C333 Fallen

Lee Yuangui crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.

His three souls extinguished, his eyes were charred black, and flames still flickered within his nostrils and ears.

The Devil Flame scorching his Niwan acupoints and soul was the most authentic Devil Refining Spell, a technique perfected by the Imperial Advisor himself!

This very spell was forged from the myriad Earth Flames gathered across the Boundless Land by the Imperial Advisor.

Now, the white-robed Yin God before them stood as a blazing Demon God.

In the depths of Zhou Cangmin's Yin God's gaze, a fierce torch blazed, its aura brimming with the enigmatic power of ruin.

"So it is the Red Devil Sect."

Yang Yinquan of the Taiyuan Sect wore a grimace of bitterness. He stepped back, distancing himself from Lee Yuangui's corpse, and said, "Aren't you concerned about revealing your identity and provoking an attack from the Primordial Yang Sect? Don't you fear the backlash and censure from the Rainier Empire's noble families and sects?"

"The Primordial Yang Sect? The Rainier Empire?" The White-robed Imperial Advisor let out a scoff, his lips curling with contempt.

Yang Yinquan gazed intently at him, a silent sigh in his heart, and chose to hold his tongue.

He recognized that Zhou Cangmin was bound to rise as a towering figure within the Devil Dao on the Quietus Continent, a prodigy who might one day surpass even the Sect Master of the Spirit Void Sect.

A man of his caliber, if he still feared the Primordial Yang Sect and the Rainier Empire, would hardly deserve the title of the Red Devil Sect's foremost Demonic Seed.

As Lee Yuchan witnessed the death of her clan elder, she was poised to strike.

But Yuan Lianyao, usually her adversary, swiftly moved to her side, gently pressing on her shoulder, and whispered, "Hold back. The old general's death may be tied to Bai Shang. You mustn't act in haste!"

"He was one of our Lee family!" Lee Yuchan exclaimed, seething with anger.

The White-robed Imperial Advisor chuckled derisively and revealed, "This Bai Shang is not one of our kind, but a demon that ought to have remained confined within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area. Bai Shang is an Earth Demon, the focus of the Silvermoon Empire's trials. Someone has reaped a peculiar treasure from those trials, harboring his soul within."

"The Earth Demons are cunning and ruthless, harboring a deep-seated hatred for us. You're aware of this, aren't you?"

As these words were uttered, the faces of everyone aboard the Cloud Sail turned ashen.

If Bai Shang was indeed an Earth Demon, carrying out the Silvermoon Queen's orders, what did that imply about the Silvermoon Empire?

The three legendary shadows behind the Queen—could they, like Bai Shang, all be great demons from the forbidden lands?

"In the vast expanse of the Boundless Land, those who follow the Devil Dao are still human; they're simply termed 'demons' due to their distinct cultivation practices," Zhou Cangmin huffed. "The Devil Dao is epitomized by the Devil Palace and our Red Devil Sect. Yet, Heavenly Demons and Earth Demons are entirely different. Those beyond the Boundless Land are known as Heavenly Demons, while those within are Earth Demons."

"Heavenly and Earth Demons share a similar nature, but they are fundamentally different from us. They've always despised us, seeing us as enemies."

"That's why so many Heavenly Demons and Earth Demons are suppressed within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area."

"Bai Shang, as an Earth Demon, is also confined by the Fallen Moon. How could he be content with that? Regardless of his covert dealings with the Silvermoon Queen, his true intention remains to target us."

With that, Zhou Cangmin cast a glance at the fallen Lee Yuangui and said coldly, "Old General, since you're privy to Bai Shang's arrangement with the Queen and have been assisting them, your fate is sealed."

The White-robed Imperial Advisor's words sent a shockwave through the Silvermoon Empire's elite.

Figures of influence from the five major families, like Yan Yu and Fan Yan, felt a growing sense of unease.

Colluding with Earth Demons was an unforgivable offense, one that society would never tolerate.

The alliance between the Silvermoon Queen and the Red Devil Sect wouldn't cause an uproar among the upper sects of the Heavenly Source Continent.

After all, other empires, the Red Devil Sect, the Devil Palace, and the Demon Palace all maintained various connections.

Before the bloodshed erupted between the two continents, there was a relative peace among these factions, with minor skirmishes occurring under a mutual understanding and acceptance.

The minor skirmishes between the Heavenly Source Continent and the Quietus Continent typically involve cultivators who have not reached the Yang God Stage.

Those who have not ascended to the Yang God Stage lack the ability to soar beyond the confines of the world.

Cultivators beneath this level are restricted to operating within the internal realms. Their conflicts and rivalries serve a purpose, however, as they help foster the emergence of more potent cultivators and the birth of Yang Gods.

As a result, the three upper sects, the seven lower sects, the Demon Palace, the Red Devil Sect, and similar organizations don't escalate conflicts over the demise of those below the Yang God Stage.

This restraint helps avoid unnecessary bloodshed between the two continents, which would only benefit external adversaries.

For the Silvermoon Empire, an alliance with the Red Devil Sect, the Demon Palace, or the Demon Hall isn't particularly significant.

The Earth Demon, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely.

Non-human and innately aligned with the Heavenly Demon, Earth Demons have long been seen as a malignant growth within humanity by the great cultivators.

Upon discovering an Earth Demon, cultivators across the three continents typically either execute or purify them.

Furthermore, human demon cultivators from the Demon Palace and the Red Devil Sect spend their days in enigmatic lands, seeking Earth Demons to refine into Devil Souls for their weapons or as a crucial component in practicing the Devil Spell.

The resentment and enmity the Earth Demon harbors towards cultivators are well understood by all factions.

The formidable sects of the Heavenly Source and Quietus Continents have made it clear: the great empires of the Profound Sky Continent must not ally with the Earth Demon, lest they endanger their own kind.

The revelation that the Silvermoon Queen and Bai Shang have a covert pact with an Earth Demon could spell disaster for the entire empire.

"The Silvermoon Empire isn't solely the domain of the Lee family; they are merely at the helm for now!"

Van Yan of the Van family stepped forward with a look of disdain, glancing at the corpse of Lee Yuangui, and declared, "Should the Lee family conspire with the Earth Demon, they forfeit any right to guide the Silvermoon Empire!"

Others, nobles from various families, nodded in agreement.

Even Yan Yu, after a moment's contemplation, added, "The misdeeds of the Lee family should not tarnish the entire Silvermoon Empire. The other families and sects were kept in the dark."

Su Xiangtian gave a slight nod. "Exactly."

Lee Yuchan, his shoulders held down by Yuan Lianyao, absorbed their conversation and observed the demeanor of Yang Yinquan and the White-robed Imperial Advisor, his emotions a whirlwind of complexity. The esteemed standing of the Lee family within the Silvermoon Empire and the royal household hinged on this very issue. The family itself was at risk of being eradicated.

Aboard the Cloud Sail, members of the Lee family, like herself, were plunged into a state of deep fear and uncertainty, unsure of the repercussions this incident would have within the empire.

"The old general is doomed to die because he recognized Bai Shang as the Earth Demon. He was aware of the Earth Demon's identity, yet he complied and surrendered Wei Feng. Doesn't that warrant death?" Zhou Cangmin posed the question, his gaze fixed solely on Yang Yinquan.

On this vessel, Yang Yinquan stood as the representative of the Taiyuan Sect and the Heavenly Source Continent.

Without a moment's delay, Yang Yinquan nodded emphatically and declared with irrefutable firmness, "Given that it is the Earth Demon, and Old General Lee was complicit and acted upon his commands, his death is justified. Moreover, should evidence emerge that Bai Shang acted under the Silvermoon Queen's orders, there will be those ready to execute your empire's queen!"

His statement left no doubt as to his stance. Across the Heavenly Source Continent, the sects, the Devil Palace, and the Demon Palace all shared this resolute approach to dealing with the Earth Demon lineage.

"Mr. Yang, am I correct?"

Zhou Cangmin hesitated briefly before addressing the Taiyuan Sect envoy, "The space teleportation array set up in the Absence Relic was sabotaged by me, yet not completely destroyed. I also eliminated all those who had converged there, an act I cannot deny. But now, I realize my mistake."

"What are you implying?" Yang Yinquan urged, his shock giving way to urgency.

"Someone manipulated me into destroying that teleportation array to prevent the Unrestrained Stage cultivators from both the Heavenly Source Continent and the Quietus Continent from arriving promptly," Zhou Cangmin had come to understand Shen Feiqing and Bai Shang's true intentions. "Without the Unrestrained Stage cultivators, it's highly probable that they will fail to contain the threat."

He was nursing a headache as well.

"What in the world is happening?" Yang Yinquan was frantic, desperate to uncover the truth.

"That object there."

The White-robed Imperial Advisor gestured towards the massive platinum skull. "That is the Dark Domain Asura, of platinum rank! It's not fully dead. Its residual soul and consciousness reside within that brown eyeball. Feiqing, Bai Shang, and possibly other shadowy figures are attempting to awaken it."

"A platinum rank Dark Domain Asura?" Yang Yinquan was taken aback.

The rest of the crew aboard the ship were equally bewildered.

"It's equivalent to our Unrestrained Stage cultivator!" Lee Yuchan's face paled.

"Really? How do you know that?" Zhou Cangmin asked, astonished.

"I, I, I heard it once from my sister," Lee Yuchan admitted, her head drooping with distress.

Her sister was none other than the current leader of the Lee family, the reigning Silvermoon Queen.

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