Chapter 229: The Dark Heavenly King

Chapter 229: The Dark Heavenly King

The Lifeless Dao Leader's eyes turned cold, exuding an imposing aura even without anger. "Little girl, you wield quite some authority. Do you truly believe you’re already the second-in-command of the Demon Sect?"

The Lifeless Dao Leader was among the strongest of Martial Venerables. Even the circulation of his blood within his body sounded like the roaring of a great river. Once he struck, his power could split mountains and sever rivers.

"You disagree?" The Demon Sect Saintess showed no fear, glancing sideways at him with innate arrogance.

A Manifestation Wheel materialized in the Lifeless Dao Leader’s palm, twisting the air into a vortex. He smirked coldly. "If you can withstand three moves from me, I’ll leave immediately."

"Lin Tianyi, if you want a fight, why bother with children? I’ll take your three moves and see how much you’ve improved in the past decade." A mighty voice boomed across the heavens.

Boom!

The sky instantly turned pitch black.

The sunlight dimmed, turning day into night.

A deep purple streak of Lightning tore through the sky and struck the ground.

As the Lightning vanished, a black shadow appeared on the earth—a true projection of a martial powerhouse.

It was merely a shadow, with no visible body, exuding an eerie presence like a ghost.

The Lifeless Dao Leader’s expression darkened briefly before he chuckled. "No wonder the Saintess dares to disregard this old man’s face. So the Heavenly King has returned. Heavenly King, it’s been ten years since we last met. I wonder how far your Four Symbols Martial Soul has progressed?"

The Dark Heavenly King’s voice emerged from the shadow on the ground, as if fused with the earth itself. "I, too, would like to know if your Lifeless Art has truly reached the ninth layer."

Boom!

An Alternate Dimension opened, and a portal appeared in the void.

The Lifeless Dao Leader and the Dark Heavenly King vanished simultaneously, entering the Alternate Dimension, leaving behind a surge of turbulent energy in the air.

This was a clash at the Martial Venerable level, unfolding in the Alternate Dimension. Though ordinary people couldn’t witness it, they could imagine the terror of such a battle.

"Thank you, Saintess. Without your intervention, the two of us might not have survived today." Duanmu Linger’s face brightened with relief. Were it not for her injured legs, she would have bowed to the Demon Sect Saintess in accordance with Demon Sect customs.

The Demon Sect Saintess glanced at Duanmu Linger clinging to Ning Xiaochuan’s back, her arms wrapped intimately around his neck. She pursed her lips slightly and averted her gaze. "You’re injured?"

Duanmu Linger nodded. "Lin Zhirong tried to kill us in the Iron Prison, but in the end, he was the one who died. Truly, karma."

The Demon Sect Saintess retrieved a frosty jade vial and handed it to Duanmu Linger. "This Disconnected Pill should heal your injuries quickly. Now that the Heavenly King has returned, even if the Lifeless Dao Leader has vast power and profound cultivation, he won’t be able to stir up much trouble. You need not worry."

Her gaze flickered imperceptibly toward Ning Xiaochuan, only to find his expression indifferent, his eyes refusing to meet hers.

She sensed hostility emanating from him—his gaze was pushing her away.

The simultaneous arrival of the Demon Sect Saintess and the Dark Heavenly King had long struck fear into the hearts of the Demon Sect experts, who knelt on the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The Demon Sect experts had all returned to Nine Death Cliff, and even figures of the Heavenly King level had come back. The imperial army would likely retreat without a fight.

After a long while...

A ripple appeared in the air.

The Lifeless Dao Leader was sent flying out in a wretched state, his hair crown fallen and his long hair disheveled. Blood streamed from his eyes as he spat venomously, "This matter is far from over... cough Just you wait!"

Forcing himself to summon a surge of vital energy, the Lifeless Dao Leader suppressed his injuries and vanished into the mist-shrouded mountains like a fleeting shadow.

"Whoosh!"

A cold wind blew out from the alternate dimension.

On the ground, another shadow appeared.

The shadow suddenly rose from the earth, its form solidifying from illusion into reality, transforming into a man clad in a black robe. His face was half-covered by a golden mask, concealing everything above the bridge of his nose.

Yet, one could still see his sharp lips, the stubble on his chin, and a pair of piercing, spirited eyes.

It was easy to imagine that this was undoubtedly a man of authority and dominance.

Was this the enigmatic Dark Heavenly King of the Demon Sect?

The Dark Heavenly King fixed Ning Xiaochuan with a deep gaze, his eyes contemplative, before finally saying, "Come with me."

But Ning Xiaochuan remained rooted in place, showing no intention of following.

"Ning Xiaochuan, let's go with the Dark Heavenly King. I believe he will help us," Duanmu Linger urged softly, nudging him with her elbow as her rosy lips whispered by his ear.

Ning Xiaochuan's eyes were profound, and after a long silence, he said, "I met Qi Chong in the Iron Prison. Does the Heavenly King remember him?"

The Dark Heavenly King halted, letting out a sigh before turning his gaze back to Ning Xiaochuan. "What did he tell you?"

"So, you really are the Left Deputy General? Mo Longting, Lord Mo?" Ning Xiaochuan clenched his fingers tightly, his eyes icy.

At these words, the Demon Sect Saintess's fingers twitched slightly. Beneath her golden mask, her lips pressed tightly together, and a flicker of imperceptible dread flashed in her pupils.

Ning Xiaochuan pressed on relentlessly, "Does the Heavenly King intend to deny it?"

"I do not deny it."

The Dark Heavenly King stood ramrod straight. "Since you've already uncovered this much, I assume you know everything you should."

"But there's still much I don't know," Ning Xiaochuan countered.

The Demon Sect Saintess stood to the side, her five slender Jade Fingers digging into her palm until her nails drew blood.

Though Ning Xiaochuan hadn't addressed her directly, the pain in her heart was beyond what an ordinary person could imagine.

The Dark Heavenly King said, "Your father and I were the closest of friends, sworn brothers in all but blood. When you were born, I proposed that our families unite in marriage—my daughter to his son. But your father firmly refused. At the time, you suffered from a Congenital Ailment, no different from a cripple, and he didn’t want to harm my daughter. Yet I disagreed, so we made a pact: if your ailment was ever cured, our families would still be joined."

"I don’t want to hear any of this. You should know what I want to know," Ning Xiaochuan said.

If anyone else dared to speak to the Dark Heavenly King like this, they would already be a corpse on the ground.

But facing Ning Xiaochuan, the Dark Heavenly King was remarkably patient. "The heavens are unpredictable. No one could have foreseen that the Jade Emperor would appoint your father as the commander of the three armies, leading 700,000 troops to besiege the Demon Sect. Your mother was the Demon Sect Saintess, yet your father was ordered to lead an expedition against the Demon Sect."

"I discussed this matter with both your father and mother. At first, we thought the Jade Emperor was testing your father’s loyalty to the court. But later, we realized we were wrong. The Jade Emperor wanted to exploit your father’s unique position to target the Jian Pavilion Marquis House."

"From the moment the army set out, it was destined that all 700,000 soldiers would become sacrificial pawns, tools for the Jade Emperor to weaken the power of the nobility. Every one of them had to die."

"The Jade Emperor is the true culprit behind the deaths of the 700,000 troops."

Ning Xiaochuan already knew all this and had no desire to hear it again. "Then why did my father and mother die, while you’re still alive? Can you honestly say you bear no responsibility for this? You claim to have been my father’s closest friend, yet the one who stabbed him in the back was still you. Lord Heavenly King, have you ever felt even a shred of guilt all these years?"

The Dark Heavenly King fell silent, offering no explanation.

Given his status, some things didn’t require explanation.

The Demon Sect Saintess spoke up. "Ning Xiaochuan, the one who truly stabbed your father in the back wasn’t my father—it was the Cloud Marquis, Yue Wuyang, whose power now stands at its zenith."

"Why should I believe you? Are you even worthy of my trust?" Ning Xiaochuan had already guessed who the Demon Sect Saintess was, and whatever goodwill he once held for her had vanished.

Hearing these words, the Demon Sect Saintess felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart, the pain unbearable. She clenched her teeth tightly. "My father is the Dark Heavenly King of the Demon Sect, and your mother was the Demon Sect Saintess. They were both high-ranking members of the Demon Sect. Do you think your parents were unaware of my father’s identity?"

The Demon Sect Saintess continued, "Your father and mother didn’t die because of the 700,000 troops. They died because of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House."

"What do you mean?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.

"Eleven years ago, the annihilation of the 700,000 troops shocked the court and the entire nation. This wasn’t a case of betrayal or treason—it was a bloodbath orchestrated by the Jade Emperor from the start. He used this incident to target the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, strip it of its military power, and dismantle its influence."

"At the same time, he used it to intimidate the other nobles, weakening their authority and consolidating all power into his own hands."

"You could say that targeting the Jian Pavilion Marquis House was the most crucial move in his scheme. If, eleven years ago, the Jian Pavilion Marquis House had truly been exterminated, the Jade Emperor would have long since seized control of the empire’s military and become the undisputed ruler. Would the nobility still enjoy their current privileges?"

"Unfortunately, the Jade Emperor’s plan didn’t succeed. The Demon Emperor led the Demon Sect experts into the Imperial City, gathering all forces to storm the Imperial Palace."

"The Demon Emperor personally stormed the Jian Pavilion Marquis House to take your mother back to the Demon Sect, but she refused. Because if she left, the entire Jian Pavilion Marquis House would be slaughtered by the Jade Emperor, leaving none alive. The nine clans of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House would all be executed, and the death toll would undoubtedly reach thousands upon thousands."

"So, your mother sacrificed her life to force the Demon Emperor to save the Jian Pavilion Marquis House. She slit her own throat before the Demon Emperor, collapsing in a pool of blood. Your father also died that day. Both of them died because of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, indirectly killed by the Jade Emperor."

"Later, the Demon Emperor negotiated with the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor had to spare the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, while the Demon Sect Martial Artists were forbidden from setting foot in the Imperial City for ten years."

Ning Xiaochuan clenched his fists tightly and said, "So this is the contract signed between the Demon Emperor and the Jade Emperor. This is the truth?"

The Demon Sect Saintess replied, "Otherwise, why were the men of the Mo family exiled to the borderlands and the women sold as prostitute slaves, while your Jian Pavilion Marquis House remained unharmed? Did you truly believe the Jade Emperor acted out of kindness? It was all because of your parents' deaths that the Jian Pavilion Marquis House gained a chance to survive. The greatest victims were not the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, but the Mo family."

Sometimes, the truth is far crueler than one could imagine.

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