The Demon Emperor’s voice, accompanied by the flickering Abyssal Fire, carried a trace of sorrow.

A bitter smile lingered in her eyes, as though she were mocking her own fate and her very birth.

Half human, half Demon.

She was unwelcome among the humans, and the same was true among the Abyssal Demons.

Neither side would ever accept someone like her.

Though her human appearance could deceive ordinary people, it meant nothing before the truly powerful.

Much like the mongrel Dragonkind in the Dragonkind World. In Antares’ eyes, they didn’t amount to a damn thing.

The Demon Emperor continued, “I know that once my identity is exposed, even if I don’t return to the Abyss main world, the Demons here won’t spare me.”

“I thought that if I hid myself, if I trained desperately and became the Demon Emperor, then no one would be able to kill me.”

She repeated “I” several times, her tone slightly hurried.

Lin Moyu could hear the hardship buried beneath the words.

The Demon Emperor went on, “I built the Demon Emperor’s Palace and lived within it, never showing my true face to anyone.”

“I became the master of this fragmented world. But do you know how hollow it feels to be this so-called master?”

Lin Moyu said, “You don’t want to die.”

“Of course!” The Demon Emperor cried softly, “Of course I don’t want to die!”

“I want to become a Transcend God, become a True God, become something even more powerful. Strong enough that no one can kill me!”

Survival was the instinct of every living being, and the Demon Emperor was no exception.

Her desire to live was overwhelming. It was precisely that desire that had allowed her to reach her current achievements.

Lin Moyu had already pieced everything together.

“You don’t want to die. You don’t want the humans to perish. And you certainly don’t want the Dragonkind to take this world. In any of those cases, you would eventually be forced back to the main world… and what awaits you there is death.”

The Demon Emperor nodded, “Exactly. That’s why I came to cooperate with you.”

Lin Moyu said, “If you want to live, there is only one option: stay here forever and never return.”

“That’s why you maintained balance among the three races. 1,000 years ago, when the Dragonkind dominated, you helped the humans drive them out.”

The Demon Emperor replied. “Yes. I had just become the Demon Emperor then. That was the first thing I did.”

“At the time, I actually had the chance to wipe out humanity. But I didn’t. I even secretly eliminated several high-tier Demon Kings.

“Later, someone named Jiang Yi appeared among the humans. He wasn’t native to this world. I couldn’t allow him to grow, so I removed him.

“There were many such incidents, all to maintain balance.”

“But that balance was broken by you.”

…

Lin Moyu understood. He had become the blade hanging over the Demon Emperor’s head.

With Antares backing him, she didn’t dare move against him personally.

Using others was the furthest she could go.

Unfortunately for her, the Dragon Emperor wasn’t capable enough and had failed.

As for Meng Anwen and the others, they were irrelevant. They posed no threat to the Demon Emperor.

Even if Lin Moyu had died, she would never have truly invaded the Human World.

She couldn’t. Balance was her lifeline.

The Demon Emperor continued, “In truth, everything I’ve done is merely running away. I became the Demon Emperor 1,000 years ago and reached the peak of half-step Transcendent God-level. But within the fragment world, I cannot advance any further. I cannot become a Transcendent God.”

Lin Moyu said heavily, “You could leave.”

The Demon Emperor shook her head with a bitter smile, “You mean like Emperor Di? Leaving with only a slim chance of survival? For him, it was a slim chance. For me, it’s certain death.”

“I was born in the fragment world. My soul brand is here. The powerful Demons of the main world can track me through it at any time. No matter how far I run, it’s useless.”

Helplessness and resignation filled her voice. At this moment, she didn’t seem like the Demon Emperor and more like a helpless girl.

Her words touched on knowledge Lin Moyu had never encountered before.

Lin Moyu asked, “So what do you intend to do?”

He knew she must have a plan. Otherwise she wouldn’t have approached him.

The Demon Emperor replied, “I’ve thought of a method. Though I cannot guarantee it will work. It’s the only path I can see.”

“Go on.”

“You become world lord and devour the fragmented world.”

Lin Moyu was taken aback. He hadn’t expected that answer.

Becoming world lord…

At that moment, Antares’s voice sounded in his mind, “This really is the only way.”

Lin Moyu asked, “But how do I become world lord?”

Antares chuckled, “Simple. Reach Transcendent God-level and I’ll teach you. It isn’t difficult. Besides, there’s a world core waiting for you to claim. If you want to keep growing and break your limits in the future, this is something you must do anyway.”

Lin Moyu already had his answer, “But why should I help you?”

From that single sentence, the Demon Emperor sensed something deeper. She knew he had already received confirmation that her plan was feasible.

And she knew the answer had come from Antares.

“I will show enough sincerity. When the time comes for you to become world lord, I will have the Demons launch a full-scale war against the Dragonkind.”

“The Demons and the Dragonkind will both suffer devastating losses.”

“I will personally bring you the Dragon Emperor’s head.”

Lin Moyu cut her off, “No. I will take the Dragon Emperor’s head myself.”

The Demon Emperor smiled brightly. She suddenly appeared before him and extended a slender, delicate hand, “A pleasure doing business with you.”

“A pleasure.”

Lin Moyu briefly shook her hand. It was soft yet cold.

With that, the foundation of their cooperation was laid. Once Lin Moyu became a Transcendent God, the partnership would formally begin.

The Demon Emperor had no doubts about his word. She had already investigated his past and knew he was a man who valued his promises.

Once he agreed to something, he would never go back on it.

After seeing Lin Moyu off, the Demon Emperor watched the spatial channel close and let out a faint sigh.

“I hope it works.”

“After waiting all these years, I’ve finally seen a glimmer of hope.”

Her cold, melodious voice echoed through the vast Demon Emperor’s Palace.

In her eyes, beneath the lingering sorrow, burned a fierce murderous intent, as though she were personally forging a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Lin Moyu returned to the Immemorial Battlefield. Standing outside Shenxia City, he watched the endless flow of people coming and going.

This world seemed simple, yet it was far more complicated than he had imagined.

And despite the complexity, its tangled threads were finally beginning to unravel.

“Antares, tell me, can I succeed?”

“She’s crazy. For her own sake, she’s willing to sacrifice an entire world.”

“Hundreds of millions of Demons will pave her path. If she succeeds, she’ll be walking across a sea of blood.”

After a few seconds, Antares’s voice echoed in his mind, carrying a note of disdain, “You’re just inexperienced. To the truly powerful, what does this amount to?”

“That fragment world, how many lives could it possibly hold?”

“Even if you added your own world to it, the number would still be insignificant.”

“For true powerhouses, the chance to advance even a tiny step, or to grasp a one-in-a-billion opportunity, is worth wiping out an entire starfield and countless worlds.”

“In a single moment, infinite lives can vanish.”

“There are even experts who will gather billions of souls from dozens of worlds for blood sacrifice.”

“The resentment from that sea of blood can surge to the heavens and extinguish stars.”

“A scene like this? It’s nothing but child’s play.”

Antares spoke casually, utterly indifferent.

Lin Moyu, however, felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

“It seems the world beyond is far crueler than I imagined.”

“Heh. Good that you realize it. But Lilian has indeed done quite a bit over the years. What she told you was mostly true, and she really hasn’t delivered a fatal blow to the humans.”

“Of course, she did it for herself. She also knows that with me here, wiping you humans out is impossible.”

“Anyway, that’s the situation. Think it through yourself.”

Lilian was the Demon Emperor’s name. Aside from Antares, very few would dare address her so casually.

Lin Moyu nodded, “I understand. For now, it seems we aren’t losing out on this deal.”