The Demon Lord Is Brainless

"Hmm?"

Chen Qingqing's words made Chen Chang'an frown. "You know him?" he asked in surprise.

"We've never met, but I know of the Demon Lord."

"This person... how should I describe him?"

Chen Qingqing seemed momentarily at a loss for words to characterize the Demon Lord.

After hesitating, she finally continued, "It's hard to explain, but it seems he's received too many soul sacrifices from his demon kin."

"Though his soul is immensely powerful, there's backlash."

"His backlash manifests as impulsiveness, rage, and recklessness."

"All his actions are brute force—mindless attacks, slaughter, and plunder."

"This kind of slow, methodical scheming doesn't match his usual behavior."

"He lacks the patience for it."

"If it were the Demon Lord, he'd wait until he had absolute power before charging straight into the Ancient Immortal Realm, not setting up so many small moves in advance."

"He doesn't have the brains for that."

The Demon Lord... is brainless?

Seeing Da Huang and Little Earthworm nodding in agreement beside him, Chen Chang'an also felt something was off.

Could it be that the Demon Lord now has a strategist advising him?

"Big brother, what do we do now?"

"Capture them and interrogate them?"

"Find out where the demons are infiltrating?" Da Huang asked.

Interrogate?

If Chen Chang'an had never dealt with demons before, he might have considered it. But after his past encounters, he knew interrogation would yield nothing.

Moreover... demons have no souls, making soul-searching techniques useless.

"There are likely more than just these two demons in the Sky Abyss Domain."

"It seems we can't act against these two yet," Chen Chang'an said with a frown.

Ideally, Chen Chang'an would prefer a swift resolution, eliminating all demons in the Sky Abyss Domain.

But the current situation was complicated—the demons were deeply hidden, and it was unclear how many humans had already defected to their side.

"It looks like we'll have to visit the Yongyang Immortal Dynasty."

"Isn't that woman joining the royal family?"

"By then, plenty of suspicious targets will likely surface."

"We can follow the trail and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Since we're already involved, we can't just ignore this."

Chen Chang'an wasn't some pure-hearted saint, nor did he see himself as a savior.

But when certain things crossed his path, he had to act—that was just his nature.

Turning a blind eye would leave him unable to live with himself.

"Qingqing, let's split up this time."

"I'll take Da Huang and the others to the Yongyang Immortal Dynasty. You follow that man and see who he meets and what he does."

"Can you handle that?" Chen Chang'an asked Chen Qingqing.

"No problem."

"Leave it to me."

"Good. We'll regroup in the Yongyang Immortal Dynasty."

"Agreed."

Chen Chang'an and Chen Qingqing went their separate ways—Chen Qingqing tailing the man while Chen Chang'an headed straight for the capital of the Yongyang Immortal Dynasty.

"Prince Qi's estate?"

"That woman is from Prince Qi's household?"

Chen Chang'an hadn't expected the woman to be connected to Prince Qi's estate in the Yongyang capital.

However, Chen Chang'an knew next to nothing about the Yongyang Immortal Dynasty, let alone who Prince Qi was.

Still, owning such an expansive estate in the capital suggested his status was far from ordinary.

Since it was late at night, gathering information wouldn't be easy. Chen Chang'an settled into an inn to rest.

The next morning, he went to a tavern, ordered food and wine, and waited quietly for rumors to come to him.

"Young man, your bearing is extraordinary—you must be no ordinary person."

"Are you here for the royal wedding?"

Taverns were gathering places for all walks of life, and these people loved discussing the hottest topics.

Before Chen Chang'an could overhear any conversations, an elderly man approached him.

Chen Chang'an sized him up—the man was ancient, with barely any teeth left.

Yet his eyes were sharp and lively, and though his wrinkled face creased when he smiled, it wasn't off-putting.

"Elder, I'm no guest."

"I'm just passing through."

"Is the royal family holding a wedding?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.

Seeing Chen Chang'an respond, the old man promptly sat down uninvited, helping himself to the food and pouring a cup of wine.

"Ah!"

"Now that's strong liquor!"

Chen Chang'an chuckled at the old man's antics but didn't mind.

"Let me tell you, this royal wedding has caused quite a stir."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"The Yongyang royal family is marrying the Princess from Prince Qi's estate."

The Princess from Prince Qi's estate? So that was the woman's identity.

"You're not from Yongyang, so you wouldn't know about Prince Qi's background, would you?" the old man asked.

"No. Is Prince Qi part of the royal family?"

"Not at all."

"Prince Qi is the sworn brother of the current emperor."

"Speaking of Prince Qi, he's a legendary figure—his cultivation is at the peak of the Immortal Venerable realm."

Peak Immortal Venerable?

Though both were immortal dynasties, the power gap was staggering. The strongest expert Chen Chang'an had met in the Holy Origin Immortal Dynasty was only at the Immortal Monarch realm.

Yet here in Yongyang, a mere prince was at the peak of Immortal Venerable?

Did that mean the royal family had an Immortal Emperor?

No wonder the demons were targeting the Sky Abyss Domain. Controlling it would mean controlling an Immortal Emperor-level powerhouse.

And it was still unclear whether Yongyang had just one Immortal Emperor or more.

Noticing Chen Chang'an's attentive gaze, the old man continued, "Prince Qi had his daughter late in life, so he dotes on her endlessly."

"But about a year ago, the Princess suddenly... changed, as if she were a different person."

"And for some reason, she caught the favor of the current emperor, who decided to marry her and make her empress."

"This decision shocked many, and there was no shortage of opposition."

"Even with Prince Qi's immense prestige, the royal family strongly objected."

"Rumor has it Prince Qi himself isn't happy about the marriage either."

"But the emperor is dead set on it, and no one can dissuade him."

"Especially since the current empress is still alive."

"And her background is no small matter—she's the daughter of the Master of Heavenly Sword Sect."

"Do you know of the Heavenly Sword Sect?" the old man asked.

Know it?

Know nothing! I just got here—I don't know squat!

"Never mind, you clearly don't."

"The Heavenly Sword Sect's influence is second only to the Yongyang Immortal Dynasty. Its master is also an Immortal Emperor."

"Tell me, how could this not cause an uproar?"

The Heavenly Abyss Domain truly has no shortage of Immortal Emperor-level powerhouses...

"So, how has the Heavenly Sword Pavilion responded?"

"It's strange—there's been no reaction at all."

No reaction?

That... is indeed peculiar!