Temple Alliance

Agares wondered for the first time whether he had misheard. Feng Xiu's decision was simply unbelievable.

Standing with his hands behind his back, Feng Xiu gave a mysterious smile. "I am going to the Temple Alliance to meet an important woman. She is carrying my child, and I must bring her back."

Agares clasped his fists. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will make the arrangements for you."

After Feng Xiu and Agares discussed the various details of this grain trade for a while, Agares left the Demon Emperor Palace.

Once Agares had left, Feng Xiu's expression immediately darkened.

In the original plot, Agares had practically been a traitor to the Demon Race. Not only had he repeatedly leaked military intelligence through his daughter Yue Ye to help Long Haochen, but during the final Holy War, he had also used his own organization to conceal vital intelligence, deceiving both those above and below him. Several demon gods had died because of it. It could be said that Agares bore an inescapable responsibility for the Demon Race's eventual defeat.

Even now, Feng Xiu could not understand why Agares had chosen to betray the Demon Race. It was understandable that his daughter Yue Ye had betrayed the Demon Race because she fell in love with Long Haochen, but what had Agares done it for?

Thinking of this, Feng Xiu recalled the Moonlit Chamber of Commerce.

Yue Ye was ostensibly the one in charge of the Moonlit Chamber of Commerce, but Agares was its true master. Moreover, the Moonlit Chamber of Commerce was merely the outward form of Agares's organization. His Human-Demon Hybrid organization was in fact spread throughout Demon Race territory.

During the final Holy War, Agares had used that Human-Demon Hybrid organization to block crucial military intelligence, which showed just how powerful his organization was.

Yue Ye had not yet been born, the Moonlit Chamber of Commerce had not yet come into existence, and Agares's influence within the Demon Race had not yet grown strong. To prevent the events of the original plot from happening again, Feng Xiu had to prepare in advance.

At present, Agares had not shown any inclination to betray the Demon Race. Feng Xiu had no leverage against him for the time being and could not do anything to him.

Once he returned from the Temple Alliance, he would definitely find a time to have a proper talk with Agares. Feng Xiu believed that under his immense pressure, Agares would not dare to lie.

Ten days later, at the Demon Race border.

A vast merchant caravan set out from the Demon Race border, heading toward the Southeastern Fortress of the Temple Alliance.

The caravan carried more than two hundred wagonloads of goods and consisted of roughly three thousand people. Its members included not only demons, but also humans and Human-Demon Hybrids.

Under the cover of night, the caravan's torches moved across the boundless wilderness like a fiery red dragon.

In the middle of the caravan was a luxurious carriage drawn by eight fine horses. The carriage was not only tall and spacious, but also furnished with everything one could need.

On a broad, comfortable couch lay an ordinary-looking man, leisurely savoring a cup of wine. Another richly dressed man sat trembling in a chair nearby, his head lowered the entire time, not daring to look directly at the man on the couch.

The man on the couch was naturally the disguised Demon Emperor Feng Xiu. The other man in the carriage, Sai Mao, was the president of this merchant association and one of those responsible for the transaction.

Sai Mao was a Human-Demon Hybrid who often led members of the association back and forth between the Demon Race and the Temple Alliance. He had connections on both sides.

Before departure, a viscount from the Demon Race had suddenly asked Sai Mao to bring another person along with the trading party.

The viscount had not revealed the man's true identity. Sai Mao only knew that he was also a noble of the Demon Race. The observant Sai Mao had even noticed the reverence in the viscount's eyes, and guessed that this man's status within the Demon Race was likely even higher than the viscount's. Thus, Sai Mao did not dare show the slightest negligence.

Throughout the journey, Feng Xiu simply lay on the couch, savoring fine wine and delicacies without saying a word.

After four days of travel, the caravan arrived at the Southeastern Fortress of the Temple Alliance.

The Temple Alliance was located in the northwestern corner of the Holy Demon Continent, occupying less than a quarter of the entire continent.

Three thousand years ago, in order to halt the Demon Race's advance, numerous powerful humans united and established the six Temples according to human professions: the Knight Temple, Assassin Temple, Mage Temple, Warrior Temple, Soul Temple, and Priest Temple. Together, they formed the Temple Alliance. Only after the Temple Alliance was established did humanity temporarily stabilize its position.

Centered around their respective main halls, the Six Great Temples built six mighty passes along the Temple Alliance's borders. The six passes formed a ring, protecting humanity's last territory within, while the Temple Alliance headquarters lay in the Holy City at the heart of that territory.

The Southeastern Fortress was one of the Temple Alliance's six great passes and also the location of the Warrior Temple's main hall. Star-Seeking City behind it served as the headquarters for major merchant associations.

Therefore, whenever the Demon Race conducted trade with the Temple Alliance, they had to pass inspection at the Southeastern Fortress.

The caravan stopped outside the gates of the Southeastern Fortress for a thorough inspection by the soldiers. After everything was confirmed, the soldiers finally allowed them through, and the caravan entered the fortress without incident.

Such merchant transactions were tacitly permitted by the Temple Alliance in the first place. After all, the Temple Alliance gained no small profit from them, so they simply turned a blind eye.

At last, the caravan arrived safely in Star-Seeking City. Feng Xiu stepped down from the carriage and, ignoring Sai Mao's attempts to persuade him to stay, left the merchant association directly.

It would still take some time to travel from Star-Seeking City to Southern Town Pass. Feng Xiu could hardly wait to see Bai Lingxuan, so how could he waste time in Star-Seeking City?

This time, Feng Xiu had also planted a seal within his body to conceal his dark aura. To be safe, he hired a carriage and remained hidden inside it throughout the journey, traveling day and night toward Southern Town Pass.

Four days later, Feng Xiu finally arrived safely at Southern Town Pass. Gazing at the small town where Bai Lingxuan lived, he suddenly did not know what to do.

It had been less than five months since he and Bai Lingxuan had parted. According to the original plot, Bai Lingxuan, whose parents had both died, should not yet have told her teachers about her relationship with Feng Xiu. Therefore, Feng Xiu's false identity as Feng Ling had not yet been exposed, and Bai Lingxuan still did not know about his lies.

Before coming here, Feng Xiu had already planned to confess everything to Bai Lingxuan. But as their meeting drew near, he began to feel afraid. He feared that Bai Lingxuan would be unable to accept the fact that he had concealed his identity, unable to accept that he was the Demon Emperor, and unwilling to stay with him.

Feng Xiu treasured this hard-won love deeply. The more he cared about it, the more he feared losing it. He desperately wanted to see Bai Lingxuan, yet he was also afraid of seeing her.

After letting out a deep sigh, Feng Xiu finally took a step forward and walked toward the town.

This was the slowest Feng Xiu had ever walked in his life, and he had never felt so anxious.

Despite his unease, Feng Xiu was by no means someone who would shrink back and run away. The problem between him and Bai Lingxuan had to be resolved sooner or later. Otherwise, the previous tragedy would unfold once more. Feng Xiu did not want to spend the rest of his life repenting before Bai Lingxuan's gravestone.