by <unknown>
"However, the b*tch's family is one of the most powerful in the Gold Crow Kingdom, and she was a reasonably good expert, too. I was no match for her at that time.
"For my revenge, I had to get stronger through whatever methods possible, and in order to get stronger, I had to gain access to a lot of resources. Of course, there were abundant resources that I could get from the Pantheon of Demons, but the b*tch would certainly have found out what I was doing.
"I was left with no option except to steal, to rob, and to trade intelligence for resources.
"Hehe. For several years, I pretended that I was loyal to the b*tch and regarded her as my real mother. She even entrusted two perilous, clearly ill-intended missions to me, but I completed them immaculately. In the second mission, I was even heavily wounded. Finally, she was more or less convinced.
"When I finished all the arrangements, she finally noticed that something was up, but it was already too late for her.
"I killed her without any trouble, but that was not the end of it. Her family was not the only one that was involved in my mother's murder. My father knew a thing or two about it, too, but he simply turned a blind eye to the case!
"Since the moment my mother was killed, I made up my mind that I would kill all the demons that did her wrong before!
"I will not be a piece of meat on a chopping block like my mother was. I must climb higher, no matter the cost!
"Right now, I am a saintess of the Pantheon of Demons, but what about the saintesses? And what about the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens? They are all puppets at the mercy of somebody else, are they not?
"In the Blood Demon Sector, the Pantheon of Demons is the heavens, and those who rule over the heavens are the twelve demon emperors. Those below the twelve demon emperors are all ants!
"I don't want to be an ant anymore, even if it is named 'Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens'! I want to be one of the twelve demon emperors, and even the queen of the entire Blood Demon Sector!
"I kept all my thoughts to myself and concealed my sharpness. I kept climbing upwards as a saintess in the Pantheon of Demons. As more and more missions were accomplished smoothly, my father, who had always ignored me, finally noticed me.
"He thought that my dream was to become the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens. Although I would simply be a puppet, he would still enjoy a lot of benefits if the puppet was fully under his control.
"Therefore, he devoted a lot of resources to me and began to support me. He also eliminated a lot of my competitors for me.
"But there is no way that he could have foreseen that my appetite will not be fulfilled just by being the 'Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens'!
"Hehe. However, it seems that I am quite unlucky. A seemingly regular hunting task, as it turned out, has transformed me into a human being for reasons I do not know. Maybe there are more secrets to the mysterious drug that are not to be known by other people. That's why the four superpowers are joining their hands to hunt me down!
"I don't want to admit my failure. I don't!"
Jin Xinyue's face turned red in excitement, and her voice grew higher and higher, forgetting that she was speaking to a horrifying 'old monster'.
She clenched her fists and smashed the wall of the cave hard. Broken stones flew everywhere, and bloody wounds appeared on her fingers while hot tears dripped down from the corners of her eyes.
She leaned against the wall of the cave helplessly and said frustratedly, "I've kept those words in my heart all this time. Except to my mother in my dreams, I have never told anybody else before. Today, I finally have the chance to speak freely. I can die without regret now.
"Just as Elder said, we don't stand a chance against the Pantheon of Demons. Therefore, you might as well tie me up and throw me into the forest. I believe that the Blood Moon Wolf Raiders will find me soon after they smell the scent of my blood.
"As for you, Elder, I suggest that you do not show yourself any time soon. Since there is no telling how many secrets are linked to the mysterious drug, it is possible that the four demon kingdoms will attack you collectively the moment they discover you, and you won't get a chance to explain.
"Therefore, I strongly suggest that you hold your temper and run as far away as possible. A great war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector is drawing near. It's unlikely that the Pantheon of Demons will deploy a lot of forces to chase after you."
After finishing her speech, Jin Xinyue took a long breath in relief and closed her eyes in silence. Tears were flowing down her face, and her lips were shivering, as if she had given up everything in hopelessness.
Li Yao observed her countenance with great interest for a long time. Suddenly, he started clapping his hands. The brisk applause echoed in the narrow and long cave.
Jin Xinyue suddenly opened her eyes. Dazed, she asked, "Elder, what are you—"
"Your acting skills are not half bad. It was natural and flawless." Li Yao complimented sincerely. "Even I was tricked by you without me knowing it and believed ten percent of what you just said!"
Jin Xinyue was stunned. "Which ten percent?"
"The ten percent where you said that you would climb upwards whatever the cost with the goal of becoming the queen of the Blood Demon Sector," Li Yao replied.
There were a few tears on Jin Xinyue's eyelashes. She asked, not entirely satisfied, "What about the other ninety percent?"
"I understand the ninety percent in the following way," Li Yao said casually. "Firstly, you seemed to be outspoken enough to tell me your miserable childhood, but it was partly meant to win my sympathy and partly to highlight my importance to you, which is apparently even higher than your father's and equal to your deceased mother's.
"For a lone man who has just woken up from a prolonged hibernation, I might grow slightly protective of you, mightn't I?
"Secondly, you exaggerated the invincibility of the Pantheon of Demons on purpose. You said that 'below the twelve demon emperors are but ants' ostensibly for yourself but in fact for me to hear. You naturally knew that I would not be happy being below anybody and being regarded as an 'ant'.
"You pointed it out on purpose so that I would realize the immitigable conflict between me and the Pantheon of Demons!
"At the end of your speech, you said that there were more secrets to the mysterious drug and even asked me to run as far away as possible. It is clear that you were implying that I would not get away in any case now that I am already involved. The Pantheon of Demons will not let go of me even if I do not want to be its enemy!
"Vast as the Blood Demon Sector might be, every place is under the twelve demon emperors' control. Where exactly can I run?
"Oh, right. You also mentioned that a great war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector is drawing near. In other words, you were telling me that, despite the Pantheon of Demons' capability, their greatest enemy is the Heaven's Origin Sector, and they are bound to show loopholes when they were fighting a strong enemy. I should seize the opportunity and counterattack the Pantheon of Demons, shouldn't I?
"You appeared to be telling me your miserable experiences sincerely, but in fact, your every word was reminding me that there is an irreconcilable disagreement between me and the Pantheon of Demons. Even if I do not want to piss the Pantheon of Demons off, I will not be able to get away. Since the great war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector is coming close, it is the best chance for me to curb the enemy before I am curbed. Otherwise, when everything was settled, I won't stand any chance to reverse the situation at all.
"However, if I really make up my mind to fight against the Pantheon of Demons, I will naturally need the help of you, a saintess of the Pantheon of Demons who knows the details of the Pantheon of Demons.
"I did not misunderstand what you meant, did I?"
"You are truly wise!" There was not the slightest fear or embarrassment on Jin Xinyue's face, at least none that Li Yao could tell. She kneeled down obediently and
said with respect, "Elder, you are wise enough to distinguish the meaning between my lines so quickly. I was wondering how I should explain it to you!
"In fact, for normal beginning-level demons, it is not a bad idea to be recruited by the Pantheon of Demons, but your capability and spirits resemble those of a dragon soaring in the high sky. How can you be trapped in a small pond?
"An unparalleled expert such as Elder has every reason to be the master of the Blood Demon Sector, no, the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector! Therefore, the contradiction between Elder and the Pantheon of Demons is definitely unresolvable. I don't think you need me to point it out for you, Elder."
"As I recall, your words were different before you found out that you were being hunted by the Gold Crow Kingdom," Li Yao said coldly.
"At that time, I thought that I could return to the Gold Crow Kingdom and gather a lot of secret arts and files on genes for you, Elder, and I certainly did not want you to have conflict with the Pantheon of Demons so quickly," Jin Xinyue replied unhurriedly. "But now, the situation has changed. It is only reasonable that I think of new plans. Although you must've thought everything through with your wisdom, I think I can be of assistance to you if I can help you analyze the mess and save a few braincells for you, Elder."
Li Yao scoffed. "However, why do I feel that you are manipulating me?"
Jin Xinyue hesitated and said, "I want to say that I am not manipulating you for my own survival at all, but I believe that it would be an insult to your wisdom if I claimed that I am purely admiring your charisma. It is the instinct of every creature to struggle for survival. Right now, every other avenue of escape is a dead end, and I can only clutch one of your leg hairs hard, hoping that you can pull me out of the hell when you soar into the sky and dominate the world. It is quite understandable, isn't it?"
Seeing that the woman was so blatantly shameless, Li Yao was rendered speechless. He was not willing to play the word game any longer. Pondering for a long time, he raised his eyebrow and asked, "In your opinion, can we fight against the Pantheon of Demons with just the two of us?"
Chapter 863: Void Turmoil City, Fire Ant King! |
Without even blinking, Jin Xinyue said quickly, "With your unparalleled wisdom and strength, the Pantheon of Demons would disappear as long as you flicked your little finger at them. However, we don't use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. You don't have to do such things personally, Elder. After all, the greatest threat for the Pantheon of Demons is not us."
Cold brilliance suddenly flashed in his eyes, as if he were angry. He said coldly, "Are you referring to the Heaven's Origin Sector? You want me to cooperate with human beings? Hehe. That's right. I almost forget that you look like a pure human being from your head to your toe now. It is only reasonable that you want to join hands with human beings of the Heaven's Origin Sector."
Jin Xinyue hurried to kneel down and shook her head. "Cooperation can only be established on equal terms. Right now, I am all by myself. If I go to cooperate with the Heaven's Origin Sector, I will simply be feeding myself to the human beings.
"Also, with your identity, it is difficult for you to win the Heaven's Origin Sector's trust, Elder.
"What I referred to was the Blade of Chaos."
Li Yao thought quickly and said, "Go on."
Jin Xinyue coughed slightly and continued. "The Blade of Chaos seems to have suffered a major strike. However, the body of a bug can still move even if it is killed. Such a large organization cannot be eliminated so easily.
"The Blade of Chaos has reached every social class of the Blood Demon Sector in its hundreds of years of lurking in the darkness. Right now, we have only chopped its tentacles and limbs at best. We do not even know where its heart is.
"As you know, Elder, after the Blade of Chaos started the 'Riot of Bloody Blade' and occupied Bone Sand City in the north, the rebels stayed there and sabotaged the city, giving the coalition army of the demon race plenty of time to mobilize and annihilate all of them.
"At first, I thought that the Blade of Chaos was simply made of a bunch of mobs who did not know what to do after they took over a major city.
"But from a different perspective, what if their target had always been the mysterious drug that could turn a demon into a human being?"
Li Yao's eyes were slightly enlarged. "Huh?"
"Suppose that the Blade of Chaos learned a long time ago that Elder Nether Spring had a secret laboratory in Bone Sand City and invented a mysterious drug that could change the world," Jin Xinyue said. "Therefore, they initiated the 'Riot of Bloody Riot', and their real reason for occupying Bone Sand City was to search for said drug.
"If that's the case, it is easy to understand why they stayed in and sabotaged the city. That is because they were digging pits in every household in search of Elder Nether Spring's laboratory and the mysterious drug!
"If so, the secrets behind the drug must be more appalling than we imagined. Elder Nether Spring hunted them down without caring for the cost!
"If so, other than Elder Nether Spring and the four kingdoms, the Blade of Chaos should be looking for the mysterious drug, too!
"Right now, the mysterious drug has been absorbed by me and has led to the unbelievable changes inside my body. Therefore, I think that I might be a rather valuable bargaining chip right now. We can use me to initiate dealings with the Blade of Chaos."
Li Yao thought for a moment and nodded. "You do have a point, but where are we going to find the Blade of Chaos? The entire Blood Demon Sector is suppressing the rebellions right now. Members of the Blade of Chaos must be living in anxiety and will not show up easily in case they are captured."
Cunningness suddenly beamed out of Jin Xinyue's eyes, as she smiled and said, "I happened upon a piece of ungrounded intelligence before, which was the location of a secret bureau, if not the headquarters, of the Blade of Chaos!"
Li Yao was dazed for a moment. "You knew where the Blade of Chaos was headquartered, and you kept such important information to yourself instead of reporting it to the Pantheon of Demons?"
Jin Xinyue laughed drily. "What benefits can I get by reporting it to the Pantheon of Demons? I might as well hide the information first and trade it for something more valuable when necessary, say, right now, in order to make best use of the information."
Li Yao stared at her.
"It can't be helped," Jin Xinyue said frankly. "If you want to live, and live well, in the Blood Demon Sector, you must grasp a few secrets that other people do not know about."
"Then, where is the secret bureau of the Blade of Chaos?" Li Yao asked calmly.
"Void Turmoil City."
Li Yao chewed on the name and vaguely sensed the stink of blood. He remembered hearing the name when he was back in the Dry Leaf Village.
"Void Turmoil City is an independent city and does not belong to the four most powerful demon kingdoms," Jin Xinyue said. "It is perhaps the most dangerous, disorderly, and lawless place in the entire Blood Demon Sector. It wouldn't be exaggerating to call the city a cancer of the Blood Demon Sector."
Li Yao found it amusing. "And the Pantheon of Demons simply tolerates the existence of such a 'cancer'?"
"That's because 'Fire Ant King', master of Void Turmoil City, is a middle-level demon emperor with tremendous strength," Jin Xinyue explained.
"The Fire Ant King is a weirdo in the demon emperors. His strength and background are on par with those of quite a few of the twelve demon emperors, but he has never shown any intention of competing for the place of the twelve demon emperors. He simply occupied the Void Turmoil peninsula and established his own city, declaring that he would not attack anybody as long as he was not attacked.
"After Void Turmoil City was established, the most brutal demons of the Blood Demon Sector were immediately attracted to it. Many of them had committed felonies in the community that they belonged to or were those who failed in the struggle for power. They did not want to be sent to the Heaven's Origin Sector for
suicidal missions and therefore fled to Void Turmoil City. As long as they entered the territory of Void Turmoil City, the Fire Ant King would treat and shelter them equally.
"As time went on, the most brutal and merciless demons gathered around the Fire Ant King. With his invincible forces, other demons do not dare mess with him easily anymore.
"Unlike his forces, the Fire Ant King is the opposite of reckless. In fact, he is extremely smart.
"His Void Turmoil City mainly has two businesses.
"Firstly, to capture and refine the chaotic-blood demons.
"The chaotic-blood demons are despised by all other demons. They often live in remote regions of the Blood Demon Sector, too. After generations of life in the wilderness, they have become disobedient and uneducable.
"Therefore, the Fire Ant King sends out slave-catching teams to capture the chaotic-blood demons in the far-flung areas of the Blood Demon Sector. All the prey is brought back to Void Turmoil City for refinement. They are either bred into loyal slaves or fearless cannon fodder. Some of them even became gladiators who are made to fight each other for the entertainment of high-level demons.
"After the refinement, he sells the slaves, soldiers, and gladiators to high-level demons to be their pets, tools, and weapons.
"Through such a business, not only has the Fire Ant King earned a fortune, he has also made friends with the leadership of various tribes. After he first started, he quickly became the biggest hunter of chaotic-blood demons and slave owner of the Blood Demon Sector.
"The Fire Ant King provides slaves for the high-level demons with a neutral attitude, showing that he is interested in only money and nothing else. Why would anybody come to piss off such a peaceful demon emperor?
"Around the 'Battle of Dawn', the demand for cannon fodder soared. The Fire Ant King was much more efficient in producing cannon fodder than the major demon kingdoms were. He was a noble guest of the demon kings, who would only greet him warmly when he dropped by. Did they have any reason to provoke him?
