At This Moment
Bu Haoyan was riding high on the peak of his life.
Since the battle at Zhaomo Pass, Heavenly Dragon Cliff's reputation had soared.
It had become the hottest topic in the Demon Realm.
Countless demon cultivators flocked to Heavenly Dragon Cliff, eager to join.
The elders were overwhelmed with accepting disciples, their hands full.
Moreover, Bu Haoyan had kept his promise.
Killing a single Zhaomo Pass disciple earned fifty demonic crystals, paid out that very evening.
This payout alone had drained nearly half of Heavenly Dragon Cliff’s treasury.
As for demonic artifacts, only a few were distributed.
The reason? With Zhaomo Pass’s high-ranking elders gone, what remained were merely weaklings—hardly any cultivators below the Tribulation Transcendence stage had anything valuable.
Even if Bu Haoyan wanted to distribute treasures, there weren’t enough to go around.
Yet this trade-off brought Bu Haoyan immense gains!
First: By spending wealth, he gained fame. Disciples and elders who received their rewards were ecstatic, and a sect master who honored his promises naturally earned their respect.
Second: Although Zhaomo Pass’s top cultivators were absent, their treasure vault and demonic crystal reserves remained intact.
Bu Haoyan looted everything, reaping an enormous windfall.
Even after redistributing a portion among the sect, what remained was still astronomical.
Everything Ye Yu had promised in his grand vision had come true.
How could Bu Haoyan remain composed?
At this point, he was practically ready to worship Ye Yu.
"A true blessing, an unmatched blessing!"
After a few days of organizing the spoils, Bu Haoyan sought out Ye Yu with two storage rings in hand.
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With utmost reverence, he said:
“Mr. Ye, these contain half of the resources we seized from Zhaomo Pass—demonic crystals, artifacts, and everything else. Please, you must accept them.”
At this point, Bu Haoyan’s way of addressing Ye Yu had shifted from "Elder Ye" to "Mr. Ye."
The reason was simple: in his eyes, Ye Yu was an unparalleled genius, almost demonic in his intelligence.
Everything Ye Yu had planned had come true.
How could such a cultivator not deserve the title of "Mister"?
Bu Haoyan held the storage rings aloft, prepared with countless arguments in case Ye Yu refused.
But to his surprise, Ye Yu didn’t hesitate for even a moment and accepted the rings directly.
This left Bu Haoyan slightly taken aback.
"So straightforward?"
Still, it was better this way. As long as Mr. Ye accepted them, that was all that mattered.
Yet why did Mr. Ye’s expression seem so grim?
Had something happened?
Bu Haoyan cautiously voiced his concerns.
But all he got in return was a sigh from Ye Yu, accompanied by a slight shake of the head.
Truth be told, Ye Yu was irritated.
Zhaomo Pass was truly gone.
Even though its grounds had been reduced to ruins, the sect master and elders had yet to reappear.
It was as if they had vanished into thin air within the Demon Realm.
This wasn’t good news for Ye Yu.
After all, his aim had been to orchestrate the total annihilation of Heavenly Dragon Cliff through this battle.
Why was the situation veering so far off course?
"Damn it! Where are the top-tier cultivators of Zhaomo Pass? Hurry up and come seeking revenge!"
"If Heavenly Dragon Cliff doesn’t fall, how am I supposed to advance my cultivation?"
With these thoughts, Ye Yu sighed again.
Each sigh pierced Bu Haoyan’s heart like a blade.
"Why?"
"What could possibly trouble Mr. Ye so deeply?"
"This is unacceptable!"
Meanwhile.
In a solemn and majestic hall, the Grand Elder of Heavenly Dragon Cliff, Zu Xuzhong, knelt in reverence.
Before him stood a towering throne.
Seated upon it was a woman of exquisite figure.
Her face was obscured by a light veil, concealing her features.
Yet her slender, enchanting eyes seemed to pierce through one’s soul.
Even so, Zu Xuzhong didn’t dare steal a single glance, pressing his forehead to the ground as he spoke:
“This subordinate greets the Demon Lord.”
Indeed, this woman was none other than Bai Xichu, the Demon Lord of this realm.
Bai Xichu responded with a faint "Hm," her tone devoid of joy or sorrow.
Zu Xuzhong retrieved a recording stone from his storage ring and infused it with spiritual energy.
A projection of Ye Yu appeared.
In a deep voice, Zu Xuzhong said:
“Master, this is Ye Yu, who recently joined Heavenly Dragon Cliff. He is at the late Soul Formation stage.”
“The assault on Zhaomo Pass was entirely orchestrated by him through Bu Haoyan.”
“His motives remain unclear.”
Bai Xichu rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Ye Yu’s projection with interest.
In a soft voice, she remarked:
“A mere Soul Formation cultivator leading an assault on Zhaomo Pass?”
“How curious. Truly curious.”
“Does he have a death wish?”
“Or could he be a spy sent by Zhaomo Pass to infiltrate Heavenly Dragon Cliff, using this tactic to help Zhaomo Pass devour it in one fell swoop?”
Zu Xuzhong shook his head slightly and replied:
“This subordinate does not know, but I will continue to investigate in secret.”
“If I discover anything suspicious, I will report to you immediately!”
Bai Xichu didn’t respond directly.
After a moment of contemplation, she said softly:
“Heavenly Dragon Cliff... the number one sect? That title has a nice ring to it.”
Zu Xuzhong immediately pressed his forehead to the ground and exclaimed:
“A hollow title, Master. If not for your foresight in eliminating Zhaomo Pass’s top cultivators, Heavenly Dragon Cliff would have been history days ago.”
Indeed, the elders and sect master of Zhaomo Pass above the Tribulation Transcendence stage had been eliminated by Bai Xichu herself.
Her motive, however, wasn’t to aid Heavenly Dragon Cliff.
It was for her own reasons!
A few days prior, Bai Xichu received intelligence proving that the sect master of Zhaomo Pass was a spy planted by another Demon Lord.
And with such evidence, there was only one response.
"One cannot tolerate rivals beneath their own roof."
To eliminate this threat, Bai Xichu summoned Zhaomo Pass’s sect master and high-ranking elders under the pretense of a meeting.
This command troubled the sect master and his elders.
After all, when they had assaulted Bu Haoyan, it was the sect master and these same elders who had acted.
They instinctively assumed Bu Haoyan was one of Bai Xichu’s people.
Having harmed one of her own, they prepared to bring copious treasures to seek her forgiveness.
In the Demon Realm, after all, things worked differently from the mortal world.
In the mortal world, emperors had little control over sects, with powerful sects often influencing dynasties.
But in the Demon Realm, a Demon Lord reigned supreme within their territory.
Whatever they decreed, everyone complied.
Otherwise, they had better be prepared for annihilation.