After arriving in the Demon Realm, Ye Yu set off at once for Luan Yao City.
He wanted to check on Nangong Jingtang. If she still hadn’t awakened, and Shang Jinling at the city’s foundation had broken free and destroyed the Futian Rebirth Drum (the drum that grants reincarnation to the worthy), things would be truly dire!
Half an hour later, Ye Yu finally reached Luan Yao City—but the place was unrecognizable. The once-bustling streets lay in ruins. Surely he hadn’t been too late? Had the Futian Rebirth Drum already been destroyed?
His heart trembled as he began to scour the wreckage.
Just then, a familiar voice called from behind him.
“Demon friend, what are you looking for?”
Ye Yu turned to see a man with streaks of white at his temples, bright eyes still sharp. It was the City Lord of Luan Yao, Ye Jizui. Surprised, Ye Yu blurted, “How are you still alive?”
According to the usual story, Ye Jizui had fallen before Shang Jinling’s rise. Now... what had changed?
Ye Jizui’s expression darkened. “Young man, asking such an impolite question on first meeting—would you kindly show some manners?”
Realizing his brusqueness, Ye Yu clasped his hands and rephrased, “My apologies. You’re City Lord Ye Jizui, yes? We met decades ago, so it’s understandable you don’t recall me. I only guessed you’d fallen because Luan Yao City lies in ruins. If you were still in power, you wouldn’t have let this tragedy unfold.”
At this, Ye Jizui’s face grew even sadder. “I’d long been afflicted with a wasting illness. Hearing a friend from the Demon Village had invited me to recuperate, I abdicated my post and went to live quietly. But I returned days ago only to find my city destroyed. Fate is cruel... Had I remained City Lord, perhaps things would be different.”
So that was why he survived—no longer City Lord, he drew no attention from enemy assassins. A wise move. Ye Yu suspected the friend must be the dream-world “adopted father,” Ye Yangyang.
But none of that mattered now. Where was the Futian Rebirth Drum? As Ye Yu spoke, he had already swept his divine sense across the ruins—there was no sign of the drum. Panic rose in his chest.
After a moment’s thought, he asked softly, “City Lord Ye, do any survivors of Luan Yao City remain? I have questions only they might answer.”
Ye Jizui sighed. “None. The creature sealed beneath the city—a humanoid spider—broke free and devoured every demon within. There’s no one left alive. Rumor says that after it consumes all those souls, within a year it will ascend to the demi-Emperor rank.”
Deep sorrow shadowed Ye Jizui’s face. Having ruled this city for years, he had come to see its people as his children. Their total annihilation weighed heavily on him, and Ye Yu clenched his fists.
If Shang Jinling had heard tales of Nangong Jingtang, he would know the drum’s power—and he would not have spared it. After all, it had taken thirty thousand years to seal that great demon. How could such a grudge ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ be forgotten?
Ye Yu’s brow furrowed, grief welling up. He had never imagined that his delay could doom a noble lady.
Just then, Ye Jizui snorted. “Pity that Lady Nangong Jingtang left Luan Yao City—otherwise she would never have let that Spider King Shang Jinling run rampant.”
Ye Yu’s face flickered. “That can’t be. Thirty thousand years ago, Lady Nangong perished. Even with the Futian Rebirth Drum, only a destined great demon could sound it and bring her back. How could she simply leave the city?”
Ye Jizui’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not one of my demons—how do you know so much? Who are you, truly?”
Ye Yu, impatient to learn the truth, snapped his fingers and unleashed his Thousand Dreams Illusion. Now at the Immortal King Realm, ensnaring a peak Demon King was child’s play.
Ye Jizui’s gaze dulled, and he revealed what lay buried in Ye Yu’s mind: “I heard that half a month ago, a mysterious woman came to Luan Yao City, struck the Futian Rebirth Drum, and Lady Nangong was reborn. The two then departed together, and no further word has come since.”
Ye Yu’s features twisted in astonishment. What did this mean? Could the destined great demon really be replaced? And who was this woman? Could it be Bai Ze in her Moonlit Form, Yue Wanqiu? No other name came to mind in the Demon Realm...
With that thought, Ye Yu vanished from the ruined city.
After he left, Ye Jizui blinked as his clarity returned. He shivered at the empty streets—truly, the demon qi revival had unleashed all manner of fiends. Lucky he had faced no ill will, or he’d be dead now.
Better to return and recuperate in the Demon Village with his old friend. Though... Ye Yangyang’s habits were maddening—leaving the door open in a gale, letting the wind blast his head. Some fancies a demon just can’t shake.
Not long after, Ye Yu arrived beyond Wing Demon City, in the Bull Demon territory, seeking Yue Wanqiu. Soon, flanked by mighty bull demons, Niu Erhua herself emerged in her luxurious chieftain’s robes. It seemed that even without Ye Yu’s aid, she had secured her throne—a happy turn of events.
