Chapter 727: Kill? [End of Book 7]

Three days later, Venerable Wen Yuan summoned Chu Liang again.

When Chu Liang arrived and saw that Baize, with her divinely radiant face, was there as well, he immediately felt his heart tense up.

The last time he spoke with Venerable Wen Yuan, Venerable Wen Yuan had mentioned he would ask Baize if what Caiyi had said was true. Now, it seemed that there would be a resolution to that matter.

Since Venerable Wen Yuan and Baize were meeting Chu Liang together, it meant, at least, that their conversation had gone well and that Venerable Wen Yuan still had a positive opinion of Baize. Chu Liang felt quite relieved.

"Venerable Sect Leader, Noble Baize," Chu Liang said, greeting them respectfully.

Venerable Wen Yuan raised his hand slightly, signaling that Chu Liang need not be so polite.

Then he got straight into it. "I spoke with Baize about the matter you mentioned last time. Regarding the disappearance of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, it is true that there was more to it that we knew. Nevertheless, it was certainly not Baize's doing."

Venerable Wen Yuan stopped there, leaving it to Baize to explain instead.

"On the night that the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda went missing, I was the first to arrive at Treasured Pagoda Peak. At the time, I could have acted to help suppress the Demon God's life essence, and perhaps the events that followed wouldn't have occurred. But I didn't. It's true that I had selfish motives..."

Baize let out a soft sigh, her voice calm yet tinged with regret.

"I found that the Demon God's corporeal body had already been obliterated, and only a small part of its life essence remained. I believed that if I took action, I might be able to slay it. If we continued to suppress the Demon God's remaining life essence in the tower, it might take thousands of years to destroy that life essence. By then, I would reach the end of my lifespan, leaving me with no chance to ascend to a higher realm...

"In that moment, I chose not to suppress the Demon God's life essence. Instead, I helped to free its restraints, allowing it to break out of its cell."

It's just as I expected,

Chu Liang thought.

Although Baize's account was shocking, it was quite similar to Chu Liang's conjecture of what had happened. After all, if Baize was not an evildoer, then this could be the only explanation.

Baize continued, "But that was, after all, the life essence of a formidable Hallowed One, and in that crisis, it unleashed a powerful attack on the pagoda. However, what happened next surprised me even more. After all the demonic beasts seized the opportunity to escape from the pagoda, the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda shook violently. It seemed to have the power to self-destruct. It was going to obliterate itself alongside the Demon God's life essence.

"I had to retreat immediately. I left the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, barely escaping with my life. The Demon-Suppressing Pagoda and the Demon God's life essence exploded together, and afterward, there was no trace left of either of them.

"I could no longer detect even a tiny bit of qi from the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda or the Demon God's life essence, so I assumed they perished together. After that, I immediately entered a deep sleep, hoping to seize the opportunity to ascend. I had no idea that, during the next several hundred years, the Mount Shu Sect would end up in a decline due to the loss of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, while the Demon God's life essence continued to exist in the world..."

Bringing her account to an end, Baize said, "I am a sinner. I have wronged the Mount Shu Sect."

Considering the matter involved the ninth realm, it was hard even for Venerable Wen Yuan to judge her, let alone Chu Liang, so neither of them spoke.

The opportunity to ascend to the ninth realm was a rare one that only surfaced once in several thousand years. No one could reproach her for wanting to take a gamble to acquire that opportunity. If the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda hadn't activated its secret self-destruction ability and the Demon God's life essence managed to escape, perhaps Baize could indeed have slain the Demon God.

If Baize had become a Hallowed One, everything would have turned out differently. The Mount Shu Sect would have ruled over the mortal realm for at least a thousand years.

However, the reality was that Baize's reckless gamble caused the Mount Shu Sect to lose its position as the leader of the righteous path, and now the mortal realm still faced the threat of the Demon God.

It might not be an exaggeration to call her a sinner.

After a while, Venerable Wen Yuan finally spoke up. "It is meaningless to dwell on the past now. What we must do is eliminate the threat of the demons. If the Demon God's life essence finds another Heaven-Devouring Bug to use as a vessel, then no one will be able to restrain it. The Heaven-Devouring Bug must be destroyed!"

Baize asked Chu Liang: "Is the only Heaven-Devouring Bug in the world in your possession?"

...

The Demon God Temple, the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings.

The demons' temple had been built with the power of the Demon God. Di Nufeng had wreaked so much havoc there, but she had been unable to destroy the temple. Even after being purified by the Samadhi True Fire, the Demon God statue on the divine altar in the temple still shone brightly.

The Great High Priest sat solemnly at the foot of the divine altar.

Caiyi, the Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills, walked into the temple. Her steps suddenly became lighter, perhaps because she recalled that Chanfeng, the Demon King of the Great Marshlands, had died there.

"I heard you took over the Great Marshlands?" the Great High Priest asked.

Caiyi replied calmly, "The clans that were under Changfeng's rule are all free to go as they please. They just know that following me will allow them to have better lives."

With Chanfeng's death, his tribe lost its leader, and his people naturally split up. They joined the other demon territories, adding to the manpower of the other demon kings. However, the territory that benefitted the most was the Verdant Foxhills, which was under Caiyi's rule. Most of the clans from the Great Marshlands had joined her faction.

During ordinary times, they might have varying opinions on which of the Seven Demon Kings was better. Nevertheless, when they had to pick one to follow, the demons obviously knew who had the best territory.

Caiyi had transformed the Verdant Foxhills into a place similar to a human village. With food, clothing, and housing, the Verdant Foxhills was the most comfortable demon territory to live in. The other demon kings did not dare to admit it openly, but they all envied her.

The Great High Priest advised, "Don't do anything excessive. That last incident has placed a great burden on you. The other demon kings have a lot of complaints about you."

"As long as the Great High Priest knows the truth of what happened, that's enough," Caiyi said indifferently. "The day when God returns, he will know who the greatest contributor is."

The Great High Priest couldn't help but ask, "Are you still that confident?"

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Caiyi replied with a question. "Well, everything is going according to our plan, isn't it?"

She continued slowly, "Even if Chu Liang did hand over the Heaven-Devouring Bug, we wouldn't be using that one as God's vessel. The direction of the Heaven-Devouring Bug's evolution is related to what it has devoured. The one he raised has gone through many stages of evolution, but it doesn't seem to have ever devoured the flesh of the living. Even if it possesses divine power, it does not have any combat abilities.

"So, even if we get his Heaven-Devouring Bug, we must kill it. Then we'll find the next Heaven-Devouring Bug and raise it into the vessel we need."

Caiyi's tone was chillingly cold.

The humans did not know much about the Heaven-Devouring Bug, as they only had a few historical records on it. The demons, on the other hand, knew way more about the Heaven-Devouring Bug. They had, after all, nurtured a Heaven-Devouring Bug, supporting its cultivation into a Hallowed One.

The Great High Priest said calmly, "Indeed. This creature was born from the Great Dao of Devouring, just like the vicious beasts Taotie and Taowu. When those creatures die, new ones will be born."

The Demon God's corporeal form had been obliterated several thousand years ago, leaving only the remnants of his Great Dao and life essence. That meant the Heaven-Devouring Bug of that era had disappeared from the world, making way for a new one to emerge.

"They don't know that the Heaven-Devouring Bug must be nourished with the flesh and blood of many living beings right from infancy to grow into a powerful entity capable of becoming the vessel for God... So, once they learn where the Heaven-Devouring Bug is, their desire for safety and stability will make them kill it. That will align with our goal."

The Great High Priest nodded, agreeing in a chilling tone. "That's right..."

"Now, we just need to wait for them to kill the Heaven-Devouring Bug."