Bai Ran nodded, gazing at the azure sky in a daze. "In the days to come, I may have to change my identity..."
The Vermilion Bird carried the few individuals, soaring towards the Demon Realm.
Meanwhile—in the Divine Realm.
"You say that after those few self-detonated, she lost her mind and forcibly enhanced her strength?"
In the dimly lit palace, two rows of numb-faced heavenly soldiers stood. Above them, a man sat in the main seat, idly rubbing his hair with amusement.
And before him, a fluffy little sable sat upright.
"Reporting to Master, it is indeed so. I personally watched that woman forcibly enhance her strength and then enter the Nine Heavens."
Mo Ze scoffed coldly, his handsome eyes narrowing. "The chosen one, it truly is her..."
"Do you know where she is now?"
The little sable fell silent for a moment, then slowly shook its head. "I don't know..."
Mo Ze closed his eyes, propping his face with his hand. "Hmm, you may leave."
The little sable opened its mouth, its expression very hesitant, as if it had something more to say.
"Master... I have one more thing I wish to ask..."
Mo Ze raised his eyes, his golden gaze flickering with an unreadable warning. "Speak."
Facing the master's icy gaze, the little sable lowered its head, and with a show of courage, blurted out.
"Is it true that Master hid a communication artifact on me... and never considered my life or death...?"
If the communication artifact were discovered by that woman or someone close to her, it could put him in extreme danger, even costing him his life...
Master hid an artifact on her, had he truly never considered the danger she might face...?
The little sable had personally witnessed Qingyue and the other sacrificing their lives for that woman, vanishing into smoke and dust.
And that woman, in turn, had forcibly broken through, damaging her dantian, for the sake of those who had sacrificed themselves.
This dual visual impact had brought unparalleled shock to the little sable's heart.
It couldn't help but wonder, if it were to die saving the master, would the master do anything for it?
Or, whether it lived or died, it was irrelevant to the master... Did the master truly never care about her...?
The person on the main seat remained silent for a long time, so long that the waiting little sable began to feel a pang of panic.
"Master... I spoke too much..."
"How could that be?"
The little creature froze, then looked at Mo Ze, only to hear him continue.
"This殿 naturally cares about you. If I didn't care, why would I have entrusted you to Qingfeng and the others?"
The little sable blinked. So, it meant that Master could have directly sent it to gather information.
But for its safety, he chose to entrust it to Qingfeng and the others, making it safer under their cover?
The little creature's heart swelled with joy. So Master really was worried about it!
Mo Ze looked at the delighted little sable, a slight curve on his lips, but his face was full of conspiracy and cunning.
"Don't overthink it. Since you are this殿's contracted beast, this殿 naturally wouldn't bear to abandon you."
"Mm! Qingqing understands!"
Qingqing... A trace of ruthlessness crossed Mo Ze's face, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
"From now on, your name is Ji Sheng. Forget the name Qingqing."
Ji Sheng... The little creature repeatedly agreed, then skipped out of the palace with joy.
The grand palace returned to silence, Mo Ze's eyes, in the dimness, faintly glowed with a golden light.
"The chosen daughter of heaven, will the Divine Realm undergo a transformation because of this?"
Mo Ze let out a cold snort, the tear mole at the corner of his eye accentuating his more devilish and sinister charm.
"This殿 shall see, what this good elder sister, whom I haven't seen in a long time, will do..."
Outside the palace, the sound of footsteps approached again.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Zhong Yichuan bowed slightly, paying his respects with utmost deference.
Mo Ze waved his hand, indicating he needn't be so formal. "It seems this殿 did not trust the wrong person."
He looked at the newcomer with amusement, his eyes filled with a smile.
In the past few days, Zhong Yichuan had been relaying news of the Demon Lord without pause, be it his location or troop deployments.
After having his own people investigate, Mo Ze confirmed that Zhong Yichuan had not lied.
However, this alone was not enough. Mo Ze assigned him another task: to tie down the Demon Lord, forcing him to rush to the battlefield and be unable to disengage.
The task was simple, yet in a way, extremely difficult.
But Zhong Yichuan had completed it perfectly, which made Mo Ze believe in Zhong Yichuan's sincerity.
"Your Highness is too kind. Your subordinate has merely done what is expected." Zhong Yichuan lowered his gaze, appearing very respectful.
"This殿 is curious, how did you manage it?" Mo Ze rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at him.
Zhong Yichuan did not hesitate, explaining the entire process.
In fact, the task was quite simple. The five great Holy Lords had already mobilized, so the Demon Lord would naturally rush to the battlefield.
However, the only variable was the Demon Lord's weakness, that is, the bloodline of that vixen.
The method of communication between the two was the Demon Realm's treasure, an earring made of blood drops.
When in danger, the earring would emit a blood-red glow, accompanied by a burning heat, to alert the other person.
Zhong Yichuan extended his palm and produced a bright red earring from his storage ring. "Your subordinate merely replaced this item."
Upon seeing the earring, Mo Ze froze for a moment, then covered his face and burst into laughter.
"So that's how it is. You simply replaced this item without anyone noticing."
"But..." Mo Ze's laughter abruptly ceased, his golden eyes emanating a chilling cold light.
"It seems a bit fake..."
The heavenly soldiers on both sides surged forward, instantly drawing their swords and surrounding Zhong Yichuan.
Mo Ze smiled and slowly stood up. "You claim to have replaced the Demon Lord's personal treasure. Tell me..."
"How did you get close to the Demon Lord?"
Zhong Yichuan's expression darkened, his brow furrowed. "Your Highness doesn't believe me?"
Mo Ze tilted his head, staring at him with keen interest. "How do you expect this殿 to believe you?"
The treasure that Long Jin Han wore on his ear day and night, replaced so easily with a fake, how could anyone believe it?
Zhong Yichuan did not rush to prove himself. Instead, he calmly put away the earring, adopting a posture of defiance, as if ready to be killed or dismembered.
"Your subordinate has his own methods. If Your Highness truly doesn't believe, then your subordinate has nothing more to say."
Mo Ze frowned slightly, his gaze on Zhong Yichuan's calm demeanor growing more perplexed.
So calm even at the brink of death, was it real or fake, a test would tell...
He raised his hand slightly, and the heavenly soldiers raised their swords, unhesitatingly swinging them towards the man's neck.
But as countless swords descended, Zhong Yichuan remained unperturbed, though his eyes seemed to hold a hint of unwillingness and resentment.
"Wait." The heavenly soldiers instantly halted their actions.
Mo Ze looked at those eyes, sensing the man's unwillingness on the verge of death.