Twelve voices rang out in succession, passing the motion unanimously.
Xu Xian smiled faintly, remaining calm in the face of honor or disgrace, quite satisfied.
"Well then, from this moment on, I am the demon son, the Master of the Demon Abyss."
The twelve demon gods remained silent, their lack of response serving as a tacit acknowledgment.
Xu Xian stepped forward, walking past the High Priest and Small Priest toward the black throne that had been sealed for four thousand years.
It was the highest seat in the hall, the place where the demon sovereigns of past generations had sat.
When the previous demon sovereign fell four thousand years ago, that seat had been left vacant, remaining so until now.
For four thousand years, there had been no successor.
But today.
It belonged to Xu Xian.
Twelve pairs of eyes watched him silently as he crossed the hall and ascended the high platform, finally taking his seat upon that black throne.
Not a single person spoke.
The only sound in the entire hall was the soft echo of Xu Xian's footsteps.
It wasn't that they were being agreeable, nor was it because they were intimidated by Xu Xian's presence; it was simply because they had already made their choice.
By coming here to participate in this so-called vote, they had already signaled their attitude and stance.
They agreed!
They couldn't find a reason to disagree anyway.
Whether for personal gain or the greater good, it was already a settled matter that Bai Mang would become the demon son, and eventually, the demon lord.
Even if the High Priest hadn't initiated this, they would have stepped forward themselves to push him into this position—the very seat Xu Xian now occupied.
That day at the Nether Pool, his manifestation had become known to the entire Demon Abyss; the descendant of the Demon Lord, the Immortal-Demon Bai Mang, had descended upon the Nether Capital.
His ten-colored long hair had shone brilliantly, and from that moment on, the tide of destiny had turned, leaving no room for anyone to object.
Anyone who stood up at this critical juncture would be standing against the entire Demon Abyss.
And if they were to deny Bai Mang's status as an Immortal-Demon, they would first have to overturn the bloodline theory that the heavenly demon race had always upheld.
The details were convoluted and troublesome, but the logic was simple.
It was also glaringly obvious.
The Demon Abyss needed a demon son, whether as a spiritual anchor or a political necessity.
The demon gods also needed a demon son who could translate the primordial demon arts and command the nether fire to lead the heavenly demon race to a higher level.
In the face of such an overwhelming trend, their small schemes and minor interests became insignificant.
Most importantly, Bai Mang was an Immortal-Demon descendant, possessing the highest level of bloodline in the entire Demon Abyss.
With him standing above them, the lower demons wouldn't have any objections, nor would the heavenly demon race.
So why not?
In fact, to some extent, pushing the ten-colored haired Immortal-Demon Bai Mang into the position of demon son would better demonstrate the importance of bloodlines to all the demon tribes in the Demon Abyss.
They wanted to tell the entire Demon Abyss that Bai Mang could be the demon son because he was born to be one, carrying the bloodline of the Demon Lord.
They also wanted to tell the world outside that the Demon Abyss now had a demon son, the descendant of the Demon Lord.
They wanted to tell the Wendao Sword Sect that the Demon Lord was still present, so they shouldn't act recklessly.
It killed many birds with one stone.
As Xu Xian sat down, the High Priest was the first to rise, with Jin Yu following closely by her side as they walked toward the center of the hall. Ten familiar figures also stepped out from the shadows.
They lined up in the hall, facing the youth, performing the salute of respect for a demon lord, and greeted him in unison.
"We pay our respects to the demon son!"
"We pay our respects to the demon son!!"
The demon son, Bai Mang, sat firmly on the throne, accepting their bows.
Unlike the situation in the Sword Pavilion, at this moment, Xu Xian no longer just felt like he was ruling the world; he truly was ruling it.
He believed that after today, the news of him becoming the demon son would sweep through the entire Demon Abyss at incredible speed.
By then, the countless demons across the millions of miles of land would all become his subjects.
Of course.
Xu Xian was no longer the youth he once was; he had long since seen through the empty fame of the mundane world.
He had his own plans and understood that only true strength could support such a grand reputation.
He raised his hand slightly, signaling them to rise.
"Rise, there is no need for such ceremony!"
The demon gods rose in unison, and Xu Xian gestured for them to sit, as he had something to say.
After the demon gods took their seats, Xu Xian tapped his fingers on the armrest of the throne.
Following the script he had prepared beforehand, he told the demon gods another story.
He said, "An elder of mine once told me that with great power comes great responsibility, and so, I have come."
No one spoke, sitting quietly as they watched him perform.
"After I arrived and saw the current state of the Demon Abyss, I felt deeply saddened. I think if my father saw that the Demon Abyss had become like this, he would be very disappointed."
Some frowned, while others lowered their eyes.
Father?
The story last time wasn't like this.
Bai Mang had said he was an Immortal-Demon descendant.
Bai Mang had said the Demon Lord sent him here.
Why did he come? He came to save the Demon Abyss.
He even used the calamity from the High Priest's divination as a talking point, saying the Demon Lord had foreseen a Great Cataclysm in the near future.
Therefore, he had come by the Demon Lord's command, destined to face the calamity.
It was a ridiculous story. If the last story was something Bai Mang had made up, then this one was absolute nonsense.
But so what?
If he said it was true, then it was true.
Even though the plot was absurd and lacked any logic, what if it were true?
However, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of telling such a story just for the sake of being sentimental.
So, they figured that once he finished his story, he would be asking for benefits.
And things happened exactly as they expected.
He really did state his conditions.
"Since I have come to face the calamity, I naturally need to do certain things. But since I have just arrived, I will need everyone's help with some matters."
Now they were getting to the point.
The High Priest played along. "What can we do for you?"
Xu Xian said bluntly, "I need money!"
He needed money?
The twelve demon gods were stunned at first, then they snapped out of it, their expressions shifting within the shadows.
This was an unexpected answer.
But because it was Bai Mang, it was also a logical one.
He had always been greedy for wealth.
In the past, when he was greedy, they just thought he was a money-grubber. Now, they would think he was being greedy for the sake of the Demon Abyss.
In this way, his unusual actions and the story he just told could be linked together.
But still...
How could money save the Demon Abyss?
While it was true that money could make the world go round, they didn't believe that money could resolve a so-called calamity.
A calamity was called a calamity because of its irresistible nature—it couldn't be changed, avoided, or even dealt with; even surviving it was a struggle.
The High Priest didn't respond.
The Wind Demon in the shadows took the initiative to ask, "How much do you want?"
Xu Xian said airily, "Not much, only seventy-four million Shadow Soul Stones."
Not much?
Only?
Seventy-four million...
"Ssss!"
In the hall, many demon gods hissed as they sucked in cold air. This figure was not a small amount, even for them.
This was the definition of an extortionate demand.
Xu Xian didn't care in the slightest, striking while the iron was hot.
"I did the math. If each of your Ten Great Demon God Palaces gives me seven million, it shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"
Rate on N.U.
