Chapter 382: Adding More Fuel to the Fire!

If there were a third person in the room, they would think Ren Yidao and the other were acting intimately, whispering into each other's ears about things that could not be known to outsiders.

But they would not know that while he was indeed whispering, what he was saying were not sweet nothings, but...

"A Manifesto to Denounce the Demon Emperor"!

"The Demon Emperor is devoid of Dao, ignoring the Demon Race as it drifts toward division; she is the greatest sinner of the Demon Race!"

"Thieves and those who scheme for profit have existed since ancient times, and all people should put them to death."

"Yet, this has persisted since time immemorial because greed is hard to eliminate. Great greed makes a great thief, small greed makes a small thief; a great thief steals a country, a small thief steals an object."

"And the Demon Emperor Huang Huang only cares about her own cultivation, neglecting the state affairs of the Demon Country, sitting by and watching the various clans fight—she is precisely the great thief who steals the country!"

"Attack the un-Daoist, execute the tyrant..."

Ren Yidao's voice was not loud, but every sentence that fell into Qingteng's ears was like a thunderclap, causing her heart to contract repeatedly.

He, he... he is going to rebel!

The Crown Prince wants to usurp the throne!!?

How does he dare?

Who gave him the courage?

It is not as if there were no precedents in the history of the Demon Race of a crown prince forcing the First Emperor to abdicate, but there was one most important prerequisite.

The crown prince himself must be sufficiently powerful, at least reaching the Heaven Realm!

Otherwise, where would the capital be to force the First Emperor to abdicate? And how could one command respect after ascending the throne?

Ren Yidao saw the meaning in Qingteng's expression and smiled to soothe her:

"Since I am telling you these things, it is naturally because I have long been certain, and I have my own methods."

"Moreover, think about it: isn't this a good thing for you all that has a hundred benefits and no harm? Today, I am not asking you to distance yourselves from the Demon Emperor Party, nor am I asking you to join the camp opposing the Demon Emperor, but rather giving you a third choice outside of those two."

"Me!"

He pointed at himself, his eyes full of arrogance, and said confidently: "I am the hope for you all."

That's right.

Not the Demon Emperor Party, nor the Anti-Demon Emperor Party, but... a brand new Crown Prince Party!

"Just as I said at the beginning, I intend to take her place, succeed to the Demon Emperor's throne, shoulder the heavy burden of reviving the Demon Race, raise the banner of denouncing the thief, and make the Demon Race emerge from darkness into light!"

Don't you want to fish in troubled waters? Don't you want to be the fisherman who gains the profit?

Fine, I will give you the chance.

As long as you become my people, you will no longer be wavering fence-sitters, but meritorious officials of a new dynasty!

"You know your own situation; you wavering fellows seem secure, but in reality, you are the most dangerous, liable to be crushed by the two parties at any moment!"

"You understand very well that such neutrality cannot last long; when a conflict truly erupts, you must make your own choice."

"But if you follow me, these crises will be solved easily."

Looking at Qingteng, who had completely fallen into chaos under his combination of tactics, Ren Yidao's mouth curled up, holding back his voice from revealing a laugh, and he continued to whisper seductively:

"My bloodline and talent are things you have all witnessed; everyone knows that I will definitely be stronger than her in the future, and surpassing her is only a matter of time."

"Huang Huang is not skilled in government, never communicates with the various clans, and acts arbitrarily, making a mess of the Demon Race; but I am different, and what I am best at is handling these things."

"When Huang Huang is on the throne, she is truly too harsh toward the various clans, forcibly requiring important figures of each clan to stay in this Demon Emperor City. This requirement seems like a favor, but in reality, it is a disguised imprisonment!"

"If I succeed to the throne, I will abolish this useless requirement, allowing the various clans to return to their own fiefs, without having to be caged in this Demon Emperor City as the Demon Emperor's pets."

This was not Ren Yidao talking nonsense, but a piece of information he had collected while communicating with the various clans before.

Not everyone wants to stay in the Demon Emperor City.

Although the Demon Race is weak, it is not so weak that it needs to huddle together for warmth; they are still a great race.

There are not a few Heavenly Demons at the Asking Dao and Heaven Realm levels, and besides, the Human Race does not often set foot in this bitter, cold land overseas; it is hard to see a human shadow even once in a hundred years.

In the past, they could live in various island fiefs overseas; not to say how safe it was, but at least it was considered free.

Regarding Huang Huang's mandatory requirement, they had long had many complaints in private, and they did not know how many times they had grumbled.

The Demon Race is complex, with different natures, but most yearn for freedom and are unwilling to be bound in one place like prisoners.

"If you all support me at this time, then when the day of my ascension comes in the future, it will be the time for you all to regain your freedom!"

Seeing Qingteng begin to think, Ren Yidao dropped another bomb.

"Even, if you have the intention, the matter of the Crown Princess is not something that cannot be discussed."

The Crown Princess of this moment, when the future arrives, will be the Demon Empress who mothers the world.

For any race that intends to continue to grow, this is a temptation that is very hard to refuse.

After talking for a long time, Ren Yidao paused to give Qingteng some time to digest, then continued:

"However, this matter will naturally not be without risk."

After throwing the bait of benefits to the other party, he still had to explain the risks clearly.

"I will also say this upfront: this matter is of great importance and will certainly be accompanied by unpredictable risks; sacrifice is definitely inevitable."

This matter of treason has been the highest risk since ancient times, and at the slightest provocation, it ends in the total annihilation of one's nine clans.

Although the Demon Race does not divide clans as specifically as nine, it is still a crime of genocide, and no one dares to provoke it lightly.

"But you must understand one thing: no matter how many people we sacrifice, the ultimate goal is one... for the Demon Race!"

"We are not for immediate profit, but so that our descendants can no longer be oppressed by the Human Race in the future."

"We are not for the present, but for the future!"

When Ren Yidao spoke to the point of being moved, his eyes filled with tears, and he no longer lowered his voice, saying loudly:

"The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall stand!"

He stood up, pulled Qingteng up from the ground, and said emotionally:

"May I ask you all, if the time is ripe, are you willing to follow me to raise an army and denounce the thief?"

"I intend to ascend the throne and proclaim myself Emperor."

"How about it?"

"Is it feasible!!?"

……

In the end, Qingteng, her mind somewhat dazed, stumbled as she ran out of the bedchamber.

It was not until she was nearly at the entrance of the Eastern Palace and passed the overturned Gui Yan that she managed to pull herself together and control her expression.

Before stepping out of the palace gate, she could not help but look back, gazing at the bedchamber where Ren Yidao resided.

"Crown Prince..."

Regarding this Crown Prince, Qingteng now felt an indescribable dread.

It was as if his body were forever shrouded in a layer of mist; once you unraveled one layer, another remained hidden beneath it.

Impossible to see clearly, impossible to see through.

But there was one thing she could be certain of.

This person... is definitely not a kind soul.

"This matter is of great importance; I must discuss it with others immediately..."

Qingteng bowed with a mix of reverence and fear, turned to walk out of the palace gate, and hurriedly vanished into the streets.

And when she had walked far away, Ren Yidao in the room finally chuckled aloud.

"Heh heh."

He lay lazily on a rocking chair, swaying gently back and forth, toying with a pair of crystalline spheres in his hands.

He did not know which former Crown Prince had left this pair of spheres behind; they were actually a pair of extremely rare Water-Avoiding Spirit Pearls.

However, like the previous heir, Ren Yidao did not take them too seriously, merely toying with them casually as a pastime.

"Once Qingteng takes my words back, those in the Wavering Party, after hearing what I said, probably won't be excited, but will instead become even more chaotic, right?"

He did not need to think much to know that this was almost a certain outcome.

The Wavering Party itself was the loosest and least organized of the three factions; encountering such a turn of events now, they would surely fall into chaos.

Who knows how much time it will take for them to reach a unified answer.

"Moreover, there is no wall in Heaven that doesn't leak; this news will reach the ears of others sooner or later..."

Can the Wavering Party keep a secret?

Impossible!

Ren Yidao did not believe for a second that there were no spies from other factions among that group; they must have been infiltrated long ago.

If not for his interference, these people would eventually make a choice and merge into one of the factions; there was no third possibility.

Neither party would tolerate a third-party force sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight, nor would they allow others to pick up the spoils when they had fought until both sides were crippled.

Before they truly engaged in a life-and-death struggle, they would tacitly cooperate to carve up the Wavering Party, eliminating the threat before proceeding to the final battle.

But!

Just as Ren Yidao had cajoled Qingteng...

He was going to give them a third choice.

A completely different choice.

"The fire is not yet hot enough."

"It needs more firewood."

Ren Yidao wanted to make this scene even more chaotic!

Still not enough.

A little more chaos.

A little more madness!

Ren Yidao's plan was actually not complicated.

He intended to make himself the fuse that ignited everything.

He would do everything in his power to make everyone place their chips on him; he wanted to become the indispensable one.

And then... actively detonate it.

Hee hee.

"Truly interesting."

"I am truly looking forward to the arrival of that moment..."

Ren Yidao reviewed his plan once more and reined in his overly arrogant and evil smile.

"Still missing a little..."

"My current weight is not yet enough."

Ren Yidao was important now, but he had not yet reached the level he envisioned; it still lacked a bit of heat.

"How can I continue to increase the 'gold content' of my status as the Demon Savior?"

"Perform another miracle before the Demon Race? Expose that I have already broken through to the Void Refinement realm? Or let them know my true age?"

Just as Ren Yidao was pondering, he felt a Jade Pendant in his bosom vibrate; projecting his divine sense into it, he heard a transmission suppressed with excitement:

【"Crown Prince, this humble Daoist has finished preparations and can open the furnace to refine the pill at any time!】

【Furthermore, to prevent the medicinal efficacy of the Mending Heaven Pill from dissipating, I ask that the Crown Prince come to this humble Daoist's place to wait, and swallow it immediately once the pill is formed!"】

【"At that time, under this humble Daoist's protection, the Crown Prince will surely be able to unleash the medicinal power to its limit!"】

"Pfft!"

Ren Yidao curled his lip, not believing a word of He Shou's nonsense.

"You ill-intentioned old thing, you really are in a rush, spouting nonsense every single day!"

After becoming wary of He Shou, Ren Yidao's guard against him was at its maximum, feeling that every move this Evil Dao made was intended to harm him.

Especially after seeing that gloomy studio with his own eyes, Ren Yidao became even more firm in this belief.

"However, perhaps it is not entirely a bad thing."

He had originally wanted to find an excuse to delay for a while longer, but upon second thought, this did not seem to be entirely a bad thing.

"Perhaps, I can make something of this, stir up some trouble..."

Ren Yidao made up his mind, and thus replied to He Shou:

【"Many thanks, True Person! I will arrive at noon, and at that time we shall directly fire up the furnace to refine pills!"】

As for why he was not going immediately, Ren Yidao's reason was also quite sufficient.

"If I go just because he tells me to, wouldn't I become a cheap man?"

"Don't I, Huhu, have any face to save?"

"First, let me... cough! No, I mean, let me catch up on some sleep first!"

"Haha! True Person, it has been many days! You are still the same, still as frail as ever! Hahahaha!"

"Ha, ah haha... The General's style remains unchanged, still as tall and mighty as ever."

"Sigh! Just average, just a little bit stronger than you, that's all! Hahaha!"

Cang Hai laughed without a shred of shame, plopping down onto a stool, his massive frame nearly crushing the "miniature" stool flat.

Meanwhile, He Shou on the side could only force a smile that didn't reach his eyes, an urge to crush this brute Cang Hai to death rising in his heart.

You foolish dog, what do you know!?

This old Daoist is a cultivator! Not like you, an idiot martial artist with a brain full of nothing but muscles.

After cursing for a long while in his heart, He Shou turned his head to look at the seemingly innocent Crown Prince, his tone not particularly pleasant, and gritted his teeth: "Your Highness, why did you invite General Cang over? Could it be that you don't trust this poor Daoist?"

"True Person, this matter cannot be blamed on me; it was General Cang who insisted on coming."

Ren Yidao gave a bitter smile and cupped his hands toward He Shou, saying helplessly: "I was caught by him halfway here, wanting to drag me back to Cang Mansion to drink. It was only after I said I was coming to your place that he let me go."

These words were part truth and part lie.

The truth was that Cang Hai did indeed intend to drag him to the mansion to drink, preparing for a hearty, drunken session.

But the lie was that the two of them had not just happened to run into each other at a corner.

It was Ren Yidao who had done it on purpose!

He had deliberately taken a detour to the vicinity of Cang Mansion to lure Cang Hai into catching him, successfully bringing along this piece of "tough meat."

Most coincidental encounters in this world are schemes meticulously calculated by one party!

Because of his connection with Cang Lan, this Cang Hai could be considered half of his own person, especially given the lewd, winking look he gave him when they met today; he could fully be considered more than half of his own person.

He brought Cang Hai along, on one hand, so that this older brother could put some pressure on He Shou, forcing him to restrain himself a little.

And on the other hand, it was for some small ulterior motives.

Ren Yidao needed a loudspeaker to help him spread the word, to relay what happened today to the outside world.

Because Ren Yidao was preparing to use this opportunity to play a big game.

He wanted to make Demon Emperor City tremble because of him once again.

Ren Yidao calculated in his heart, while on the surface, he whispered to He Shou in an understanding manner:

"True Person, if it is inconvenient for General Cang to be here, shall we change the time?"

He Shou looked deeply at Ren Yidao, pondered for a moment, then shook his head and laughed freely.

"No, just let him stay here."

He chuckled, turned around and walked into the Alchemy Room with ease, his voice echoing with a faint laugh:

"Your Highness, let us begin."