Du Mu Zhou, the master of the Supreme Tower, appeared to be a child, but in reality, he was an ancient being who had lived for countless years. Despite his youthful appearance, he despised being called names like "little brat" to his face, which would inevitably result in a beating.
In the past, many titled Heavenly Demons who didn’t know better would see Du Mu Zhou and say, "What is this little brat doing here? This isn’t a place for kids."
The outcome was always disastrous.
So, whenever Du Mu Zhou appeared, others tended to keep their mouths shut.
"The past is behind me. Now, I have returned from hell, no longer a Demon Prince, but a titled Heavenly Demon," Su Luo declared.
"Alright, alright. I’ve heard a bit about you. You’ve made quite a name for yourself in the Heavenly Demon Sect," Du Mu Zhou said as he hopped onto a tall chair and sat down to chat leisurely with Su Luo.
"I don’t care."
Su Luo likely referred to his failures during his time as one of the Seven Demon Princes, during which he had accomplished nothing of value for the Heavenly Demon Sect.
"Can you return Yin Youming’s belongings to him?"
Having lost his innate Netherfire, Yin Youming’s strength had significantly diminished.
"Oh, did he ask you to do this? How embarrassing. I thought he’d come himself."
"Not really. I just mentioned it casually. Are you refusing?"
"Yes, I refuse. Tell him to come get it himself."
"Good, I like your attitude."
But sometimes, admiration doesn’t imply goodwill.
With a flick of his finger, Du Mu Zhou sent a droplet of water flying toward Su Luo.
Su Luo smirked, allowing the droplet to hit his shoulder. However, it felt like an ordinary splash of water, causing no harm.
"You’ve passed."
Du Mu Zhou maintained a calm expression and smiled, but inwardly, he was shocked. That droplet was far from ordinary. It contained immense power, and under normal circumstances, it would have exploded upon impact, unleashing a massive wave.
Yet Su Luo had neutralized it effortlessly. Impressive indeed.
"Glad I passed. I’m here to receive a mission—the one concerning Lin Xuan," Su Luo got straight to the point.
"You’re quite well-informed. Fine, I’ll count you in."
Du Mu Zhou tossed a piece of paper to Su Luo, detailing the mission’s specifics, including basic intelligence and the timing of the operation.
Su Luo took it, turned, and left without bothering to read it. He was already familiar with the contents.
He was here simply to follow the plot and receive the mission—his first as a titled Heavenly Demon.
It was the next step in his quest for revenge against Lin Xuan.
After returning, Su Luo opened his diary.
【Time to act again. This time, it’s about hunting down Lin Xuan.】
【Yes, that’s the spirit. Finally, a chance to pursue Lin Xuan, though it’s likely another case of early triumph followed by tragedy.】
【Lin Xuan is heading north to the Emperor Heaven Sect. Recently, Di Haoao received a message from the sect, recalling its disciples to prepare for a full-scale response to the beast army.】
【The situation is dire, as described in the message. Without hesitation, Di Haoao gathered his people and returned.】
【The reason? The beast army’s strength had suddenly surged, as if they had gained power from an unknown source. In just two days, they breached the Emperor Heaven Sect’s northern defense line, the North Heavenly Gate.】
【The North Heavenly Gate had stood for centuries, never once breached since its establishment.】
【This naturally caused alarm. The Emperor Heaven Sect needed to strike back and push the beast army beyond the North Heavenly Gate.】
【Otherwise, the beast army would have free rein to advance, leading to even greater losses and endless consequences.】
【However, to everyone’s surprise, the beast army was unusually powerful this time. The Emperor Heaven Sect’s repeated offensives ended in failure.】
【If this continued, the situation would worsen. The beast army was also gathering at the North Heavenly Gate. If they consolidated their position, reclaiming it would become nearly impossible.】
【With no other choice, the Emperor Heaven Sect recalled its disciples for one final push.】
【But it was futile. At the critical moment, the beast army’s strength surged again, successfully repelling the Emperor Heaven Sect’s assault.】
【The situation was indeed grave. It wasn’t an illusion—the beast army was growing stronger.】
【In desperation, the Emperor Heaven Sect began recruiting help from the entire cultivation world, especially from the South Continent. The North Continent only had the Emperor Heaven Sect, and they had already mobilized all available forces.】
【This was why Lin Xuan was heading north, along with many others from the South Continent, though their routes differed.】
【The beast army’s threat concerned all of humanity. If they continued to expand in the north, it wouldn’t be long before the South Continent suffered as well.】
【However, this had little to do with the Heavenly Demon Sect. The sect never considered itself part of humanity, focusing only on its own agenda—often with a desire to disrupt society, especially under the leadership of the Left Envoy, who had taken this tradition to new heights.】
【Thus, the Heavenly Demon Sect’s role was to ambush those heading north, aiming to cause trouble at this critical moment and remind everyone of the sect’s infamous reputation.】
【As for me, I naturally participated, targeting Lin Xuan specifically.】
【At the border between the northern and southern cultivation realms, over a dozen titled Heavenly Demons ambushed the Seven Stars Sword Sect’s group, forcing Lin Xuan to flee alone.】
【I then led a few titled Heavenly Demons in pursuit of Lin Xuan. With such a lineup, Lin Xuan once again felt the threat of death.】
【He fled all the way to the North Continent, entering in a state of utter disarray—a terrible start.】
【But Lin Xuan wasn’t one to be easily defeated. Not only did he escape, but he also uncovered a secret of the beast army.】
【A totem altar.】
【The area was filled with the bones of countless beasts, seemingly accumulated over a long period.】
【This eerie place naturally drew Lin Xuan’s attention, and he began investigating.】
【To his surprise, he discovered something crucial. It was as if fate had guided him there.】
【The totem altar was the source of the beast army’s sudden surge in power.】
【Long ago, the beast army had begun planning these altars, sending their dying members to contribute their power to the totems, storing it for future use.】
【By now, the accumulated power was immense.】
【The totem altar emitted a mysterious energy, with no distance limitations. As long as the altar existed, the beast army could draw power from it, though the closer they were, the stronger the effect.】
【According to the information, there were multiple totems, all secretly built by the beast army in hidden locations.】
【Not many—just about fifty.】
【With these totems in play, the beast army had finally breached the North Heavenly Gate.】
【They had waited and prepared for this day for a long time.】
【Having discovered this, Lin Xuan couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing.】