The previous Demon Lord, Yu Fang, and his Consort, Huan Zhu, were a devoted couple who treated each other with the utmost respect—renowned in the Demon Realm as the model couple, the very epitome of marital bliss.
This beauty was shattered two hundred years ago when Yu Fang brought back a woman of the Demon-Beast race from the outside world. This woman, named Miao Yi, possessed weak demon power but an exceptionally alluring appearance. A single glance from her peach-blossom eyes was enough to hook a man’s soul. Not surprisingly, Yu Fang became one of the many men captivated by her.
Yu Fang brought Miao Yi back to the Yuantong Palace, pampered her, granted her rights equal to the Consort, and bestowed upon her affection that far exceeded what he gave Huan Zhu. Huan Zhu was devastated by Yu Fang’s unfaithfulness, feeling that his actions were a public humiliation. Consequently, she grew to resent both Yu Fang and Miao Yi, even going so far as to confront Miao Yi.
However, Miao Yi was skilled in beguiling hearts. Through some method unknown, a few soft, sweet calls of “Big Sister” were enough to bring Huan Zhu under her sway. From then on, although Huan Zhu maintained a cold outward demeanor toward Miao Yi, she secretly ordered the palace servants to care for her diligently. Especially during Miao Yi’s pregnancy, Huan Zhu personally monitored her food and accommodations, showing even more concern than she had during her own pregnancy.
Yet, she never imagined that her kindness was nurturing a snake.
On the day Miao Yi went into labor, the sky was covered in dark, inky clouds, and thunder rolled with immense force. As the child was about to be born, the entire Yuantong Palace was suddenly submerged in an overwhelming aura of dark demonic and bestial energy.
A woman in labor is at her most vulnerable state; it is impossible for such immense power to erupt spontaneously at such a time. Huan Zhu and Yu Fang sensed something was amiss and rushed into the bedchamber, only to find the demonic midwives in charge of the birth all dead. Miao Yi’s abdomen was encircled by a black mist that connected directly to the roof beams.
Seeing this, they assumed Miao Yi was being tormented by an evil spirit and immediately used magic to exorcise the strange black aura, only to be evaded by Miao Yi. Miao Yi shielded her belly tightly, glaring at them with a mixture of defensiveness and hostility. It was then that they realized too late that Miao Yi had summoned this black mist herself.
Miao Yi wept, begging them to let her give birth to the child. To gain their sympathy and stall for time, she slowly revealed a secret she had hidden: Years ago, her beloved had been killed by the Demon Emperor. She had always sought revenge but lacked the power to do so. Later, an area demon king in the Demon Realm rebelled and fought the Demon Emperor for three days and three nights, only to be captured. He was to be sealed in the Simi Valley once the Emperor recovered his strength.
The demon king knew that once sealed in Simi Valley, he would never have a chance to rise again. During his imprisonment, he released a wisp of soul carrying magical power to slip out of the prison. He found Miao Yi, who hated the Demon Emperor the most, and reached an agreement with her: If Miao Yi would sacrifice her child to him, allowing him to possess the child’s body, he would kill the Demon Emperor to avenge her once he regained his physical form and full strength.
Consumed by the desire for revenge, Miao Yi agreed without a second thought, letting the remnant soul inhabit her until she gave birth. Yu Fang, stunned after hearing this, took a long time to collect himself. “Since you had a lover, and were willing to sacrifice your own child for him, why did you choose to be with me?”
Faced with Yu Fang’s sincere and pained expression, Miao Yi, remembering the kindness shown to her by him and Huan Zhu, spoke the truth for the first and only time: “Because you are the strongest in the Demon Realm. Your bloodline power allows him to recover his magic in the shortest time, and even become stronger than before.”
Yu Fang never imagined that the woman he deeply loved had been utilizing him from the very beginning. His heart felt as if it had been torn apart. In a fit of pain and hatred, he moved to strike Miao Yi, but upon seeing her face, he could not bring himself to do it. His magic swerved, shattering only the quilt beside her into dust.
At that moment, Miao Yi let out a sharp cry of agony. The black aura spread from her abdomen to her entire body. In just a few breaths, she visibly withered until she looked like nothing more than a skeleton, while her stomach continued to bloat. Huan Zhu immediately cast a spell to stabilize the black aura, preventing it from further eroding the mother’s body. As Yu Fang stood dazed, Huan Zhu shouted, “Speak are we keeping this child or not?”
If they didn’t, they had to strike now!
Yu Fang was surely reluctant to part with the child, but as the Demon Lord, he could not justify keeping a child possessed by a Demon King. Moreover, if the Demon Emperor learned of this, the two realms could no longer maintain a superficial peace. He hesitated for only a moment, but in that moment, the black aura suddenly strengthened. It transformed Huan Zhu’s magical energy into nourishment to sustain the fetus, while simultaneously forcing Miao Yi to deliver the child.
The moment the fetus was born, Miao Yi and Huan Zhu drew their final breaths. Nobody expected the remnant soul’s power to be so immense—it could absorb external strength, devouring all the magic and vitality of Miao Yi and Huan Zhu!
Seeing this, Yu Fang had no time for grief. He immediately ordered his guards to evacuate all demons from Yuantong Palace. He would eliminate this evil demon himself. The guards received the order and evacuated the palace, but as they were returning to the bedchamber, they ran into Mo Qing, who had just returned from a long period of seclusion.
Mo Qing learned of the events and rushed into the palace, but he was a step too late. By the time he entered Yuantong Palace, Yu Fang had already passed away. The entire bedchamber held only one living demon infant. Given Yu Fang’s strength, it would not have been difficult to eliminate the child, but to the end, he could not bring himself to act ruthlessly against his own offspring. Thus, he endured the attacks of the black aura while casting spells to purge it. Ultimately, Yu Fang sacrificed his life to eliminate the Demon King’s soul, leaving behind this child.
That child, needless to say, was Yuejiao.
When Mo Qing spoke of this secret history of the Demon Realm, his tone and expression were light and breezy, as if he were telling a story about strangers. One could not find a trace of hesitation in his eyes. Such a performance either meant he was too cold-hearted, or he was too skilled at disguising his emotions.
Qi An did not know him well, but her intuition told her he was not heartless. Her expression froze for a moment; she had assumed he carried nothing in his heart, only to realize he had simply hidden it all deep within. Mo Qing noticed her gaze and smiled at her.
“My father failed his wedded wife, could not discern false intentions, and squandered true sincerity this was his own bitter fruit to bear. And my mother, though innocent, was harmed because she gave unnecessary sympathy and could not extract herself from a twisted relationship in time. These causes and effects were all the result of their own decisions. Though I feel regret and was once heartbroken, I would not let it haunt me for so long.”
The Heavenly Emperor never imagined Mo Qing would be so frank about his family history, and he felt momentarily awkward. After a light cough, he asked, “Since the soul has been purged, why is she still like this now?”
“After Yuejiao’s first rampage, I went to Simi Valley and saw that an妖族 (demon-beast race) seal had loosened. It must be that Demon King. It seems my father failed to completely purge the soul at the time; he only sealed it inside Yuejiao. The loosening of the Demon King’s original seal triggered the remnant soul within Yuejiao’s body, allowing it to break free from control.”
The Heavenly Emperor’s face turned chilly upon hearing this. Since the peace between the six realms began, the rulers of each realm set a rule: all malevolent forces that pose a great threat are imprisoned in Simi Valley, each sealed simultaneously by the Heavenly Emperor, the Demon Lord, the Demon Emperor, and the Ghost King. To undo the seal, all four must act together. This way, no one could unleash these evil entities for their own machinations by themselves. If what Mo Qing said was true—that the seal had loosened then it was certain that one of the realm’s rulers had harbored treacherous intentions.
Mo Qing glanced at the Heavenly Emperor, his lazy smile returning. “Heavenly Emperor, don’t overthink it. I’ve checked; the loosening wasn’t caused by external interference. In my opinion, those old geezers who set the seal back then were just too weak and didn’t seal it tight enough, which is why this happened.”
The Heavenly Emperor’s face darkened; he was one of those “weak old geezers.” He looked at Mo Qing with displeasure, accusingly, “Whether or not external forces were involved, this is no trivial matter. Why didn’t the Demon Lord notify us?”
Mo Qing raised an eyebrow. “I have already re-sealed it; what use would it be to notify you? If not for the fact that this matter concerns Yuejiao, I wouldn’t have bothered mentioning it today.”
Qi An wiped the sweat from her brow. Thank goodness the Demon Lord isn’t the Heavenly Emperor’s subordinate, or he’d have been demoted hundreds of times by now. Why hadn’t she seen this side of him before? Wasn’t he quite pleasant when speaking to the officials at the Hehe Immortal Palace earlier? The Heavenly Emperor was clearly dissatisfied with his answer but, due to the relationship between the two realms, had no choice but to tolerate it for now.
Mo Qing watched the Heavenly Emperor dissatisfied yet afraid to tear up his face and felt exceptionally satisfied. The Heavenly Emperor, seeing him so happy, grew even more stifled and asked in a deep voice, “Then regarding Yuejiao, what does the Demon Lord intend to do?”
“That depends on you.” Mo Qing poured another cup of tea. “There is currently no way to completely purge the remnant soul in her body. There are always a few days every month when she goes mad, and this condition might continue indefinitely. Are you still willing to have Yuejiao marry into the Heavenly Realm?”
Yangxu, fearing Mo Qing might go back on his word, shouted, “How could we be unwilling because of this?”
The Heavenly Emperor glanced at his youngest son and, after a brief silence, sighed, “Since we were the ones to propose the marriage, we naturally will not go back on our word.”
“Very good.” Mo Qing was quite satisfied with this answer. “In that case, let the Heavenly Realm take care of Yuejiao for now; I have to make a trip to the Demon-Beast Realm.”
The Heavenly Emperor asked, “Why?”
“The bell must be untied by the one who tied it. The technique of soul transfer is a forbidden demon-beast art; to undo it, one must go to the Demon-Beast Realm to seek the method of removal.”
The Heavenly Emperor considered it and did not object; indeed, letting Yuejiao continue like this would be a hazard to the Heavenly Realm later on. “In that case, I will trouble the Demon Lord.”
The Heavenly Emperor said this merely as a courtesy, after all, since Yuejiao hadn’t officially married into their Heavenly Realm yet, in terms of relationship, she was still closer to the Demon Lord. But he didn’t expect Mo Qing to chuckle and take him up on it: “It is indeed quite troublesome. Since we are engaged, Yuejiao is already half a foot into your Heavenly Realm shouldn’t you put in some effort as well?”
The Heavenly Emperor frowned. “How does the Demon Lord want us to assist?”
Mo Qing said softly, “I want Immortal Fairy Qi An to accompany me.”
Qi An’s eyes widened, and she looked to the Heavenly Emperor for help, not expecting him to intentionally avoid her gaze, open his mouth, and agree immediately. Seeing this, she immediately voiced her refusal: “This minor immortal’s magical power is meager; if anything happens, I fear I will only drag the Demon Lord down.”
“It doesn’t matter. Rough work like fighting doesn’t require you to exert yourself; you just need to stand by my side and cheer for me.” Mo Qing said softly, “The Demon-Beast Realm has many rare and exotic pets that young ladies find quite pleasing; I’ll catch a few for you to keep and play with.”
Qi An had always been fond of cute little beasts, and hearing him say this, she couldn’t help but imagine the scene of being surrounded by spirit pets she was completely tempted!
Just as she was lost in thought, the Heavenly Emperor seized the opportunity to slap the table and finalize the matter. “Then, Qi An, you shall represent the Heavenly Realm and accompany the Demon Lord to the Demon-Beast Realm.”
Qi An intended to struggle a bit more, but the Heavenly Emperor added with hidden meaning, “By the way, you haven’t been officially recorded in the Immortal Personnel Registry yet, have you?”
The nerve of this guy! He is clearly threatening me!
She glared indignantly at the Heavenly Emperor. It turned out he had called her here just to scam her! It was intolerable; she was about to flip out when the Heavenly Emperor quickly added, “By the way, you still have 5,000 Heart-Clearing Pearls stored with me. Once you return from this task and get recorded in the registry, I’ll settle the payment.”
Qi An’s anger instantly dissipated. “This minor immortal obeys.”