The revelation from the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable was earth-shattering for everyone present. Not only were the immortal clans and divine beasts stunned, but the Nine Great Demon Lords were also bewildered.
After a long pause, a few Demon Lords murmured:
"So the previous intel was true?"
"Seventh Emotion Demon Lord is truly that audacious?"
"Has the Demon Realm truly been taken over?"
At this moment, the Nine Great Demon Lords were in a turmoil of emotions. On one hand, given the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable's current power and their complete subjugation, they felt he wouldn't lie to them. On the other hand, what he said seemed too outrageous, and it was hard to fully believe without witnessing it firsthand.
However, the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable clearly had no inclination to explain things politely to them, let alone prove anything: "I have already told you the specific situation.
The most crucial matter now is to eradicate those extraterrestrial demons. Nothing is more important than this. You two must return immediately, discuss internally, and then quickly mobilize your armies to prepare for an expedition to the Demon Realm.
I need you to mobilize the full strength of your respective races.
Do you understand?
And you all, our immortal clans, must do the same. Immediately mobilize all available forces to prepare for an expedition to the Demon Realm. This matter cannot afford any mistakes."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Most of those present believed that the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable would not fabricate such a lie specifically to attack the Demon Realm. After all, even without the extraterrestrial demons, they likely wouldn't refuse to be mobilized to attack the Demon Realm.
They were natural enemies, and there was no need for such pretense.
After agreeing, everyone present quickly withdrew to mobilize their respective forces. Soon, only the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable and the Nine Great Demon Lords remained in the Hunyuan Emperor's Palace.
"I know you still have doubts. How about this: I will allow you to return and see for yourselves. If, after returning and observing, you find that the Demon Realm has indeed been unified by the Seventh Emotion Demon Lord, I hope you will consider the greater good and unite against the common enemy.
Return immediately, control your subordinates who have not yet retreated from the Immortal Realm, and join us in attacking those extraterrestrial demons in the Demon Realm to cleanse the universe. Do you understand?"
The Hunyuan Immortal Venerable was certainly not being benevolent. He simply wished to use the Nine Great Demon Lords and their subordinates as cannon fodder to first deplete the Demon Realm's forces, thereby reducing the losses for the Immortal Realm. Thus, after delivering this heartfelt speech, he waved his hand. Ostensibly, he removed the dimensional shackles from the Nine Great Demon Lords, but in reality, he embedded the dimensional shackles within their bodies. If they did not return within the stipulated time, the dimensional shackles would immediately kill them.
He aimed to increase his own strength, not to provide manpower to the enemy. Moreover, the animosity between the Immortal and Demon Realms had existed for a long time. Who knew what they were thinking, or if they might defect? Thus, he had to be wary.
The Nine Great Demon Lords actually understood that the other party wouldn't let them go without any precautions. However, they were now at the mercy of others, with no ability to resist. Therefore, they could only comply for the time being.
They even turned and bowed before hastily departing.
Tearing through space, they headed directly for the Demon Realm.
Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm, Ding Yun was still fully engrossed in refining the Demon Realm's origin. Her fellow pioneers were busily preparing for battle, with no one considering controlling public opinion. Thus, upon returning to the Demon Realm, the Nine Great Demon Lords quickly learned what had transpired recently, further reinforcing their belief that the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable's words were likely true.
After all, if this Seventh Emotion Demon Lord was not an extraterrestrial demon, how could she have created so many Demon Lords in such a short period? Over thirty Demon Lords! The Demon Realm, throughout its history, had never produced so many Demon Lords.
Even if they achieved some victory in the Immortal Realm and returned, they might not be a match for this Seventh Emotion Demon Lord and would ultimately be annexed by her.
Now, it seemed they had no choice.
They couldn't return to the Demon Realm, and with the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable's hidden countermeasures on them, they could only take things one step at a time for now, complying with the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable and joining forces to attack these extraterrestrial demons in the Demon Realm. They could only hope that the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable would keep his word in the future and spare them after their victory, allowing them to continue ruling the Demon Realm.
With this thought, the Nine Demon Lords dared not linger in the Demon Realm any longer. They turned to leave, but at this moment, they found they could no longer escape. Ding Yun had already refined about eighty percent of the Demon Realm's origin and had easily detected them. At this time, the Demon Realm's origin was inferior to the Immortal Realm's, and each Demon Lord contained a significant amount of the Demon Realm's origin.
While Ding Yun couldn't directly kill her own subordinates to obtain origin, the Nine Great Demon Lords were different.
They had never been on her side to begin with.
Now, it was as if they knew the truth and were preparing to flee, perhaps even intending to defect to the Immortal Clan. If she didn't capture them now to augment the Demon Realm's origin, when else would she do it?
Thus, just as the Nine Demon Lords were about to tear through space and escape the Demon Realm, they were directly captured by Ding Yun. She instantly mobilized the eighty percent of the Demon Realm's laws she currently controlled to envelop them and began to perform the Supreme Daoization technique.
This was somewhat similar to Daoization in the sea of universal laws.
Using infinite laws to cleanse them, she immersed them in the laws, making them eventually unable to resist the power of those laws and become a part of them.
Consequently, their physical origin and the like naturally merged into the world, becoming a part of it.
Although Ding Yun had not yet broken through, the path she was taking to break through was different from that of the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable. The Hunyuan Immortal Venerable broke through first and directly obtained the status of the Lord of the Immortal Realm, a leap forward without an intermediate process of gradual strengthening. Ding Yun's refinement of the Demon Realm's origin was equivalent to becoming stronger with each bit she refined, and her control over the Demon Realm also increased.
Having refined eighty percent of the origin, even though her strength had not undergone its final transformation, within the Demon Realm, she could already exert eighty percent of the power of a normal Demon Realm Lord.
The Nine Demon Lords were essentially delivering themselves.
It was normal that they were not a match for her.
As the Nine Demon Lords were Daoized and merged into the Demon Realm, the Demon Realm's once withered origin quickly became replenished. Moreover, this portion of the origin did not even require Ding Yun to refine it; it was directly under her control.
After all, this portion of the origin was absorbed under her operational authority, so no further steps were needed.
Furthermore, during the Daoization process of the Nine Demon Lords, Ding Yun discovered the countermeasures left by the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable and secretly gained control of them. She neither destroyed nor activated them, trying her best not to attract the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable's attention, so as to buy herself more time.
Only by successfully refining the Demon Realm's origin to a level comparable to the Hunyuan Immortal Venerable could she have a chance to contend with him. Otherwise, it would all be in vain.
(End of this chapter)