Chapter 287: Demon Sovereign's Phalanx

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo's mind reeled, and he hurriedly stopped his reminiscing.]

[His memories of the ancient era were too blurry and far too shocking; immersing himself in them would affect his cultivation.]

['This Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan is most likely connected to the Sword Lord. A legacy disciple? But why isn't he a sword cultivator?']

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo speculated inwardly, continuing his strikes to purge the demons that had slipped through the net.]

[Your main focus was on dealing with the Fifth Tier Early Stage and Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords, leaving the massive hordes of other monsters and demons for the several Heavenly Monarchs to handle.]

[High above the clouds, your expression turned solemn as you activated the Divine Ability Eruption.]

[Rumble! The four Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords, just on the verge of breaking free, were pinned down once more. At the same time, your soul attack descended.]

[In less than a hundred breaths, the remaining four Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords fell one after another.]

[You glanced at the spatial rift connecting to the Demon Abyss Realm. That Void Refinement demon sovereign did not send out any more demon lords.]

[This didn't surprise you. Compared to the ancient era, the Human Realm's status in the near-ancient era had plummeted, but the ones striking at the Human Realm right now were not the twelve from antiquity. There was only one: the Purgatory Demon Sovereign.]

[Naturally, he couldn't possibly have that many Fifth Tier demon lords at his disposal.]

[After witnessing your strength and realizing that sending Fifth Tier Early Stage and Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords would only result in their slaughter, the Purgatory Demon Sovereign would halt his offensive as long as he wasn't a fool.]

[As for why you didn't deliberately delay your strike to let more demons enter the Human Realm before shutting the door to slaughter them... that didn't align with your goals.]

[Your ultimate goal was to delay the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion to buy yourself enough time to cultivate.]

[Striking later to kill more demon lords... could easily enrage the Purgatory Demon Sovereign. Seeing so many of his subordinates die, he might decide to pay a steeper price to conquer the Human Realm in a single stroke.]

[Given your experience from the previous simulation, you knew very well that the Human Realm couldn't stop the Purgatory Demon Sovereign. It was merely a question of how much of a price he would have to pay.]

[Therefore, following your approach from the last simulation, you struck immediately to display your strength. This would tempt the Purgatory Demon Sovereign with the thought of recruiting you, which would open the door for negotiations and buy you more time.]

[The vast Demon Abyss Realm.]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign furrowed his brow. The black currents of air churning with his every breath made it clear that this demon sovereign was in a foul mood.]

[According to his original plan, dispatching a few early and mid-stage demon lords would have been more than enough to conquer the Human Realm. Even Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword could delay one mid-stage demon lord at most; three of them joining forces would have been enough to surround and kill him.]

[But now?]

[Your appearance made the Purgatory Demon Sovereign realize that without deploying Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords, there was absolutely no chance of taking the Human Realm. Furthermore, given the strength you had displayed, he would need at least five Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords to be certain of victory.]

["Demon Sovereign, let me see if I can win over Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan..."]

[The white-haired demon spoke up. Conquering a weak realm didn't necessarily rely on absolute strength; strategy was also a crucial tool. If they could reel you in just like they did with that Tier 5 Void Whale and make you serve the Purgatory Demon Sovereign, the cost of taking the Human Realm might drop even lower.]

[As for the terms to recruit you... as long as they weren't too outrageous, the Purgatory Demon Sovereign wouldn't mind. After all, you would definitely end up under his command in the end. No matter how many benefits you received, you would still be his man; the meat rots right inside the cooking pot.]

["Go."]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign gave a slight nod, his expression filled with anticipation.]

[If they could successfully reel you in, given the combat prowess you had just displayed, you might even break through to Tier 5 Consummation in the future, or perhaps even reach the level of a Half-Step Tier 6 demon sovereign.]

[Having such a powerhouse charge into battle for him would make things much easier for the Purgatory Demon Sovereign.]

[Compared to the Human Realm, the environment of the Demon Abyss Realm was incomparably cruel. Even someone as mighty as a demon sovereign needed to occupy vast territories to sustain his cultivation, facing challenges from other demon sovereigns at any moment.]

[Not long ago, the Purgatory Demon Sovereign had just repelled another demon sovereign to claim this region.]

["Keep an eye on the rest. I'm heading back first."]

[Having dealt with all the demon lords, you cast a glance at Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword and the rest of the Heavenly Monarchs before your figure vanished.]

[Heavenly Monarch Qianshu and Heavenly Monarch Lingshe felt their hearts settle, and they hurriedly nodded.]

[With you eliminating all the demon lords, things were simply too easy for these Heavenly Monarchs.]

[At Heavenly Sword Peak, you resumed your cultivation after returning to your immortal cave.]

[At the same time, you waited for that white-haired demon to come and recruit you.]

[Several days later.]

[Sure enough, the white-haired demon came to visit you in person.]

["White Demon greets you, fellow Daoist."]

[The white-haired demon smiled. The moment you agreed to meet, he breathed a sigh of relief.]

[Willingness to meet meant there was room for negotiation. What the white-haired demon feared most was being crushed by your divine sense while still outside Heavenly Sword Peak.]

[Given your strength, you had definitely noticed him long before he arrived. Agreeing to see him was a statement of your stance.]

["I wonder what you might want, fellow Daoist, in exchange for no longer obstructing our realm?"]

[The white-haired demon asked, cutting straight to the chase.]

["What can you offer?"]

[Rather than stating your demands immediately, you tossed the question back at him.]

["As long as you are willing to cooperate with the Demon Sovereign, fellow Daoist, he will personally step in once this realm is conquered. He will channel the Demon Abyss Qi for you to condense a True Demon Body. When that time comes, Void Return will be well within your reach. Wouldn't that be infinitely better than being trapped in this realm?"]

[The white-haired demon spoke. Having the Demon Sovereign channel the Demon Abyss Qi would indeed forge the highest-tier True Demon Body, but it would also leave you susceptible to the Demon Sovereign's influence.]

[However, for an expert from a weak realm, this offer was quite decent. Condensing a True Demon Body would massively extend one's lifespan and boost their strength.]

["Aside from that, I have three conditions."]

[You pondered for a moment before speaking.]

[You had absolutely no interest in condensing a True Demon Body. It was an obvious trap. But you wouldn't show that. Only by playing along could you make the white-haired demon and the Purgatory Demon Sovereign believe they had a handle on you.]

["Please speak, fellow Daoist."]

[A smile surfaced on the white-haired demon's face. He wasn't afraid of you making demands; he was only afraid of you wanting nothing at all.]

["My first condition: I have long admired the Demon Sovereign, and I wish to obtain a piece of his demonic body. Any piece will do."]

[You looked at the white-haired demon.]

[The purpose of this condition was to secure direct contact with the Purgatory Demon Sovereign, paving the way for your golden talent, Dead But Not Stiff.]

[Originally, you had planned to ask for a drop of the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's blood essence. After all, not only was blood essence a piece of the demon sovereign, but it could also be used for your Divine Ability Transformation.]

[But you had already tried that condition in the last simulation, and the Purgatory Demon Sovereign had absolutely refused to part with his blood essence.]

[Blood essence was exceedingly important to any powerhouse. Divination? Karmic spells? With the empowerment of blood essence, their might would be amplified to the absolute limit.]

["A piece of the Demon Sovereign's body?"]

[The white-haired demon stared at you. If he hadn't been absolutely certain you were a living creature of the Human Realm, he probably would have suspected you were a subordinate of some other demon sovereign.]

[Even if it wasn't blood essence, even if it was just an insignificant fragment of his demonic body, it could still serve as a medium for Divination and karmic curses.]

["The Demon Sovereign cultivates a certain technique that requires his physique to remain whole. He cannot agree to this condition," the white-haired demon said, his expression shifting slightly. Clearly, his true body was communicating with the Purgatory Demon Sovereign to relay the answer.]

["I merely wish to borrow it for observation. It's not as though I won't return it. One year. I only need to study it for a single year, and I'll give it back after that."]

[You spoke. Direct contact didn't mean permanent possession; you could simply return it once you were done with it.]

[As long as you could make direct contact with the Purgatory Demon Sovereign, that would be enough.]

["Observing a piece of a higher-tier demon sovereign's body has been a long-held desire of mine. If this condition is refused, then it shows the Demon Sovereign lacks sincerity. In that case, we'll see just how steep a price you are prepared to pay to take the Human Realm."]

[You shook your head slightly. With a flick of your mind, the auras of one hundred and twenty Quasi-Tier 6 Magical Talismans flashed briefly within your sea of consciousness.]

["Hm?"]

[The white-haired demon's expression turned grave. Quasi-Tier 6 methods? And so many of them? If the Demon Sovereign refused your terms, how many Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords would he have to dispatch? Originally, the Demon Sovereign had thought five would be enough, but looking at this now, five wouldn't cut it.]

["Give me a moment, fellow Daoist."]

[After saying this, the white-haired demon closed his eyes to communicate with the Purgatory Demon Sovereign.]

[The vast Demon Abyss Realm.]

[The towering Purgatory Demon Sovereign frowned. "He wants to observe a piece of my body? What would a mere Tier 5 creature do with a piece of my body?"]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign was puzzled. If another demon lord from the Demon Abyss Realm made this demand, it would almost certainly be part of some scheme to use his flesh to stir up trouble.]

[But from a weak plane like the Human Realm... what could you possibly do even if you got a piece of his body? Not to mention, you still planned to return it.]

["White Demon, what do you think?"]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign looked at the white-haired demon. If you had asked for blood essence, he naturally wouldn't have considered it, let alone agreed. But just a piece of his body? A fingernail counted as a piece of his body; a strand of hair counted as well.]

[It wouldn't hurt anything.]

["That Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan also holds numerous Quasi-Tier 6 trump cards. If we refuse his demand and our realm forces an invasion, we will likely suffer heavy losses. We'd have to deploy at least eight Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords to be sure of victory..."]

[The white-haired demon pondered for a moment before probing, "It might be better to just agree to his terms. It's only a fragment of your body, Venerable. When he enters the Demon Abyss Realm in the future, he will still need you to channel the True Demon Qi. At that point, even if he had some scheme in mind, it wouldn't mean anything."]

[The Purgatory Demon Sovereign understood what the White Demon was getting at.]

[Indeed. In the end, this Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan would still have to rely on him to condense a True Demon Body anyway.]

["Very well. I will temporarily lend him this fingernail clipping to observe."]

[With a flick of the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's mind, a microscopic sliver broke off from the fingernail of his index finger—one of five fingers as massive as mountains—and landed in front of the white-haired demon.]

[As a Void Return demon sovereign, even a mere fingernail clipping radiated monstrous demonic qi. Its hardness surpassed that of high-grade Xuantian Spirit Treasures; an ordinary Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord wouldn't be able to damage it in the slightest.]

["Understood."]

[The white-haired demon immediately split off an avatar and carried the fingernail clipping straight back to the Human Realm.]

[Heavenly Sword Peak.]

["The Demon Sovereign has agreed."]

[The white-haired demon looked at you and spoke.]

["Good."]

[You gave a slight nod, your mind settling in relief.]

["My second condition: going forward, I have a few questions—whether about cultivation or the Demon Abyss Realm itself—and I will need to seek the Demon Sovereign's guidance—"]

[You spoke.]

[In this simulation, after much deliberation, you abandoned the idea of asking the Demon Sovereign for various treasures, such as the Flower of Myriad Thoughts.]

[Although Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword hadn't suffered any issues during the tests in the previous simulation, you still didn't dare lightly consume and refine anything from the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[What if there were hidden dangers?]

[You were unwilling to take even a sliver of risk.]

["No problem."]

[The white-haired demon nodded. This request was not excessive. In fact, one could even call it incredibly simple; it required the Purgatory Demon Sovereign to pay nothing at all.]

["My third request... I want seven hundred years. For the next seven hundred years, the Demon Sovereign's true body is not allowed to descend upon this realm..."]

[You stated gravely.]

[Currently, you were over two thousand years old, and could probably live for another six hundred years.]

[The reason you asked for seven hundred years was to prepare for your golden talent, Dead But Not Stiff.]

[After your death, you could possess an entity you had made contact with for a century.]

[In other words, barring any accidents, you would choose to possess the Purgatory Demon Sovereign for those hundred years.]

[If the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's true body descended upon the Human Realm, it would trigger the countermeasures left behind by the Sword Lord. If he was completely killed then, wouldn't that severely cripple the effects of your golden talent?]

[How could possessing some Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lords ever compare to possessing a Sixth Tier Void Return demon sovereign?]

[This was why you demanded that the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's true body be barred from entering the Human Realm for seven hundred years. Until your possession ended, the Purgatory Demon Sovereign could not be allowed to die.]

["Seven hundred years?"]

[The white-haired demon fell silent. To a demon sovereign, this amount of time wasn't terribly long, but it wasn't short either.]

["I have a few close friends. Before they pass away from old age, I don't wish to see the Human Realm fall..."]

[You sighed and spoke slowly.]

["Alright, the Demon Sovereign has agreed."]

[The white-haired demon suddenly spoke. As long as they could take the Human Realm for the smallest possible price, waiting seven hundred years was acceptable.]

["My thanks to the Demon Sovereign for his understanding."]

[You looked at the white-haired demon.]

["I hope that in seven hundred years, after you smoothly join the Demon Sovereign's command, we can drink together, fellow Daoist."]

[The white-haired demon smiled.]

[Then, his figure dissipated.]

["Drink together? I doubt there will be a chance for that."]

[You muttered to yourself. So far, all the demands you had made were just to stall for time.]

['In a few centuries, I'll have the Purgatory Demon Sovereign swear a great heart demon oath, guaranteeing that his true body will not step foot into the Human Realm for seven hundred years.']

[You thought to yourself. The reason you hadn't brought this up yet... was out of fear that asking for too much would lead to a refusal.]

[Only by waiting a few centuries, when the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's sunk costs were high enough, would the chances of his agreement be much greater.]

[In the last simulation, if a Divination heavenly master from the Demon Abyss Realm hadn't seen through your true intentions, there was a high probability you could have stalled until the end of your natural lifespan.]

[Several days later, the white-haired demon came knocking once more, bringing a piece of the Purgatory Demon Sovereign's body.]

[Your mind trembled slightly as you looked at the fingernail clipping the white-haired demon had brought out—or rather, the Demon Sovereign's Phalanx.]