"How can that be! How can you do that? You transformed and released your essence Qi, but it’s not demonic? Why don’t you have demonic Qi? This is impossible! Inconceivable!” the prisoner shouted in fear.

But the Qing Emperor’s fangs had already pierced into the prisoner’s neck, which drained the prisoner of his blood and energy.

“Rumble! ”

And so, the prisoner shrunk and dried up quickly.

“I want immortality. I want to be an immortal emperor! I’m going to rule over the four seas and reign over the entire world! Forever I will be…!” The Qing Emperor said coldly as he forcefully sucked out his victim’s blood and essence.

“No, impossible! A demon’s Qi cannot be masked! How did you... Why? No~~~~~~~~” The prisoner shrieked miserably before he drew his last breath.

Soon after, the prisoner became a dried corpse; his skin became wrinkled as it stuck to his bones.

“Tsssss! ”

The Qing Emperor withdrew his fangs and retracted them. Waves of boiling Qi were imploding in his body.

“Baaaam!”

His body shook all of a sudden, releasing a shockwave in all directions.

“Congratulations, Qing Emperor, you have reached the pinnacle of the Innate Stage!” A demon chuckled in the dark.

The Qing Emperor opened his eyes and smiled, “Thank you, everyone, for capturing so many immortal sects’ disciples from the empire so that I may extract their energy. Or else, I wouldn't have grown this quickly!”

“You are too courteous! It’s also because you are exceptionally bold! Your ancestral uncle gave orders in the demonic sect to prevent anyone from turning you into a demon. We have gone astray from your ancestral uncle’s wishes this time; it’s a direct offense against him. Please don’t implicate us if you ever choose to expose yourself!” a demon requested.

“Don’t worry, you have shown me the door to immortality; I would never betray you! Moreover, who else could find out that I turned into a demon other than you guys? Me? How could I become a demon? I have no demonic Qi, at all! HAHAHAHA!” The Qing Emperor burst out laughing.

“Yeah, I thought you were sick of living when you sought us out and asked to turn you into a demon a month ago. Why is it that there isn’t a wisp of demonic Qi in you? Only our Demon Sovereign can conceal demonic Qi flawlessly. How did you…” One of the demons was puzzled.

“Hahahaha!” The Qing Emperor hid his hands behind his back and laughed without offering an explanation.

He instinctively touched a string of beads on his left wrist behind his back. If Wang Ke were at the scene, he would have noticed that the Qing Emperor was wearing Princess Youyue’s beads that were sealing the female Long Worms. Wang Ke was looking for her with the Longing Orb; it would have never crossed his mind that the string of beads would be in the Qing Emperor’s hands.

That string of beads also had a demonic Qi concealing effect.

Before the group of demons asked further, bell rings were suddenly heard in the dungeon.

“Tinkle~~~!”

The bell rang again. All the demons’ expressions changed as they looked upwards.

“Another one trespassing into the Empress’ Residence to seal his fate?” a demon muttered.

“Someone just trespassed into the residence above. Stay here and hide for the moment. Let me handle that person. Humph, let us see which guard was daft enough to dare come in here! Seems like I have yet to kill enough of them!” the Qing Emperor said with a murderous tone.

The demons nodded in agreement. Then, the Qing Emperor made sure there were no bloodstains on him before walking up the stairs, heading to the Empress’ Residence above the dungeon.

Wang Ke pushed the door open and looked at the Longing Orb in his hand with a deep frown.

The Longing Orb guided me here? This? This is the place? Why was Princess Youyue brought to the Qing Empress’ Residence? Please don’t tell me something bad happened to her! Wang Ke walked inside, worried.

There was a massive bed inside; a woman wearing a silk gown was lying on the bed. She seemed to have fallen unconscious after being drugged.

Wang Ke was shocked. He dashed over and propped the woman up to see.

Phew~ What a scare. I thought she was Princess Youyue. Fortunately, she’s not. This is... The Qing Empress? Tsk tsk... Zhu Yan changed the empress again within the few years I left the mortal zone? Wang Ke heaved a long sigh and shook his head.

He furrowed his brow as he thought, still looking at the sleeping empress, This seems odd. The empress is drugged? Why is she unconscious on the bed? No outsiders would dare come near. Who did this? Why is the imperial harem in such chaos?

Wang Ke then sensed that someone was walking over from the other room.

“Hugged enough already?” an icy voice said.

Wang Ke heightened his senses. She set the empress down and turned to look at the person approaching.

He then saw, under the dim light, the dragon-robed Qing Emperor ambled toward him.

“Zhu Yan, the Qing Emperor?” Wang Ke narrowed his eyes.

The Qing Emperor’s pupils contracted when he saw Wang Ke, “Wang Ke? You came back?”