Did their ears malfunction? Abdicate???
The Demon Emperor had just regained power, and now he had to abdicate after not even sitting for a moment???
Lin Ze walked in from outside the grand hall, and countless gazes instantly fell upon him, sharp as knives, slicing into him.
"The one who wiped out our clans! How dare he step into this Hundred Demon Hall!"
"Filthy wolf demon! Get out immediately!"
Constant chatter erupted from the hall, as everyone vented their accumulated frustrations, dissatisfaction, and hatred for Lin Ze.
However, a few clan leaders, upon seeing Lin Ze appear, didn't even dare to breathe heavily. These were the very families who had been forcefully subdued by the clan-destroyer.
Meanwhile, Bai Ran was strolling through the demon city, having skipped Xiao Zi's abdication ceremony.
She looked at the large characters on the plaque of the Alchemist Guild, a smile curving her lips.
Lin Ze lowered his head, his brow furrowed, his expression dreadfully grim.
"Insolence!" Veins bulged on Xiao Zi's hand as his sharp gaze swept over the clan leaders below.
The hall instantly fell silent, everyone holding their breath, obedient as quail.
Under the watchful eyes of the demons, Lin Ze walked to Xiao Zi's side and stood firm.
"Clan-destroyer Lin Ze. He is the new Demon Emperor. If any other demon dares to speak out of turn, this Monarch will cut out their tongue!"
The new Demon Emperor, Lin Ze... Wait? The clan-destroyer is the new Demon Emperor!???
Eyes widened like saucers, their gazes shifted from Xiao Zi to Lin Ze, and then back to Xiao Zi.
Immediately, a fearless clan leader stumbled out of his seat and threw himself to his knees before Xiao Zi.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor, please reconsider!"
With the first protest came a second, a third, and countless more.
"That's right! That clan-destroyer... that Lin Ze, how many of our fellow demons did he kill! Are we just going to let it all go?"
"Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor, please reconsider!"
"Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor, reconsider!"
Xiao Zi clenched his fists, his eyes suppressing an imminent rage.
Public sentiment was hard to win, and impossible to suppress by force. Even if Lin Ze were to execute all these disobedient demons on the spot, it would only tarnish his reputation further.
Lin Ze glanced at Xiao Zi, a flash of inspiration striking him. A look of tragic sorrow, as if on the verge of tears, appeared on his face.
"To be frank, Your Majesty the Demon Emperor is suffering from a terminal illness. This decision is made out of helplessness."
He covered his face, wiping away non-existent tears, his body trembling slightly, appearing truly grief-stricken.
Xiao Zi blinked and looked back. He had a terminal illness? He didn't know about that?
His waist was fiercely squeezed, and Xiao Zi winced in pain, instantly understanding Lin Ze's intention.
"This Monarch... that's right!"
"This Monarch is suffering from a terminal illness and has little time left."
Xiao Zi gritted his teeth, each word spoken with difficulty, as the hand at his waist continued to pinch his flesh.
Wasn't he cooperating with the act? Why was he still pinching his flesh!
Looking genuinely pained, tears welled up in Xiao Zi's eyes, making him appear even more helpless yet deeply heartbroken.
The demons below fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an uproar.
"What! Your Majesty the Demon Emperor has a terminal illness!"
"Your Majesty the Demon Emperor has a terminal illness!"
"Quick, go fetch a doctor! Hurry!"
The clan leaders were thrown into a panic. Some even lost their shoes as they bolted out to find a doctor.
Xiao Zi stared blankly, wanting to stop them but it was too late.
He lowered his voice, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably, "What kind of terrible idea was that? What do we do now!"
Lin Ze guiltily averted his gaze, and the hand holding Xiao Zi's waist slowly moved away.
"Perhaps, I can inflict internal injuries upon you here?"
Xiao Zi's cheek twitched. He shouldn't have trusted this wolf demon!
"Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor! You should return to your chambers and rest. You must not overexert yourself!"
Xiao Zi took a deep breath, holding his forehead, and had to continue feigning a sickly appearance.
"Cough, cough, it's nothing. This Monarch is not yet so weak."
Lin Ze stood behind him, unable to watch.
This talk of abdication was irrelevant now. All the demons cared about was the Demon Emperor's condition.
Xiao Zi gritted his teeth and decided to go all in, deliberately coughing again.
"Before this Monarch's end, my dying wish is to ensure a successor, so that the entire demon race may live in peace and harmony, undisturbed."
The clan leaders below listened quietly, watching Xiao Zi speak with effort between coughs, all deeply moved.
"Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor, please recover your health first. We can discuss the matter of abdication after you are well again."
"Indeed, we mustn't lose the important for the trivial!"
Lin Ze could hear Xiao Zi's teeth grinding. This act was unsustainable!
Whoever wanted to act, let them act!
But just as Xiao Zi stood up abruptly, ready to erupt, a resounding announcement echoed from the entrance of the hall: "The doctor has arrived—!"
The doctor is here? The doctor is here!!!
Xiao Zi and Lin Ze exchanged a glance, seeing the words "trouble is brewing" in each other's eyes.
Xiao Zi covered his face, squeezed his eyes shut tightly, "You scoundrel, if I'm exposed, I'll boil you and stew you!"
Lin Ze looked at the person entering and narrowed his eyes.
Uncertain, he looked again.
Then, his arm stiffly nudged Xiao Zi, "Open your eyes and see who it is..."
Xiao Zi slightly opened his eyes. The moment he saw the person, he almost jumped up in excitement.
Little ghost! Isn't that Little Ghost!
Bai Ran entered the hall, surrounded by the clan leaders, looking inexplicably at the two demons on the platform.
The whole affair began when she entered the Alchemist Guild.
"Human child?"
The second supervisor of the guild looked at Bai Ran with some surprise. Why would a human enter the demon's Alchemist Guild?
Bai Ran sighed, "Circumstances necessitate it, and it's out of my hands. Please do not inquire further."
The second supervisor nodded. After all, whether human or demon, alchemy was alchemy; there was no difference.
Following procedure, he led Bai Ran to the cultivation room, where a refining furnace and the necessary spirit herbs were neatly laid out on a table.
"Human child, this is a Grade Three Spirit Control Pill. Prepare yourself and begin refining."
"No preparation is needed." Bai Ran's purpose was to refine pills wantonly.
There were bound to be disciples from the Medicine Valley among the demons. The higher her talent, the bigger the stir she caused, and the greater the chance of her being discovered.
The Vermilion Bird Divine Fire shot towards the sky. Her precise and exquisite alchemy techniques, and her fluid, skilled control of the flames.
Everything she did made the second supervisor's eyes widen in astonishment, rendering him speechless.
Upon completion, ten perfectly round pills lay quietly in the cauldron. The second supervisor's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
Bai Ran raised a hand and kindly closed his jaw for him, "You can directly refine a Grade Seven pill."
Seven? A Grade Seven pill!!!
"Human... human child, how old are you?"
The second supervisor had never witnessed such heaven-defying alchemy skills. His fervent gaze seemed to swallow Bai Ran whole.
"Fifteen."
Fifteen! Was the world going mad, or were the demons too backward???