Martial Cultivator

The demon race was not peaceful.

It had been more than a month since the battle between the Demon Emperor and the Great Liang Emperor, yet the Demon Emperor had yet to show himself. With the desolate north now turned into a forbidden zone, speculation about the Demon Emperor's life and death spread throughout the entire demon race.

Before the Demon Emperor set off for the desolate north, nearly all the great demons of the demon race had been highly optimistic about the outcome of this battle. After all, the Great Liang Emperor had previously fought two great powerhouses in succession, leaving him in an undoubtedly weakened state. Meanwhile, their own Demon Emperor was unquestionably the strongest being of this era. Facing a severely injured human emperor, victory had seemed certain. Thus, not a single great demon had raised any objections to this battle. But who could have expected that a battle seemingly guaranteed to be won would end like this?

The desolate north had become a forbidden zone, and the fates of both the Demon Emperor and the Great Liang Emperor remained unknown.

By all accounts, the battle should have concluded. Yet even after its end, the Demon Emperor remained missing, naturally throwing the demon race into turmoil.

After all, the royal city needed a ruler of the demon race to hold down the fort.

But since the desolate north had become a forbidden zone, there was no need to worry about the humans from the south for the time being. The greatest concern now lay within the demon race itself.

As the highest authority beneath the Demon Emperor, the High Priest of the demon race had been working tirelessly to stabilize the situation. Perhaps because the Demon Emperor had previously set a trap to eliminate the great demons who harbored treacherous ambitions, the demon territory had remained relatively peaceful for the time being.

But beneath the surface, hidden undercurrents were undoubtedly surging.

……

High Priest's Residence.

A carriage, drawn by an ancient exotic beast, slowly came to a stop. A valiant and imposing man stepped out from the carriage. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with long dark red hair and deep blue eyes. His entire being radiated with blood vitality like an abyss, and every movement he made exuded extraordinariness.

Seeing this man appear at the entrance, the guards immediately bowed and saluted. “Greetings, Prince Yu.”

The Demon Emperor had ruled the demon territory for many years, and naturally, he had offspring. The man before them, Prince Yu, was the eldest and most powerful among them. In other words, if the Demon Emperor had truly perished in the desolate north, then by name and right, it was Prince Yu who should ascend the throne as the new Demon Emperor.

However, in the demon race, few ever ascended to the throne peacefully. More often than not, the royal city would be bathed in blood, and only after slaughtering enough to make the other great demons dare not covet the throne could one truly sit on that seat firmly.

Even if Prince Yu could suppress his siblings, it was uncertain whether he could do the same to the other great demons. When all was said and done, his cultivation was still lacking.

The Demon Emperor had been the undisputed greatest genius of the demon race in the past thousand years, but among his children, aside from the demon princess, Autumn, the rest were far from capable.

Upon entering the High Priest's residence, Prince Yu saw the man who currently held the highest authority in the demon race. The High Priest was seated in the courtyard, and even upon seeing Prince Yu, he did not rise to greet him.

Prince Yu did not mind. This was the most trusted subject of his royal father, and he dared not show any disrespect.

“High Priest, is there still no news of my Royal Father?”

Prince Yu got straight to the point, making his intentions clear.

The High Priest replied, “What kind of news does Your Highness wish to hear? That His Majesty has passed, or that His Majesty will return safe and sound?”

Prince Yu said angrily, “As Royal Father's son, of course I wish for Royal Father to return safely!”

The High Priest remained silent.

"But if something has happened to Royal Father, the vast demon territory must have someone to take charge. Otherwise, the people will be left in panic, unable to find peace."

Prince Yu looked at the High Priest, making no effort to conceal the ambition in his eyes.

The High Priest looked at him calmly and said, "His Majesty has not returned, but there has been no news of his passing. All we can do now is wait for His Majesty to return."

Prince Yu sneered. "Just wait? Let the demon territory descend into chaos?"

"Then what does Your Highness propose?"

The High Priest studied Prince Yu with a thoughtful expression, though inwardly, he sighed. His Majesty had been a ruler of unparalleled wisdom, but unfortunately, he had these sons.

"Among all the princes, I'm the eldest, and my cultivation realm is the highest. With Royal Father absent, I should assume temporary rule over state affairs, with you assisting by my side. Only this way can we prevent disorder in the demon domain while we await Royal Father's return."

The High Priest nodded. "What Your Highness says is not unreasonable. As the eldest son, it's indeed fitting in both reasonable and logical. However, has Your Highness ever considered, if His Majesty is still alive, why has he not shown himself?"

"Why?"

Prince Yu raised an eyebrow at the High Priest. How could he have thought that far?

The High Priest spoke with a heavy tone, "If His Majesty is still alive, yet refuses to show himself, it must mean he has suffered severe injuries. At this moment, because he has not appeared, no one dares to make a move, because no one knows when he might return. But if someone acts rashly now, then once His Majesty does return, a calamity will be unavoidable. If Your Highness seeks to seize power at this moment, what do you think the others will think?"

Prince Yu remained silent, his eyes still filled with confusion.

The High Priest sighed and said, "They will think His Majesty has passed. Your Highness will then have to face so many powerful great demons who are like wolves and tigers. How will you respond?"

Prince Yu froze, he had never considered this.

In his mind, he was only thinking that with the High Priest's support, he would be able to control the situation. Whether he would forever remain a prince or take another step forward was a matter for later.

The High Priest said, "Therefore, Your Highness must not entertain such thoughts, not even the slightest. You must also prevent the other princes from making any moves. There must be no hint of His Majesty's death. Otherwise, with the cultivations of Your Highness and others, how could you survive?"

Prince Yu was silent for a moment and then asked, "What if Royal Father really has passed?"

"Even so, we must conceal it as long as possible. Your Highness must focus on cultivation, and ensure no one finds out. Wait until you are fully prepared, and then proceed carefully."

The High Priest sighed and continued, "This way, the throne will remain with His Majesty's bloodline. I believe His Majesty's spirit will be at ease."

The High Priest laid out all the intricacies and potential consequences for Prince Yu. If this prince still insisted on going his own way, the High Priest would not stop him, nor would he try.

Prince Yu seemed to awaken from his dream and looked somewhat alarmed. "I almost ruined everything. Many thanks, High Priest."

The High Priest nodded and said, "Your Highness should investigate further now, find out how many loyal followers of His Majesty there are within the demon territory's various tribes. It will help you prepare for the future."

Prince Yu nodded. "I will go now."

The High Priest smiled faintly and did not try to keep him.

Prince Yu quickly took his leave and turned to leave.

The High Priest never stood up from start to end. Instead, he took out a small stove and began brewing tea.

This human-made item was very easy for the demon race to obtain in previous years. During those years, the human race would offer tributes every year to maintain peace between the human and demon races. But since the establishment of the Great Liang, such things have rarely entered the demon domain. Now, acquiring some fine tea leaves was no simple matter.

Just as the High Priest completed all these and watched the iron kettle on the stove start to emit white steam, a woman appeared.

It was the demon princess, Autumn.

After seeing Autumn, the High Priest was not in a hurry to speak.

Autumn sat down opposite the High Priest and said with some distaste, "I really don't know how Royal Father could have such an heir."

What Prince Yu displayed was almost impossible to associate with the son of the Demon Emperor.

He had little to no political acumen but possessed boundless ambition.

And it was not just him alone, the other princes were no better than him.

The High Priest smiled bitterly and said, "As the saying goes, a dragon's nine sons don't all become dragons. His Majesty is a once-in-a-lifetime genius, he's already perfect enough. It's no big deal if he falls short in certain matters."

Autumn said indifferently, "Those fools will eventually bring ruin upon themselves."

The High Priest remained silent, not responding.

Autumn then asked, "What are the chances Royal Father has truly passed?"

Hearing these words, the High Priest's expression finally grew serious. After a moment of thought, he slowly said, "His Majesty is one of a kind in this world, he should have been invincible. When that Great Liang Emperor first ventured into the desolate north, he was far from His Majesty's equal. On the second trip to the desolate north, he was roughly eighty percent of His Majesty's strength. This time, even though the battle was evenly matched with His Majesty, it's unlikely that His Majesty was killed by the Great Liang Emperor. But the Great Liang Emperor has great fortune, and everything is unclear. Perhaps His Majesty underestimated the enemy, but it's not to the point of... At this moment, even I cannot say for certain, but I still don't want to believe that His Majesty would die in the desolate north."

"His Majesty should have slain the Great Liang Emperor, but was also gravely wounded. He should still be recuperating in the desolate north."

The High Priest calmly continued, "If His Majesty is not at full strength, then his absence is actually a good thing. That way, even if others are tempted to act, they will only think about it and not do anything."

Autumn replied calmly, "I’m a bit worried about Royal Father."

The High Priest said, "But the current situation in the desolate north makes it very difficult for Your Highness to enter. There's little we can do regarding His Majesty's safety."

Autumn remained silent for a moment before asking, "Is there any way to get through the desolate north?"

The High Priest asked curiously, "Does Your Highness wish to go to the Great Liang?"

"Right now, the desolate north separates the demon territory from Great Liang, and much information is unclear. I want to go and see the Great Liang, to check if that Great Liang Emperor is still alive."

Autumn said calmly, "And see how which step he has progressed to."

The High Priest shook his head. "Your Highness should remain in the demon territory. If His Majesty truly passed away, the demon race will descend into chaos. The struggle for the throne would then become the greatest issue."

Autumn did not share this view. "If Royal Father truly died, I cannot ascend the throne at this moment either. What I should do now is focus on cultivating. Even if the throne is taken by someone else, when I return, I'll naturally take it back."

The High Priest was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Your Highness is truly worthy of being His Majesty's offspring."

Autumn showed a rare smile, then teased, "That doesn't sound like a compliment."

The High Priest smiled and did not respond.

However, this prominent figure of the demon race soon expressed his stance. "In this life, this subject is willing to follow His Majesty, and would rather die than change. If His Majesty passes, this subject will follow Your Highness, and still choose death without regret."

Autumn looked at him, was silent for a long time, before saying, "Good."

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