Chapter 0: 19. Traitor
“Alright, I demand that you all go all out! This is for the glory of the Demon God and the bottom line of dignity for my Abyss Citizens! And, you absolutely must not let that damned Abyss traitor, who caused this master to be in such a tragic state, escape!” The Divine Bridge Consciousness’s voice was resolute and filled with killing intent. If it had a humanoid form, it would surely be grinding its teeth and in a furious rage at this moment.
“Who are you calling a traitor?” Yan Suoyun’s pupils narrowed, a cold glint hidden in his eyes. The way he addressed the Divine Bridge Consciousness also subtly changed.
Distracted and vexed, the Divine Bridge Consciousness didn’t notice Yan Suoyun’s subtle emotional shift. Instead, it suddenly emitted a spiritual energy wave towards Mo Qingyang not far away, giving its answer… As for whether Mo Qingyang was truly a traitor, it was no longer important. In the Divine Bridge Consciousness’s eyes, just the fact that this guy managed to attract Qin Gou, that plague god, back to him was enough reason for him to die a hundred times over.
“Oh? So you were talking about him? I almost thought Your Excellency Divine Bridge was subtly implying that I, Yan Suoyun, am a traitor. After all, that would be a grave mistake. From beginning to end, I have always remembered who saved my life, who treated me as a brother with shared courage, and who remained loyal to my two benefactors until death!”
Yan Suoyun suddenly let out a hearty laugh, as if for the first time in years, he was opening his heart and revealing all his true thoughts. Naturally, this made his mood incredibly bright.
Even more crucially, these words of his were no longer a secret transmission with the Divine Bridge Consciousness alone. He spoke them directly, so everyone present could hear clearly.
“You…”
The broken bridge, entirely black, trembled violently.
Immediately after, Yan Suoyun said to Qin Gou, “Benefactor, rest assured, Suoyun has waited too long for this day and is fully prepared. This Divine Bridge Consciousness, apart from me, cannot transmit even a single piece of news to anyone else in the outside world in a short time!”
“Benefactor?”
Qin Gou was utterly bewildered.
He remembered very clearly that when he had just achieved the position of Ten Pillar Demon Lord, Yan Suoyun had shown him special attention. But just as Qin Gou was about to develop a good impression of him, he heard from Duyou Demon Lord, who was very close to Yan Suoyun, that Yan Suoyun’s actions had no special reason; he was purely greatly appreciative of Celestial Master’s exceptionally fine appearance…
From then on, Qin Gou firmly believed that Yan Suoyun must be a pervert.
But at this moment, Yan Suoyun’s address of “Benefactor,” along with his sincerely earnest gaze, made Qin Gou suddenly realize that he had had some contact with Black Robe, who hadn’t even participated in the Demon Lord Selection? How was that possible? Could there be another hidden reason behind it?!
“Yan Suoyun, what exactly do you mean?!” The Divine Bridge Consciousness roared furiously, reprimanding him.
Qin Gou immediately pricked up his ears, as this was also a question he wanted to ask.
“What do I mean? It seems you still haven’t figured it out. Back then, how did the Saint Monarch and Senior Brother manage to pass through the endless killing formation outside unscathed?” Yan Suoyun clenched his fists firmly, his eyes filled with reminiscence. “At that time, although I was not strong enough to fight head-on with that so-called Demon God, I still did my best for my Esteemed Master and Senior Brother!”
“It was you! It turns out you, Yan Suoyun, are the damned traitor that my myriad of Abyss Citizens hate the most!” For a moment, the Divine Bridge Consciousness roared with murderous intent, and the entire grand hall shook.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Yan Suoyun snorted coldly, unmoved. “Who can represent the Abyss Citizens? Is it you, a so-called sacred artifact that never leaves its dwelling, or the Demon God in the heavens? We have different paths and cannot seek the same goals. If, at that moment, I, Yan Suoyun, had only cared for my own safety and watched my Esteemed Master and revered Older Brother be slaughtered by that incomparably brutal Mad Demon without intervening, then I would truly be a traitor!”
“What would be the meaning of my cultivation path then? I, Yan Suoyun, became a Demon Lord precisely for the Abyss Citizens and all those I cherish, not to be a soulless guard dog that bites wherever the Abyss Demon God points! Even now, it seems that that ever-lofty divine being is not insurmountable?!”
Yan Suoyun’s tone was filled with unwavering determination, and he had not felt even a shred of regret for the life-risking choice he made back then.
At the same time, after hearing these words, Qin Gou, who finally began to have a new and correct understanding of this Arid Prison Demon Lord, couldn’t help but genuinely sigh. Just as he had always suspected, the victory in slaying the Divine Bridge and breaking the Demon God’s control over the Abyss back then was not solely the credit of him and Nine Saint Monarch. It was the combined strength of many people, such as Luo Cangming, White Tiger Primordial Lord Jing Liyu, and the Yan Suoyun before him.
“This is absurd!” The moment he remembered that Yan Suoyun was one of the mortal enemies who caused his current plight, the Divine Bridge Consciousness was filled with immense resentment. “You, Yan Suoyun, as an Abyss bloodline, dare to betray the supreme Demon God who rules everything! You will pay the most terrifying price in this world!”
“Is that so?”
Yan Suoyun shook his head with a wry smile. “Not to mention that I had no regrets when I made my decision back then, but from your earlier contact with me through the Demon Lord’s Tower, you should have been able to deduce that I am still one of the Ten Pillars of the Abyss, right?”
“What do you want to say?”
Yan Suoyun continued with a smile. “As for Ming Feng, Xuan E, and others whom the Divine Bridge just mentioned, they are indeed incredibly devout believers of the Demon God. Even if they were ordered to slaughter their own clans, they probably wouldn’t dare to hesitate.”
“Where are they now?!”
“They are all in the box,” Yan Suoyun’s voice grew colder. “As I said before, Divine Bridge, please be at ease, because today, you will soon be reunited with them.”
“You…” The Divine Bridge Consciousness fell silent for a moment, then suddenly, as if doused with ice water, it calmly said, “But are you all truly confident in completely obliterating me? And what is the meaning of doing so? Do you, Yan Suoyun, have a grudge against me? If not, isn’t there a more perfect solution to this matter?”
“What?”
The Divine Bridge Consciousness said without hesitation, “I simply want to state a fact. Everyone, think carefully. As a mere artifact spirit, now that I have lost the ability to communicate with the upper realm, as long as I successfully find a new master and those untrustworthy people are dealt with, what does it matter if my surname is ‘Demon’ or ‘Qin’ from now on?!”
At the same time, Mo Qingyang suddenly took several steps back with a look of dread, deeply feeling that his simple existence was clearly disturbing the true role models of the Demon Race and exemplars of scoundrels present.
