the time to expire to lavish praise on their new lord.
But at that moment, an enchanting song drifted from afar.
The crowd turned.
An alluring succubus danced in the clouds, ethereal and soul-stealing.
Blood-red petals scattered through the air.
Four women in white maid uniforms carried a sedan chair that hovered above the hall.
Inside, a figure rose slowly.
With a slight gesture, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a fierce wind howled like the end of days.
Behind him materialized a thousand-zhang-tall Demon King law form, like an ancient emperor reveling in the submission of all beings.
Countless purple demon runes swirled around him as if alive.
Truly sublime!
That figure was none other than Ye Yu, who had reached the early True Demon Realm.
He had labored these past half-month to create this spectacle.
Even the women had been carefully chosen—striking beauties and all Demon King Realm experts: both beautiful and formidable.
This entrance stunned every demon present.
Crimson numbers popped above each head—submission points, all submission points!
Lu Qingdao ground his teeth, his face ashen with fury.
He was so close—why couldn’t he claim the throne?
Who was this interloper? Why compete with me?
His eyes reddened as he glared up—but in the next instant, his face drained of color.
