Morning sunlight spills across the quiet street as a carriage stops before Kaelan's residence. The door opens, and Meilin steps down first, her eyes scanning the courtyard. She turns, offering her hand as the princess descends gracefully from the carriage.
The front gate swings open before they even knock. The guards, recognising the princess, bow deeply and step aside. But after a moment, they glance at each other—Kaelan isn't home. One of them hurries forward.
"Your Highness," he says, "Lord Wuya left the city last night. We don't know when he will return."
The princess's expression remains unreadable. She nods faintly, then turns and steps back into the carriage.
Inside, Meilin looks uneasy. "Princess, what are you going to do? His Majesty asked you to bring Lord Wuya for lunch."
Li Xueyao exhales softly, gazing out the window as the carriage begins to move again. "What can I do? I'll go alone."
A short while later, she walks through the palace garden, the morning air heavy with the scent of dew and lotus. Ahead, her father sits beneath the wooden pavilion by the pond, sunlight glinting off his silver hair.
Seeing her approach, the king lifts his gaze and nods slowly. The princess bows, then sits across from him, her calm mask hiding the faint unease in her heart.
Her father studies her for a moment before asking, "Where is your future husband? Is he not willing to meet me?"
Li Xueyao lowers her eyes. "He wasn't home when I went to find him."
The king's brow furrows. "Does he not understand his position?" He reaches out and rings the small bell on the table. A guard appears almost instantly and bows.
"Your Majesty."
"Find out where Kong Wuya has gone," the king orders.
The guard bows again and leaves. Silence lingers between father and daughter until the king finally says, "I understand why you chose him, but are you sure of this decision? A man like him brings both advantage and risk."
Li Xueyao meets his gaze steadily. "Father, if he can survive until his preaching three months from now, most of the danger around him will fade. And the influence he'll gain afterwards will crush Uncle's rebellious thoughts."
The king exhales softly, eyes weary yet approving. "If that's how you see it, I'll support you."
A small smile curves her lips. "Thank you, Father."
He gestures to the table. "Then let's eat."
They share a quiet meal beneath the soft rustle of the garden trees. When the last dishes are cleared, the guard returns, bows deeply, and waits for permission to speak.
"What did you learn?" the king asks.
The guard hesitates, glancing toward the princess.
Li Xueyao tilts her head. "Speak. There's no need to hold back."
The guard straightens. "Kong Wuya left the capital yesterday evening… with a woman. A beautiful one."
A flicker of thought passes through Li Xueyao's eyes, but her face remains calm.
The king frowns. "That's not a tryst. A man like him doesn't need to leave the city for that."
The princess's tone is light, almost detached. "It doesn't matter, Father. He's a strong man—men like him often have many women, just as you did."
The king falls silent, the words striking deeper than he admits.
"I should go," Li Xueyao says, standing.
The king nods slowly, granting her leave. She bows once and departs, her figure fading beyond the garden gate.
Elsewhere, Kaelan slows in midair as Soraya, ahead of him, begins to descend. Before them spreads a magnificent city—its white walls and red-roofed towers floating gracefully above a vast, gleaming lake. The air hums with demonic auras as countless figures streak through the sky toward the same destination.
This is *Crimson Pearl City*, the heart of the southern demonic lands. Every ten years, the Red Swan Clan—rulers of the Pearl Lake and its shining city—hosts an auction that draws the attention of half the continent.
It began as a simple trade gathering to sell rare resources dredged from the lake's depths. But as the treasures gained fame—spiritual pearls, red coral essence, molten stones—the auction grew into a grand event where even high-ranked demons commission the Red Swans to sell their artefacts.
Now, once every decade, powerful beings from across the southern demonic lands—and even the distant eastern and western domains—gather here. The eastern seas send the most visitors, for the lake's spiritual pearls are priceless to water-attribute demons.
Kaelan and Soraya land on the city's outer edge, their feet touching the smooth crimson stone path.
Passing through the gates, they move with the flow of cloaked demons toward the grand auction hall, a vast structure of white crystal and scarlet steel rising at the city's centre. Inside, they purchase two tickets for a private room and then leave to rest before the event begins.
At a nearby inn, they each take a room. Kaelan sits cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, regaining his mana. He knows what Soraya also knows—that after the auction ends, chaos begins.
Not every bidder leaves satisfied. Many who fail turn to theft and ambush, their greed staining the lake's moonlit shores with blood every ten years.
As evening deepens and the city lights shimmer over the water, a knock sounds at his door.
"Come in," he says quietly.
Soraya steps inside, her black robe glinting faintly under the lantern light. "It's time," she says.
Kaelan rises, calm and ready.
Together, he and Soraya leave the inn and walk toward the radiant auction hall, where the night's chaos is about to unfold.
They have reserved a private room, though their status is not high enough to enter before the true elites.
Ahead of them, the invited VIPs stride into the hall first—members of the Demon Palace, the Demon Temple, and the Night Council.
As they pass, Soraya quietly introduces each faction to Kaelan, her tone composed, her eyes alert.
Then come the six royal clans: the Platinum Tiger Clan, the Golden-Tailed Fox Clan, the Light Peacock Clan, the Silvermoon Wolf Clan, the Thunder Whale Clan, and the Third-Eyed Lion Clan.
Soraya herself hails from the Light Peacock Clan, though she is not its heir—the clan's elder and heir have come personally to attend.
Following the royals, the thirteen noble demon families make their entrance.
As hosts of the event, the Red Swan Clan remains seated in honour, leaving the stage to the twelve other noble families. One after another, the Black Tiger Clan, Death Giant Serpent Clan, Bone Mantis Clan, Sound Dolphin Clan, Giant Shark Clan, Horned Serpent Clan, Winged Serpent Clan, Fire Ant Clan, Thunder Roc Clan, Blood Eagle Clan, Armoured Crocodile Clan, and Blood Hound Clan make their entrance, each radiating a distinct aura that shakes the hall.
When their turn comes, Kaelan and Soraya step through the grand doors, led by a Red Swan attendant to a private box on the second floor overlooking the main floor.
They sit, surrounded by murmurs that ripple like waves through the crowd of demons, each whisper carrying power and greed.
Night deepens as they leave the inn and head toward the glowing auction hall, where the air itself hums with anticipation.
Inside their private room, the noise outside grows louder—voices sharp with pride and arrogance. Kaelan frowns and extends his spirit sense, only for it to recoil against an unseen barrier that seals the hall.
Soraya's expression darkens, her pupils contracting into thin slits. "Twilight Protoss," she hisses.
Kaelan's gaze flicks toward her. Twilight Protoss… the name itself feels celestial, he thinks. Are they the descendants of those who dwell on the Sky Islands above the clouds?
He glances at Soraya. "Twilight Protoss?"
Soraya pauses, gathering her thoughts. Ever since realising Kaelan's true nature—an ordinary crow demon who by pure talent created the next martial realm that humans failed to reach for eight hundred years—she has come to speak to him with respect.
"They are the offspring of the Dawn God and the Evening Goddess," she explains. Seeing his curiosity deepen, she continues. "At the beginning of creation, the world first birthed the gods—four of them: the Day Goddess and the Dawn God, the Evening Goddess and the Night God. They were siblings. The Dawn God and Evening Goddess fell in love, while the Day Goddess and Night God became eternal rivals."
Kaelan listens quietly, his expression unreadable.
"After the gods came the demon race," Soraya goes on. "The gods shaped the first demons from the essence of heaven and earth. Then, much later, the human race appeared—born from the union of spirit and dust, weaker than either gods or demons but blessed with adaptability and potential."
She takes a breath, her tone softening. "The Dawn God and Evening Goddess created the first divine artefact—the Divine Pool. Any soul that entered it could be reborn as their descendant, the Twilight Protoss. But before their creation was complete, the Night God overthrew the Day Goddess, plunging her into eternal sleep. From that day on, the world has been veiled in endless night."
Outside, the voices rise again, proud and imperious.
Soraya stays silent as a beautiful woman steps onto the stage and announces the start of the auction. The first few items are treasures suited for demons in the Qi Refining Realm. As the auction proceeds, Soraya resumes her quiet explanation of the world.
"The Night Empire was founded soon after the fall of the Day Goddess," she says. "Through the gathering of demon clans, the Qi Refining cultivation method was born."
Kaelan's gaze stays on the auction stage. "What about the human race?" he asks.
Soraya answers without pause. "We demons worshipped the Night God, so we were citizens of the empire. Humans worshipped the Day Goddess, so they were treated as servants."
Kaelan nods slightly, his expression calm.
"The two gods later pitied the humans," Soraya continues. "They helped them reshape the Qi Refining method for the humans. Those who reached the Divine Mind Realm were led by the gods into the Divine Pool. They entered as humans and emerged as Twilight Protoss. They kept their human memories but lost their human hearts."
Kaelan now understands the world's history—from creation to divine corruption.
Their attention shifts back to the stage as treasures suited for Core Formation Realm demons begin to appear. Kaelan watches quietly. The shimmering weapons and rare herbs tempt his gaze, but he lacks the spirit stones to compete.
Then the auctioneer unveils a shining golden lotus. Its radiant petals ripple with divine energy. Soraya's expression sharpens, her body tensing.
When the bidding begins, she remains still at first, then raises her voice calmly. Her offer silences part of the crowd. Soon, the competition narrows to a few bidders—all from the Red Swan Clan.
Kaelan frowns slightly. They're bidding against each other instead of helping her?
From the whispers below, Kaelan pieces together the truth—Soraya was once a contender for her clan's heir but lost after being ambushed before the final trial.
His mind drifts to what he read yesterday in the Spiritual Treasure Encyclopedia. The Light Lotus—a rare lotus that blooms once every hundred years—is said to possess miraculous healing power and grant enlightenment to those seeking the Law of Light.
His gaze flicks to Soraya. She shows no sign of injury, yet perhaps her wounds lie within. Or maybe she seeks to grasp the law through the lotus.
Either way, it has nothing to do with him. Whatever her purpose, it's her affair. His duty is only to escort her safely back to Changye City.