The Devil Envoy pulled Ace's robe and dragged him along towards the south, which was the direction Ace and the Demon Lords came from.
The Devil Envoy stretched his arm towards the south and created a space portal that would allow them to arrive at the destination immediately.
Ace was amazed by the capability of the Devil Envoy who was able to create space portals in such harsh conditions without much effort, but before he could even react to the current situation, a suction force from the active space portal pulled him into it, with the Devil Envoy following closely behind Ace.
Zwoop!
The next moment, all that Ace saw was a familiar figure that was sprawled across the ground, his internal organs clearly visible from where Ace was. His body was in a mess, tattered and in ruins. Standing atop a tree, was a woman.
Ace was stupefied, he didn't know how to react at this very moment. A woman he had never seen in his entire life, was staring at him with a crescent sword stained in blood, her violet hair swaying with the wind, which was unable to lift her gloom.
The Devil Envoy who appeared in the next second closed the portal behind him, his eyes fixated on that woman who seemed vaguely familiar to him.
A crescent sword and violet hair...could it be her? The Devil Envoy thought to himself, hoping that this woman wasn't the one he has heard of, but when he saw the Golden Talon Demon Lord being the one who's on the verge of death, he froze.
That story might be true.
Years ago, there was once a man and woman who roamed the demon territories of the Divine Realm. The humans feared their merciless methods of ending wars, but the demons on the other hand only respected them.
The couple would make sure that they seize all the treasures and cultivation resources around the area, each time they destroy a city occupied by humans. These treasures and cultivation resources would then be given to the demon beasts who provided their assistance fairly according to their contribution.
This resulted in the powerhouse of the humans uniting together to defeat them fair and square to claim their lives. In that fight, it was the two of them against the strongest cultivators among the humans.
Only people of their identity would know that the Seven Demon Lords are nothing but a hoax used to deceive the weak. Because the Golden Talon Demon Lord and the Seventh Demon Lord of an unknown identity, while Mystic Sage Demon Beasts with formidable strength that couldn't be underestimated.
As for the woman who accompanied the Golden Talon Demon Lord, she was one of the Devils who have retreated into seclusion from the cultivation world. Her name was Yue.
In that fight, the Golden Talon Demon Lord knew that it was impossible for them to escape alive, which resulted in him taking extreme means. In that fight, he faked an escape and left Yue by herself to fend against the eight experts that surrounded her.
Yet what she didn't know was that the Golden Talon Demon Lord casted one of the forbidden spells at the expense of his life, thus greatly weakening the strength of the eight human cultivators to a point that allowed Yue to escape in disappointment that the Golden Talon Demon Lord abandoned her.
The Golden Talon Demon Lord was supposed to perish, but it was the god of that forbidden spell that gave him a second chance because of reasons that couldn't be explained. It was also at that point the Golden Talon Demon Lord realised that the Mystic Sage Realm, while the peak realm for all beings, was a step away from the gods that had eternal lifespan.
As for the disaster that was prophesied, it was no one else but Yue who wanted revenge against the Golden Talon Demon Lord upon knowing that he's still alive.
The Devil Envoy restricted Ace and prevented him from uttering a single word as he stepped forward and looked towards Yue with a questioning gaze, "Do you really resent him that much?"
Yue's grip on the sword tightened, tears welling in her eyes for no reason as she glanced towards the man she once loved. "Do you know how painful it was for me to live all these years by myself after being abandoned by the man I loved with my life. I wasn't afraid of death with him by my side, but he escaped like the coward any man would be!"
The Devil Envoy sighed in exasperation, "It seems that you were kept in the dark by everyone. Do you really think that the Golden Talon Demon Lord, or should I say the Golden Talon Demon Sage was one to escape for his life?"
"Just what do you mean by that?" Yue questioned back as her devilish aura forced the Devil Envoy to his knees, blood leaking from the corner of his lips from the sudden pressure, his internal organs were shifted and if it weren't for Yue who retracted her pressure at the last second, his existence might have been removed from this world.
"Don't tell her about it…" The Golden Talon Demon Sage who had just recovered some of his lost energy begged despite the excruciating pain that accompanied every word he muttered.
The Devil Envoy was in a pinch right now. The Golden Talon Demon Sage was one he couldn't offend, but Yue was someone of a higher status than him among the Devils. He was obliged to speak the truth to her.
Ace who was watching from a distance couldn't comprehend the current situation. What exactly happened between the Golden Talon Demon Lord and the woman he has never met? Not to mention that the Devil Envoy who was a contender even among Martial Saints, was being suppressed by that woman with just her personal demeanor.
"As one of the Four Divine Devils, you are ordered to tell me the truth." This helped the Devil Envoy to confirm the identity of Yue, but this also meant that he must speak the truth. It was in his blood, all devils weren't able to defy orders from their higher-ups, even if it meant death.
"Divine Devil Yue, I may not know why the truth was hidden from here, but please believe that everything I say now will only be the absolute truth." The Devil Envoy said in respect, ignoring the threatening gaze from the Golden Talon Demon Sage.
Yue looked into the eyes of the Devil Envoy, her eyes demanding the truth, but when she saw the painful expression of the Golden Talon Demon Sage, her heart ached in pain.
Why is this happening? I have already forgotten about him. Yue thought to herself as she said towards the Devil Envoy, "As one of the four Divine Devils, I assure you that your life won't be in danger. Tell me the truth now."
Just like this, the youngest of the Four Divine Devils, Yue, learnt the truth that everyone has been concealing from her. There were countless members of the Devil Cult that wanted to leak the truth to her, but the other three Divine Devils have warned them to keep this a secret.
Due to the unforsaken rule that orders must be obeyed and considering that the three other Divine Devils held a higher position than Yue, the truth was thus hidden beneath the dust, never brought up by anyone who knew about this.
But the current situation was different. Because unlike the other devils that were issued this order directly, the Devil Envoy went missing due to the meeting with the Seventh Demon Lord and never returned to the Devil Cult, which was why the truth would finally be revealed.
A few seconds past after the Devil Envoy concluded what he had to say. The deafening silence suffocating Ace who knew that the situation was disastrous while the Golden Talon Demon Sage laughed hysterically.
"Gold, why must you hide the truth from me? Is it because you were destined to serve this youth?" Yue asked the Golden Talon Demon Sage as she placed an elixir into his mouth and helped him to absorb its effects before standing up.
Her crescent sword unsheathed as she turned towards Ace and freed him, her sword pointed at him as she said, "If you manage to defeat me in the same cultivation realm, then I might consider sparing your life."
"Yue, you can't hurt him, that boy is the last hope of the cultivation world." The Golden Talon Demon Sage said as he tried to stand up, yet his body was devoid of energy, which resulted in him being unable to move.
Yue ignored the Golden Talon Demon Sage and told him, "If this boy is the reason why you never returned to my side, then he should at least prove himself capable."
What Ace and the Devil Envoy didn't notice was the slight smile on the face of Yue, who was staring at Ace coldly with killing intent enveloping his body. "Don't worry, I won't use any cultivation prowess above the Martial Lord Realm, this is a fight between us, fair and square."
The Golden Talon Demon Sage who was laying on the ground smiled beneath his poker face and he thought to himself, my Yue has returned.
The Devil Envoy on the other hand was unwilling to let Ace perish just like this and tried to stand in front of Ace to stall time, but before he could move, Yue was able to deduce his next actions by reading his muscle movements.
With a single thought, she sealed the space around the Devil Envoy and made it impossible for him to escape from the constrained area, his voice and body sealed off as well to prevent Ace from getting distracted.
"If it's a fight you want, you have it." Ace knew that being a coward right now wasn't an option as he brandished his sword.
"Phoenix, it's about time we fought side by side again."