Chapter 599: Unfathomable Hatred

"I was also worried you'd fall victim to Prince Ming and Prince Huai," Yun Che said, looking innocent.

The Little Demon Empress said angrily, "Since you already knew it was Prince Ming... why did you still barge in?! Your strength, let alone against Prince Ming, is no different from an ant even in front of Prince Huai... Do you not care for your own life at all?!"

Yun Che usually would have retorted multiple times over if someone scolded him, but at this moment, he couldn't bring himself to be angry. Every word from the Little Demon Empress was filled with hatred, but none of it was directed at him. In fact, amidst her furious scolding, he heard more unwillingness and self-blame.

"If you die today because of me... how will I face the Demon Emperor after I'm gone... Ugh!!" The Little Demon Empress swayed violently, spitting out another mouthful of blood. Her already pale face became even more ashen. She clutched her chest, her body trembling slightly, on the verge of collapse.

At this moment, she resembled a fragile, dying girl suffering from a severe illness. Even her eyes, normally as cold as an icy pond and intimidating to look into, had dimmed and were constantly unfocusing. Anyone seeing her now would no longer feel the Little Demon Empress's majesty, but rather a deep pang of sorrow.

"Are you... alright?" Yun Che cautiously took a small step forward, asking worriedly.

"Her life force has been severed; she won't live much longer," Jasmine said calmly.

"What?!" Yun Che was greatly alarmed. "How is that possible! She only took one blow from Prince Ming... Although Prince Ming is powerful, the Little Demon Empress also possesses profound energy at the mid-level Emperor Monarch realm. How could she..."

"Hmph, what do you think?" Jasmine scoffed dismissively. "At the Sovereign Profound Realm, even a small stage makes a world of difference. And Prince Ming is a full half-major stage stronger than the Little Demon Empress! Furthermore, Prince Ming struck with ruthless intent; that blow just now, even if not at his full power, was at least ninety percent! And the Little Demon Empress hastily blocked in front of you, not only unable to fully resist but also struck directly in a vital spot... It's not surprising she's clinging to life for a short while; it wouldn't be strange if she had died on the spot!"

Yun Che clenched his fists, his spirit trembling uncontrollably.

Prince Ming's strength was truly terrifying. Even the mighty Little Demon Empress had been gravely wounded by a single strike... If the Little Demon Empress hadn't taken that blow from Prince Ming for him just now, he would surely have died!

Whoosh... Yun Che's heart twitched violently, and something deep within his soul was severely impacted, trembling uncontrollably... Why did you block that for me... Yes, you don't know, but the one thing Yun Che cannot bear in this life is owing a woman her life...

That was a promise I made to Ling'er when she died in my arms, and a secret vow to my own soul...

If the Little Demon Empress dies and I manage to escape, then another lifelong burden will be added to my soul... How could I ever face Ling'er then...

"What are you going to do now? Wait for death?"

"...I've never known what it means to wait for death," Yun Che said, gritting his teeth. "My Great Way of the Buddha's Fury is already at the fourth stage... If we can escape from here, even if her life force is severed, as long as she can hold on for ten days, I have a sixty percent chance of saving her life!"

"Yun Che, I ask you!" the Little Demon Empress suddenly spoke. Her voice was very weak, but she still tried to maintain her imperial dignity with a low tone. "Was it also Prince Ming who caused the death of the Demon Emperor and the ten seniors of the Yun family in the Profound Sky Continent back then?"

"Yes," Yun Che nodded. "Prince Ming clearly informed the Profound Sky Continent side about the time my grandfather and the others would arrive and the location the spatial passage would lead to... The moment they reached the Profound Sky Continent, they fell directly into the already prepared Heavenly Might Soul Suppression Formation... Otherwise, with my grandfather and the ten Yun family seniors' strength, how could they have been completely annihilated like that?"

A profound hatred emanated from the Little Demon Empress. "What else did the Heavenly Might Sword Region tell you? What else did Prince Ming do?"

"About that..." Yun Che exhaled, saying, "Everything about Prince Ming wasn't actually learned from the Heavenly Might Sword Region."

"...Then how did you find out?" The Little Demon Empress frowned.

"It was a guess... and then all those guesses turned out to be reality," Yun Che sighed.

"Three months ago, when I first arrived in the Illusory Demon Realm, based on what I saw and heard, the situation in Demon Imperial City, the reasons and process of the Profound Sky Continent's invasion, the Little Demon Emperor's unusual actions, and combining that with what my grandfather told me about being ambushed the moment he entered the Profound Sky Continent, I suspected that someone in Demon Imperial City must have colluded with the Profound Sky Continent side, and it was ninety-nine percent likely to be Prince Huai's Manor."

"After I told my father and grandfather about this, my father mentioned that if this were true, Prince Huai's Manor's ambition wouldn't have arisen after the previous Demon Emperor's death, but before... Then, my father brought up the name 'Prince Ming'. And with a little investigation, all the suspicious points pointed directly to him... The Illusory Demon Realm has been in constant turmoil these past years, yet he completely vanished during this period, which in itself was a huge red flag. And indeed, that's how it turned out! Prince Huai's ambitions and various actions were merely a smokescreen; the true conspiracy was ten million times more terrifying than what the people of Demon Imperial City saw."

What the people of Demon Imperial City saw was that the Demon Emperor's bloodline had been severed by the Profound Sky Continent, and since the Little Demon Empress was a woman who couldn't awaken the bloodline and had no successor, Prince Huai developed ambitions, gathered forces, and sought to replace her. Although it was essentially an act of rebellion, in the eyes of the world, it was by no means "an act that incited the wrath of both gods and men." In fact, many powerful individuals would even agree with Prince Huai's actions — since the Demon Emperor's bloodline was severed, with only the Little Demon Empress remaining, it was only a matter of time before another clan became emperor. Prince Huai had sufficient ambition, ability, and influence; if he became emperor, it would be more acceptable than a woman becoming emperor.

Moreover, after the Little Demon Empress abdicated, only Prince Huai's Manor would be qualified to control the Illusory Demon Realm... So, from another perspective, Prince Huai's actions were merely too hasty.

For this reason, more than half of the guardian families and royal manors, who had been loyal to the Demon Emperor Clan for ten thousand years, sided with Prince Huai.

But the truth was that Prince Huai's Manor had colluded with external forces to assassinate the Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Emperor, thereby severing the imperial lineage that had unified the Illusory Demon Realm and brought peace to the world for ten thousand years! This was an act of inhumanity, a scourge upon the world, and an outrage to both gods and men!

If the truth were known to the world, then those guardian families and Prince Huai's Manor, even if they had ten thousand more guts, would not dare to side with Prince Huai's Manor.

Prince Huai's Manor would also become the target of all, an enemy to the world, to be condemned and eradicated by everyone.

However, although the Little Demon Empress and Yun Che now knew this terrible truth, even if they escaped the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley today, there would be no way to reveal it to the public. Prince Ming's methods were incomparably clever; his series of sinister plots and deadly schemes left not a single trace. The Demon Emperor died in the Profound Sky Continent, the Little Demon Emperor died in the Profound Sky Continent, and the Demon King also died in the Profound Sky Continent... Everything pointed to the Profound Sky Continent, with nothing indicating Prince Ming.

If they were to reveal the truth like this, Prince Huai's Manor would simply turn the tables on them.

Prince Ming was indeed an utterly terrifying individual.

If Yun Che hadn't encountered Yun Canghai through a series of coincidences and fate's arrangements, learning that he had been ambushed the moment he entered the Profound Sky Continent, then even now, he might never have known the full truth... and would still be unaware of "Prince Ming's" existence.

The Little Demon Empress looked at Yun Che, a flicker of strange light in the depths of her eyes. "Then how did you know that Prince Ming, who has been hiding behind the scenes, would appear here? Did you guess that too?"

"Yes, I guessed it," Yun Che nodded. "Even with the situation greatly in your favor, you immediately stopped the ceremony after obtaining the Demon Emperor Seal. The most reasonable explanation I could think of was that you intended to awaken your bloodline immediately after acquiring the Seal. Then I thought you might have a method to forcibly open the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley's seal, and I worried that if Prince Huai's Manor knew about it, they would seize this excellent opportunity to kill you."

"I told my father and grandfather about all this, but they weren't worried. Because even if all these things came true, once you entered the Golden Crow Ancestral Land, even if Prince Ming personally intervened, he wouldn't be able to harm you... Later, I couldn't shake off my guesses and worries, so I came to the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley myself to confirm. At the entrance, I didn't see the seal, but I saw Hui Ran from Prince Huai's Manor, and I knew all my fears had come true!"

"I confirmed with Hui Ran that both Prince Huai and the 'Prince Ming' my father spoke of had entered the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. At the same time, I learned from Hui Ran that even if you reached the Golden Crow Ancestral Land, you were destined not to awaken your bloodline... Your actions today simply gave Prince Huai's Manor a free opportunity to kill you. So, I couldn't wait for my father and the others to arrive and came in alone."

Yun Che told a small lie, as he couldn't very well say he knew the Little Demon Empress couldn't awaken her bloodline because Jasmine told him.

"I didn't know before that your father, the Emperor, was openly harmed by Prince Ming. As for the Little Demon Emperor falling victim to Prince Ming's sinister plot, I only thought of that after entering the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley," Yun Che said with a serious expression. "The fact that you have a way to forcibly enter the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley is unknown to my father and grandfather, indicating it's a secret of the Demon Emperor Clan. Yet, Prince Ming knows it perfectly. Even you didn't know that females couldn't withstand the Golden Crow Ancestor's blood, but Prince Ming clearly did."

"Regarding the secrets of your Demon Emperor Clan, the only ones in this world who could know more than you are likely the previous Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Emperor. So, the only possibility I thought of was that a hundred years ago, the Little Demon Emperor fell victim to Prince Ming's nefarious plot. While he was dying and his consciousness was dissipating, Prince Ming performed a soul search on him, seizing all his memories... And Prince Ming's earlier words undoubtedly confirmed this fact."

The Little Demon Empress's heart trembled violently once more.

Today, Prince Ming clearly had full knowledge of her actions in coming to the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley and the futile outcome of her journey. He even knew perfectly well that the Demon Emperor Seal could activate a "Blood Escape" in a moment of crisis...

Such a life-saving trump card is an absolute secret that must never be known by outsiders in any race...

Yet Prince Ming knew it clearly.

Yun Che's words... that the Little Demon Emperor had fallen victim to Prince Ming's evil plot and had his soul searched... this guess, which caused her almost suffocating heartache and hatred... was simply the only explanation and possibility!

And once a person's soul is searched, they are directly turned into a soulless husk... a pitiful living dead...

"Ugh..." A stream of almost black blood slowly trickled from the corner of the Little Demon Empress's mouth. It wasn't the reverse flow of blood from her internal injuries, but rather the heart's blood born of pain and extreme rage... For years, she had been constantly vigilant against Prince Huai's Manor, but her deepest hatred had always been directed at the Profound Sky Continent. She had even sworn that, given the opportunity in her lifetime, she would avenge the irreconcilable enmity by drenching the Profound Sky in blood, even if it cost her life.

Only today did she realize that she had hated the wrong people all these years.

Her father, the Demon Emperor, was a peerless sovereign who ruled the Illusory Demon Realm, to whom the world bowed. The one who truly killed him was not the Profound Sky Continent, but someone he trusted most, who ambushed him! Her imperial brother and husband did not die tragically saving their father, but similarly fell victim to a sinister ambush... and died such a miserable death...

All these years, everything she saw was an illusion, and what the entire Illusory Demon Realm believed was also an illusion. Everyone, including her, the Little Demon Empress, had been mere pawns in Prince Ming's hands. Even the Four Sacred Grounds of the Profound Sky Continent were ultimately just tools used by Prince Ming.

"Prince... Ming..." Hatred filled the Little Demon Empress's soul. Her hands clutched her gray robes tightly, her clenched fingers trembling and bloodless. "Prince... Ming... Prince... Ming... Even as a ghost... I will... never... let... you... go..."