"Sigh, what a mess."
Yuanen Zhentian held his forehead and sighed.
He didn't even know how to judge that clan member.
He'd seen love brains before—his own son was one. Back then, for Ye Hui, that boy Yuanen Tiandang had been reckless too, insisting on marrying her no matter what anyone said. Even knowing about her Fallen Angel martial soul, nothing could stop him. Even after Ye Hui's apparent death, Yuanen Tiandang had seemed ready to die for love.
But at least Tiandang had exchanged sincerity for sincerity. Though Ye Hui had her martial soul issues, she was at least genuine with Tiandang. This one, though—their lover ran off, things went missing, and they were still defending them. They were the type to be sold and still count the money for their seller.
And that woman who used love to extract information—Yuanen Zhentian had never seen anyone so absurd. He wondered if there were such people in history.
"Zhentian, the Sea God Corps has truly been ruined by love brains."
A voice sounded in Yuanen Zhentian's mind—he knew it was the Spirit Soul ancestor in his Sea of Spirit.
And he rather agreed with that statement.
The previous Corps Commander had defected because of a love brain. The current Deputy Commander was about to face disaster because of a love brain. The Sea God Corps was truly cursed when it came to love brains.
He wondered if naming it after the Sea God had offended something, bringing a curse upon it.
Perhaps they should rename the Sea God Corps in the future?
Yuanen Zhentian tried to find some humor in the situation, but he couldn't bring himself to laugh.
"Enough with the nonsense. Though that escaped woman might not necessarily use that evidence against the Yuanen clan, we can't pin our hopes on that. Let's think about how to respond first."
In response to Yuanen Zhentian's words, the Spirit Soul in his Sea of Spirit snorted. "I warned you back then—paper can't wrap fire. You should have prepared in advance. Now you see the consequences?"
The Spirit Soul's tone was harsh, but it still offered a way out. "Right now, you and Tiandang haven't established a firm foothold in the Federation. If this blows up, relying on yourselves alone won't be enough to get out unscathed. You'd best seek outside help."
"Outside help?"
"Yes. That girl Ye Hui is in contact with that deity from the Spirit Transmission Tower, isn't she? You can try asking for his help."
Yuanen Zhentian's eyes widened. "That's walking right into a trap! That person has a grudge against our ancestors."
"And waiting is the right move?" The Spirit Soul's tone was deep. "You just said yourself that your ancestor and that Huo Yuhao have a grudge. If everything is exposed and the Spirit Transmission Tower follows his will, adding insult to injury and kicking you while you're down, do you think you can handle it?"
Yuanen Zhentian fell silent.
He couldn't handle it. Not just him—the entire Yuanen clan couldn't handle it.
"Besides, you're overestimating the Yuanen clan. Even knowing all this, that person might not even give you a second glance."
While he was silent, the Spirit Soul ancestor's words echoed through his Sea of Spirit. "That person needs Ye Hui to do some things right now. If you don't seize this chance to make a connection, you're missing the opportunity. You can't even figure out how to latch onto a powerful backer, hesitating here and there—you're regressing."
Yuanen Zhentian was momentarily speechless, but he found the Spirit Soul's words made a lot of sense and were hard to refute.
And thinking calmly, even without this incident, their clan's connection to the ancestor would eventually be exposed. They'd have to face the Federation and Huo Yuhao sooner or later.
You can avoid the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth. Rather than waiting for things to blow up and be forced to respond, it was better to speak up proactively—at least they'd retain some initiative.
But...
"What about the ancestor?"
Yuanen Zhentian was conflicted.
Though they'd cut ties with Shrek's remnants, that didn't mean the Yuanen clan didn't acknowledge Er Ming as their ancestor.
Asking Huo Yuhao for help now, exposing their relationship with the ancestor, would mean choosing Huo Yuhao over the ancestor—betraying him.
At his age, did he really want to become an unfilial descendant again?
The Spirit Soul ancestor said, "By now, your connection to that Titan Giant Ape has already faded. He doesn't even visit you normally, yet when things go wrong, he thinks of you first. You're not planning to attack him—I think you don't need to feel guilty."
"But ultimately, the choice is yours. It's up to you whether you want to be that unfilial descendant for the sake of the clan. I've said my piece. Oh, and one more thing—if you're going to court death, remember to dissolve our contract before you die. Just don't splash blood on me."
Yuanen Zhentian: "..."
To be honest, Ancestor, when you say the connection has faded, does that include yourself?
Yuanen Zhentian smiled wryly, closed his eyes, and began weighing his options. After a moment, he made his decision.
"Then I'll find an opportunity to have a proper talk with that person."
The Spirit Soul in his Sea of Spirit smiled with satisfaction at this.
In truth, Yuanen Zhentian didn't only have the option of going to Huo Yuhao. He could also confess everything to the Federation now, laying out the Yuanen clan's relationship with Shrek and Er Ming in full detail. After all, confession meant leniency—that would be better than being exposed by others.
But neither of them mentioned that option.
After all, if they jumped out and spilled everything, the hidden enemy who'd schemed against them, seeing their plot foiled, would simply retreat back into hiding.
With the enemy hidden and them in the open, rather than letting them retreat and find another opportunity, it was better to lure the snake out and stir up the waters in one go!
If you scheme against them, you'll have to pay the price!
To Yuanen Zhentian's surprise, when he approached Ye Hui to get an opportunity to speak with Huo Yuhao, he learned something unexpected from her—Huo Yuhao planned to resolve her martial soul issue.
This came as a pleasant shock to Yuanen Zhentian, who immediately decided to participate. After all, he still vividly remembered the war the Demon Plane had brought to the Yuanen clan's ancestral grounds. Now that there was a chance to settle old scores, he naturally couldn't miss it.
But amid his surprise, he didn't forget the main matter. After contacting Huo Yuhao through Ye Hui and receiving the reply, "We'll discuss it in detail after Ye Hui's matter is settled," he set aside his thoughts and waited quietly.
Two days passed without incident.
On the third day, Yuanen Zhentian stood at the entrance of a secluded residence in Mingdu, with three people behind him—Yuanen Tiandang, Ye Hui, and Yuanen Yehui.
The whole family had come.
After all, resolving Ye Hui's martial soul issue was enormously significant for them. If they could witness it firsthand, all the better.
Moreover, all four of them shared the same thought—to take this opportunity to settle some old scores with the Demon Plane.
Among them, Ye Hui appeared calm on the surface, but her eyes held excitement. Yuanen Tiandang held her hand, his palm slightly sweaty. Yuanen Yehui beside him also looked tense.
Yuanen Zhentian glanced at them, took a deep breath, and was about to knock when the door opened from inside. Three figures walked out in succession.
Huo Yuhao, in front, nodded to them as a greeting. Behind him, Snow Empress and Gu Yuena had calm expressions, revealing little emotion.
Huo Yuhao said, "Two days should have been enough for you to prepare. Let's skip the pleasantries and begin directly."
Yuanen Zhentian was startled. He looked around with some confusion.
Fight here?
Yuanen Zhentian didn't doubt the strength of the three before him. When the Demon Gate had opened before, his Yuanen clan had initially been able to hold it off. Now with four Limit-level or above experts here, there shouldn't be any issues.
But wouldn't fighting inside Mingdu cause problems?
No matter the outcome, the commotion would be significant. If it affected nearby residents or alerted the Federation's higher-ups, it wouldn't end well.
Or had he misunderstood—did resolving Ye Hui's martial soul issue not require opening the Demon Gate and fighting?
Yuanen Zhentian had many questions, but not being familiar with Huo Yuhao, he didn't dare voice them. Yuanen Yehui, however, was more familiar with Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena and spoke bluntly, "Wouldn't fighting here alert the Federation?"
"Of course not here." Huo Yuhao glanced at her with a smile. Without further explanation, he raised his hand and gently traced a line through the void.
A spatial rift silently appeared before them, revealing a vast expansion of heaven and earth beyond.
"Let's go in and talk." Huo Yuhao stepped into the rift first, followed closely by Snow Empress and Gu Yuena.
Yuanen Zhentian frowned at the rift, then led his family through.
The moment they crossed the rift, they felt the ground drop away beneath them, as if an invisible hand was pulling them down.
When they opened their eyes again, they stood in another world.
The sky was gray, with a faint, dawn-like light seeing in from unknown sources. The air was thick with the interwoven scents of death and rebirth. The ground beneath their feet trembled faintly, as if breathing.
This was the Undead Plane.
"Is this a demiplane?" Yuanen Zhentian looked around, then widened his eyes in shock. "No, that's not right—this plane is evolving!"
His gaze toward Huo Yuhao grew even more reverent.
He'd seen demiplanes with the ancestor before, but none could compare to this. This demiplane was evolving—perhaps soon it would become a true plane.
He understood what that meant.
With this plane as his foundation, this legendary reincarnated deity could use it to ascend to the divine realm in the future!
Previously, though he knew Huo Yuhao was a deity in his past life, it was still uncertain whether he could reclaim that status. After all, whether it was their ancestor, Emperor Tian, or Yun Ming, all methods of reaching the divine level had flaws and limitations.
Even if Huo Yuhao had been stronger than all of them in his past life, whether he could become a deity in this life was uncertain. But this plane before him clearly shattered all doubt.
A reincarnated deity who might become a deity versus one destined to become a deity—the latter was clearly more awe-inspiring.
"Sigh, Ancestor. Your cultivation is suppressed by the plane, but this person is creating his own plane. If you continue to oppose him, your future..."
Yuanen Zhentian sighed inwardly, but quickly suppressed those thoughts as he noticed Huo Yuhao approaching Ye Hui.
"Open the Demon Gate here."
Huo Yuhao said. "Afterward, pretend to be controlled. Once all the demon forces have entered, we'll close the door and beat the dog."
"I understand."
Ye Hui took a deep breath and nodded. She gave a gentle smile to her husband and daughter, who were casting worried glances her way, as if to say "Don't worry."
Then, without another word, she raised her hand and removed the limiters suppressing her spirit power.
With the limiters removed and her resistance to the Fallen Angel martial soul's pull gone, her aura surged. A powerful sensation of strength spread through her entire body.
At the same time, a cold, maddening consciousness slithered like an icy serpent into her Sea of Spirit, greedily trying to merge with her awareness. Bloodlust, slaughter, and madness—negative emotions like a breached dam—flooded in, attempting to drag her into the abyss.
But as the gray energy within her body shuddered, her consciousness instantly cleared, and she regained control.
By now, her appearance had drastically changed.
She had unconsciously risen into the air. A pair of massive wings slowly unfurled behind her, their membranes shimmering with cold, dark light. All nine spirit rings had turned purple-black, circling her like nine dark moons.
A pair of curved long horns slowly grew from her head, their tips gleaming with metallic coldness. Dark elements surged out like a tide, instantly filling the entire space.
Yuanen Tiandang looked up at the sky, his pupils contracting, his clenched fists white-knuckled. Yuanen Yehui's lips trembled, but her gaze never wavered.
Yuanen Zhentian narrowed his eyes, thinking of that day in the past, his mood somber.
Just then, a low voice came from Ye Hui's mouth. "Darkness shall descend; only in falling can one be free."
As the words fell, her ninth spirit ring suddenly flared.
A massive purple-black appeared array on the ground. As the light rose, a purple-black gateway slowly took shape—her ninth spirit ability, Demon Passage, the gate to the Demon Plane!
The gate started at only a few zhang, but under Ye Hui's control, it rapidly expanded, reaching twenty meters wide and tall in moments.
The surrounding space warped. As the Plane Lord, Huo Yuhao could feel the Undead Plane instinctively rejecting the power of another world, but he suppressed it.
This was life energy being delivered—greatly beneficial to the plane. No rejection allowed.
As the passage stabilized, a deep, resonant voice echoed from within.
"My subject, well done. You have opened the passage to the demon world. You will lead your people to a new world. Together, let us fall, let us be free, let us destroy!"
At these words, Ye Hui, pretending to be controlled, began to transform drastically. Her form rapidly expanded, shifting from humanoid into a massive demon standing ten meters tall, yet retaining her original proportions.
The wings behind her manifested purple-gold scales, gleaming with noble luster.
"Hm?" The voice from behind the gate seemed puzzled. "You actually have the Royal Purple-Gold Bloodline of our clan... I see. You're the one who helped Wu Liao attack the human world last time, aren't you? I didn't expect you to still be alive, and to open the Demon Gate for me again. Excellent. You deserve a reward."
"The power Wu Liao gave you last time wasn't pure enough. I will grant you even greater power. Remember, the master you will serve in the future is Demon Lord—Alba!"
Hearing these words, Yuanen Zhentian and Yuanen Tiandang, who had been staring fixedly at the gate with hatred in their hearts, froze.
What did that mean? This wave of attacking demons wasn't the same batch as over a decade ago?
While the two were confused, Huo Yuhao vaguely remembered.
The Demon Plane had several Demons Lords.
The one who had used Ye Hui to open the Demon Gate and attack the Douluo Continent over a decade ago was Wu Liao. In both the original story and this world, the second invasion was by this Demon Lord, Alba.
The reason was that Wu Liao had passed the opportunity unity to Alba.
Though Wu Liao had inflicted considerable casualties on the Yuanen clan during his invasion over a decade ago, he ultimately failed to conquer the Douluo Continent. At that point, he realized something was wrong.
So he ceded the opportunity to attack the Douluo Continent to Alba. This led to the original story's scenario where Yuanen Yehui, Tang Wulin, and the others, after the second Demon Gate opened, vented all their anger on Alba.
In short, Alba was the scapegoat Wu Liao had found.
As for Wu Liao himself—in the original story, after Alba died in his failed attack on the Douluo Continent, the Demon Plane quickly cut off contact with Yuanen Yehui's side. Tang Wulin and the others never found a way to trouble the Demon Plane again.
And Wu Liao, who had indirectly caused Yuanen Yehui's mother's death and invaded the Douluo Continent, naturally escaped justice.
But in this world...
Huo Yuhao looked at the purple-gold Radiance on Ye Hui, his eyes narrowing.
Not a single one would escape.
On the other side, Ye Hui, undergoing Alba's bloodline baptism, felt herself growing stronger.
Streams of purple-gold energy flowed from the gate into her body. Her cultivation, which had been suppressed and barely improved over the years, began to rise—from an ordinary Title Douluo gradually to the Super Douluo level. Even her Fallen Angel martial soul showed signs of a secondary awakening.
It was easy to imagine that after this, her strength would reach another level.
"This is one reward. From now on, a share of all life energy devored in this world shall be yours. Once we conquer this realm, you will be the Lord who rules it in my stead!"
Ye Hui: "..."
Compared to the last one, this Demon Lord was rather generous.
***
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