The rumbling sound of his stomach pulled Mu Zixin out of his reverie. He lowered his gaze to his tummy and clutched it before he began rubbing soothing circles. Having lost his inner energy had reduced him to almost the same level as a mortal and therefore became more prone to hunger. Luckily,demons were accustomed to having meals even if it wasn't a necessity unlike immortals whose diet was limited to special fruits and drinks. Driven by the irresistible urge to quell his hunger,he thought of finding something to eat. Fortunately, the door was unlocked and he sprinted off in search of the kitchen.
Immediately he stepped out of the room,a cold wave slapped his pallid face making him flinch. He instinctively hugged himself to retain some warmth,also to create a shield against the chilly atmospheric conditions. Mu Zixin raised his eyes and glanced at the sky. The sky was quite unclear,the atmosphere was gloomy and what seemed like a thin layer of miasma was visible to eye. It was a total contrast of the immortal realm which was filled with clear, bright skies and vibrant flowers blooming all year round.
"Lord Lingyun ,are you disappointed by the weather?"a deep voice asked. Mu Zixin turned around to face the owner of the voice . The now fragile immortal lord had become susceptible to the cold and was visibly trembling; something which the demon king's sharp eyes didn't miss.
"Overlord Tiao,"Mu Zixin bowed,his lips curling into a polite smile. Tiao Ge was astounded by the gesture but quickly masked it with a look of indifference.
"Don't go around exposing yourself to the cold. You can't die because I'm not done with you,"Tiao Ge said with an evil smirk. He threw an extra fur cloak at him and watched the other fumble while putting it on.
"Is it always like this all year round?" Mu Zixin queried in his mellifluous voice.
"It gets worse than this sometimes. Hei Yin will inform you about my preferences you'll and you'll be serving me from now on,"Tiao Ge said coldly and walked away.
------------
The dense forest was filled with discordant eerie sounds of creatures - owls hooting,bats squeaking,crickets chirping, coyotes howling and probably raccoons chattering. All this plus the pitch blackness shrouding the area created a spooky ambiance.
A rustling sound was discerned as a figure dressed in black, manœuvered the forest. As the figure moved further,a large cave came into view. The figure reached the cave's entrance and walked in stealthily.
.
The interior of the cave was illuminated by xanthous dim light of flickering candles. An old man with long white hair and a long white beard was seated in a lotus position at the center of the cave. His hands were restrained by several chains hanging from the walls of the cave. His eyes were closed while his countenance looked calm and relaxed.
"My Lord,Tiao Ge is out of seclusion,"the dark figure from earlier said , pulling off the veil that had been obscuring their face unraveling a beautiful face with a medium sized lotus shaped birthmark on their left cheek. The dark figure was a young beautiful woman.
"I'll be out of this place soon," the old man said lazily dragging the syllables as if speaking was such a tedious task.
"My Lord you'll be out sooner than you expect,"the young woman vowed.
Mo Yan,an ancient demon was captured by the former demon king after he was found guilty of planning rebellion in order to usurp the throne. He was sealed in an old cave in the Guisha Forest and ever since the forest was kind of out of bounds to most demons. Fei Ling,was his direct disciple and most trusted subordinate who had been visiting him regularly to update him on matters of the cultivation world.
-------------
The meeting was yet to commence but the immortal emperor was delaying it because one of the most important figures had not yet arrived. Mu Zixin was never one to be caught up in tardiness. He always showed up in time when necessary. So it left others wondering the reason behind his absence.
Elders, immortal officials from Bright Star Peak and Immortal Lake( another sect in the immortal realm) were gathered in Tianyin Hall for the regular court meeting.
Two immortal guards frantically walked inside the hall with panicked faces,heavy breaths and sweaty palms. The moment they stood before the emperor,they fell down on their knees .
"Dijun,bad news!" one of the guards spoke up.
"What bad news?" Guo Shuochen asked and everyone's eyes shifted to the immortal guard.
"Lord Lingyun...he," he stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence, overwhelmed by the intensity of the news he was harbouring.
"What happened to him?" the emperor asked impatiently.
"He was ambushed and killed in the mortal realm by the demon king,"he said in one breath.
"Here are the remains of his Tiandi Sword,"the other guard spoke up presenting the broken pieces of the sword in a pouch.
The emperor scanned the pieces, noticing the sword's name Tiandi,the sword which was popular as the owner himself, its name now split into two. Everyone gasped in shock,the immortal emperor stumbled and fell from his throne seat absolutely devastated by the news,the sword pieces fell on the floor scattering.
"Dijun!"
"The demon king is back?" an elder muttered nervously. The court meeting was adjourned as the emperor retreated to his chambers to grief over the bad news. To him,he had lost a significant subordinate, an anchor to the immortal realm,a playmate,a son and most importantly a close friend and confidant.
The immortals dispersed and walked out of the hall with heavy hearts, sorrow etched on their faces.
"Didn't expect that arrogant brat would end up so easily in the arms of the demon king,"Tang Yu ,a divine immortal from the Immortal Lake said, tugging at the sleeve of his older brother,Tang Yi.
"Greetings Tang brothers,"a gentle voice interrupted before Tang Yi had the chance to reply.
"Greetings,Lord Situ,"they greeted back bowing respectfully to the refined divine immortal. Although they were all divine immortals ,Situ Xuanye was better than them in terms of beauty, popularity, intelligence, strength and obviously status.
"Lord Situ,we offer our condolences for your loss,"Tang Yi said sincerely. Situ Xuanye bowed,a gesture to accept their condolences.
"Lord Situ now that Mu Zixin is out of the way you can take over the Supreme Leader Position,"Tang Yu said enthusiastically and his brother shot him a glare to shut him up.
Situ Xuanye chuckled lightly,"I dare not covet such a position. If you'll excuse me gentlemen..." he trailed off intending to walk away and the two brothers deciphered his gesture and willingly paved way for him to go ahead. He walked away with a bitter smile after dismissing their remarks as sheer sycophancy but deep down he had been craving that position for as long as he could remember.