The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

It had all happened too suddenly. Ao Jun's capture was completely unexpected for Ao Tian. They weren't prepared for this, not even in their own Demon Realm—after all, the true heart of the Demon Realm was tens of thousands of miles away.

Ao Tian had originally planned to kill Chen Dong and rescue his son before the upper echelons of the Cyan Sky Sect arrived. But now that he had lost the magical artifact for divining heaven's secrets, he had to abandon this idea. He could only go and see what terms the Human Race wanted to discuss.

Using his divination arts, Chen Dong could only vaguely make out Ao Tian leaving with his men. The blade hanging over his head had finally been moved aside.

However, Chen Dong remained vigilant. He found a secluded spot and had Liu Ling stand guard while he hurried to recover from his injuries. After all, there were Nascent Soul Great Demons over at Earth Sinking Mountain, and a single misstep could put him on the razor's edge between life and death.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. A massive number of the Demon Race had already gathered at the exit of the All Heaven Guarding Array. As far as the eye could see, the sky, the treetops, and the very ground were all densely packed with them—a terrifying sight.

Those at the Golden Core Stage and above floating in the air alone numbered in the tens of thousands.

Members of the Demon Race below the Golden Core Stage remained in the treetops, and their numbers were even greater.

Some were covered in black fur; others had single, double, or multiple horns. Some had wings, others had tails. They came in all shapes and sizes.

It wasn't that they were unable to hide these demonic features; they deliberately revealed them. In their eyes, these were the defining traits of their race, a source of their pride.

And on the ground were countless demonic beasts, their numbers staggering and their variety bizarre.

The core of the assembled Demon Race forces were the Jiao Race and the Golden Roc Race. They were the most numerous, but due to the short notice, the demons gathered here represented only a third of their main strength. At the very front stood over a hundred figures, their auras pressing down like the sky itself. Some radiated chilling killing intent, some projected peerless dominance, and others were dangerously alluring... All of them were Nascent Soul Stage Demon Kings.

The cycle of Spiritual Qi in the Floating Shadow Realm had been ongoing for over a thousand years. In this finite time, the advantages of the Demon Race over the Human Race had become immense. They possessed methods of bloodline inheritance and Innate Divine Techniques. Not only could they absorb Spiritual Qi to refine into Spiritual Power, but they could also absorb the essence of the sun and moon. Furthermore, they enjoyed far longer lifespans than humans.

According to the Cyan Sky Sect's records, there were a full three hundred and nine Nascent Soul Stage Demon Kings still active in the world. The Cyan Sky Sect, however, had just over twenty Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. Even including all the small and medium-sized sects, the Human Race's total was barely fifty.

With such a massive disparity in numbers, how could the Demon Race not harbor ambitions of devouring the Human Race and seizing control of the Floating Shadow Realm?

However, the Fiend Race was even harder to provoke, their strength slightly greater than that of the Demon Race. Thus, there was a tacit understanding between the fiends and demons; it seemed they were waiting to annihilate the Human Race before settling their own supremacy.

Outside the All Heaven Guarding Array, the great army of the Demon Race was pressing at the gates. Without the array to stop them, the strength of these demons alone could have flattened the Cyan Sky Sect's territory with devastating ease.

A streak of golden light landed before the assembled Demon Kings. It was Ao Tian. He was late from his pursuit of Chen Dong, having only just arrived to join the army.

A Demon King with a pig's snout immediately demanded, "Demon King Ao Tian, our Demon Race stands and falls together! We have gathered here on behalf of your Jiao Race, so why are you so late?"

Ao Tian felt a deep contempt for Pengshan. 'It's only because he's a transformed mountain boar.' However, the man had come on invitation, and Ao Tian couldn't cause him to lose face here.

He said in a deep voice, "My apologies, everyone. I was delayed catching a few small fry."

Ao Tian's power was immense, so his tardiness wasn't a major issue for the other Demon Kings, especially since the Human Race's Nascent Soul cultivators had yet to appear. What the Demon Kings really wanted to know was how to break through the Guardian Array and what news there was of the Liuling High Priest. Pengshan felt the same.

So, Pengshan didn't press the issue, changing the subject to ask Ao Tian, "You said the Liuling High Priest has already escaped the Guardian Array. Is that true?"

Ao Tian nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

The Demon Kings immediately erupted in a clamor. If they could get through the array, how could the Human Race possibly survive!

However, Ao Tian's next words doused them all in cold water.

"Don't get your hopes up. The Liuling High Priest has submitted to the Human Race. That is the only reason she could pass through the Guardian Array!"

For a moment, all the Demon Kings were stunned. Then, many of them spoke out, declaring they refused to believe it.

"I don't believe it!"

"Me neither!"

"..."

"I refuse to believe it! Think of who the Liuling High Priest is! How could she possibly submit to the Human Race!"

Many of these Demon Kings had been treated by Liu Ling, while others deeply admired her character.

"Hmph!" Ao Tian snorted coldly, and the voices of the Demon Kings subsided. They were waiting to see what proof he could offer.

Ao Tian waved his hand, and his golden Demonic Power formed an illusion. The illusion depicted Liu Ling attacking Ao Jun, whom Ao Tian had possessed. As Ao Jun was knocked away by a Jiao Claw, the other Demon Kings could all sense the Beast Taming Inscription on Liu Ling's body.

"Impossible! The Liuling High Priest must have been forcibly suppressed..."

Ao Tian shot the speaker a cold glare. "A Nascent Soul Stage spiritual soul? Who do you think could possibly suppress one?"

Most of the Demon Kings who had spoken out lowered their heads in grief and indignation, but a small few still refused to accept the truth.

"That human named You! He definitely has the power! For him, suppressing Liu Ling would be a simple matter!"

"Yes, yes, it must have been him! I believe the Liuling High Priest would never betray the Demon Race!"

Ao Tian gazed condescendingly at the Demon Kings and sneered, "Why are you all deceiving yourselves? That man, You, exists outside the Six Dao. He suffered a heaven-defying backlash just for laying down the All Heaven Guarding Array. How could he possibly dare to make a move now, let alone one to suppress a Nascent Soul Stage expert!"