The Green Demon King smiled but did not answer.
Azure Pine Master said, "Speaking of catching everyone in one net, Brother Zhu, you think I failed to keep my promise. Then you've misunderstood me. I said I needed materials, and you needed your rivals eliminated. I set the trap, and you fanned the flames. That way, I could catch everyone in one net. I wasn't deceiving you."
"Because by then, the Yuan Shu Stele had already begun to change and light up. I had no choice but to use an array to conceal it. But then I noticed that some Chaos Demons had begun gathering around the stele. In particular, those that had devoured Primal Souls charged at it like moths to a flame, just to pour their souls into it."
"Each soul the Yuan Shu Stele received added another speck of light to its surface. Only then did I realize those souls were its nourishment. That's why I said what I did. I truly wasn't deceiving you when I said I'd set a trap."
The Green Demon King nodded. "Devil Ancestor, you're a man of your word. It seems I misunderstood. But what unexpected change occurred?"
Azure Pine Master answered with a question of his own. "Earlier, I said Brother Zhu was a dragon among men. I wasn't merely flattering you. But among your group, there's another whose worth I rate even higher than yours. Brother Zhu, would you like to hear who?"
The Green Demon King cursed inwardly. *As if I have a choice. I have to listen either way. I'm a member of the Demon Race, yet you keep going on about dragons among men. You dog, you must be so bored you're going mad—looking for any excuse to talk, and now you can't even use the