From then until the Demon Guard army had fully assembled, Chen Yixin’s daily routine consisted of spreading his little wings and flying all over the Demon Palace, or burrowing against Wenren Li’s chest to sleep. He no longer asked Wenren Li about Qingruo, Lin Yu, or the others. For one thing, Wenren Li genuinely did not know. For another, Chen Yixin had become a little afraid to ask.
“Reporting to the Demon Lord, Nan Ke and the others have returned.” Wu Fei strode quickly into the hall to report to Wenren Li, then continued, “He also brought back an army from the Merfolk Clan and another army of yao cultivators, as well as a group of around a hundred human cultivators.”
To make certain that Wenren Li and Chen Yixin were safe, the Great Peng Yao Emperor, Ze Fang, and Yan of the Merfolk Clan had all come as well. The reason they had been able to bring armies with them was that the fat old merfolk had received some sort of indication from the divine well.
“Have them come to the training grounds.” Wenren Li rose as he spoke and headed there himself. Today was the day Likui Demon Palace would begin its campaign against the You Domain.
“Yes.” Wu Fei accepted the order and personally went to guide them over.
Likui Demon Palace possessed deep foundations. Its own forces alone were more than enough to campaign against the You Domain, but this mixed group of human and yao cultivators Nan Ke had brought back included three Soul Transformation experts. Their assistance could not be underestimated, and Wu Fei could not treat them carelessly.
When Ze Fang, the Great Peng Yao Emperor, and Yan arrived at the training grounds with their people, they had already prepared themselves mentally, yet the sight still shook them. One hundred thousand Demon Guards stood assembled, their momentum powerful enough to swallow mountains and rivers. The sheer pressure made hearts tremble, while the foundations of the Demon Palace inspired genuine awe.
Wenren Li had not summoned them to the training grounds merely to show off his forces, intimidate them, or issue a warning. He wanted them to confirm their choice once again: did they still intend to submit and pledge loyalty as they had before?
When it came to thinking quickly, no one surpassed Ze Fang. He led the people he had brought and dropped to one knee. “Shuiyue Residence of the North Sea pledges allegiance to His Highness the Demon Lord.”
The Great Peng Yao Emperor and Yan glanced at Ze Fang and knelt as well. They had already followed Nan Ke all the way to Taixuan Continent. Why would they hesitate over a choice they had made long ago?
“The North Sea sky races pledge allegiance to His Highness the Demon Lord. We will not shrink even from ten thousand deaths!”
“The entire Merfolk Clan of the North Sea submits to the Demon Lord and willingly becomes a people under the Demon Lord’s rule.”
Wenren Li stood on the only raised dais at the center of the training grounds, dressed in black battle robes. He wasted no time on pleasantries and directly issued appointments. “Ze Fang will serve as Tianshu General. Qing Peng will serve as Tianxuan General. Yan will serve as Tianji General. You three will follow this lord in the campaign against the You Domain. Wu Fei, Ping Cheng, Nan Ke—you will remain behind and guard the Demon Palace.”
Elio’s Notes: Tianshu, Tianxuan, and Tianji are the traditional Chinese names of the first three stars of the Big Dipper. Here, Wenren Li uses them as formal military titles.
“Yes!” Ze Fang and the others answered loudly. A moment later, all one hundred thousand Demon Guards shouted their assent together.
From Wenren Li’s return to the Demon Palace, to the issuance of his decree, the mustering of the army, and finally their departure, only ten days passed. Demon Lord You Ruo of the You Domain had only just received the news and had not even had time to react before another report arrived: Wenren Li had already led his army to the border between their two domains.
You Ruo’s expression twisted despite herself. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out when she had offended Wenren Li badly enough for him to choose her as his first target. She had indeed harbored ambitions and made moves to expand during these past ten-odd years, but she had never been foolish enough to strike a hard rock like Likui Demon Palace.
“Was it Hei Yu? No. That old fellow is best at smoothing everything over… Then could it be… him?”
You Ruo finally thought she had identified the key person. She believed Chen Yixin had persuaded Wenren Li to move against the You Domain, but in truth, Chen Yixin’s dislike of her was only a small part of Wenren Li’s reason.
You Ruo and her You Domain had comparatively shallow foundations, but enormous ambition. For years she had formed cliques among the Ten Demon Lords, isolated some and excluded others, and left her fingerprints on countless grudges and disputes. Keeping someone like that in the Southern Territory would always pose a hidden danger to Likui Demon Palace.
Moreover, the You Domain lay close to the Likui Domain. Since Wenren Li had already decided to unify the Southern Territory, there was no reason to abandon the near target and seek one farther away.
“It must be him!” The more You Ruo thought about it, the more convinced she became. It had to be because, the last time Chen Yixin passed the border of the You Domain, she had sent him beautiful concubines. Chen Yixin must have been offended and caused Wenren Li to take his anger out on her.
But even if she had found the true reason, it did nothing to ease her present situation.
“Send messages to the other Demon Lords. I refuse to believe they can’t see Wenren Li’s intentions. No—include the righteous path too. Spread the news throughout the world. The righteous sects cannot possibly sit back and watch the Southern Territory become unified…”
There was nothing inherently wrong with You Ruo’s response, but with the enemy already at the gates of the You Domain, it came too late.
She holed up inside You City with its defensive grand formation fully activated. Yet the only news that reached her was that Wenren Li had subdued prefecture after prefecture and absorbed their cities and demonic cultivators. The other eight Demon Lords might as well not have existed; not one sent support. Even the righteous path, whom she had expected to respond, made no move whatsoever.
She had forgotten that Wenren Li was no longer the same person he had been more than ten years ago. His Demon Consort was now the divine scion whom even the righteous path, led by the Tianji Sect, had chosen to protect and support.
Clatter—crash!
You Ruo swept another pile of message jade slips off the table. She clenched her teeth again and again, unable to accept the situation. Her gaze landed on the white-jade wall, which reflected her appearance back at her. Gradually, her expression steadied. Then she returned to her bedchamber.
In the army camp outside You City, Wenren Li was studying a method he had obtained from the Great Peng Yao Emperor. The Peng Clan had always used this method to purify the bloodline energy of its younger generations. What made it particularly worth Wenren Li’s attention was the fact that Chen Yixin had once hatched among the Qing Peng. Perhaps this was the right direction for helping Chen Yixin hatch again.
“The direction is correct, but there are too many drawbacks. Something is still missing…”
Wenren Li used a brush dipped in cinnabar to draw and make notes across a sheet of brocade. His movements suddenly paused as a phoenix egg, having just awakened, rolled out from inside his collar. Chen Yixin spread his spiritual wings and rubbed his egg body all the way upward from Wenren Li’s collarbone, seemingly determined to roll over every inch of Wenren Li’s neck and face before he would be satisfied.
“A-Li, what are you doing?” Chen Yixin asked while continuing to rub himself against him. Only after Wenren Li caught him in one hand and gave him a light kiss did he finally settle down, shy and obedient.
“I’m repairing a formation. It still needs some time.”
Wenren Li lowered his gaze toward the phoenix egg. He supported Chen Yixin in one palm and continued drawing with his other hand.
Chen Yixin stood obediently in Wenren Li’s palm, still giddy from the kiss, while his mouth resumed its endless chatter. “Ah, A-Li kissed me. A-Li really loves kissing me…”
“Come in.” Wenren Li raised his eyes. At his words, a Demon Guard entered the command tent and bowed.
“Reporting to the Demon Lord. This is a letter of surrender from the You Domain.”
Wenren Li set down his brush. The letter flew onto the table, but it had only unfurled halfway when a tiny blue flame burned it completely away.
“Hmph! A low-grade charm art like this dares to show itself here?” Chen Yixin flew down from Wenren Li’s hand and slammed himself straight into the lingering blue flame where the surrender letter had burned. Still dissatisfied, he bounced on it several more times.
Wenren Li picked up the phoenix egg and soothed him, then raised a hand and ordered the Demon Guard, “Tell Ze Fang and the others to accelerate the attack. If she cannot be captured alive, kill her.”
With three Soul Transformation generals accompanying the campaign, there was no need for Wenren Li to personally take action.
“Yes.” The Demon Guard accepted the order and left.
The phoenix egg in Wenren Li’s arms remained puffed up with anger. Among the Phoenix Clan’s Six Arts, both Dance and Song possessed bewitching effects. Compared with those, You Ruo borrowing a yao technique to place a charm on her surrender letter in hopes of making Wenren Li feel more favorable toward her truly was laughably crude.
“A-Li, are you angry? I destroyed it!” After Chen Yixin’s anger passed, worry immediately replaced it.
Wenren Li stroked the phoenix egg and sighed softly. Then he rose, carried him out of the command tent, and said as he walked, “A-Rong, remember this. I will never be angry with you.”
Chen Yixin still retained the image of Wenren Li from his own ancient memories. That Wenren Li had been majestic, unsmiling, and so severe that no one dared joke in front of him. Even Elder Brother Qingruo and Lin Yu knew to stop at the proper point. They never crossed his boundaries and certainly never went too far.
Chen Yixin had not understood loneliness back then. But looking at the Wenren Li before him now, whose eyes could reveal emotion, he suddenly felt lonely on behalf of the Wenren Li in his memories.
“This A-Li is good. I like A-Li like this.” Chen Yixin happily repeated the words as Wenren Li carried him all the way onto the battlefield. You Ruo was still resisting Ze Fang and the others. She refused to surrender unconditionally and continued insisting that she wanted to see Wenren Li.
“Has the Demon Lord agreed to my request?” Hope immediately flared in You Ruo’s eyes when she saw Wenren Li arrive. She could not avoid surrendering, but she was unwilling to surrender without gaining anything at all. She wanted Wenren Li to grant her the position of secondary consort in exchange for the entire You Domain.
“What request?”
Wenren Li had never even managed to read the surrender letter. He raised a hand, and Ze Fang and the others all withdrew behind him.
You Ruo drew a deep breath, then knelt and performed the formal salute of a concubine. “You Ruo is willing to offer the ten prefectures of the You Domain as my dowry. I ask only to serve the Demon Lord and Demon Consort in the Demon Palace from this day forward…”
She lifted her head after speaking.
Her pupils suddenly contracted.
Blood had already covered her vision, flowing from her own eyes.
Her hand slowly rose, then fell limply again. Before her divine soul completely extinguished, she heard Wenren Li’s proclamation spread across the land.
“Past, present, and future, this lord will only ever have one Demon Consort.”
“Demon Consort! Demon Consort!”
“Divine scion! Divine scion!”
Every Demon Guard who heard Wenren Li began shouting. Chen Yixin’s identity as the divine scion had been confirmed in the Northern Territory, and in the hearts of these Demon Guards, only the divine scion was worthy of being their Demon Consort.
“Ah!” Chen Yixin cried out, sounding both delighted and shy. His spiritual wings spread, and he offered his egg shell directly toward Wenren Li’s lips. “A-Li is my tree. I’m A-Li’s Demon Consort.”
Wenren Li protected Chen Yixin with one hand and swept the other forward. The army advanced with unstoppable momentum. In barely half a month, the You Domain—which comprised one-tenth of the Southern Territory—had entirely become territory under Likui Demon Palace.
“Ze Fang, personally lead people to search the city. Focus on whether You City contains any traces left by Otherworld Demon activity.”
“Yes!” Ze Fang, dressed like a white-robed scholar, led his forces away. The Great Peng Yao Emperor and Yan remained at the command tent, awaiting Wenren Li’s instructions.
“Has the divine well ever issued any warning concerning Otherworld Demons?”
Wenren Li directed the question to Yan. Given how cryptic and mystical that old merfolk was, Wenren Li felt certain he ought to have left Yan some sort of instruction.
“No.” Yan shook his head, but when he raised his eyes, his gaze lingered for a moment on the phoenix egg rubbing restlessly against Wenren Li’s palm.
“Speak plainly.”
Wenren Li looked at him.
Yan dropped to his knees with a thump.
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