Lady Lurien asked, "Furylo, wise one of the demon race, how will you lure out the youth surnamed Qin?"
Furylo smiled faintly and said leisurely, "Lady Lurien, one of the Netherworld's four great commanders, how will you help me swallow up High-Emperor Heaven?"
Lady Lurien glanced at the demon race's towering altars. From one, a Netherworld demon god descended, grabbed a hundred or so demon spellcasters, and stuffed them into its mouth without warning, startling the rest into fleeing in all directions.
At the altar's edge, several demon gods rushed forward to stop it. That Netherworld demon god was the demon race's ancestor—knowing only slaughter, lacking wisdom. Many demon gods activated a massive barrier, finally trapping the demon ancestor inside.
The demon ancestor roared furiously within the barrier, wreaking havoc, but could not break free.
Those demon gods called over many demon spellcasters. Hundreds of demon warriors hauled a giant cart, loaded the barrier onto it, and strained to pull it forward, while thousands more pushed from behind, transporting both the barrier and the demon ancestor inside toward the front lines.
"Your demon army is too weak. The demon ancestor you summoned is impossible to control—it only knows how to devour."
Lady Lurien said coolly, "You want to use them to crush High-Emperor Heaven's armies, but you'll kill a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of your own. It's not worth it. By the time you conquer High-Emperor Heaven, it'll be smashed to bits—no better than your ruined Luofu Heaven."
Furylo's eyes flickered. "You should know, High-Emperor Heaven isn't my real goal."
"Your target is the world where the Kaihuang Heavenly Court resides."
Lady Lurien smirked, "Furylo, you want to use High-Emperor Heaven as a stepping stone, blood-sacrifice it, and link Luofu Heaven, High-Emperor Heaven, and the Kaihuang Heavenly Court—so your demon race can descend into that world."
Furylo smiled but said nothing. "You are a demon too, so surely you want our race to grow stronger?"
Lady Lurien was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "Your ambition is too great, but your ability falls short. You'll only bring disaster on yourself. Still, I'm a demon too, so I'll help you. You can't control the demon ancestor, but I can."
With a flick of her sleeve, the barrier atop the distant giant cart suddenly cracked open. The demon ancestor inside roared, leapt out, howled at the sky, pounded its chest in fury, and sent demonic energy surging upward.
Furylo's face changed slightly. The surrounding demon gods were also alarmed and rushed toward the demon ancestor.
But the demon ancestor suddenly soared into the air, flew toward Furylo, landed heavily, and stood motionless beside Lady Lurien.
The demon gods arrived. Furylo raised a hand: "Stand down."
He looked at the demon ancestor: this ancient demon god had a bluish face, fangs, and was covered in archaic patterns carved into its skin.
Furylo exhaled a heavy breath. "How many demon ancestors can you control?"
Lady Lurien's beautiful face showed a hint of a smile. "However many you can summon, I can control."
Furylo's three faces all changed color. If Lady Lurien could control these demon ancestors, she could also turn them against the demon race—or even overthrow Furylo himself!
He never wanted to be entangled with the Heavenly Court; his goal was just to maintain his own rule, fearing the demon race would fall under Heaven's control. That's why he didn't ask Heaven for help, but summoned the Netherworld's demon ancestors instead.
But now, it seemed he was still too naive.
Heaven had long since mastered the Netherworld's demon ancestors, planning to use them as a means to control all demons!
The moment he summoned Lady Lurien, the demon race was no longer his to command!
"Now, can you tell me how you plan to capture the youth surnamed Qin?" Lady Lurien asked.
Furylo steadied himself. "Capturing him isn't difficult. When it comes to war, winning hearts is best. Everyone has weaknesses. Among High-Emperor Heaven's cultivators, many are greedy for life and fear death. Plenty have already defected to my demon race—including one god. If I give the order, someone will bring him straight to me."
Lady Lurien's eyes brightened. "You have a spy in High-Emperor Heaven, and it's a god? Who is it?"
At the City of Departure, Quinn Shepherd stood atop the city wall. In the distance, he saw Black Tiger God bounding back from demon territory, with Bruno the Dragon-Qilin and Lina the Spirit Fox in tow. Hundreds of cultivators from High-Emperor Heaven and the Everpeace Empire returned with them.
"Looks like Bruno's lost some weight!"