Chapter 0: The Disappearance
“Qin, what else do you want? If you take the Soul Grabbing Umbrella now and make it awaken, I can naturally make it recognize you as its master,” the Abyss Demon God said, his patience utterly exhausted by Ling Shan Hai’s and the effeminate voice’s undisguised mockery.
Qin Gou smiled warmly at this. “It’s very simple. Think carefully. Back then, were the valuable things you left behind, things that could move me, really only the Soul Grabbing Umbrella?”
“You…” The Abyss Demon God almost suspected that the two people opposite him were hired by Qin Gou.
“Alright, you can take your time to consider. I still need to invite the next guest,” Qin Gou said. He then closed the ancient scroll in his hand and motioned to Luo Wei Ban.
When Luo Wei Ban also summoned and unfurled an ancient scroll, Ling Shan Hai was stunned.
“Oh? It seems you really found the Soul Grabbing Umbrella,” the old demon’s voice echoed.
“What exactly is this…?” Ling Shan Hai asked, filled with doubt.
“The second Demon God I know,” Qin Gou said with a straight face.
“Are you even bothering to pretend anymore?” Ling Shan Hai and the old man exclaimed in disbelief. “What do you mean, the second Demon God? Can’t you be any more fake with this performance?”
Qin Gou ignored their comments and directly addressed the old demon. “Can you make the Soul Grabbing Umbrella recognize me as its master right now?”
“Soul Grabbing Umbrella…” The old demon tried to call out to it, but to his embarrassment, there was still no response.
“Are you going to keep acting?” Ling Shan Hai asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“Who are they?” the old demon inquired.
“A Lingbo Boat Master, and a soul body that calls itself the Abyss Demon God, currently attached to the Soul Grabbing Umbrella,” Qin Gou explained.
“What audacious gall,” the old demon boomed.
“Boy, do you want to die?” the effeminate voice retorted, equally unyielding.
“My Lord Demon God, please calm your anger!” Ling Shan Hai immediately said. He then looked towards Ren Ci not far away. “Did you come here today just to put on this farcical act in front of your father?”
“I thought if you cared for your reputation at all, you wouldn’t claim such a title,” Ren Ci said, her eyes like frost.
“It’s only natural. Why wouldn’t I? I am your biological father.” Ling Shan Hai stood with his hands behind his back, examining Ren Ci. “In fact, if it weren’t for you, I might overlook today’s events.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you truly believe you’re communicating with a real Demon God? I doubt it,” Ren Ci scoffed.
“Oh?” Ling Shan Hai’s lips curved into a playful smile. “This is truly interesting. It’s the first time I’ve known you to trust someone so much. I presume this Zhenyu Demon Lord and your Jia Ren clan have a deep connection.”
“Does that have anything to do with you?”
“I am your father.” Ling Shan Hai stated as a matter of course.
Ren Ci stated firmly, “You haven’t been for a long time.”
“Then why have you repeatedly tried to come to this Ancestral Land?” Ling Shan Hai asked in a deep voice.
Ren Ci chuckled somewhat. “Most of the Lingbo Boat Master’s Clan already follows my lead. Why wouldn’t I be able to come?”
“That’s because they are fools! They coveted your power and willingly became your dogs!” Ling Shan Hai’s tone grew sharper. “You are no longer of the Lingbo Boat Master’s Clan. You clearly only belong to the Ren Clan, and your heart has always been with the Ren Clan. Otherwise, why haven’t you accepted the Holy Pool’s baptism like other clan members?”
“You dare mention the Holy Pool to me? If the Holy Pool hadn’t rejected me, if it weren’t for those absurd clan rules, why would I have been expelled directly from the Lingbo Boat Master’s Clan back then?” Ren Ci’s voice was cold. “And now it seems that so-called Holy Pool was utterly wrong! The me it deemed unworthy of cultivation has, step by step, reached this point!”
Ling Shan Hai sighed deeply. “The Holy Pool would never make a mistake. It only proves that at the time, you indeed could only elicit such a judgment from it!”
“That is by no means an excuse for it to have killed so many young clan members,” Ren Ci shook her head decisively. “And if you still hold that belief now, then there is truly nothing more to say between us.”
“Aren’t you worried about the Demon God’s wrath?” Ling Shan Hai’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint hidden within them.
Ren Ci sneered. “If I kill him, then he won’t be able to blame me.”
“Who is that woman referring to?” the old demon asked through the ancient scroll, having overheard everything.
“Don’t worry about that for now. Can you handle the promise you made?” Qin Gou asked with a chuckle.
The old demon said disdainfully, “Leave these petty beings to Qin Gou for now. Get the Soul Grabbing Umbrella, and I will satisfy you.”
“So in the end, I’m still the one who has to make a move?”
“What?”
The old demon understood. “You want to make a new deal?”
“Who is it that can’t even command their own creation? Not having settled one matter, and you want me to work for free again?”
“Just say what you want!” the old demon said impatiently. “What will it take for you to act?”
“Bastard!” Suddenly, the effeminate voice erupted in anger. “I’ve been patient for half the day, Ling Shan Hai! This is all because I’m doing you a favor!”
“I also depend entirely on the Demon God’s favor!” Ling Shan Hai said quickly.
The effeminate voice remained furious. “But those two clowns on the stage have no respect for me! I’ve tolerated enough, and now nothing anyone says will matter!”
“My Lord Demon God, are you going to…?”
“Two arrogant rascals, die!”
Suddenly, those with keen divine senses present felt something incredibly fierce and formless attacking directly from the direction of the Soul Grabbing Umbrella.
In the blink of an eye, considering that Qin Gou was still negotiating with the old demon and it would disrupt his plan to make a move, Luo Wei Ban merely used her protective spiritual power to defend rather than attack. She turned the ancient scroll in her hand towards the formless entity, allowing the old demon to better feel its arrogant aura.
However, what no one present expected was:
“This is…” The effeminate voice suddenly cried out in surprise.
Then, there was only a deathly silence. The formless entity, crackling with killing intent, seemed to have directly entered the name shrouded in black mist on the ancient scroll, disappearing without a trace.
“What happened?” Luo Wei Ban asked, utterly confused.
“My Lord Demon God? My Lord Demon God!” Ling Shan Hai tried to call out, but there was no response. His face suddenly changed drastically. “What in the world is going on?!”
Then, Qin Gou noticed that, as expected, everyone present was looking intently at him, who appeared to be in control of everything.
