"Daochen?"
At Fuxi's words, the many great demons of the Primordial World present all felt a jolt in their hearts.
Of course!
How had they forgotten Daochen?
Wasn't Daochen the very person everyone in the Primordial World was talking about so fervently?
Although the rumors outside were wildly exaggerated, they knew the truth perfectly well.
Quite a few of them had even witnessed that battle with their own eyes.
"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist Fuxi. I was indeed remiss."
If Fuxi could see that Daochen had the bearing of a sovereign, Bai Ze, who listened keenly and understood all things, could naturally see it too.
He had simply been so worried about the Demon Race's situation that he had forgotten about it.
Bai Ze had also attended the earlier sermon at the Purple Heavens Palace. After seeing Daochen help Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Dijun secure their seats, he had intended to approach Daochen after the first sermon and make his acquaintance.
But afterward, Daochen had fought the Three Pure Ones, and the overwhelming power of their battle had forced him to retreat far away.
Otherwise, with two Xiantian Supreme Treasures clashing, even the aftershocks would have given him more than he could stomach.
By the time it was over and he returned, Daochen had already left.
The same thing had happened last time at Mount Buzhou.
Thinking about it now, he had missed two opportunities to make Daochen's acquaintance.
But Fuxi's remark had now reminded him.
It seemed there truly was no one better suited than Daochen to lead the Demon Race.
"Why don't we go to the Sun Star and pay him a visit now?"
The great demon Jiuying made the suggestion.
"No. This matter is of great importance. We must consider it carefully."
Bai Ze rejected Jiuying's suggestion outright.
"Indeed. We must not rush this matter. We must proceed gradually!"
Fuxi wholeheartedly agreed.
He had twice sounded Daochen out with indirect invitations, only to be refused both times.
That went doubly for Bai Ze and these other great demons of the Primordial World, who had no friendship with Daochen whatsoever.
If they rashly appeared at his door and were rejected outright, that would be nothing.
But if they ended up getting beaten instead, it would be embarrassing.
"Qinyuan, Yingzhao, come with me to the Northern Dark Sea. We will invite Demon Master Kunpeng to leave his retreat and accompany me to visit Daochen."
After pondering for a moment, Bai Ze addressed the great demons Qinyuan and Yingzhao.
Daochen's true form was a three-legged Golden Crow, which gave him some connection to Qinyuan, Yingzhao, and Kunpeng. Bai Ze therefore intended to use that connection and bring them along to visit Daochen.
Furthermore, Kunpeng was the Demon Master, the most honored figure among the Demon Race in the Primordial World at present. Even Bai Ze and Fuxi could not compare with his standing.
Having Kunpeng take the lead would also show their respect for Daochen.
Only then could they demonstrate the Demon Race's sincerity.
"Very well. We will accompany you, fellow Daoist Bai Ze."
Upon hearing Bai Ze's words, Yingzhao and Qinyuan agreed without dithering.
If they successfully persuaded Daochen to step forward, it would be an immense boon for them as well.
"Fellow Daoist Fuxi, why don't you come with us too?"
Once Qinyuan and Yingzhao had agreed, Bai Ze turned his gaze toward Fuxi.
"No, no. I shall leave this matter to you three fellow Daoists. Fuxi will not accompany you."
Fuxi waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle drum.
He refused to go, no matter what anyone said.
What a joke. If he really went foolishly to the Sun Star with Bai Ze, Kunpeng, and the others...
Knowing Daochen's temperament, he would surely realize at once that Fuxi had set this whole thing in motion.
Wouldn't Fuxi then be pounded to death by Daochen?
So Fuxi would not go even if they beat him to death!
"In that case, fellow Daoists Yingzhao and Qinyuan, please accompany me!"
Bai Ze understood that Fuxi naturally had his own reasons for declining, so he did not press him. He simply took Yingzhao and Qinyuan with him and headed toward the Northern Dark Sea.
"Bai Ze, accompanied by fellow Daoists Yingzhao and Qinyuan, has come to pay his respects to the Demon Master."
Above the northern sea, Bai Ze bowed slightly and announced the purpose of his visit in a clear voice.
"Why has Bai Ze come?"
In his sanctuary at the bottom of the Northern Dark Sea, Kunpeng opened his eyes, a trace of gloom flashing through them.
Surely he hasn't come to ask me to deal with the affairs between the Witch Clan and the Demon Race!
Although Kunpeng stayed in the North Sea and ignored worldly affairs, he still knew about the conflict between the Demon Race and the Witch Clan in the central Primordial World.
He simply did not want to get involved.
Even before Bai Ze, great demons had come to his door to persuade him to leave his retreat and lead their kind.
But he had refused them outright!
In short, Kunpeng would not do thankless work!
Although he wanted to shut his doors and turn his visitors away, he could not bring himself to lose face like that. He could only sweep his broad sleeve, whereupon an enormous fissure appeared across the surface of the Northern Dark Sea, revealing an underwater cave abode between heaven and earth.
"Come inside first, and we shall talk!"
Kunpeng's voice rang out from his sanctuary.
"Let's head down!"
Bai Ze gently waved his feather fan and smiled, then immediately entered the sanctuary with Yingzhao and Qinyuan.
"What brings the three of you to me?"
Inside the sanctuary, Kunpeng invited the three to sit and asked casually.
Although he did not say it outright, his meaning was plain: You had better not bring up the Demon Race. I have no interest in that!
"Well..."
The smile on Yingzhao's face stiffened.
Qinyuan's expression did not look much better.
Bai Ze, however, paid it no mind. Kunpeng's reaction had long been within his expectations.
"Demon Master, you may have misunderstood us. We have not come to invite you to leave your retreat and preside over our Demon Race. Rather, we wish to ask you to act as an intermediary and accompany the three of us to the Sun Star, where we will invite the great demon Daochen to step forward!"
"Oh? As long as that isn't why you've come."
At Bai Ze's words, Kunpeng first breathed an inward sigh of relief.
But when he heard Daochen's name, he froze.
Daochen?
Step forward?
The scene at the Purple Heavens Palace, where Daochen had toppled the Three Pure Ones with a single Heaven Measuring Ruler, involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
He doesn't seem particularly easy to talk to!
When the Xiantian Gourd Vine had appeared at Mount Buzhou this time, Kunpeng had been at a critical point in his secluded cultivation and had missed the opportunity to go.
But he had also heard his old friend King Pan speak of Daochen.
Alone, Daochen had subdued numerous mighty figures of the Primordial World and even severely injured the Three Pure Ones.
How could someone like that be a person Kunpeng could afford to provoke?
If he got beaten, who could he cry to?
"Demon Master, is there some difficulty?"
Seeing Kunpeng hesitate to agree, Bai Ze gave a cold chuckle.
How could he fail to realize that, given Kunpeng's selfish and self-serving nature, he would never readily agree to their request? That was why Bai Ze deliberately emphasized the words "Demon Master."
Don't you care about saving face, Kunpeng?
Let's see how you refuse now!
At Bai Ze's words, Kunpeng's expression immediately darkened.
Bai Ze was forcing his hand!
With Qinyuan and Yingzhao watching, he could hardly refuse.
After all, if he would not even act as an intermediary, he would have no face left to call himself the Demon Master in the future!
"In that case, I shall accompany you three fellow Daoists. But I cannot guarantee whether we will succeed."
After considering it for a moment, Kunpeng reflected that there was no enmity between him and Daochen. Even if he went this time, as long as he exercised a little caution, Daochen probably would not make things difficult for him.
Ultimately, Kunpeng still did not want to go, but for the sake of his title as Demon Master, he could only agree!
Before you continue