Meeting the Demon Lord

After returning to the Heavenly Demon Sect, Su Luo was stopped.

"What is it?"

The one who stopped Su Luo was Yin Youming.

In this life, Su Luo wouldn't scream in agony for him; if Yin Youming dared to provoke him, Su Luo would eliminate him.

Yin Youming, who found no interest in the silent Su Luo, simply said, "The Left Envoy is looking for you."

"Looking for me?"

"Not just you; all the Heavenly Demon Seven are being summoned."

"What is the matter?"

"That, I don't know. You'll find out when you go." After that, Yin Youming disappeared.

Su Luo thought for a moment, puzzled. The Left Envoy wouldn't be looking for him at this time.

Could it be that the previous lightning strike was still too ostentatious?

No need to rush; it's best to wait and see.

Arriving at the Heavenly Demon Palace, the other seven members were already present, and Su Luo was the last to arrive.

Even Situ Ye, who was injured, was there, though he had no mood to challenge Su Luo now. His injuries and defeat by Lin Xuan had left him in low spirits.

However, being in the Heavenly Demon Palace lifted his mood a bit.

"Do you know why the Left Envoy has summoned us?" Xu Wuliang asked.

The other seven members shook their heads, even Qing Bukuang didn't know.

Soon, the Left Envoy appeared.

The murmuring seven members immediately fell silent.

The Left Envoy got straight to the point, "You must be curious why I called you here. It's because the Demon Lord wants to see you."

What!

The Demon Lord!

The seven members were astonished, as it was extremely rare to even catch a glimpse of the Demon Lord.

Instantly, they became excited, though unsure of the reason. But merely being in the presence of the Demon Lord was the greatest honor.

Su Luo, on the surface, joined the others in showing surprise, but inwardly, he was puzzled. Why would the Demon Lord want to see them? By rights, this shouldn't be happening.

At this stage, the Heavenly Demon Seven were too weak to be of any assistance to the Demon Lord.

At least, they needed to reach the status of a titled Heavenly Demon to have a chance of meeting the Demon Lord and receiving tasks from him.

Moreover, later on, some so-called Demon Lord missions were often fake, issued by the Left Envoy or others, as the Demon Lord had been reduced to a figurehead.

Using the Demon Lord's name was a convenient way to command a group of powerful fanatics to achieve one's goals.

While Su Luo was pondering, a wave of pressure suddenly enveloped the entire palace, then disappeared. Had it lingered for even a second more, some of the seven members might have fainted on the spot.

The Demon Lord, Jiang Ningshu, emerged.

He took his seat on the throne in the center of the palace, gazing down at the seven members.

The Left Envoy stepped aside, though inwardly he looked down on the current Demon Lord. Nonetheless, outwardly, he maintained the proper decorum.

For a moment, the palace was pin-drop silent.

The Demon Lord's gaze swept over the seven members.

Each of them straightened up, showing their best selves.

Su Luo, however, was rather casual.

Jiang Ningshu wanted to linger his gaze on Su Luo longer, to fully examine this person who kept a diary.

But he couldn't; such a gesture would draw the Left Envoy's attention.

Every move Jiang Ningshu made was under the Left Envoy's watchful eyes. Showing too much interest in Su Luo might lead the Left Envoy to focus on him.

While the Left Envoy might not necessarily harm Su Luo, one couldn't be too cautious, especially since Su Luo was crucial for Jiang Ningshu's recovery.

Ever since discovering through the diary that the Left Envoy harbored ambitions to be the Demon Lord, Jiang Ningshu understood.

The reason he had no confidants wasn't solely his fault.

Recalling how he had once shown interest in certain individuals, hoping they would grow and serve the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Then, after some time, those individuals ended up dead or crippled.

Now Jiang Ningshu realized it must have been the Left Envoy's doing, though there was no evidence.

Back then, Jiang Ningshu was powerful enough to dismiss such occurrences as accidents.

Therefore, he couldn't afford to show special interest in any one person.

However, showing interest in all seven members was acceptable. The seven of them were not only powerful but also had strong supporters behind them. The Left Envoy couldn't possibly eliminate all of them.

But he couldn't reveal any special attention towards Su Luo. As far as Jiang Ningshu knew, Su Luo didn't seem to have any strong supporters behind him.

Su Luo's rise within the Heavenly Demon Sect had been entirely due to his own meager Golden Core strength.

Such a person would be easily eliminated by the Left Envoy.

Jiang Ningshu spoke, "There's no need to be nervous. I merely wanted to meet you. It's been a long time since I've paid attention to the Heavenly Demon Seven, so today I decided to take a look."

"To receive the Demon Lord's attention is my honor," Situ Ye respectfully replied.

"It is our good fortune to have been in your presence today," Cui Baiquan added.

"The Demon Lord, I've always aspired to be like you," Qing Bukuang exclaimed enthusiastically.

...

"Indeed, indeed," Su Luo chimed in.

Jiang Ningshu nodded and continued, "Each of you, show me your skills."

"Understood."

There was no hesitation in following the Demon Lord's command.

The seven members then showcased their signature techniques.

Su Luo simply demonstrated the Hellfire of the Underworld.

The Demon Lord watched the entire display with a blank expression, offering neither praise nor criticism.

Finally, he spoke, "This is for you. I hope you grow stronger."

What he gave each of the seven members was the same treasure, without distinction.

Receiving a gift from the Demon Lord naturally brought joy, but they were more eager to hear any instructions the Demon Lord might have.

There were none; they were simply dismissed to return home.

The Demon Lord left decisively, having said little during the meeting.

Still, the Left Envoy wondered what the Demon Lord was up to.

The Demon Lord had never shown much interest in the seven members before.

However, since the Demon Lord hadn't taken any peculiar actions, the Left Envoy concluded that this was merely the Demon Lord's sudden whim and didn't dwell on it further.

Qing Bukuang's mood was unexpectedly good: "See? If you all work hard, gaining the Demon Lord's favor is within your reach."

He spoke in the manner of an older brother, though no one refuted him. They didn't dare to; he was too strong.

This didn't mean they agreed, though. Cui Baiquan, for one, didn't appreciate the arrogance. What makes you think you've already gained the Demon Lord's favor? What an ego.

Cui Baiquan secretly vowed.

Someday, I too will speak in the tone of an older brother, and no one will dare to contradict me!

Su Luo simply left, ignoring their discussions, appearing rather aloof.

In truth, Su Luo couldn't fathom what the Demon Lord was thinking or planning.

Outside the palace, Yun waited, seeing Su Luo emerge, he asked, "Su Demon Lord, what did the Left Envoy want with you?"

"Is that something you should ask?" Su Luo displayed the demeanor of a demon lord.

"I was just curious," Yun responded, unfazed. Given their familiarity, Su Luo's words were essentially a joke.

Indeed, the next moment Su Luo dropped the facade, speaking without any pretense, "Nothing much, just asked us to show our skills, and that was it."

"That's great, I'm so envious. I wonder when I'll get to see the Demon Lord."

Nangong Xiyun wasn't really eager to see the Demon Lord; he merely wanted to portray the image of someone striving to climb higher in the Heavenly Demon Sect.

"There will be an opportunity," Su Luo replied.

Staying with Su Luo would eventually lead to meeting the Demon Lord.