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The head of the Hong Family had always felt that most of the things he’d done in his lifetime were true to his conscience—not completely aboveboard, perhaps, but certainly nothing he deeply regretted.

Only with the King of Qin did he have internal struggles he couldn’t overcome.

In that era of Asura Hell, the Human Race initially had no aspirations to govern the Central Plains. Aside from a few military warlord clans or Sorcerer Families, most people simply wanted to survive until the next day. This included families like his—a middling family.

The Hong Family, though a prominent force in Hebei, found itself on the brink during years of ceaseless warfare. The men in the family had been nearly wiped out.

Ordinary people without bloodlines were treated worse than livestock in those days. A mere ten catties of rice or flour could buy a child or a vaguely attractive woman.

In such an era, he had lost all hope from the moment he could remember.

But, in that dark, despairing time, it was this man before him who brought light to everyone.

Though the demonic nobility’s ideology that only the most wicked could become food violated his bottom line, he couldn’t deny that the Great Jin Dynasty had enjoyed twenty years of peace. And the greatest credit belonged not to the Siao Family.

"Long time no see, Uncle Hong..." the King of Qin said with a faint smile.

The Hong Family head looked at the King of Qin, his expression endlessly complex. He had heard rumors in the Capital City about this man’s exploits and hadn’t expected to meet him again one day.

"Your Highness..." The head of the Hong Family lowered himself onto one knee, performing the highest form of obeisance. "Your humble servant greets Your Highness!"

The Princess Royale observed this quietly and did not object.

She vividly remembered the internal battle Uncle Hong had faced when deciding to break ties with the King of Qin back then.

She also knew the immense courage it took for someone so loyal to betray him.

Precisely because of this, she remained assured that the head of the Hong Family had not changed—he was still the man she knew well.

"You’re still the same after all these years," the King of Qin chuckled softly. "So utterly useless."

"Apologies for letting Your Highness down..." The Hong Family head replied with a bitter smile.

The King of Qin sighed but said no more.

Over the years, his interactions with Chen Qing had given him some understanding of these people’s perspectives: his designs from back then indeed had flaws.

The demons had ultimately still exploited the Human Race cruelly—not through barbaric plunder but through systematic oppression.

The Human Race, reduced to a reasonable yet degrading level of servitude, could never truly accept it.

Old Hong, though loyal, was the sort of man who valued dignity.

In truth... he admired such people. But alas, when it came to matters of stance and conviction, sometimes people simply couldn’t walk the same path together.

"Long time no see, Little Phoenix..." The King of Qin said, smiling warmly at the Princess Royale.

"Indeed, long time no see..." The Princess Royale looked at him with a complex expression. Back in Yundu, he had appeared in a strange and sudden manner, with his focus entirely on Lady Ziyue. They had hardly interacted, and there hadn’t been time for small talk due to the urgency of the situation.

She had always known she’d meet him again someday. She just didn’t expect that day to come this quickly.

"I thought you’d immediately seek out those soldiers," the Princess Royale remarked. "Even now, the Flying Dragon Lord’s army still has many Colonels who were once your loyal subordinates. If you secretly contacted them, you’d still have a chance to bring the military under your control."

"Oh, really?" The King of Qin shook his head. "When I died back then, the Flying Dragon Army didn’t revolt, proving that my prestige wasn’t as great as imagined. It’s no different now—many soldiers are under the control of Evil Spirits, and their families’ lives rest in the hands of the Siao Family.

How could they possibly rebel just because I’ve returned? "

"You’ve always been wise," the Princess Royale said with a laugh. "Then why are you here?"

"To cooperate," the King of Qin said earnestly.

"To cooperate with me?"

"To cooperate with all of you," he said blandly.

"Even with those who betrayed you in the past?"

"This world isn’t black and white. What happened back then was a matter of stance. I was disappointed by your choices, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand them. And now... indeed, there’s room for collaboration."

"On what basis could we collaborate?" The Princess Royale asked amusedly. "You are a demon that eats humans, an intrinsic fact that will never change. No matter what, the Human Race won’t allow the existence of someone like you in their world!"

"Humans... cannot stand on their own in the world," the King of Qin replied with a smile.

"You understand this better than anyone. All the strength humans wield today comes from demons—bloodlines, sorcerers, everything. Even your Ghost Spirit Army was derived this way. You know it’s impossible for the Human Race to control the Central Plains on their own.

Human-demon coexistence is inevitable, whether you dislike it or rage against it.

This is the law of this world, and no one can change it! "

"Are you trying to convince me to believe in your absurd philosophy of human-demon coexistence again?"

"No..." The King of Qin shook his head. "I’m here to ask you to stand with me against the Buddha Kingdom.

Though we differ in stance, we share at least some common ground: we want the Central Plains to thrive, not to become some parasitic feeding ground like in antiquity, where demons would gorge on humanity before running off, leaving the humans to grow like crops once more. "

"Is that so?" The Princess Royale locked her gaze onto his, staring deeply into his enigmatic eyes. "Then collaboration depends on what you can offer your counterpart. Right now, the Great Jin has an army of one million and one hundred thousand Transcendent troops. What do you have?"

"The Taoist Sect..."

The Princess Royale’s pupils constricted.

Her greatest fear had come true...

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"My lord... do you truly want me to follow along for this?" Wei Gongzhan asked apprehensively. While he had participated in his fair share of major events, the burden of coordinating with the Imperial Court’s Princess Royale was a task that still filled him with anxiety.

"I recall you used to call me Second Cousin..." Wei Gongcheng replied lightly.

Wei Gongzhan froze for a moment before correcting himself. "Second Cousin."

A rare smile appeared on Wei Gongcheng’s otherwise stern face.

"Among the Wei Family descendants, you resemble me the most."

"How could I possibly compare to Second Cousin..." Wei Gongzhan quickly waved his hand in modesty.

In Jiangnan, who didn’t know of Wei Gongcheng’s capability?

Although some outsiders claimed he held his position merely due to favoritism, no one could seriously believe such comments. To secure the position of Chief among Hell Rulers, overshadowing the Shen Family—that couldn’t be explained away by "favoritism."

"Don’t undervalue yourself. You lack ambition, but in fact, you’ve handled many matters better than I might have."

Wei Gongzhan looked at his cousin, uncertain how to respond. He could tell that Wei Gongcheng wasn’t seeking false humility.

"Cousin, it’s just about meeting the Princess Royale. Daqing Mountain isn’t Hell’s territory, but given your abilities..."

"What if there’s someone else involved?"

"Uh?"

Wei Gongzhan hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Do you think there might be others? Someone who could pose a threat to you?"

"Who do you think that might be?" Wei Gongcheng’s tone carried a hint of challenge.

Wei Gongzhan didn’t dare slack off. He quickly began analyzing. While his cousin rarely acted directly, even Lady Ziyue had once remarked that few within Hell Rulers could rival him; even old-school powerhouses like Shen Erlord were no exception.

Wei Gongcheng’s deep expertise in Hell Domains made his capabilities comparable to any top-tier magician.

The Shen Family’s prominent figures, though also Hell Rulers, typically relied more on inherited technique-based abilities.

"In this world, there are truly only a handful who could threaten you. If it’s not someone with the surname Lan, then maybe it’s an external invader."

"And among all possible contenders, someone with the ability to infiltrate quietly would be rare indeed. They’d need extraordinary Spatial Technique skills, at least on par with Lady Ziyue. Then..."

The conclusion was evident.

"The King of Qin?"

"You’ve done well..." Wei Gongcheng said with a smile.

"But why would he come here now?"

"He’s here to cooperate..." Wei Gongcheng lowered his voice. "But not to work with us. Jiangnan is internally vulnerable; he won’t miss this opportunity. Besides... I’ve received news from Lady Ziyue. She mentioned... the soldiers brought by Lady Ziyue are now in his hands!"