Chapter 128: You Have Lost
Prince Xiang died just like that, while Cao Yunping had long since fled the palace, reaching the banks of the Luo River more than ten li away. Even from such a distance, those still in the palace could hear his trembling, terrified voice, endlessly repeating the same phrase: "I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!"
Eunuch Lin’s face turned pale.
This night was the only stain on his life.
But he was still Eunuch Lin after all; he knew how to write the word "integrity" and could not be as shameless as Cao Yunping, kneeling and begging for mercy.
He flipped his palm and struck toward his own crown, simultaneously reversing his true essence, preparing to end himself. He acted decisively, leaving no possibility of survival.
Yet his palm landed on his crown but could not move downward, and the true essence in his meridians seemed to freeze, utterly unable to surge into his Nether Palace.
"Go. Don’t enter the palace again. This place... is not a good place."
Yu Ren said to him.
Eunuch Lin was stunned.
Because of the late emperor, he had spent most of his life within the palace walls.
Even later, when he was driven back to his hometown by the Heavenly Sea Saint Empress, his thoughts every day were still of his days in the palace.
No one had ever told him not to come again—whether out of righteousness, unwillingness, or anything else.
And no one had ever told him this was not a good place.
Eunuch Lin left the palace, somewhat desolate, even lost and dispirited.
No one paid attention to his departure. All eyes were fixed on Yu Ren.
No one had expected His Majesty’s cultivation to be so unfathomably deep.
The sun vanished, and the night clouds were swept back over the capital by the autumn wind, once again covering the stars.
Yu Ren gazed at a certain spot in the clouds, confirming that the White Emperor had left, then withdrew his gaze and looked northward, a worried expression on his face.
...
...
In the Snow Old City, within the Demon Palace.
Chen Changsheng directly answered the Demon Lord’s question: "Master and I weren’t worried about the capital because my senior brother is there."
The Demon Lord sneered, "Do you think you can fool me like this? When you left Xining Town, you hadn’t even begun to cultivate, and I believe neither had he. After that, the times you two met were limited. I’m certain he never made a move in front of you."
Chen Changsheng said, "That’s right. Up until now, no one has ever seen my senior brother make a move."
The Demon Lord said, "Then on what basis do you judge his ability? Don’t tell me—‘because he’s my senior brother’—that kind of nonsense."
Chen Changsheng said, "I only figured it out afterward."
The Demon Lord asked, "Figured out what?"
Chen Changsheng said, "That night when the Saint Empress met her downfall, why did my senior brother crawl out from the grass?"
The Demon Lord’s expression turned stern. "What are you trying to say?"
Chen Changsheng said, "He went to the Heavenly Book Mausoleum with Master during the day. That means he only took one day to read all the Heavenly Book Stele."
The Demon Lord’s pupils contracted. "Absurd! Couldn’t he have used some other method?"
He had never been to the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, but he knew its rules.
In the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, one could only proceed to the next stele after comprehending the current one, climbing higher and higher until reaching the peak.
No one could break this rule—not even Zhou Du|fu before he had read all the steles.
According to Chen Changsheng’s account, Yu Ren had read all the Heavenly Book Stele in a single day. And considering that Yu Ren had been rushing to save Chen Changsheng, guided by his voice, it was possible he hadn’t even looked carefully but casually passed through those steles.
This was likely the truth, but the Demon Lord couldn’t accept it.
No one had ever accomplished such a feat. There were rumors that Zhou Du|fu had done it, but the Li Palace had never confirmed it.
Chen Changsheng, who had viewed all the front mausoleum steles in a single day, had shocked the entire continent. If Yu Ren had read all the Heavenly Book Stele in just one day, what did that mean?
It meant unimaginable talent and power.
If all this was true, then Prince Xiang and Cao Yunping’s rebellion was more like a farce to Yu Ren.
The Demon Lord could even imagine that the White Emperor probably wouldn’t dare to make a move lightly.
The bloodline of the Heavenly Sea Saint Empress and the Chen clan was truly terrifying.
The Demon Lord even began to suspect that the rumors of defying fate were false. Perhaps Yu Ren had been born to endure so much suffering because heaven itself was jealous of him...
"It seems we really have no choice but to admit defeat?"
"Yes."
The black demonic flames, like a swamp, absorbed all light.
The aura of the abyss encroached from that side, making everyone feel somewhat uncomfortable.
The demon hall was desolate, with no slaves or concubines.
Only a few officials wearing white caps and over a dozen old men in red cloaks stood around the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord pointed at the officials in white caps and said, "These are all historians. The final history of our race should be fully recorded."
He then pointed at the old men in red cloaks and said, "These are the wisest scholars of our race. I think you and that emperor have enough sense to judge that our race’s cultural achievements should be fully protected and preserved. Even if the race is wiped out, don’t destroy everything."
Hearing these words, Wang Po and Xiao Zhang finally developed a different feeling toward this Demon Lord.
What is called a ruler’s bearing can be understood as forced composure, but this kind of spiritual calm and ease has always been the pursuit of the strong.
Chen Changsheng said, "Back in the White Emperor City, I said there would be no genocide."
Ten years ago, in that sandy courtyard near the Xiang clan estate, he had discussed many topics with the young Demon Lord.
Those topics included the stars above, the ages to come, and naturally, the future of humans and demons.
More secretly, only Xu Yourong, Tang Thirty-Six, and the Little Black Dragon knew that over these ten years, Chen Changsheng and the Demon Lord had maintained correspondence.
Their correspondence wasn’t frequent—only two or three letters a year—but it never ceased.
This was also something agreed upon in the White Emperor City.
At first, they wanted to emulate the great scholar of Tongus and the Pope of that era, but in the end, they reluctantly found that the content of their letters had turned into negotiations.
—If humans won, under what conditions would the demons be willing to surrender?
There was no answer.
Even now, at this very moment, there was still no answer.
"Servants will become your slaves, spending their miserable lives in dark, damp mines. The gods will be forced to intermarry with you, their bloodlines gradually diluted until they can no longer exist as an independent race. In my view, this is no different from genocide. I cannot accept it."
The Demon Lord said, "Moreover, the gods were originally the masters of this world and all worlds. How could they surrender to mortals like you?"
Chen Changsheng said seriously, "But you have lost."