**Chapter 0.30: Demon Lords Gather**
“My courage?” Ren Ci asked, a look of confusion on her face.
Qin Gou then briefly explained that his innate talent allowed others to see the appearance of the person they feared the most, or the person who impacted them the deepest.
Upon hearing this, Ren Ci did not mind at all, pursed her lips, and smiled, “Isn’t that very normal? It shows that I possess far greater bravery than others.”
“What?”
“As the saying goes, knowing there’s a tiger in the mountain, one still heads for the mountain! To have inner reservations but absolutely not to flee excessively, that is true courage, isn’t it?” At this moment, the smile on Ren Ci’s lips remained unchanged, exuding full confidence.
However, in Qin Gou’s ears, “Merit points +10, +10, +10…”
Seeing that no one refuted, Ren Ci immediately put her hands behind her back, her eyes shining as she spoke eloquently, “For example, when a Demon God faces an ordinary cultivator, he naturally would not feel fear or panic, nor would a single ripple arise in his heart. But this absolutely cannot be called ‘courage.’ The divinely invincible are never brave! It is the mortals who face danger without fear with their flesh and blood that are most respectable!”
At the same time, “Merit points +100, +100, +100…”
Following this, she looked at Qin Gou, who, for some reason, had been looking at her with eyes as gentle as water since earlier, as if he were gazing at some rare treasure, and asked, “Fellow Daoist Qin, do you have any advice on my path of cultivation?”
“Of course, I believe… everything you say is correct!”
Qin Gou’s voice was exceptionally sincere, clearly touched, and he said, “I have always particularly admired you, Jia Ren, for this!”
At this very moment, the reason why his old pal seemed to be ‘going on a killing spree’ was probably because, although Ren Ci was engaged in lofty discourse, she was actually feeling very defeated and shaken internally, fearing that she couldn’t convince others.
In Qin Gou’s opinion, the reason for Ren Ci’s extraordinary personality was likely closely related to the past mistake of her soul intertwining with the infantile Xiao Su. Coupled with Ren Ci’s own meticulous nature, this amplified her emotional sensitivity far beyond that of ordinary people.
However, fortunately, on the surface, she rarely showed this side of herself. If Qin Gou hadn’t been for his old pal’s special care for Ren Ci, and their shared experience in the Illusory World Cloud Marsh, he might have had difficulty noticing it.
And once they became familiar, this outwardly cold but inwardly fluttering little ATM, ah, cough… little Ci, was quite cute.
…
The Divine Bridge Sanctuary.
“You must all be aware of the news regarding Mo Qingyang and his enemy breaking into the sanctuary together.”
Mo Qingyang looked at the crowd of Demon Lords from various ancient clans, clad in ceremonial robes, before him and said, “But what you don’t know is that Mo Qingyang, at the last moment, sacrificed his entire soul to awaken the long-dormant Divine Bridge consciousness! And that intruder has already been subdued by the Divine Bridge itself.”
“The Divine Bridge consciousness has awakened?”
Ren Ci exclaimed, “Senior Yan, is this true?”
Lu Changli, Ying Wusheng, Du You, Yan Xin, and the other Demon Lords all showed looks of surprise.
“Indeed, otherwise, why would I have summoned you all here today?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the doors behind Yan Suoyun opened wide, revealing a broken bridge shrouded in evil mist, black as ink. Waves of heart-palpitating, intangible pressure instantly spread out.
“When I observed the Divine Bridge last time, I did not feel such might.”
“Senior Yan, if the Divine Bridge has awakened, even if only temporarily, does this mean we might have another chance to successfully communicate with the Demon God?”
Yan Suoyun immediately nodded solemnly, “I was just about to try!”
Upon hearing this, the expressions of all the Demon Lords present became grave.
“Senior Yan, may I assist from the side?” Ren Ci interjected again.
Yan Suoyun gave Ren Ci a deep look, “The invocation of the Demon God’s will relies mainly on the power of the Divine Bridge, and does not require much from us. However, Jia Ren, you are indeed qualified to meet the Demon God at the same time as this seat!”
Following this, Yan Suoyun’s stern gaze swept over the other Demon Lords present and said solemnly, “Everyone, the prosperity of my Abyss Citizens may be found today. Please wait here for a moment. Once the Demon God is successfully invoked, the voice of the Divine Bridge consciousness will echo in your hearts.”
“Yes!” everyone replied immediately.
Seeing this, Yan Suoyun then stepped into the grand hall with Ren Ci. With a ‘boom,’ the massive doors shut heavily, leaving a crowd of Abyss Citizens with mixed feelings, silently staring at each other.
“Suo Yun, how long does the ritual to summon the Demon God usually take?”
At this moment, Qin Gou, who had already been inside the hall, emerged from the Divine Bridge’s evil mist.
Yan Suoyun tried to recall, “I remember back then, it could be as quick as the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, or as long as one or two hours, but ultimately, it always required a period of quiet waiting.”
Qin Gou nodded slightly, “If that’s the case, then to make the act complete, we can only make the people outside wait a bit longer. Divine Bridge, I noticed you were somewhat resistant to my plan before; why aren’t you flustered at all now?”
“I’ve thought it through.”
The Divine Bridge consciousness let out a dry laugh, “Regarding my participation in Fellow Daoist Qin’s plan… regardless of whether this matter goes smoothly, or even if any flaws are discovered, I will forever remain the Abyssal Divine Bridge, the only object that can communicate with the Demon God. They can’t destroy me no matter what!”
“What great apathy, what a great mindset!” Qin Gou chuckled and couldn’t help but praise, then looked at Yan and Ren, “During this time, we just wait like this? It’s too boring.”
Yan Suoyun immediately said without hesitation, “Senior Brother, want to play Arsonist? We have exactly three people.”
“What?” Qin Gou’s mouth twitched.
“What is Arsonist?” Ren Ci asked, completely bewildered.
“However, it’s not impossible. It’s just a way to pass the time,” Qin Gou said with a laugh.
Ren Ci became even more confused and quickly asked, “Why are you both so good at this? Am I the only one who doesn’t understand? No, I must learn it properly too!”
“Alright, but this game emphasizes accepting the consequences of gambling. I won’t offer any special treatment to Ren Ci just because you’re a beginner,” Qin Gou suddenly said with interest.
“Accepting the consequences of gambling? Don’t joke, I always keep my word! However… if I really lose, what do you want?”
“Don’t worry, it’s just to make you cooperate more during our deception of the other Demon Lords later.”
…
A moment later.
In the minds of the Demon Lords outside the hall, the voice of the Divine Bridge consciousness simultaneously echoed.
“Fanyin Demon Lord, enter the hall alone.”
Upon hearing this, and feeling the gazes of everyone present turn towards him, Lu Changli took a deep breath and walked into the hall.
The first thing that caught his eye was a tall, slender figure standing beside the Divine Bridge, completely covered in evil mist, their true appearance still unclear. Yan Suoyun stood beside him without uttering a word.
Lu Changli couldn’t help but wonder, could this be the will of the legendary Abyssal Demon God descending?!
But then, he suddenly noticed Ren Ci, who had entered the hall with Yan Suoyun earlier, and his expression instantly changed.
At this moment, this normally extremely powerful master of the Ren Clan was performing a gesture of extreme humility towards the figure in the evil mist, her entire body almost bowing to the ground with meticulous care.
Lu Changli had truly never seen this proud Demon Lord Jia Ren show such reverence towards anyone. Even when dealing with Senior Arid Prison, she had only offered a simple cupped fist salute.
She clearly had no reason to act so subserviently towards any cultivator, unless…!
At this moment, Lu Changli could no longer harbor any doubt in his heart.
But at the same time…
“If you play Arsonist with Senior Yan and Fellow Daoist Qin again, I’ll devour the entire Abyssal Divine Bridge!” Ren Ci pouted, her fair, lowered face filled with a sense of misery and frustration.
