Chapter 401: You Are Not Fit to Be the Demon Emperor (Second Update)

Inside the Demon Emperor Palace, the current Crown Prince Ren Yidao made a rather rebellious evaluation of the contemporary Demon Emperor.

"Your Majesty, you are not fit to be the Demon Emperor!"

"You are old, and you are no longer useful!"

"That seat should be my turn to sit on!"

"Hehehehe..."

Of course, Ren Yidao did not say this to force a palace coup or seize power; he wanted to make Huang Huang face the facts.

"Mercy does not command troops, righteousness does not manage wealth... Sister, do you know what your biggest problem is?"

"It is benevolence."

"You need to get one thing clear: you are the Demon Emperor, not the Demon God."

Ren Yidao stared at Huang Huang, who was somewhat composed but had not spoken to refute him, keeping her lips tightly pursed, and he had no intention of stopping at this moment.

Without destruction, there can be no construction.

Some things must be said aloud.

Some things must be exposed by someone!

Therefore, even though Huang Huang looked as if she were about to shatter at this moment, Ren Yidao could only harden his heart and continue:

"The Demon God can be high above, ignorant of worldly affairs, and can look down upon them with a loving perspective, treating them like children who have not yet grown up."

"This is what the Demon God should do: show pity to all living things, not reach out, not interfere; a god must have the appearance of a god."

"But the Demon Emperor cannot! A ruler cannot do this."

"Especially since you are the last Demon Emperor in a time of crisis, needing to make the Demon Race rise again; you especially cannot have this misplaced benevolence."

"You can be benevolent, but not excessively so; your excessive benevolence and indulgence are actually the greatest harm to them."

As Ren Yidao spoke, he stepped forward, and by now he had forced his way to the front of Huang Huang's throne, staring intensely into her evasive eyes.

"Just as I said before, Sister, you are my helper, and also the culprit who caused the current chaotic situation."

Regarding this chaos, the spark Ren Yidao scattered was certainly important, but the situation that had already become a mess also created an environment ready to explode at a touch.

If Ren Yidao was the one who lit the fire, then Huang Huang was the one who piled the firewood.

Ren Yidao reached out and gently cupped Huang Huang's cheeks, not letting her dodge, forcing her to look him in the eye.

Then, looking at those eyes filled with grievance, he smiled.

It was no longer the evil sneer that had been hidden when he spoke of his plans earlier.

Instead, it was a sincere, slightly helpless bitter smile.

"But..."

"Beyond that, the reason I would change my mind is precisely because of your attitude toward them."

Ren Yidao shook his head, as if feeling strange about his own change.

"Do you know what my first impression of you was?"

"Fire."

"An intense fire, a fire without impurities."

"You are the contemporary Demon Emperor, the current ruler of the Demon Race, but strangely, I did not detect any hostility toward humans from you."

"You didn't even think about counterattacking humans, didn't think about taking back Shenzhou, just guarding this Demon Emperor City..."

"At the beginning, I was very puzzled, and even thought your disguise was too good, that even I couldn't see through it."

"But later, I discovered that it wasn't like that at all!"

"After all that, this wasn't an act; it was your most genuine thought from the bottom of your heart."

I thought you were a best-actress-level rival, but it turns out you're just a 'simpleton with no acting skills, only feelings'."

What a pity!

Ren Yidao sighed, stating the speculation he initially dared not believe:

"Your thoughts are actually very simple, nothing else... just hoping that the Demon Race can survive, that is all."

"And to achieve this, even if it means letting them hide under the protection of your wings, no matter how uncomfortable they live, as long as they can survive, it is enough."

"As long as they survive, as long as the race can continue, there is hope for everything."

You are not acting as a Demon Emperor.

Sister, you are acting as a saint for the Demon Race!

Ren Yidao could only sigh:

"Sister, you are truly gentle."

Truly.

"But, Sister, do you know? Gentle people are actually the easiest to get hurt."

"Because they are gentle, they are betrayed by some people without any psychological burden."

"Why did the Four Seas Dragon Kings dare to defect and declare themselves kings? It is because they were certain you would not have the heart to impose the necessary punishment... and they bet correctly."

"You think this is your benevolence, but you are wrong, and you are dead wrong! You have committed the taboo that a superior should never touch—unclear rewards and punishments."

"Promotions and punishments, praise and blame, should not be handled inconsistently."

"For the head of a race, your approach is the worst; you are a muddled ruler who could be overthrown by those below at any time."

"That you can still sit in this seat today is thanks to your strength."

"But... as an independent individual, I don't dislike this way of thinking of yours."

After all, who would dislike a gentle person?

"You made me reflect on one thing; perhaps some of my previous thoughts were wrong."

He said:

"If there did not exist a hatred between the two races that could never be dissolved throughout the generations, then perhaps there should exist a path of coexistence between the Human Race and the Demon Race."

!!!

Huang Huang's eyes, which had already dimmed, suddenly lit up, and she stared blankly at the youth before her.

The youth's face was very close, and she could clearly see the emotions in his eyes.

Gentle, firm.

"I didn't care before, but now, I want to try a little bit to find it."

"To find that path of coexistence."

As he spoke, Ren Yidao smiled and blinked.

"Oh, if I really can't find it in the end, don't blame me! When that time truly comes, I will also protect you in my own way."

What kind of way was that?

If that was destined to be a path where the whole world was the enemy... then simply exterminating all the enemies would suffice.

Not difficult, very simple.

But the probability of regretting it in the future is very, very high, so I won't consider it unless it's an absolute last resort.

While Ren Yidao was pondering, Huang Huang, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

She did not shake off the hands on her cheeks, but stared intently at Ren Yidao and asked:

"Are you human, or are you a demon?"

Ren Yidao tilted his head and smiled: "Is there a difference?"

"There is."

Seeing that Huang Huang's gaze was so serious, Ren Yidao put away his smile, thought for a moment, and said slowly:

"From your perspective, there is a difference, but to me, there is actually no difference at all."

"Humans have good people and bad people, and demons also have good demons and evil demons; neither can be generalized."

"Of course, as for the Human Race, I actually don't have much sense of belonging."

"I am like a human stuffed into a demon's body, caught between the two races, subordinate to both sides, yet never truly belonging to either."

"There is one thing you can rest assured about: I will not be the savior for the Demon Race to destroy humanity, nor will I become a loyal soldier for the Human Race to exterminate the demons."

He said:

"I am free."