Chapter 80: Descendants of the Demon Clan

Once again, it was irrefutable: Young Master Chen and his daughter were undoubtedly formidable figures from a world of immortals and gods. Otherwise, how could they, residing in the Spring and Autumn Sacred Kingdom, know of the existence of the Holy Domain and a Gate of the Void? The entire Realm of Singing Snow was surely within his grasp!

Heavens, it was truly terrifying!

“Thank goodness the Sacred Empress appeared in time back then. Otherwise, I fear this dynasty would already be nothing but ruins, and the entire Spring and Autumn Sacred Kingdom would have perished along with it.”

Donggong Fu’s heart pounded wildly with lingering fear.

The Sacred Empress shot a covert glare at Donggong Fu and let out a soft snort, as if to say: If not for me, the whole Spring and Autumn Sacred Kingdom would be finished!

The Sacred Empress bore a peculiar name: Di Guoguo. Because her name was so unusual, very few in the Spring and Autumn Sacred Kingdom knew it; most simply referred to her as the Sacred Empress.

“Young Master Chen, we are ignorant and have never heard of this Gate of the Void,” she said apologetically.

At that moment, the Blood Demon Ancestor’s voice sounded in Chen Changsheng’s ear: “Young Master Chen, earlier Donggong Fu summoned a great bell in an attempt to suppress Donggong Qianxue. The Sacred Empress called it the Eastern Emperor Bell.

The Eastern Emperor Bell has a remarkable pedigree. It is none other than the sacred artifact of the Demon Race’s Great Sage, the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, also known as the Chaos Bell!”

“The Eastern Emperor Bell…”

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng was taken aback. The sacred artifact of the Demon Race’s Great Sage—was it truly that formidable?

The Blood Demon Ancestor’s voice even trembled slightly: “If the bell Donggong Fu just summoned is truly the Eastern Emperor Taiyi’s legendary artifact, then it is indeed horrifying. Could Donggong Fu be a descendant of the Demon Race’s Great Sage, with the blood of demons flowing in his veins? But if that is so, how do we explain the presence of the Divine Phoenix bloodline within Donggong Qianxue? Could it be that the Sacred Empress herself is a descendant of the Divine Phoenix?”

The Blood Demon Ancestor drew a sharp breath. “What kind of godforsaken place is this Realm of Singing Snow? The longer I stay here, the more terrifying it seems!”

Chen Changsheng was left utterly stunned, yet in his mind, a name surfaced unbidden: the Demon Emperor!

Indeed, deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there once existed the Tomb of the Demon Emperor—proof enough that the Demon Race had once been present in the Realm of Singing Snow. Otherwise, whence the Demon Emperor?

At this moment, he had a clear, unmistakable intuition: this Realm of Singing Snow was anything but ordinary. Behind it, there must be a hidden, earth-shattering truth, and that truth was slowly being revealed to him.

He was intensely curious—what was concealed behind the Realm of Singing Snow?

“Young Master Chen, regarding the Gate of the Void, we truly have never heard of it. We are deeply ashamed,” the Sacred Empress hastened to say, seeing the vague look in Chen Changsheng’s eyes and fearing she had displeased him.

“Oh…” Chen Changsheng came to himself and shook his head. “The Gate of the Void exists in the Holy Domain. It’s only natural you have never heard of it. I suspect that even in the entire Realm of Singing Snow, very few know of its existence.”

He changed the subject: “Earlier, the Sacred Sovereign summoned a great bell to seal the princess. I heard the Sacred Empress call it the Eastern Emperor Bell?”

The Sacred Empress paused, then nodded. “Yes. This bell has been passed down in my family for generations. After I married the Sacred Sovereign, it became part of my dowry and I brought it here.”

She smiled with slight embarrassment. “Of course, this bell is not the true Eastern Emperor Bell—it’s merely a replica.”

“A replica?” Chen Changsheng was mildly astonished. If even a replica was so fearsome, how terrifying would the real Eastern Emperor Bell be? He dared not imagine.

But one thing was now almost certain: since the bell had been passed down in the Sacred Empress’s family, she was undoubtedly of demon descent. No wonder Donggong Fu was so thoroughly henpecked—because his wife was from the demon race!

Yet another question arose: where did the Divine Phoenix bloodline in Donggong Qianxue come from? Clearly, the Realm of Singing Snow had not only once harbored the ancient Dragon Clan but also the Divine Phoenix Clan. Otherwise, the Divine Phoenix bloodline could not possibly have appeared in Donggong Qianxue out of thin air.

Evidently, the matter of the Divine Phoenix bloodline within Donggong Qianxue remained a mystery. But Chen Changsheng believed that this mystery would soon be unraveled.

…

The next day.

Princess Donggong Qianxue of the Spring and Autumn Sacred Kingdom, accompanied by Donggong Fu and the Sacred Empress, departed the kingdom to attend the Grand Gathering of Grace.

Naturally, Chen Changsheng and his daughter journeyed with them.

With Chen Changsheng present, Donggong Qianxue felt more at ease and confident about the Grand Gathering of Grace among the thirty-six sacred kingdoms of the Eastern Region. To further boost their prestige, Donggong Fu arranged for a large retinue of powerful experts from the Spring and Autumn Sacred Kingdom to accompany them.

The gathering was to be held in a sacred nation called the Thousand Absolutes Sacred Kingdom.

The entire Eastern Region was in a fervor.

Magnificent and luxurious flying vessels soared toward the Thousand Absolutes Sacred Kingdom, converging in the skies. All those aboard hailed from the noblest circles of the various sacred royal courts.

It went without saying that the competition at this gathering would be fierce: only one spot existed among the thirty-six sacred kingdoms of the Eastern Region.

Along the way, Chen Die’er’s bright, lively eyes darted about, brimming with curiosity at this vast world.

“By the way, Sacred Empress, have you ever heard of the Demon Emperor’s Tomb at the heart of the Hundred Thousand Mountains?” Chen Changsheng suddenly asked.

The Sacred Empress sighed softly. “The Demon Emperor was one of our demon race’s forebears. According to demon race chronicles, he was an extraordinary genius, but his desperate quest for the Dao led to his downfall. He fell into madness and was ultimately slain by the combined might of the Great Derivation Sovereigns of the Holy Domain, buried deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

“When I married into the Spring and Autumn Sacred Kingdom, my main purpose was to watch over the Demon Emperor’s Tomb, lest any changes occur. Only recently did I learn that, not long ago, something strange did happen at the tomb. Rumor has it that the Prince of the Southern Domain, in order to help his daughter become the Grand Princess of the Southern Domain City, deliberately revealed the tomb’s location, attracting various powers to search for treasure and awakening the Demon Emperor. Fortunately, the resurrected Demon Emperor was swiftly destroyed before any catastrophe could unfold. Otherwise, I would have been unable to bear the consequences.”

She turned to Chen Changsheng, her gaze full of gratitude. “Young Master Chen, rumor has it that the resurrected Demon Emperor was destroyed by a painting of yours. If that is true, then I am deeply indebted to you.”

“Destroyed by a painting of mine?” Chen Changsheng was mildly taken aback, then shook his head. “Sacred Empress, I fear the rumor is mistaken. I am but a mere mortal—how could a painting of mine destroy the resurrected Demon Emperor?”

The Sacred Empress paused, recalling Donggong Qianxue’s previous warning, and sighed. “It’s only what I’ve heard…”

In her heart, her respect for Chen Changsheng had already reached its peak. He destroyed the resurrected Demon Emperor with a single painting, yet now denied it, wishing only to live quietly as “a mere mortal.”

Such a state of mind was so lofty that even the Great Derivation Sovereigns of the Holy Domain could only look up to it with awe.