Late at night.
The labor camp area was silent.
After a full day of exhausting toil, the laborers collapsed into sleep the moment they touched their beds.
Ye Danxia was no exception. Not only had she fallen into a deep slumber, but she even started snoring from sheer fatigue.
Yang Yun opened his eyes.
He glanced at Ye Danxia beside him. A flash of disdain crossed his gaze.
They had been forced into days of nonstop manual labor. Ye Danxia's cultivation had never been particularly high, and all her spiritual energy had been spent on clearing land. Over time, her once fair skin had turned nearly black from sun exposure.
The skin on her hands had started to peel. What used to be soft, delicate palms were now covered in calluses. A woman like this—he wouldn't have spared her a glance in the past.
Now, he had no choice but to share a room with her.
Fortunately, she still had one redeeming trait: her Heavenly Spiritual Roots.
The Heavenly Spiritual Roots was indeed the strongest spiritual root. It naturally contained immense latent energy. Typically, this energy could only be drawn out gradually through cultivation and slowly absorbed. That was why cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots advanced so much faster than ordinary cultivators.
However—
Yang Yun possessed a secret technique. A forbidden method that allowed him to forcibly seize the energy stored within spiritual roots and claim it for himself. This was how he could rapidly recover his cultivation. But those whose spiritual roots were plundered by this method would gradually grow mediocre, until eventually, they were left without any talent at all.
Until now, Yang Yun hadn't used this method on Ye Danxia. Partly due to an inexplicable fondness, but also because she had been bringing him spirit herbs to aid his recovery. If he had other ways to regain his power, there was no need to destroy a potentially useful asset.
After all, should her Heavenly Spiritual Roots fully develop, she could have proven valuable in the future.
But that was then.
Now?
Things were different.
He, a dignified Demon Sovereign, had been reduced to a lowly laborer, forced to toil day and night among filth. Any strength he managed to cultivate was immediately depleted, never enough to accumulate, let alone restore his former might.
Given that, he turned his attention toward Ye Danxia.
It was her blunder that had landed him in this miserable situation in the first place.
That being the case—
She owed him compensation.
Using her spiritual root to help him recover his strength? That was only fair.
For the past several nights, Yang Yun had been drawing the power from Ye Danxia's Heavenly Spiritual Roots. Ye Danxia herself was completely unaware. Her root had already been drained nearly hollow.
Once she resumed cultivation, she would find—
The rapid progress she once enjoyed would never return.
Her talent now, compared even to a mere mortal, was barely better.
Sitting cross-legged, Yang Yun absorbed energy for a while longer, then opened his eyes with a frown of disgust.
"Useless trash."
He could barely draw anything this time.
Ye Danxia's Heavenly Spiritual Roots had only managed to restore him to the Divine Transformation stage.
That level of cultivation was a far cry from his former self.
But under the current circumstances, it wasn't bad.
Yang Yun began to contemplate.
Ye Danxia was now worthless. It was time to move on.
Now that he had quietly reached the Divine Transformation stage, this labor camp was no prison to him. If not for the need to siphon her spiritual root and his desire to avoid alerting anyone, he would've left long ago.
Now—
He truly could leave.
A few days prior—
He had already reconnected with some of his most loyal followers. With them at his side, his return to power would be smooth and inevitable.
As for Ye Danxia? She was just a cripple now. A Demon Sovereign had no use for broken tools.
Let her rot.
Yang Yun gave her one last contemptuous glance, then turned and left without a sound. He slipped out of the labor camp without disturbance and made his way to He Shan. There, his loyal subordinates were already waiting.
When they saw Yang Yun, a black-clad figure stepped forward respectfully.
"Your Majesty."
Yang Yun gave a calm nod.
He never trusted loyalty.
Every one of his followers had been branded with the same restriction spell as Ye Danxia.
Even with his strength diminished—
If he died, so would they.
With a single thought, he could plunge them into unending agony.
Only this kind of leash gave Yang Yun true peace of mind.
Forget hollow promises of allegiance. Threats to one's life were far more effective.
"Let's go," Yang Yun said coolly.
Just as he was about to leave—
The black-clad man hesitated slightly, as if he had something to say.
Yang Yun frowned. "What is it?"
"Your Majesty, there's been some unusual activity these past two days. It involves the Tianxing Sect's sect master, Zhao Wuji. I wasn't sure if I should report it."
The black-clad man spoke respectfully.
Unusual activity?
And it involved Zhao Wuji?
Yang Yun narrowed his eyes. "Speak."
Now that he was free to move, he didn't mind wasting a few more moments.
The man lowered his voice.
"Years ago, you sent one of your underlings, Xue Daoren, to this region. Do you still remember?"
Yang Yun nodded.
That much he remembered.
To expand the Demon race's influence, he had sent many to operate in secret across the human realms.
They used power to seduce mortals and lure them into the demonic path. Over the years, the plan had gone well. Various sects and cults rooted in dark arts had sprouted across the land. Once he gave the order, these hidden forces could unite under his command.
However, Xue Daoren had only been of average capability, so Yang Yun had assigned him to a remote region like Canglan Kingdom.
Far from the center of power, it attracted less attention—though it also lacked resources. Yang Yun hadn't paid the matter much mind after sending him.
And yet—
It seemed Xue Daoren had actually made progress?
The black-clad man continued in a low voice.
"Canglan Kingdom is remote. After arriving, Xue Daoren founded a sect called Blood Dao Sect. Using secret techniques of the Blood Art, he attracted a number of human cultivators and formed a loyal following. In recent years, Blood Dao Sect has grown rapidly. He's already unified all the heretical factions in Canglan and is now quietly expanding his influence throughout the kingdom. His next move is to seize control of the capital and take over the entire nation."
Yang Yun narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.
The plan was bold.
But not without risk.
Canglan might be isolated, but it was still a major kingdom. Within its borders stood a powerful sect—Yuehua Sect.
If Xue Daoren made a move on the capital, even if successful, he would surely draw the attention of the entire Demon-Slaying Alliance.
When it came down to it—
The Demon race was still under heavy suppression by the human cultivators. Covert operations were one thing. But seizing a whole kingdom outright? That was suicide. The slightest slip would trigger disaster.
"Your Majesty," the black-clad man said, lowering his voice even further. "Xue Daoren dared make such an audacious plan because he came into possession of a certain treasure."
Yang Yun raised a brow, his tone casual. "What treasure?"
He wasn't expecting much.
In his mind, someone like Xue Daoren had no chance of acquiring anything truly valuable.