She Miejue and She Tianba were standing there. He woke up after taking some medicine; his injuries had recovered significantly.
She Miejue was pacing back and forth with a frown in the main hall.
She Tianba was not worried about his ancestral aunt being demonized. On the contrary, he was excited.
āAncestral aunt, you became a demon? Does that mean that youāll be part of the demonic sect from now on? The Fifth Parlor Lord? Isnāt that a high position in the demonic sect?ā She Tianba said expectantly.
She Miejue ignored his questions. She asked instead, āShe Tianba. All that you said just now, is it all true?ā
āYes, it is. I would never dare deceive you, ancestral aunt. I would not hide anything about the things that happened at the She Clan estate a short while ago!ā She Tianba replied solemnly.
āWang Ke is really quick on his toes. No wonder the Sect Lord took him as his disciple! Howeverā¦ Zhu Yan? That rascal became a demon? Heās really sick of living!ā said She Miejue with a displeased face.
She Tianba was taken aback by this. What does she mean?Sheās praising Wang Ke?Why!That bastard! Why does my ancestral aunt like him?
āAncestral aunt, can I be part of the Nether Demon Assembly tonight?ā She Tianba looked at his ancestral aunt, looking forward to her reply.
He also wanted to have a share of the Netherborn.
Alas, it was a pity that She Miejue didnāt seem to understand his intention. āTonightās Nether Demon Assembly will be unusual. You shouldnāt go there; hide instead!ā she warned, then continued by saying, āYou are the descendant of the She Clan. I will give you a big gift!ā
āAhh?ā She Tianba was at a loss.
He wanted to have a share of Princess Youyueās blood and essence energy, but his ancestral aunt would not let him attend. Why!But, didnāt she say she was going to give me a big gift?Fine. I shall wait for now!
āāāā-
In another hall of the royal palace.
Zhu Hongyi was drinking out of frustration, frowning while he was in deep thought.
āAncestral uncle, Immortal Qing doesnāt wish to see you? You lost control during your demonic awakening back then, when you killed her family! It should be understandable! You were not yourself at that time, and you didnāt want to kill them, either; why is she still holding on to that grudge after more than a hundred years have passed?ā Zhu Yan said as he poured more wine into his ancestral uncleās cup.
āSigh! Thatās not my main concern; itās more about something that happened recently. Itās all my fault. Some time ago, the Demon Sovereign sought my aid to demonize Qingāer, but sheā¦!ā Zhu Hongyi sighed and drank in frustration.
Zhu Yan was curious; he asked as he poured another cup of wine, āThe Demon Sovereign asked you to deal with Immortal Qing?ā
āQingāer is staunch in her position; she swore to kill all demons! Heh, thereās no way she would readily become a demon. A person unwilling to be demonized would never transform if they resisted in their hearts! In principle, Qingāer canāt be demonized! Still, she was captured by the Demon Sovereign. Her only choices were death or being demonized!ā Zhu Hongyi explained bitterly.
āBut this is not your fault!ā Zhu Yan continued urging Zhu Hongyi to drink.
āIn order to convince Qingāer to join the demonic side,ā Zhu Hongyi shook his head and explained further, āthe Demon Sovereign cast a dream spell, and then asked me to persuade Qingāer inside the dream. Using the dream spell illusions, Qingāer saw that I was going to die. She was only willing to be demonized in order to save me!ā
āA dream spell?ā
āDreams are not part of reality. Still, even though one could neglect many things in a dream, what remains is the heart. Qingāer forgot everything else in the dream, but not her love for me! Heh, when she woke up and realized it was all a lieā¦ Those eyes of hers when she looked at meā¦!ā Zhu Hongyi drank away; he seemed to be deeply regretting his actions.
Zhu Yan consoled him by saying, āImmortal Qing loves you dearly; she will eventually forgive you. You helped her so much this time around, Iām sure she remembers. With time she will understand your hard work!ā
She was his former lover, who later became an enemy because he fell into the demonic ways. She Qingqing changed her name to She Miejue and killed demons like crazy. That was all because of the great hatred born out of her deep love; one of them joined the righteous faction while the other joined the demonic faction. His heart was filled with turmoil all those years! And then, he deceived Qingāer and crushed her faith! Zhu Hongyi felt helpless, not knowing how to redeem the situation, and Qingāer was still treating him with a sub zero attitude. He could not feel more bitter!
His only confidant was Zhu Yan; there was no way an outsider could know about his plight.
Zhu Yan listened to his ancestral uncle airing his grievances. His eyes also glistened while he was offering consolation as he followed the conversation topicā
It was all because Zhu Yan wanted to continue being the Great Qingās Emperor; he didnāt want to lose his empire. Few cultivators would be attracted to the mortal world, while it was rather tempting to become an emperor. I had unmatched authority and inexhaustible wealth.How could I simply give those up just because Iāve been demonized?
I can easily rule the empire while cultivating!I can use the empireās resources to boost my progress.Why would I give it up?
The most important objective was to retrieve the bead bracelet from Princess Youyue so he could conceal his demonic Qi; no one would know he was a demon if he were successful. And of course, even if Wang Ke knew about it, it wouldnāt be a problem because Zhu Yan could merely contradict him.
The reason why he had persuaded his ancestral uncle to imprison Princess Youyue in the Empressā Residence was because of the underground dungeon. The vast dungeon actually stretched all the way to a place underneath the study room. He had already assigned someone to dig downwards in order to connect to the dungeon. Zhu Yan would then have access to Princess Youyue, quietly through the tunnel.
All he wanted was just the bracelet, nothing else!
āAncestral uncle, the chain you used to restrain the princess should be an enchanted artifact, right? I see that a part of the chain is outside the gateā¦ hanging in midair?ā Zhu Yan said expectantly.
āYouāre right! It is called Hongyi Chain. I forged it! Many people from the Great Yin Demon Sect know about it; they can know what is happening to the princess by using a segment left outside the gate. The section left outside will sound off an alarm!ā Zhu Hongyi explained after he drank another cup of wine.
The people outside would be alerted if someone touched the chain inside?
Zhu Yan was not happy about it. Even if I manage to sneak up to Princess Youyue, I might easily trigger the alarm. What should I do?
āAncestral uncle, do you have a way to untie the Hongyi Chain inside without setting off the alarm? Iām worried that some demonic disciples might try sneaking in! What if they eat Princess Youyue before the Nether Demon Assembly and disrupt the whole thing?ā Zhu Yan said, expecting his ancestral uncle to offer a favorable reply.