The male supporting character was actually myself.

What a handsome and gentle person!

"Host, this female master is pretty good." The little white cat perched on his shoulder, munching on dried fish, its mouth bulging as it mumbled, "As long as she doesn't get close to the male lead, she shouldn't be tempted to abandon her and elope, right?"

Jiang Chen stretched and his figure gradually disappeared from the spot. "That depends on how the script is written."

The demon race has lived in dense forests since ancient times.

The deeper the mountains and forests, the richer the spiritual energy, and the more powerful demons dwell there.

With the advancements in human technology over the past few decades, both the rampant deforestation and the creation of various steel machines have made the demon race, which has gradually lost its foothold, grit its teeth in hatred but is powerless to resist.

Furthermore, with the demon hunters' attitudes shifting and their actions aiding and abetting evil, the demon race's lives have become even more difficult.

The original owner, as the leader of the demon race and a nine-tailed fox demon who had survived since ancient times, naturally lived in a safe, luxurious place filled with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, while the other lesser demons could only rely on their own abilities to find a place to live.

"My lord." Just as Jiang Chen returned, the guard Fox Shadow knocked on the door and came in to report, "The wolf demon Li Qing came by, requesting an audience with you, my lord. It's probably still about countering the demon hunters' plan."

The last time Daqingshan was besieged, the wolf demon clan suffered the greatest number of lesser demons killed.

Li Qing waited for you for a long time before leaving.

Although it wasn't outwardly apparent, his subordinates could sense that he was extremely dissatisfied.

If the demon race continues to retreat and avoid the enemy, I'm afraid...

Fox Shadow didn't dare to continue.

The demon race's remaining territory is dwindling, and by the time they have nowhere left to retreat, it will likely be too late to launch a counterattack.

Although the demon hunters are now well-equipped, and weaker demons have nowhere to escape once hit, if you, sir, gather all the powerful demons of various races together to fight back, you will surely be able to wipe them out.

After all, not to mention other great demons, the Lord himself has the power to destroy the world, how could he not deal with the small Demon-Catching Alliance?

Jiang Chen walked barefoot on the luxurious carpet, tilted her head to look at herself in the mirror, and sighed softly.

"Fox Shadow, do you also think I'm too cowardly? Possessing the power to destroy the world, yet I keep retreating and avoiding it, even going so far as to make harmless little demons hide their demonic aura and live a life of hiding their tails between their legs in the human world? In your eyes, I'm a very unqualified leader, right?"

Fox Shadow hurriedly bowed and said, "Your subordinate dares not!"

“If I didn’t have the ability to glimpse the secrets of heaven, I would never have acted so cowardly.” Jiang Chen recalled the secrets of heaven that the original owner had calculated, and said with a hint of helplessness, “But this is the will of heaven.”

I possess the power to destroy the world, yet I am utterly powerless to unleash it.

"By going against the will of Heaven, the Demon-Slaying Alliance will not only escape unscathed, but will also be wiped out by divine retribution."

"My lord..." Fox Shadow gasped upon hearing this.

Divine retribution is what all demons fear most!

The adults' decision was definitely the right one!

"Human beings are the most intelligent of all creatures."

Fate favors them, allowing them to develop rapidly. We have no choice but to follow fate while finding ways to survive in the cracks. That's why I forged the sacred artifact of the fox demon clan, hoping to leave a way out for the entire clan.

Unexpectedly, it was secretly devoured by Ye Xuan.

It took a thousand years and half of my demonic power, and in the end, it all came to nothing.

This is an inevitable trend, one that cannot be resisted by human effort.

A faint worry clouded Jiang Chen's handsome face. "There's no way out."

The demon race doesn't have that much time to wait. Even if I know it goes against the will of Heaven, I can no longer sit idly by.

Go and inform the wolf demon Li Qing, the bear demon Yan Wuyun, and the wild boar demon leader Zhu Gang, and tell them not to clash with the demon hunters in the near future, and to secretly gather their strength and await my orders.

Chapter Six: Adding Fuel to the Fire and Spreading

"Yes!" Fox Shadow bowed and withdrew, but his heart was already burning with rage.

Damn Ye Xuan!

A traitor and thief of the fox demon clan!

It's all because of him that the adults' thousand years of hard work have been in vain!

Originally, the fox demon clan had a way out and did not need to defy the will of heaven and confront the demon hunters head-on. Now, however, they have wasted so much of the fox demon's demon power and foresight.

All the demons have misunderstood you, sir!

He actually started preparing for the present from the time when the demon race was at its peak a thousand years ago. However, his long-term plan was ruined by a despicable and shameless brat!

Even if I were to tear him to pieces, it wouldn't be enough to quell the hatred in my heart!

That was a sacred artifact that an adult forged and refined using half of his demonic power...

Fox Shadow felt a pang of heartache just thinking about it. If it hadn't been devoured, how many of its people could it have protected from disaster in times of crisis?

Ye Xuan...you greedy bastard!

"Someone come here." After relaying the master's orders, Fox Shadow angrily summoned the guards. "How is Ye Xuan doing in the Hell Prison?"

"He was still unruly. At first, when he was tied to the Reverse Spirit Pillar, he cursed loudly. Later, probably because the reversed spiritual energy caused him unbearable pain, he only focused on shouting and was not so eloquent anymore."

Hearing the guard's reply, Fox Shadow became even angrier.

"That traitor! The sacred artifact that the Lord forged with a thousand years and half of his demonic power was created because the Lord had foreseen the secrets of heaven a thousand years ago, knowing that the will of heaven could not be defied and wanted to leave a way out for the demon race. I never expected that he would destroy it in an instant! Ye Xuan truly deserves to die!"

"Lord Fox Shadow, you mean..."

"My lord is extremely disappointed. He just told me the reason for his retreat over the years!" Fox Shadow angrily repeated the original words with embellishment.

Upon learning the truth, the guard trembled with rage and gritted his teeth, saying, "We've all wronged Lord Fox Demon! That damned Ye Xuan, we absolutely cannot let him refine all of Lord Fox Demon's demonic power. Otherwise, with his black heart and half of Lord Fox Demon's magic power, who can subdue him?"

"My lord is currently devising a plan to fight back without defying the will of Heaven, in order to secure a glimmer of hope for the demon race." Fox Shadow said in a low voice, "There's no need for you to trouble yourself with such a trivial matter as dealing with Ye Xuan."

"Go and activate the Reverse Spirit Array, and let Ye Xuan be completely annihilated."

"Yes!" The indignant guard grumbled and went off to carry out the order, quickly spreading the inside story he had just learned.

The little white cat bounced back, jumped onto Jiang Chen's shoulder, squatted down with its hands tucked in, and meowed curiously, "Host, were you just fooling them with what you said earlier?"

Although there were no hints or suggestions, just a few words were enough to get the subordinates to find a way to deal with the protagonist. Host, you're getting more and more amazing!

He glanced at the script, which was still being updated, and said slowly, "I didn't mean for them to kill the male lead. That was my subordinates' own interpretation and has nothing to do with me."

"Yes, yes, it has absolutely nothing to do with my host!" The fluffy little dumpling grinned.

Of course, you have to completely distance yourself from killing the protagonist, otherwise the main system will judge it as intentional murder of the protagonist, which could result in rewinding the story or even punishment.

"Moreover, what I just said is all true, without any exaggeration." Jiang Chen leaned back on the sofa and tossed a crystal-clear grape into his mouth. "The original owner did indeed glimpse the secrets of heaven a thousand years ago during the heyday of the demon race, and came up with a way to forge sacred objects, hoping to seek a glimmer of hope for the fox demon race."

Therefore, that natal inner core was indeed refined over a thousand years and used half of the original owner's demonic power.

However, the original owner knew that the reason he was able to survive for ten thousand years was because he could make preparations in advance after peeking into the secrets of heaven, and he could keep the secrets so as not to suffer divine punishment for revealing the secrets of heaven.

So much so that he always kept these secrets to himself and never told anyone.

The entire demon race only knew that the fox demon was cowardly, but they didn't know the real reason.

I'm merely letting other demons know about the original owner's good intentions.

The little white cat paused for a moment, "Then... Host, aren't you afraid of being punished by heaven for revealing secrets?"

"Didn't the script arrange for me to be killed by the male lead? How could I possibly be punished by heaven?" Jiang Chen gently tapped its fluffy head. "Are you stupid?"

The protagonist, Ye Xuan, needs to kill me, the big boss, to gain more benefits. The script wouldn't let me suffer divine retribution and waste the experience pack allocated to the protagonist.

Don't forget, from the moment Ye Xuan swallowed that natal core, the two of us have been bound together.

"If I were to be struck dead by lightning as divine retribution, would the male protagonist, Ye Xuan, fare any better?"

White kitten: !!!

Right, that means we don't have to worry about other ways to die, since the final chapter mission will most likely arrange for the host to voluntarily deliver themselves as an experience pack.

While the two of them, one human and one system, were eating grapes and discussing the possible future directions of the script update, the chosen one, Ye Xuan, was unaware that he was about to face the darkest moment in his fox life.

The demon race is quite different from the human race. Although there is a hierarchy, the class distinctions are not very clear.

It basically still follows the idea that the strong rule.

Whoever has the bigger fist or the greater power has the right to speak.

There are even instances within some demon clans where people follow one powerful figure today, only to betray them and become their lackeys tomorrow when they discover another seemingly more powerful individual.

There are no defined hierarchical levels, and rules and regulations are only in a general framework, making management relatively loose.

Demons are naturally more lively and have clear likes and dislikes. As the fox shadow spread, the entire fox demon clan soon learned about the master's predicament and Ye Xuan's hatefulness.

The embellished news spread rapidly from the gossipy bird clan, and before dawn on Lingqiu Mountain, all the demons had heard the various versions.

"Ye Xuan!" The most easily angered demon leader, Yan Wuyun, was a mother bear. Out of her protective instincts, she was more furious than other demon leaders when she saw her kind being hunted and killed by demon hunters.

Yan Wuyun was a little puzzled when she first received a message from the fox demon, telling her to prepare for battle.

This was completely different from the fox demon's usual evasive attitude. Then she heard the chattering of the bird demon myna. Connecting the two, Yan Wuyun was so angry that she smashed the stone table in the cave.

A sacred artifact forged by the fox demon over a thousand years using half of his demonic power!

After realizing that fate was inescapable, the escape route they had secured for the demon race was destroyed just like that!

No wonder the fox spirit kept urging everyone to be patient; it wasn't out of cowardice, but rather a deeper meaning. Now that the sacred artifact has been destroyed, the fox spirit has no other choice. The previous message was probably a final stand, a fight to the death against the human demon hunters for the future of the demon race!

"How did the fox demon clan deal with Ye Xuan?" Yan Wuyun asked, barely suppressing his anger.

The subordinate replied tremblingly, "I heard that the Fox Demon Lord threw Ye Xuan into the Hell Prison and tied him to the Reverse Spirit Pillar, probably in an attempt to force out the sacred object, but it seems there is little hope at the moment."

"Heh, once it devours something, it will definitely refine it immediately. The fox demon has always taken the deduction of heavenly secrets as its standard, so it's probably the will of heaven that can't be defied and will make an exception for Ye Xuan."

Yan Wuyun coldly snorted, "Pass on my order: whatever past ties our clansmen had with the fox demon Ye Xuan, we will no longer pursue them. But from this day forward, anyone who has any connection with him will have their entire family skinned alive and their tendons displayed to the public! My clansmen will not be allowed to have any dealings with such a greedy traitor!"

"Yes!" The subordinate hurriedly accepted the order and left.

Chapter Seven: I'm Right!

The myna bird looked at her blankly. "Chief Yan, Ye Xuan's actions are indeed despicable. But you didn't need to get so angry, did you?"

"Hmph! That greedy traitor!" Yan Wuyun tidied his black hair and said angrily, "He dares to covet even the sacred artifacts that protect the demon race. Today he can swallow the sacred artifacts to increase his strength, and tomorrow he can hunt down other demons to take their demon cores and devour them in order to become even stronger."

You can never trust someone who has no principles.

I first issued an order to alert the tribesmen.