The Demon Emperor's Conjecture

Chapter 47: The Demon Emperor's Speculation

Inside Lingxiao Palace, the shadows cast by the gilded coiled dragon pillars pooled like frozen ink.

Di Jun sat high upon the Nine Dragon Golden Throne, the River Diagram and Luo Book suspended in his palm. The tortoiseshell patterns flickered unsteadily, as if silently deducing.

Eastern Emperor Tai Yi stood still at the foot of the steps, the Chaos Bell phantom rising and sinking. Its surface reflected the shattered mountains and rivers of the Primordial World, while a single point of Chaos Profound Light swirled at the bell's heart, pressing the air in the hall into a leaden stagnation. Ji Meng's report had concluded, its lingering echoes like thunderclaps winding around the hall's beams, refusing to disperse.

"Sage of the Small Courtyard... Cut Grass and Remove Roots... Unity is strength..." Tai Yi repeated in a low voice, the Chaos Bell humming and trembling in response. He jerked his head up, his golden pupils bursting like molten lava: "Elder Brother! Such an existence is by no means an unknown figure! To enlighten Ji Meng, command Chaotic Vitality, evade the River Diagram and Luo Book's deductions, and escape the Chaos Bell's tracing—he must undoubtedly be a hidden Chaos Demon God!"

"Only a Chaos Demon God from before the creation of the world could transcend the shackles of the Primordial Heavenly Dao!" Tai Yi stepped forward, his voice shaking the hall. "His words 'Cut Grass and Remove Roots' are the thunderous means of annihilating dissenters; his teaching of 'unity' is the imperial art of gathering power! Lying dormant for ten thousand years, now revealing his trail through Ji Meng—his ambition is no small matter!" The Chaos Bell phantom shook violently with his emotions, its waves sweeping out, causing the cloud bricks at the hall's corners to crack inch by inch!

Di Jun's fingertips traced the icy edge of the River Diagram and Luo Book, his gaze deep as an abyss: "A Chaos Demon God... indeed possible." The tortoiseshell patterns shifted, projecting a phantom of the Creation Tribulation's thunder shattering chaos. "But all the Demon Gods were slain by Pangu, their remnant souls fleeing into the void. If a survivor truly exists, why appear now? And why hide in a mere small courtyard, doing things like saving a dog and planting vegetables?"

"Or perhaps... a Primordial mighty figure unwilling to emerge into the world." Di Jun's voice was heavy and deep. The light of the River Diagram and Luo Book shifted abruptly, the tortoiseshell patterns weaving into a scene of Buzhou Mountain collapsing and the Heavenly River pouring down. "Nuwa created humans and became a Sage; the Three Pure Ones established their teachings and attained the Dao. The fate of the Primordial World has already changed. Such an existence may be avoiding the karmic consequences of the great tribulations, or plotting a larger scheme. Thus, he hides among the mortal world, using grass, trees, and a Clay Jar as a smokescreen." His gaze swept over Ji Meng below the steps. "Enlightening a Demon Commander is both a gesture of goodwill and a warning—the movements of the Demon Court are all within his sight!"

"Goodwill?" Tai Yi's brows furrowed sharply. "And that title of 'little dog'—is that not an insult?!"

"Insult?" A cold, sharp smile curled at the corner of Di Jun's mouth. "In the eyes of such an existence, even a Demon Commander is but an ant. Calling him 'little dog' is a reminder to us—all living beings in the Primordial World are within the palm of his observation!" The River Diagram and Luo Book suddenly blazed with light, projecting a phantom of the small courtyard: a crude stone house, verdant vegetable plots, a rough Clay Jar... Beneath this ordinary surface, however, flowed a Chaos Dao Charm that made even sacred treasures tremble!

A deathly silence enveloped the great hall. After a long while, Di Jun slowly closed his palm, and the light of the River Diagram and Luo Book receded.

"Whether a Chaos Demon God or a Primordial mighty figure, his power is already beyond our measure." His voice seemed to come from the depths of the Nine Nether Hells, cold and low, like the clash of two pieces of chilled iron, sending a chill through anyone who heard it.

"Rash investigation would invite utter annihilation!" His words revealed a deep fear and worry, as if the power of that Chaos Demon God and Primordial mighty figure was so terrifying that even a mere glimpse would bring catastrophic consequences.

Tai Yi's Chaos Bell abruptly ceased its hum, and the phantom of the Witch-Demon Battlefield's defeat on the bell's surface shattered inch by inch. Though hot-tempered, he knew his elder brother spoke the truth—an existence that could evade the Heavenly Dao's deductions possessed power beyond the Primordial World's comprehension!

"Issue the order." Di Jun's gaze swept over the generals below, his pressure like the heavens collapsing. "The matter of the small courtyard is classified as the highest secret of the Demon Court! Anyone who leaks a single word—"

The Chaos Bell rang in response!

"Dong—!"

The bell waves swept out like a solid blade, silently annihilating a towering jade pillar outside the hall, not even a speck of dust rising!

"Soul and spirit utterly destroyed, bloodline completely eradicated!"

In the shadows, Demon Master Kunpeng gently fanned his feathered fan, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He stepped forward and bowed, his voice like a viper's hiss: "Your Majesty is wise. However, since a Sage has appeared, the Demon Court cannot remain uninformed. Your subject requests to secretly dispatch a trusted agent, under the guise of a Journey, to observe the flow of Dao Charm in the small courtyard from afar, without any disturbance. If by chance an opportunity arises..."

Di Jun's golden eyes narrowed slightly, the River Diagram and Luo Book spinning silently in his palm. After a long pause, he slowly nodded: "Approved. But only observe from afar, do not approach, and do not utter a single word about the Demon Court!"

"Your subject accepts the decree." Kunpeng lowered his head, his feathered fan concealing a sly smile at the corner of his lips.

Outside the hall, Demonic Clouds churned. Ji Meng stood before the steps, the silver scales on his back shimmering with dark gold. He gazed toward the direction of Buzhou Mountain, as if piercing through ten thousand miles of mist to see the green seedlings swaying in that small courtyard. The Sage's game had begun. How should the Demon Court place its pieces?