From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Intelligence, inside contacts, and the road to the human heartland," Qi Yang explained. "More importantly, I understand the weaknesses of human cultivators and can provide targeted strategies for the demon race."

"Then what will my demon race gain?"

"The human cultivation world possesses abundant resources, including spirit stone veins, elixirs, cultivation manuals, and so on," Qi Yang offered as bait. "More importantly, the demon race can expand its sphere of influence, no longer confined to the northern wilderness."

A flicker of attraction flashed in the Demon King's eyes.

Indeed, although the demon race is powerful, it has always been confined to the northern wilderness, unable to access more resources and room for development. If it could intervene in the human world, it would certainly be of great benefit to the demon race's development.

"Your offer is indeed tempting," the Demon King said slowly, "but why should I trust a human cultivator like you?"

This is the key issue.

Qi Yang had anticipated this, and without hesitation, he bit his finger, drawing a drop of blood.

"I swear a blood oath never to betray the alliance with the demon race!"

In the cultivation world, a blood oath is the most severe oath, and those who break it will suffer divine retribution.

Seeing Qi Yang's resolute decision, the Demon King finally nodded.

"Okay! I accept your proposal!"

As soon as the Demon King finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire palace became subtle.

Qi Yang knew that the real negotiations were only just beginning. The battle and the blood oath had only earned the Demon King's approval; the specific terms of cooperation still needed to be carefully discussed.

"Since we're going to cooperate, we need to discuss specific terms," ​​the Demon King said slowly, a shrewd glint in his eyes. "I won't do a deal that doesn't benefit me."

"Demon King, please speak." Qi Yang silently prepared himself, knowing that the upcoming negotiations would determine the success or failure of this cooperation.

"First, I need to send capable subordinates with you to ensure the interests of my race are protected," the Demon King said bluntly. "After all, the reputation of your human race... heh."

Although the words were phrased in a roundabout way, the meaning was clear: the Demon King did not fully trust Qi Yang and needed to send a supervisor.

“Of course.” Qi Yang nodded in agreement. “With the assistance of powerful members of the demon race, our actions will be much more successful.”

"Very good." The Demon King nodded in satisfaction. "I have decided to send two hall masters to accompany you. One is Blood Eagle, and the other is Black Flood Dragon."

Upon hearing these two names, Qi Yang was startled.

Blood Eagle was the Blood Eagle Hall Master he had just fought. He was very powerful, and he had also heard of Black Flood Dragon. It was said that Black Flood Dragon was the most skilled in stealth and assassination among the demon race.

The fact that the Demon King dispatched two hall masters at the Golden Core stage is enough to demonstrate the importance he attaches to this cooperation.

"Both hall masters are elites of the demon race. With their assistance, we will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort," Qi Yang flattered.

"However, since I have dispatched such an important force, we need to reconsider the distribution of benefits." The Demon King changed the subject, revealing the true purpose of the negotiations.

"They've arrived as expected." Qi Yang thought to himself, but his expression remained unchanged: "What does the Demon King mean?"

"It's very simple. Of all the profits gained from these operations, my demon race will take 70%," the Demon King stated bluntly. "Your Demon Heart Sect will only receive 30%."

"Seventy percent?" Qi Yang frowned slightly; this ratio was indeed a bit harsh.

According to this allocation, the Demon Heart Sect is practically working for the demon race, and the benefits they receive are extremely limited.

"What? You think it's unreasonable?" The Demon King narrowed his eyes, releasing a subtle but palpable pressure. "You should know that without the support of my demon race, your Demon Heart Sect would have no chance of defeating the Zheng family."

"Furthermore, sending two hall masters to assist you is a huge investment in itself," the Demon King continued, "Their safety and their expenses are all costs."

Qi Yang remained silent for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

Indeed, given the current situation of the Demon Heart Sect, it is virtually impossible to confront the Zheng family. The Zheng family is not only powerful, but also enjoys the support of numerous other forces.

Without the help of the demon race, the Demon Heart Sect would have been completely crushed by the Zheng family sooner or later.

Rather than waiting to die, it's better to accept these harsh conditions. Even a 30% return is worse than nothing.

More importantly, if this cooperation succeeds, the Demon Heart Sect will gain the long-term support of the powerful demon race as an ally. In the long run, this is more valuable than the immediate distribution of benefits.

"The Demon King has considered this very carefully." Qi Yang finally nodded. "On behalf of the Demon Heart Sect, I accept this condition."

"Excellent!" The Demon King smiled with satisfaction. "I love dealing with intelligent people."

"However, I have one more condition," the Demon King said, changing the subject. "If this operation fails, your Demon Heart Sect will bear the responsibility. You will have to compensate my demon race for double the losses."

This condition is even more stringent, practically pushing all the risks onto the Demon Heart Sect.

But Qi Yang had no way out and could only grit his teeth and accept it.

"No problem," Qi Yang agreed through gritted teeth.

“Very good.” The Demon King stood up. “Now that the conditions have been agreed upon, let’s begin preparations. Blood Eagle! Black Flood Dragon! Enter!”

At the Demon King's summons, two figures walked in from outside the hall.

Qi Yang had already met the Blood Eagle Hall Master, while the Black Flood Dragon Hall Master was a tall, thin middle-aged man with dark green skin and long, narrow, snake-like eyes, giving him an extremely dangerous aura.

"Your Majesty." The two bowed to the Demon King simultaneously.

"I need you to cooperate with Qi Yang on an important mission," the Demon King explained briefly. "Remember, this concerns the vital interests of our demon race; it cannot be lost."

"Yes!" Blood Eagle and Black Dragon answered in unison.

"Blood Eagle, you've fought Qi Yang before and have some understanding of his strength. In this operation, you'll be in charge of direct combat." The Demon King began assigning tasks.

"Understood." Blood Eagle nodded, his eyes showing more approval as he looked at Qi Yang.

"Black Flood Dragon, you'll be in charge of intelligence gathering and covert operations," the Demon King said, turning to Black Flood Dragon. "Your stealth skills and poison techniques will be very useful in this operation."

"Yes, sir." The black dragon's voice was hoarse, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"Qi Yang, as the initiator of this operation, you are responsible for overall planning and external liaison," the Demon King said to Qi Yang at the end. "Remember, success is imperative."

"I will do my utmost to live up to the Demon King's trust," Qi Yang said solemnly.

Over the next few hours, the three of them, under the guidance of the Demon King, discussed the action plan in detail.

"First, we need to define our target." Qi Yang unfolded a map of the cultivation world. "Although the Zheng family is powerful, most of their allies are temporary, and their foundation is not solid."

"You mean to sow discord?" Blood Eagle asked.

“That’s right.” Qi Yang pointed to several points on the map. “These forces outwardly support the Zheng family, but they all have their own agendas. If we can create some ‘accidents’ to make them suspicious of the Zheng family…”

“An interesting idea.” Black Dragon smiled coldly. “Creating accidents—that’s exactly my forte.”

"But be careful not to leave any trace of our demon race," Blood Eagle warned. "If it's discovered that it was done by the demon race, the entire human cultivation world will likely unite against us."

“Don’t worry about that,” Qi Yang said confidently. “I have a way to make these ‘accidents’ look like internal strife among humans.” The three continued their discussion for a long time, developing a detailed action plan.

First, they will return to the Demon Heart Gate and use it as a base to begin their operations.

Then, using the black dragon's stealth ability, they infiltrated those wavering forces, creating various "unexpected events" to make these forces distrust the Zheng family.

Finally, when the time is right, Blood Eagle and Qi Yang will launch a direct attack, delivering a fatal blow to the Zheng family.

"The plan is good, but the key lies in execution." The Demon King nodded after listening. "Remember, this operation must succeed. If it fails, you don't need to come back."

Although the tone was flat, the threat was obvious.

"Don't worry, Demon King, we will definitely succeed," Qi Yang assured him.

"Very well, you may depart tomorrow." The Demon King waved his hand. "I await your good news."

That night, Qi Yang was arranged to rest in a guest room in the Demon King City.

Lying in bed, he reflected on the day's events, his feelings a mix of emotions.

The cooperation with the demon race did bring hope to the Demon Heart Sect, but the cost was enormous.

Not only would they have to relinquish most of their profits, but they would also have to bear all the risks. More importantly, once news of their cooperation with the demon race spread, the Demon Heart Sect would become utterly infamous in the human cultivation world.

However, the Demon Heart Sect has now been driven to a dead end, with no choice but to seek a deal with a tiger.

"Since I've chosen this path, I must see it through to the end," Qi Yang silently resolved in his heart.

The next morning, the three of them set off on their journey back to the Demon Heart Sect.

Unlike when he came alone, this time Qi Yang had two powerful allies by his side.

The Blood Eagle Hall Master returned to human form, appearing as a heroic and valiant woman, but Qi Yang knew her true fighting strength.

The Black Dragon Hall Master maintained a cold and aloof demeanor throughout, rarely speaking, yet his sense of danger remained undiminished.

"Qi Yang, are you really sure those human forces will fall for it?" Blood Eagle asked on the way.

“Yes, they will,” Qi Yang said confidently. “Human nature is the easiest weakness to exploit. As long as we handle it properly, they will definitely believe the illusion we create.”

"What about the Zheng family? How will they respond?" Blood Eagle continued to ask.

"The Zheng family is indeed difficult to deal with, but they also have weaknesses," Qi Yang analyzed. "Their greatest reliance is that mysterious ancestor, but from my observation, that ancestor seems to be subject to some kind of restriction, preventing him from acting arbitrarily."

"Oh? How do you know?" the black dragon suddenly asked.

“If that ancestor were truly so fearless, the Zheng family would have unified the cultivation world long ago. Why wait until now?” Qi Yang explained. “Moreover, judging from their style of doing things, they are clearly deliberately avoiding large-scale conflicts.”

“That makes sense.” Bloodhawk nodded. “Then our chance has come.”

The three walked and talked, and soon left the demon realm.

Upon entering human territory, the two demon clan leaders immediately concealed their demonic aura and disguised themselves as ordinary human cultivators.

Their disguise was so successful that no one could see through it unless they had seen them in person.

"It seems the demon race understands the human race better than I thought," Qi Yang thought to himself.

After traveling for several more days, they finally arrived at Ghost Valley, where the Demon Heart Sect was located.

"The sect leader is back!"

Upon seeing Qi Yang, the disciples of the Demon Heart Sect were overjoyed.

During this period, the Demon Heart Sect, which had lost its leader, was in a state of panic, fearing that the Zheng family would suddenly come to their door.

Now that everyone sees the sect leader return safely, and seemingly with helpers, they all breathe a sigh of relief.

"Where is the deputy sect leader?" Qi Yang asked.

"Your subordinate is here!" Chu Yuehua rushed over. "Sect Master, you're finally back!"

"How is the situation?" Qi Yang asked directly.

"The situation isn't very optimistic," Chu Yuehua said with a wry smile. "Several more partners have betrayed us recently, and now we have almost no one willing to support us."

"It's alright." Qi Yang was surprisingly calm. "It's actually better to lose those opportunists."

"Sect Master, you're going out this time..." Chu Yuehua looked at Blood Eagle and Black Flood Dragon with curiosity.

"These two are the experts I invited to help," Qi Yang introduced. "Blood Eagle Fairy and Black Flood Dragon Fellow Daoist are both powerful senior masters."

"Greetings, seniors!" Chu Yuehua quickly bowed.

Blood Eagle and Black Flood Dragon simply nodded, maintaining the demeanor of experts.

"From now on, our Demon Heart Sect will change its strategy." Qi Yang summoned all the high-ranking members. "Our previous defeats have taught me a lesson: relying solely on the strength within the human race is insufficient to confront the Zheng family."

"What does the sect leader mean?" Chu Yuehua asked.

"We need to find new allies and adopt new tactics." A ruthless glint flashed in Qi Yang's eyes. "This time, I'll show the Zheng family what true despair is!"

Hearing the sect leader's confidence, the high-ranking members of the Demon Heart Sect present were all invigorated.

Although they didn't know what kind of helpers the sect leader had invited, judging from the sect leader's attitude, there must be some big move going on this time.

"Sect Master, what preparations do we need to make?" an elder asked.

"Prepare?" Qi Yang sneered. "Just prepare to watch a good show."

He turned to Blood Eagle and Black Flood Dragon, "Gentlemen, we can begin our operation."

"Is it finally about to begin?" Blood Eagle licked his lips, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes.

"It's been a long time since I've been active in human territory. I really miss it," the black dragon said with a sinister smile.

The following morning, Qi Yang, along with Blood Eagle and Black Flood Dragon, left the Demon Heart Sect and headed for the Heavenly Serpent Sect.

Qi Yang's choice of the Heavenly Serpent Sect as his first target was a well-considered one.

The Heavenly Serpent Sect is a sect that cultivates poisonous arts, and its reputation in the cultivation world is not good, so it has relatively less psychological barrier to cooperating with the demon race. Moreover, the Heavenly Serpent Sect is quite powerful, and if it can be won back, it will be of great help to subsequent plans.

"Qi Yang, are you sure the Heavenly Serpent Sect will side with us again?" Blood Eagle asked on the way.

“Yes, he will,” Qi Yang said confidently. “The Heavenly Serpent Sect Master, Venomous Serpent Lord, is an extremely pragmatic person. As long as we demonstrate sufficient strength, he will definitely reconsider his stance.” (End of Chapter)