Afterwards, Ye Yu and Ye Yangyang talked at length.
But he only marveled at how swiftly Ye Yu’s strength had progressed, without dwelling on the cause.
Perhaps in Ye Yangyang’s mind, only one truth held: like father, like son! He was already the Sheep Tribe’s Sword Saint—what was so surprising about his son becoming a Demon King in just a few years?
Moreover, now he bore the title of Destiny Great Demon. Any issue with that? Does it seem abrupt? No? Exactly!
After briefly grasping the basic situation, Ye Yangyang suddenly grew gossiping.
“By the way, my big son,” he said, “when I passed through the Chaos Demon City earlier, I heard that Lord Nangong has become deeply attached to you since his rebirth. Is that true? How far have you two gone? Have you...?”
At these words, Ye Yu suddenly recalled a serious matter and immediately cut off Ye Yangyang’s chatter. Then he began to examine the four Demon Kings’ corpses.
“Snake-Eye? Burned by the Nine Nether Flame—its destructive power was too great. His spirit was utterly annihilated; not even a trace remains!”
“As for Man Shan and Zhen Yue... oh, excuse me, they’ve been completely crushed—there are no demonic remains to be found anywhere.”
“As for Tiger Demon Wu Xing? I have to admit, his body is relatively intact.”
Without delay, Ye Yu summoned his demon force and began to extract Wu Xing’s soul. The reason was simple: he wanted to know why an organization like the Sanctuary had suddenly taken such an interest in Nangong Jingtang—even dispatching four Demon Kings in person. What was their purpose?
Before long, Wu Xing’s soul was drawn out. Though some time had passed and his spirit had grown somewhat ethereal, it was still usable. Ye Yu wasted no words and immediately performed the Soul-Search Technique. In just a few breaths, he accessed all of Wu Xing’s memories—but he felt disappointment.
Although Wu Xing, like the other three, held the rank of Demon King, he had only recently awakened and just joined the Sanctuary. He knew little of its core affairs—he didn’t even know exactly how many Demon Kings served there, only that there were at least double digits.
What he did know was that the Sanctuary had existed since the dawn of the Demon Realm. A saying once echoed within its halls: “Heaven’s prodigies of the Demon Realm reside in the Sanctuary.” Those eight words alone revealed the Sanctuary’s arrogance.
Later, it had grown far more low-key, and over time many demon clans forgot of its existence. Only the Realm’s major figures remained aware. In Wu Xing’s eyes, the Sanctuary resembled a demonic sect, complete with strict rules. At its apex stood the Sanctuary Lord, followed by eight Elders, then the Sanctuary Envoys—though “Envoy” was little more than a basic disciple. They were the lowest rank, yet even so, these four Demon °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Kings were still figures of reverence in the Demon Realm.
The reason so many swarmed to the Sanctuary was simple: it offered cultivation resources for Demon King rank and above—techniques, demon pills, and more—all purchasable with Contribution Points. Contribution Points were earned two ways: by offering treasures from the outside world—like the sword-tail centipede corpse Ye Yu had handed in, though that yielded few points—or by completing Sanctuary missions.
For example, this assignment to capture Nangong Jingtang and return her to the Sanctuary was taken on jointly by these four. Why? Wu Xing still didn’t know. All he remembered was that the reward was ten thousand Contribution Points. Even split four ways, that was twenty-five hundred each—enough to buy many things.
Having absorbed Wu Xing’s memories, Ye Yu’s expression turned grave.
The Sanctuary, huh?
It seemed a visit was in order! After all, there’s no such thing as perfect security. As long as Wu Xing and Zhen Yue hadn’t returned to report in, that mission would stay active in the Sanctuary—and more demons would take it up. Ye Yu couldn’t guard against them forever. To solve the problem, he had to deal with it at its root!
Just as Ye Yu pondered this, Ye Yangyang beside him grew impatient.
“Why are you still staring? What did you learn from that little tiger’s soul? Tell me! Don’t leave me hanging—I’m so bored!”
This long-overdue stream of chatter was oddly satisfying. Ye Yu sighed and was about to speak when the great hall’s doors slowly opened.
Yue Wanqiu emerged, her face showing signs of fatigue, but the moment she saw Ye Yu, she forced a smile. “It’s done, I...”
Before she could finish, Ye Yangyang had already waddled before her. Yue Wanqiu’s eyes widened at the sight of the small, stout old ram.
“So this is my big son’s demon partner? Tsk tsk tsk—quite a looker. Big son, you’re a lucky man!”
At his words, Yue Wanqiu’s cheeks flushed and she staggered back half a step. Ye Yu strode forward and covered Ye Yangyang’s mouth with one hand.
“Sorry, this is my father. His mind’s a bit... off, you know. By the way, how did it go inside? Has the inner demon been removed?” he said apologetically.
Yue Wanqiu’s expression grew complicated. “Off his mind? A Demon King–rank expert... with mental issues?” She sighed. “Well, whatever you say. And yes, the inner demon has been purged. You can rest assured. But she’s still weak and hasn’t awakened yet. Give it a moment, and she’ll be fine.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Yu thanked her. Just then, Ye Yangyang broke free and hurriedly asked, “She? Who is she?”
Ye Yu transmitted by inner voice, “She’s Nangong Jingtang! Really, could you tone it down? Aren’t you afraid you’ll scare her off?”
Ye Yangyang feigned a sorrowful old father look. “Ah, I’m just anxious about our Ye family’s future branches. You have to understand!”
At that moment, a slightly pale hand pressed against the hall’s doorway.
