Inside the grand hall, the atmosphere suddenly turned strange and tense because of a single sentence from Chang Yuan.
If given enough time, Yang Kai could grow to match the heights of the Great Demon God — and those words only multiplied the sense of crisis in Meng Ge and Xue Li. Even the Demon Lord himself had admitted that was a height beyond his reach. If Yang Kai was truly allowed to grow, what then?
The Great Demon God had once swept across the world, invincible under heaven. This Yang Kai could do the same.
When that day came, every living being in existence would be at his mercy — to kill or to spare, as he willed.
The two Demon Generals couldn't help but entertain the dangerous thought of cutting Yang Kai down right here and now, before that day could ever arrive.
"Don't you dare!" Chang Yuan barked sharply. "I said I want to befriend Holy Lord Yang, so I speak my mind and hide nothing. If you two dare put on such a murderous display again, I'll cripple you both myself first!"
Meng Ge and Xue Li's expressions froze in shock. They never imagined Chang Yuan would actually berate them like this for Yang Kai's sake. Only then did they realize the Demon Lord's firm stance was no empty talk. They hastily lowered their heads and admitted their fault.
Chang Yuan nodded with satisfaction, then turned back to Yang Kai. "That said, don't get your hopes up too much, Holy Lord Yang. The Demon Territory is in my hands, and I have no intention of handing over such a vast expanse to a single human."
"I have no designs on the Demon Territory either."
"Good." Chang Yuan nodded, chuckling softly. "Actually, the safest thing for me to do would be to kill you and seize your Demon God's secret texts. But I know that even if I killed you, I couldn't obtain the Demon God's inheritance. That's something unique and irreplaceable. Since the Great Demon God chose you, he must have had his reasons. All demons are descendants of the Great Demon God, so I only ask that Holy Lord Yang not consider us enemies going forward. I swear on the name of the Great Demon God that I will not act against you — and you don't cause me any trouble either. How about it?"
Yang Kai was secretly moved.
No demon would dare swear casually in the name of the Great Demon God. Those three words carried immeasurable weight in the heart of every demon. Even the current Demon Lord was no exception.
Yang Kai deeply recognized Chang Yuan's sincerity, and his expression turned solemn as he nodded. "Deal."
Chang Yuan burst into hearty laughter, looking quite pleased. "Then it's settled. Holy Lord Yang may be young, but you're decisive — very much to my taste. Dealing with someone like you doesn't exhaust the mind."
"You're plenty straightforward yourself!"
"So we're friends now?" Chang Yuan asked with a smile, his eyes fixed on Yang Kai.
"At the very least, we're not enemies." Yang Kai smiled in return.
"Fair enough." Chang Yuan rose to his feet. "Then let's leave it at that for today. I should be going. If Holy Lord Yang has time in the future, please come visit the Demon Capital. First, so I can fulfill my duties as host, and second — I'm quite curious about the secrets the Great Demon God left behind. I'd love to borrow the Demon God's secret texts, if Holy Lord Yang is willing?"
"I'll come."
"Thank you! When you do come to the Demon Capital, give me advance notice. You'll have free passage through the Demon Territory — no one will lay a hand on you." Chang Yuan gave a slight nod, and with that, turned and headed straight for the exit.
"Li Rong, see our guests out!" Yang Kai instructed.
Li Rong immediately moved to escort Chang Yuan and the two Demon Generals out of the hall.
A short while later, she returned at a leisurely pace, standing alongside Han Fei as both women looked toward Yang Kai.
"Master, do you truly believe Chang Yuan's words?"
"What do you two think?" Yang Kai asked in return.
Li Rong thought about it carefully. "He does seem quite sincere. But we don't know him at all. We can't trust him completely."
"I feel the same way," Han Fei nodded.
"I actually think he's not a bad person." Yang Kai broke into a wide grin, causing both women to freeze.
Yang Kai was no child. If a few words from Chang Yuan could fool him, he wouldn't have survived to this day. When it came to Chang Yuan's attitude and words, Yang Kai clearly had his own deep considerations.
"So, should we go to the Demon Capital?"
"Go? Of course we'll go." Yang Kai nodded gravely.
But not because of Chang Yuan's invitation. He was equally curious about the secrets the Great Demon God had left behind. If his guess was correct, those secrets were definitely connected to what the Great Demon God's avatar had said within that strange space.
When they had brought back Meng Wuya and Senior Sister, the Great Demon God's avatar had also told Yang Kai to visit the Demon Capital when he had the chance — that once there, everything would become clear.
Yang Kai hadn't given it much thought at the time, but Chang Yuan's arrival today and his words had shown him an opportunity.
Because he had destroyed that place, all the Small Mystic Realms across the land had opened. The Great Demon God's avatar had said that place was the very heart of the entire continent — what earth-shattering secret lay hidden within? Yang Kai wouldn't be able to rest easy until he found out.
Lost in thought, a crowd of people surged into the hall from outside, led by Ling Taixu. They rushed over with concerned inquiries, asking whether the Demon Lord had harmed him.
Yang Kai laughed and shook his head, offering repeated reassurances.
Dozens of miles from the Lingxiao Pavilion, Chang Yuan flew through the air with Meng Ge and Xue Li, departing swiftly.
The two Demon Generals followed behind their Lord, exchanging glances. They racked their brains but simply couldn't understand why the Demon Lord hadn't taken this opportunity to kill that human, instead choosing to humble himself and befriend him.
Someone so terrifying should obviously be destroyed as early as possible, before he could grow strong enough to threaten the entire Demon Territory.