Chapter 596: Directly Facing the Ming King

Grabbing the Demon Emperor's Seal in his hand, King Ming's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a faint, unsettling smile that, though calm, made onlookers extremely uncomfortable.

"It's as perfect as Father King predicted." Prince Huai stopped attacking the Little Demon Empress and gracefully moved to King Ming's side. Though covered in wounds, he smiled with immense satisfaction.

"Your goal... is the Demon Emperor's Seal!" The Little Demon Empress clutched her chest. Her face was calm, but the chilling murderous aura had completely solidified the surrounding space.

Low-level profound practitioners stored personal items in spatial rings. However, at the Emperor-level, one could create a personal pocket dimension to store important objects. This method not only made items less prone to loss than in spatial rings but also rendered them almost impossible to seize from the owner.

This was because taking control of someone's pocket dimension was far more difficult than simply killing them. Furthermore, if the person were truly killed, their pocket dimension would collapse with them, and its contents would either be torn apart by the collapsing space or fall into spatial rifts, never to reappear.

King Ming's objective in not acting himself and instead having Prince Huai attack was to seize the Little Demon Empress's pocket dimension—and the Demon Emperor's Seal within it—while she was fully occupied with Prince Huai and unable to defend herself.

"You should thank it, for it has kept you alive until now." King Ming held up the Demon Emperor's Seal in his palm, his voice as calm as water, yet it sent shivers down the spine: "I know that when a member of the Demon Emperor clan possesses it and faces a life-threatening crisis, it will automatically consume your Demon Emperor's blood to help you escape by blood-teleportation, or even allow you to directly leave this Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. The cost is merely a loss of some vital essence blood!"

"I have waited too long for this day... How could I possibly give you such an opportunity?!" King Ming gripped the Demon Emperor's Seal tightly. His formerly calm smile finally twisted into something menacing.

The Little Demon Empress's face turned pale for a moment. She secretly gritted her teeth and said in a deep voice, "You... how do you know the secret of the Demon Emperor's Seal!"

"Hahahaha!" Prince Huai burst into unrestrained laughter: "Little Demon Empress, my Father King knows far more than you could ever imagine! There are even secrets of the Demon Emperor clan that you don't know, but my Father King knows them perfectly!"

"I might as well tell you. When the grand ceremony was suddenly interrupted, I suspected your motives, but I didn't have a clear idea. However, Father King knew exactly where you were going... because my Father King knew that by activating the Demon Emperor's Seal with Demon Emperor's blood, one could forcibly break open the profound sealing formation of the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley to enter it. And inside the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, one could also forcibly leave at the entry point using the Demon Emperor's Seal."

The Little Demon Empress was speechless.

"I must say, Little Demon Empress, your choice to interrupt the ceremony immediately after obtaining the Demon Emperor's Seal and come directly here to awaken your bloodline was truly brilliant. If not for Father King's guidance, I would never have thought of it. Even if I had guessed, it would have been too late... If you had truly awakened your bloodline, it would have been a huge problem for me."

"But unfortunately..." Prince Huai's face twisted into a mocking smile: "Little Demon Empress, you are, after all, just a woman! And if a woman dares to awaken the Golden Crow bloodline, the only consequence is death! Historically, all Demon Emperors have been male, so no one has ever known this point, not even you, the direct inheritor of the Demon Emperor's bloodline... But my Father King knows it perfectly! Your coming here will not grant your wish... instead, you've delivered us an immense gift!"

"How could a pathetic woman like you be a match for my Father King!"

The Little Demon Empress clenched her hands, her small face and lips completely pale, but her eyes were filled with an almost golden-yellow fiery glow... Her rage and her profound energy, at that moment, surged to their absolute peak.

"Without the Demon Emperor's Seal, whether it's blood-teleportation or spatial-teleportation... Heh, you have no chance of leaving here alive." King Ming, smiling, extended his palm towards the Little Demon Empress. In his palm, a small ball of reddish-black flame flickered: "You can now die in peace... When you reach the Underworld, don't forget to send my regards to your pathetic Father Emperor and Imperial Brother... Oh?"

King Ming's voice suddenly paused. He tilted his face, looking south, then sneered: "Oh? It seems a little mouse has snuck in. Princess Caiyi, it looks like you're lucky; before you die, someone has even come to be buried with you."

As King Ming's voice faded, Prince Huai and the Little Demon Empress also sensed an approaching aura, moving at an incredibly fast pace... certainly Emperor-level speed. Yet, the aura's profound level was unusually low... merely at the Sky Profound Realm! At most, it was at the peak of the Sky Profound Realm.

An aura at the peak of the Sky Profound Realm, moving at the speed of a low-level Emperor, yet clearly belonging to a single person... Such a combination was something neither the Little Demon Empress nor Prince Huai had ever encountered in their lives, save for one individual... And this rapidly approaching aura was not unfamiliar to them!

"Could it be..." Prince Huai sharply turned his head, his face showing deep disbelief.

The elements here were incredibly active, and Yun Che's Great Way of the Buddha naturally absorbed heaven and earth aura much faster than outside. Thus, Yun Che flew all the way from his entry point to the central area, maintaining his maximum speed without any weakness or significant expenditure of energy.

By the time Prince Huai and the others discovered Yun Che, he had already firmly locked onto the Little Demon Empress's location...

Whoosh!

A gust of strong wind swept past, and a residual image vanished. Yun Che's figure stood firmly in front of the Little Demon Empress. Seeing that she was not dead and appeared unharmed, his heart instantly lightened considerably.

"Yun... Che!" What was previously disbelief turned into clear recognition as Yun Che's face came into full view. Prince Huai's pupils dilated for a moment, followed by a low, shocked groan from his throat, filled with deep resentment and murderous intent.

His reaction, as if facing a formidable enemy, proved that Yun Che had become a shadow in his heart and soul.

"Oh?" King Ming immediately looked sideways. The unexpected arrival, the young face, and the speed completely disproportionate to his profound energy level had already piqued King Ming's interest in the young man. The name shouted by Prince Huai then multiplied his interest severalfold, and his narrowed eyes slowly scanned Yun Che's body three times over.

"How did you come here!" Yun Che's sudden appearance undoubtedly startled the Little Demon Empress, adding a layer of dread to her heart... because with him here, King Ming and Prince Huai would absolutely never let him leave alive!

"Oh, I was out for an evening stroll and suddenly noticed the seal at the entrance of the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley had vanished, so I got curious and came in to take a look," Yun Che said with a relaxed expression, seemingly completely oblivious to the danger. He said this, of course, to lower King Ming's and Prince Huai's guard... If they knew he had informed Yun Qinghong and the others about the opened seal, they would undoubtedly act with extreme decisiveness...

In the current situation, every extra moment they could stall meant an additional ray of hope... Yun Qinghong had already realized that King Ming might be the true mastermind behind everything, so he would certainly not come alone but would bring a team of powerful experts capable of confronting King Ming!

As long as they could stall until then, the Little Demon Empress's crisis could be resolved.

"Foolish!" The Little Demon Empress naturally didn't believe Yun Che's words; his previous lightning-fast speed had already revealed his anxiety. She whispered, "Get out of here immediately, no matter what happens... don't look back!"

As she spoke, flames on the Little Demon Empress's body shot up dozens of meters high. Yun Che glanced at her in surprise... This Little Demon Empress, who seemed utterly devoid of emotion, was actually attempting to use her full power to block King Ming and Prince Huai, just to let him escape...

It seemed she wasn't as cold-hearted as she appeared...

However, it was clear that her plan was impossible. Yun Che shrugged, saying, "I might as well not bother wasting my energy... If even you can't escape from these opponents, there's even less chance for me."

"...Foolish! Why are you so foolish as to come here to die!" The Little Demon Empress said fiercely. Her seemingly childlike, tender young face was, however, filled with utterly disproportionate anger and gloom.

"Oh... So you are Yun Che," King Ming said after observing Yun Che, a knowing smile appearing on his face.

Yun Che turned around, looked at King Ming, and said with a faint smile, "For the renowned King Ming to know my humble name, I am truly flattered."

Prince Huai snorted coldly, about to step forward and speak, when his face suddenly stiffened... because Yun Che's previous words had clearly mentioned... the name "King Ming"!!

What was going on... How could he know "King Ming"? Even the people of Demon Imperial City hadn't seen him for over a hundred years and had almost forgotten his existence. Why would Yun Che, who had only been in Demon Imperial City for three months, blurt out the name "King Ming"?!

A fleeting look of surprise also crossed the Little Demon Empress's face.

"Oh?" King Ming's eyes instantly narrowed into two thin slits, and the gaze shooting from them settled unwaveringly on Yun Che's eyes: "Interesting, you actually recognize me."

"Of course I do." Yun Che crossed his arms. Facing this terrifying figure, whose power was unmatched in the Illusory Demon Realm, whose influence was enough to overshadow everything, and whose schemes were unfathomably deep, he showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he said with a grin, "Not only do I know you are King Ming, but I also know..."

"It was you who colluded with the people of Heavenly Might Sword Region a century ago to kill the former Demon Emperor... and it was you... who personally killed the Little Demon Emperor!!"

Yun Che's words were undoubtedly a thunderclap from a clear sky. The Little Demon Empress trembled violently, suddenly raising her head, her vision momentarily blurred... And in Prince Huai's eyes, a flash of undisguised shock was clearly visible. Even King Ming's gaze, which had been fixed directly on Yun Che, wavered for an instant.

Yun Che's brow instantly furrowed... This conjecture had also become a complete reality.

"Are you provoking him? This guy's profound energy has reached the tenth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm! If he wanted to kill you, a single finger would be enough!" Jasmine said gravely.

"..." In a world where Profound Gods were mere legends, the tenth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm was the absolute pinnacle a profound practitioner could reach! Whether on the Profound Sky Continent or in the Illusory Demon Realm, it meant overlooking the entire world, an unmatchable true emperor! A being akin to a god among humans!

Yun Che had never dared to imagine he would so quickly... face a powerhouse of such a peak realm... a truly invincible person!

Yun Che secretly took a breath and replied to Jasmine, "Of course I don't want to provoke him... You must understand that curiosity is one of humanity's greatest weaknesses! There are very few things in this world that can make a figure like King Ming curious, but what I just said is absolutely enough to ignite his desire for answers!!"

"Every extra word spoken means an additional sliver of hope for escape!"