Relying on the cultivation technique Mo Lin Tian (Demon’s Arrival in Heaven), Ye Yu was already invincible among peers.
In less than the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, with the final Immortal implement—the Demon-Subduing Umbrella (the sect’s sacred parasol)—shattered, all three Immortal King–level adversaries lay dead.
Ye Yu casually rifled through their Storage Rings, then cast a sneer: “Ugh, three paupers!”
It wasn’t that these three were truly poor—rather, Ye Yu’s standards had been lifted sky-high by the treasures he’d taken from the Demon Lords. In the vast Demon Realm only nine Demon Lords existed, so their resources were naturally vast. Compared to their riches, these Immortal Kings’ rings were empty. They’d never have imagined that after death they’d be insulted as paupers.
With that done, Ye Yu turned to Xu Nanqiao, not far off. She immediately clasped her hands in salute: “Thank you for saving me, Demon Lord Ye. I will repay this kindness in the future!”
Her words were sincere, but in truth as Ye Yu fought the Immortal Kings she’d already been desperate to flee. Whoever won, it spelled disaster for her—if the Immortals prevailed, they’d hunt her again; if Ye Yu won, he was even deadlier to demons.
Yet when Ye Yu felled one Immortal King with a single strike, Xu Nanqiao’s hope faltered. ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Watching him defeat the rest in seconds, she knew escape was impossible—he would sense her flight and kill her on the spot.
So she stayed, deciding to face Ye Yu and hope to save herself.
Ye Yu strolled up and asked, “Your reinforcements from Dong Yao Zhou attacked from the east—why are you in the south?”
Xu Nanqiao’s heart sank. She’d planned to head east, but Bai Qingsong’s death had thrown the Dong Yao demons into panic. They’d started to avoid Lianhua Zhou’s forces, so lingering in the east made no sense. She’d gone south alone to seek resources and grow stronger—only by rising in power could she reclaim Dong Yao Zhou. Assuming, of course, Ye Yu didn’t interfere.
She quickly invented a reason: traveling with the Dong Yao army meant too many mouths and too few spoils, so she struck out alone to salvage something useful.
Ye Yu’s lips curved in amusement. “You expect me to believe that?”
Feigning confusion, Xu Nanqiao replied, “Demon Lord Ye, what do you mean?”
Ye Yu stepped forward, closing the distance. Looking her in the eye he murmured, “What should I call you? ‘Envoy of Dong Yao Zhou’? Or the true ruler of Dong Yao Zhou?”
Her face drained of color. In an instant she felt herself plunging into an abyss of darkness, her form falling helplessly. Xu Nanqiao realized with horror that her mind was under invasion by a Dream Demon.
No one expected Ye Yu—whose physical prowess they all admired—to be a Dream Demon, far surpassing even specialists in dream intrusion. How could he be so terrifyingly powerful?
Panic gripped her. She struggled to stabilize her spirit and break free, but a pair of massive, icy pupils appeared overhead. The darkness turned blood-red and began to spread toward her.
She understood his intention: once the blood tide enveloped her, she would become an obedient puppet, her will utterly erased—unlike Bai Qingsong, who retained some agency.
Desperation seized her. “Release me! I’ll trade you intelligence for an Ancient Demon Artifact—one sealed in the Heaven Realm for ages!”
In that moment the nightmare shattered. Xu Nanqiao collapsed, gasping for breath, the world snapping back to reality around her.
She looked up at Ye Yu and trembled, “How did you discover I controlled Bai Qingsong?”
Ye Yu replied calmly, “He bore the mark of dream intrusion. And you—being a Dream Demon who could so easily enter the Demon Lord’s hall—were the most likely culprit. I merely tested my theory.”
Xu Nanqiao sat stunned. A simple test, and he’d already struck at her mind?
Ye Yu’s plan was straightforward: he intended to control Xu Nanqiao as the Demon Lord of Dong Yao Zhou, thus bringing two provinces under his sway. Unbeknownst to him, Xu Nanqiao had entertained the same idea. They truly thought alike.
