He Truly Colluded with the Devil Race

Xue Li stared at Ye Yu in midair, his eyes gradually growing solemn.

Over the years, he had been assigned to stay by Ye Xuan's side and had personally witnessed Ye Yu become a true waste. Yet now, it had only been a short time since Ye Yu left the palace. In less than half a day, his cultivation had recovered to the early Golden Core Stage. If given a bit more time...

In an instant, Xue Li recalled the battle images of the Great Flame's Nine Nether Blood Spring circulating among the Blood Demon Race, and an uncontrollable shiver ran through his body.

If Ye Yu were allowed to leave alive, he would likely become a major threat to the Blood Demon Race—no, to the entire Demon Race—in the future!

With that thought, Xue Li hesitated no longer. He erupted with power, transforming into a streak of blood light that shot straight at Ye Yu's face.

Seeing this, Ye Yu sneered, reached out his hand, and crushed the blood light directly.

Xue Li was horrified. That strike of his could have killed even a late Golden Core Stage cultivator, yet it accomplished nothing against Ye Yu.

Just as Xue Li was reeling in shock, he heard a sharp sound of breaking wind. Ye Yu's figure appeared before him like a ghost, grabbing Xue Li by the neck and yanking his entire body out of the blood pool.

"I was planning to go find you, but you came to me instead!" Ye Yu sneered, gripping Xue Li's neck.

The moment Xue Li showed his face, Ye Yu recognized him. Having tangled with Ye Xuan for so long in his past life, he had long known of Xue Li's existence.

Meeting Ye Yu's mocking gaze, feeling the pressure on his neck, and seeing Ye Yu's calm, carefree expression, Xue Li panicked. He steeled himself, and a cracking sound came from within his body. The next moment, his entire form was wrapped in a red glow.

"Blood Escape? Still the same old tricks. Your Blood Demon Race never learns," Ye Yu said flatly. Then, spiritual light gathered in his hand, and he punched Xue Li directly in the dantian.

Xue Li let out a miserable scream, and the red light around him instantly faded.

"You! You! How do you know the node of the Blood Escape?" Xue Li collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, staring at Ye Yu in shock.

Ye Yu didn't answer. Having fought against them for so long in his past life, he had thoroughly dissected the Blood Demon Race. Then, he formed hand seals, and a dark light coalesced in his palm.

"Soul Devouring Curse! How do you know the Soul Devouring Curse!" Xue Li shrieked.

The Soul Devouring Curse was an extremely evil spell among the Demon Race. Once it was planted, the victim would be enslaved by the caster for life. The slightest hint of rebellion would result in the complete destruction of their soul.

It was also a closely guarded secret art within the Demon Race. Among other demon clans, at least in Xue Li's Blood Demon Clan, no one knew this curse.

"Will you submit willingly, or do I have to force you?" Ye Yu said coldly, a dark rune floating slowly in his hand.

Xue Li looked at Ye Yu's calm face. The latter remained utterly composed, as if he had no fear of resistance. With a bitter laugh, Xue Li channeled his spiritual energy and drew the dark rune into his body. The next moment, he felt a sense of utter loss of control over his own life and death.

Seeing this, Ye Yu grinned. Then his face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura instantly wilting.

Xue Li immediately understood that Ye Yu had been at the end of his rope. If he had held out a little longer... But realizing it now was useless. The Soul Devouring Curse had already taken root. No matter what state Ye Yu was in, killing him was merely a thought away. He spoke helplessly, "Master, you truly have a clever hand."

Ye Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and clicked his tongue. It was true that his cultivation had recovered to the Golden Core Stage, and with the little cauldron, his spiritual energy was even denser than before.

But he had only recovered for a few hours. If Xue Li hadn't been so afraid of death, today would have ended very differently for him.

"I think you're a smart man. I spared your life, so you'd better do your part," Ye Yu said, staring at Xue Li with an icy tone.

Xue Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded. Under Ye Yu's signal, he transformed into a streak of blood light, sinking into the ground and vanishing.

Once Xue Li was gone, Ye Yu took a deep breath, looked around, adjusted his aura, and headed deeper into the dense forest. His fight with Xue Li hadn't made much noise, but Xue Li was a demon, after all. Someone might follow the demonic energy here, so this place was no longer safe.

Not long after Ye Yu left, a rainbow light streaked across the sky, and two figures—a man and a woman—appeared. They were Ye Qingxuan and Ye Xuan, out searching for Ye Yu.

Seeing the bloodstains below, Ye Qingxuan frowned. She had sensed demonic energy here and chased after it, but she was too late. The demonic cultivator had already fled.

Ye Xuan looked at the blood pool beneath his feet and understood. That was a technique of the Blood Demon Clan. The ones here must have been Xue Li and Ye Yu!

At that moment, Ye Xuan felt a pang of regret for his own caution. There was no corpse of Ye Yu here, which meant Xue Li might have been interrupted mid-task, sensing Ye Qingxuan's arrival and retreating in haste.

"Oh, the aura here... it feels a bit like Imperial Brother," Ye Xuan said, feigning casualness as he quickly thought of a way to handle the situation.

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan's brow furrowed deeply. She extended a finger and tapped the air. Golden light appeared, and the nearly dried bloodstains slowly rose, floating before her.

Sensing the aura in the blood, Ye Qingxuan's expression grew even darker. She said coldly, "That waste! He really has sided with the demons!"

Seeing Ye Qingxuan's icy face, Ye Xuan chuckled inwardly, knowing his goal was achieved. He then said, "Second Sister, don't jump to conclusions. Maybe Imperial Brother was attacked by demons."

"Even now, you're still making excuses for him! Xiao Xuan, valuing family is a good thing, and I won't stop you. But when it comes to righteousness, you cannot be ambiguous!" Ye Qingxuan snorted, then without another word, she took Ye Xuan and flew back to the palace.

After dropping Ye Xuan off at the palace, she immediately headed straight for the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace!

If Ye Yu had colluded with the demons, there would surely be traces in his daily life. Ye Qingxuan intended to find evidence of Ye Yu's betrayal and teach her kind-hearted younger brother a lesson—not to be fooled by Ye Yu's act.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out from the Eastern Palace as Ye Qingxuan kicked open the gate. But when she saw what was inside, she froze on the spot.

Before her eyes was nothing but decay and ruin. A musty, rotting smell hit her. The once grand and imposing Crown Prince's Eastern Palace now didn't even have a single intact chair or table. Dust covered everything, and cobwebs clung to the corners of the walls.

This was no Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. It was worse than a refugee shack!