Chapter 957

After Gan Zhizui left, Xu Nanqiao only then came to her senses—yet she remained utterly baffled. Why would Gan Zhizui abandon the Demon Realm to return to the Heavenly Realm, when she could have stayed with Ye Yu? And what did she mean by hoping that Xu Nanqiao would go to the Heavenly Realm as well?

Xu Nanqiao intended to chase after Gan Zhizui and demand explanations, but by the time she reached the portal, Gan Zhizui had already vanished.

A moment later, at the Demon Realm passage in Qintian Prefecture, Gan Zhizui spoke softly, “Thank you for escorting me back. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have found my way!”

Mo /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Geilian waved his hand. “You’re too polite, little sister-in-law. But I still don’t get it—why leave this place when everything’s fine here in the Demon Realm?”

Gan Zhizui smiled. “Ye Yu went off to cultivate; naturally I can’t lag behind. After visiting friends in the Heavenly Realm, I’ll return again!”

The moment he heard that, Mo Geilian understood: she really would come back. Relieved, he waved farewell and Gan Zhizui stepped into the passage to be transported to the Heavenly Realm.

As she gazed back at the dim environs of the Demon Realm, she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. Returning had been her plan all along—but visiting friends was merely an excuse. What she truly intended was to summon all her sisters in the Heavenly Realm so they could see her demon husband’s form for themselves. She had to admit, his demonic horns—fierce and majestic—felt surprisingly smooth to the touch. Such a delightful discovery demanded to be shared!

Soon Gan Zhizui returned to the Heavenly Realm and took out Ye Yu’s hand-drawn map—yes, hand-drawn! Worrying she might get lost finding the Tower of Null, Ye Yu had sketched it for her. With the map in hand, she set off at speed—but unexpectedly, before she had traveled a thousand li, she plunged into another secret realm.

Surrounded by alien terrain, Gan Zhizui stood stock-still in disbelief. “What a curse!” she muttered. “Could I really be the legendary Innate Secret-Realm Holy Body? Two trips to the Heavenly Realm and I haven’t even finished the journey before I fall into a secret realm again. Who will believe this?”

...

Time flew—one hundred years passed. When Ye Yu finally emerged from the secret realm, his aura had been refined to the utmost. The century had not been wasted: through tireless effort, he had awakened his Dreamborn talent “Heaven Rewards the Diligent” and ascended to the Demon Emperor Realm at last—he had become Emperor! His power soared to unprecedented peaks.

Thrilled, Ye Yu intended to return to Lotus Prefecture and share the news with Gan Zhizui. But at the edge of the secret realm, he saw a familiar silhouette in waiting: none other than the long-unseen Xu Nanqiao.

Ye Yu asked in puzzlement, “How are you here?”

Xu Nanqiao’s voice was calm, but her eyes shone with emotion. “What if I told you I’ve been waiting here for a hundred years?”

She did not lie. From the moment Gan Zhizui first approached her, she had hungered for answers from Ye Yu. Learning from Mo Geilian that Ye Yu had gone into seclusion within the secret realm, she had come to this very spot and waited—and waited for a century, until he finally reemerged.

Ye Yu did not directly answer her question. Instead, he walked to her side. Xu Nanqiao, unguarded, repeated the words Gan Zhizui had spoken before departing and asked, “What did she mean by that?”

Ye Yu paused, then softly asked, “Do you truly like me?”

Xu Nanqiao froze for a moment, then recovered and answered resolutely, “I do.” Love was love—there was no need to conceal it. Though she wondered how Ye Yu had discovered her feelings, she did not hesitate; even if he rejected her, she had to speak her heart.

Ye Yu nodded, then recounted everything about parallel worlds. He had decided: if Xu Nanqiao genuinely cared for him, she would still remember this upon waking. Rather than delay until their next meeting, he would reveal the truth now—even if Gan Zhizui’s loose lips had forced his hand, it was the only way to clear up any doubts.

Upon hearing the tale, Xu Nanqiao staggered back two steps in disbelief. “So Gan Zhizui—like me—was someone you met in a parallel world, fell in love with, and then went to the Heavenly Realm together?”

Ye Yu nodded. “Exactly. During my seclusion, I thought long and hard. Ever since returning from the Heavenly Realm, I’ve found myself drawn to you—even the cultivation manuals I gave you were an excuse to be close to you. Honestly, I enjoy being with you more than repaying any debt. If we’re to be together, I hope you’ll go to the Heavenly Realm. If you’d rather not, I promise to come find you often in the Demon Realm.”

Xu Nanqiao waved her hands anxiously. The flood of revelations had overwhelmed her. “I need time to process this—wait for me. Once I’ve thought it through, I’ll seek you out again!” And with that, she fled like the wind.

Ye Yu felt awkward. It seemed the parallel-world explanation was better reserved for after awakening; blurted out in a dream, it fried one’s mental CPU—Xu Nanqiao proved as much.

With that, Ye Yu left at once and returned to Lotus Prefecture. After a century, little had changed—but Mo Geilian’s astonishing talent had: he had reached the pinnacle of the Demon Lord Realm, his demonic aura so dense he seemed poised to cross into the half-step Emperor Realm. Truly a prodigy.

The two brothers caught up on events. Mo Geilian had governed Lotus Prefecture admirably but had no desire to assume the mantle of Demon Lord; upon Ye Yu’s return, he gladly relinquished all authority.

When Ye Yu approached the Demon Lord’s Hall again, he suddenly paused and looked skyward. If his dream-realm ascension had reached the Emperor Realm, perhaps with one more push he could glimpse the Divine Realm’s splendor next?

...

Heaven and Earth encompass six realms; apart from the Divine Realm, Ye Yu had traveled to the other five. Legends said that after the Emperor Realm came the Divine Realm—but how to reach it was a question worthy of deep thought.

Ye Yu instinctively wanted to ask Xu Nanqiao—her scholarship was vast and she surely knew of such matters. But now was unwise; she needed time to steady her mind.

So Ye Yu instructed Mo Geilian to search for ancient texts about the Divine Realm, hoping to glean useful insights.

Within half a day, Mo Geilian had gathered every relevant tome from across Lotus Prefecture—stacked together they reached two meters high. Ye Yu was astonished: such ancient manuscripts should be scarce, yet here were so many! It defied logic—but more was better; it increased the chance of finding what he sought.

As Ye Yu pored over the texts, Mo Geilian stayed close and whispered, “Big brother, I heard that to ascend to the Emperor Realm you must have your own Great Way—your unique trump card. What is yours?”

Immediately recognizing his own indiscretion, Mo Geilian added, “If it’s inconvenient to say, you don’t have to answer. I was just curious!”

Ye Yu said, “There’s nothing awkward about it.” He raised his right hand, subtly forming a fist—and a sudden invisible gravity slammed Mo Geilian into the ground, crushing the stone slabs beneath him. Though Ye Yu released it immediately, Mo Geilian remained pinned half a meter under the weight.

Only after the gravity vanished did Mo Geilian scramble up, gasping. Cracks had formed all over his body; he felt as if he had narrowly escaped death.

Ye Yu spoke softly, “My Great Way is the Way of Force. I chose it because it’s the swiftest path and aligns perfectly with the ‘Demonic Ascension’ cultivation method. It may be simple, but I favor its directness.”

Fear flickered in Mo Geilian’s eyes. That had been his first brush with mortal peril since mastering Demonic Ascension—truly terrifying.

After Ye Yu finished reviewing the manuscripts, he found nothing but speculation—none had ever actually ventured to the Divine Realm. All were empty talk, nonsense! Ye Yu’s mood soured.

Upon hearing this, Mo Geilian urged, “Brother, don’t be discouraged. If Lotus Prefecture’s texts fail, we can search other prefectures. I’ll dispatch our demons immediately!”

Ye Yu nodded. That very night, Mo Geilian sent two hundred capable demons out to search.

A few days later, they returned bearing good news: many ancient texts flowed into Lotus Prefecture, and even Xu Nanqiao—the Demon Lord of Dongyao Prefecture—arrived.

Ye Yu was somewhat surprised at her promptness; he had expected her to ponder for ten days or more. But Xu Nanqiao—intelligent and composed—often dissected problems thoroughly before deciding. That she came within days was remarkable.

Sensing his surprise, Xu Nanqiao said softly, “You’re amazed? To be honest, I’m amazed too. All that talk of parallel worlds and immortal originals—it sounded like a grand lie, full of holes, like a water demon ball that bursts on the first poke. But it doesn’t matter; even if it were a deceit, I’d accept it. I just want to be with you.”

Hearing this, Ye Yu stepped forward and embraced her. In a voice only they could hear, he murmured, “Soon you’ll see whether I lied.”

After exchanging their declarations of love, Xu Nanqiao asked, “I heard you’ve been searching for texts on the Divine Realm—it’s the talk of the entire Demon Realm!”

Ye Yu frowned—did demons really have so little to do? Ancient texts causing such a stir?

He had severely underestimated his own influence. A century ago, his title “Demon Lord Slayer” had made him legendary; then he had single-handedly repelled the Heavenly Realm’s counterattack, cementing himself as a paragon among demons. Even after a century of absence, his return to Lotus Prefecture became the Demon Realm’s greatest topic.

Moreover, Lotus Prefecture’s demons had used a striking tactic to retrieve texts:

“Hey, I heard you have manuscripts on the Divine Realm—hand them over! No? Ask who I am? Never mind who—I’m Ye Yu, Demon Lord of Lotus Prefecture. I’m collecting for my lord. Hand them over, or our Demon Lord will come himself!”

Such standardized bravado made them highly effective—especially against other Demon Lords, who complied with shocking obedience.

Upon hearing Xu Nanqiao’s explanation of this approach, Ye Yu felt tearfully amused: could there be such cheek? Was it not stretching his own legend?

At that moment, a cold voice thundered from above Lotus Prefecture:

“Demon Lord Ye Yu—such swagger, dispatching a few lowly demons to intimidate me! Today I’ll see if you’re truly as formidable as the legends say!”

Fueled by magic, his challenge rippled across the prefecture. Ye Yu and Xu Nanqiao walked directly from the Demon Lord’s Hall and looked up to see a sinister-faced middle-aged man hovering in the sky, his two massive wings unfurled in a dramatic display.

Ye Yu frowned. He had seen many horned demons since arriving in the Demon Realm, but one with wings was a first.

Xu Nanqiao knit her brow and transmitted her warning by mental voice: “Be careful—this demon is of the Abyssal race. Do not underestimate him.”