Wandering Swordsman |

Upon hearing what the Moon Demon Lord said, Shen Mo suddenly realized. So that was the reason why Fu Sheng had kidnapped him.

Thinking of this, Shen Mo suddenly seemed to remember something and immediately asked Juechenzi, "Didn't Fu Sheng want to capture me and offer me to the Flame Demon Lord? And Senior Juechenzi, you also told Fu Sheng that you would take me to the Flame Demon Lord, so how did I end up here with the Moon Demon Lord?"

Upon hearing this, the Moon Demon Lord burst into laughter. Her clear, melodious laughter echoed throughout the hall, seemingly dispelling all the gloom. "Shen Mo, that's a good question!" The Moon Demon Lord stopped laughing and looked at Shen Mo with gentle eyes. "The Twelve Venerables are not independent individuals subordinate to any one Demon Lord. They can choose to ally with different Demon Lords, or they can choose to remain independent."

"In our Heavenly Demon God Sect, there are twelve Venerables below the three Demon Lords. Among them, three Venerables are allied with the Flame Demon Lord, three Venerables are allied with the Blood Demon Lord, and only two Venerables are allied with me. Of the remaining Venerables, one who was originally allied with the Flame Demon Lord has died, and the other three Venerables, including Juechenzi, are not allied with any Demon Lord."

Shen Mo listened intently, countless questions swirling in his mind. If he hadn't allied with any Demon Lord, then why was Juechenzi so respectful to the Moon Demon Lord? This question kept swirling in his mind.

Seemingly sensing Shen Mo's doubts, Moon Demon Lord smiled slightly, turned to face him, and his eyes gleamed with wisdom. "In fact, Juechenzi has already secretly made an alliance with me. Although he has not publicly declared his loyalty to me, he actually supports me in many things. For example, he brought you to me instead of Flame Demon Lord."

At this moment, Juechenzi also spoke up, "Shen Mo, you may not know this, but my relationship with the Moon Demon Lord is not a simple exchange of benefits. We actually share a common goal. This is one of the reasons why I chose to bring you here."

Upon hearing Juechenzi mention that they shared a common goal, Shen Mo couldn't help but feel puzzled. He frowned, his eyes revealing confusion and curiosity, "A common goal? Could you elaborate, senior?"

Juechenzi sighed softly, gazing intently into the distance, as if recalling some distant past. "Shen Mo, then I will tell you our purpose." His voice was deep and magnetic, each word carrying a heavy weight.

Seeing that Shen Mo was ready to listen, Juechenzi continued, "On the surface, Yanmojun claims to pursue the ultimate and breakthrough in martial arts, but deep down he desires to make the Heavenly Demon God Sect the overlord of the world, to pacify the world and be the only one who is supreme."

Upon hearing this, Moon Demon Lord interjected, "That's right. Flame Demon Lord isn't truly pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts; rather, he wants to transform the Heavenly Demon God Sect into a war machine that conquers all sides with force. This violates the Heavenly Demon God's mission—to explore the limits of martial arts."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo was shocked; he realized there was such a complex story behind all of this. He pressed further, "Then why not just stop the Flame Demon Lord directly?"

Juechenzi smiled slightly, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes, "One of the rules of the Heavenly Demon God Sect is that Demon Lords must not instigate internal strife. If this is violated, the entire Heavenly Demon God Sect will surely rise up and attack them."

"Furthermore, the three Demon Lords each have their own sphere of influence, and they both cooperate and compete with each other. If they really break off relations, we have no evidence to prove the Flame Demon Lord's ambitions, so directly stopping the Flame Demon Lord is not an option."

"Especially in recent years, as the centenary of the Heavenly Demon God's westward journey approaches, the matter of restarting the Demon Refining Mountain is imminent. The Flame Demon Lord is even more eager to expand his power and has once again extended his reach to the Central Plains, intending to absorb the martial arts talents of the Central Plains."

"If the talents recruited by the Flame Demon Lord grow into the next generation of Heavenly Demon Gods in the Demon Refining Mountain, then the entire Heavenly Demon God Sect will be controlled by them." The Moon Demon Lord continued, his tone revealing a hint of worry. "At that time, the ideals that the Heavenly Demon God Sect has upheld since ancient times will vanish like bubbles."

Juechenzi nodded in agreement, "Therefore, our goal is to ensure that the new Heavenly Demon God is not born under the command of the Flame Demon Lord, but can truly inherit the spirit of the Heavenly Demon God and pursue the ultimate in martial arts, rather than making the Heavenly Demon God Sect a pawn in the hands of the Flame Demon Lord."

"And you, Shen Mo," the Moon Demon Lord's gaze sharpened, "your appearance has given us hope. Not only are you of impeccable birth, but you also possess extremely high comprehension. More importantly, you actually have the legendary physique. Fortunately, Juechenzi brought you to me. If you had been given to the Flame Demon Lord by Fusheng, I dare not even imagine the consequences."

Hearing this, a new question arose in Shen Mo's mind. He frowned and asked, "Since the Heavenly Demon Sect's consistent aim has been to pursue the ultimate in martial arts, then what about the Demonic Sect that invaded the Central Plains martial arts world back then? As far as I know, that war between the righteous and the demonic forces almost brought the entire Central Plains martial arts world to the brink of destruction."

Moon Demon Lord sighed softly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. "You may not know this, but the demonic sect that invaded the Central Plains martial arts world back then was not the collective action of our Heavenly Demon God Sect, but rather a sect founded by the deceased of the Twelve Venerables. When that Venerable was alive, he allied with Flame Demon Lord, and according to various signs, he was very likely instigated by Flame Demon Lord."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo's eyes widened in disbelief, his shock beyond words. He had originally thought that the Heavenly Demon Sect was a demonic cult, a place full of evil and conspiracy, but hearing these truths now made him waver in his previous opinion.

It's important to understand that the Demonic Sect that invaded the Central Plains back then required the combined strength of the Central Plains martial arts world, including nine sects and eight major families, to form the Martial Arts Alliance led by Situ Dengfeng, just to barely defeat them! If all of this was the result of Yan Mojun's manipulation behind the scenes, then this not only overturned his understanding of history but also made him realize the gap between the Central Plains martial arts world and the Heavenly Demon Sect. A Demonic Sect founded by a mere master of the Heavenly Demon Sect could contend with the entire Central Plains martial arts world. If Yan Mojun were to take action, the Central Plains martial arts world would face annihilation.

"This...how is this possible?" Shen Mo's voice trembled slightly. "Back then, countless heroes and warriors sacrificed themselves to resist that demonic cult, some even paying the ultimate price. And now you're saying all of this was because the Flame Demon Lord wanted to expand his influence and instigated a high-ranking person to do it?"

Moon Demon Lord nodded, her gaze turning serious. "Indeed. The deceased master was named Earth Hidden Child, known for his eccentric behavior during his lifetime, but the true mastermind behind it all is Flame Demon Lord. Flame Demon Lord hopes to seize control of the Central Plains martial arts world through this invasion, thus laying the foundation for future control of the Heavenly Demon God Sect."