Chapter 790: with translation of chapter title

At the Royal City.

Xiong Ba Tian sat with Yan Buji inside the Mushroom Tavern, and they were currently discussing some trade matters.

When the topic ended, Yan Buji's eyes flickered and he asked, "Brother Xiong, do you know if the Fox Clan has had any recent developments?"

"Oh?" Xiong Ba Tian raised an eyebrow. "My friend, I think I told you before that these matters are truly hard for me to discuss."

Yan Buji smiled, "I'm not trying to find out what they've been up to lately."

"Then what are you trying to ask?" Xiong Ba Tian looked at Yan Buji with puzzlement.

"I already know," Yan Buji said with a smile.

Hm?

What do you know?

Immediately, Yan Buji continued, "The Fox Clan has been so peaceful lately—could it be because of the Dinglong Mountains?"

Xiong Ba Tian's face twitched, and he stared wide‑eyed in amazement at Yan Buji, "My friend, how did you know that?"

"When I was out training before, I happened to meet a senior of the demon race, who seemed to be from the Qingluan clan."

"So it was a Qingluan senior who ran into you—so what? How much do you know?" Xiong Ba Tian was also curious.

Although it's easy to guess that Yan Buji knows something, the exact extent is hard to say.

Some matters involve internal affairs of the demon race, and with the seal over the Dinglong Mountains, Xiong Ba Tian knows he has no right to intervene, yet he also knows some information.

If these rumors reached the Human Continent, it would likely not be a good thing.

In the end, although Xiong Ba Tian knows Yan Buji isn't an ordinary person and that their cooperation runs deep, he still dares not speak recklessly about such a race‑wide affair.

Yan Buji pressed his chin, "What's the background of that Black Heaven Emperor?"

Xiong Ba Tian, looking as if it were inevitable, said to Yan Buji, "My friend, since you know the Emperor's existence, don't you also know his origin?"

"I really don't know that."

"The Black Heaven Emperor was a disciple of the ancient Daoist Sage Gate, a true sage disciple!"

Ah?

Yan Buji's pupils contracted; no wonder he had used the Dinglong Mountains as an excuse to deflect Li Feng of the Sacred Heart Alliance's pressure—he didn't dare trouble him further, since that Black Heaven Emperor was indeed a sage disciple.

"Then how was he sealed?" Yan Buji asked, puzzled.

Xiong Ba Tian sighed, "That's not a secret. It's said that the Black Heaven Emperor, seeking to transcend a tribulation, went to the Supreme Wind Cave to harness the power of the Void to temper himself. He accidentally misdirected his cultivation, went mad, and the raging winds ravaged several demon continents, killing indiscriminately. In the end, they had to seal him here on Luohuang Zhou."

Hm?

And it's specifically on Luohuang Zhou?

Yan Buji found it odd. Though he didn't know which continent the Supreme Wind Cave lay on for the demons, a demon emperor equivalent to the Great Vehicle Stage going mad and killing was a cataclysmic threat. The demon race isn't powerless to restrain and seal someone; why couldn't they stop the Black Heaven Emperor right away?

He couldn't make sense of it.

Nevertheless, this told Yan Buji where Luohuang Zhou's raging winds originated—it seemed the Black Heaven Emperor, suppressed there, was leaking from his seal.

"But Luohuang Zhou is only separated from the Human Continent by the Otherworldly Race continent; if the Black Heaven Emperor breaks the seal…"

A malicious thought formed in Yan Buji's mind. Though it's hard to guess why the demon's great powers sealed the Emperor there, the timing coincided with Luohuang Zhou's post‑war reconstruction period…

A month later.

Yan Buji found Wu Yuan and asked, "Elder Wu, is Elder Yuan here? There are some matters in the mining area that need Elder Yuan's review."

"Oh? Elder Yuan isn't in the mining area right now. What's the matter?"

"It's not a big deal; it's just that the dividends previously given to Elder Yuan may need to be reduced for a while."

Wu Yuan frowned, "Did something happen? Were the goods unsold?"

"Not really," Yan Buji smiled, "I'm planning a big promotion during the demon race's Celestial Celebration, so I need to press the goods ahead of time."

"Oh." Wu Yuan, though not fully understanding, laughed, "Since Hall Master Yan has made arrangements, let's go with that. Elder Yuan certainly won't blame you."

"Alright."

It seems Yuan Zhen really went to investigate Yunqing!

Yan Buji squinted; some matters he would still involve himself in, but only under the premise of guaranteeing safety could he devise the greatest profit!

Thus, although the Great Sinful Sect and the Grand Commerce Guild have conflicts, they may not necessarily escalate to mutual slaughter. To bring both factions down, they must each pay a sufficiently large price.

"Yuan Zhen will definitely wait until he confirms that Yunqing possesses the Source First Child before taking action, but he also knows that the Sacred Heart Alliance has set its sights on Yunqing. The Grand Commerce Guild couldn't possibly allow Yunqing to travel during this period, which means that during this time neither the Sacred Heart Alliance nor Yuan Zhen has any opportunity." Yan Buji squinted.

After pondering carefully, Yan Buji thought that the Sacred Heart Alliance needed to use him, while Yuan Zhen needed to do nothing; as soon as Yuan Zhen decided to act, his own movements would become the cue for Yuan Zhen's strike.

"We also have to bring down the Paolong Sacred Land, and make Pang Mingde aware of this!"

As long as the Demon King hasn't deceived him, the Source First Child truly is a supreme treasure for attaining Dao and sainthood; Yan Buji believes no one would remain unmoved, especially those practitioners of the Harmonized Dao Great Vehicle Stage.

Yan Buji squinted and picked up a messenger talisman.

Soon after.

Yan Buji met Ye Lin in the Royal City; Ye Lin walked over cheerfully, clasped his hands and said, "Hall Master Yan, long time no see."

"Ye Lin, your cultivation has deepened considerably; you're almost at the transformation to deity, right?" Yan Buji laughed, his gaze so sharp that he instantly recognized Ye Lin's current state—contained divine light, undissipated mana, the hallmark of a Nascent Soul pinnacle.

Ye Lin patted his head, "While escorting caravans, I often encounter maddened demonic beasts; after battling them, my cultivation broke through."

"Congratulations, congratulations." Yan Buji said with a smile.

That's true celestial talent, but unfortunately I'm not.

Yan Buji felt envious, yet Ye Lin's connections affect his reputation in the Paolong Sacred Land, especially after the previous exterminations of Yunhua and Song Xing; had he not been on good terms with Ye Lin, he couldn't have summoned Pang Mingde.

"Hall Master Yan, I have prepared everything you asked for," Ye Lin said, producing a storage ring filled with numerous demon‑race Spiritual Materials they had sourced.

After receiving it, Yan Buji paid Ye Lin the appropriate Spiritual Stones, then said, "Ye Lin, have there been any incidents on your side lately?"

"Nothing major… just that demonic beasts are becoming more numerous," Ye Lin replied.

Yan Buji nodded, "I heard a rumor that within the Dinglong Mountains there's a sealed demon‑race emperor, and the seal's leakage is what's driving those beasts mad."

"Huh?" Ye Lin's eyes widened. "Is that so?"

"Hmm, when you're escorting the convoy yourself, you also need to be careful; those demonic beasts have all been affected by the frenzied wind, you should have felt it too."

Ye Lin nodded: "Yes, I also heard from my master that the demonic beasts affected by the frenzied wind have greatly increased in strength, and they cannot be easily approached in close combat; otherwise, one's strength will plummet, which is extremely dangerous."

Yan Buji chuckled: "With Elder Pang around, there's naturally no problem."