Chapter 227 – Demon Emperor Qianqiu, Legendary Level Secret Realm

Death energy danced like flames, wantonly moving through the scene, fluttering with the wind, as fierce as a flag.

A towering figure, two and a half meters tall, stood in the center, gripping Pei Ye with one hand. His indifferent eyes quietly observed them.

The heatwaves and terrifying pressure emanating from him propelled the airflow, forming invisible giant waves over ten meters high that surged towards the three protectors.

An eerie silence fell over the scene.

Only the sounds of Pei Ye’s desperate struggles could be heard.

Pei Ye’s face was smeared with tears and snot, long removed from any hint of handsomeness.

Due to uncontrollable fear, the muscles in his face instinctively formed a crying, begging expression. However, upon hearing Lu Yuan’s words, he grasped at what seemed to be the last straw to save his dignity and couldn’t help but try to laugh.

“You… also want… to replace me… as the Evil Emperor?”

“You’re simply… delusional…”

Pei Ye cried and laughed, trying hard to make a mocking, satirical expression.

While struggling to laugh, he glanced at the three elephant protectors, hoping to signal them to help him.

However, he soon saw…

The three protectors, silent for a long time, suddenly made the same action simultaneously.

All three stepped back two paces and turned sideways.

Clearing a path leading to the villa.

Then, with their cheeks facing down, they slightly bowed, showing an attitude of welcoming respect.

“Uh…”

Pei Ye was instantly stunned, his body stopped trembling.

At that moment, it seemed as if he even forgot the overwhelming fear surging from the depths of his heart.

A few seconds later.

The light in his eyes quickly faded, and his whole body drooped as if all his energy had been sucked away in an instant… he completely gave up struggling.

Seeing this scene, Lu Yuan also showed a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He had just said it casually, wanting only to disgust Pei Ye one last time.

But how… did a mutiny on the spot actually work??

Five minutes later, in the villa hall.

The hall, previously in disarray due to the battle, had been swiftly cleaned by the horse-faced middle-aged man among the three protectors.

The majority of the dirt and debris had been cleared away, and a sofa had been set up again in a relatively intact corner of the hall.

At this moment, Lu Yuan, who had exited his third rank Ultimate Transformation, had restored his fair and handsome appearance and was lounging casually on the sofa.

At his feet lay Pei Ye, whose bones had been shattered, leaving him limply resembling a pool of mud.

In front of him stood three protectors of the Evil Martial Alliance, standing respectfully.

“Demon Emperor Qianqiu1, truthfully, we’ve long been displeased with this worthless piece of trash. If not for his sheer luck in obtaining the previous Evil Emperor’s buddhist relics — and considering the great favor the past Evil Emperor granted us — I would have probably slapped him dead long ago,” the hawk-nosed old man said, clasping his hands in a respectful gesture toward Lu Yuan. As he spoke, he glanced at Pei Ye on the floor, occasionally showing a fierce look, his expression full of killing intent.

“The Hawk Protector is right, but this waste isn’t completely useless…”

“Huh?!”

Upon hearing the horse-faced middle-aged man’s words, the hawk-nosed old man immediately looked at him with astonishment and skepticism.

The horse-faced middle-aged man remained composed, pointing at Pei Ye and smiling faintly, “At the very least, it was through this waste that we had the fortune to meet the Demon Emperor and pledge allegiance to a worthy lord. For that alone, this waste has done us a great service.”

“Well said.”

The hawk-nosed old man agreed with a smile.

After each had delivered their loyalty speeches, they both turned their gazes to the elephant protector standing to one side.

Over two meters tall, his massive body hidden within a black robe, the normally taciturn elephant protector remained silent for a while before speaking in a low voice, “Pei Ye killed Yellow Bear, killed the crane style members… I did try… to stop him.”

The hawk-nosed old man and the horse-faced middle-aged man were slightly taken aback but then cast approving glances at him.

All three protectors of the Evil Martial Alliance had declared their stances.

Lu Yuan, sitting regally on the sofa, looked pleased.

As for Pei Ye, only his face was capable of movement. His eyes blazed with fury, and it was unclear whether he was crying or laughing, but his expression was incredibly complex.

“It pleases me that you all have seen the error of your ways and chosen to follow the light…” Lu Yuan said slowly, recalling the mannerisms of the villainous leaders he had seen in his memories.

An organization like the Evil Martial Alliance, filled with such “pretentious” vibes, with titles like Evil Emperor and protectors… it seemed quite intriguing.

“Let’s start with introductions.”

Lu Yuan shifted slightly on the sofa, pointing at the massive figure draped in a black robe and wearing a mask, who stood like a mountain. “This is the elephant protector, and you wield the power of the evil deity from the Elephant Deity Sect?”

“You have great insight, Demon Emperor,” the elephant protector nodded and replied in a low voice.

Lu Yuan then turned his gaze to the hawk-nosed old man, “And this is the hawk protector, who wields the…”

The hawk-nosed old man promptly filled in, “The Power of the Eagle from the Horus Deity Sect.”

“Good.”

Lu Yuan nodded and finally looked at the horse-faced middle-aged man, the last of the trio.

Seeing Lu Yuan’s gaze, the horse-faced middle-aged man immediately adopted a respectful listening posture.

“And this must be the horse protector, and you undoubtedly command the power of the Horse King!” Lu Yuan said with a smile.

“…”

“…”

The horse-faced middle-aged man’s movements froze, and the elephant and hawk protectors said nothing, creating a moment of awkward silence.

After a few seconds, the hawk-nosed old man cleared his throat, speaking softly with a strange expression, “Demon Emperor, you were slightly mistaken. This is Lin protector; he has long been devoted to the path of the Cavern Deity Sect.”

“Oh.”

Lu Yuan showed a look of sudden realization, not the least bit embarrassed.

Relaxing back onto the sofa, he lightly tapped the armrest and said calmly, “I have a few questions that I need you to answer.”

“Please ask, Demon Emperor,” the hawk-nosed old man responded eagerly.

“First.”

Lu Yuan’s gaze swept down to Pei Ye at his feet, “What is this Evil Emperor’s buddhist relics you mentioned?”

This time, the horse-faced middle-aged man was quick to answer.

“Each Evil Emperor is a pinnacle emissary level evil energy master. Upon their death, their evil power typically crystallizes. Those who acquire this crystal can usually inherit its power, hence it is called the Evil Emperor’s buddhist relics.”

Upon hearing the word “crystallizes,” Lu Yuan immediately thought of the red bead from the Crow Deity Sect.

To him, wasn’t this just an experience pill?

His interest piqued, he pursued the question, “So, there are quite a few Evil Emperor’s buddhist relics within the Evil Martial Alliance?”

“Maybe… there are,” the horse-faced middle-aged man replied hesitantly.

“What do you mean by ‘maybe’?” Lu Yuan frowned.

This time, the hawk-nosed old man answered with a resigned tone, “Not every Evil Emperor leaves behind a relic after death, and not every relic remains within the alliance.

Most of the relics are eventually reclaimed by the powerful members of the respective Evil Deity Sect.

Some of them are taken by Penglai Pavilion.

The remaining one or two… are probably already divided among the protectors within the alliance.”

“Penglai?” Lu Yuan’s expression shifted slightly, “Why would Penglai take these?”

“The official explanation is that they are suppressing them to prevent more pure martial artists from falling into the evil path, but if you ask me…”

The hawk-nosed old man’s eyes flashed with disdain, “Those people in Penglai Pavilion are definitely studying the evil martial power in secret. They always say one thing and do another…”

“Does Penglai have a lot of these Evil Emperor’s buddhist relics?” Lu Yuan inquired.

“Accumulated over generations, they have about nine,” the horse-faced middle-aged man pointed to Pei Ye, who lay on the ground, “The Bewitching Evil Power within Pei Ye corresponds to a relic that Penglai took. How he got it is anyone’s guess…”

Lu Yuan’s eyes narrowed as he used his access level, tapping into Yellow Bear’s internal network to thoroughly investigate Pei Ye’s “resume.”

Moments later, he found himself chuckling quietly.

“You really have a knack for betrayal, don’t you…?” Lu Yuan remarked, looking at Pei Ye with a hint of exasperation.

He had found out that after Pei Ye defected from the Crane Style, he had also joined Penglai by chance, even earning the favor of a big shot there.

But Pei Ye hadn’t stayed long in Penglai; he had defected again for unknown reasons.

Now it seemed clear—he must have stolen the Former Evil Emperor’s buddhist relics before fleeing.

“Can an inherited Evil Emperor’s buddhist relics be extracted again?” Lu Yuan casually asked, pondering.

Pei Ye’s Bewitching Demon ability was quite impressive. If Lu Yuan could seize it, activating a new panel would be fantastic.

He was quite envious of Pei Ye’s ability to survive his killer move.

“Generally, once the relic is integrated into the body, its evil power gradually dissolves and disappears. However, since Pei Ye hasn’t had the relic for long, there might still be some undigested residue left…”

The hawk-nosed old man’s hands quivered, and with a series of cracking sounds, his normal hands morphed into blood-soaked eagle claws.

“Demon Emperor, if you’re interested, I can perform the extraction on Pei Ye and see if I can dig anything out…”

The horse-faced middle-aged man and the elephant protector, standing nearby, also flashed eager glances, clearly itching to seize this opportunity to prove themselves.

Lu Yuan did not stop them, merely watching quietly.

However, Pei Ye, lying on the ground, suddenly turned as pale as a ghost, his body trembling uncontrollably once more.

…

“GG!”

In a spacious room high above the clouds, Yuwen Tong sat cross-legged on a chair, once again delighted as she typed “GG” on the virtual screen.

“Alright, you won again,” a voice, sounding resigned yet curious and expectant, came from one of the virtual screens on the desk. “So, have you broken through yet?”

“Almost, almost…” Yuwen Tong replied nonchalantly, tearing open a snack package and speaking with her mouth full.

“If you do break through, the pressure on our side will lessen considerably…”

The voice sighed lightly before changing the subject, expressing admiration, “By the way, you’ve recruited quite a promising individual in Lu Yuan; he managed to independently take down an emissary-level opponent. I reviewed the combat data Lan Chen sent over. When are you planning to pass on the cultivation techniques to him?”

Yuwen Tong’s beautiful violet eyes sparkled for a moment. She smiled silently, munching on her snack without replying.

The voice continued, undeterred, “I just received news that the upcoming World United Exploration Initiative will open one of the nine legendary level secret realms: Sky Wrath, Moon-Eating Forest, Thunder Holy Temple…

The Core Legacy power from a legendary secret realm is the fastest path to creating top-tier experts. I’ve heard that Lu Yuan possesses a special constitution that can perfectly assimilate evil power…

If that’s the case, he should give it a try. Although the chances are slim, if he does get lucky, it would be an enormous boon for us…”

Yuwen Tong frowned slightly, pausing her chewing and voicing her concern, “Have you considered that even if someone does obtain the legacy, will the other forces allow them to live peacefully afterwards?”

The voice fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly, “We can’t give up just because of the risks.”

Their conversation ended, and Yuwen Tong disconnected the communication.

Resting her cheek on one hand, she thought quietly for a moment. Suddenly, a gleam appeared in her eyes, and her slender fingers began typing rapidly on the keyboard.

Footnote:

1. Qianqiu(千秋): In this context, “Qianqiu” (千秋) is a Chinese term that combines the characters for “thousand” (千) and “autumn” (秋). It is often used to symbolize longevity and eternity, suggesting that someone’s achievements or influence will last for a thousand years. In historical and literary contexts, it is a form of high praise, indicating that the person’s deeds or legacy will be remembered and honored for generations.