Hearing the demoness’s words, Ye Yu could not help but laugh.
“A big shot? How big?” he asked.
The demoness said nothing, but drew from her storage ring a plain, ancient-looking token.
Stamped boldly upon it was the character Miao.
“How’s that? Big enough?” she said with a confident smile, as if waiting for Ye Yu’s astonishment.
Yet after a long moment, Ye Yu looked only puzzled, and beckoned Ah Rui over. “Come—what is this thing?”
The demoness’s face darkened. “You don’t even recognize this token? I hoped your companion would have a keener eye!”
Ah Rui stared at the token for a long while, then slapped his palm and said earnestly, “This is a token forged from refined demonstone—very valuable!”
Ye Yu kicked Ah Rui away without hesitation. “Are you blind? I didn’t ask about the material!”
The demoness’s patience snapped. She said in a low voice, “Enough. This is the token of Bai Miaoxiang, Demon Lord of Lotus Province. Present it as her face. You two don’t even recognize that?”
Ye Yu and Ah Rui shook their heads blankly. Truth be told, they had never heard the name Bai Miaoxiang before. They’d been preoccupied with sect affairs and paid little heed to which demon ruled the province.
The demoness scratched her head in exasperation, then explained her purpose. “My name is Hou Mingjie, the Minister of Internal Affairs under the Demon Lord of Lotus Province. I came to this sect tournament to seek out outstanding talent for the Demon Lord. From what I’ve seen, Ye Yu, you are exactly whom I was searching for.”
She had recorded Ye Yu’s fight through secret arts and sent it to Bai Miaoxiang. The Demon Lord had given high praise and expressed a desire to meet him in person.
“Perhaps I can grant you whatever you desire,” Hou Mingjie concluded.
Ye Yu’s voice was soft. “Does Bai Miaoxiang know what I want?”
Hou Mingjie’s expression turned serious. “First, one must not address the Demon Lord by name. Second, within Lotus Province, Demon Lord Bai is like heaven—he holds the power of life and death. As for sect rivalries—they are trivial. Serving the Demon Lord will secure your legacy in history. If you win his favor, in the Ascension War six months hence, you too may be included! That would be the greatest honor for any demon!”
At these words, Ye Yu’s heart stirred. An Ascension War six months later? Having a specific date meant their plans were ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) already laid. Lotus Province was small and sparsely populated; no single province could achieve ascension alone. The only possibility was that all the Demon Lords had allied.
That was indeed big news.
Before Ye Yu could speak, the arena erupted once more. Looking down, he saw that Mo Geilian had defeated Sha Tian Pavilion’s Master Nian Yuanji—a Demon Emperor Realm power vanquishing a Demon Sovereign Realm expert. Another victory of the weak over the strong.
Mo Geilian’s body bore many wounds—none fatal, but he looked rather battered.
Hou Mingjie’s eyes shone. “Perhaps we should wait for the Lord of Chi Demon Hall and then go together to meet the Demon Lord.”
In her mind, Ye Yu had no reason to refuse.
Ye Yu offered no objection.
Over the next two hours, Mo Geilian accepted challenges from three sect masters, ultimately losing by a hair’s breadth to Wen Yinqing, Valley Lord of Suoxian Valley. Anyone could see Wen Yinqing had resorted to trickery; if he had faced Mo Geilian first, he might not have won. But the matter was done.
When Mo Geilian returned to the stands, Ah Rui hurried over to comfort him. “Don’t be upset, Lord Geilian. Wen Yinqing fought smart. Losing isn’t shameful!”
Mo Geilian shook his head. “Upset? I’m not upset! I never planned to claim the sect’s lead today. There were three of us—does that fit their rules? I only meant to fight a few rounds and make Sha Tian Pavilion’s name known.”
“And big brother told me to concede!”
Ah Rui looked puzzled. “Big brother told you to concede?”
“Exactly. I was thinking: if we keep fighting, these masters will grind me down in a war of attrition. There’d be no result. Better to stop now. Besides, someone awaits us.”
Ye Yu turned and pointed to Hou Mingjie, intending to introduce her to Mo Geilian. But he forgot her name and asked, “Um, what’s your name again?”
Hou Mingjie’s face darkened. Insulted! But to fulfill Demon Lord Bai’s mission, she swallowed her anger and repeated her purpose, solemnly inviting Mo Geilian to join her in meeting the Demon Lord in his hall.
Mo Geilian did not immediately agree. He turned to Ye Yu and asked via inner-voice transmission, “Big brother, what do you think?”
No harm in seeing him, Ye Yu transmitted.
Mo Geilian nodded. “If big brother wishes to go, then let’s go!”
Hou Mingjie at once led the three of them quietly away from the tournament.
She had intended to leave Ah Rui behind—after all, that fledgling “Heart Demon” had barely reached Flight Ascension Realm and was hardly impressive. But at Ye Yu and Mo Geilian’s strong insistence, she relented.
She did not notice the murderous glint that had flashed in Ah Rui’s eyes as they departed.
After their departure, the tournament concluded. Wen Yinqing of Suoxian Valley claimed victory and secured his sect’s position at the head of the provinces’ sects. Aware that his win felt less than honorable, he sought out Mo Geilian and Ye Yu afterward, only to find they were gone. He could not help but feel a touch of disappointment.
