At that moment, Dongfang Huang looked at Shi Tianba's mangled remains with satisfaction and said viciously:
"Trying to deceive me even at death's door? Did you really think I was as stupid as you lot? Hahaha, hahaha."
Suddenly, an icy voice rang out beside Dongfang Huang's ear:
"Is that so? I think you're even stupider than they were."
The familiar voice that suddenly appeared made Dongfang Huang spin around instantly. When he saw Luo Qingshan behind him, staring at him with an icy expression...
Dongfang Huang's pupils contracted. He immediately cupped his fists toward Luo Qingshan with a smile and said:
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I have an important matter to report. I discovered that the Golden Lion Clan was plotting against you and came to arrest them. I never expected Shi Tianba to resist to the death. I have now executed him on the spot. Please investigate this matter, Your Majesty."
Dongfang Huang bowed slightly to Luo Qingshan as he spoke with a smile. As he bowed, his Adam's apple kept bobbing, revealing that he was anything but calm inside.
Dongfang Huang wanted to take a gamble. When he arrived, he had swept his Divine Sense over the surroundings, and there had been no one there. Perhaps the commotion from his enraged attack had been too great, drawing Luo Qingshan's attention and bringing her here.
As for Luo Qingshan's remark about him being even stupider than they were, Dongfang Huang had nervously overlooked it.
Empress Luo Qingshan watched Dongfang Huang put on his act before her. Had she not witnessed everything herself, he really would have deceived her. She could not help saying:
"They say the Human Race is as cunning as foxes. I see that you're no less capable than humans in that regard, Grand Elder. Do you think I'm a fool, or do you believe every member of the Demon Race should dance on your strings?"
"Although there are vicious, wicked individuals among the Demon Race, they are a minority. Most demons never fight others for anything. That was why we cooperated with the Human Race during the Great War of Gods and Devils in High Antiquity. Though we ultimately defeated the Devil Race, the Human Race drove us out of the most prosperous lands. Even so, most demons bore no resentment, neither fighting nor grasping for anything. Why have you become even more deranged than humans, Grand Elder?! Is this truly what humans call greed?! Do you want the Demon Race's imperial throne so badly?!"
Hearing Luo Qingshan's words, Dongfang Huang knew she had witnessed everything. He stopped pretending. The smile gradually vanished from his face, replaced by a sinister expression as he looked at Luo Qingshan and said heavily:
"The throne belongs to whoever is capable! I devoted myself utterly to the Demon Race, yet in the end, a naive little girl like you took the throne! No matter how high your cultivation is, the Demon Race will only grow weaker under your leadership. Sooner or later, the Human Race will devour us."
"I have no idea why those old fools support you! I refuse to accept it! In cultivation, I'm only a hair's breadth behind you. What right do you have to be the Lord of the Demon Race?"
The more Dongfang Huang spoke, the more agitated he became. His expression grew increasingly dark, and madness filled his eyes.
Across from him, Luo Qingshan listened to Dongfeng Huang's somewhat crazed words without expression. She simply watched him calmly and said:
"Clan elders, have you all heard? Dongfang Huang slaughtered his own kind and wiped out the Golden Lion Clan. His crime is equivalent to betraying our race. Today, I will put him to death. Surely none of you will object again!"
Luo Qingshan watched Dongfang Huang calmly as she spoke into the void in an even voice.
Hearing her words, Dongfang Huang was horrified. He looked into the surrounding void and discovered that, at some unknown point, the hidden guardians of the Demon Race had begun slowly appearing all around him.
Their powerful presence was like that of gods from the nine heavens as they regarded Dongfang Huang with indifferent eyes. One white-haired elder in green robes looked at him and said coldly:
"Dongfang Huang, do you acknowledge your crime?!"
By now, Dongfang Huang had retreated to a corner in terror. He stared at the terrifying experts in the void, each radiating supreme majesty. These were the very foundations of the Demon Race. They never appeared lightly, remaining in slumber and emerging only when the Demon Race faced its gravest peril.
Now that Luo Qingshan had actually awakened them, Dongfang Huang was so frightened that he no longer knew what to say. Looking pleadingly at one of the clan elders, he dropped to his knees and cried out:
"Ancestor, save me!"
In the void, an elder whose face was as black as charcoal and whose entire body exuded an incomparably domineering presence gave Dongfang Huang a disappointed look and said calmly:
"You slaughtered your own kind, sought to make the empress complicit in wrongdoing, and harbored crooked intentions. Now you reap the bitter fruit you sowed."
With that, the elder turned and vanished.
When Dongfang Huang heard the ancestor who was his sole hope of salvation turn and leave, he wilted completely, as though he had lost his soul. He knew he did not even have a chance to escape. Then, all at once, he seemed to let go.
His body swelled violently before shriveling in an instant. Blood gushed from his mouth, along with fragments of his organs. He had detonated his natal demon core, containing the blast within his body and shattering everything inside, yet he did not die immediately. This was another strength of retaining a demon's physical body without undergoing the Transformation Heavenly Tribulation.
The only drawback was that breaking through cultivation realms became extremely difficult. This was also why Dongfang Huang had remained unable to break through to the Immortal Thearch Realm.
After all, in his youth, Dongfang Huang had also been one of the Demon Race's greatest monstrous geniuses. Now, the essence of life rapidly drained from his eyes. Looking at the calm-faced Luo Qingshan, he struggled to speak:
"Your Majesty, I was wrong... everything I did was for the Demon Race. It was only... only the direction that was wrong. Your choice was right, Your Majesty. I... I was wrong after all. Please spare my clan!"
When Dongfang Huang finished speaking, his entire body slowly crumbled into dust and smoke, scattering on the wind.
Watching Dongfang Huang turn to dust, Luo Qingshan sighed softly and said calmly:
"Arrest everyone who followed Dongfang Huang and participated in this affair. Imprison them in the Blazing Fire Cave for a hundred years. Anyone who resists-kill them."
Luo Qingshan's face was full of majesty, like a sovereign descending upon the world. The imperial presence she radiated made even the ancient pillars of the Demon Race behind her feel pressured.
As soon as she finished speaking, six black-robed figures appeared in the void, each radiating a terrifying presence. They dropped to one knee, cupped their fists toward Luo Qingshan, and said:
"We obey Your Majesty's decree!"
Then they vanished. They moved swiftly. Within the time it took an incense stick to burn, everyone involved had been captured and thrown into the Blazing Fire Cave, while all who resisted were slain on the spot. With that, the entire Demon Race came under Luo Qingshan's control, united as one.
Only after hearing the news did Luo Qingshan let out a deep breath. She flashed before the ancient pillars of the Demon Race and said softly:
"Clan elders, everything has been settled, and the Demon Race is truly united. It was my fault for troubling you during your slumber. Now that Dongfang Huang has met his end, please return."
Although Luo Qingshan was the empress of the Demon Race, she was still their junior. She bowed slightly to these former Lords of the Demon Race as she spoke softly.
An old woman with a kindly face and a walking stick came up to Luo Qingshan and said affectionately:
"Qingshan, we old relics have watched you grow up. You were a peerless genius from childhood. You began cultivating at three, and by six, you had mastered all our Demon Race's cultivation methods, undergone the Transformation Tribulation, and taken human form. At nine, you broke through to the Thunder Tribulation Realm. At twelve, you withstood six heavenly tribulations head-on and entered the Immortal Realm. At eighteen, you reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm and began tempering yourself among the Human Race. Then, in a mere hundred years, you entered the Immortal Thearch Realm. By our Demon Race's long lifespans, you have only just reached adulthood."
The old woman looked at Luo Qingshan affectionately and continued:
"I watched you grow up. I know you have always set your sights extraordinarily high. You once boldly declared that your husband would be a peerless chosen, a magnificent man who stood tall between heaven and earth and towered over an entire era."
"Whether among the young chosen of the Demon Race or the Human Race, you have countless suitors. You even combined human and demon cultivation methods to create your own Heavenly Dao Grade cultivation method-the Demon Emperor Scripture-which became our race's guardian cultivation method. All these years, my child, you have worked tirelessly for our Demon Race, rejecting countless chosen who pursued you. Yet now, that little scoundrel Shi Wudi has taken advantage of you. Fortunately, you killed him, but you have suffered terribly."
The kindly old woman was Luo Qingshan's blood ancestor. Her strength had long since surpassed the Immortal Thearch Realm, and she had been the Demon Race's previous empress. Having heard Dongfang Huang reveal that Shi Wudi had used a Myriad Desires Pill on Luo Qingshan, she assumed he had succeeded and spoke with heartache.
Listening to her ancestor, Luo Qingshan lowered her head slightly. A crimson blush spread over her breathtaking face as she said quietly to the kindly old woman:
"Ancestor, Shi Wudi did not succeed. I held on to the last shred of my lucidity, killed him, and escaped. It's just... it's just..."
Luo Qingshan looked at the old woman, then at the many ancient pillars of the Demon Race before her. She stammered, unsure how to begin, her face flushed scarlet. As though reaching some decision, she said shyly:
"It's just that I was poisoned by the Myriad Desires Pill and lost control of myself. I have already lost my virginity to a human man. According to the Demon Race's rules, he will be my husband from now on. Even if he is only an ordinary human in the Body Refinement Realm, I will accept no one but him. Please grant us your blessing, ancestors."
Looking at the ancestors, Luo Qingshan could only say this to protect Ye Xingchen. Yet inwardly, she was deeply conflicted. Her ancestor was right: she had set her sights extraordinarily high since childhood. Over the years, she had countless suitors, all outstanding in both talent and strength, yet none had caught her eye. The husband she envisioned should possess world-surpassing talent, unparalleled looks and bearing, and strength that towered over all ages.
Yet fate had played an enormous joke on her. Now, afraid that the clan elders would disapprove and harm Ye Xingchen, Luo Qingshan had spoken despite her deep inner conflict.
Upon hearing that Luo Qingshan had lost her virginity to an ordinary human in the Body Refinement Realm, waves of Emperor Realm presence erupted. Dozens of Emperor Realm Divine Senses swept toward the Phoenix Perch Palace. Meanwhile, Ye Xingchen sat leisurely in Luo Qingshan's bedchamber, his thoughts unknown.
Suddenly noticing dozens of Emperor Realm Divine Senses sweeping toward him, Ye Xingchen merely smiled faintly. He gazed at the beautiful night scenery outside the bedchamber window, pretending to know nothing and remaining as unruffled as a fisherman seated on his platform.
Dozens of Emperor Realm Divine Senses scanned Ye Xingchen from head to toe. They discovered that, apart from his handsome face and unparalleled bearing, this human had practically no cultivation. Yet they found a drop of natal Essence Blood bearing Luo Qingshan's presence within him. They withdrew their Divine Senses, terrifying pressure erupting from their bodies in their fury. Several clan elders even looked toward where Dongfang Huang had vanished, seething inwardly. Luo Qingshan believed that if Dongfang Huang were still alive, these elders would probably slay him outright.
The old woman's brows were tightly furrowed as she said:
"This human must be killed. He cannot be allowed to live. Apart from his looks, he has absolutely nothing to recommend him. He only broke through to the Body Refinement Realm after your natal Essence Blood transformed him, Qingshan. How could he possibly deserve you, my child?"
With that, the old woman unleashed her terrifying Emperor Realm cultivation and extended a finger. Terrifying power gathered at its tip as she prepared to point toward Ye Xingchen's location. Luo Qingshan flashed in front of her, blocking her path, and said icily:
"Ancestor, no matter what, he... Ye Xingchen is already my husband. If you wish to kill my husband, then please kill me first!"
Luo Qingshan understood that if she did not take a firm enough stance, Ye Xingchen would certainly lose his life.
After all, in these ancestors' eyes, Ye Xingchen was like an ant. Killing him would stir no feeling whatsoever. Meanwhile, seated beside the window, Ye Xingchen's smile grew wider and wider, as though he had heard something that delighted him.
Seeing Luo Qingshan's resolute stance, the old woman and the clan elders all frowned deeply. The old woman continued:
"Even if you resent me for the rest of your life, my child, I cannot let him live today. Otherwise, once word spreads, the entire Divine Desolation Continent will ridicule you. A dignified Immortal Emperor, giving herself to an ordinary human! Absolutely not."
With that, she stepped toward the Phoenix Perch Palace, treading through the void as invisible ripples spread beneath her feet. At the same time, dozens of Demon Race giants surrounded Luo Qingshan, who wanted to stop her. The terrifying pressure of dozens of Immortal Thearch Realm experts held Luo Qingshan firmly in place.
Luo Qingshan grew frantic, as though she were about to lose what she cherished most. Her heart pounded violently. Terrifying Emperor Realm power erupted as she curved her hand into a claw and seized her own throat, shouting to the old woman:
"If you truly intend to kill my husband, Ancestor, then I will die before your eyes first!"
The dozens of Demon Race Immortal Emperors were startled by Luo Qingshan's resolve. Yet the old woman continued toward the Phoenix Perch Palace as though she had heard nothing. In desperation, Luo Qingshan circulated the Demon Emperor Scripture throughout her body. Her terrifying presence surged, faintly threatening to break through the encirclement formed by the pressure of dozens of Demon Race Immortal Emperors.
Meanwhile, Ye Xingchen, seated beside the window, suddenly sighed softly, as though he had thought of something unpleasant. Letting out another quiet sigh, he slowly rose, as if merely getting up to loosen his limbs after sitting too long. He stretched his back and rolled his neck before exhaling comfortably, gazing calmly at the beautiful night scenery.
Seeing her ancestor about to arrive above the Phoenix Perch Palace, Luo Qingshan's terrifying presence surged within her. She looked icily at the dozens of Demon Race clan elders and said:
"If you still refuse to move aside, clan elders, do not blame me for being discourteous."
With that, the terrifying presence within Luo Qingshan swelled to its limit. Just as it seemed about to escape her control...
Suddenly, from the deepest reaches of the Demon Race's territory, an ancient voice, seemingly crossing the river of time, reached the ears of Luo Qingshan and the dozens of Demon Race giants.
"I approve of this matter."
Hearing that voice, the dozens of Demon Race Immortal Emperors all widened their eyes. The old woman, who had already arrived above the Phoenix Perch Palace, also stopped, her face filled with shock.
She did not advance another step. Flashing back into the void where Luo Qingshan stood, she exchanged glances with the dozens of Demon Race experts. Then they cupped their fists, bowed toward the deepest reaches of the Demon Race's territory, and said in unison:
"We respectfully obey the Great Emperor's decree."
That ancient voice actually belonged to a living Great Emperor of the Demon Race.
Luo Qingshan could not help freezing briefly. She had never expected the Demon Race's Great Emperor, slumbering in the deepest reaches of their territory, to speak.
And he had accepted Ye Xingchen's existence. After a brief daze, she too cupped her fists and bowed toward the deepest reaches of the Demon Race's territory.