The fireworks on Betrothal Day were still being set off in the sky, but just as the day reached its end, the Demon Lord quietly slipped into the dark of the night and arrived before a pair of decrepit-looking palace doors.
The Demon Lord had built plenty of palaces in the outskirts of the Dark Capital in the past few years, their locations some of which even he had forgotten. Most who were fearful of the Demon Lordâs might did not dare to approach these houses, and as nobody remembered to send anyone to sweep them, such houses lost any signs of human habitation as time passed. There was no other place more suited for handling matters in secret.
As the first Celestial to ever become a monarch, Ye Junhou had lived for a very long time. While the Monster King had yet to tell him the principles of the summoning spell, he could deduce from just one look at the formation that this was a very draining spell, something that absolutely could not be accomplished without Ruler-level cultivation.
In Ji Moâs story, this spell was called Storge. Due to a reduced fertility rate within the Monster Clan, every offspring produced by the Monster King was left with a specialized array that would summon their parents whenever the child was met with danger. In short, this could be summed up with one phrase, âEven if you defeat the small one, the big one will arrive right afterâ.
Not even Ji Mo himself knew how Ren Qingya was able to summon the author using this array. However, there was no doubt that the Monster King never gave up on researching and improving upon this spell after all these years, and had even received a great deal of results from it. For instance, the love and longing used to activate the spell had been replaced by fear and hate, and at present, two people could now share the cost of powering the array.
Chang Hui had come from a world that strove for power and influence and did not have much talent for cultivation. While he had been practicing for the past few years, he was unable to supply such a great cost. As luck would have it, Ye Junhou who did have this power held no love nor hate towards his own god, and so the two of them were able to make up for each otherâs inadequacies and work together.
When the number of people activating the spell became two instead of one, it would be hard to determine whose god that appeared belonged to whom, but they could just re-do the spell if they summoned the wrong god. Ye Junhou had no particular qualms about this.
Ye Junhou was originally disinterested in the gods, but the Monster Kingâs second letter had stood out to him.
âI have recently discovered something new about how the gods are able to remold the Celestials, I would like to invite the Demon Lord to the Monster Continent for a detailed discussion.â
The fact that emotions sacrificed by a demon could never be reclaimed was an ironclad rule of the world. However, if this was a rule dictated by the gods, could a god be able to change it?
Reaching out to touch the cloak he had donned before heading out earlier, Ye Junhou had no idea why he had done so, as his cultivation would allow him to withstand the cold. Perhaps Cheng Shuagâs expression before he left had reminded him of something from the past.
Before being transported to another world, he was just an ordinary modern man who had yet to awaken his powers. He would be chilled by the cold wind, be scared when it was dark, not even capable of fighting a street hoodlum. The sole programming skills he had were utterly useless in this world, and he couldnât even farm or do any sort of housekeeping work. It was Cheng Shuang who had picked him up and taught him so many things, allowing him to survive in such an unfamiliar time period. At the time, he had yet to become Ye Junhou.
In those days, he had nothing except the heart for loving this maiden;
But now, he had everything, all the priceless treasures in the world that he could seek for her, all except that one heart.
Ye Junhou never regretted awakening his demonic bloodline. Sincerity wouldnât bring him the life he had, nor could it protect anyoneâ only strength would allow them to survive.
Strength always came with a price, and the Celestials who were unwilling to pay were all dead bodies by now. Only he who had given up everything was able to live on. Apart from the matter with Cheng Shuang, he was living a pretty good life.
However, demons were known for being greedy. The things he couldnât attain would be sought out one way or another, and since an opportunity had presented itself to him, he wouldnât mind taking back that heart of his. At the very least, Cheng Shuang would no longer be at odds with him.
If this woman continued quarreling with him, he was truly afraid of one day being unable to suppress his demonic nature and killing her.
Even more frightening was the possibility of seeing her dead body and not being able to even shed a tear. To him of the past, that would be the most sorrowful thing indeed.
Not that he was able to feel a trace of sadness after coming up with such a scenario.
âStand guard here, notify me immediately if there are any changes.â
Patting his sonâs shoulder, Ye Junhou looked at Ye Poâs immediate embattled expression, feeling his mood warm up slightly. The emotions a demon chose to sacrifice could only be the ones he already had, and he hadnât had a son nor any expectations for an offspring back then. Perhaps it was due to this that he was able to retain some of his paternal love.
It was a shame that there was no longer any trace of the love that was enough for him to single-handedly conquer the Fei Kingdom, other than his memories that slowly eroded through the passage of time.
âYe Po (ç ´; break, defeat), do you know why I gave you this name?â
For some reason, Ye Junhou was in the mood to chat with his son today, as if it would be too late to part with these words if he did not do so now. His only weakness was his own son, but Ye Po was standing right here, with no reason to betray him. As long as nothing went wrong with his demonic blood, who in this world was capable of eliminating the Demon Lord?
Shaking off these needless worries, he merely thought of it as being overcautious for taking a risk he hadnât taken in many years, and said seriously to a puzzled Ye Po,
âBecause this is the way of the world; those who antagonize you will appear continuously without an end in sightâ only by breaking through them and being the sole dominator of the world will you be able to achieve a secure life. Youâre a man â you have to be strong enough, or your wife and children will be forced to live like slaves, worse than a dog.â
This was his first time seeing such a serious expression on his typically languid and unrestrained Royal Father. He couldnât help but feel anxious under the weight of his fatherâs expectations, âRoyal Father, I will do my best to increase my cultivation!â
âDonât be so stressed out, youâre only sixteen. Youâre allowed to fool around, find a few girlfriends to date. Firstly, learn how to enjoy your life. A Heavenly Demon has a long life ahead of him, you wonât die in the next few hundred years.â
He patted the boyâs head, telling him of the most glorious things he had longed for when he was sixteen. While the Demon Lord could no longer feel what he felt at the time, he still gave a sigh, âAfter all, there are many things you wonât be able to experience after becoming a demon.â
He did not say anything else to Ye Po, since he would understand it all once he awakened the Heavenly Demonâs bloodline. Besides, Chang Hui had also arrived, âDemon Lord, the array has been completed, we can begin now.â
Sweeping his gaze over the array spread across the entire palace hall, Ye Junhou knew that he would be able to summon the one who had created him through these complicated patterns. He originally thought that he didnât give a crap about something like this, but now that things had come to a head, he couldnât help but want to ask that god of his: why did he have to give up his emotions to become a Heavenly Demon? Was it that even a god thought that love was not a good thing?
Not expecting such a thought to pop up in his mind, Ye Junhou smiled self-deprecatingly and did not say anything more. He merely raised his head and walked over to the array, the arrogance that only a Demon Lord could exhibit displayed across his features,
âWell, letâs give it a try. Iâd like to see the kind of existence a god is.â
At the same time, a white pigeon landed soundlessly in the Demonic Palace. After receiving the information transmitted by the pigeons, Su Ge slowly got up from where he had been resting, âYe Junhou has entered the array. Gentlemen, prepare to move.â
This was a large trap many years in the making. They had to eliminate Ye Junhou at this moment, or else he would surely come back with a vengeance in the future. Knowing that failure of todayâs operation was not an option, and while they had been tasked with whisking the author away the instant they were summoned, Ji Mo still gave Ye Mingjun a request, âXianjun, if the High Priest is at a disadvantage during battle, please help him out.â
Ye Mingjun naturally wouldnât refuse something Ji Mo had asked of him, so he smiled and nodded his head, saying, âGive me your hand.â
âHm?â
Seeing him raise his hand in puzzlement, the immortal lightly gripped the manâs delicate hand, using the glowing tip of his finger to write on it. He then smiled lightly in reply, âThis is a protective charm, itâll keep you safe if youâre ever in danger.â
Only by ensuring his safety would Ye Mingjun feel at ease and enter the battlefield.
Understanding the meaning behind his actions, Ji Moâs fingers clenched loosely. While he wasnât too used to interacting with someone in this way, he still helped him fix his lappet, and said softly, âXianjun, please protect yourself.â
The crux of their plan was eliminating the Demon Lord, and Celestials below ruler-level had no place in this battle. Watching them leave, a trace of loneliness flashed across the Demon Empressâ eyes. She had not experienced such affectionate exchanges like theirs in many years.
Well, she would surely feel much less burdened if she hadnât had them in the first place.
âYe Qing (ć¸ ; clear, pure), do you know of the meaning behind your name?â
Perhaps out of some sort of connection between spouses, she asked him the exact same question as Ye Junhou, despite walking down different paths and becoming enemies with each other.
However, the boy who responded to her had an indifferent look on his face, solely focused on instilling his own blood into a bottle, not even a twitch of his eyebrow, âBefore today, I did not know my own name.â
âWith the world in such disorder, the Celestials indulge wantonly, disregarding the peopleâs livelihood despite ascending the throne, no law or discipline in sight. Here, those who truly are enamored with battle make up only a small fraction of the population, and the majority merely wish to live in peace. Yet the struggles between this minority have involved the stable lives of those around them, making them shed their blood and lay down their lives for nothing. Such is the most unjust matter I deem.â
Softly stating the words which had been impossible to say in front of her husband, she knew that this child had already transformed into a Heavenly Demon and was likely unmoved by them. Even so, as a mother, this was her first and last instruction to him. She had to finish it.
âThe people are powerless to resist the world; someone must step out to take the lead. Your father couldnât do it, because he had already abandoned all his emotions, but you still can. Now, I merely wish for you to learn the High Priestâs benevolence, that you alone remain detached from all corruption[1], bringing peace to the world with a demonic fist and a sacred heart.â
Hearing these words, the boy finally lifted his head, but his typically bright and lively eyes had turned as still as dead water. Under the dim light of the night, she suddenly realized how similar he looked to the Demon Lord. Using some of his remaining rationality to analyze her words, he found that this was something he would agree to before becoming a demon, and so the newest generation of Heavenly Demons chose to nod his head in reply, âEmpress Dowager, I will do as you say.â
With Su Ge gone, Qing Ye had no reason to stay. Stashing away the demonic blood he had prepared, he walked over to his Royal Uncleâs people who had been waiting for quite some time. He needed to subdue the Demon Lordâs former subordinates before the High Priest returned in order to reduce the amount of chaos happening when the news arrived. The first thing he had chosen to sacrifice during the ritual was his affection toward family members. He might as well, since there was no one in the Demonic Palace able to shake him up now.
All he needed to remember was that he and the High Priest would merge the Godly and Demonic Continents back into the Fei Kingdom, and the Morning Star Priest was the most trustworthy person. Apart from his aspirations that gave him reason to walk into this battlefield, nothing else was important.
âThatâs right, no matter what you desire, youâll still need to pay the price in due time.â
As she watched that child leave apathetically, the woman dressed in palace clothes wearily sat down at last. She had given up so much for this day to happen, she had almost no strength to carry on anymore. Fortunately, everything she had endured would eventually come to an end.
The fireworks outside had yet to stop, and the bright colors lighting up the window paper caused memories of her first New Yearâs Eve with her husband to resurface. She had daringly snuck out of the family feast, hiding in the aisle waiting for the person who had promised to meet her there. The Fei Kingdomâs fireworks had been so gorgeous, she gazed at the evening clouds dyed in various colors, nothing in her mind apart from when he would arrive.
At the time, she hoped that he would come as soon as possible. Now, she wished that he would never return.
Your Majesty, you were right. Itâs much better to be ruthless than to be affectionate. At the very least, one would never feel anguish by being ruthless.
TL Notes
[1] âthat you alone remain detached from all corruptionâ â çžççéä˝ ç¨éďźčä¸çćżä˝ ç¨ć¸ . This is more figurative, and the literal translation is:that you alone will stay sober when all is drunk, that you alone will stay pure when the world is muddied, which is where Ye Qingâs name comes from.