Blood Demon Dan Caoqing was not an old fool: he would never make the basic mistake of misremembering the time.
Over the past month, to further investigate why the Demon Clan’s campaign to ascend to Heaven had failed, Dan Caoqing had personally ventured into the Celestial Realm and unearthed countless rumors—among them tales of the half-divine Hua Jiuming. No one knew when such a figure had arisen in the Demon World, but his terrifying prowess had been witnessed by both demons and immortals. Later it was said that he had been slain by a mysterious stranger, and that the great demon lords then turned on one another and met bizarre ends, causing the entire ascent to Heaven to collapse.
Piecing together these events with Bai Qingsong’s account, Dan Caoqing quickly deduced that the one who had killed the half-divine must have been Bai Qingsong’s elder brother. A boundless battle fervor surged through him. Having clawed his way from the lowest depths of the Demon World to the late Demon Emperor Realm by daring to challenge the strongest, he was desperate to measure himself against the man who could slay a half-divine existence.
Returning from the Celestial Realm, he had raced back to the Demon World, determined to arrive a day early and learn whether Bai Qingsong’s brother had shown. He could hardly wait to fight.
But upon reaching Dongyao Prefecture, he heard a curious rumor: that Demon Lord Bai Qingsong’s elder brother would preach atop Gathering Demon Peak. Perfect. Excited, Dan Caoqing halted his wanderings and waited patiently at the summit. Now, after such anticipation, Bai Qingsong had finally come—and Dan Caoqing intended to seize him at once and ask what everyone desired to know: “Demon Lord Bai, where is your elder brother?”
Seeing Dan Caoqing press him, Bai Qingsong did not argue. After all, who quibbled with a man on the brink of death? But since his brother had not yet come, he needed to stall.
“Caoqing,” Bai Qingsong forced himself steady, “my brother is on his way and will be here soon. I warn you—don’t strike before he arrives, or it won’t be an honorable victory.”
Dan Caoqing sneered. “Hurry him up. My patience is short—if he’s late, you’ll die!” He flexed his wrist, and his massive demonic claw tightened. Bai Qingsong cried out in pain.
The next moment, the giant claw shattered! Had Bai Qingsong’s brother come? All eyes turned to the warped air beside them, where a devil-may-care young demon emerged. At the sight, Dan Caoqing’s shock flashed across his face.
“Shadow Demon Pan Yuanxing? You’re Bai Qingsong’s elder brother?”
A murmur swept the crowd. Thirty thousand years ago, Pan Yuanxing had been celebrated as the Demon World’s strongest Shadow Demon, rumored to have reached the pinnacle of the Demon Emperor Realm in search of power beyond. Then he vanished—some said he died, others that he traveled to another plane. No one knew the truth. Few expected him now. Yet if it was truly him, it fit Bai Qingsong’s boast of “a realm you could never conceive.”
As the demons speculated, Pan Yuanxing waved dismissively. “I’m not his elder brother. And Dan Caoqing, you’ve really gone backwards. What joy is there in torturing a worthless demon lord? You’ve made such a scene—what if you scare off my brother so he won’t come? Know that I’m eager for a fight myself!” His eyes gleamed.
For three hundred millennia he had chased illusions of power beyond the Demon Emperor Realm, only to find dead ends. Hearing Bai Qingsong’s outrageous rumor, he had come with a sliver of hope—and, like Dan Caoqing, he too waited for Ye Yu’s arrival. Dan Caoqing lifted his chin, equally thrilled: one Pan Yuanxing, Bai Qingsong’s brother—today’s battles promised to be unmatched!
“But when exactly will your brother arrive? Give me a straight answer!” Dan Caoqing growled, impatience flaring. In truth, Bai Qingsong was even more anxious but dared not prod, resorting only to stalling words.
Before he could speak, the storm clouds above dispersed, and blood-red sunlight bathed every demon. “Why is this red light so vivid?” The next instant, the sky filled with crimson—and a gigantic demonic eye, half the heavens in diameter, glared down upon the Demon World. Under its gaze, every demon felt paralyzing fear; even the irreverent Pan Yuanxing stiffened defensively, and Dan Caoqing stood on guard, heart pounding.
Then in a flash, the eye vanished, leaving everyone bewildered. Had it been a mirage? Almost at once, they realized their mistake: a colossal demonic god’s visage had manifested, its torso alone spanning the sky as it shattered the barrier of time, standing barely a thousand meters from them and flooding their minds with terror. Their only thought was to flee or die.
The demon god form slowly raised its hands into a triangular frame, and a figure descended from the horizon—none [N O V E L I G H T] other than Ye Yu. The moment he appeared, the world distorted and blood-red demonic qi surged, turning the battlefield into a sea of gore. Even more astonishing, within the crimson qi flowed streams of golden light.
Pan Yuanxing, staring in disbelief, trembled as he whispered, “Is this... the legendary Demonic Dao Residue?”
Dan Caoqing, hearing Pan’s murmur, was startled. “Demonic Dao Residue? What is that?”
Legends told that in antiquity the Demon Clan had swept through all, conquering the Three Great Prefectures of the Celestial Realm. Anyone who slew a hundred or more Immortal Emperor–realm masters could “enter the Dao,” feeling the true demonic qi. Their blood would grant them immortality, and the gold within the qi signified the immortals’ mastery of heaven and earth.
“I once read that in ancient texts and dismissed it as fantasy,” Pan Yuanxing said with a bitter smile, “but never imagined we’d witness genuine Demonic Dao Residue here.” His eyes reflected helplessness and sorrow.
Dan Caoqing was incredulous. A hundred Immortal Emperors? “That’s nonsense! Do you take the Demon Emperor Realm for roadside cabbages?” Still, the very notion sent a chill through him: perhaps this being truly was an ancient monster alive since time immemorial. Such oppressive power and horrifying aura were beyond anything he had ever faced.
Suppressing his fear, Dan Caoqing looked up—and was stunned to see Ye Yu meeting his gaze. In that instant, his blood froze. In truth, Ye Yu had sensed the unique demonic qi of the Demon Emperor Realm upon arriving—and Bai Qingsong had already warned him telepathically that the challenger was Dan Caoqing.
“What ridiculous names,” Ye Yu thought. “Dan Caoqing? How noble.” And Bai’s intel had been off: he wasn’t due until midnight, yet he’d arrived early—an obvious ambush.
Magically, numbers in crimson hovered above every demon’s head, marking their submission values. Yet Ye Yu felt they were still too low. He needed to push them further to ensure victory over a Demon Emperor–realm foe. Would Dan Caoqing give him the time?
Locked in that gaze, Ye Yu’s tension mirrored Dan Caoqing’s. He feared Dan might recklessly strike first—but Dan stood dazed, eyes unfocused, like a fool lost in his own delirium.
What Dan did not realize was how terrifying he appeared in Ye Yu’s perspective: the surrounding crimson Demonic Dao Residue had enveloped him, and the colossal demon god form loomed behind him, its peaceful visage now twisted, fangs bared as if about to devour him. Countless scarlet eyes emerged in the darkness, revealing their true forms—phantoms of countless ancient demonic beasts from legend—drifting from Ye Yu’s back to surround Dan.
For the first time, Dan Caoqing felt the chill of death so close he could not even think of resistance. His Dao heart nearly collapsed. Yes, his creed was to always challenge the stronger—but facing Ye Yu, he could not even muster that punch.
Seeing Dan utterly paralyzed, Ye Yu decided to raise the stakes and further swell the demons’ submission values. He communicated telepathically to Bai Qingsong, who nodded and strode forward, calling out: “Let the preaching begin!”
Fueled by demonic qi, his voice echoed across Gathering Demon Peak. Every demon present stirred with anticipation: was the preaching about to start? What would this terrifying existence speak of?
Under all eyes, Ye Yu appeared calm, one hand folded behind him. “The Dao is my heart.”
In that instant, heaven and earth trembled. Rays of light pierced the clouds, and sacred chants rang out. A fiery phoenix spread its wings, and the Dragon of Fortune roared skyward. A purple radiance enveloped Ye Yu, expanding rapidly, while innumerable black runes crawled across the ground, pulsating as if alive.
Demons below the Demon King realm felt clarity in their divine sea, breaking through long-standing bottlenecks and opening smooth paths of cultivation. Those above the Demon King realm gained profound insights into the Dao. In total, over a thousand demons broke through on the spot, and nearly ten thousand took great strides forward, extending their futures.
They cried out in awe, some falling to their knees and weeping, hailing Ye Yu’s preaching as the rebirth of their parents and the highest of teachers. Bai Qingsong himself was moved to tears—his dormant realm beginning to shift, ready to advance with even the slightest effort.
“Brother, you are always more powerful than I imagined!” he thought, then ruefully: “But could you not share such preaching with a worthless insect like me? What right do these ants have to listen?”
