Evil Emperor Zun

Chapter 2029 The Signal of the Gnawing Clan
With the threat from the Sun Realm eliminated, a temporary period of peace descended upon Tian Tan. The battle for the Memory Crystal Ball had not erupted for a long time, and all factions took advantage of this rare respite to recuperate and build up their strength.

That day, Uesugi Felicia, who was in an unaffiliated group, was training with Elodie when she suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. A sense of unease welled up inside her, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.

Ever since Qin Jia went to the mysterious space, she had often worried about whether Qin Jia was doing well there, and whether the demons might suddenly turn against her. But never before had she felt so tense and anxious that she couldn't concentrate at all. She hurriedly exited her cultivation state, but her rapid breathing still couldn't calm down, and she couldn't help but mutter, "Little girl..."

"Philica, what's wrong?" Sensing Philica's unease, Elodie's attention was immediately drawn, and a sense of alertness quickly ignited within her. Yet, mixed in with her gaze was a hint of concern and worry that even she herself was unaware of.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt a heart palpitation." Uesugi Felicia wiped away her cold sweat, hesitating to speak.

She was unsure if her premonition was true; she had a feeling that Qin Jia was about to encounter trouble. But what if she was just overthinking it? She really didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for everyone.

Especially Elodie… During these days without factions, the two of them resonated with each other in academics and cultivation, getting along exceptionally well, and often went on missions together, cooperating with remarkable synergy. However, Elodie was always polite and aloof to others, yet she paid special attention to her, as if there was a strange, innate attraction between them. This made Uesugi Felicia feel that there were too many coincidences, too much perfection, making her pay more attention to Elodie's true intentions.

If Qin Jia is truly in danger, I will definitely need help. But Elodie's intentions are still unclear; should I trust her? The environment in Tian Tan is so complex; one must always be wary of others…

As Uesugi Felicia was pondering, Elodie, without saying a word, summoned the Lyra Qin Yu Xian, plucked the strings, and played the soothing melody of the deep sea, "Sea Moon."

The melody, like cool ripples on water or soft moonlight, gently enveloped Uesugi Felicia. She felt the notes forming a force field around her, isolating her from external disturbances, enveloping her anxious heart, and calming her chaotic thoughts. Listening to the music, she even felt a strange resonance, as if the magic within her was attracting and resonating with Elodie's power.

As the music flowed, Elodie gradually sensed Philica's worry and hesitation. Instinctively, she played a calming melody to help Philica calm down. Her mind, however, worked like a sophisticated instrument, sensing and analyzing Philica's magical fluctuations, breathing rate, and even the subtlest changes in her expression. Remembering that Philica had just mentioned Qin Jia, a guess lingered in Elodie's mind: could this be related to Qin Jia?

As the last note faded, Uesugi Felicia let out a long sigh of relief, looked up at the other person, her violet eyes clearer and softer, but the probing in them still lingered: "Thank you, Elodie! I feel much better."

"I'm glad I could help you." Elodie nodded slightly, their eyes meeting. "Is it because of Qin Jia?"

She'd been discovered... Uesugi Felicia rubbed her temples, not giving a direct answer, but instead fiddling with the magical artifact, the Purple Star, hanging around her neck. She closed her eyes, silently chanted, and formed hand seals, using the power of the Purple Star to activate a secret technique.

She needed to confirm whether her intense premonition of danger had awakened some new ability. Through secret techniques, she could meticulously analyze the magical circuits within her body, measuring the intensity of magical power and even the slightest changes. However, such precise detection required a vast amount of mental energy. Unless in an emergency, mages usually relied on instruments to accomplish this. With no usable instruments around, Felicia had no choice but to resort to her secret techniques, and soon she was drenched in sweat.

Elodie saw this and was moved; a ripple appeared in her usually calm eyes.

Her mentor's admonition still echoed in her ears: "Miss Elodie, observe carefully, but do not easily intervene in her actions. Your safety is the top priority." But Philica's repeated acts of selflessness for Qin Jia and her companions were like a stone thrown into her heart, stirring up ripples she had never experienced before.

Besides, even if it weren't for Felicia, Elodie herself really liked Qin Jia, this adorable little girl, who always brought her so much joy, acting like a little adult. Just thinking about her softly calling her "Sister Lolo"... an impulse that transcended the "mission" dictated... swirled in her heart, overriding her observation and caution.

"Fine," she told herself. Since she had a "mission" to observe and understand Felicia, she couldn't bear to see the other person bear it all alone. She should help her out; it would greatly benefit the completion of her "mission"...

But this wasn't a completely cold calculation; rather, it was a decision driven by a warm emotion. So, she drew several runes in the air with her hands, forming a blue magic circle, and her voice gained a subtle warmth: "Philipka, concentrate. Both of our astrological charts contain the power of the Purple Star. I will guide my power to resonate with you and lend you a helping hand. Don't resist."

Uesugi Felicia felt a familiar resonance between the magic within her and Elodie's, opening up the very source of her magical circuits and helping her gradually detect the changes in her magical meridians. This feeling was unfamiliar, yet she didn't dislike it. Elodie was clearly a descendant of merfolk, so why…

With her help, Felicia's probe went much more smoothly. After a long while, she finally opened her eyes, her expression grave: "Elodie, thank you for your help. As you said, I have a premonition that something is going to happen to Qin Jia."

“I just detected that my prophetic abilities have awakened. My mother told me that all the crown princes of our kingdom have awakened prophetic abilities. Some awakened them after inheriting divine power, while others gradually awakened them while comprehending the laws. What just happened was my first prophecy.”

When Uesugi Felicia was born, she was designated as the goddess of the magical world of Raya, and thus the heir to the throne. The "mother" she speaks of is none other than the queen of the magical world of Raya, Felicia's godmother.

According to tradition, when each generation of goddesses is born, the queen will take her in as her goddaughter, carefully instructing and guiding her to become a qualified successor. Philica memorized all these teachings, which allowed her to quickly connect them to the fact that it was through the trials of the Heavenly Lotus that she gradually comprehended the laws and awakened her prophetic abilities.

Then, Uesugi Felicia paused for a long time, her eyes reddening, as if she had made a very firm decision before daring to speak: "I know we can't contact the people in the mysterious space right now. It's very difficult for me to find the little girl's whereabouts on my own. I know you're extraordinary, could you please help me with this? We can't... lose her..."

Despite her efforts to control her emotions and make her request as calmly as possible, Elodie could still hear the sobs in the other person's voice.

The Uesugi Felicia of the past was independent and strong, always trying not to trouble others. But the cruel law of the jungle here, and the harsh reality that left her battered and bruised, made her afraid to take the risk.

In reality, she comes from a wealthy family and is both a goddess and the crown prince of a nation, possessing ample resources and ability to realize her governing ideals. However, in Tian Tan, repeated setbacks and injuries make her realize that constructing that ideal world is far from easy. Finding Qin Jia and ensuring her safety cannot rely solely on secret arts and technology; she must also leverage the power of a team—finding more reliable allies and gaining greater influence—only then can she possibly protect everything she cares about.

“Okay.” Elodie agreed without hesitation. She slightly raised her hand, as if to pat Felicia’s shoulder to comfort her, but her hand paused in mid-air for a moment before falling back down. She wasn’t used to doing that. Doing so seemed to go beyond a certain scope. “The Merfolk have a secret technique to find people by detecting their soul aura, but it’s not limited to that. I promise I will do my best.”

“Thank you, Elodie!” Uesugi Felicia wiped away her tears. There was no time for further hesitation; the sooner they acted, the sooner the problem could be resolved. Her gaze hardened, and she extended her hand to Elodie. “So, from now on, we are allies?”

“Yes, ally.” Elodie paused, met Felicia’s eyes, grasped her hand, and responded firmly.

The current plan is to first try to pinpoint Qin Jia's location. If she's still in the mysterious space, they'll track her down using this location, find her, and protect her. Although the demons might not welcome them, they can't abandon Qin Jia under any circumstances.

Upon hearing the news, her allies, who were not aligned with any faction, were very worried. Shigure Shinnouchi clasped her hands together, her face pale. The thought of possibly losing Kotoka terrified her. But after everything she had been through, she had grown up and was no longer the fragile little girl she once was. Time was limited, and she hoped her sister and everyone else would use their precious time to search for Kotoka, rather than to comfort themselves.

Xuan Shuang's situation was quite the opposite. His life as a young prince was precarious, but after arriving in Tian Tan, he met many kind people who dedicated themselves to letting him simply be a child, laughing and crying as he pleased. Thus, his suppressed nature gradually unfolded, and he became accustomed to expressing himself more directly. At this moment, his reaction was the most intense; he kept shouting that Qin Jia shouldn't have been sent to the mysterious space in the first place, and sure enough, something bad was bound to happen. The powerful guard who had switched allegiance from the Holy Maiden was displeased, muttering that if even the seniors there couldn't preserve their pure souls, keeping her would only hasten things to the next level, and then none of the people here would survive.

Despite having voluntarily sworn allegiance to Andrea, they still possessed the pride of being at the top of the food chain—in the original plane, their bloodline was indeed lowly, but compared to the players of Tian Tan, their origins and strength were absolutely overwhelming. The predecessors of the mysterious space were even above them, and the various forces about to target the pure souls were at the very top of the pyramid.

Now, these players, who are clearly at the bottom of the food chain, actually think they have the ability to participate in this level of war and preserve their pure souls. They are simply treating the people above them as fake. It's ridiculous.

Uesugi Felicia ignored them, focusing instead on comforting Xuan Shuang, trying to make him understand that Qin Jia, bearing the mission of purifying the world, inevitably had to fight against darkness. This was a responsibility she, as a pure soul, had to shoulder.

For some reason, Xuan Shuang seemed to be provoked instead, and retorted angrily, "But Qin Jia didn't want to be this pure soul at all! It's fine to make us take responsibility for the decisions we make, but why should we accept the good and the bad as the cards of fate are forcibly shoved into our hands, and convince ourselves that we deserve this hand?"

Uesugi Felicia's eyes widened in shock as she stared at him in disbelief. Those words... they sounded so familiar...

In my memory, the Heavenly Palace Master once took me hiking. We sat together on the grass at the summit, gazing at the scenery below. The Master, unusually, talked a lot about his childhood. He was probably trying to comfort me, to tell me that even someone of his status had moments of confusion and despair.

“When I was a child, whenever I complained about something, the people around me would always tell me that I was born into royalty and this was the responsibility I had to bear. At that time, I always thought, it's not like I wanted to be this prince. I was forced into this fate, so why should I just accept it and convince myself that I deserve this hand?”

The elder spoke these words with a calm and detached air; having traversed countless millennia, he could now view his past with a transcendent perspective. But Xuan Shuang at this moment was agitated, filled with rage. Their expressions and tones were completely different, yet they uttered such similar words…

Is it a coincidence? Because they both came from royal families and were both used as tools by their mothers in the struggle for favor and power, they also felt the same way? But could it really be such a coincidence?
***
After talking with Zhou Jianshuo, Baili Ji realized that the situation was very serious.

There's no time for careful observation. The Devourer King will be born soon, and if a suitable master isn't chosen quickly, the King will be uncontrollable, and will simply appear as a troublesome enemy. The problem is, it looks like a trap is waiting ahead; hastily choosing a master is too dangerous.

Just as he was worrying, the Red-Eyed Demon Clan came knocking on his door.

Actually, before this, Baili Ji had never thought that the Red-Eyed Demon Clan would have any connection with the Devouring Clan. In his view, the matter that Ye Yunyan emphasized, "not informing Chen Shiyu of the risks of mirroring," was not a point of suspicion at all.

By human standards, it might seem unnatural to watch someone else make a mistake and remain silent, but from the perspective of demons, it's a different story.

There's a hierarchy of contempt between humans and demons. From the perspective of the red-eyed demons at the time: "You're a human, coming to me empty-handed to borrow treasures, and I've already lent them to you—that's more than enough. Why should I have to remind you of everything? You're not my ancestor, why should I serve you like this?"

Making Ye Yunyan understand would only make her hate the demon race even more. So they didn't discuss this topic much at the time.

However, after the Red-Eyed Demon Clan's visit, Baili Ji's vigilance towards him suddenly increased to its highest level.

The red-eyed demon said he received a telepathic message from the gnawing race.

“We all thought the Gnawing Clan were just mindless, stupid creatures. You would never have guessed that they would actually show intelligence in front of me and tell me some incredible things.”

According to them, the king of the Gnawing Clan will possess power sufficient to destroy the world, but the world will not be directly destroyed by the birth of the king.

"If that's the case, then if we can cultivate our soul servants into kings, wouldn't that be the same as having this power under our control?"

“I guessed what they meant: they wanted to exchange loyalty for our help in becoming kings. After all, a king who is a servant is still a king, while a dead lone wolf is just a corpse.”

"They might also 'manifest' in front of others, leaving us with very little time to make a decision."

"Of course, I know I don't have the fortune to fully possess the power of a king. I only ask that Brother Baili, in consideration of the information I brought, allow me a small share of the future king's power—"

The red-eyed demon rambled on and on, and Baili Ji grew increasingly alarmed as he listened. He must have lost control and revealed something in his expression, because the red-eyed demon gradually stopped talking and uttered several incoherent questions.

Baili Ji had no time to pay attention to anything else. His biggest shock, yet no one could answer, was why the words spoken by the red-eyed demon were exactly the same as his own thoughts!

He had only told Ye Yunyan about these plans. Of course, Ye Yunyan wouldn't relay what she had heard from one demon she despised to another demon she also despised. And the Red-Eyed Demon was a coward who wouldn't dare take any risks; it was impossible for him to have the same crazy plan as hers of "personally cultivating a king."

So—for the first time, Baili Ji began to doubt whether, from the very beginning, this was truly his own will.

Whether it was the same thought that was simultaneously instilled into everyone by the Devourers, or whether they had the ability to read one's thoughts... Regardless of the possibility, it clearly sent a signal that couldn't be clearer, a signal that "everything about you is under our control."

There's only one way to find out the answer.

In short, he understood that the message being conveyed through the red-eyed demon was—

"Come and face me directly!"