Master of the Demon Emperor

"Origin of Hongmeng?"

Wux Qingyao asked curiously, interrupting Qing Jushi's endless chatter.

Qing Jushi wasn't annoyed, but actually pleased, replying with a voice full of guile, "That is a place of opportunity within Hongmeng, unknown to most beings. Only a select few are aware of it. It's incredibly difficult to enter the Origin of Hongmeng. However, a senior owes me a favor, so I can ask him to help us get inside."

"Which senior?"

Su Yie pressed, observing Qing Jushi's demeanor with disgust, as if he were boasting of having powerful connections.

Qing Jushi, standing proudly with his chest puffed out, arrogantly answered, "Jidao Sect, have you heard of it?"

Su Yie and Wux Qingyao remained silent.

Su Lingding shook his head and swayed, looking into the distance, seemingly gazing at something.

"What? Have you heard of them? Well, it figures, since you are still too young."

Qing Jushi shook his head and laughed, reminiscing about his old friend from the Jidao Sect at this point.

Su Yie said impatiently, "Stop bragging, just lead the way!"

Having said that, he asked within Emperor Su's Sect about the Jidao Sect and whether they knew Emperor Qing Xiao.

The Jidao Sect replied: Emperor Qing Xiao? Let me think.

After a pause, he continued: I remember now. I was severely injured once and someone saved me—it was the child of that person who later sought me out. I let my disciple instruct him for a while, and he later claimed to be Emperor Qing Xiao.

The fact that a figure like the Jidao Sect needed even a second to recall indicated that Emperor Qing Xiao meant nothing to him.

Su Yie repeated what Qing Jushi had said.

Instantly, Emperor Su's Sect erupted into chaos.

Jidao Sect: We don't need his help; I can take you into the Origin of Hongmeng myself!

Green Lotus Sword Immortal: I never expected Emperor Qing Xiao to have such a past.

Mad Immortal: Is this someone getting caught in their own bluff?

Ren Wokuang: Hahahaha!

Xiahou Jinxuan: Brother Su Yie, if you need help, just call on me. I may look down on others, but I will always be sincere to you. As the head of the sect, I swear it.

Nan Xiaopao: It's that charlatan again!

...

Even though Emperor Su's Sect already had elders and many newcomers, Su Yie's position remained unique.

The only member whom Emperor Su had publicly promised to protect.

After his successful bluff, Qing Jushi stood even taller, feeling as if he now had the upper hand when facing Su Yie.

"Kid, I, the Great Emperor, have considerable abilities. Meeting me is your great fortune across three lifetimes."

Qing Jushi led the way while humming to himself in triumph.

Time passed.

Another half-month went by.

Qing Jushi finally sensed the aura of The Gate of the Great Dao and excitedly crowed like a rooster, "It's right ahead!"

Following the direction of his right hand, they saw a terracotta-colored star that rivaled the sun in front of them.

Su Yie and Wux Qingyao swept the star with their Divine Sense but didn't detect any trace of life.

This made things much simpler.

The four of them swiftly descended onto the star.

Soon, under Qing Jushi's lead, they found The Gate of the Great Dao.

It was a stone stele, standing on the ground, two zhang tall and half a zhang wide. At first glance, it didn't look anything like a gate at all.

Su Yie also doubted, for he had entered The Gate of the Great Dao before but had never seen its true face.

Circling around The Gate of the Great Dao, Qing Jushi murmured, "Something feels off about this Gate of the Great Dao."

Su Yie felt a surge of black lines on his head and said in a deep voice, "Are you kidding me?"

At that moment, Su Yie suddenly felt an unease that grew increasingly intense.

Wux Qingyao held Su Lingding's hand as if she too sensed the eeriness.

This earthen-colored star was terrifyingly still.

It seemed to hide an ominous threat, like the calm before a storm.

Qing Jushi wandered around for a while before suddenly crying out in alarm, "Damn it! This goddamn thing isn't The Gate of the Great Dao! It's The Gate of Misfortune!"

After speaking, he abruptly turned and rushed in front of Su Yie and the others, exclaiming, "Hurry and go!"

He didn't flee directly but instead warned Su Yie and the others.

It wasn't because he was kind-hearted, but because he knew he couldn't escape on his own!

Upon hearing this, Wux Qingyao didn't understand what The Gate of Misfortune was, but immediately swung her sleeves and took Su Yie, Su Lingding, and Qing Jushi away.

They turned into a rainbow light and quickly disappeared into the depths of the starry sky.

The Gate of Misfortune stood still, unmoving, without any anomalies occurring.

After a long time.

Su Yie and the others stopped in the starry sky, and Qing Jushi let out a sigh of relief, saying, "That was terrifying... damn... how did we come across such a thing?"

Only after distancing himself from The Gate of Misfortune did the unease in Su Yie's heart disappear.

He asked in a serious voice, "What is The Gate of Misfortune?"

Weren't they searching for The Gate of the Great Dao?

Qing Jushi sighed and said, "In the multitude of Hongmeng worlds, everything has two sides. People are like this, living beings are like this, everything is like this, even The Gate of the Great Dao has another side, The Gate of Misfortune."

"As the name implies, The Gate of Misfortune represents calamity, while The Gate of the Great Dao represents opportunity."

"The Gate of the Great Dao and The Gate of Misfortune are interconnected, so the former bears both fortune and misfortune. Yet if you encounter The Gate of Misfortune, there is only disaster."

By the end of it, he furrowed his brows and revealed a rare look of solemnity, saying, "Strange, why would The Gate of Misfortune appear here? Such a thing shouldn't be here; it should be in Hongmeng!"

Su Yie's brows were tightly knitted; he had already fallen into dangerous grounds multiple times and did not wish to do so again.

He asked, "So you're saying, the presence of The Gate of the Great Dao you've been feeling recently might actually be The Gate of Misfortune, and maybe The Gate of the Great Dao never appeared at all?"

Upon hearing this, Qing Jushi's face turned pale.

If that was indeed the case…

The more he thought about it, the more his skin crawled.

Wasn't that to say he had been pursuing calamity all along…

"If that's the case, then you can die now."

Su Yie opened his right hand, coalescing a World-Ending Emperor Star.

Qing Jushi shivered with fear and quickly tried to explain, "Wait! If you want to find The Gate of the Great Dao, you can only rely on me! Of those alive today, I am the only one who has made it out of The Gate of the Great Dao!"

He had no doubts that Su Yie could kill him, especially with the unfathomable Wux Qingyao standing by.

"You've entered The Gate of the Great Dao?"

Su Yie asked in surprise and doubt. Everyone said that Emperor Qing Xiao had perished, yet here he was reincarnated in the Ancient Wilderness—could it be related to The Gate of the Great Dao?

"That's right, before I perished, my soul entered The Gate of the Great Dao and descended into the Ancient Wilderness. I traveled not just through space but also through time. The time my soul entered the Ancient Wilderness was a thousand years before my fall. But at the same moment, there were two of me; the Emperor Qing Xiao fully perished, while I wandered around the Ancient Wilderness. It took tens of thousands of years for my wraith to barely recover," said Qing Jushi through gritted teeth, revealing his greatest secret in order to save his life.

Su Yie and Wux Qingyao's expressions changed slightly—was there such a thing?

"How fascinating, Qing Xiao, why don't you tell us how you were able to enter The Gate of the Great Dao?"

Just then, a voice filled with murderous intent came, causing the listeners to feel a chill to their bone.

Su Yie and the others looked up together.

Above them appeared a figure wrapped in black mist, his face expressionless, his eyes pale, hairless, with two horn-like white protuberances atop his head.