At that time in the Demon Realm, Qu Congchun and Shen Fugui had already met Hua Jiuming. Back then he was recuperating in Juque Prefecture, so running into him was normal. But only Qu Zhengding had ever told Qu Congchun about Hua Jiumingâs true identityâno one else, not even Shen Fugui, knew. Now, however, as servants of Mo Tianjun and Ye Yu, Qu Congchun and Shen Fugui understood everything. Yet to keep Hua Jiuming from suspecting, the act had to go on.
Shen Fugui sneered, âOn what grounds do you question my young lord?â
Hua Jiuming cast a sidelong glance, his gaze mocking as if observing ants at play. In these lowly Five Realms, someone dared to challenge him? Foolish beyond measure.
Just as Hua Jiuming prepared to strike, Qu Congchun kicked Shen Fugui to the ground. âYou cur, how dare you speak to a senior like that? Get out!â
Shen Fugui struggled upright and, stifling a groan, obeyed. Meanwhile Qu Congchun bowed deeply to Hua Jiuming. âI am Qu Zhengdingâs son, Qu Congchun, paying respects, senior. My father spoke to me once or twice about you.â
âBoy, donât be so smart-mouthed. Those who talk back to me wonât survive!â Hua Jiuming smiled slightly.
In the next moment, before Shen Fugui could leave the hall, his body ruptured from withinâhe was dead.
In the central Celestial Realm, inside Three Corpses Hall, Ye Yu frowned in annoyance. The
Shenyu Kongxin Jue
allowed a caster to see everything perceived by the controlled. So when Hua Jiuming reached Shen Fugui, Ye Yu already knew. He had intended merely to steady his demon alliesâ hearts, yet this false god had acted outright. So rude.
Beside him, Mo Tianjun used his own secret technique to view everything Qu Congchun saw. He, too, knew Shen Fugui was dead.
He whispered with a laugh, âNo matter. Iâll pull up the footage and we can watch together.â
Though Ye Yu had tricked him twice before, they were allies now. Information was meant to be shared.
Ye Yu did not refuse.
With Mo Tianjunâs swift hand movements, a clear first-person scene appeared before them, high-definition enough to show the split ends of Hua Jiumingâs hair. This false godâs hair quality left much to be desired.
Ye Yu arched an eyebrow. Mo Tianjunâs technique, like
Shenyu Kongxin Jue
, let him see through the eyes of the controlled. Whether it had limits or not, the point was clear: they must be wary of him from now on.
Meanwhile, at the Juque Prefecture headquarters in the eastern Celestial Realm, Hua Jiuming, having slain Shen Fugui, sat slowly upon the main seat. His gaze drifted carelessly to Qu Congchun. An invisible pressure slammed into Qu Congchun, who collapsed to his knees.
âWhen my father first met me, he spoke on his knees. You will do the same. Now tell me, why did your father die while you live?â Hua Jiuming tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. His voice was soft yet induced a dizzy haze in Qu Congchunâs mind.
Qu Congchun murmured, âWhen my father was killed, I was leading the demons in an assault on an immortal sect. Only after several hours did I receive the news of his death, so I never saw his murderer. But my subordinates reported that the killer was an immortal named Ye Yu.â
Inside Three Corpses Hall, Ye Yu watched and looked to Mo Tianjun, who replied earnestly, âThe false god used a hypnosis technique. I canât control him anymore.â
Ye Yu smirked. âCanât control him? Nonsense. How would those demons know my name? Brother, even your act is unconvincing.â
In truth, Mo Tianjun had deliberately given Ye Yuâs name to drag him into suspicion. There was no way this false god knew only Mo Tianjunâs title and not Ye Yuâs. This served as payback for the jade talisman incident.
Back at Juque Prefecture, Hua Jiuming ceased tapping. Qu Congchun instantly snapped out of his stupor, drenched in sweat. Though he knew heâd been manhandled, he dared not show any sign of awarenessâhe played the lowly ant perfectly.
Hua Jiuming said lightly, âFoolish demons, heed my advice: never trust your subordinates too much. Weak as they are, they are easiest to deceive. To be honest, your fatherâs killer was not Ye Yu, but Mo Tianjun of Three Corpses Hall. That arrogant fool took your fatherâs jade talisman and dared to contact meâarrogance to the extreme. As for Ye Yu, thatâs just a false name.â
âWhat?â Qu Congchunâs shock was genuine, not feigned. His controller Mo Tianjun must be going mad, having tried to implicate Ye Yu yet rebuffed and lectured in turn.
Mo Tianjunâs grievance soared to the heavens. He swore at Hua Jiumingâs ancestors, and when he later caught Ye Yuâs smirk, his mood shattered entirely.
Hua Jiuming continued, âDonât look so startledâanything can happen. Now you have two tasks. First, dispatch your demons to locate Mo Tianjun. Second, contact the other Demon Lords and resume the Heavenly Campaign. Consider this realm a gift from me. If you encounter any difficulty, I will assist.â
Qu Congchun bowed â NĐŸvĐ”lđght â (Exclusive on NĐŸvĐ”lđght) his head deeply, silent at first, then spoke in a low voice, âSenior, what shall I do to repay you?â
Nothing is given freelyâno love or hate without reason. Hua Jiuming never offered gifts without purpose. To both Qu Zhengding and Qu Congchun he had promised rule of the Celestial Realm. There was certainly a motive.
At last, Hua Jiumingâs eyes shifted. He smiled, âBoy, youâre much smarter than your fatherâa promising talent. Honestly, I had you seize the Celestial Realm only to force out an old foe. His survival is very important to me.â
Qu Congchun pressed his head to the ground and cried out, âThank you for your guidance, senior. I will organize our demons for a grand assault on the Celestial Realm to fulfill your wishes.â