Fen Daozang flashed toward the man and grabbed him. “Are you sure it’s Yun Che? Has he returned with the Devil Queen?”
The commander of the Burning Moon Guards shook his head. “I don’t know if he’s Yun Che, but that’s who he claimed to be. He’s also alone and accompanied by no one.”
Fen Daozang let go of the commander and coldly snorted. “It sounds like a fool is trying to pass himself off as Yun Che. He’s even requesting a meeting with our king? Has he grown tired of living?”
If the Devil Queen wished to meet the Burning Moon God Emperor, she would never use the front door or send someone to notify her arrival.
“No.” The Burning Moon God Emperor opened his eyes and withdrew his consciousness. “It is him, and he is alone.”
“Huh?” Fen Daozang looked astonished. Everyone else was surprised and puzzled as well.
“How strange if it really is Yun Che,” Fen Zhuo said despite his desire to witness the man who inherited the power of the Devil Emperor.
The very first countermeasure they came up with was to kill Yun Che, but it was quickly deemed to be next to impossible because he was under the protection of the Devil Queen and the Soul Stealing Realm. They would also have no room to maneuver if the assassination attempt ended in failure.
It was why they thought it was a mistake when they heard that he had come back alone, that Yun Che had delivered them the perfect chance to end his own life once and for all.
Though… why would the Devil Queen ever let him out of her sight, much less come all the way here alone?
A million thoughts flashed across the Burning Moon God Emperor’s eyes. In the end, he looked at Fen Daoqi for his opinion.
Fen Daoqi thought to himself for a moment before saying, “It is said that a rare commodity is worth hoarding, but if this commodity belongs to one person only, then it won’t be able to increase its own value further no matter how rare it is.”
“But if two or more people are fighting for said commodity, then its value will definitely increase to incredible levels. It may even become priceless one day. It looks like this Yun Che is an incredibly bold, smart, and ambitious man.”
Fen Daoqi smiled in the end. “If my guess is correct, then this is just perfect, isn’t it?”
The Burning Moon God Emperor mulled over his words before nodding slowly. “Fen Zhou, guide him to the main hall, and don’t forget your manners.”
“No!” Fen Daoqi interrupted the commander before he could speak. “You should welcome him yourself, my king.”
Fen Daozang took a step and was about to retort when the Burning Moon God Emperor nodded again. “My master is right. This king should do this himself.”
“Prepare a new banquet… and bring Hehuang to the main hall as quickly as you can!”
……
The gates of Burning Moon Royal City opened to reveal the Burning Moon God Emperor. The moment he saw Yun Che, he let out a hearty laugh and walked up to him without his usual bearing at all. “Hahahaha! It really is you, Brother Yun!” His lively smile and the affectionate way he addressed “Brother Yun” stunned a guard so much that he froze like a statue in mid-salute.
“Burning Moon God Emperor,” Yun Che said with a calm smile, but didn’t bow to the God Emperor. There was no emotion behind his smile either.
The Burning Moon God Emperor paid no heed to his impoliteness. Instead, he looked around and asked with a puzzled look, “I don’t see the Devil Queen or her Witches with you. Did she ask you to come over and pass on a message?”
“I am the one who wants to speak with you,” Yun Che said. “It has nothing to do with the Devil Queen.”
“I see.” The Burning Moon God Emperor smiled. “This king wasn’t able to speak with you properly when the Devil Queen was around, but now that you’re back, that is one mistake I can rectify immediately. Please!”
“In that case, I shan’t bother with pleasantries,” Yun Che said while narrowing his eyes slightly.
The Burning Moon God Emperor personally led Yun Che back into his palace.
Above the walls, the Burning Moon Guards dumbly watched the parade, as if their brains couldn’t process what had just happened before their eyes. It was only after the duo had gone away that they realized they had even forgotten to salute their own God Emperor.
……
In the main hall, Yun Che sat down in the seat of honor where Chi Wuyao had sat earlier.
The Moon Eaters, the Burning Moon Divine Envoys, the princes and the princesses were back in the same hall in the exact same position. However, the atmosphere was completely different from before.
Dozens of beautiful women were dancing in the center of the hall. They each wore a dress with diaphanous sleeves that did almost nothing to cover up their pale arms. As they danced, their delicate legs peeked out from behind the fabric from time to time.
The beauty of the women chosen to perform the dance were one in ten thousand, and their poses were incredibly seductive to say the least. Their eyes looked like they could steal the soul, their lips were pursed together in a lovely manner, their smiles were adorned by a hint of embarrassment, and there were occasional flashes of what shouldn’t be seen as they danced… the combination of all these elements shook even the strong-willed Moon Eaters.
Meanwhile, the Burning Moon God Emperor opened his arms and laughed heartily. “The people of the world claim that I am a decadent man, and that I bring shame to the god emperors. But I disagree. What is the purpose of being a man or having all this power if you’re not going to spend it all on wine and women!?”
Yun Che stared at the dancing women expressionlessly. To an outsider, it looked like he was enjoying the sight. “I suppose you’ve had a… good life.”
The Burning Moon God Emperor smiled at the compliment. “Oh, life has definitely been great. But there will always be things you want to do, and haven’t had a chance to do yet. I look forward to all of them. After all, who would complain about having a long life?”
He waved a hand and said, “Hehuang, what are you waiting for? Pour some tea for God Child Yun.”
“Yes.”
A fragrant breeze entered Yun Che’s nostrils, and a young woman walked lithely toward him with her head bowed and a jade teapot in her hand.
The young woman was about sixteen or seventeen years old, and she was wearing a light red silk dress. She had light green hair, and her countenance was the type that should only exist in pictures. Her eyebrows looked like a pair of crescent moons, and her pupils were free of taint. She also had a beautiful nose and a pair of lovable pink lips.
Hehuang slowly knelt in front of Yun Che’s table before pouring him a cup of tea elegantly. Yun Che glanced at her shoulder and took note that her exposed skin looked like a piece of glowing jade bathed under gentle moonlight.
She didn’t leave even after she was done pouring tea for Yun Che. She simply sat next to him and lowered her head even more. Her hands were unconsciously tightening around the belt of her dress. She was the noble and unparalleled princess of the Burning Moon Realm, but she looked so pitiful that one couldn’t help but love her dearly.
Yun Che narrowed his eyes slightly as if he was trying to penetrate her clothes with his gaze… but residing in the darkest corner of his pupils was a gleam of dark ridicule…
…and a writhing devil that was threatening to lose control at any moment.
Meanwhile, the Moon Eaters themselves were staring at Yun Che with well concealed killing intent. The chance to kill Yun Che here and now had been delivered into their hands by the man himself, and they might never have a better chance than this in their lives.
However, the Burning Moon God Emperor ignored the cold gazes his Moon Eaters were shooting him. He had been observing Yun Che for a while, and so far he was quite satisfied with his reaction. He let out a chuckle and asked, “Brother Yun, the woman next to you is my most beloved daughter, Hehuang. She has never been out of the Burning Moon Realm, and she dislikes interacting with outsiders.”
“But when she heard that you were the Devil Emperor’s successor, she suddenly requested to meet you and see for herself who you are. Her admiration for you is beyond anything I’ve seen from her in the past. This king has countless children and grandchildren, but Hehuang is the one daughter I couldn’t bear to depress even a bit, so I made the selfish decision to allow her selfishness. I hope you won’t mind this, Brother Yun.”
The “hint” was about as obvious as it got.
Fen Hehuang clenched her fingers and bit her lip harder.
Fen Hehuang was the treasure of the Burning Moon Realm, and her admirers were plentiful. In fact, more than one Moon Eater was her admirer as well.
Fen Zhuo’s fingernails dug deep into his flesh when the Burning Moon God Emperor had finished speaking with a smile.
It wasn’t like the Burning Moon God Emperor hadn’t considered using this opportunity and eliminating Yun Che once and for all, but the idea only lasted a few seconds before he discarded it completely.
While it was true that he would be removing a great thorn in his side—one who was going to become emperor of the Soul Stealing Realm no less—the risks were still incredibly great. After all, Yun Che had already unbalanced the power between his realm and the Soul Stealing Realm before he came over. The consequences were unpredictable if the Devil Queen decided to unleash her fury on him.
That wasn’t the main reason he decided to keep Yun Che alive though. Not even close.
How could he, a god emperor of the Northern Divine Region, possibly resist the lure of greater power after witnessing the unbelievable transformation of the weakest Witch?
As Fen Daoqi had said earlier, Yun Che himself was plotting to “gift” him the power of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness because he wanted to maximize his own value. And how could one’s value be maximized? By creating competitors that would fight for it with everything they had!
That was how a smart person functioned!
Yun Che shot Fen Hehuang another glance before drinking the tea she poured him in one gulp. He smiled indifferently, but said nothing at all.
The Burning Moon God Emperor leaned forward and wore a friendly smile on his face. He looked like he had forgotten who he was, the way he was buddying up to Yun Che. “So, Brother Yun… what do you think of my daughter, Hehuang?”
Although the “hint” earlier was quite clear in its intent, it was still a hint. Now, he was literally asking Yun Che if he liked Hehuang right in front of her and everyone else.
Fen Hehuang tensed up visibly.
Yun Che narrowed his eyes before replying, “Your daughter’s looks and manners are probably first-class, but…”
He wasn’t even done, and everyone was already burning with anger!
The word “first-class” was praise no matter how you looked at it.
But this was Fen Hehuang they were talking about! The most treasured woman in the entire Burning Moon Realm! Anyone who called her “first-class” was either blind or humiliating her on purpose!
“Compared to my women…” Yun Che looked down a bit before smiling coldly and disdainfully. “She is nothing but an eyesore.”
Six words. Six icy spikes that pierced everyone’s ears.
The Burning Moon God Emperor’s smile turned stiff.
Fen Hehuang abruptly looked up to stare at him in shock, bewilderment, and… very quickly, shame and anger.
“Yun Che! How dare you!?” Fen Zhuo rose to his feet red-faced and shaking, the blood dripping from his fingers splattering everywhere because he used too much force.
“My king!” Fen Daozang also rose to his feet. “This boy is clearly…”
Yet the Burning Moon God Emperor raised his hand and stopped them before they could voice their outrage. He smiled again, but it was clearly with less warmth in it than before.
“Hehehehe, Brother Yun is served by the Devil Queen and the Lady Goddess themselves, so I can believe that there is no woman left in the world who is up to your standards. But…” His words became slower, and his eyes looked as deep as a lake. “I’m sure you’re aware of the type of woman the Devil Queen is, and how the Clear Sky God Emperor died back then.”
“This king assures you that he knows her far better than you do in terms of how dreadful she can be.”
The Burning Moon God Emperor examined Yun Che’s expression for a second before continuing, “The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor gave you the Eternal Calamity of Darkness before she left the Primal Chaos. Besides giving you her power, I’m sure she meant for you to save the Northern Divine Region and the devil race as well.”
“The bearer of the Devil Emperor’s will and power is someone that should be respected by all beings of the Northern Divine Region. It would be a shame if he were to fall into a dreadful woman’s hands… I’m sure the Devil Emperor wouldn’t want this to happen either.”
“The fact that you’re here alone proves that you’re an intelligent man. I’m sure you’re aware that allying with the Devil Queen is not the best long term solution.”
“Hehehe.” Yun Che chuckled. “Finally, you ask me why I’m here. I’m sure you’ve had a hard time beating around the bush for this long.”
“Then please, tell me what you want directly, Brother Yun,” The Burning Moon God Emperor said. “This king may be the emperor of the Burning Moon Realm, but you are the successor of the Devil Emperor. This king promises that he won’t bat an eye no matter what you ask for.”
“You think I’m here to ask something from you?” Yun Che grabbed the jade pot Fen Hehuang brought over and poured himself a cup of tea. “Oh no, on the contrary, I am here to give you a great gift.”
“A great gift?” The Burning Moon God Emperor’s eyes flashed with interest.
“Have you heard of the Dragon Monarch?” Yun Che asked suddenly.
“Of course,” the Burning Moon God Emperor said. “He is the monarch of the dragon race and the Western Divine Region. He is the strongest man in the world and the one true ‘monarch’ of the Primal Chaos. Of course this king has heard about him.”
“I was planning to bestow this gift on him during the ‘final hour’.”
Yun Che looked down and drummed his fingers across the jade cup. He said slowly in a much lower tone, “But now… I can’t wait to give it to you instead.”
