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The betrayal of the Gongsun family was like the final straw that broke the camel’s back, causing the entire situation to take a sharp turn for the worse.

Daoist Kumu coughed up a large mouthful of blood and staggered backward. It was unclear whether this was because his previous injuries had been too severe or because his fury had overwhelmed him in that moment.

He extended his withered finger toward Gavin and said with a trembling voice: “Gavin, you unworthy descendant! Immortal Cloud Pavilion has never treated you poorly. How dare you betray us like this? Are you not afraid of Heaven’s punishment?”

“Heh, Heaven’s punishment? Hasn’t my Gongsun family suffered enough of Heaven’s punishment already?” Gavin sneered.

“For a thousand years, my Gongsun family has been trapped within this tiny city of Maplefall Town, with virtually no hope of ever rising again. On top of that, we have constantly suffered exploitation at the hands of Immortal Cloud Pavilion.

“And the promise made by the ancestor of Immortal Cloud Pavilion to my Gongsun family was that we could return to Immortal Cloud Pavilion once we had atoned for our sins. But a thousand years have already passed. Even the greatest of sins should have been atoned for by now.

“But what happened? The day when we could return remains nowhere in sight. Atonement, atonement… What exactly must we do for it to count as atonement? What exactly must we do before our sins can be considered fully atoned for?

“Ancestor, shouldn’t you know better than anyone? Immortal Cloud Pavilion has merely been toying with my Gongsun family!”

“Nonsense! Utter nonsense! You… sigh!” Upon hearing this, Daoist Kumu let out a long, desolate sigh, his expression seeming to age by several decades in an instant. He suddenly pulled a scroll from his robes and unfurled it in front of Gavin. “Take a look. Do you know what this is?”

Gavin raised his eyes. It was a golden scroll. It radiated an imposing aura, along with the seal of the current master of Immortal Cloud Pavilion. Gavin immediately saw the contents written upon it.

“The Gongsun family… protected the seal for a thousand years… rendered meritorious service… from this day onward… return to Immortal Cloud Pavilion.” As he slowly read the words aloud, Gavin’s expression became exceedingly complicated. “Immortal Cloud Pavilion… has recalled my Gongsun family?”

“Of course. One of the reasons I came here was to give this to you. But with time being so pressing, and so many unexpected events occurring, this old Daoist temporarily forgot about it. Who would have thought that you…”

Daoist Kumu shook his head. Fate had played such a cruel trick on them that even he could not help but sigh at the irony.

Gavin let out a soft sigh and slowly closed his eyes. “At this point, bringing this out is already meaningless. I… and the entire Gongsun family… can never go back.”

“Indeed. Heaven’s will plays cruel tricks upon us…” Daoist Kumu tore the scroll to pieces in one motion. From this moment onward, the Gongsun family, he, and the entire Immortal Cloud Pavilion were enemies.

“Gavin, there’s no need to lament it. Perhaps the Demon Race is a better destination than Immortal Cloud Pavilion.” Landon smiled as he consoled him. “After all, we’re about to succeed, aren’t we?”

“That’s true.” Gavin opened his eyes, and all traces of confusion had vanished from his gaze.

“All right. Our idle chatter ends here.” Landon looked up at the sky. Dawn should have arrived long ago, yet the entire city remained shrouded in darkness. He made a rough estimate of the time. “The time has come. I imagine the Demon Emperor has been waiting for quite some time.”

He extended his hand and restrained Liana, who was utterly incapable of resisting, then dragged her back toward the altar.

“You dare!” Seeing the disciple he had already chosen as his future successor being dragged away by Landon like a discarded sack, Daoist Kumu immediately flew into a furious rage.

Yet there was nothing he could do about it. The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence stood in his way.

“I can’t be bothered to waste the effort fighting you anymore. Just stay here and watch.” The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence flickered indistinctly, her voice carrying an unusual, alluring quality. “Besides, the Demon Emperor should have quite a need for fresh blood from someone at the Saint realm, shouldn’t she?”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Landon cast a sidelong glance at Lauren, who was leaning against the wall, so badly injured that she could barely move, and smiled in agreement. “It would be counterproductive to kill them all. The Demon Emperor will surely prefer her blood feast alive.”

Lauren’s expression tightened slightly. In the end, however, she could only let out a self-mocking, bitter laugh. She could not even stand anymore, so naturally, there was no way she could stop Landon. In truth, there was no one left who could stop him tonight.

Every unfavorable factor had already been eliminated. Landon paid Lauren no further attention. Step by step, he returned to the altar. In his hands was Liana.

Liana’s little face was deathly pale, her lips trembling as she found herself equally unable to utter a word. There was despair in her eyes. And helplessness.

A smile lingered at the corners of Landon’s lips as he once again cut open Liana’s wrist, which had already healed. Blood flowed freely, carrying an intoxicatingly strange fragrance.

This was the true, complete Pure Yin Blood, brimming with abundant spiritual power. The moment the blood dripped down, the entire blood lake began to boil.

A tremendous force started to surge. The earth trembled and the mountains shook. It was as though a colossal gate deep beneath the earth were slowly opening. Even the rats hiding in the corners sensed the abnormality and hurriedly fled.

In an instant, the blood lake’s color deepened, as though it had transformed into a bottomless passage. Within that passage, an incredibly terrifying aura seemed to be lingering, on the verge of emerging.

Standing upon the altar and facing the passage, Landon’s expression was feverish with fervor. He slowly knelt down. “We humbly welcome… the Demon Emperor.”

Around the blood lake, the numerous black-robed figures also knelt respectfully and said in unison, “We humbly welcome the Demon Emperor.”

Gavin let out a soft sigh and lowered his head as he knelt. “We humbly welcome the Demon Emperor.”

Countless voices converged into one, forming a vast sea of sound. Countless wills sincerely called out, yearning for the arrival of that supreme existence. Then, the sound of footsteps rang out.

**Tap. Tap.**

It sounded as though someone were walking across smooth stone steps. Upon hearing those footsteps, everyone present except Daoist Kumu, Liana, and Lauren lowered their heads even further, their expressions growing increasingly reverent.

“We humbly welcome the Demon Emperor!”

They were so overcome with excitement that their entire bodies trembled, waiting only for the great Demon Emperor to answer their heartfelt expectations. Landon, in particular, had been the one who had brought this entire situation about.

He had abandoned his wife, abandoned his daughter, and even abandoned his identity as a human, all so that the Demon Emperor could grant him what he desired and fulfill the lifelong ambition he had pursued.

And now, everything was about to be accomplished. How could he not be moved? How could he not be exhilarated?

If he had not been afraid of offending the Demon Emperor, Landon would have raised his head at that very moment, forever engraving the magnificent moment of the Demon Emperor’s liberation into his memory.

With such thoughts filling his heart, Landon eagerly listened for the first imperial command issued by the Demon Emperor upon her return to the world.

“Demon Emperor? What’s that supposed to be?” The voice carried three parts curiosity, three parts laziness, three parts liveliness, and one part bewilderment. Was this the voice of the Demon Emperor?

Landon was overwhelmed with excitement. As expected of Her Majesty. Even the very first words after breaking free were so full of vigor, completely unlike someone who had been imprisoned for a thousand years…

Wait, what did she say? “Demon Emperor? What’s that supposed to be?” Was that something a Demon Emperor was supposed to say? Was she not supposed to solemnly declare, “Are you all my subjects? You have saved me from dire straits, and I am deeply comforted. Therefore, let us go forth and destroy the world!”

What the hell was “what’s that supposed to be” supposed to mean?!¹