Chapter 2312: The Secret of the True Demon Clan

The Grand Elder's hand trembled, almost dropping the cup he was about to use to pour wine for Zu'an.

He no longer cared about pouring the wine. He quickly put down the bottle and cup and asked, "Young Master, why do you say that?"

Zu'an then recounted everything he had witnessed in the palace that day: "I saw the Berserk King and the Green-Crowned Lizard King die right before my eyes. The Demon Lord's actions were clearly not accidental; they were deliberately intended for me to see."

The Grand Elder swallowed hard. "I never imagined the Berserk King and the Green-Crowned Lizard King, such formidable figures, would die so ignominiously. If they had known, they might as well have gone with the Shadow Demon King and others to the cultivation world and died a glorious death there."

Zu'an's heart skipped a beat. From the Grand Elder's tone, it seemed the Berserk King and the Green-Crowned Lizard King held positions and power in the demon world comparable to the Shadow Demon King. This made the Demon Lord, who had killed them so easily, even more unfathomable.

"However, Young Master, you don't need to worry," the Grand Elder said, gradually calming down. "From what you've said, it's clear they were executed for colluding with remnants of the previous dynasty. His Majesty's actions were likely just a warning to the True Demon clan. As long as we continue to diligently perform our duties, there's no need to fear." He then returned to the table to pour the wine.

At this point, Zu'an stated, "But I previously accepted Miss Salome's invitation and even gave them my word."

Since the Demon Lord already knew about this, Zu'an wasn't afraid to tell others, using it to shift from a passive to an active position.

"What?!" The wine pot in the Grand Elder's hand finally slipped, falling to the ground with a crash and shattering into pieces.

The crimson wine spilling everywhere mirrored his feelings at that moment.

Ignoring his heartache over the precious wine, he quickly grasped Zu'an's hand and asked, "Young Master, don't scare me. What exactly happened?"

Zu'an had been observing his reaction, and only after confirming that the Grand Elder truly didn't know about his connection with Salome's faction did he explain: "Mogard approached me before I went to the cultivation world, and earlier today, Miss Salome herself came to see me."

Hearing this, the Grand Elder immediately began pacing anxiously. "How foolish! Young Master, how could you associate with these rebels?"

He didn't ask if Zu'an had actually joined them; the mere fact that Zu'an had frequent contact with them and hadn't reported it immediately was enough.

He finally understood why the Demon Lord had deliberately killed the Berserk King and the Green-Crowned Lizard King in front of the Young Master—it was clearly a sign of suspicion.

"I had no choice," Zu'an replied, carefully watching the Grand Elder's reaction so he could adjust his words if needed. "The entire world is on the brink of collapse, facing destruction at any moment. For all these years, has the Demon Lord come up with a solution? His methods have all proven to be failures, and people are restless. I, too, am just trying to find a way out for the True Demon clan." Fortunately, the Grand Elder showed no signs of suspicion.

"But there's no need to associate with those remnants of the former dynasty," the Grand Elder couldn't help but say. "Do you think the Lord of Slaughter is any better? He was incredibly brutal back then, causing all the major clans to become disloyal. Later, his expedition to the cultivation world failed, and he was suppressed there. Even if he truly returns, what could he change?"

"But we have to do something," Zu'an said, looking directly into his eyes. "We can't just sit here and wait for death, can we?"

The Grand Elder fell silent, his expression deeply conflicted. Several times he seemed about to speak but stopped, pacing around the room with his hands behind his back.

When Zu'an's eyes began to blur from watching him, the Grand Elder finally stopped, as if having made a decision. "It's my fault. I should have told you some things sooner, then you wouldn't have been so impulsive."

"What things?" Zu'an's heart stirred. He had suspected, from various signs, that the True Demon clan harbored a secret, so he had deliberately put on this act for the Grand Elder. He hadn't expected it to work so well.

"You should still remember how your father died, shouldn't you?" the Grand Elder's voice was exceedingly heavy.

Zu'an gave an ambiguous "hmm," thinking to himself, "How would I know how Donal's father died?"

Just as he worried about revealing a flaw, the Grand Elder continued on his own: "Back then, the Demon Lord took your father and the kings of the various clans to confront the Doomsday Beast. They returned defeated, and the kings of many clans suffered heavy losses, with many never coming back at all. Although your father managed to escape, he was severely wounded. Before he died, he entrusted me with the True Demon clan's secret, telling me to pass it on to you when you were strong enough."

He paused, looking deeply at Zu'an. "I always thought you weren't strong enough, Young Master. However, your great success in the cultivation world this time, and your courage in navigating between the Lord of Slaughter and the Demon Lord, truly surprised me. It's time you knew this secret."

Zu'an was now brimming with curiosity, wishing the Grand Elder would stop with the preamble and get straight to the point.

Fortunately, the Grand Elder didn't make him wait long. He casually set up several sound-insulating arrays around them, then spoke with a serious expression: "Young Master, what I'm about to tell you concerns the very survival of our clan. You must remember not to reveal even a single detail, not to old friends, nor to the women around you. Otherwise, even the slightest leak will doom our True Demon clan to eternal perdition."

"Of course!" Zu'an immediately agreed.

Sensing his sincerity, the Grand Elder nodded in satisfaction. "Young Master, during your trip to the cultivation world, you must have encountered the demon race there. Did you find them somewhat similar to us?"

"Yes, not just their appearance, but even their language and customs are very similar," Zu'an replied. A doubt also formed in his mind: could the demon race really be descendants of some bloodline left behind by the demon world back then?

"More than just similar; we can even awaken and activate the hidden power within their bloodlines," the Grand Elder said, a natural pride in his voice.

"Is that because they are descendants of our ancestors who were left behind in the cultivation world?" Zu'an tentatively asked.

"Ancestors' bloodline? Do those inferior creatures deserve that?" The Grand Elder scoffed. "The demon race in the cultivation world merely evolved gradually after the blood spilled by our ancestors during battles in that land awakened the intelligence of the local indigenous creatures."

"Our ancestors' blood was that powerful?" Zu'an was astonished. While the blood of powerful individuals did have many effects—for instance, his own blood could heal internal injuries and boost cultivators' cultivation—it was far from being able to awaken the intelligence of living beings.

"Of course. Young Master, do you know what kind of beings our True Demon clan's ancestors were?" The Grand Elder sounded a bit excited as he spoke.

"Weren't they True Demons?" Zu'an paused, surprised.

"Of course not. We have only devolved into the True Demon clan because we lost the power within our ancient bloodline," the Grand Elder snorted. "Our ancestors were gods from the Heavenly Court!"