In the Following Two Months
Under Ye Yu’s "death by name call," Heavenly Dragon Cliff went on a relentless campaign, decimating five sects in total.
This time, without Bai Xichu’s intervention, Heavenly Dragon Cliff still emerged victorious, but not without cost: hundreds of demon cultivators lost their lives.
For Ye Yu, however, this was exhilarating to the extreme.
It felt as if he were hacking the system, pushing himself to the peak of the Ascension Stage. He was now only a hair’s breadth away from the Earth Demon realm.
To avoid drawing suspicion about his terrifyingly rapid cultivation progress, Ye Yu spent a fortune on concealment pills, a disguise robe, and practiced the Suppression Breath Technique.
Adhering to his rule of never directly fighting, he managed to keep his secret safe.
However, he soon found himself hitting another bottleneck.
Heavenly Dragon Cliff’s reputation for warmongering had spread far and wide, its victories too dazzling.
As a result, every other sect surrendered preemptively.
Heavenly Dragon Cliff was now indisputably the strongest sect within Demon Lord Bai Xichu’s territory.
At this moment, Ye Yu found himself standing still, metaphorical sword in hand, gazing into the void with frustration.
Just as he was deliberating his next steps, an overwhelming aura filled his room.
A terrifying power descended.
Ye Yu turned to see a veiled woman standing before him.
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His brows furrowed slightly as he asked softly:
“Who are you?”
Judging by the demonic energy emanating from her, she was far stronger than Bu Haoyan, who was at the Heavenly Demon stage.
What could such a powerful being want with him?
Ye Yu was deeply puzzled but remained fully alert, ready to act at any moment.
The woman replied indifferently:
“Bai Xichu.”
Indeed, this woman was none other than Demon Lord Bai Xichu herself.
Her name was not unfamiliar to Ye Yu.
A Demon Lord, the undisputed strongest demon within her territory.
Ye Yu’s mind raced, his confusion growing by the second.
He clasped his hands and said:
“I did not expect the Demon Lord to visit in person. What brings you here?”
Bai Xichu slowly approached, gazing at Ye Yu for a moment before saying:
“You are indeed a most unusual demon. I find you... very intriguing.”
Ye Yu’s lips twitched slightly.
"I’ve caught the Demon Lord’s interest? Really?"
"No way, no way. Surely, as a Demon Lord, you wouldn’t be so direct?"
"Are you like the Heavenly Realm’s Zhu Le Immortal, who is notorious for keeping male companions?"
(Referring to the Heavenly Realm’s Zhu Le Immortal, a 300-pound female cultivator with a penchant for maintaining harems.)
"That can’t be right."
Though Bai Xichu wore a black veil, her captivating eyes and graceful figure were impossible to hide.
"With her allure, what kind of man couldn’t she have? Why me?"
As Ye Yu pondered, Bai Xichu continued speaking:
“Ye Yu, born in Fenghun Pass, to ordinary demon parents. At 18, you joined a hunting party of over a hundred to slay demonic beasts, only for you to return as the sole survivor. The others, including the stolen Demonic Spirit Ape, perished entirely.”
“Over the next forty years, you wandered through various regions, joining hunting teams under the guise of earning demonic crystals. But in truth, not a single demon who ventured out with you ever returned alive.”
“Thus, you earned the nicknames: Bane of Teammates, Ominous Demon.”
“These titles left you unable to find suitable companions.”
Hearing this, Ye Yu’s expression turned icy.
"To think that everything I’ve done is known to Bai Xichu."
"This is the power of a Demon Lord. With enough effort, nothing remains hidden."
But Bai Xichu wasn’t finished. She continued:
“After a year of isolation, you joined Heavenly Dragon Cliff as an elder. You then manipulated Sect Master Bu Haoyan to attack Zhaomo Pass, the strongest sect in the region.”
“By all logic, Heavenly Dragon Cliff’s attempt to challenge Zhaomo Pass should have been a suicidal endeavor—like an egg smashing against a boulder. One misstep, and your sect would have been annihilated.”
“Frankly, your actions back then were incomprehensible to me. Were you courting death?”
“Yet, by a twist of fate, you succeeded.”
“Let me share a little secret with you. The reason Zhaomo Pass’s top cultivators disappeared was because I eliminated them. The same applies to your bloodless victory over Yin-Yang Zhai—I intervened.”
“My goal was to elevate Heavenly Dragon Cliff to the strongest sect within my domain.”
“Initially, I was prepared to clear every obstacle for you.”
“But one of your remarks changed my mind—‘A demon sect that hasn’t experienced bloodshed and sacrifice cannot last.’”
(This was a comment Grand Elder Zu Xuzhong had relayed to Bai Xichu.)
“From that moment, I stopped intervening in your sect’s development. And to your credit, you lived up to the challenge, truly earning the title of the strongest sect. Congratulations.”
“Do you know why I didn’t seek you out two months ago but waited until now?”
“Because it was only recently that I uncovered your secret!”
Bai Xichu stepped closer until only a hand’s breadth separated them.
Looking at this incomprehensibly powerful Demon Lord before him, Ye Yu couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
"Could she have discovered my talent?"
"Damn, my rapid cultivation progress must have exposed me."
Bai Xichu asked softly:
“Your cultivation method—it draws power from death, doesn’t it? The more demons that die, the stronger you become. That’s why you continuously incite conflict. Am I right?”
Hearing this, Ye Yu felt a wave of relief.
"So she thinks it’s a cultivation method, huh?"
"Not a bad cover story."
Without it, explaining his actions over the years would have been nearly impossible.
Feigning shock, Ye Yu replied:
“How... how did you know?”
Seeing Ye Yu’s expression, Bai Xichu smiled faintly, as though her hypothesis had been confirmed.
After obtaining all of Ye Yu’s records, Bai Xichu had spent countless hours trying to decipher his motives.
Then, one day, she stumbled upon an ancient text that described an archaic demonic cultivation method: The Path of Death.
This method allowed its practitioner to draw power from others’ deaths.
However, the backlash at later stages was immense, and no practitioner had ever reached the Heavenly Demon stage alive.
Thus, the technique had faded into obscurity.
Bai Xichu theorized that Ye Yu was likely practicing this forbidden art, which explained his otherwise incomprehensible actions.