The Confrontation

The Yellow Demon gave a low chuckle. "Heh... High Priest, from this moment on, you are no longer that."

Jin Yu shouted coldly from the side, "Empty words. Whether she is or isn't, it is not for you to decide."

The Yellow Demon did not yield an inch. "It is not for me to decide? Don't forget what you said over a month ago. If you couldn't find Bai Mang, you would be at our mercy. What, are you going back on your word?"

The Small Priest, Jin Yu, simply acted shamelessly. "So what if I go back on my word?"

The Yellow Demon did not bother arguing with Jin Yu. He turned his gaze back to Jin Qing atop the golden giant dragon and continued his interrogation.

"You little girl, you know nothing. Jin Qing, you tell me—do you admit it or not?"

The eyes of all the demon gods also fell upon Jin Qing.

Under the gaze of the demon gods, Jin Qing's expression remained calm. She slowly looked over them and said indifferently, "What? Are you all planning an act of insubordination today?"

Facing Jin Qing's gaze, the demon gods of the Azure and Blue families instinctively looked away.

This time, what Jin Qing had done was no small matter for the entire Demon Abyss.

Losing Bai Mang.

It was equivalent to closing the Demon Dao Pavilion that they had finally managed to open.

It was indeed too much.

At a time like this, they found it hard to convince themselves to stand by her side.

Even if they could choose not to care, as demon gods or clan leaders, they had to listen to the voices within their own tribes.

The Purple Demon said in a sinister tone, "Insubordination? What a heavy accusation. Back then, we seven families could raise you up, and today, we can also pull you down."

The Wind Demon added at the right moment, "Stop going in circles with her. In a word, there must be an explanation for the matter of Bai Mang. You are the High Priest. If you made a mistake, you must be punished. There is no room for negotiation."

The Green Demon mediated from the center, "The words are blunt but the reasoning is sound. I ask the High Priest to keep her promise, hand over the Nether Flag and the demon god token, and repent properly. We will not make things difficult for you."

The Blue Demon bit her lip and whispered weakly, "That is right, High Priest. You must give everyone an explanation. We also have our own difficulties, do we not?"

By wanting to open the Nether Gate and causing conflict, many demons were already dissatisfied with this High Priest.

Now that she had caused the death of Bai Mang and touched the interests of the entire heavenly demon race, an explanation was naturally required.

Furthermore, word about the Nether Gate had already leaked. It was suspected that experts from the Wendao Sword Sect had intervened in the Demon Abyss to investigate the matter.

This left the demon gods feeling like they were sitting on pins and needles every day. At such a time, there had to be an explanation—an explanation for the Wendao Sword Sect and a psychological comfort for themselves.

They were in unanimous agreement that the current Jin Qing was no longer suitable to continue as the High Priest and lead the Demon Abyss.

At the very least, they should revoke Jin Qing's control over the Golden Demon Dragon and her command over the Nether Guards.

This was to prevent her from leading the Demon Abyss into an actual abyss.

Moreover, over the years, the High Priest had always wanted to change the status quo of the Demon Abyss, seeking to implement new reforms and abolish the bloodline theory.

Not to mention this incident, many of these demon gods had developed intense conflicts with her.

If they did not take this opportunity to strip her of her power, they feared they would be the ones suffering in the future.

They felt that they should push a more obedient High Priest into the position. Jin Qing's strength was too great. In recent years, with the outbreak of the Nether Gate incident, they had slowly come to realize a fact.

That was, this young girl had completely escaped their control.

A High Priest who was not under control was a potential unknown factor for the entire Demon Abyss.

And a High Priest who originally harbored hatred for the heavenly demon race was an even greater potential threat to the heavenly demon community.

Long before Bai Mang was lost, they had already planned to force the High Priest to act so they could seize power from her.

Now that she had lost Bai Mang and had given that promise that day, how could they miss such a perfect opportunity?

"Is this how you all think?"

As her gaze swept around the circle, not one of the ten responded, choosing to give their silent consent.

Jin Qing was still unwilling to give up. She looked at Chi Ming and took the initiative to ask, "Uncle Ming, do you think so too? Do you also wish for me to hand over the Nether Flag?"

Chi Ming remained silent from beginning to end, only raising his hand to stroke the massive head of the Black Dragon King to soothe its emotions.

Jin Qing had her answer and could not help but smile bitterly.

This was what it meant to be deserted by all.

The grand High Priest of the Demon Abyss, an existence above tens of millions, would actually face a confrontation from her subordinates one day. Who would believe it if this were told?

Laughable.

Truly laughable.

The power of the mere Demon God Palaces actually overrode the Nether Hall. It was simply absurd.

She lowered her eyes slightly and glanced at the Golden Demon Dragon. The so-called Nether Flag was actually just an ordinary flag.

Its offensive power was not even as good as an earth-demonic weapon.

It was just that whoever held the flag, the Golden Demon Dragon would listen to that person.

As for the Nether Guards of the Nether Hall.

In theory, they followed the orders of the Nether Flag. Wherever the flag waved, the Nether Guards would charge into battle.

But that was in the past, in the era when the demon sovereign ruled the Demon Abyss.

Now, the Nether Guards only recognized the person, not the flag.

They had sworn loyalty to her, willing to give their lives for the great cause of the demon race.

She never doubted their loyalty, but that was only a small portion after all.

With the infiltration of the seven great families over so many years, whether it was the Nether Guards or the Demon Guard Army, they were already like the Nether Capital—divided and with entrenched interests.

For example, among the Nether Guards, the strongest expert, Qingmu, was the divine son of the Azure Demon God Palace. If she truly fell out with the Qing family, which side would he stand on?

Similar examples were everywhere.

The Nether Guards, the Demon Guard Army, and the Demon Court—these three forces were originally independent of the Demon God Palaces and even ranked above them. But now, they existed in name only.

What they finally wanted to strip away was only her control over the Golden Dragon King.

Of course.

The ten of them were not of one mind either. Whoever could obtain the Nether Flag would gain the assistance of the Golden Dragon King.

Among them, one family would be able to firmly suppress the other six and become the true hegemon of the Demon Abyss.

In fact, it was precisely because they were wary and suspicious of each other that they had propped her up into this position in the first place.

It was out of selfishness.

And she just happened to be suitable.

That was all.

Four thousand years. For a full four thousand years, she had tried to change all of this, constantly balancing the situation and keeping them in check.

Originally, she thought that in the four thousand years of maneuvering, she had succeeded.

But it was only now that she suddenly woke up. While she was using them, were they not also using her?

Everything in the past was nothing more than an act.

She could not help but feel it was laughable and pathetic.

If it were the Jin Qing from four thousand years ago, she would certainly think that it was fine to stop being the High Priest.

But she was the Jin Qing of today, four thousand years later. To let go just like this, she was not willing. She had to give herself an explanation, and likewise, give the entire Demon Abyss an explanation.

Sometimes, it could not be denied that with great power comes great responsibility.

Some things must be done by someone, and that person could only be her.

She could not hand over the Nether Flag, nor could she hand over the three demon god tokens in her hand.

Because she knew that Bai Mang was still alive.

If she wanted to push him into that position to trade for a glimmer of hope for the Demon Abyss, she could not compromise.

She wanted control over the Golden Dragon King.

She also wanted the title of High Priest.

She took a deep breath, and her brow gradually relaxed with a sense of both relief and resolve. She did not want to waste any more words and instead said frankly:

"The position of High Priest belongs to the capable. If you want to take it, then come and seize it..."