——
Gu Zhong returned to the God Realm this time on the orders of the God Emperor to report on her duties. However, she was worried about Lingyan, so she made a special trip to the Wuji Palace. Unexpectedly, she gained a celestial partner.
A corner of her heart that had been hanging in suspense suddenly felt at peace, and she could return to the Abyss of Gods and Demons with peace of mind to continue protecting the divine realm.
"Lord War God, please wait!"
As she approached the Heavenly Gate, a man's loud shout reached her ears.
The voice was completely unfamiliar, and Gu Zhong was certain that he did not know its owner.
She turned around and looked in the direction of the voice. There she saw a burly man in a fiery red robe striding toward her.
With crimson hair, golden eyes, and a golden-red robe, a guess arose in Gu Zhong's mind.
"The Demon Emperor?"
She narrowed her eyes, straightened her back even more, and tensed all her muscles, ready to attack at any moment.
"The God of War truly has excellent eyesight!"
The Demon Emperor stepped forward with a hearty laugh, but in Gu Zhong's eyes, his kindness and enthusiasm were nothing but a false and exaggerated performance.
"What is it?"
Gu Zhong remained expressionless, showing no kindness to the Demon Emperor.
The demon lord before him, for some unknown reason, coveted Lingyan. Gu Zhong did not directly slash him with his sword, which was already out of consideration for the fragile alliance between the gods and demons.
"It seems the God of War dislikes me quite a bit?"
The Demon Emperor stopped laughing, staring intently at Gu Zhong, his eyes revealing a genuine chill.
"I have always treated people this way, but the Demon Emperor has misunderstood."
Having said all that, Gu Zhong had no choice but to give him a perfunctory bow, offering him only superficial respect.
"No, no, no, it's only natural that I don't like it."
The Demon Emperor raised his finger and shook it, a sinister smile playing on his lips, as if he understood everything.
"After all, no one likes a love rival."
Her pupils contracted sharply, realizing that she had acted too recklessly in her excitement today, and that the Demon Emperor might have witnessed something he shouldn't have seen.
However, in the end, this matter only affects the alliance between the gods and demons. If the demons can be driven out alone, the demon realm will naturally be insignificant.
She had already made up her mind to stop this marriage, and she really didn't care whether the Demon Emperor found out about it.
In an instant, Gu Zhong regained his indifferent and aloof demeanor.
"I don't understand what the Demon Emperor is talking about."
"Is that so? But it's not a big deal. I just happened to remember something related to the God of War when I stopped him today."
Seeing her denial, the Demon Emperor didn't press the matter further. He simply gave her a deep look and then casually brought up another topic, leaving everyone wondering what his true purpose was.
"What does this have to do with me?"
Gu Zhong asked suspiciously. She believed that she had a clean background and that a god with ten thousand years of life could see through her in a glance. What could the Demon Emperor possibly know that she didn't know?
"To be precise, it's related to the Asura clan."
A single, seemingly innocuous sentence unleashed a truly devastating storm in Gu Zhong's heart.
If there is anything else that I truly care about, it is all the news about the Asura race.
She finally raised her eyes and looked directly at the Demon Emperor, seemingly trying to discern whether the man before her was spouting nonsense or truly knew the secret.
"It seems that Lord War is very interested."
The smile on the Demon Emperor's lips gradually widened, his eyes filled with the confidence that everything was under his control.
"What does the Demon Emperor know?"
"The Asura clan did not perish at the hands of the demons."
This statement is tantamount to trying to erase the belief that Gu Zhong has held firmly for thousands of years.
"...What nonsense is the Demon Emperor spouting? If it's not a demon, then who else could it be?"
Gu Zhong scoffed, already convinced that the Demon Emperor was bluffing. She turned away, clearly no longer wanting to hear what he had to say.
"What if I said it was—the gods?"
The Demon Emperor's soft murmur was like a demon's whisper, peeling back a heavy-hearted suspicion that Gu Zhong was unwilling to face.
"How dare you!"
With a loud shout, the silver sword light struck the Demon Emperor's chest, carrying immense pressure and extreme rage.
"Why must the Divine Lord be so enraged?"
Following the sword's momentum, the Demon Emperor retreated rapidly, then suddenly spread his wings and flew upwards at an extremely fast speed—as a bird that can fly, when there is no way to avoid an attack, his escape skills are unmatched.
"If you don't believe me, you can go and ask Lord Lin Yuan for confirmation—"
The last words were faintly heard from between the clouds.
"Yanyun, come back!"
Gu Zhong pursed his lips and summoned back the spirit sword, which was unwilling to admit defeat and still wanted to continue the pursuit.
Lin Yuan, the previous generation's God of War in the God Realm, was also Gu Zhong's master.
Since Gu Zhong took over the Zhenyuan Army, he has lived a carefree life in seclusion, no longer paying attention to the affairs of the divine realm. He did not even show up during this war between gods and demons.
The God Emperor seemed to have forgotten about the former God of War. Even when Gu Zhong was away for some time and the morale of the God Clan army was in chaos, he did not invite him back to take command of the army.
This is illogical.
The Demon Emperor's words had already planted seeds of doubt in Gu Zhong's heart, and all sorts of complicated suspicions emerged in her mind, which were difficult to suppress.
It concerns the truth about the Asura race, and she could not possibly sit idly by. The Demon Emperor had accurately calculated her weakness.
Taking a deep breath, Gu Zhong left the Heavenly Gate, but instead of immediately heading to the Abyss of Gods and Demons, he flew in another direction.
Speaking of which, it has been a long time since she last visited Lin Yuan. She should go and fulfill her filial duty as a disciple, and also find peace of mind.
——
The Divine Lord Lin Yuan lived in seclusion in a plum grove, where the plum blossoms bloomed year-round and never faded, creating a dazzling scene of red and white at all times.
When Gu Zhong arrived, Lord Lin Yuan was leaning against a plum tree, humming a tune with contentment, and occasionally taking a sip of plum wine.
Immortals and gods can maintain their youthful appearance forever, so the divine realm is full of handsome men and beautiful women, but Lord Lin Yuan is different.
He always maintained a white-haired, wrinkled appearance, like a seventy or eighty-year-old elder, kind yet full of authority.
"Xiao Chong is here?"
As soon as Gu Zhong landed on the ground, he called out, his voice as warm and friendly as ever.
"Master!"
Having not seen each other for so long, Gu Zhong felt a genuine longing and excitement in his heart.
"What brings you to visit this old codger today? Isn't the war between gods and demons going well?"
With a cold snort, Lord Lin Yuan leaped down from the plum tree and landed in front of Gu Zhong, his face full of displeasure.
"I'm fine for now. I'm just returning from reporting to the gods and stopped by to see you."
Gu Zhong chuckled awkwardly. Her personality had always been unruly, and it was her old habit to abandon her post when there was a guarantee. She had been punished by Lord Lin Yuan many times for this problem in the past, but she still couldn't change it.
"No one comes to the temple without a reason. Speak, what is it?"
Lin Yuan rolled his eyes, not believing her nonsense.
Carefully choosing his words and observing the changes in Lin Yuan's expression, he spoke cautiously.
"Some time ago, I heard a piece of news—about the Asura race."
The raised wine jug paused at Lin Yuan's lips, stilling along with the surrounding air.
Chapter 154 The Supreme God and the God of War (Part Fourteen)
============================
"What?"
After a long while, Lin Yuan finally spoke slowly, his emotions, which he tried his best to conceal, carrying a sorrow that was difficult to articulate.
"Back then, the Asura clan was not destroyed by the demons, but by the gods. Master, is that true?"
Lin Yuan's strange behavior and unnatural silence made Gu Zhong's heart sink. She could no longer suppress her wild guesses and decided to press him harder, determined to get an answer today.
"Who told you that?"
Lin Yuan didn't answer her directly, but instead asked about the origin of the question.
"Demon Emperor".
Gu Zhong made no attempt to conceal the truth and revealed the Demon Emperor's identity, since the bird had no good intentions anyway.
"No wonder. You should have known he had ill intentions. How could you let his casual remark sway your mind?"
Lin Yuan raised the wine jug again and took a big gulp.
"Because this is very important, I came to you to confirm."
"And then what?"
"I--"
Gu Zhong paused, clearly unsure how she would react if the Demon Emperor's words were true.
"Right now, in the midst of a fierce battle between gods and demons, you are a being capable of influencing the course of the war. Your absence gives the demon realm time to bide its time. Have you considered this?"
The stern rebukes made Gu Zhong lower his head.
"If you insist on being the God of War who protects the divine realm, then you should immediately return to the Abyss of Gods and Demons and fight a proper war."
Seeing her childlike appearance, as if she had done something wrong, Lin Yuan softened his tone and spoke gently, his words full of profound meaning.