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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
The vast and boundless Demon World had been divided into nine Domains a long time ago, and each Domain was ruled by at least one of the six Demon Overlords. However, it achieved a rare unification for the first time after the 6000 year chaos ended. Now that the Nine Great Domains were ruled by Empress Yao Xi, times were peaceful, and war rarely happened. Apart from the remaining five Demon Overlords back then, there was almost no force in the Demon World today that could resist Empress Yao Xi.
However, there were still many who were divided from the union even up till this day. Now, they controlled a sizable army and defied orders from central authorities, and tried to overthrow the Empress’ regime. Because of that, many wars had broken out in various places.
Solar Domain.
This was the territory once ruled by the Solar Demon Overlord. With its vast landscape filled with green, majestic sacred mountains, the Solar Domain was a magnificent sight to behold. After it had been merged into the Meridian Domain of the Demon World, all Clans in the Demon World would come and go, hence the large population here. The population here also had powerful Hidden Masters.
The Demon World’s Black and White Academy, which Empress Yao Xi founded six thousand years ago, happened to be here as well.
They unified both written and spoken language, and they focused on practising humanitarianism and passing down various cultivation methods so that many Demonic Beings had the opportunity to get rid of their ‘coat and horns’. They were given the chance to be reborn and have a glimpse of Immortality.
It was important to note that before this, all the Clans in the Demon World gatekept their methods of cultivation to themselves. They had never spread them to the outside world. This also led to the birth of many Demonic Beings with spiritual wisdom but without Heirs. They could only live in ignorance because of that. Even though they lived long lives, their low cultivation level meant that they could only be captured by cultivators of other Races, and either became slaves or materials for refining medicine. Either way, the only thing that awaited them was a miserable end.
Empress Yao Xi’s actions could be considered to be against the major Clans of the Demon World, as she was, in a way, taking their interests out of their hands. The major Clanswere naturally unwilling to hand over their cultivation techniques, but they had no choice but to compromise under her iron-grip rule.
In the blink of an eye, Black and White Academy had been regarded as the Holy Land of the Demon World. It was where countless beings in the Demon World placed their hopes on. Countless Demonic Beings wanted to be a disciple and cultivate the Great Dao here just so they could get a glimpse of Immortality.
Black and White Academy’s prestige only continued to grow to the point no one knew about them for the next 6000 years. Many Demonic Beings who had studied in Black and White Academy had become loyalists to Empress Yao Xi, and they were her weapon to suppress the remnants supporting the Five Demon Overlords.
“Did you hear that a big shot is coming to the Demon World soon? Her Majesty treats the guest with utmost importance, and she has even sent someone to clean up Starsnatcher Temple, which has been left unattended for more than 6000 years just for that big shot’s temporary stay.”
“I have heard about it as well. How much more sensational can news be other than this!? Supposedly, that important figure from the Upper Realm has terrifying status, and an unfathomable background.”
“Her Majesty didn’t even show such hospitality the last time a Sect Master from an Immortal Sect came to the Demon World, I don’t see Her Majesty attaching so much importance to someone else before. Something must be up this time.”
In front of the entrance of Black and White Academy stood an incomparably majestic and ancient gate. The desolate and historical gate looked as if it was the first gate that had been there since the beginning of the world. On the surface of the gate were more than a million wisps of Chaos Energy, which hung and brightly intertwined, morphing into characters that formed the name of the academy. They constantly reflected the sky.
In the distance, countless Demonic Beings were swallowing the essence of the universe and consuming the rays of the sun and moon, as they cultivated. At this moment, there were a few tall young men and women from the Demon Race in front of the gate. Shrouded in divine splendour, they were the ones who had been successful in cultivation.
They were in the middle of a discussion when their faces froze in shock and puzzlement right as they got to the important part. As important figures themselves, they had already received news from the academy that someone extremely important was coming from the Upper Realm.
They had never seen Empress Yao Xi place so much importance onto someone before. She had even planned to have all the civil and military officials prepare the Starsnatcher Temple to properly welcome the important guest. All of them couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going on. They could even say that this was the first time something like this had happened in 6000 years.
Just as they were talking, a young man from the Demon Race suddenly came to them outside the gate. Donning blue from head to toe, he was a handsome man with a tall and straight figure who exuded confidence enough to be indifferent. There were many young beings of which were beautiful women following behind him, and he seemed to be the leader of the group.
When the men and women saw him, the looks on their faces changed as they warily shut their mouths tightly. The man in blue, too, glanced back at them in shock when he overheard their conversation. Seeing that the conversation had come to an end, he let out a small smile before he walked through the gate.
After entering the gate, the man in blue seemed to have his curiosity piqued as he asked a woman with a pretty face and graceful figure behind him. “Ya’er, how much do you know about the important person who will be coming from the Upper Realm?”
He had overheard the small group talking about this earlier, and he couldn’t help feeling something was wrong.
Upon hearing his words, the woman named Ya’er told him all the things she learned in detail. “My lord, I have only heard that the identity of the person from the Upper Realm is mysterious and terrifying. Her Majesty did not disclose anything about him, but she had all the officials go to Starsnatcher Temple today to prepare to welcome the guest.”
She would know a thing or two about this because her father was a well-known high-ranking official in the Demon World.
The man in blue pondered for a second as a thoughtful expression flashed across his eyes. [Is that so? Could the big figures in the Upper Realm have anything to do with this?]
He couldn’t help frowning when those thoughts hit him. As he walked into the academy, he led everyone back to his Cave Mansion. He planned to ask someone else about it again. The Demon World today was not as peaceful as it appeared to be on the surface. There were too many disturbances hidden in the dark that might erupt at any time.
After the man in blue left, the young men and women in front of the gate took their gazes away from the man’s retreating back, and they each spotted a fearful look on their faces.
“That was Jun Fan. He is just as the rumours say. His cultivation level is unfathomable”
“Rumour has it that he is known as the Apex Cultivator of Black and White Academy. Senior Song is probably the only one who can compete with him. And I heard that he and Senior Song aren’t just fellow comrades to each other. There seems to be a special affinity between them.” Their words were full of envy as they lamented.
The ‘Senior Song’ they were talking about was the only daughter of the current Grand Tutor of the Demon Realm. Her full name was Song Youwei, and she was a beautiful lady with a gentle and generous temperament. Although born noble and loved by thousands of people, she wasn’t the least bit arrogant. Not only that, she was patient and gentle with others. She is the most perfect goddess in the hearts of all the younger generations in Black and White Academy.
The Grand Tutor of the Demon Realm, on the other hand, was the one who taught the Empress since childhood. He held a respectable position where he only bowed to one, and stood above thousands.
Now Empress Yao Xi was a powerful and firm ruler, she wouldn’t change her mind once she had made a decision. The rare moments where she did was only then the Grand Tutor talked her out of it. Even so, successful persuasion was still rare.
In addition, Empress Yao Xi was very optimistic about Song Youwei. She was waiting for the day Song Youwei graduated from the academy before the Empress would entrust her with important tasks. Even some Elders of Black and White Academy thought highly of Song Youwei and dared not treat her like any other disciple.
And the man in blue who walked over just now was Jun Fan, the most outstanding disciple of Black and White Academy in recent years. With outstanding Talent and a strong cultivation level, he had defeated many disciples of the older generation in just half a year since joining the academy. There were plenty of rumours about him, like how he was the third son of the Quelling Chaos King, and how he and his skills were kept hidden only until recently.
Regardless of which rumour it was, they all spoke of how he had an uncommon background. On top of that, his identity and background were the best choices in terms of talent. Only a handful was his match. He was also the subject of admiration of many young female disciples.
He was the epitome of Prince Charming.
While they talked about it, the man in blue returned to his Cave Mansion and drove away the rest of the people.
“Why is he suddenly coming from the Upper Realm? Could it be because of the incident with Uncle Bai?” he muttered under his breath as he wondered.
His name in both past and this life was Jun Bufan, but in order to avoid suspicion, he changed his name to Jun Fan in this life. For some reason, Empress Yao Xi suddenly started a nationwide search for someone named Jun Bufan some time ago. Upon learning about this, the first thing Jun Fan did was look for his mother to discuss changing his name.
His father was the Quelling Chaos King, who was highly regarded by Empress Yao Xi. He definitely wouldn’t want to ruin his future because of this trivial matter at such a crucial time. Because of that, Jun Bufan changed his name to Jun Fan and started to hide from the Empress’ search. It just so happened that his father was the person in charge of overseeing this matter. To the Quelling Chaos King, it was a mere coincidence that Jun Fan had the same name as the Jun Bufan from 6000 years ago. He had chosen Jun Bufan’s name on a whim in hopes that his son would be as brilliant as that talent from six thousand years ago, but he had never thought that the Empress would be looking for someone of the same name after all those years.
Even though he didn’t favour his son, he did watch him grow up since he was a child after all. It seemed unbelievable his son would have something to do with the Heir of the Solar Demon Overlord 6000 years ago. Afterwards, Jun Fan relied on his father’s connections in this life to gradually show his prowess and gain fame in Solar Domain.
He had been in hiding for more than a decade, but the whole world knew about him the moment he showed his face in public. His deeds were admired by many youths, and they thought of him as someone they could learn from. He also relied on the experience of his cultivation in his previous life and the many inheritances he received in this life to quickly catch up to the many young prodigies and enter Black and White Academy. He soon became the brightest disciple among his peers.
At the same time, he secretly searched for the many backups left by his father, the Solar Demon Overlord, in his previous life. After he integrated those forces, he had already managed to come up with a small-sized party. Many Demons with high cultivation levels were his subordinates but they were all in hiding, waiting for the day when he grew strong enough to get revenge on Empress Yao Xi.
[According to the information Father left me, he once asked an old friend to give me something. The friend will definitely come to me when the time comes. I wonder if that big shot from the Upper Realm is coming to the Demon World because of this…] Jun Fan breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes flickered. He already had a plan in mind.
While he was in the dark, Empress Yao Xi was in the light. She had no idea that he had been reborn and was accumulating strength to take his revenge. This was the best opportunity that had ever been presented to him.
[My cultivation might look like it has only reached the Enlightened King Realm, but I have actually reached the Sacred Realm after refining the Inheritance Crystal left by Father. This is one of my trump cards.]
With his cultivation experience from his previous life, Junfan’s cultivation in this life went smoothly. It was as if he was loved by the world. He would be able to break through to the next realm after a while. In addition, there were many Sacred Herb, Divine Sources, Secret Techniques and other things that his father left for him in his Knowledge Sea. His cultivation level increased rapidly with those items’ help. In just a short matter of time, he had broken through to the Sacred Realm.
His breakthrough speed was much slower now though, but Jun Fan was already satisfied. He had only cultivated at this level when he was at this age in his previous life. [It will be the Banquet of Prodigies of the Black and White Academy in seven days. Yao Xi will definitely descend in her physical body and reward the royal wine to many young prodigies then. That will be my one chance.]
When he thought of this, his eyes held a hint of killing intent and coldness. The childhood friend he was head over heels for had ended up killing him by poisoning his wine. He couldn’t possibly forget such a grudge. Now that he was given a new life, he wanted to reveal Yao Xi’s hypocrisy, and make her regret and feel pain for what she did.
He had decided to murder Yao Xi at the Banquet of Prodigies in seven days. He had been planning for the day for a long time. Many of his subordinates were currently hiding around Black and White Academy, waiting for his instruction at any time.
[Just to be safe, I still have to figure out the identity of that mysterious figure coming from the Upper Realm. I have to know whether they are on Yao Xi’s side or if he is the backup arranged by Father.]
His frigid eyes soon turned calm again as he took out an object from his top. This is a lavender ink brush with hollow marks on its body. It looked as though it was made of flawless, natural jade. As he touched the restriction on the writing brush, wisps of lavender traces flashed across the void before they finally disappeared.
After he was done, he patiently waited in his Cave Mansion. Only some time had passed before a set of footsteps could be heard outside the Cave Mansion. Jun Fan immediately perked up, and he hurried outside to welcome his visitor.
“Is something the matter?” A tall and beautiful woman appeared after the cold voice rang out. She was wearing a long purple dress that contrasted against her white, smooth skin and silky, shiny hair. She was also holding an identical lavender ink brush to Jun Fan’s in her hand.
Jun Fan beamed when he saw the woman. “Qingzhu, you are finally here,” he cheered.
Qing Zhu let out a small sigh when she heard the words. “Why wouldn’t I come when you have something you need me for?”
“Come, take a seat,” Jun Fan smiled.
However, his offer was rejected by Qingzhu who shook her head. “It is fine. Just tell me why you called for me. Her Majesty is in great need of manpower right now. I wouldn’t have been able to leave and come to you if I hadn’t come up with an excuse.”
Hearing that, Jun Fan furrowed his eyebrows and asked, “Yao Xi seems busy. Is she receiving that important person?”
Qing Zhu nodded. “It is a major matter related to the Demon World after all.”
There was a flash of light in Jun Fan’s eyes before he stopped beating around the bush. “Actually, this is why I wanted to meet you. Just who is that important person?”
As Yao Xi’s closest female official, Qingzhu must know some things that most people didn’t.
“I told you this before,” she sighed again after throwing him a glance.
“The Young Master of the Immortal Gu Family, Gu Changge?” He felt his heart thump in surprise. “Why is he suddenly coming to the Demon World?”
Qing Zhu did tell him about this some time ago. Empress Yao Xi once exchanged letters with Gu Changge, and they often stayed in contact. This made Jun Fan somewhat upset. After all, Yao Xi was once his fiancée, even if she had poisoned him to death. However, he had never heard about her having any other man by her side for the past 6000 years.
This made Jun Fan have dreams of wanting to ask Yao Xi personally if she had regretted her actions then all these years. He wanted to ask if she had ever truly loved him.
But some time ago, he learned that Yao Xi and Gu Changge met at some point, and they often communicated through letters. This made him very uncomfortable. In terms of identity, Yao Xi was older than Gu Changge by over six thousand years. Gu Changge was, at best, her Junior!
“I don’t know what is on the Empress’ mind. I also don’t know the reason why Gu Changge came to the Demon World.” Qing Zhu, who was also clueless, shook her head. With Gu Changge’s high status, every news about him that went around in the Upper Realm was naturally going to reach the ears of the Demon World residents. In terms of ability and background, Gu Changge could no longer be treated as just a Junior. “Anyway, know your limits, Jun Fan. I am off. I will get punished if Her Majesty notices my absence.”
After saying this, Qing Zhu walked away, leaving only Jun Fan who frowned and paced in his Cave Mansion. He could do nothing but let out a deep sigh. [Things are getting messy. However, Yao Xi doesn’t know that Qingzhu is actually on my side.]
The thought of that made him heave a breath of relief again as he calmed down. Almost everyone in the Demon World knew that Empress Yao Xi had four trusted and close female officials by her side.
Lan, Mei, Zhu, Ju.
Some time ago, Jun Fan met Qing Zhu when he went to a dangerous place in the Demon World to cultivate and look for his father’s backup plan. She was there to help Empress Yao Xi retrieve something, but she ended up falling into danger herself. He couldn’t bear just watching then, and so he decided to help her.
Even though it was a corny plot of a hero saving a beauty, it was unimaginably lethal for a woman like Qing Zhu who rarely saw men. To make matters worse for her, Jun Fan was an eloquent conversationalist with a dignified appearance and strong cultivation. He then made Qingzhu understand that it wasn’t worth it, following the violent and ruthless Empress Yao Xi. Not only did she have to work tirelessly, but she also didn’t even have freedom. And in the end, she would have to receive horrifying punishment if she didn’t meet the Empress’ expectations.
Qing Zhu was determined at first, but after she went back to the palace, she was brutally chided and was even confined for months after she failed to acquire what Empress Yao Xi wanted because things hadn’t gone well. It was then that her resolve started to waver.
As time passed, she and Jun Fan became more familiar with each other. She eventually gradually agreed to help him by being his mole beside Empress Yao Xi. And because of this incident, Jun Fan knew a lot about Empress Yao Xi’s movements, and thus began his plan to assassinate her.
Coming back to his senses, he suddenly remembered another gentle and beautiful figure. “I can ask Youwei about this,” he smiled slightly. “She’s smart. She might know something.”
…
At the same time, the Demon World’s imperial palace was now lively and festive after being decorated with lanterns and festoons as Immortal Mist floated about. Like an ancient sky, the palaces and pavilions were majestic and magnificent as they stood firm on the ground. Whether it was a civil and military official or mighty expert, everyone was currently gathered here with their families. The looks on their faces varied from awe, envy, or mixed emotions as they took in the view.
The Immortal Mist that shrouded the magnificent palace made the place look hazy and other-worldly. There were also all kinds of mouth-watering, rare delicacies that could seldom be seen.
Not to mention, the terrifying Dao Energy and power surrounding the place. It was enough for people to break through their cultivation realms and get epiphanies.
The maids in the banquet hall were all beautiful. In their flowy robes, they moved gracefully as they sang in their melodic voices and danced.
However, the people who had a seat in the palace were all big figures in the Demon World. They were influential beings who were highly regarded by Empress Yao Xi, such as the Grand Tutor of the Demon Realm and the Quelling Chaos King.
Sitting at the main seat was a woman who would attract the attention of the world. She was a peerless beauty in a phoenix dress. With her flowing black hair, she looked luxurious and incomparable. The imposing gaze in her eyes made it difficult for anyone to stare at her, and she had on pale red eye makeup that added to her bewitching allure. Her eyes, however, were clear and charming.
To her side was a man clad in dark ceremonial robes with unmatched good looks and calm, deep eyes. His sleeves were embroidered with mountains, rivers and stars. It looked as though the sun, the moon and the universe would manifest any time. There was a sense of transcendence and nobility, and everything in the world felt as though they were under his control.
The man was Gu Changge. Meanwhile, he had Jiang Luoshen to his right.
As the princess of the Godly Illusion Clan, her temperament alone was enough to make all the women present lower their heads.
“I have caused you trouble, Your Majesty. You even went out of your way to prepare such a magnificent banquet to welcome me.” Gu Changge raised his glass and tipped it.
Empress Yao Xi also smiled as she looked at him and raised her glass. “Young Master Changge, you went on a fatiguing journey of hundreds of millions of kilometres to come to the Demon World. It is only right that I have this banquet prepared.”
After saying that, the two of them downed the content of their glasses.
The many big figures of the Demon World couldn’t help having their curiosity piqued when they watched the scene. Before they came here, they didn’t think it was the Young Master Changge from the Immortal Gu Family that had come to the Demon World.
In fact, it wasn’t inappropriate at all for someone of his status and ability to sit at the same table as the Empress. However, before this, it was rare for Empress Yao Xi to pay so much as even a peep of attention to the Heads of the different forces, let alone have her make a toast in person. Thus, they couldn’t help but be taken aback by what they were witnessing.
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