Chapter 533: Is There a Conspiracy?

Yun Che had previously heard Yun Qinghong recount the events of that year, specifically how the Little Demon Emperor disappeared on the very night he married the Little Demon Empress. At the time, Yun Che found it peculiar. Even if the Little Demon Emperor was desperate to save his father and unwilling to accept his fate, surely a delay of a few days wouldn't have been fatal. Why would he choose such a critical moment to rush to the Profound Sky Continent, seemingly to his death?

Now, it suddenly made sense to him. His father's uncertain survival and his supposed disinterest in marriage were likely just an excuse; the true reason was to escape!

If I were saddled with such a terrifying woman, I would certainly flee as well!

Wait, no! What kind of person was the Little Demon Emperor? He was the heir to the Demon Emperor, the ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm! With his status, couldn't he choose any woman in the entire realm? What kind of woman could he not find? Why would he choose such a terrifying woman, who sounded like a malevolent spirit, to be his Empress? Could it be that the Little Demon Empress had an astonishing family background? That still didn't make sense. In the Illusory Demon Realm, what lineage could possibly surpass that of the Illusory Demon Royal Family? Furthermore, the Little Demon Emperor was the head of the Royal Family! He shouldn't have to compromise himself in such a matter, no matter how he looked at it.

"Xiao Yun, what exactly is the Little Demon Empress's background? Why did the Little Demon Emperor marry her?" Yun Che asked, voicing his doubt.

"Well, because the Little Demon Emperor could only marry her."

Xiao Yun's reply left Yun Che bewildered: "Could only marry her? What does that mean?"

"Brother, you don't know this... Oh!" Xiao Yun suddenly realized, "That's right! I unconsciously forgot again that you're from the Profound Sky Continent. Hehe, in our Illusory Demon Realm, no one would ever ask a question like that."

Xiao Yun began to explain: "The Demon Emperor may take multiple consorts, but the choice of the Demon Empress is fixed. The Demon Emperor's lineage must maintain absolute purity and perfection of its bloodline. Therefore, the Demon Empress must also possess the purest Demon Emperor bloodline. Only then will their descendants continue to inherit the complete Demon Emperor bloodline and succeed to the throne. This is a fundamental principle that the Demon Emperor's lineage must never violate."

"As for children born to other consorts, they are granted princely titles and may marry outside the clan, but they can never inherit the imperial throne. However, Father mentioned that the Demon Emperor's lineage has always been consciously reluctant to let their bloodline dilute. So, for the past few millennia, previous Demon Emperors rarely took consorts other than the Empress. Even if they did, they deliberately avoided having children with them. Consequently, the Illusory Demon Royal Family currently has no direct princes. The Prince of Glorious Night whom we saw today, and his father, Prince Huai, are considered the closest enfeoffed nobles to the Demon Emperor's lineage, but the Demon Emperor's blood in their veins is actually very faint."

Xiao Yun's explanation was clear enough, but it left Yun Che wide-eyed. He tentatively spoke, "If my understanding is correct, it seems there's only one lineage of the Demon Emperor's bloodline. This lineage must maintain the purest Demon Emperor bloodline through generations, and the Demon Empress must also possess a pure Demon Emperor bloodline. Does that mean... the Little Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Empress are... are..."

"Oh, the Little Demon Empress is the Little Demon Emperor's older sister," Xiao Yun said casually.

Yun Che was speechless.

"Uh? Brother, what's wrong? Your expression... it suddenly looks so strange?" Xiao Yun asked, puzzled by Yun Che's twitching face.

"...The Demon Emperor's lineage... has it always been like this for generations?" Yun Che spoke, air hissing through his teeth.

"That's right," Xiao Yun nodded, his expression completely normal and matter-of-fact. "Each generation of Demon Emperor and Empress gives birth to a son and a daughter, and those two then become the next Demon Emperor and Empress. Many other clans are the same, especially those with inheritable bloodline powers. To prevent their unique bloodline power from flowing out, they absolutely forbid marriage with outsiders. The descendants of the clan head's direct line, in particular, must not have mixed blood; that's the greatest taboo for a clan. Our Yun family is fortunate; the Profound Core strength can be passed down by males, but not by females, so our Yun family's women can marry into other clans, but our men cannot leave the Yun family to marry into another clan."

Yun Che stared intently at Xiao Yun for a long moment, then slowly stated, "In the Profound Sky Continent, close relatives are not permitted to marry."

"Why?" Xiao Yun's eyes widened. "Marrying someone with the closest bloodline ensures the purest bloodline for descendants. The Profound Sky Continent... that's too strange!"

From the perspective of those on the Profound Sky Continent, *you* are the strange ones... Yun Che thought, gritting his teeth. This was called a cultural difference, yes, a blatant cultural difference!

No wonder the Little Demon Emperor married the terrifying-sounding Little Demon Empress; it turned out he had no choice!

It seemed that being the Emperor of Illusory Demons wasn't an easy task.

"Now that the Little Demon Emperor is dead, the only one left in the entire Illusory Demon Realm with a pure bloodline is the Little Demon Empress. She cannot produce offspring alone, which means that starting with her generation, there will be no more pure Demon Emperor bloodline," Yun Che mused. "Given the Little Demon Empress's status as a woman, it's no wonder those princes are becoming disloyal and even some Guardian Families are wavering."

"Yes, that's exactly it," Xiao Yun nodded in deep agreement. "Father says this is the greatest crisis the Demon Emperor clan has faced in ten thousand years."

"The Little Demon Emperor was truly too impulsive. His urgency to save his father and reclaim the Demon Emperor Seal is understandable, but he should have known that his life and safety were crucial to the entire Demon Emperor clan's heritage and future! If he died, the Illusory Demon Realm would lose its pure Demon Emperor bloodline forever. The Demon Emperor died in the Profound Sky Continent, and my grandfather along with the ten strongest members of the Yun family were also lost there. He couldn't have been oblivious that going to the Profound Sky Continent alone was essentially suicide. Even if he intended to die, he should have at least waited until he and the Little Demon Empress had children. Rather than impulsive, it was simply... foolish!"

As he spoke, Yun Che's eyebrows suddenly shot up.

Wait!

Even he, a recent arrival to the Illusory Demon Realm, could easily comprehend this extremely severe and irreversible consequence. Could the Little Demon Emperor not have foreseen it? As the inheritor of the Demon Emperor's bloodline, he would naturally value his lineage's continuity more than anyone else. It was something tens of millions of times more important than his own life, or even his father's.

So why did he still foolishly go to his death?

A possibility instantly flashed through Yun Che's mind: could there be another hidden reason for the Little Demon Emperor's journey to the Profound Sky Continent?

Or... perhaps he didn't die in the Profound Sky Continent at all? Was everything commonly known in the Illusory Demon Realm merely a fabrication designed to conceal the truth?

After all, the Little Demon Emperor "disappeared" on his wedding night, leaving a message stating he had gone to the Profound Sky Continent. Yet, no one personally witnessed him leaving for the Profound Sky Continent, nor did anyone confirm he had even gone. If the Little Demon Emperor wasn't an utter fool, then it was highly probable there was some hidden truth—or a conspiracy—behind his disappearance.

Yun Che's brows furrowed tightly as his thoughts returned to his time at Heavenly Sword Villa. Back then, Ling Kun, while trying to provoke his grandfather Yun Canghai, seemed to have mentioned the Little Demon Emperor.

Yun Che closed his eyes, concentrating on recalling Ling Kun's exact words from that time.

"...I might as well tell you again, your Demon Emperor died long ago, at the hands of the Sword Master of my Heavenly Might Sword Region and the Heavenly Monarch of the Sun Moon Divine Hall... Your pitiful Little Demon Emperor had only just ascended the throne when he foolishly sought to avenge his father, tsk tsk... He died a truly miserable death. Now, the entire Illusory Demon Realm relies solely on the Little Demon Empress to maintain order..."

Yun Che paused in thought.

Yun Che possessed an exceptionally strong memory, and with his full concentration, he confirmed he hadn't missed a single word. Ling Kun mentioned the Little Demon Emperor's miserable death, but he never specified where or how he died. At the very least, he didn't say it was in the Profound Sky Continent.

Xiao Yun, unaware of Yun Che's sudden change in expression, nodded and said, "The Little Demon Emperor was indeed too impulsive. It's said that on his wedding day, he drank an excessive amount of wine and didn't use his profound energy to neutralize its effects. He lost his reason while intoxicated, leading to such an impulsive act. Or perhaps, hehe, he just didn't know how to face the Little Demon Empress on their wedding night. I heard Father say that the Little Demon Emperor was quite afraid of her."

"Afraid?"

"To be precise, it was both respect and fear," Xiao Yun explained. "Father said the Little Demon Emperor was a very proud, flamboyant, and genuine person. He was born with a fearless personality; even the previous Demon Emperor couldn't control him. But he was only afraid of his elder sister—the Little Demon Empress. Her profound energy cultivation always surpassed his, and she was very strong-willed from a young age. Whenever the Little Demon Emperor misbehaved, she would give him a thorough beating, making him completely submissive. The Little Demon Emperor was arrogant and unruly even with the previous Demon Emperor, but he was always obedient and dared not even breathe loudly in front of the Little Demon Empress. Our father was the same; he was always well-behaved in her presence. I once heard Mother say that back then, Father and the Little Demon Emperor, on a whim, went to Sai Bei and were gone for a month without a word. When they returned, the Little Demon Emperor received a brutal beating from the Little Demon Empress, and Father was also severely thrashed, breaking over thirty bones and leaving him bedridden for half a month."

"...That's... ruthless!" Yun Che said, his heart skipping a beat.

"However, while the Little Demon Empress has always been strong-willed, her personality isn't extreme, and she's someone who commands deep respect and admiration. In her early twenties, she began managing major affairs of the Illusory Demon Royal Family, handling almost everything flawlessly. Even the patriarchs of the Twelve Guardian Families held her in high esteem. It wasn't until the news of the previous Demon Emperor's death arrived, followed by the Little Demon Emperor's disappearance, that her temperament drastically changed. Her aura, gaze, and methods became terrifying. Whenever she appeared, everyone would fall silent in fear, and it seems she hasn't smiled in over a hundred years."

Her father had just died, and then her younger brother—who was also her husband—was gone. It would be strange if she didn't harbor resentment and hatred reaching the heavens! Yun Che mused, "No wonder. With her close relatives dead and only she possessing the pure Demon Emperor bloodline, she not only bears the pain of their loss but also carries all the heavy burdens alone. At the same time, she's a woman inheriting the throne, forced to suppress countless objections and endure immense public pressure. It truly is incredibly difficult. In such circumstances, if she weren't strong, ruthless, or even somewhat vicious, she wouldn't last, not for a hundred years, not even for ten."

"Exactly!" Xiao Yun nodded. "Father says the same! He rarely praises anyone, but over the years, he has praised the Little Demon Empress many times. At the same time, he has often worried about the future of the Demon Emperor clan, especially since there will be no pure Demon Emperor bloodline after her."

"Who cares, that's the Little Demon Empress's problem. Setting aside the future, it's uncertain whether she'll even *be* the Little Demon Empress in a month. That Prince Huai dares to be so arrogant and doesn't seem to fear the Little Demon Empress finding out. It appears he not only has great ambition but also considerable confidence," Yun Che said, curling his lips.

At the Empress Enthronement Ceremony a month from now, he should finally meet this legendary Little Demon Empress. Yun Che lowered his gaze in contemplation. "Your attitude will determine whether I return that item to you. Otherwise, even if it's my grandfather's dying wish, I will defy it! I hope... you won't disappoint me!"

And the "great secret" my grandfather wanted me to tell you personally, that too will depend on whether you can make me willing to reveal it.

As for the Samsara Mirror... I apologize, but I won't return it to your Demon Emperor clan, because it is already mine!