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Chapter 347 The Demon Emperor Observes the Heavens
As the sun sets in the afternoon, its afterglow paints the dusky autumn day with a brilliant gold.

After packing his things, Instructor Cao moved to the inner courtyard with the help of everyone.

Ji You also helped. He sat in his wheelchair, holding a soup spoon, and helped him into the new courtyard. Using this as a reason, he forced Lao Cao to voluntarily go to Hongdinglou to hold a banquet to celebrate.

"The villain!"

"With three months' salary in hand, you can't expect me to help move things for free. If not now, when?"

"?"

In the days that followed, Ji You stayed at the Tian Shu Academy in seclusion, focusing on recuperating from his injuries.

His physical body was already strong, and with the addition of various tonics prepared by Danyangzi, his physical deficiencies were quickly replenished.

With Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu by his side, sometimes pushing him out for a stroll, sometimes chatting together, life wasn't too boring.

The only thing that needs to be slowly nourished is his atrophied meridians.

During this time, Kuang Shusheng returned from the epidemic area and visited Ji You with Wei Rui.

After the patients in Qibao County recovered on their own, other patients also inexplicably began to improve. Until a few days ago, the epidemic there had been completely eradicated, so they hurriedly returned to Shengjing.

Since Ji You went out to practice his body in the spring, and with the incident at the Pill Sect, they hadn't seen each other for more than half a year, so they chatted a lot.

"Sister Jian is so majestic on the mountain, not at all as cute as she is in front of Young Master Ji."

"Really?"

"It's true, every disciple in the mountains looks up to her, feeling that she is even more majestic than our Great Xia Emperor."

Wei Rui provided strong evidence of the young appraiser's aloofness.

She idolized Yan Shuyi so much, but she just couldn't understand why such a cold and aloof person would touch her belly whenever she had free time, looking like she wanted to have a baby.

Upon hearing Wei Rui's words, Ji You could vaguely imagine her unparalleled beauty, and a slight longing stirred within her.

In fact, Ding Yao had already written a letter yesterday, sending the news that Ji You had awakened to Lingjian Mountain. According to the schedule, it should arrive in another two or three days.

However, Qingyun is currently beset by internal and external troubles. She is preoccupied with sect affairs and cannot extricate herself. Furthermore, she needs to recuperate, so it is still unknown when she will be able to see him again.

Another letter reporting that everything was alright was sent to the Dan Sect, but the Dan Sect still did not lift the mountain closure.

Ji You then looked at Kuang Cheng and asked, "Where will you stay after you return to the capital?"

"They lived in the home of Mutisi."

The patriarch of the Chu family came to Shengjing and fought a battle with the headmaster of the Heavenly Academy, which directly destroyed the entire Chunhua Lane.

Kuang Shusheng finally became a civil servant and was allocated a small official's house, but after living there for only a few years, he became homeless again.

“You can’t stay in someone else’s house forever. It’s not only a disturbance, but it’s also inconvenient for you to meet with Wei Rui.”

"Brother Ji, you are truly reckless!"

Kuang Cheng and Wei Rui blushed instantly.

Ji You's lips twitched as she looked at Kuang Cheng, thinking to herself, "You two have spent months together on Lingjian Mountain, and you think talking about a secret rendezvous is inappropriate? My two kids are already in graduate school with children."

"I donated most of my savings to the snow disaster before the New Yuan, so I'm really short of money. We'll take our time with the house repairs. After all, Mutisi is still unmarried and lives alone."

Knowing that Ji You was about to bring up the topic of endless life, Kuang Cheng immediately steered the conversation back to the house.

"I offered to lend it to him, but he refused."

Upon hearing his description, Wei Rui raised her eyes and looked at Ji You, saying...

Kuang Cheng pursed his lips: "How could I possibly spend Miss Rui'er's money to repair my own house?"

Upon hearing this, Ji You picked up his teacup and said, "There's no need to borrow. Fengzhou's grain is almost gone, and the spirit seedlings that were bred have been harvested twice. We still have some Snowfield Demon Stones in our Fengzhou inventory. The world is in ruins and needs to be rebuilt. There are plenty of places to make money."

"With so much chaos these days, making money is secondary; the grain still needs to be sold," Kuang Cheng replied.

"Then I'll leave this matter to you. In the next few days, think of a way to circulate grain and spiritual seedlings, and take this opportunity to sign some labor agreements with the lower-class people so that they can move to Fengzhou. Once my injuries have healed a bit, I'll start and do something big."

"So good."

Kuang Cheng has always been a restless character, always meddling in other people's business in Yuyang County. Now that he has been entrusted with an important task, he has already begun to think about it.

So he didn't stay long before leaving with Wei Rui, intending to use this time to think things through.

Not long after, the Auspicious Palace welcomed two more visitors: the Lu sisters, who had traveled a long way from Yunzhou.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu entered the inner hall ahead of time and did not meet the two of them.

Last year, around New Year's Day, they were instructed by their own master to meet with the Lu sisters, asking if the sisters' service was true and if they were in pain. It was not a good time to meet them at that time.

The two sisters quickly entered the hall. The elder sister wore a plain white flowing dress, while the younger sister wore a pale yellow ruqun embroidered with intertwined branches. They walked gracefully towards the hall.

It was clear that their return had not been easy; their handsome faces showed signs of fatigue and weariness, yet they possessed a delicate beauty.

"Brother!"

"came back?"

Lu Hanyan nodded obediently: "I just arrived today."

“It was Sister Zhengxin who sent the message,” Lu Qingqiu explained. “Upon learning that Young Master Ji had woken up, we rushed back.”

"Your relationship with Senior Sister Wen... is extremely good now?"

Ji You looked somewhat surprised and astonished when she heard Lu Qingqiu address Wen Zhengxin.

Previously, Lu Hanyan and Fang Jincheng had a private fight in the bamboo forest, which eventually led to Elder Fang secretly intervening. Not only did he make things difficult for Ji You multiple times, but he also restricted him from using swordsmanship during the Heavenly Dao Assembly preliminary rounds.

Therefore, Wen Zhengxin disliked them very much, feeling that the Lu family had a strong merchant nature and was clearly being used, so she did not have a good impression of the sisters.

Although they went through many things together later and their relationship improved a lot, it was still cold compared to their relationships with other people.

But on the day he woke up, Wen Zhengxin was noticeably more friendly when she mentioned the Lu sisters, and she even called them Qingqiu by their full names, which made Ji You feel a little suspicious.

"Their relationship improved during the campaign."

Upon hearing the question, Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but whisper.

Both being families with businesses, Lu Qingqiu and Yuan Caiwei share similar personalities, being quite knowledgeable and reasonable, yet also possessing a touch of aloofness. However, at this moment, a blush couldn't help but rise to her delicate face.

At this moment, Ji You couldn't help but think of the three women who were constantly charging forward on the expedition, and he thought to himself, "I understand."

Senior Sister Wen and Miss Lu must have both discovered that they had pretended to be Lu Hanyan being spanked, and they became closer because of the same secret.

Sisters...

So they've already arranged the seniority system in the backyard without even notifying me, right?

Ji You couldn't help but think of Yuan Caiwei, who had always wanted to call Yan Shuyi "sister," and thought to herself that all women are the same.

The key issue is that it would be one thing if it were just Lu Qingqiu and Lu Hanyan, but why did even the usually proper Senior Sister Wen get involved and become the eldest among the three of them?

That's too informal. Even if you're healthy, you shouldn't act like this. You should at least let them know.

"How is Yunzhou now?"

Ji You sighed at the bleak state of people's hearts, and after clicking his tongue for a while, he finally remembered the thing he cared about most.

After listening, Lu Qingqiu said, "Currently, both Youyun and Youyun are in the midst of war. The barbarian-demon alliance has already pressed on to the Rege Plain and is currently stationed in the upper reaches of the Nu River."

"Halfway through?"

"Yes, so this time it wasn't just my sister and I who came back to the capital. My parents and other people from the Spirit Stone Merchant Guild also came. We rented a house in the West City to lay low for a while."

The Rege Plain spans the two states of Youyun. Since the barbarian and demon races have already arrived in the heart of these two states, it means that half of the area has been conquered, which naturally also affects the largest mine in Yunzhou.

The Lu family is a century-old family, and the Spirit Stone Merchant Guild, when united, is not weak. However, when faced with the Barbarian and Demon races, their strength still seems too insignificant. They have no chance to resist and can only withdraw from Yunzhou first.

Fortunately, Lu Hanyan was still an inner court disciple, and the Heavenly Academy still had a responsibility to protect her family.

"The villain!"

"?"

While talking with the Lu sisters, Cao Jingsong, Ban Yangshu, and Wen Zhengxin, who routinely visit them every day, entered the hall.

Upon seeing the two sisters return, Wen Zhengxin went over to inquire about them, revealing a deep sisterly bond.

After talking for a long time, she finally came to Ji You, looked at him calmly, and asked him seriously how he was feeling. However, she found that Ji You was looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

In the following days, things were relatively calm at the Heavenly Academy, while battle reports from the north came frequently.

Upon arriving at the Rege Plain, the barbarian and demon races began to plunder and occupy the occupied territories. At the same time, they built layer upon layer of defensive fortifications from east to west and completely demolished the western section of the northern city wall.

Even though they were thousands of miles apart, the human soldiers guarding the upper reaches of the Nu River could still see the dust and smoke kicked up when the towering northern border collapsed.

At this point, they gradually slowed down their offensive pace.

This was exactly what Zuo Qiuyang had predicted; although they came with great force, they were still afraid of the power of the sacred artifact.

"call--"

North of the northern city walls lies the border between the wilderness and the snowfields.

In the biting cold wind, several powerful, mountain-like monsters, their wings flashing and covering the sky, swept across the boundless frozen land, stirring up a vast expanse of snow as they headed north.

On the broad backs of these demonic beasts lay the demonic emperor Ziye Han, who had commanded his army to tear apart the Youyun and Youyun states a few days earlier, and Lin Dou, the young patriarch of the Scale Clan.

Before long, as the demonic beast landed in the snow-covered Demon Emperor City, the two entered the Demon Emperor's Palace side by side.

The deep palace was quiet and solemn. The Demon Emperor sat on his throne, his huge and majestic figure exuding a profound and mysterious aura.

Sensing the two entering the hall, the Demon Emperor slowly opened his eyes, revealing his pair of brilliant golden vertical pupils.

"How is the war progressing in You and Yun prefectures?"

"Father, the war is progressing smoothly. The western section of the northern city wall has been demolished. Although the human immortal sects and aristocratic families have sent some people to resist, slowing down the army's southward advance, I am confident that we will completely take over the entire Yunzhou before next spring."

The Demon Emperor nodded after hearing this: "You did well."

Ye Han cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your praise, Father. However, I believe that our clan should not be content with just Youzhou."

"What do you think?"

"Although the barbarians are now allied with our race, they probably don't want to share an inch of land with the demon race. We must remember the lesson of making a wedding dress for someone else a thousand years ago. We need to multiply and expand our race as soon as possible, which requires more land and resources."

The Demon Emperor half-opened his eyes: "You mean to continue south from Youzhou and seize Qingzhou?"

Ye Han nodded upon hearing this: "Qingzhou is a vast region, bordering Youyun and Youzhou. We cannot allow the barbarians to get there first."

"What do you think, Lin Dou?" the Demon Emperor couldn't help but ask.

Unlike humans, the class differences among demons are not insurmountable, so the young clan leaders of the five races—scaled, fanged, furry, clawed, and feathered—are not much inferior in status to the demon princes.

Lin Dou, in particular, is considered a prodigy among the demon race and naturally has a say in the matter.

Upon hearing the Demon Emperor's question, Lin Dou immediately replied, "According to the intelligence we've gathered, after the great calamity of the human race, the Chen clan chief went into seclusion and has not been seen since. I think he may no longer be alive. Qingzhou may be ours to take."

"The patriarch of the Chen clan is not dead yet."

"?"

The Demon Emperor looked at the wind and snow outside the palace with his vast eyes: "He is indeed seriously injured, but he still has breath."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dou's eyes narrowed: "Is there any chance he can recover?"

"Like the Xuan Yuan Sect Leader, he had been preparing for ascension for many years. His physical body had long since decayed and lost its vitality, making it difficult for his injuries to heal. He was merely enduring it."

"Even so, he must be extremely weak in his severely injured state, and may not be able to control the sacred artifact. This is an excellent opportunity."

The Demon Emperor gently shook his head: "Our ability to successfully cross the Northern Border was largely due to the opportune timing. We took advantage of the fact that the human race had suffered a great calamity and was too weak to react in time. However, the immortal sects have now settled down. Not to mention the Chen clan leader, the other sect leaders are probably also keeping an eye on our race's movements." Lin Dou pursed his lips: "But it is said that other near-immortal realm cultivators of the human race have also been injured."

“Indeed, all of these people are injured in different ways, but if even one of them can activate the sacred artifact, we will lose what we have gained so far. The two prefectures of Youyun are still manageable, but continuing south is no less than pulling a feather from a tiger’s mouth.”

"This……"

The Demon Emperor looked at Lin Dou and Ye Han: "Sometimes conquest doesn't have to rely solely on force. We also have demon stones that human cultivators depend on. Especially after conquering Yunzhou, seventy percent of the world's spirit stones are in our hands. We can make a difference in this area."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dou raised his eyes: "Does Your Majesty intend to use spirit stones to open a channel to Qingzhou?"

"Humans have no loyalty to their race, unlike my demon race. To be precise, they are even less loyal than scattered sand. There may be people who would be willing to be driven by my race for spirit stones. Although this approach is gentle and slow, it can give us a head start over the barbarians."

"Your Majesty is wise."

As the Demon Emperor said, spirit stones are extremely important to the human race, and now 70% of Qingyun's spirit stones have fallen into their hands.

They have now returned to Kyushu, but because the human race possesses a sacred artifact, they cannot continue south. This gradual approach, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, has become the least risky and most effective method.

"Besides, what Ye Han said earlier is correct. Expanding the clan is also a top priority. In your opinion, when will the clan members be able to migrate to Yunzhou with the army?"

The Demon Emperor's deep voice rang out from the hall once again.

After hearing this, Ye Han said, "The war has not yet subsided. Half of the territory of Youyun and Youyun provinces has not yet been captured. It will be at least after spring."

"Spring is not far away. For thousands of years, we have used the Nine Provinces to give our people hope. Now we can finally let them see the Nine Provinces."

"May Heaven bless Your Majesty, may Heaven bless the demon race."

The Demon Emperor nodded and looked at Lin Dou: "Go see your father. I heard that he has been talking about you ever since you went to war. He has also been unwell these past few days and has not even attended the morning court."

Upon hearing that his father was unwell, Lin Dou immediately raised his hand and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

The Demon Emperor watched him leave, then looked at Ye Han and said, "You should go too, and see your mother."

"Your subject was prepared in advance, and brought some gifts for Mother and sister on this trip back."

"Thank you for your kindness, but you shouldn't go to Feng Yang's place for now. She's about to break through her cultivation level, so don't disturb her."

"Yes."

After bowing, Ye Han left the palace and headed towards the inner palace to visit his mother, where he spoke at length about Yunzhou.

When they came out of the Empress's palace, it had already started to snow heavily.

This is the snowy region, where it snows for 300 out of 365 days a year, crops don't grow, and children are difficult to raise.

This is why they are determined to return to Kyushu.

Ye Han traveled along the vast snow-covered road through the Demon Emperor's palace, and soon arrived at the Star-Picking Platform.

For thousands of years, the Demon Emperor's lineage has resented that the Heavenly Dao had not bestowed fortune upon their race. Therefore, they built this Star-Picking Platform to observe the heavens, hoping to use their own power to unravel the laws governing the world.

At this moment, the Demon Emperor was standing on the Star-Picking Platform, surrounded by swirling snowflakes.

After gazing down for a long while, Ye Han couldn't help but step forward and say, "Father."

"Have you gone to see your mother?"

"I've seen it before."

"The matters at the front are of utmost importance; do not linger too long in the snowy region," the Demon Emperor instructed.

Ye Han immediately replied, "Your subject will not stay long and will set off to return to the front lines tomorrow."

"So good."

After speaking, Ye Han hesitated, as if he had something to ask but didn't know how to ask it.

As the supreme ruler of his race, the Demon Emperor could not escape his notice of such an expression. After looking at him for a while, he spoke softly: "You suddenly fell silent in the hall just now. Is there something you wish to ask me in private?"

Ye Han raised his eyes upon hearing this: "Your Majesty, I just don't understand. You clearly have the means to deal with the sacred artifact. Although you can't truly suppress it, you should be more than capable of dealing with a dying Chen clan chief. Why then did you hesitate in the matter of seizing Qingzhou?"

For thousands of years, both barbarian and demon races have longed to return to their homeland.

The barbarians sustain their wars through warfare, while the demon race is not without its own schemes.

As far as Ye Han knew, his father had been researching how to deal with the sacred artifact, and had already made some progress.

"Do you still remember what I said when the barbarians wanted to form an alliance with my demon race?"

"You said the time wasn't right, and we had to wait for the old fellows from the Heavenly Academy to leave so we could glean some heavenly secrets before we could act. But isn't the Dean of the Heavenly Academy already deceased?"

The Demon Emperor looked at Ye Han: "That day I saw him pass away amidst a radiant light, but I discovered that he neither ascended nor died."

"?"

Ye Han's eyes flickered instantly, feeling utterly perplexed by those words.

The Qingyun human race has only two paths to leave this world: death and ascension. He doesn't understand how there could be any other path.

"I always felt that this person was plotting something, and I thought that his death would be the end. I never thought that even his death would be so suspicious, and there seems to be a lot of hidden secrets behind it."

Ye Han looked up after hearing this: "Is this risky for my demon race?"

Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor looked at the wind and snow before him and said, "What can a deceased person do, no matter how skillful they are? Now that my demon race has entered the Nine Provinces, we will never give up. I just want you to be more cautious and not be too impulsive."

"Your subject will obey the imperial edict."

Ye Han bowed slightly, then left the Star-Picking Platform.

At this moment, the Demon Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, continuing to look up at the Heavenly Dao.

Although the human race is the only race after the remnant race to be favored by the Heavenly Dao, this Snowfield King has never looked down on the human race.

Because they are selfish, greedy, and cunning, they inherited almost all the shortcomings of the remnant clan, but they lacked the strength of the remnant clan.

But the only one the Demon Emperor dared not ignore was that old fellow from the Heavenly Academy.

That person spent his entire life comprehending the secrets of heaven, and was the one in Qingyun who understood the Dao of Heaven the most. Although the two had never met, the Demon Emperor had sensed his aura, which was far from being just a mere Immortal.

He can ignore anyone else's actions, but he will never ignore him.

Now that he has left Qingyun, he has neither ascended to immortality nor returned to the heavenly realm, which means there must be a hidden story behind this matter.

Most importantly, after that person left, the obscured Heavenly Dao gradually became clear. He had already realized that the human race had lost its fortune, but everything in the world seemed to have remained unchanged, which was what made him think the most.

On the snowy plateau lives a species of rodent with undeveloped intelligence, living together in highly hierarchical groups.

Each tribe has only one queen, and this queen will have five spouses, whose sole purpose is to reproduce.

Apart from these six, the other family members were all infertile and could not have children throughout their lives.

However, if the queen dies unexpectedly, a female from their tribe will suddenly be chosen and inexplicably awaken her fertility, succeeding her as the new queen.

Similarly, if one or two of the five mates die, it will result in other males in the group becoming fertile and becoming the queen's mates.

This is the choice ordained by Heaven in the darkness.

But this time, it seems it didn't make any new choices.

"..."

"Father."

"came back?"

On the east side of the Demon Emperor City, there is an ancient city built of giant stones.

Lin Dou stepped into his father's room and bowed slightly to the Lin Clan Chief, who was sitting behind the investigation desk: "I have lived up to the clan's expectations and, together with the prince, have taken over half of Yunzhou's territory. I just went to the palace to meet His Majesty and learned that Father has been unwell these past few days. I wonder what has happened?"

The Scale Clan Chief waved his hand after hearing this: "It's an old problem, no need to worry. The most important thing now is the clan. You must remember to be wary of the barbarians, they are not steadfast allies."

"Regarding this matter, I discussed it with His Majesty when I entered the palace."

"What did your Majesty say?"

Lin Dou then recounted the conversation in the hall: "His Majesty feels that the sacred artifact is too difficult to withstand and does not want to use force, but instead wants to make a fuss about the spirit stones."

The Scale Clan Chief narrowed his eyes instantly: "Your Majesty is still too indecisive. I'm afraid that under this endless frost and snow, your pride has been worn away."

"Father, this is utterly disrespectful..."

"It was just a private conversation between my son and me behind closed doors."

After saying this, the chief of the Lin tribe took out a brocade box from his sleeve: "When you return to Yunzhou, please take this with you and find a way to deliver it to Yandang Mountain."

Upon seeing this, Lin Dou looked at the brocade box and asked, "Isn't Yandang Mountain in the Central Plains? Whom does Father want me to give it to?"

"It is buried under the third tree behind the mountain monument. This is of great significance to our clan and should not be neglected."

"Yes!"

After the Scale Clan Chief finished speaking, he raised his head and said, "Leading troops into battle and traveling between the Nine Provinces, you must be exhausted. You should rest well today."

Upon hearing the sound, Lin Dou bid farewell to his father and then pushed open the door and left the room.

He received many visiting cards upon his return, and some old friends wanted to see him to inquire about matters concerning Yunzhou.

But just as his father said, he was indeed a little tired and did not plan to attend the banquet today, wanting to go back and get some rest.

However, before he could even step out of the courtyard, Lin Dou heard a sound of slamming a table suddenly coming from his father's room, followed by a deep, angry shout.

"stop fighting!"

"I told you, stop arguing!"

"?"

Lin Dou paused slightly, then turned to look at the tightly closed door.

He had just come out and knew that he was the only one in his father's house, so he wondered who the father was talking to.

Perhaps because he already knew his father was unwell, he was a little worried, so he turned back and pushed open the door.

The Scale Clan Chief was sitting in the room, not much different from when he left, except that his shoulders were a little tense and his eyes were a little red, as if he was exerting himself in secret.

"Father, what happened just now?"

The Scale Clan Chieftain took a breath and said, "It's nothing. It was just that there was a slight error in my talent cultivation. I've recovered a lot after resting for the past few days."

A hint of worry flashed in Lin Dou's eyes: "Is Father really alright?"

"As the head of the clan, I have seen all kinds of storms and waves. There is no need to worry. Go."

"I will be returning home soon, so please take good care of yourself, Father."

"..."

After returning to the Snow Region, Ye Han and Lin Dou did not stay for long. They were invited to several banquets by various tribes before hurriedly returning home.

As he walked, Lin Dou looked at the box in his hand and fell into deep thought.

When the demon race traded with the human race, there were indeed their people in various prefectures and counties. However, after the great calamity that befell the human race, they either died or fled, leaving very few behind.

In other words, the box his father asked him to deliver to Zhongzhou might be meant for the human race.

Could it be that my father has always had some connection with the human race?

Lin Dou found the matter very strange, but he had no way of guessing what was going on.

The journey of thousands of miles was completed in ten days by the flying demons, and the allied forces of barbarians and demons continued their southward march after a period of rest.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)