Bai Xichu, Bai Miaoleng, and Pei Chuxia, though unwilling to part from Ye Yu, ultimately chose to obey. After all, their cultivations were not yet top-tier and could offer Ye Yu little assistance. Perhaps leaving was the best choice.
They made their way straight to the entrance of the Heavenly Realm passage. At this moment, the number of Demon cultivators gathering below continued to grow, yet ever fewer Immortals descended. In fact, this was not surprising: any Immortal who fell below was slain, and with no feedback from above, those remaining began to whisper among themselves, wondering if danger lurked below. Hence they grew ever more cautious.
Bai Xichu, Bai Miaoleng, and Pei Chuxia had intended to enter the passage and head to the Heavenly Realm, but two Demon cultivators blocked their path.
âWhat are the three of you up to?â
The voice drew the attention of nearby Demons. Bai Xichu, as a former Demon Lord, wasted no words: she raised her hand and slapped each of the two aside with a single strike.
âWhat weâre doing is none of your concern,â she said.
The two Demons covered their faces in shock, cowed by Bai Xichuâs presence. At that moment, a Demon Respect Realm expert stepped forward and asked in a low voice âThis is the passage to the Heavenly Realm. Are you three intending to go there?â
(For reference: the Demon Realms, from lowest to highest, are Earth Demon, Celestial Demon, Mysterious Demon, Demon King, Demon Lord, Demon Emperor, Demon Respect, Demon Sovereign.)
Bai Miaoleng replied, âAnd if we are?â
âIf you truly wish to enter the Heavenly Realm, I must question your motives!â The Demon Respect expert took a step forward, and the surrounding Demons cast suspicious glances at Bai Xichu, Bai Miaoleng, and Pei Chuxia. When the passage to the Heavenly Realm opened, the first instinct of the Demon cultivators was to lie in wait, slaughtering any Immortals who came through to weaken Heavenly forces. In their minds, Immortals would guard above, waiting to kill Demonkind. Suddenly three Demonwomen seeking to go up themselves was highly irregular. Were they courting deathâor did they have some ulterior purpose? That must be uncovered.
Seeing this, Ye Yu strode forward to stand before Bai Xichu and the others. âMotives? What motives? These three âȘ NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»t âȘ (Official version) are my wives, and their goal has always been to strike the Heavenly Realm. Now that the passage has opened, I merely let them scout the situationâwhatâs wrong with that? Yet you prattle on about motives; itâs truly vexing!â
The Demons present stood momentarily silent, then began to murmur in admiration.
âHeâs ruthless indeed, letting his own wives risk their lives to scout the Heavenly Realmâand they all agreed.â
âIf it were me, Iâd never let my beautiful wife go on such a mission!â
âYou know nothing; this is dedication!â
...
Hearing their comments, Ye Yu bowed slightly, then gave Bai Xichu a look. She understood, and immediately led Bai Miaoleng and Pei Chuxia into the passage. In an instant their forms became streaks of light as they shot upward.
The Demon Respect cultivator frowned and sneered, âI refuse to believe any Demon would act so selflessly. You must have other motives!â
Now that his three captives were gone, Ye Yu had no restraint. He retorted coldly, âStop projecting your filthy thoughts onto others. If you truly doubt their purpose, follow them and see for yourself. If you dare not, then tuck your worthless head away, understand? Coward!â
The Demon Respect cultivatorâs face turned ashen. Glancing around, he realized the other Demonsâ eyes had shifted; they no longer showed support. Indeed, if one truly suspected foul play, one could ascend as wellâbut talking endlessly here served no purpose. Embarrassed, the cultivatorâs
demonic qi
swelled as if to attack. Ye Yu did not flinch; an Immortal King faces a Demon Respect, equal in realm but superior in advantage. Yet in the next moment, the cultivator snorted, dissipated all his
demonic qi
, and strode away. Ye Yu paid him no mind, simply thinking him a true coward.
He began to pace slowly around the passageâs mouth, keen to uncover why the HeavenlyâDemon passage had reopened. But after several circuits, he gleaned nothing beyond the sheer terrifying power the passage contained.
On his fifth round, a young Demon of somewhat portly build blocked his path. Via inner-voice transmission he asked, âAre you studying how the passage formed?â
At once Ye Yuâs interest was piqued. âYou know how it formed?â
The young Demon did not reply directly but beckoned Ye Yu to follow. They left the area together and soon arrived atop a mountain range. The Demon introduced himself as Bai Xiao, claiming great interest in the Five Realmsâ passages. Watching Ye Yu move about the passage earlier, Bai Xiao realized they shared the same curiosity.
âYou too are intrigued by the DemonâHeaven passage?â
Ye Yu nodded. Bai Xiaoâs smile grew even brighter, and he condensed
demonic qi
to project a planar diagram before them. It comprised six boxes arranged in four rowsâone, one, three, one. According to Bai Xiao, this was the basic map of the Six Realms. At the top was the legendary Divine Realm, followed beneath by the Heavenly Realm, then the Mortal Realm. To Mortal Realmâs left and right lay the Demon Realm and the Monster Realm, respectively. These three realms lay on the same planeâthough this was inferred from ancient texts and required verification. The Nether Realm, however, undoubtedly lay at the very bottom, beneath the Nine Heavens and shrouded in extreme Yin, never seeing sunlight.
Before the DemonâHeaven passage formed, Bai Xiao had already sensed shifts in the worldâs
demonic qi
, predicting the passageâs imminent appearance. Most importantly, not only would the DemonâHeaven passage reopen, but those of the other Five Realms would as well.
Hearing Bai Xiaoâs revelation, Ye Yu felt his heart tremble. If this guess proved true, it perfectly aligned with what the Demon Sovereign had claimed.
âHow do you know the passages to all Five Realms will reopen?â