Chapter 0 87. The Tenth Demon Lord
Qin Gou’s mouth twitched, “To be able to reach this place, while not necessarily having the strongest cultivation, one must at least be favored by the Demon God and hold some standing. You two should understand the principle of not winning by ganging up on others.”
“You are seeking your own death,” Ren Zixun said with a cold expression, rubbing his hands together.
Di Zhu’s multiple arms flailed wildly, and he cackled, “Unless you officially answer our question, what divine artifact did you rely on to withstand the attack of that evil spirit?”
Upon mentioning the female evil spirit from a certain trial, both Di Zhu and Ren Zixun were filled with lingering fear. Even with all their might, they couldn’t shake her even slightly, only managing a hasty retreat and barely surviving until the trial ended.
Qin Gou smiled helplessly, “To be honest, I’m afraid you won’t believe me… I cheated. That evil spirit ignored me the entire time, instead engaging in a battle of wits with the air for half an hour.”
“You won’t believe it until you see it! You dare to insult the Selection Ceremony! You’re dead!” Ren Zixun’s eyes became sinister.
Di Zhu, however, stared intently at Qin Gou’s face with a strange expression, murmuring as if questioning his life, “Could it be… he’s really that handsome?”
“Idiot, if mere handsomeness were useful, our Demon Race Abyss would truly be finished!”
Seeing this, Qin Gou couldn’t help but sigh deeply. The Demon Race’s superstitious fear of the legendary Demon God was perhaps akin to Mo Qingxin’s influence on the citizens of the Hidden Female Country; their faith was ingrained in their souls from birth.
In that case, if one day someone could replace that so-called Demon God, wouldn’t that be… *cough*, forget it!
“How could I have such a crazy thought? It must be you, old pal, acting up again and deliberately influencing me!”
System: ???
…
“Strange, this time the Selection Space has recognized three people at once.”
“In the past, at most, two were chosen simultaneously to determine the final winner. This is the first time such a situation has occurred.”
“Did the Demon God’s sacred image issue a decree?”
“No.”
In the council hall of the Demon Lord’s Tower, the nine of them scrutinized the phantom images of Qin Gou and the others.
“Usually, when there’s no Demon God’s decree, and a decision needs to be made on a matter of great consequence, we vote. We can do the same this time,” Demon Lord Jia Ren said, lightly tucking a strand of her long hair behind her ear, her voice clear and melodious. “I naturally vote for Ren Zixun.”
Although Ren Zixun came from the Ren Clan family, she was not of the same lineage as Demon Lord Jia Ren. She saw no need to hide her personal preference.
Seeing this, Lu Changli’s expression turned cold. He absolutely refused to allow Ren Zixun to be chosen, fearing how the Wind and Snow Returnee clan might be suppressed otherwise.
“What do you think, Senior Yan?”
As soon as the words fell, everyone turned their reverent gazes towards the man occupying the main seat in the council hall, the one who only revealed a pair of sharp eyes.
This person was currently the foremost pillar demon lord of the Abyss. Both in terms of strength and the long tenure of his Demon Lord position, he was a senior to everyone present.
“Senior Yan, what’s wrong?”
Suddenly, someone noticed his peculiar gaze.
Yan Suoyun stared intently at the phantom images of the three people before him, specifically unable to tear his eyes away from Qin Gou.
“Lu Changli, you mentioned a few days ago that an outsider intruded into the Demon Lord’s Tower?”
“Yes, at that time, he took the form of Mo Ning’s husband, the Faceless Hermit Qin Yuan. However, his strength didn’t match at all, which is why I mistakenly took him for Brother Wusheng,” Lu Changli’s eyes flashed with a hint of ferocity.
“The Faceless Hermit…”
“Senior Yan, you don’t suspect it was this Qin Gou, do you? Impossible. At that time, I couldn’t see through that person’s cultivation, how could this junior be comparable?” Lu Changli chuckled and shook his head.
“What did you say to that guest at the time? And what did he do?” Yan Suoyun pressed.
“This…” Lu Changli hesitated.
Yan Suoyun’s gaze swept coldly across everyone’s faces and he said forcefully, “Transmit it to me privately.”
No one dared to meet his gaze.
“Yes,” Lu Changli finally cupped his fists respectfully.
A moment later, Yan Suoyun calmed his heart and took a deep breath. “Lu Zhili? Let this junior go meet those three. Then, whoever she chooses, that’s where my vote will go.”
Yan Suoyun’s vote carried immense weight, and other Demon Lords rarely dared to oppose him.
“What? How can this be?”
“Lu Zhili is currently a criminal!”
The most vehement opposition came from Demon Lord Jia Ren, while Lu Changli already had a look of ecstatic joy, as if he had struck gold.
“These three were recognized by the Selection Space simultaneously. Determining the final person through any method will not break the rules… And from this moment on, Lu Changli is strictly forbidden from issuing any commands to Lu Zhili that might influence her judgment.”
Yan Suoyun said icily, “Of course, this is just my opinion. If you all disagree, you can ignore it.”
“But even so, the newly promoted Tenth Pillar will naturally lean more towards Demon Lord Fanyin due to Lu Zhili’s connection!” Demon Lord Jia Ren expressed her displeasure.
Demon Lord Jia Ren’s expression was startled. Yan Suoyun chuckled and shook his head, then his eyes suddenly sharpened like a night owl’s, “I was just speaking. Do you dare to oppose me?”
Demon Lord Jia Ren trembled, gritted her teeth, and lowered her head.
Yan Suoyun’s deep eyes swept across the hall again… Little do they know, I am doing this to preserve all your lives!
…
“What? You want me to choose a Tower Guard? Why?” Lu Zhili was completely bewildered. Furthermore, she had been in the Demon Lord’s Tower for so long and had never encountered any Tower Guards.
“You don’t need to know,” Ying Wusheng said indifferently.
“Understood,” Lu Zhili could only nod with a bitter smile. Ever since she met Qin Gou, these past few days had felt like an eternity. She kept expecting Qin Gou to appear and whisk her away at any moment, but nothing happened.
Soon, Lu Zhili appeared with Ying Wusheng in a pure white space.
The three of them looked over together.
Qin Sheng?!
Lu Zhili’s eyes suddenly lit up with surprise. Could this also be part of Qin Gou’s plan? By becoming a Tower Guard, it would be easier to escape with her?
“Your final trial is to showcase all your advantages as much as possible, and the final choice rests with…” Ying Wusheng pointed at Lu Zhili, “…the Abyss Holy Queen.”
Qin Gou was very confused. Where did Lu Zhili get such authority? Was this another one of Luo Cangming’s doings?
Di Zhu also couldn’t figure it out, but he eagerly began introducing himself to highlight his advantages, “I am Di Zhu of the Eight-Armed Rakshasa clan, of the main bloodline. Although I am only at the mid-stage of the Dao Comprehension Realm, my talent in Spatial Mystic Arts surpasses that of my late ancestor, the Ripping Abyss Demon Lord!”
The coldness on Ren Zixun’s face melted away, and her tone became sincere, her smile as gentle as the wind. “Ren Zixun, of the Night Patrol Guard clan, early stage of the Dharma Aspect Realm, with the Yin Yan Duosha body! I may be from the Ren Clan, but I would never forget the Holy Queen’s great kindness! From today onwards, I will follow the Holy Queen’s lead!”
“Faceless Hermit Qin Gou, also mid-stage Dao Comprehension Realm.”
Before Qin Gou could finish his introduction, Di Zhu and Ren Zixun couldn’t help but reveal faint smiles. Both were in the Dao Comprehension Realm, but how could the Withered and dilapidated Faceless Hermit, who wasn’t adept at Spirit Arts, compare to the Eight-Armed Rakshasa clan?
“However…” Qin Gou smiled and looked at Lu Zhili, “I’m more handsome than both of them!”
“Shameless!”
“I’ll show you handsome!” Di Zhu finally lost his patience and punched towards Qin Gou’s face.
“It’s him,” Lu Zhili pointed at Qin Gou.
Di Zhu’s other arms instantly snapped the fist he had thrown, and he crouched down, a beaming smile on his face as if he had eaten honey. “Greetings, Tenth Demon Lord!”
