No one knew what lay inside the Demon Hall. When Dorian Owen (Doudou) vanished from sight, Prince Nolan immediately ordered his men to search for him.
Dorian’s Master was right here, and Prince Nolan didn’t want to make things ugly. After all, he owed Dorian a favor—without Dorian, their escape from Southlyn’s Prince Damien wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
But Dorian’s Master waved it off: no need. Most likely, Dorian was simply lost. The Demon Hall was vast, with paths everywhere and a foggy forest behind. Searching for Dorian would be dangerous and a waste of manpower.
Dorian was capable—if he ran into trouble, he would send a signal for help.
Since Dorian’s Master had spoken, Prince Nolan saw no reason to waste resources. He stood in the hall, watching Zed, who was on the verge of madness.
Zed’s will was astonishing for a child of six. After his outburst, he wiped away his tears and, with a heavy thud, knelt before Prince Nolan.
"Please, tell me—who destroyed the Holy Sect? Who wiped out my clan?"
Members of the Demon Sect always called themselves the 'Holy Sect.'
Zed was no exception.
Kneeling at Prince Nolan’s feet, Zed’s tear-streaked face looked pitiful, but Prince Nolan remained utterly unmoved, his cold gaze making Zed tremble all over.
Dressed all in black, Prince Nolan stood in the center of the hall, cold as an Asura, radiating not a shred of warmth. Zed forced down his fear, bit his lip, and bowed his head to the floor before Nolan: "Please."
He was only six years old, but after such a devastating blow, it was easy to imagine just how frightened and lost Zed was at this moment.
"You only know to beg me now—don’t you think it’s a little late?" Prince Nolan didn’t see Zed as a child at all, so there was no trace of sympathy in his voice.
"Zed Young Lord, I owe you nothing." The struggle between the righteous path and the Demon Sect has never ceased for centuries; the Demon Sect has killed countless from the righteous side. As a member of the righteous path, and one of the younger generation’s leading figures, I have the duty to exterminate the Demon Sect.
Zed kept bowing his head to the floor: "I beg you."
"Begging me is useless. The Demon Sect was wiped out by the righteous factions of Jianghu; any sect with influence took part. You want revenge? Dream on." A child thinking of taking on the whole martial world—that’s a joke.
If Prince Nolan hadn’t shielded Zed all the way here and kept his existence hidden, those Jianghu heroes would’ve killed Zed long ago.
If you don’t pull up the roots when cutting the weeds, they’ll grow back with the spring breeze. The Jianghu heroes know this too; they wouldn’t spare Zed just for some so-called chivalrous sentiment.
That’s why the Emperor didn’t stop Prince Nolan from bringing Zed to the Demon Sect—he knew Nolan would be running in vain.
With no Demon Sect to back him, Zed is just a burden. If those Jianghu heroes find out Zed is in Prince Nolan’s hands, even he will be in trouble.
Of course, those people wouldn’t want Prince Nolan dead—at most, they’d force him to hand Zed over. And knowing Prince Nolan as well as the Emperor did, he was sure Nolan wouldn’t risk the entire martial world for one Zed.
That’s why the Emperor didn’t make a fuss about Zed being in Prince Nolan’s custody. He wanted to see Nolan bring Zed to the Demon Sect, only to find the sect already destroyed and leave in anger.
Even if the Emperor didn’t know exactly what Prince Nolan intended at the Demon Sect, it didn’t matter. The sect was gone; whatever Nolan planned would come to nothing.
Arriving full of hope, only to find it shattered—isn’t that even more meaningful?
"Master, there’s nothing left." The dark guard finished searching, then turned to report.
"Master, the entire Demon Hall is empty—not a single living soul."
"Master, we found no other routes, and the Demon Sect Lord’s corpse isn’t here either."
One by one, the dark guards reported their findings. Prince Nolan already knew the news, but listened to every word anyway.
"Zed Young Lord, you’ve heard the situation—the Demon Sect is gone, not a single survivor, and your father’s fate is unknown. If I’m not mistaken, your father should still be alive." Prince Nolan said to Zed.
Zed’s eyes, dead and lonely, flashed with a hint of hope. He looked at Prince Nolan with desperate longing.
Prince Nolan showed no emotion and continued, "Zed Young Lord, out of duty, I’ve escorted you to the Demon Sect. But I didn’t expect this outcome. Now that the sect is gone, and as its young heir, you’ll be hunted by the martial world. Please forgive me—I am powerless to help you any further."