Chapter 2278: Heaven Wants to Destroy Me

A Rong family expert replied, "People from the True Demon Clan said that each of the four great families must select a Holy Maiden to represent their house and serve the Ancient Demon God. The Holy Maiden must be a direct descendant of the family, not only of excellent aptitude but also beautiful, or it would be a blasphemy to the Demon God."

Jiang Luofu's expression changed. "That sounds a lot like what a cult would say."

"What kind of 'Demon God' is that?" Zu An frowned, feeling that this 'Demon God' didn't sound quite legitimate.

"The Demon God is not 'a thing'..." The Rong family experts' expressions shifted slightly. "No, no, the Demon God is a transcendent being, a deity revered by all demon tribes, and cannot be blasphemed in such a manner."

"A deity?" Zu An looked at Yun Yuqing for confirmation.

Yun Yuqing frowned. "We demons do have legends of a Demon God, who is indeed revered by all demon tribes. However, this legend is too vague and ethereal; there are no statues or images of the Demon God. Thus, it's more of a spiritual symbol, and no one truly believes he exists."

"You truly are a demon!" The Rong family experts looked at her with fright. "You shouldn't speak so carelessly. If you blaspheme the Demon God, your soul won't rest even after death."

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Don't worry, that 'Demon God' doesn't have jurisdiction over this."

This was his area of expertise, after all.

From what these people said, this Demon God sounded similar to the Sea God worshipped by the merfolk—a legendary totem. Even if such a god once existed, it would have been in ancient times, and after countless ages, any such god would have long since fallen.

"You are blasphemers..." The Rong family experts mumbled, uttering strange syllables that sounded like a prayer, seeking forgiveness from their Demon God.

"The Demon God is vague and ethereal, and the patriarchs of the four great families aren't ordinary people. Did they just believe it because someone said so?" Yun Yuqing couldn't help but press. Although she was a demon and had long resided in the human Prince Wu's mansion, she had always kept up with news from her homeland. This behavior didn't align with what she knew of her elders.

"We also thought the Demon God had abandoned us, but now we know the Demon God is in the True Demon World," a Rong family expert replied. "It's only because our world is too remote and unique that he couldn't respond to our prayers for tens of thousands of years."

Yun Yuqing sneered, "If it truly were the Demon God, why would he demand beautiful maidens from each family to serve him? It sounds more like the True Demon is using the Demon God's name to find himself bed warmers."

"No," many Rong family experts shook their heads, "The Demon God has already demonstrated his divine power. To serve him is an immense honor."

"Your so-called demonstration of divine power, is that what you mentioned earlier about igniting the bloodline power within you?" Xie Daoyun couldn't help but ask.

"Exactly. Without the Demon God's great power, how else could anyone awaken the hidden divine power within us?" The Rong family experts spoke of this with expressions of longing.

"Who were chosen as the Holy Maidens for each family?" Yun Yuqing was somewhat concerned about this. For the Yun family, she and her sister would naturally be the most suitable candidates.

Strictly speaking, her sister's bloodline was not pure, so perhaps only she herself would be suitable.

She had just returned; where would the Yun family find a suitable Holy Maiden now?

"Both the Rong and Wu families chose their respective princesses, who are the daughters of their patriarchs. Their beauty and aptitude have been widely acknowledged for years, making them truly worthy Holy Maidens," the Rong family experts said, puffing out their chests with pride as they spoke of their own princesses. "For the Solun family, the most suitable candidate would naturally be Princess Solun, but the Solun family refused to cooperate, which is why they are being besieged by our three families."

"What about the Yun family?" Yun Yuqing grew even more curious.

"Theoretically, the daughter of the previous Yun family patriarch would be the most qualified to serve as Holy Maiden, but we heard she disappeared a long time ago and couldn't be found quickly. So, they found another woman to be the Holy Maiden," a Rong family expert replied.

"So any random woman can be a Holy Maiden? It seems your Demon God is quite easily fooled," Zu An couldn't help but chuckle.

"Initially, everyone thought the Yun family's approach was too frivolous, but later, those who saw the Yun family's Holy Maiden praised her, agreeing she was truly worthy," the Rong family experts said, their faces showing longing. "Although we are from the Rong family, we must admit that the Yun family's Holy Maiden is undeniably the top among the four families in terms of beauty, figure, aptitude, and cultivation."

"What is the Yun family's Holy Maiden called?" Yun Yuqing's delicate brows furrowed. *How could I not remember such an outstanding woman in the Yun family?*

The Rong family members shook their heads slightly. "We don't know. We've only heard rumors and haven't seen her ourselves. However, some did question her identity, thinking the Yun family had just brought a woman in from outside. It caused quite a stir at the time because all our families were offering Holy Maidens, and no one wanted the Yun family to deceive us. Later, it seemed she was verified by a blood test, confirming she truly had Yun family blood. The rumor is she's the child of a Yun family woman who had a child outside the family back then."

"I see." Yun Yuqing's heart stirred. She remembered having an aunt who had run away from home years ago. There were rumors that her aunt had married an outsider and had children, which was why Yun Yuqing and her father were historically known among the Yun family as the most unreliable patriarch and sibling. Could this Holy Maiden be her aunt's daughter?

Zu An suddenly spoke. "To my knowledge, the Solun family isn't the strongest among the demons. Can they alone really contend with the combined forces of your three families?"

"Naturally, they can't fight us off," the Rong family demons replied. "However, defense is always easier than offense. The Solun family has managed their territory for thousands of years, and their current stronghold is like a fortress. Taking it down quickly won't be easy. Still, the power gap between the two sides is too vast, so they won't last much longer."

Zu An looked down at the Rong family compound, built into the mountainside, resembling a series of interconnected bunkers. It would indeed be troublesome to assault with a large army.

Next, he inquired about other information concerning the demons, especially regarding the True Demon and the Demon God. However, the remaining Rong family members only knew limited, oft-repeated legends.

Finally, Zu An asked for the location of the Solun family. Since the other three great families were currently attacking the Solun family, going there to question the relevant people might even allow him to encounter this "True Demon."

Soon, Xie Daoyun manipulated the formation plate, and the flying boat headed west towards the Solun family's stronghold.

Meanwhile, outside Solun City, various armies densely surrounded it. The Solun patriarch on the city wall wore an extremely grim expression. Blue-purple armor belonged to the Yun family, red armor to the Rong family, and black armor to the Wu family. Judging by the scale of the armies, they had all come out in full force.

"Patriarch, do we still have a chance to win?" a Solun family elder asked blankly from the side. All of the Solun family's outer strongholds had been destroyed, leaving only their main base as a solitary city.

The once magnificent Solun City was now dilapidated, with unextinguished fires burning everywhere. Several sections of the city wall were damaged, remnants of attacks from previous days that had collapsed the walls, which Solun family soldiers had bravely defended with their lives.

On the city walls, almost every Solun soldier was wounded, many even missing limbs, a testament to the fierce battles of the preceding days.

"Our family has managed this city for thousands of years; how could they possibly take it down?" Sensing the plummeting morale around him, the Solun patriarch quickly composed himself and rallied his people. "Rest assured, everyone, I have a method to win, and we will see the outcome soon!"

He knew that the Yun family was powerful now, and the Rong and Wu families were likely coerced by the Yun family into participating.

But everyone understood the principle that if the lips are cold, the teeth will freeze. He didn't believe the patriarchs of the Rong and Wu families genuinely had no other intentions. That's why he had secretly sent his daughter out of the city earlier to contact them. If he could persuade the two of them, they could then launch a coordinated attack from inside and outside, directly wiping out those damn Yun family members!

Just as he was speaking, a commotion suddenly arose among the armies outside the city. Then, a siege ladder was pushed forward from the military formation, and bound to the ladder was a beautiful young woman.

Recognizing his daughter, the Solun patriarch's vision went black, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

Heaven truly wishes to destroy my Solun family!