The future is uncertain. Even if Empress Duobao glimpsed a corner of what was to come, it only represented one of many possibilities. This time, she was making a huge gamble. But such is life: the winner takes all, while the loser is left with nothing.

To avoid influencing the course of history, Empress Duobao specifically instructed Yun Chang not to seek out Su Han. Instead, she was to let things take their natural course and allow Su Han to grow on his own. The true reason for the war was known only to Empress Duobao and Yun Chang. As for everyone else, they could not even begin to guess.

「Within the Demon Slayer Sect.」

At this moment, the Emperor of Slaughter was also perplexed.

"Deduction Great Saint, have you calculated the outcome?" his voice rang in the ears of the Deduction Great Saint.

The Deduction Great Saint was the foremost practitioner of the art of deduction within the Demon Slayer Sect. If the Emperor of Slaughter wanted to understand Empress Duobao’s intentions in waging war, he had to rely on the Deduction Great Saint’s calculations.

Regrettably, though the Deduction Great Saint was powerful, he was still markedly inferior to Empress Duobao. Furthermore, his deductive arts simply could not compare to her Future Sacred Body.

"Sect Leader," the Deduction Great Saint gasped, "I have already employed the Heavenly Mystery Earthly Yellow Deduction Saint Law, but I still cannot determine the outcome!" He was drenched in sweat, his face pale, looking as if he had just been pulled from the water.

"Useless trash! You can’t even handle a simple matter like this!" the Emperor of Slaughter snapped, thoroughly dissatisfied. However, since the Deduction Great Saint had already used his ultimate techniques and still failed, there was nothing to be done.

"Enough. I will find the clues myself!"

Since the Deduction Great Saint was unable to deduce the answer, the Emperor of Slaughter had no choice but to search on his own. He had to figure out Empress Duobao’s intentions, no matter what. Otherwise, this war would be meaningless. With this in mind, the Emperor of Slaughter planned to visit the Spiritual Treasure Void Realm to have tea with Empress Duobao.

"Sect Leader, there is something I need to report to you!" the Deduction Great Saint suddenly spoke up, causing the Emperor of Slaughter to pause.

"What is it?" Right now, nothing was more important than this war. Although the Emperor of Slaughter did not fear Empress Duobao, cultivators at their realm were no longer inclined to act rashly.

"The Swordsaint is dead, and his death appears to be connected to Su Han!"

Although the Deduction Great Saint could not deduce the reason for the war, he could still calculate details about other matters. He had been the first to sense the Swordsaint’s fall, and after some calculations, he had vaguely connected it to Mozhou and Saint You Heng. As for Su Han, he had added his name to the report to serve his own agenda.

"They are all useless! He couldn’t even cooperate with Gold Ingot to assassinate a single Su Han. Now Gold Ingot is dead, and so is he. What a great ’honor’ for my Demon Slayer Sect!" The Emperor of Slaughter was furious. He considered Su Han an insignificant junior, yet his sect had lost one member after another to him. He was incensed by the incompetence of his subordinates.

"Sect Leader, someone from the East Sea has contacted us. They propose an alliance to deal with Su Han. What do you think, should we agree?" the Deduction Great Saint finally revealed his true purpose.

The Divination King had been his prized disciple, but he had died at Su Han’s hands. This filled the Deduction Great Saint with a bone-deep hatred. If he were not preoccupied with the war, he would have likely dealt with Su Han personally.

"You and Seven Kills can decide on such a trivial matter yourselves," the Emperor of Slaughter said dismissively. "I only want the result." He had no regard for Su Han, his full attention being on the war, so he delegated the decision to the Deduction Great Saint.

"Please rest assured, Sect Leader! I will ensure Su Han dies without a place for burial!" the Deduction Great Saint promised, his heart swelling with joy upon receiving the Emperor of Slaughter’s permission.

The Emperor of Slaughter did not linger. His aura vanished, leaving that corner of the world.

The Deduction Great Saint, meanwhile, promptly went to find the Seven Kills Saint.

The Seven Kills Saint was also a Great Saint-level powerhouse. Since he specialized in slaughter, his overall combat power was slightly greater than that of the Deduction Great Saint. The fact that his Dragon Slaying Demon Banner and Reincarnation Holy Mirror had both fallen into Su Han’s hands also filled him with an intense hatred.

Upon hearing the Deduction Great Saint’s purpose, the Seven Kills Saint was overjoyed. "Since the Sect Leader has agreed, this matter has a great chance of success. However, we are currently at war with the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, so neither of us can get away. We must entrust this task to someone else." He had long wished to swat the bothersome fly that was Su Han but had never found the chance. Now that the East Sea Demon Clan had initiated contact, the perfect opportunity had arrived.

"I have left a trace on Su Han that can be used to locate him," the Deduction Great Saint explained, having already formulated a meticulous plan. "As for who should act, I’ve decided to send the Mad Lion Saint with his disciples. The Mad Lion Saint can hold off Saint You Heng, and with the addition of the saints and supremes from the East Sea Demon Clan, they should be more than enough to handle Su Han." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The Mad Lion Saint was an elder of moderate strength within the Demon Slayer Sect, so his absence from the battlefield wouldn’t be too consequential. Furthermore, he was capable of restraining Saint You Heng, making him the best choice for the mission. Among the Mad Lion Saint’s disciples were two Supreme Realm experts. Pitting them against the Heavenly King Realm Su Han gave them a significant chance of victory.

Moreover, they were joining forces with the East Sea Demon Clan. Their side was dispatching one Saint and two Supremes, which meant the East Sea Demon Clan would have to match that lineup at a minimum. This would create a combined force of two Saints and four Supremes. To send such a lavish lineup against a junior in the Heavenly King Realm was like using a butcher’s cleaver to kill a chicken.

The Deduction Great Saint had already calculated the odds: the chance of successfully killing Su Han was as high as seventy percent. With such a high probability of success, how could they not act?

"Also," he added, "besides us and the East Sea Demon Clan, I plan to pass the information to the Tian Luo Net Holy Land, Mirror Lake Holy Land, and other factions that hold a grudge against Su Han. If they also send people, our chances of victory will be even greater."

The Deduction Great Saint had left no stone unturned. Since the previous assassination attempts had failed, resulting in the loss of both Gold Ingot and the Swordsaint, he was being extremely cautious. He planned to use overwhelming force to obliterate Su Han in a single, thunderous strike.

"Hmm, you’ve thought this through very well. Proceed as you’ve said, but remember to bring back my Dragon Slaying Demon Banner and Reincarnation Holy Mirror!" the Seven Kills Saint nodded, approving the plan. It was a shame that he and the Deduction Great Saint had to remain at the sect to manage the war against the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Otherwise, he would have relished the chance to personally extinguish Su Han and silence that annoying fly once and for all.

The Deduction Great Saint quickly began to set his plan in motion. It was a hunt specifically targeting Su Han, with a lineup powerful enough to kill a Saint. However, the plan had to be carried out covertly to avoid alerting the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and Su Han and tipping them off.

And so, in the shadows of the raging war, a specialized hunt for Su Han began to quietly take shape.

At that moment, Su Han was completely unaware of any of it.