Su Bai fell into pensive thought.

"I will come find you again tomorrow!"

He then hastily bid farewell to Jiang Guanshui.

Before leaving, he sent Longbo Hai and the Black Armored General a friendly glance.

The two men felt a tremor in their spirits. They immediately understood his intention and followed him out respectfully.

"Speak."

Su Bai’s gaze rested on Longbo Hai, a smile in his eyes.

Under that gaze, Longbo Hai felt his scalp tingle with apprehension.

His spirit tensed, and he forced himself to speak. "Since the Ninth Prince’s seal is already broken, there’s no harm in telling you about this, Great Venerable."

’Good!’

’He’s finally stopped talking in riddles!’

Su Bai looked at him, all ears.

Longbo Hai began to speak in a slow voice.

"The Ninth Prince is the son of the current Emperor Xia and Bining, a princess from the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox lineage."

"As you know, Great Venerable, the Human Race and the Demon Race have always been locked in an irreconcilable, generational feud."

"Therefore, when the Ninth Prince was born, there was no place for him among either the Demon Race or the Human Race."

"Princess Bining gave her life to save him."

"But both sides made a pact: the Ninth Prince must never leave his prison and can never be a free man."

"If that were all, it wouldn’t have been so bad. With his status as a Prince, he could have lived a carefree life in the depths of the prison."

"Unfortunately..."

At this, Longbo Hai sighed. "The Ninth Prince was later discovered to possess a special Nine-tailed Celestial Soul—the legendary Nine-tailed Celestial Mandate of the Fox Race!"

"A Fox Demon with this aptitude is destined to become the absolute ruler of the entire Fox Race."

"In other words, a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox!"

"When the Emperor learned of this, he obtained a sealing Magic Technique from the Elder Imperial Tutor and sealed the Nine-tailed Celestial Soul within the Ninth Prince."

"This has kept the Fox Race from discovering the Ninth Prince’s secret to this day."

"But now that the Ninth Prince has broken the seal himself, the Celestial Fox Lineage must have learned of his secret."

"That Fox Emperor will surely lead the forces of the Fox Race here to take the Ninth Prince away!"

When Longbo Hai finished, his expression darkened.

’If he were a full-blooded demon, with his Nine-tailed Celestial Mandate, the Fox Demon clan would have treated him with the respect due to an orthodox royal.’

’But the Ninth Prince is a Half-Demon. Even if he could become a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, he’d still be a Half-Demon!’

’Ultimately, he is imperfect!’

’He would never be acknowledged by the orthodox Fox Race!’

He guessed that the Fox Emperor’s true motive for taking the Ninth Prince was to force him to spend his life procreating endlessly.

’To be nothing more than an unfeeling breeding machine!’

’Until he could produce a pure-blooded Nine-tailed Fox Demon!’

’Then, the Fox Emperor would have that child succeed his throne!’

’And as for the Ninth Prince?’

’By then, who would care if he lived or died?’

’For a breeding tool that has outlived its usefulness, a merciless dismemberment would be the only fate awaiting him!’

After hearing Longbo Hai’s story, a flicker of movement crossed Su Bai’s eyes.

He then asked,

"Does the Fox Race have a Divine Platform Great Venerable?"

Longbo Hai froze for a moment, then replied in a low voice,

"Among the Fox Race, only the Fox Emperor is a Divine Platform Realm Great Venerable."

’Only one?’

’Then this is a sure thing!’

Su Bai stared at him and spoke nonchalantly.

"Go tell the Elder Imperial Tutor that the Ninth Prince and I are the closest of friends."

Longbo Hai was trying to decipher the meaning behind Su Bai’s words.

A moment later, just as he was about to speak,

he found that not a trace of Su Bai remained.

...

Having retracted his Divine Thought Incarnation, Su Bai was no longer too concerned about the Fox Race coming to raid the prison.

He had seen the memories of countless humans, demons, and members of the Demon Race.

From this, he deeply understood one thing.

In this world,

whether one spoke of justice or evil,

it was all the same.

Might makes right!

The Fox Emperor of the Fox Race was a veteran Divine Platform Realm Great Venerable.

And the Great Xia Elder Imperial Tutor was also a terrifying Great Venerable who had lived for hundreds of years.

In Su Bai’s eyes, even if there was a gap in their strength, they were certainly evenly matched.

Otherwise, when that scandal broke out years ago, the furious Fox Emperor would have likely attacked and annihilated Great Xia.

Since he didn’t attack, he must be wary of the Elder Imperial Tutor.

If Su Bai hadn’t stepped forward to say what he did,

the Great Xia Elder Imperial Tutor might have remained indifferent and not confronted the Fox Emperor.

But now that Su Bai had spoken, things were different.

In the eyes of the Elder Imperial Tutor,

the words of a Celestial Realm Divine Platform Great Venerable carried significant weight.

...

「Early the next morning.」

Paradise Hall, Great Xia Imperial City.

Paradise Hall was the premier den of indulgence in the Great Xia Imperial City.

Even during the last purge of the Demon Sect’s hidden agents, the officials of the Great Xia Dynasty hadn’t dared to investigate this place.

After all, throughout the history of the Xia Dynasty,

the allure of women has always been a major source of profit.

And this establishment was a cut far above the likes of the Baihua Pavilion or the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.

It offered every kind of diversion imaginable: beautiful women, handsome men, lovely fiends, charming demons, gorgeous ghosts...

As long as you had the money, Paradise Hall would do its utmost to fulfill any request.

Paradise! Utter paradise!

Ecstasy to the point of Ascension to Immortality! A place so enchanting, you would never want to leave!

This was a place of romance and decadence.

Yet Paradise Hall was situated in a remote corner of the Imperial City, housed within a vast mountain estate.

Its name was not widely known,

but its clientele was exclusively the rich and the noble.

Every morning, a procession of luxurious carriages would enter the estate.

Today was no exception.

A middle-aged driver respectfully lifted the curtain of a luxurious carriage.

From inside stepped a stern-faced, middle-aged man dressed in expensive robes.

Upon seeing him, a group of servants immediately rushed out from the estate to help him change his robes, wipe his boots, and attend to his every need.

Afterward, a voluptuous woman in a revealing robe approached him and said with a charming smile,

"Lord Feng!"

Her delicate voice alone was enough to send a shiver down one’s spine.

She was the epitome of charm.

"Mm."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and followed the beautiful lady into the estate.

A short while later, another carriage stopped at the gate.

Out stepped a powerfully built man. His figure was burly and his aura was astonishing, pressing down on the surroundings like a mountain.

The servants who rushed over trembled under his presence.

Another beautiful lady, this one moving with delicate steps, came forward to lead this man into the estate.

As these two men entered the estate,

two other figures emerged from a side hall, one walking in front of the other, and happened to pass by.

The man in the lead was handsome, dressed in a magnificent golden robe, and possessed an otherworldly air.

Following him was a stooped old servant in a black robe, a smile on his face.

The two walked to a secret chamber and came to a halt.

"Young Master! Of the two men who just passed, the first was Feng Wuya, the Vice Dean of the Xia Dynasty’s Celestial Craft Institute! He’s a man of high status and great power."

"The other is named Shi Tianlong! He is the Sect Master of the Guihai Sect, located within Great Xia, and an expert at the Third Level of the Spirit Transformation Realm."

"It’s said he also has ties to Rashomon..."

the black-robed old servant explained to the golden-robed youth beside him.

"Both of them are frequent patrons of Paradise Hall."

The golden-robed youth, seated on a jade chair, chuckled softly. "Have they both been given the Carefree Powder?"

"It is all taken care of, Young Master!"

The old servant hesitated before continuing, "However, Shi Tianlong is an expert at the Third Level of the Spirit Transformation Realm. I was afraid he might notice, so I halved the dose, intending to be more gradual."

"Then give the one named Feng a triple dose."

"Let him ’rest’ here in Paradise Hall for a few days."

"Then, you will make your move. Exterminate his entire household and deliver the bodies to the Prison Suppression Bureau."

"Saint Heir! This man is the Vice Dean of the Celestial Craft Institute! If we act so recklessly, we might alert our enemies!"

With no one else around, the old servant changed his form of address,

he reminded him with a solemn expression.

"It doesn’t matter."

The golden-robed youth sneered. "The Great Xia’s Prison Suppression Bureau, in league with the Demon-Slaying Bureau, managed to wipe out the many hidden agents my sect had in place."

"They even seized and executed the handmaidens I had yet to ’pluck’!"

"This hatred will not fade! My resentment lingers!"

"If I don’t take revenge, won’t I, the Demon Sect’s Saint Heir, become a laughingstock in the Demonic Lineage?"

As he spoke, the eyes of the Soul-devouring Demon Sect’s Demon Bone Saint Son turned pitch-black.

His voice was ice-cold as he said,

"They took a hundred of my people! So I will slaughter a thousand of theirs!"