Chapter 483
Zheng Fa felt a mix of confusion and a hint of disappointment in his heart. After all, he wasn't particularly interested in the Dao Fruit of the Demon Emperor.
But after a while, he suddenly sensed something was amiss—there was a change!
This change was so subtle that Zheng Fa hadn't noticed it at first. The Fusang wood was quite special; it had only produced a single flower, its petals adorned with golden veins.
Now, as Zheng Fa looked again, he noticed that there were faint purple patterns hidden within the petals.
These purple veins were not very clear, and he hadn't seen them before.
Focusing his spiritual sense on the petals, he began to discern that these purple patterns resembled some new symbols, though they seemed incomplete.
As he leaned in closer, his spiritual sense revealed countless images—
A young boy practicing martial arts under the morning sun.
A girl studying hard under the glow of a lamp.
And… an old man and woman kneeling before a wall covered with printed photos of themselves.
…
There were too many faces, some even foreign.
The aura of the Fusang wood seemed to have changed slightly as well.
The original Fusang wood was warm, brimming with vitality, and somewhat domineering.
Now, it seemed to carry an air of mysterious nobility, an inexplicable grandeur.
Could it be true?
Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
He scanned his body and found that everything else remained unchanged; only the Fusang wood seemed to be growing, transforming into something quite different from before.
…
Besides the Fusang wood, he had indeed experienced other changes.
No mistake, one shot, one inner, one form, one presence—one look!
When Zheng Fa returned to the Xuanwei Realm, as soon as Senior Sister Yuan saw him, she gasped, "Zheng Shidi, you’re different!"
He turned to her, and Senior Sister Yuan leaned in closer, rubbing against him, unable to stop herself from getting close. The gaze of Senior Sister Zhang behind them turned noticeably colder.
Feeling a chill at her back, Senior Sister Yuan stiffened, glanced back at Senior Sister Zhang, and whispered, "I really can tell you’re different…"
The little golden crow beside her nodded, looking at Zheng Fa with a mix of confusion and even a hint of unfamiliarity.
But Senior Sister Zhang's expression didn’t seem to reflect any change in him.
Zheng Fa's heart stirred. Could it be that the changes in the Fusang wood were more apparent to the demon race?
"What’s different?" he asked.
"I was a bit hesitant to talk to you for a few days," Senior Sister Yuan pondered, as if finally piecing it together. "I wanted to say something, but every time I looked at you, I just couldn’t bring myself to speak."
"It was driving me crazy!" she added, her tone filled with grievance.
"And now?" Zheng Fa asked, genuinely curious.
"Now it’s much better!" Senior Sister Yuan rubbed against him a couple more times, her face glowing with satisfaction, even swaying her head in delight. "You’re not as intimidating anymore."
Senior Sister Zhang's gaze turned contemplative, and when she met Zheng Fa's eyes, they both shared a thought—
The Dao Fruit of the Demon Emperor had mutated!
…
Zheng Fa might not care for the Dao Fruit of the Demon Emperor, but the Great Freedom Demon Emperor was quite appealing.
In the palace of the Sea Domain, all the various factions and preparations for the coronation ceremony were in place, just waiting for the auspicious time tomorrow to begin.
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor gazed at the palace, now beautifully adorned, and then at the gathering demon clans in the nearby sea. Even as a Dao Fruit, he couldn’t help but show a hint of joy.
Wu Zhi understood his thoughts.
"Though the Four Sects of Xuanwei didn’t come to participate, no one has come to stop it either… I can congratulate the Demon Emperor."
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor nodded lightly; this was indeed one of the points he was satisfied with.
"I’m not afraid of those immortal sects…" he said casually, "but I have no intention of entangling with them."
Wu Zhi knew better than to comment on whether he was afraid or not.
But it seemed that the Five Sects of Xuanwei were indeed turning a blind eye to the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor's ambition to attain the title of Demon Emperor.
As a disciple of the Thunder Sound Temple, he was aware of some of the underlying circumstances:
After all, while the demon race had some power, the Five Sects of Xuanwei had little to gain from it; they cared more about the human race.
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor's desire to become the Demon Emperor was, in fact, akin to withdrawing from the competition.
The Five Sects were naturally pleased to see this.
"However, the Nine Mountains Sect… remains steady."
Wu Zhi mentioned.
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor's coronation ceremony was grand, drawing demon clans from the Sea Domain and the two eastern continents to gather.
It was impossible to keep it a secret.
And the Great Freedom Demon Emperor had no desire to hide it.
The Nine Mountains Realm was still near the Tongming Mountain, not far from the Sea Domain, so they must have received the news long ago.
Yet, there was no sign of movement from them.
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor chuckled, his tone somewhat teasing: "What does it matter if they remain steady or not?"
Wu Zhi nodded slightly. For Zheng Fa, this was indeed a deadlock:
If he took the initiative to act for the sake of the coronation ceremony, he would be abandoning his greatest advantage, almost akin to signing his own death warrant.
If he did nothing…
Wu Zhi glanced at the Great Freedom Demon Emperor. Once this person attained the title of Demon Emperor, his strength would likely increase significantly.
Even hiding in the Nine Mountains Realm, Zheng Fa would find it hard to escape death.
Looking back, it seemed the Great Freedom Demon Emperor was employing a strategy of open ambition.
"My only concern is the people of the Taishang Dao, but from the rumors…," the Great Freedom Demon Emperor chuckled softly, "it seems Zheng Fa has rejected these major sects."
"…The two sides must have developed some animosity."
"Otherwise, they wouldn’t be indifferent to my quest for the title of Demon Emperor."
Wu Zhi nodded gently.
Now, the fact that Zheng Fa possessed the Dao Fruit of the Demon Emperor was not a secret.
He knew that the Thunder Sound Temple was aware of it.
More importantly… the Great Freedom Demon Emperor was spreading the word far and wide, seemingly afraid that others wouldn’t know.
This coronation ceremony posed a significant threat to Zheng Fa, and the Taishang Dao sects were certainly aware of it. Their current inaction was clearly indicative of… issues on both sides.
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor’s promotion of Zheng Fa’s possession of the Dao Fruit of the Demon Emperor seemed to be a test of the Five Sects' stance…
He couldn’t help but sigh:
With this person’s meticulousness, had it not been for the Heavenly River Venerable taking him down once, he likely wouldn’t be the weakest among the Dao Fruits.
On the other hand, all the Great Freedom Demon Emperor's schemes were aimed at Zheng Fa!
And Zheng Fa… was in grave danger.
…
The next day, the auspicious hour arrived.
Wu Zhi concealed himself in the shadows, waiting for the coronation ceremony to commence.
He knew that countless forces were drawn to this grand event, likely observing from the shadows. As a disciple of the Thunder Sound Temple, he had to keep a low profile.
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor rose gracefully from the palace, standing in the void.
Holding the Banner of Ten Thousand Demons, he wore a simple white robe, without any particularly extravagant attire.
On the surface of the sea, countless—no, billions—of demons gazed up at him, their eyes filled with awe and fear, but mostly with excitement and exhilaration.
Wu Zhi understood their feelings—
The demons were not excited about the Great Freedom Demon Emperor himself, but about the title of Demon Emperor.
They were well aware of the dangers of being a scattered force, but for hundreds of thousands of years, no one had managed to unify all the demon clans and attain the title of Demon Emperor.
Now, the Great Freedom Demon Emperor was already a practitioner of the Dao Fruit and had presented the "True Explanation of Ten Thousand Demons," a method widely accepted among the demon race.
In terms of strength and achievements, his ascension to the title of Demon Emperor was indeed compelling, a cause for great joy among the demon race.
Among the demons, the Great Freedom Demon Emperor was immensely… well, demonically charismatic.
At this moment, three to four out of every ten demons in the entire Xuanwei region had gathered.
The remaining sixty percent were not unwilling to come; most were simply too weak or too far away.
Some were even still being kept by the immortal sects, treated as mounts, and thus could not attend.
Therefore, the thirty percent of demons present nearly represented the entire demon race of Xuanwei.
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor said nothing, merely raised the Banner of Ten Thousand Demons and pointed to the sky!
Billions of demons, silently and in unison, prostrated themselves on the surface of the sea.
They lay side by side, a continuous expanse, and from Wu Zhi's vantage point in the sky, he couldn’t see the end of them.
Beneath the Great Freedom Demon Emperor's feet, the palace that had long been submerged in the sea suddenly rose from the water, soaring into the sky.
At that moment, Wu Zhi finally saw the true form of the palace—
Thirty-three majestic halls stood like towering mountains, suspended in the air.
The one he had entered before was merely the topmost hall; beneath it lay thirty-two more layers, which had been hidden beneath the sea until today!
In addition to this main hall, there were three hundred sixty auxiliary halls surrounding it, like stars accompanying the sun.
Wu Zhi suddenly looked up.
It was daytime, yet the stars in the sky shone brightly, and the sun and moon illuminated the scene, resonating with the palace from afar.
In an instant, Wu Zhi understood that this palace was likely part of the ceremonial rites.
The Great Freedom Demon Emperor finally spoke:
"Ancient remnants, the demon race in despair.
Cold moonlight shines on bones, desolate hills lie in sorrow.
True law established, prideful in the heavens.
With scales raised in fury, we intimidate the eight realms."
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