Chapter 266: Fleecing the Demon Sovereign Dry

"Purgatory Demon Sovereign?"

Your heart stirred slightly. This was the first time you had heard this demon sovereign's title.

It was different from the titles of the dozen or so demon sovereigns who had joined forces to invade the Human Realm over a hundred thousand years ago.

You looked at the white-haired demon and said nothing.

"Since Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan is willing to see me, I won't waste words," the white-haired demon said directly. "The demon sovereign's power is heaven-shaking. Even among demon sovereigns of the same level within the Demon Abyss Realm, he is considered extremely powerful. Not long ago, he even repelled another formidable demon sovereign."

"With the demon sovereign's methods, conquering this realm is a foregone conclusion. The only reason it has been delayed until now is his reluctance to pay the price."

The white-haired demon looked at you and continued. "Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan, you must have noticed that the spatial rift could have been completely breached at any time. The demon sovereign simply chose not to. He wants to wait for an opportune moment to break through."

The white-haired demon paused.

"And then?" you asked in a flat tone.

"It's very simple. As long as True Monarch Qingyuan is willing to submit to the demon sovereign and help conquer this realm, the demon sovereign will personally take action afterward. He will channel Demon Abyss Qi to condense a True Demon Body for you. When that time comes, Void Return will be within your reach. Wouldn't that be countless times better than being trapped in this realm?" the white-haired demon said directly.

Even in the Demon Abyss Realm, having a Void Return demon sovereign personally condense a True Demon Body was something countless demons desperately yearned for.

Even if it meant being controlled by the demon sovereign who performed the technique, it was enough to drive a horde of Fifth Tier Early Stage and Mid Stage demon lords mad with desire.

"Demon Abyss Qi? A True Demon Body?"

Your expression remained unchanged, but you held no interest in this whatsoever.

Leaving aside whether the Purgatory Demon Sovereign would leave behind some hidden trap when condensing the True Demon Body for you—such as a method to control or suppress you—once you condensed this True Demon Body, you would have to fully transform into a demon.

Naturally, you wouldn't consider it.

If you condensed this so-called True Demon Body, and then upon death in the simulation chose to inherit your cultivation and skills in reality, your actual main body would also become a True Demon Body. That would be equivalent to completely joining the Demon Abyss Realm.

Before you fully understood the exact details and background of the Demon Abyss Realm, you definitely wouldn't do this. The risks were far too great, directly affecting your true body in reality.

"If I choose to submit to the Demon Abyss Realm, must I condense this so-called True Demon Body?" you asked.

"Naturally not."

Seeing your interest, the white-haired demon felt a surge of joy and patiently explained, "Ordinary foreign races don't get this kind of treatment. Even if they join the Demon Abyss Realm, they have to endure the agony of demonic energy infusing their bodies for several years. Only after completely adapting will they transform into demons, and only then will they be qualified to survive in the Demon Abyss Realm."

"Channeling Demon Abyss Qi to condense a True Demon Body for you is the demon sovereign's special favor. It shows how highly he values you."

The white-haired demon looked at you, waiting for your reply.

"I see..."

You sighed inwardly.

The white-haired demon's answer made you completely abandon the idea of defecting to the Demon Abyss Realm.

Whether it was condensing a True Demon Body or enduring the infusion of demonic energy to transform into a demon, both required you to abandon the Human Realm's cultivation path and fully embrace the Demon Abyss Realm.

This was something you could not accept right now. Who knew what hidden dangers there would be after completely becoming a demon? Being controlled by the demon sovereign?

You could accept being controlled by the demon sovereign within the simulation, as long as it elevated your cultivation. But if it affected your true body in reality, causing your true self to also fall under the demon sovereign's control...

"What else?" you asked, looking at the white-haired demon.

Although you had abandoned the thought of defecting to the Demon Abyss Realm, you naturally wouldn't say so out loud.

Otherwise, if the Purgatory Demon Sovereign gave up hope and directly dispatched a Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord, you didn't think you could hold out for long.

Therefore... your plan was to stall the Purgatory Demon Sovereign by any means possible. Just getting him to pause his invasion of the Human Realm and buy yourself time to cultivate would be enough.

If possible, fleecing some benefits from him would be even better.

"More?"

Instead of being surprised, the white-haired demon was delighted. The fact that you hadn't refused immediately meant there was room for negotiation and hope for a successful defection.

As for paying a bit of a price? That was far more cost-effective than calling upon multiple Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords.

Even if they brought in Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords, no one could guarantee exactly how much time it would take to conquer the Human Realm, or whether unexpected variables might arise during the process.

But as long as they won you over, with your cooperation, conquering the Human Realm would happen in an instant.

During the time the white-haired demon had spent in the Human Realm, he had performed Soul Searching on the memories of several cultivators, learning of your vast influence.

Not only were you unequivocally the strongest, but you also commanded the Human Realm's most powerful faction, Heavenly Sword Peak. Even the sixty-nine grand formations blocking the Demon Abyss Realm in the Deep Sea region had been laid down by you. It was no exaggeration to say that securing your defection was equivalent to gaining total control over the Human Realm.

"As long as the Heavenly Monarch agrees to submit to the demon sovereign, I will take it upon myself to bestow upon you a Flower of Myriad Thoughts. This is a rare Fifth Tier Late Stage exotic flower capable of enhancing the foundational essence of the soul..."

A pained expression surfaced on the white-haired demon's face.

The Flower of Myriad Thoughts was indeed exceptionally precious; even Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords desperately craved it.

You looked at the white-haired demon, not answering immediately.

A moment later, you finally spoke slowly. "I grew up in this realm. My close friends, family, and juniors are all here..."

The white-haired demon's mouth twitched slightly as he said directly, "Whatever the Heavenly Monarch wants, just say it."

"I want the essence blood of a True Spirit celestial beast. It must be essence blood; ordinary blood won't do," you immediately replied.

As a greater realm standing above the Human Realm, the Demon Abyss Realm held traces of True Spirits having once existed there.

From the Void Whale Master's memories, you knew that a region called the Demon Kun Sea existed within the Demon Abyss Realm, inhabited by the Demon Kun Clan.

The Demon Kun Clan were descendants of the True Spirit Kunpeng. The Kunpeng bloodline within their bodies was incredibly rich, far surpassing the Void Whale Clan of the Human Realm. "True Spirit blood? And essence blood at that..."

The white-haired demon's brow twitched. He hadn't expected you to dare ask for so much.

Those were True Spirits—powerful lifeforms that roamed between greater realms. Even the weakest True Spirit was far stronger than a demon sovereign.

To even injure such an existence was impossibly difficult, let alone obtain its essence blood.

Naturally, the white-haired demon didn't know you already possessed a drop of True Dragon Blood. It was just that the source of this True Dragon Blood wasn't an actual True Dragon, but rather refined from dozens of True Spirit descendants. It couldn't be considered genuine True Dragon essence blood.

"I will have to consult the demon sovereign on this matter."

The white-haired demon couldn't make this decision himself. He certainly didn't have any True Spirit blood. Even if he agreed to your demand, it would be the Purgatory Demon Sovereign paying the price.

"Mhm. The more True Spirit blood, the better. At least three different kinds," you added.

You could refine the True Spirit blood into your 'Transformation' divine ability and bring it back to reality.

With your current strength, the essence blood of ordinary beast kings was of little use to you. Only the essence blood of True Spirit descendants held some value, and only the genuine essence blood of True Spirit celestial beasts could bring about a qualitative leap in your power.

Like the True Dragon Blood, for example. "There's more..." you continued.

The white-haired demon couldn't help but stare at you.

"I need numerous secret techniques and inheritances from the Demon Abyss Realm, as well as various ancient texts and records. After all, if I am to join the Demon Abyss Realm in the future, I must definitely be prepared for it..." you said with a smile.

Hearing this, the white-haired demon breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This wasn't difficult at all. These so-called secret techniques, inheritances, and ancient texts sounded precious, but they could actually be copied at no cost.

At the very least, it was vastly easier than the True Spirit blood you had just demanded.

"That's all for now. Once the demon sovereign brings these over, we can discuss the rest," you stated.

"The Heavenly Monarch means that you want to receive these treasures first, and then submit to the demon sovereign..." the white-haired demon asked.

"Naturally," you replied with a nod. "Otherwise, what if the demon sovereign refuses after I've already submitted?"

Upon hearing this, the white-haired demon said nothing more and closed his eyes to wait.

Clearly, his true body was currently communicating with the Purgatory Demon Sovereign.

The white-haired demon appearing before you at this moment was merely an avatar condensed from a wisp of power.

A moment later, the white-haired demon looked at you and spoke, "The other demands can be met, but the demon sovereign cannot procure True Spirit blood in the short term. How about substituting it with the essence blood of some True Spirit descendants?"

"The essence blood of True Spirit descendants, huh..."

You glanced at the white-haired demon, not entirely dead set on genuine True Spirit blood. "That works too. Send it over now, along with that Flower of Myriad Thoughts..."

"Done."

The white-haired demon dispersed his avatar.

... In the 1,900th year, you were 1,917 years old.

The white-haired demon's avatar entered the Human Realm once more, appearing before you with the items you had requested.

"This is the Flower of Myriad Thoughts, these are the essence bloods of three True Spirit descendants, and these are the numerous secret techniques and inheritances the demon sovereign personally prepared for you," the white-haired demon said solemnly.

"Mhm, I understand. You may go back now."

You looked at the white-haired demon.

Assuming you intended to inspect the treasures, the white-haired demon dispersed his avatar with a thought.

"The Flower of Myriad Thoughts..."

You looked at the illusory, exotic flower before you. A rich aura of the soul converged and intertwined upon it, as if countless thoughts were colliding.

"It's a pity I don't dare to refine and consume it..."

Looking at the Flower of Myriad Thoughts, you decided to let Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword refine it first to observe the effects and see if there were any hidden dangers or traps left behind by the Purgatory Demon Sovereign.

Only after confirming it was completely safe would you consider refining and absorbing it yourself in the next simulation. ...

"Three-Colored Peacock... Water Qilin Beast... Cambrian Turtle..."

You examined the essence blood of the three True Spirit descendants delivered by the white-haired demon.

Among them, the Three-Colored Peacock was a descendant of the True Spirit Five-Light Peacock; the Water Qilin Beast was a descendant of the True Spirit Qilin; and the Cambrian Turtle belonged to the lineage of the True Spirit Black Tortoise.

The bloodline purity of these three True Spirit descendants was above that of the Void Whale Master.

"Not bad at all."

You nodded slightly. You were unwilling to refine the Flower of Myriad Thoughts out of concern for hidden dangers or traps, but you had no such worries regarding these three drops of True Spirit descendant essence blood.

The essence blood of True Spirit descendants contained the aura of True Spirits, which intensely rejected any foreign power, making it incredibly difficult to plant hidden traps within them.

Besides, even if traps were left behind, what did it matter? You weren't going to consume these three drops of essence blood anyway.

You were refining them through the 'Transformation' divine ability, integrating the True Spirit power within the essence blood into the 'Transformation' technique itself.

This eliminated any possibility of hidden traps. Even the Purgatory Demon Sovereign couldn't possibly know you would use the essence blood in this manner.

"Let's begin."

You started by refining the essence blood of the Three-Colored Peacock.

Half a year later, your refinement was complete.

You acquired the Transformation of the Three-Colored Peacock.

"Mhm... the Three-Colored Divine Light, capable of sweeping away all things?"

You had obtained a certain innate divine ability of the Three-Colored Peacock, one specifically designed to counter and suppress various Spirit Treasures and demonic treasures.

"Not bad. It's quite a decent method."

You nodded slightly. At the very least, when facing enemies whose primary methods relied on Spirit Treasures in the future, you could directly transform into the Three-Colored Peacock and sweep out the Three-Colored Divine Light to confiscate their Spirit Treasures.

Next, you sequentially refined the essence blood of the remaining two True Spirit descendants.

The Transformation of the Water Qilin Beast granted you extremely potent control over water-attribute heaven and earth powers. This level of mastery far exceeded a normal Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch's control over the powers of heaven and earth.

As for the Transformation of the Cambrian Turtle, it granted you terrifying defensive capabilities. Under this transformation, your speed drastically decreased, but your defense skyrocketed. While defending with full strength, even a group of experts at the same level wouldn't be able to do anything to you. ...

The essence blood of the three True Spirit descendants made your combat methods increasingly well-rounded. You began to browse through the numerous inheritance secret techniques and ancient texts delivered by the white-haired demon.

Although you wouldn't cultivate the Demon Abyss Realm's inheritance secret techniques, you could still deduce the general foundation and circumstances of the Demon Abyss Realm from them.

As for the ancient texts and records, they allowed you to learn some of the Demon Abyss Realm's history, as well as about its many terrifying powerhouses.

...

In the 1,950th year, you were 1,967 years old.

The white-haired demon once again dispatched an avatar into the Human Realm, arriving before you to ask when you would submit to the Demon Abyss Realm and surrender the Human Realm.

You replied that you wished to learn relevant intelligence concerning the Demon Abyss Realm's 'World-Destroying Demon Lord', and hoped the Purgatory Demon Sovereign could go back and gather it.

The World-Destroying Demon Lord was a legendary existence in the Demon Abyss Realm from tens of thousands of years ago, having nearly ruled one-tenth of the realm single-handedly.

Unfortunately, he ultimately perished in a great calamity.

Even so, the legends of the World-Destroying Demon Lord continued to circulate throughout the Demon Abyss Realm.

A year later, the white-haired demon delivered the intelligence regarding the World-Destroying Demon Lord to you. After reading it, you showed great interest and requested to learn information about the Demon Abyss Realm's 'Ten Creation Demon Ancestors'.

The white-haired demon fell silent but still transmitted your request to the Purgatory Demon Sovereign.

Not long after, you also expressed curiosity about the demon sovereign realm, wanting the Purgatory Demon Sovereign to give a general explanation of it.

...

The vast Demon Abyss Realm.

The Purgatory Demon Sovereign possessed a towering, majestic physique. Two massive, twisting black horns grew from his head. With every breath, black air currents billowed from his nostrils, forming terrifying storms spanning millions of miles.

"How dare he!"

The Purgatory Demon Sovereign exuded a terrifying flow of black energy that pierced through layers of space, absolutely furious.