The entire square was silent. Although these words were careless and very provocative, it was clear that the particularly striking exclamation could only be heard by the Demon Emperor, who was not far away and had a solemn and surprised expression. The present demon lord were just surprised that this child who came out of nowhere was so daring to their realm’s leader. Even if she had Qing Mu’s protection, she still didn’t seem to have any knowledge of life’s preciousness.
And the demons who wanted to step forward to scold Hou Chi were also stopped by Qing Mu’s strong immortal power and Hou Chi’s expressionless but scary expression.
His Majesty the Demon Emperor was only silent. He really wasn’t fit to be the odd one out.
Hou Chi, who was sitting in Qing Mu’s arms, also froze when she heard the address. She turned her head to the young man with a warm smile in her eyes. She couldn’t help but hum a little, and said lowly, “No matter how big or small I am, at least I’m tens of thousands of years older than you.”
This voice was very low, but also held a child’s unique playfulness and softness, which gave people an itchy feeling. Qing Mu blinked his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth.
The cold suspicion and murderous aura in the Demon Emperor’s gaze froze under the eyes of the crowd. He stared at the girl sitting upright in Qing Mu’s arms not far away, his hands behind his back tightening again. The tightness was finally loosened slowly, and his astonished expression warmed up.
He was the leader of a realm. This short time was enough for him to return to normal.
In the disbelief and surprise of the demon lords, their great Demon Emperor nodded slightly in the direction of the green-robed young man in the middle of the square, and said respectfully, “The rumors are true. I have learned from Lord Qing Mu’s powers. In the future, I will surely teach my realm, and please….” Leaving his words dangling, the Demon Emperor hesitated for a while, and tensed his shoulders obscurely in Qing Mu’s direction, “Do not blame me.”
Even if the little god dormant in Qingchi Palace was useless, a god’s nobility was not something that he could ignore. Thinking of Hou Chi’s backup, God Gu Jun, he regretted what he just said. The younger demon lords may not be clear on this, but he, who had experienced the savage chaos of the Three Realms when it was born, knew better than anyone. Perhaps the most terrifying thing in this vast expanse of heaven and earth was not the powerful Heavenly Emperor high up in the Nine Heavens, but the low-key, hidden, and unobtrusive God Gu Jun.
Although he did not know why Hou Chi left Qingchi Palace to come to his Third Heaven, he knew that this imposing little god inherited all of God Gu Jun’s protective personality. His intention of killing Feng Ran just now obviously upset her, or else she wouldn’t have made things this hard for him.
The Demon Emperor’s actions were too subtle and no one noticed them. Everyone thought that he stared because of Qing Mu’s strong immortal power and put down the matter lightly. But Sen Yu, who was standing to the side, was obviously irritated. Just when he was about to step forward, he found it difficult to move. He suspiciously glanced at the Demon Emperor in front of him, and his angry face regained some normalness and clarity. The Demon and Immortal Realms had many disputes, and there would sooner or later be a fight. With Qing Mu’s immortal power, even the Heavenly Emperor wouldn’t be able to restrain him. If he stayed out of this matter, the Demon Realm would have one less strong enemy.
The girl in Qing Mu’s arms seemed very satisfied with the Demon Emperor’s behavior. She slightly raised her hand and said as she squinted her phoenix-like eyes, “Since Your Majesty has begged for mercy, I naturally won’t argue with a lower generation. Sen Yu will be imprisoned for a year, as for Qing Li…”
Hou Chi threw a gray magical pill and it flew directly into Sen Yu’s hands. Under the crowd’s surprised and suspicious expressions, she blinked her eyes with a slight smile, “What I just said seems to be a little harsh. Although Qing Li’s sneak attack was wrong, she was valuing her love, which moved me. This pill is made by my father. Although it can’t make up for the demon power Qing Li lost, it is enough for her to transform into her human form.”
Her face was plastered with a smile and her voice was filled with approval, but all the demon deities standing in the square shuddered. This little immortal lord who came out of nowhere really bored many grudges. Everyone in the Demon Realm knew that the Second Highness was helped by Qing Li, which was why he kept her by his side all these years. But they were afraid that he still held Chang Qin most deeply in his heart. If Qing Li could transform into a human and regain her demon power, this entanglement will probably change.
Qing Mu looked at Hou Chi, who was showing her teeth and claws, [1] and the corners of his mouth twitched one after another with a hint of helplessness appearing in his eyes. Such cleverness and grudge-bearing, he didn’t know who taught her…
Feng Ran, who was standing on the side, cast a “you really are walking the right path” look at Hou Chi, who was in Qing Mu’s arms and raised her eyebrows twice, looking obviously very satisfied.
Even the Demon Emperor and Chang Qin were a little startled by Hou Chi’s actions. The latter reacted better and only slightly frowned. The Demon Emperor, however, had a feeling of relief.
The event between Qing Li and Chang Qin had always been a knot in the Demon Emperor’s heart. After Qing Li lost her demon pellet, even he could not cure her, and he could not forcibly take the rest of the energy out. If she swallowed God Gu Jun’s pill, his stubborn son wouldn’t be so persistent. Perhaps Chang Qin would stay in the Third Heaven and become the leader of the army once again. After all, to him, a brave general of the Demon Realm was much more important than a weak and little fox with unknown origin.
Although Hou Chi had no intention to help him, the Demon Emperor was faintly grateful.
Seeing the Demon Emperor’s expression, Sen Yu also knew that what the little girl said was true. As he was guessing what family this little immortal lordwas from, he couldn’t help but show a little joy on his face. He bowed in Hou Chi’s direction with a complicated expression, and his arm holding the little fox also felt much lighter. He immediately turned his head to look at Chang Qin, but the excitement on his face stiffened when he saw Chang Qin’s indifferent eyes.
In the entire square, only the little fox that Sen Yu was holding in his arms trembled invisibly after seeing Sen Yu’s expressive joy, and there was a trace of disbelief, panic, and resentment in her eyes. She gave up so much for him, planned for so many years. She has almost succeeded, how could she easily lose? Her demon pellet has already been used by Sen Yu, and even the Demon Emperor couldn’t help her become a human. Who was this pretending child?
The atmosphere in the square suddenly became a little strange. No matter what, the deep situation that had been triggered just now had been warmed up by the Demon Emperor’s deliberate warmth. The demon deities weren’t stupid people. Seeing that Hou Chi could randomly take out such an astonishing pill, they couldn’t help but guess her origin…After all, there were only three people in the Three Realms a generation higher than the Demon Emperor, but when was there such a small immortal deity from the Nine Heavens or Qingchi Palace?
“Your Majesty, Feng Ran’s matter…” Hou Chi moved her body in Qing Mu’s arms and yawned lazily.
The Demon Emperor’s complexion changed, and he looked in Feng Ran’s direction, the killing intent in his eyes slowly condensing. After a long time, he finally sighed, “If Lord Feng Ran does not offend my Demon Realm anymore, I will naturally not cause her any trouble ever again.”
Hou Chi nodded her head, too lazy to care about the meaning carried in the Demon Emperor’s words, waved her hand and turned back to Qing Mu, hooking her hands around his neck and leaning against him tiredly. With her immortal power, it was already impressive for her to be able to persist against the Demon Emperor’s aura for so long. She would hand things over to Qing Mu now. After all, so much time was already wasted and the two’s purpose for coming to Demon Realm had not been achieved yet.
The Demon Emperor also noticed Hou Chi’s impatience. Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, he waved his hands to disperse the demon lords and invited Qing Mu and Hou Chi in. As for Feng Ran, he ignored her but didn’t kick her out. Feng Ran rubbed her nose and flauntingly followed the people in front of her. Chang Qin frowned, and also followed them under Sen Yu’s expectant gaze. Sen Yu’s expression was full of joy, and after putting the pill away, he hurriedly ran inside with the little fox in his arms. After a moment, after a battle filled with dust and smoke, the area outside of Chongzi Palace quieted strangely.
In the main hall of Chongzi Palace, although the Demon Emperor had higher status than Qing Mu, Hou Chi had never come down from Qing Mu’s arms, so he had to sit with Qing Mu on a gilt sunken wooden chair in the middle of the hall.
Besides these three people, there was nobody else in the main hall, so it seemed a little empty. The Demon Emperor hesitated for a moment, then bowed in Hou Chi’s direction, “Has little god come to the Demon Realm with God Gu Jun’s instructions?”
Hou Chi cast her eyes aside, “Why, if my God father didn’t give me any instructions, does this mean that I can’t come to the Demon Realm?”
Qing Mu looked at Hou Chi’s fox-faking-tiger look and laughed inside. Isn’t this obvious, if there was no deterrence from God Gu Jun, the Demon Emperor wouldn’t be willing to compromise to this point!
Sure enough, when he heard Hou Chi’s words, the Demon Emperor’s expression froze, but he hurriedly waved his hand and said, “Goddess is being too serious. It’s just that you have never left Qingchi Palace. I am just a little confused that you have come to my Demon Realm.”
God Gu Jun had always remained neutral in the struggle between the Immortal and Demon Realms. He didn’t want another enemy, so he was being very respectful to Hou Chi.
“We are here to ask you to answer our questions.” Pulling Hou Chi into his arms, Qing Mu took out the demon fan that Hou Chi gave him to the Demon Emperor, “Today, Hou Chi and I are looking for a friend. No trace of him was seen in his residence, and we only found this fan…”
The Demon Emperor was a little confused when he heard this. Seeing the fan Qing Mu was holding, his expression suddenly became serious. Seeing that his expression wasn’t right, Hou Chi and Qing Mu locked eyes, feeling a little fortunate. It seemed that the Demon Emperor did know about what happened to Bo Xuan, but he just didn’t know whether these two were friends or enemies…
“Goddess Hou Chi, does the person you are looking for have connections with God Gu Jun?” After a moment of silence, the Demon Emperor slowly spoke.
“You can say it like that…” Hou Chi paused and said, “He is from my Qingchi Palace.”
The meaning of protection was so obvious that both the Demon Emperor and Qing Mu froze. The latter looked at Hou Chi’s tight body, his eyes moving almost imperceptibly. It seemed that this Bo Xuan that they were looking for…was very special to Hou Chi.
“Goddess does not need to be nervous. I am only curious, which is why I asked this question. Lord Qing Mu isn’t the first one all these years to suppress me using their spiritual power.” The Demon Emperor’s expression was filled with emotion as he said this to Qing Mu.
“Your Majesty is saying…” Qing Mu moved a little and was a little curious about Bo Xuan, who had always covered his face.
“Yes, I have been defeated by this person, and I didn’t have any strength to fight back.” The Demon Emperor sighed. He didn’t care about the fact that he was defeated and said this casually.
“That’s natural.” Hou Chi’s expression was overjoyed, and she nodded towards the Demon Emperor with a very satisfied expression.
“What exactly happened?” Qing Mu patted Hou Chi and continued to ask.
“Eight thousand years ago, when I was cultivating in retreat in Tianhuo Palace [2], I discovered someone breaking into the palace, so I fought with the person.” Seeing that the two of them were puzzled, the Demon Emperor continued, “The Demon Realm’s Third Heaven’s barrier is made of the demon fire of Yaohuo Palace, and is very important to the Demon Realm. It is normally guarded by many soldiers, but the person you are looking for broke in flauntingly and left right away taking the demon fire. I fought with him, and with only one move, I lost to him. In the chaos, he sacrificed his weapon…which is this fan.”
Seeing the two’s strange expressions, the Demon Emperor coughed and hurriedly said, “I only know this much. Although he took away the demon fire, he didn’t take away much, so it wasn’t very over the top, so I didn’t chase him.”
He was defeated by only one move. He probably was afraid…Hearing the Demon Emperor’s excuses, Hou Chi and Qing Mu raised their eyes, not making a sound. He was a leader of a realm and needed a good reputation. They were visitors, so it was better to be more reserved.
Just this? There was no difference between saying this and not saying this…Seeing that the Demon Emperor stopped talking after this, both of them felt a little sad. They traveled ten thousand kilometers to the Third Heaven of the Demon Realm to get such a useless piece of information. According to this, Bo Xuan took the demon fire eight thousand years ago, and there was no more news about him.
The two were silent without words. The Demon Emperor, who was sitting up straight, coughed, “There is no need for Goddess to be sad. Although I have only fought with him once, I also discovered that the person is full of immortal power. The immortal light is fiery red and is the power of a nine-panel roulette. From what I know, the only beings in the Three Realms that can use the weapon are the magical kirin. [4] But after ancient times, these beasts have gone extinct, so I don’t know whether my guess is right or not.”
Qing Mu and Hou Chi were both taken aback, remembering the rumors about the beasts roaming around Liaowang Mountain, and their hearts beat faster. Was it possible that Bo Xuan had been hiding in the mountain all these years? Looking at each other, they were a little happy. There was finally news about Bo Xuan…
Qing Mu bowed towards the Demon Emperor, and a smile appeared on his solemn face, “Many thanks to Your Majesty for telling us. Hou Chi and I still have some important matters to tend to, so we shall bid farewell now.”
After speaking, he got up to leave, feeling quite anxious. Who knew if the unknown beast would still be there when they got to Liaowang Mountain?
“Goddess, wait a moment.” Before Qing Mu walked out of the hall, the Demon Emperor’s hesitating voice came from behind him.
Hou Chi suddenly turned her head from Qing Mu’s arms, her eyes sparkling, making this scene almost unbearable for the thick-skinned and old-faced Demon Emperor, fearing that the clue he provided did not satisfy the little god.
“Goddess, the Demon Realm’s demon fire has always only existed in the Third Heaven and is useless to the people of the Immortal Realm. In addition to constructing the barrier, it is also a great supplement to the demon deities cultivating their demon power. If you are meaning to look for that person, you might as well start here.” The person whose demon power had greatly increased in eight thousand years might have news about that person.
Hou Chi understood the Demon Emperor’s words and solemnly nodded to the Demon Emperor. She patted Qing Mu’s hand to signal for him to leave.
Inside Chongzi Palace, the Demon Emperor looked at the one big and small one people who had already walked far away, his eyes slightly narrowing, and his expression inexplicable.
A man in a purple robe walked out from behind the main hall, saw the Demon Emperor’s condensing eyes, and said, “Royal Father, this is the Goddess Hou Chi that you mentioned?”
The Demon Emperor slightly nodded, his expression faint and full of sighs, “Sure enough, this is the little god that God Gu Jun waited for ten thousand years for. I’m afraid that among the few in the Nine Heavens, only Jing Jian is comparable.”
“How come? I watched her. She is just a child with an immature personality. What are they doing in the Demon Realm?” The purple-robed young man looked indifferent and his eyes were calm.
The Demon Emperor turned around, saw his eldest son’s calm and unwavering eyes, and sighed, “They are just searching for someone. It has nothing to do with us, but I’m afraid that the person is not as simple as I think…” The Demon Emperor stopped talking, then continued, “Did you see Chang Qin?”
Sen Hong’s calm eyes moved and were finally filled with a warmer color. He said in a daze, “She came to me just now to bid farewell. I think she will leave the Third Heaven.”
The Demon Emperor felt that this situation was a pity when he heard this. He wanted Chang Qin to stay in the Third Heaven, but it seemed that it would be impossible.
“But Second Brother went to chase her.” Sen Hong raised his eyes and looked outside Chongzi Palace. His dark eyes were particularly silent, “I want to know how she will choose this time.”
A thousand years ago, you chose to stay in this Third Heaven, hoping that he would change his mind. This time, Chang Qin, how will you choose?
Qing Mu held Hou Chi all the way out Chongzi Palace, and after joining Feng Ran, walked towards the Gate of Life and Death. The three’s expressions were joyful, but…the light and fast steps gradually slowed down when they met up with a familiar figure in front of the Gate of Life and Death.
[1] “showing her teeth and claws” – Means to be quite frightening, or showing their status and power.
[2] Tianhuo Palace – Aka “Sky Fire Palace”
[3] Yaohuo Palace – Aka “Demon Fire Palace”