Chapter 1926 — 1926: Devouring the Demon Emperor

'That level of demonic energy… another Demon Emperor has appeared?! What is happening?!' Sun Ling Cai's jaw dropped after seeing Demon Emperor Malice's sudden appearance. It was so shocking that it forced her to stop painting briefly.

"You probably already know this, but in case you don't, 'Malice' was the first Demon Emperor to be slain by me. Although Malice wasn't the strongest amongst the Demon Emperors, he came the closest to defeating me—mostly because I was still inexperienced back then." Yuan looked back at their battle as his gaze stared at Demon Emperor Malice, who stood there with a blank look on its face, resembling a soulless puppet.

He gave a simple gesture, beckoning the figure forward.

In response, Demon Emperor Malice stepped toward him—and without hesitation, dropped to its knees, then lowered itself further until it was bowing low, its forearms to the ground in a show of absolute submission.

Demon Emperor Slaughter's eyes widened in a mix of shock and fury as it watched Yuan calmly sit atop Demon Emperor Malice's back—using its fellow Demon Emperor as if it were nothing more than a chair.

"How dare you!" Demon Emperor Slaughter roared, his aura skyrocketing from rage.

"Why wouldn't I dare? Once I devour you in a moment, I'll make you wash my clothes or something," Yuan casually mocked it.

"YOU AND I—THE DEMON CLAN—CANNOT COEXIST UNDER THE SAME SKY!"

Demon Emperor Slaughter roared, unleashing a torrent of bloodlust so overwhelming it seemed to shake the very air around them.

A blood-red aura erupted around Demon Emperor Slaughter as it launched itself at Yuan, recklessly hurling its body forward—completely disregarding its own safety in a frenzy of rage.

"Why are you stating the obvious? The first thing you demons did after appearing in our world is treat humans as livestock." Yuan sneered as he stood up from his seat and prepared to face the approaching Demon Emperor.

[Demon Devouring Strike]

As the Demon Emperor closed in, Yuan swung the Demon Devouring Sword without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, mid-attack, the Demon Emperor vanished—its entire existence seemingly erased, as if it had never been there at all.

"D-Did you defeat the Demon Emperor?" Sun Ling Cai suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, it's dealt with now," Yuan calmly responded.

"No way…" Sun Ling Cai swallowed nervously.

Despite witnessing it herself, she still couldn't believe how easily Yuan had defeated the Demon Emperor, an existence that could threaten the entire Demon Sealing Clan.

"Are you okay?" Yuan asked as he approached her.

"Y-Yes!" When Sun Ling Cai realized that she was still sitting on the floor, she quickly stood up. "Thank you for saving my life, Founder."

"About that founder thing…"

Yuan retrieved the necklace Sun Ling Cai had given him before and showed it to her.

"Huh? That necklace…" Sun Ling Cai's eyebrows rose, looking confused, but not because she didn't recognize the necklace.

"But I gave that to the Little Founder…" she muttered.

Yuan smiled at her words and explained, "That's right. It's me, Yuan."

"W-What…?" Sun Ling Cai stared at his handsome face with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"I'm Yuan," he repeated in a firmer tone.

"But…"

"I know what you're thinking. I am Yuan, but I am also the Divine Paragon. I am his reincarnation."

Sun Ling Cai gazed at Yuan, her face blank with disbelief—until the weight of what she'd just heard sank in, and her expression shifted into utter shock.

At that moment, all Sun Ling Cai could think about were the jokes made about Yuan being the reincarnation of the Divine Paragon because of his uncanny resemblance. What once seemed like idle talk amongst the Divine Paragon Fanatics had turned out to be the truth.

"I apologize for tricking you. I had to make sure you were trustworthy since my existence could drastically affect everyone in the Demon Sealing Clan."

Sun Ling Cai shook her head and said, "You don't have to apologize. I completely understand. However, I must ask… does Senior Sister Yan know about this?"

"Yes, she knows of my true identity, and you're the second person within the Demon Sealing Clan to know."

"Hm? Wait a second… Is that why she started gathering people?"

He nodded and explained, "We plan on removing the current Clan Leader from his position; that's why she's gathering trustworthy people."

"Qian Chu? Is there any particular reason why? Of course, I don't have any issues with it. In fact, I believe you should lead the Demon Sealing Clan again."

"Do you remember that incident during the Supreme Demon Sealer Examination?"

"Of course. It only happened a few years ago, and because of that incident, our relationship with the Demon Sealing Grotto has hit rock bottom. We're on the verge of war right now… No, we're already past that point…"

"Well, I don't know why, but Qian Chu planned that to happen. Moreover, there's something off about him. I can't pinpoint it, but that's what my instincts are telling me."

"A-Are you saying that Qian Chu, the current leader of the Demon Sealing Clan, is a demon?!" Sun Ling Cai exclaimed.

"No, there's no proof that he's a demon, nor am I saying he's a demon. However, there's definitely something odd about his existence. I'll try to look deeper into it once I reach the Seventh Heaven."

"Um… Is there anything I can do to help you? Although my abilities as a Demon Sealer may be lacking, there should be something I can do to help! Since Senior Sister Yan has decided to fight against the Clan Leader, I cannot sit back and do nothing!"

"You want to help, huh? I'm not sure what to tell you, but if you want, you can go talk to Yan Hara. I'm sure she'll have an idea."

"Okay!" Sun Ling Cai eagerly nodded.