Ghost Fiend, Endure

"Destroy the Dark Palace!" Xiao Yao declared, his voice ringing with conviction.

Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor fell into thought. The Dark Palace no longer had Empress Shangyuan, so it would be quite easy for the Demonic Path forces to destroy it.

So he didn't give it another thought and agreed. "No problem!"

Then, pretending to be magnanimous, he asked, "Do you have any other requests?"

"I do!" Xiao Yao immediately replied with a grin.

Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor's face stiffened. He shouldn't have said that. If he hadn't, this little brat wouldn't have made another demand.

Xiao Yao pointed at Zhu Ding, who was kneeling on the ground, and said with a beaming smile, "I want Shātu Demon Sage to become my Sword Slave."

"No!" Zhu Ding shouted.

He didn't want to become Xiao Yao's Sword Slave!

Of course, he didn't want to become anyone's Sword Slave.

But Zhu Ding noticed Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor's eyes shifting slightly. He was clearly weighing the pros and cons.

So Zhu Ding hurriedly pleaded, "Lord, I've served you. Even if I haven't earned merit, I've certainly worked hard. Please don't do this to me."

"Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor, if you refuse even one of my requests, I won't let my master continue your duel," Xiao Yao threatened outright.

Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor's fury had reached unprecedented heights.

No one had ever dared speak to him like this—not to mention a little brat with a cultivation level at the peak of the Transcendent Realm Ninth Layer.

Seeing Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor's expression grow more and more twisted, Xiao Yao knew the chance for his master to kill him had come!

Yet Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor's expression suddenly calmed. "Can I go back and think about it?"

"No!" Xiao Yao retorted, then added with scorn, "You're a dignified Demon Emperor, yet you can't even make this decision on the spot. I'm starting to wonder whether you're really Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor."

It was a provocation!

Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor recognized it at once.

Even so, the fury in his heart surged higher and higher. Just as he was about to explode, a voice echoed in his mind.

Ghost Fiend, endure!

Everything you're doing now is for the future!

It's only Zhu Ding. Giving him up is no great loss. The bigger picture must come first!

Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor closed his eyes. Once he had fully thought it through, he opened them again and said with firm resolve, "Fine! I'll grant every request you made."

Xiao Yao's heart sank. He realized the trap behind his master's duel with Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor ran deeper than he could have imagined.

Otherwise, why would a Demon Emperor agree so readily to all these deliberately difficult demands?

Fortunately, he had the system. It was still anyone's game!

Turning to Zhu Ding, whose face had gone ashen, Xiao Yao called out, "Master, do it!"

Dongfang Xuetong began carving the Emperor Tier Sword Slave Seal with the sword in her hand. As she worked, she repeatedly recalled what had just happened.

From his title, Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor was clearly no great master of restraint.

And indeed, before he had reached Emperor Tier, he had already relied on his senior sister's reputation to treat every other Emperor Tier cultivator with utter contempt.

He had even once made an Emperor Tier cultivator take off his boots for him—a truly absurd incident.

So this duel was bound to be a trap, and a deep one at that.

It reminded her of how Sister Susu had once tried to dissuade her from accepting the duel.

Now all she felt was regret.

But what was done was done. Regretting it wouldn't help!

Just then, she heard Xiao Yao's clear, childish voice beside her. "Master, I've finished carving the Sword Slave Seal!"

Dongfang Xuetong casually murmured, "Oh," before coming back to herself. Without any further hesitation, she drove the Sword Slave Seal into Zhu Ding's body.

Seeing this, Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor turned around, flicked his sleeve, and vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a parting remark.

"I'll go make preparations to destroy the Dark Palace. Farewell!"

Zhu Ding fell into utter despair and didn't resist at all as the Sword Slave Seal entered his body.

Dongfang Xuetong then did the same to Duan Qi. Once she was done, she put away her treasure, crouched down, and wrapped her arms around Xiao Yao in front of her.

"I'm sorry, my disciple! I never expected the duel with Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor to be such a deep trap."

Mm!

Master's body was so soft and fragrant!

This seemed to be the first time I'd been this close to Master.

Xiao Yao was delighted, but he didn't forget to reply.

"Master, I'm not afraid of Wang Teng, who has the Emperor's Bearing. I'm just wondering what we'll do if the Demonic Path forces still make a move after I win the duel."

Dongfang Xuetong had naturally thought of that too, and answered, "My disciple, I'm not without allies. I have powerful reinforcements. So as long as you defeat Wang Teng, the Demonic Path forces won't dare make a move."

"Then I can relax!" Xiao Yao thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

When it came to cultivation, even without the Chaos Body, he had the God-tier Sign-in System. He wouldn't lose to anyone.

Besides, his opponent was Wang Teng, who had the Emperor's Bearing. How could he possibly lose?

Inside the Ghost Fiend Demon Hall.

Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor, who had been holding it in all this time, roared furiously.

"Utter humiliation! Utter humiliation!"

"Ever since I set foot on the path of cultivation, I've never suffered such an indignity."

"Junior brother, who made you so furious?"

The voice was icy and murderous, making even Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor shudder.

He looked ahead but saw no one, so he asked, "Senior sister, where are you?"

"I'm already in Demon Flame Valley. I estimate I'll be able to subdue the Ethereal Purple Ember Fire before the day of the duel. By then, even that stinking fox won't be a match for me. I'm reminding you not to stir up trouble during this time."

Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor nodded. "All right! But before that, I want to tell you what's happened recently."

After listening, the voice spoke again.

"So, according to you, even Wang Teng is no match for Xiao Yao, who has the Chaos Body?"

Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor nodded repeatedly. "That's right! So I plan to send Wang Teng into the Formless Demon Cave to cultivate. Ten days in there equal one day outside, giving him ten times the cultivation time."

"Then do that."

After the voice fell silent, Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor wore a rather confident smile. "Heh heh! Xiao Yao, let's see how you manage to beat Wang Teng now!"

At the same time, in the courtyard of the Xiao Clan's Young Clan Leader.

Xiao Yao seemed to remember something and looked at Zhu Ding, who had become his Sword Slave.

"I remember you have two talismans that let you enter Demon Flame Valley. Hand them over."

Zhu Ding didn't hesitate at all. Like a proper servant, he summoned two pale purple, diamond-shaped talismans.

After tossing them to Xiao Yao, he even helpfully warned him, "Demon Flame Valley is ever-changing. These talismans can only keep you alive, so I advise Master not to go."

"Don't you know the way through Demon Flame Valley?" Xiao Yao asked, puzzled. Dongfang Xuetong was confused too.

Zhu Ding shook his head and explained, "I said that before because I could rely on Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor to guide me. Now that I'm no longer his subordinate, I can't get his guidance."

"Then aren't these talismans useless, yet too precious to throw away?"

Xiao Yao had thought Ghost Fiend Demon Emperor had forgotten about them. He hadn't realized they weren't much use.

"My disciple, I don't see it that way. With these two talismans, we're assured of being able to enter Demon Flame Valley whenever we want," Dongfang Xuetong said.

Xiao Yao nodded. "That's true!"

If he could get something from signing in that would protect them from Demon Flame Valley's ever-changing dangers, they'd be able to enter the valley!

"Let's not worry about that for now. Cultivate, cultivate. I can't lose to Wang Teng just because I didn't work hard enough."