Chapter 104: The Conspiracy Exposed

Witch King laughed and said, “On the brink of death and still playing tricks—don’t you find it boring?”

Li Qing was stunned. Then he said, “I want to see the Ten Thousand Demons King. I saved his daughter—doesn’t he owe me gratitude?”

Witch King laughed loudly. “With your little tricks and schemes against me? The one beside you isn’t the Fairy Butterfly at all—it’s Xiao Yue, the maid of the Fairy Butterfly. The fox clan’s talent for shapeshifting can deceive others’ senses, but it can’t fool me. These two I raised myself with my own hands. With my breath, I can tell who is who.”

Li Qing was horrified, believing the plan flawless only to be exposed the moment they met. Yet his heart trembled while his face remained calm as he said, “Witch King, stop scaremongering. You refuse to let the Demon King and his daughter reunite—what is your true motive? Do you wish to usurp the throne?”

Witch King snorted coldly. “He Changqi really knows how to scheme, trying to infiltrate my Ten Thousand Demons Mountain from within, wrecking us from the inside out until we collapse. I can tell you plainly: any schemes are nothing but jokes in the face of absolute power.”

With that, Witch King struck. A massive gray hand descended from the heavens, no tricks at all—pure, crushing force.

Li Qing’s heart sank. He tried to pinch the seal and cast his escape spell, still clutching a ten-thousand-li teleportation talisman. But a surging tide of power locked him in place, his cultivation frozen solid in his dantian.

Before the palm reached Li Qing’s head, he could no longer hold on. He collapsed like a dying toad, spitting blood.

Witch King’s gray hand paused ten zhang above Li Qing. He smiled faintly and said, “Li Qing, I give you two choices: submit to me, or I will crush you into meat paste.”

Li Qing’s soul left his body with terror. Witch King’s power had already reached its peak; He Changqi was no match for him. Throughout his rise, he had relied on schemes and calculations—from a lowly insignificant servant to one of the top ten human cultivators. Now he faced this end. But he quickly thought of a counter: feign surrender, play the snake to buy time. As long as he kept his life, anything else could be negotiated later.

Thus he said weakly, “I… I am willing to submit. Please show mercy, Demon King.”

Witch King said, “I was right about you—a coward. Since you submit, we are now allies. Let us speak inside.”

A demonic wind wrapped around Li Qing and Xiao Yue, and they vanished.

The next instant, they appeared inside a magnificent golden hall. Witch King sat high upon the throne, while Xiao Yue and Li Qing stood below, hands at their sides.

Witch King flicked his finger, and a rune slipped into Li Qing’s body.

Li Qing felt that from this moment on, his life and death would be decided by Witch King’s whim. Cold sweat poured down his back. The sensation of life and death hanging in another’s hands was one he had not felt in a long time. Inner terror flooded his entire being.

Witch King’s divine sense swept over Xiao Yue. “It seems the three great human god-condensing cultivators have begun colluding against my demon race. A Lingling puppet—this must be Qian Feng’s grand scheme. Such puppet arts truly possess unique merits, yet they hold no meaning before me. Bring Xiao Yue down.”

Following Witch King’s order, the sound of clashing armor echoed from outside. A two-zhang-tall figure in heavy scarlet armor strode into the hall. With every step, the armor let out piercing screeches. His eyes were bloodthirsty and arrogant. As he passed Li Qing, he unconsciously licked his lips and gave him a malicious smile.

In Li Qing’s eyes, that smile was more hideous than any scream. He could only keep his head lowered and stay silent, thinking: Is this the demon race’s number one bloodthirsty fiend, Mangang?

“The Demon King summoned this subordinate—how may this subordinate serve?” Mangang asked in a deep, resonant voice.

Witch King tossed him a jade slip. “Mangang, restore Xiao Yue’s consciousness according to the record inside. Awaken her memories. Then take her to find Mei Die and bring the princess back at all costs.”

Mangang received it respectfully. “This subordinate will do it immediately. I will definitely bring the princess back for you.”

With that, he left with Xiao Yue, who looked dazed.

Only then did Witch King turn to Li Qing. “What scheme did you use to harm Xiao Yue like this?”

Li Qing recounted the entire incident, truthfully, while shifting the blame for his own suggestion onto He Changqi. He thought: Master and disciple—forced by circumstances, I shall have to offend you first.

Witch King said, “He Changqi is truly vicious. I like it, otherwise how would he have the qualifications to be my opponent? Actually, Mei Die hasn’t died. Her life core soul lamp is still intact, merely dimmed a little. I will find her.”

Li Qing hurriedly agreed.

Witch King continued, “I have an important task for you to perform. Do it well, and I will help you advance to the god-condensing realm. If you fail, you’re a smart man—you should know the consequences.”

Li Qing said excitedly, “Witch King, feel free to command. Li Qing would go through fire and water, die without regret.”

Witch King took out a jade slip again and tossed it to him. “I want you to use your position within the human race to secretly construct altars across the human territories. Once completed, I can open the passage between the human realm and the spirit realm. From then on, we can ascend to the spirit world. You know the ascent channels were destroyed tens of thousands of years ago due to some calamity. This benefits both you and me. You must not slack in the slightest.”

As he spoke, an invisible pressure seeped into Li Qing’s soul, chilling him to the bone. It was as if messing up the task would lead to immediate execution.

In the face of death, any living being was fragile. Li Qing hurriedly assured him, “I will do my utmost to complete the task.”

Witch King was satisfied and took out a black pill. “This god-condensing pill is yours. Increase your cultivation and it will be enough for you to reach the great perfection of the infant transformation realm.”

The god-condensing pill was a treasure refined by god-condensing experts, with infinite uses. It offered a significant boost for infant transformation cultivators to break through their bottlenecks.

Li Qing tucked it away with delight, but his mind raced. If he truly opened the path to the spirit realm, even the god-condensing old monsters like He Changqi would lend full support once the reason was clear. After all, their fates were intertwined. There was nothing simple about it. Yet now he was under someone else’s control and could only take orders.

Witch King smiled faintly. “Go and do it. This is my Demon King token. Use it to mobilize resources. The faster it’s finished, the better. Later, I will personally guide your god-condensing advancement and provide all the resources you need.”

He tossed Li Qing a token covered in demon patterns.

“Yes, this subordinate will do it immediately. Witch King, I await your good news.” With that, Li Qing respectfully tucked the token away and withdrew.

The hall fell silent, save for Witch King. His eyes gleamed with wisdom. “This damned lower realm has abysmal spirit qi. Once the altars are built and the human race is blood-sacrificed in their entirety, I will obtain the power of the Witch God. I will find the Dao Tribulation God Lord, obtain the ‘Tribulation God Art,’ return to the spirit realm to my true self, and become the number one person of the spirit realm!”