Heading North, Unlocking a New Map

The South End Demon Lord waited and waited, but the spirit stones promised by Lu Xiezi never arrived.

"What’s going on? Where the hell is he?"

Delays like this were unacceptable to the South End Demon Lord, and he instantly bore a grudge against Lu Xiezi.

"Hmph, even if he delivers them later, I’ll make sure he suffers for it."

The South End Demon Lord decided to teach Lu Xiezi a lesson another time—he had more pressing matters to attend to now.

"Left Envoy," he called out.

"What is it?"

"I have some information I believe you’ll find quite interesting."

"Oh?"

Yet the South End Demon Lord didn’t answer immediately.

The Left Envoy understood. Without hesitation, he tossed a storage ring filled with spirit stones to the demon lord. He knew the South End Demon Lord wouldn’t waste his time with worthless rumors.

Pleased, the South End Demon Lord accepted the payment.

Normally, the Left Envoy’s rank surpassed that of the Four Great Heavenly Demons—but at their level, hierarchy mattered little.

Major affairs were one thing, but when it came to trivial matters, everything depended on circumstance. If tempers flared, open conflict wasn’t out of the question.

Besides, their true allegiance lay with the Demon Sovereign.

"Today, I saw the Demon Sovereign at Su Luo’s place."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Good. I’ve taken note."

The South End Demon Lord left, unsure whether the Left Envoy had noticed that the Demon Sovereign had lost her cultivation.

Perhaps not—but it didn’t matter.

Long ago, the South End Demon Lord had accidentally discovered that the Left Envoy had disposed of a promising newcomer favored by the Demon Sovereign. That alone spoke volumes.

And now, given the Left Envoy’s recent behavior, it was becoming increasingly clear that he was plotting something treasonous.

The South End Demon Lord’s loyalty was to spirit stones alone. Whatever grand schemes the Left Envoy had were none of his concern—in fact, it might even be entertaining to watch.

So, he was certain the Left Envoy would be very interested in the Demon Sovereign’s movements.

And as it turned out, he wasn’t wrong.

The Left Envoy never expected the Demon Sovereign to personally visit Su Luo.

In all these years, she had rarely left her domain. Her visit to Su Luo could only mean one thing—she saw potential in him.

The Left Envoy pondered. Not long ago, the Demon Sovereign had sought out the Seven Chosen—likely preparing an escape route. Unfortunately for her, the Seven were now dead.

Let it be known—this wasn’t his doing. But as for Su Luo? He had no reason to exist.

Still, the immediate priority was defeating the Emperor Heaven Sect in the north, establishing his reputation and expanding his influence within the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Ideally, he would make it so that the sect recognized only the Left Envoy—the Demon Sovereign would become irrelevant.

And if he could crush the Emperor Heaven Sect? That would make it all the more possible.

The Left Envoy had already planned it out. Once they reached the north, he would assign Su Luo the most dangerous tasks—wringing some use out of the waste.

If Su Luo somehow survived, then after the mission, he’d send someone to quietly eliminate him.

Did the Demon Sovereign think she could make a comeback? Build a new faction? Hmph. The moment she lost her power, that dream became impossible.

......

Soon, it was time to march north. At every gathering, the Left Envoy spared no effort in promoting himself, ensuring his presence was felt with impassioned speeches.

His efforts bore fruit—at the very least, the Heavenly Demon Sect now remembered him vividly.

Only at the end did he allow the Demon Sovereign a single word: "Depart."

And so, the Heavenly Demon Sect headed north.

Su Luo went along as well, traveling leisurely without incident.

Along the way, he opened his journal and scribbled a few notes.

[Northbound! New map unlocked! But honestly, it's all the same to me—just gonna laze around.]

[Nothing major will happen for a while. Just petty skirmishes and probing from both sides.]

[The Emperor Heaven Sect’s top priority is locating and destroying the Totem Altars.]

[Otherwise, even if they retake the North Heavenly Gate, the demon beast army will just take it back. And with the Totem Altars empowering them, they’re far too strong.]

[Charging in recklessly now would mean heavy losses.]

[No sane person would attack head-on while the enemy’s buffed to the teeth. That’s just asking for trouble.]

[Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon Sect’s northern campaign is no secret to the Emperor Heaven Sect. They’ll need to tread carefully in every large-scale battle.]

[As for the demon beast army? Business as usual—endlessly reinforcing the North Heavenly Gate, tightening defenses, and waiting for chances to strike the humans.]

[The Emperor Heaven Sect has them pinned at the gate. They may not attack yet, but they won’t let the beasts advance further—that’s the bottom line.]

[When the Heavenly Demon Sect arrives, they won’t make big moves right away. Just minor clashes, gathering intel, and assessing the situation.]

[Once they’ve got a clear picture, they’ll resort to ambushes, sabotaging the Emperor Heaven Sect’s efforts to destroy the Totem Altars, maybe even aiding the demon beasts…]

[Basically, nothing good.]

[In no time, the Heavenly Demon Sect’s reputation skyrockets—though it’s all infamy.]

[As for me? I’ve got more pressing matters. After we arrive, the Demon Sovereign will summon me—my first real interaction with her in the plot.]

[The moment I see her, I’m utterly enchanted, my loyalty maxed out instantly.]

[She’ll task me with verifying the Left Envoy’s claims about restoring her strength.]

[Of course, despite my struggles, I’ll find nothing—so I won’t get much screen time early on.]

[Lin Xuan, meanwhile, is dispatched to deal with the Heavenly Demon Sect.]

[It’s almost comical—fighting old foes in a new setting. But since the southern forces know them best, it makes sense.]

[Lin Xuan excels, cutting down Heavenly Demon Sect members left and right, even slaying a titled Heavenly Demon. He also stumbles upon several Totem Altars.]

[In no time, the Emperor Heaven Sect disciples are stunned—this guy’s too OP! His efficiency is insane!]

[Others shine too.]

[Tang Zhou, the face of the Radiant Light Sect, clashes with the South End Demon Lord. The battle ends in a stalemate, and the demon lord retreats.]

[Qing Yao, the youngest elder in Mist Veil Sect history, locates a small Heavenly Demon outpost. Alone, she wipes it out, facing four titled Heavenly Demons—killing one and driving off the other three. Legendary.]

[And Nangong Xiyun, the strongest and most enigmatic prodigy of the Seven Stars Sword Sect? With a single strike at the North Heavenly Gate, she terrifies the demon beasts into staying put.]

[...]

[With the southern reinforcements performing so spectacularly, the Emperor Heaven Sect disciples can’t afford to look down on them anymore.]

[Seizing the moment, they form a temporary alliance to face the crisis together.]

Su Luo closed his journal.

That was enough. The early stages were mostly minor events—nothing worth detailing. The real battles hadn’t even begun yet.

So, the rewards this time were just stat points.

Su Luo smiled. Easy mode activated.

Since the Demon Sovereign had already regained the first stage of her power, she wouldn’t need him to search for restoration methods. He could just vanish and laze around.

Another smooth sailing, stress-free session.

Hell yeah.