I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

She is no longer the little girl she once was. After becoming the Human Emperor, her temperament has changed drastically. She has become calm and composed, less talkative, and less innocent and cute. Her eyes now hold an unprecedented majesty, so much so that Bai Qingyu was somewhat dazed when she saw her recently, wondering if this was still her lovely daughter.

“This ruin originally belonged to you. Go inside and take a look. I’ll go with you.”

Bai Qingyu spoke softly, instructing Xiaoya to use her own blood essence to open the gate to the ruins before them.

Xiaoya is the chosen one, and this ruin was prepared for her. She will use this ruin to usher in a new era.

After Xiaoya's essence blood entered the gate, the entire ruins were completely activated, unleashing extremely powerful energy.

The moment this power erupted, Bai Qingyu appeared above the ruins and suppressed it. However, because the power of the ruins was too strong, he had to desperately block it and was injured in the process before he was able to suppress it.

However, some aura still managed to escape, and that aura was enough for those Mahayana cultivators to know what had happened here.

Bai Qingyu remained calm. As long as the ruins were opened successfully, it didn't matter whether they knew about them or not. All he needed to do was buy some time for Xiaoya.

When this aura erupted, those guys would only feel that they were trying to open the ruins, not that the ruins had already been opened.

By the time they've dealt with the merfolk and the demonic cult, it will be too late to come back.

"I'll go in with you."

As soon as Bai Qingyu finished speaking, before even entering the ruins, she was repelled by the ruins' power. In contrast, Xiaoya was completely unharmed; the ruins had completely ignored her.

Xiaoya asked in confusion, "Mother, what's wrong?"

"It's alright. Not just anyone can enter this ruin. You go ahead. I can't go with you. I'll wait for you here and keep others out."

Bai Qingyu waved her hand dismissively. If they couldn't go in, they couldn't go in. Xiaoya could go in by herself; she wasn't the child who needed to be worried about anymore.

"Okay, I'll be out soon!"

Xiaoya didn't waste any time; time was precious. She turned around and walked into the ruins.

The gate to the ruins slammed shut, but Bai Qingyu knew that the prophesied calamity had already arrived the instant the gate opened.

This calamity is different from the ones before.

The great calamity of the past mainly revolved around the Heavenly Sword and the Demon Sword. Although they were called two swords, they were actually the battle between the righteous sects and the demonic sects. The Heavenly Sword represented the righteous sects, while the Demon Sword represented the evil sects.

This time is different. This time, both major factions are engaged in a bloodbath, while the other side consists of ordinary people who are powerless in their eyes.

The difference lies in the fact that the internal strife among cultivators has turned into a conflict between immortals and mortals.

This is actually a good thing. Cultivators should draw a clear line between themselves and humans. This applies not only to cultivators but also to demons.

Bai Qingyu finally understood that she had been a pawn of Heaven since birth, influencing the great calamity before it happened and the demon race after it happened.

Silently guarding outside the ruins, Bai Qingyu didn't know what Xiaoya would encounter inside, but she trusted Xiaoya.

Time passed second by second. Cultivators came to investigate, but without exception, they were all killed by Bai Qingyu. She wanted to stall for time, the longer the better.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and Bai Qingyu could clearly sense that Mahayana cultivators were flying towards her. She was anxious, but remained calm.

Half an hour is a long time, but fortunately only one Mahayana practitioner arrived, so she can stall for even longer.

The Mahayana cultivator who arrived was from Yantian Island. He had just appeared and hadn't even spoken when Bai Qingyu attacked him directly.

She is quite powerful now. She has shamelessly borrowed Xiaoya's power and has not returned it. With the addition of the faith power of Xizhou, she has driven the enemy into a state of repeated defeats.

Bai Qingyu held back; her purpose was not to kill but to buy time.

This Mahayana monk was also clever. Seeing that Bai Qingyu ignored him and the ruins seemed to have come back to life, he immediately knew what had happened and quickly sent a telepathic message.

Another ten minutes passed, and Bai Qingyu sensed that another Mahayana cultivator was approaching, and she began to feel anxious.

It was at this time that the ruins underwent another change, beginning to disappear at an extremely rapid pace, turning to ashes inch by inch.

In less than ten seconds, half of the ruins had disappeared.

Bai Qingyu used her umbrella to send the other person flying, then locked onto Xiaoya's location, flashed above her, grabbed her, and left.

At this moment, Xiaoya seemed to have undergone a transformation, her strength increased significantly, and a mysterious black pattern appeared on her body.

The power of the ruins had entered her body, and Bai Qingyu could feel it.

Not far from the capital, Bai Qingyu appeared in the sky above the capital in the blink of an eye and disappeared into the city. Once inside the capital, there was no need to worry about those guys outside.

Less than three minutes after Bai Qingyu left, almost 70% of the high-ranking members of the righteous sects of the human race arrived above the ruins.

The Merfolk are beyond saving. If we continue chasing them, we need to be careful that it might be a trap set by the Demonic Cult.

They were more concerned about the ruins than the life or death of the merfolk.

Unfortunately, when they arrived, not even ashes remained of the ruins.

The powerful figures stared at the pit and fell into silence.

They already had a general understanding of the situation and knew who had taken the ruins.

But what could they do? They couldn't just go and kill the Human Emperor. This relic had been here for so many years, and a group of Mahayana cultivators had studied it for so long without being able to open it, but the Human Emperor had mastered it in just half an hour. They all knew what that meant.

So going to cause trouble for the Emperor at this time is just asking for trouble.

In the current great calamity, at least they can survive. Even if they die, it will be the disciples below them. But once the Human Emperor is attacked, not only ordinary disciples, but even the Mahayana cultivators will die.

They gathered together, but Bai Qingyu noticed that the group dispersed within ten minutes of meeting in the capital.

This is definitely not as simple as everyone going home and ignoring each other; these old guys must know something.

Another half hour passed, and Tianjiao received a message from Bai Qingyu, saying that she would bring the demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains within three days.

Now that things have come to this point, the two of them haven't left the mountain for thousands of years, but this time they've finally come out. If they don't take the monsters with them, they'll definitely be surrounded and killed by the human race.

After talking for three days, Bai Qingyu saw a large group of demons appear outside on the second day.

She didn't know how Tianjiao managed to bypass so many sects and arrive directly in the capital.

She originally thought that this would definitely be a fierce battle, and that the demons of the Hundred Thousand Mountains would be attacked on their way here. With such a good opportunity, it would be a lie for those cultivators not to make a move.

Without asking how Tianjiao did it, Bai Qingyu quickly led the group of demons to set up camp on the outskirts of the capital.

There are many demons coming this time, a total of 150,000.

Even Bai Qingyu was seeing a demon race of this size for the first time.

These many demons are not all of the Ten Thousand Mountains; there are still many demons hiding in the mountains that have not yet come.

With the main force all in the capital and the cultivators busy dealing with the great calamity, the remaining demon race is actually the safest.

Leaving them behind was Tianjiao's way of preparing for any eventuality; if something happened to her and Bai Qingyu, the demon race wouldn't be wiped out.

Of the more than 100,000 demons who came, 70% were combat demons, and the remaining 30% were ordinary lesser demons. This was also to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

Perhaps the human sects will take a desperate gamble and capture all the demons in the Hundred Thousand Mountains to use as leverage. In that case, the remaining demons are our only hope.

This also shows how determined Tianjiao was.

She wasn't an indecisive demon; she knew that if she missed this opportunity, there wouldn't be another chance. After listening to Bai Qingyu's plan that day, she decisively chose to agree.

Currently, Bai Qingyu's plan is being completed step by step.

All that's left are Holly and Longevity.

She planned to wait until Xiaoya had accumulated enough strength before going to find them.

Volume Two: Journey Through the Demon Scroll: Chapter Sixty-Seven - A Joint Battle

Xiaoya successfully brought out the secret of the ruins. In fact, the secret of the ruins was much simpler than they thought: it was the armor and the battle spirits inside the armor.

Each suit of armor contains a soul. To gain the power of the armor, one must gain the recognition of the soul within it. How to gain recognition depends on whether the inheritor's heart is truly set on humanity.

Even after gaining approval, one cannot put on the armor directly, because this armor is not meant for the living. Even if a living person puts it on, they will die quickly, and the soul inside the armor will take their place.

Xiaoya gave a brief explanation, and Bai Qingyu understood how these armors were used. It had to be said that it was somewhat cruel; once a soldier's soul merged with the armor, there was no way to get rid of it. Either the armor would be shattered, or a new soul would be willing to take his place.

After merging with the armor, they lose many things. They lose almost everything that a living person has: they lose their sense of taste, smell, and pain. They even suppress their own emotions.

As time goes by, the fusion with the armor deepens, increasing its strength, but also completely transforming it into a cold weapon.

Perhaps only when they are with their family will their deepest emotions be awakened; otherwise, they will only do one thing: obey the Emperor's orders.

Bai Qingyu didn't know how to evaluate it. Entering the armor was indeed a kind of torture. Emotions were constantly suppressed, so even if one had their own thoughts, they would only be the coldest person.

Humans have seven emotions and six desires. When these emotions are suppressed to the minimum, what difference is there between them and a walking corpse?

However, this matter should still be decided by Xiaoya, and she should also be in charge of finding the right person.

No, to be precise, the task of finding a suitable candidate ultimately fell to Xu Yuanqing, who was more suitable for the job than Xiaoya.

Not everyone can do it; one must have the well-being of all living beings in one's heart, be free of evil thoughts, and be willing to enter the armor.

Five years after acquiring the armor, Xu Yuanqing had found a total of 50,000 people.

Xiaoya was able to handle both domestic and foreign affairs perfectly on her own, so Xu Yuanqing focused all his efforts on finding suitable candidates during these five years without worrying about any problems arising within the capital.

Under Xiaoya's leadership, the capital city is getting better and better, radiating outwards, constantly making bold attempts and innovations, which have brought a new life to this world, making it no longer a stagnant pool.

With Bai Qingyu's help, the fate of the nation is not a problem at all.

Actually, Bai Qingyu didn't even need to lift a finger. After Xiaoya took the stage, the nation's fortunes began to rise at a visible speed. Xu Yuanqing was at a loss for words. Over the years, he had tried so many methods, and he had gritted his teeth to the point of exhaustion, just to barely stabilize the nation's fortunes.

Xiaoya, on the other hand, deliberately targeted the nation's fortunes, and the nation's fortunes rose rapidly.

Bai Qingyu is another example. It used to be incredibly difficult to get her to help him, with all sorts of demands. They had agreed to have Jiaolong help him, but they haven't seen Jiaolong since.

After Xiaoya took over, Bai Qingyu would go to check on the earth veins every few days.

Comparisons are odious, but there's nothing we can do; after all, the emperor is someone else's daughter.

However, Xu Yuanqing was quite happy. The more capable the mother and daughter were, the more relaxed he felt. He could see changes in the capital and that people's lives were improving, which was a good thing and much better than before.

I used to think the previous emperor was alright, at least he could listen to advice. But now, looking at him again, this guy is completely inferior to his daughter, utterly outclassed.

This way of thinking is indeed problematic, but it's also what he really thinks.

Despite the great calamity, the world is full of vitality.

Bai Qingyu noticed that the various sects were beginning to stir.

The changes in the capital are not a good thing; they hope the people can remain ignorant.

Ignoring what these people were thinking, Bai Qingyu was inquiring about something else: how strong Dongqing and Changsheng were.

Currently, Changsheng has reached the Great Ascension stage and has become the Vice Leader of the Heavenly Cult, while Dongqing is slightly weaker and can be considered a half-step Great Ascension cultivator.

She realized that the opportunity had arrived.