The imperial palace of the Great Yu Dynasty, known as the largest palace complex on the continent, was now littered with broken walls and rubble, corpses and remains. Nothing of its original appearance could be seen.
Where the throne hall had stood, King Yu stood atop the wreckage in his dragon robe, covered in blood. Only a few ministers and guards remained beside him, all bloodied and exhausted.
Demon Sect experts surrounded them, led by Liansheng in his red robe.
"King Yu, I admire you greatly. How about submitting to our Demon Sect? I will certainly report to the Sect Leader and secure you a satisfactory position."
King Yu snorted coldly. "Pah! Dream on! Your Demon Sect destroyed my dynasty and slaughtered my people. The hatred between us cannot coexist beneath the same sky! I wish I could eat your flesh and drink your blood!"
"Death is at your doorstep, yet you still talk tough. You really must not want to live!" the Demon Tiger King cursed at King Yu. Turning to the Chief Steward, he said, "Chief Steward, I volunteer to slay King Yu."
Liansheng nodded. He knew King Yu would never submit; he had merely wanted to ask.
Before the Demon Tiger King could act, King Yu raised his head and shouted,
"I am the king of the Great Yu Dynasty! How could I let you Demon Sect fiends kill me?"
As he spoke, he drew a longsword and placed it against his neck. "I have failed my ancestors! Demon Sect fiends, I will be waiting for you beneath the earth!"
With that, he slit his throat with the longsword. His body slowly fell, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness.
"Your Majesty, no! What am I to do if you die?"
The ministers knelt on the ground and cried out in grief.
"Your subject Li Guangyuan is coming to join you! May I follow Your Majesty again in my next life!"
"Your subject Sun Xin is coming to join you! May I follow Your Majesty again in my next life!"
"Your subject Wang Quan is coming to join you! May I follow Your Majesty again in my next life!"
As they spoke, the ministers drew their longswords and slit their throats. The guards also took their own lives one after another.
Liansheng marveled, "King Yu certainly had charisma, to have so many people willingly die for him. Give him a proper burial!"
"Yes!"
Just then, the Demon Monkey King approached from afar, carrying a boy of four or five. Dressed in a brocade robe, the child struggled constantly in his grip.
The Demon Monkey King walked up to Liansheng and tossed the boy onto the ground.
"Chief Steward, I found this child in a secret chamber. King Yu probably hid him there deliberately."
"Oh, are you King Yu's son?" Liansheng crouched before the boy and asked softly.
"No, I'm the son of a landlord. They brought me here because I had a talent for cultivation. Have you come to save me?" Fear filled the boy's eyes as he gazed at Liansheng with longing.
Liansheng reached out and gently stroked the boy's hair. "Don't be afraid. Uncle is here to save you."
"Thank you, Unc-" Before the boy could finish, he felt a tremendous force surge through his head. Blood instantly flowed from his seven orifices, and he stopped breathing.
Beside him, the Demon Monkey King asked in surprise, "Chief Steward, why did you kill him?"
"There was killing intent hidden in the way this child looked at me just now. He was very likely King Yu's child. Even if he wasn't, then consider him unlucky. Bury him with King Yu."
"Yes!"
"Hall Master Li, Hall Master Wan, Demon Rat King, Demon Tiger King, Demon Monkey King!"
"Present!" The men bowed as they answered.
"Take your men to the Talisman Sect. If they agree to submit and pay tribute every year, leave it at that. If they refuse, slaughter the sect."
"As you command!" The men flew toward the Talisman Sect with their forces.
"The rest of you, come with me to Yellow Sand Fort!"
"Yes!" the remaining Demon Sect members answered.
Meanwhile, in the great hall at the Demon Sect headquarters, Bai Haotian stood before Zhou Qiong, wearing a long white robe with a longsword on his back.
"Thank you for saving my life, Sect Leader." Bai Haotian knelt on one knee.
"Rise." A majestic voice reached Bai Haotian's ears.
Bai Haotian rose and looked at Zhou Qiong on the demonic dragon throne, utterly shocked. This time, he had undergone a nirvana rebirth, breaking down before rebuilding himself and reaching the Martial God realm, which no one had attained in a thousand years. He had originally feared Zhou Qiong would grow suspicious of him and had been considering how to express his loyalty.
He had never expected Zhou Qiong to feel as unfathomable as an abyss and vast as the sea, like an ancient demon god seated there. His presence was terrifyingly powerful, as though he could crush Bai Haotian to death with a casual gesture. Bai Haotian even sensed a feeling of shattering around Zhou Qiong, as though he could shatter space and leave this world at any moment.
In fact, he was right. Zhou Qiong had already broken through to the peak Martial God realm. During his breakthrough, space had nearly expelled him from the continent. Fortunately, the Heaven-Avoiding Stone he had purchased from the system had concealed him from heaven's secrets, sparing him the awkwardness of ascending directly to the Upper Realm.
"Grand Protector, you have already heard about the Upper Realm, haven't you?"
"I heard about it from the Demon Tiger King, but I do not know what the Upper Realm is like or what factions exist there."
"Neither do I. But I am confident that our Demon Sect can reach the summit wherever we are. What do you think, Grand Protector?"
"I swear to follow you to the death, Sect Leader! I am willing to serve as your vanguard in the conquest of the Upper Realm." Rather than answering, Bai Haotian directly declared his resolve to Zhou Qiong.
"Mm. Our Demon Sect has a new sacred treasure, the Small Ten Thousand Demons Pool. Go soak in it as well. It will be of great help to you. Your strength is still far too weak. The Upper Realm is not so easy to venture into."
"Yes!" Bai Haotian slowly withdrew from the great hall.
He made his way to the Demon Saint Hall, where the Small Ten Thousand Demons Pool was located. When he reached the entrance, he found two guards stationed there. They immediately saluted upon seeing him.
"Greetings, Grand Protector."
"Mm. I have come on the Sect Leader's orders to cultivate in the Ten Thousand Demons Pool."
"Very well. Please wait a moment, Grand Protector. The Ten Thousand Demons Pool can only accommodate two people cultivating at a time, and there are currently two people cultivating inside."
Bai Haotian waited for about an hour before the doors of the Demon Saint Hall opened. Two people emerged, one with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, the other wearing a silver mask.
Upon seeing Bai Haotian, the man with the pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks smiled happily. "Grand Protector, you've finally come out of seclusion! You're here to soak in the Ten Thousand Demons Pool, aren't you? This pool is simply miraculous!"
"Demon Monkey King, congratulations on your tremendous progress in cultivation," Bai Haotian said in amazement.
He sensed the presence of a peak Martial Sovereign within the Demon Monkey King, with even faint signs of another breakthrough. Before he entered seclusion, the Demon Monkey King had only been a mid Martial Emperor, yet now he had advanced straight to peak Martial Sovereign. How was that possible? Could the Ten Thousand Demons Pool really be so powerful?
Bai Haotian then looked at the man wearing the silver mask. He even sensed a hint of threat from him. The silver-masked man nodded to Bai Haotian, then turned and vanished.
"Demon Monkey King, who is that? His cultivation is so profound," Bai Haotian asked, somewhat astonished.
"Him? He should be from the Profound Division. Judging by his mask, he should be its chief," the Demon Monkey King answered glumly.
Over the past two years, the Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow Four Divisions had frequently traveled the continent. As a senior member of the Demon Sect, the Demon Monkey King had naturally had contact with them. Entering the Ten Thousand Demons Pool together with the chief of the Profound Division this time had dealt him quite a blow. Their cultivation had clearly been about equal when they entered, but when they emerged, the other man had plainly broken through to the Martial God realm, while he himself remained stuck.