You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

"Yes," Duanmu Yan responded with a nod, then slightly furrowed his brows, "But the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, in order to protect him, even bestowed upon him an Imperial Decree. The Main Hall Master couldn't have failed to provide him with a means to save his life, I'm afraid..."

The calm male voice spoke, "This time, send five Demon Saints with you to infiltrate Great Yong."

"Five Demon Saints?" Duanmu Yan was somewhat surprised.

Being a Saint, one indeed possesses means to conceal one's essence with Inner Heaven and Earth, truly formidable, and ordinarily impossible to find, but not without solutions.

To deduce the workings of fate, to calculate cause and effect... such incredible methods are indeed within the grasp of Great Yong's Proving masters.

Once a Demon Saint makes their move within the borders of Yong Realm, the Eye of Heaven will surely issue a warning, and the Proving masters of Great Yong will also inevitably take action to kill, even the Crown Prince might possibly intervene!

He, Duanmu Yan, was a man whose fate was hard to predict; even if he went to Great Yong, his true body was always hidden away, only allowing his avatar to act, and so he was very safe.

But if the other Demon Saints dared to make a move, that would undoubtedly spell certain death!

Moreover, their death would be total annihilation, their soul dissipating into nothingness, with no hope for an afterlife; how could the Demon Saints possibly be willing?

Since the Heavenly Demon Ancestor mentioned sending five Demon Saints to infiltrate Great Yong, it meant that he was prepared to sacrifice these five Demon Saints, a dictate that could only be enforced by coercion!

"Besides these five Demon Saints, I will also go talk to the Golden Feather Demon Saint."

The calm male voice continued, "The Golden Feather Demon Saint's lifespan has already passed by ninety percent, and it's almost certain that there is no hope for him to prove himself as a Demon God. Having committed great sins, he might as well make some sacrifices for our Demon Clan."

Duanmu Yan was even more surprised.

The Golden Feather Demon Saint, that was the lineage of the Divine Beast, the Golden-Winged Roc of the second generation, and furthermore, a Heavenly Reversal Demon Saint!

Even if he had committed great sins, it was excessive to deprive him of the hope for an afterlife, right?

Especially since he was a powerful Demon Saint who had mastered the Heavenly Reversal Path!

Even without the lineage of the Golden-Winged Roc, in the next life, he could still become a Heavenly Reversal Demon Saint, hardly much weaker in ability, and yet he was willing to be so casually sacrificed?

"Besides the Golden Feather Demon Saint, you will also utilize Lord Yan Yue."

The calm male voice said, "Remember, if the Seventeenth Prince is the Prison Demon God, you must ensure the Prison Demon God's return at all costs. If he is not, then he must be eliminated before he reveals any secrets."

Duanmu Yan took a deep breath and said, "Yes, this time I am fully confident."

He could completely sense the resolve of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor.

No one would dare to infiltrate Great Yong unless it was a Demon God; he even suspected that the Heavenly Demon Ancestor would also seek the Demon God's assistance.

"Is the Ancestor Blood still there?" the calm male voice asked.

"Of course it is."

Duanmu Yan nodded, "I never expected the Seventeenth Prince to have already formed the nascent shape of a dao, so there was no intention to cause his Divine Soul to collapse. At that time, the avatar did not carry the Ancestor Blood with it."

The calm male voice slowly said, "Duanmu Yan, I have placed great expectations on you, do not disappoint me."

"Rest assured, Heavenly Demon Ancestor."

"Come back and prepare, the creation of the 'hearts' compatible with the five Demon Saints needs more time."

"Yes."

...

Time drifted slowly, years passed by.

Great Yong seemed to have returned to its former tranquility.

The Divine Pivot Institute was attempting to let the new Fengtian Order once again regulate the essence of Heaven and Earth throughout Great Yong, gradually changing the climate—and they actually succeeded. Duanmu Yan also did not re-appear to make any more moves.

Perhaps Duanmu Yan realized that the famine had no effect on the mortals of Great Yong and had given up, or maybe there was some other reason...

In any case, the long, scorching summer was finally over.

Heavy rains, a reliquary of a long drought, fell relentlessly on the territories of Great Yong, moisturizing the parched earth.

The change of four seasons finally re-appeared within the borders of Great Yong.

Sunrise and moonset, spring departs and autumn arrives.

In a blink of an eye, two years had passed.

At the end of November in the twenty-sixth year of Celebration, close to the bitter winter months, Di Hong City had already been covered in a heavy snow, transformed into a majestic Silver Country.

The Seventeenth Prince's Mansion in Tianmu Square, too, became a picturesque scene amidst the sweeping snow.

"Dad, let's not clear the snow in the courtyard this year, okay?"

In the silver-frosted courtyard, a cute young girl stood under the eaves, pulling on the sleeve of a young man next to her and coquettishly said, "I still want to have a snowball fight with Xiao Chen."

"Xiaoning, you're going to be nine after the new year, still playing with snow?"

Lin Yue squatted down, pinched Xiaohong Ning's petite nose, "If you promise dad one thing, then I will agree."

"Dad, just tell me."

"Hmm..." Lin Yue stroked his daughter's head and said, "After the New Year, dad will have to go on a long journey, and it might be a long time before I can return home. You have to be a good girl at home, and if Baili mom doesn't allow it, you're not allowed to leave the mansion, okay?"

"A long time?"

Xiaohong Ning couldn't help but pout, her eyes starting to redden, "Where are you going, dad? How long will you be?"

"Dad doesn't know either, but I will be as quick as I can," Lin Yue spoke softly, "Don't cry, as long as Xiaoning is good, dad will come back to see Xiaoning."

"Then... then Xiaoning won't cry anymore." Xiaohong Ning immediately looked up, widened her eyes, holding back her tears.

"Good girl."

Lin Yue smiled, holding his daughter softly, "In the blink of an eye, Xiaoning has already grown up."

As a third-generation member of the Xiaohong lineage, raised from a young age on numerous Heaven and Earth Treasures to lay a solid foundation, Xiaohong Ning already looked as though she was twelve or thirteen years old.

It was estimated that in another year or two, her Xiaohong lineage would awaken, and by then, she could begin her cultivation.

"Your Highness."

At this moment, Baili Fengzhi walked into the courtyard from outside and handed him a letter, saying, "A message from Ancestor Hall."

"A letter from Ancestor Hall?"