Chapter 26: Root and Branch

A slap followed by a sweet treat. This is the art of managing subordinates. Quite effective.

Yu Qiye lifted his gaze, observing the other great demons and minor demons present. Each of them possessed varying levels of cultivation. The strongest among them was a wolf demon who had already reached the peak of the Great Demon realm, just a step away from becoming a Demon General.

"This one is not bad either," Yu Qiye mused, his eyes flickering with a hint of pleasant surprise. The wolf demon was snow-white, with a silver crescent moon mark between his brows. He possessed an impressive red-tier attribute: "Silver Moon." It seemed related to the moon, though, unfortunately, Yu Qiye had already acquired two or three new, powerful attributes recently and had no intention of plundering more.

Having spent several years in the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, Yu Qiye understood one principle: too much is as bad as too little. Powerful attributes are excellent, but if one does not settle and absorb them after fusion, it is merely a waste. The best approach is to fully digest and internalize a powerful attribute before merging with the next. One after another... steady and sure. More importantly, Yu Qiye needed to give his body a buffer. Every powerful attribute brought significant physical transformation; without a recovery period, successive fusions could lead to a backlash.

"I’ll wait a few days. They are my subordinates now, so there is plenty of time to fuse," he decided.

The morning meeting adjourned. Yu Qiye summoned Qingqiu Xue, the Divine Mastiff, and the Twin-Blade Mantis to his side, briefly assigning them their roles. Qingqiu Xue, as the Chief Steward of Heavenly Crow Cave, was tasked with managing his daily life and reporting on various affairs. The Scorpion Spirit was appointed Second Steward to oversee the cave's daily operations. The Divine Mastiff served as the War General, responsible for combat and managing subordinates, while the Twin-Blade Mantis acted as the Commander.

"Pick out a few promising seeds and form a squad," Yu Qiye said, looking at the Twin-Blade Mantis with anticipation.

"As you command, Demon King," the Twin-Blade Mantis replied, kneeling on one knee with a look of reverence.

Since he had built an organization, he would manage it well. That was Yu Qiye's nature: either do nothing, or do it the best. Moreover, because he could plunder and bestow attributes at will, he could fully unlock the potential of his subordinates—an immense stroke of fortune for them. To describe it as "ascending to the heavens in a single step" might be an exaggeration, but "defying fate to change one's destiny" was no overstatement. Look at the Divine Mastiff, who was once an ordinary Demon General; after obtaining the "Demonic Heart" attribute, he vaulted into the ranks of top-tier Demon Generals, capable of holding his own against several peers simultaneously. That was the allure of attributes.

However, Yu Qiye remained cautious. Firstly, he only bestowed attributes upon those he trusted. He had granted one to the Twin-Blade Mantis purely to set an example for the others and win their loyalty. Secondly, suitable attributes were rare. Even now, he hadn't found a fitting one for Xue'er.

At that moment, Qingqiu Xue spoke, hesitating, "Demon King, the Lion-Elephant woke up last night, but he has been..."

"Been what?" Yu Qiye asked.

"He has been cursing you, calling you a bully who picks on the weak and claiming your sneak attacks are beneath a hero." Qingqiu Xue glanced at Yu Qiye as she spoke.

"I never claimed to be a hero," Yu Qiye replied candidly. "Divine Mastiff, go have a chat with the Lion-Elephant. If he is willing to submit, treat him with respect."

"And if he isn't?" the Divine Mastiff asked.

"Beat him until he's black and blue, as long as he stays alive," Yu Qiye said dismissively. In the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, demons were the least scarce resource. Although the Lion-Elephant had good attributes, Yu Qiye had already plundered his most valuable one. In a sense, he had no further utility. Had it not been for his residual combat power and potential, Yu Qiye wouldn't have spared his life.

"With the demon race in decline, I suppose I should try to preserve these seeds," he thought, deciding to take a trip to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. It was the territory of his junior brother, Wukong. In two or three years, Wukong would return from the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars. If he found his monkey kin bullied by the Demon King of Havoc while his own senior brother had stood idly by, he would never hear the end of it. Thus, Yu Qiye intended to pay the Demon King of Havoc a visit.

Boom! A gale howled across the sky as Yu Qiye spread his wings, tearing through the clouds. Within moments, he reached the peaks of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Before even entering, he sensed a powerful, peculiar aura—neither fully demonic nor fully celestial. It was chaotic.

"So, this is the Demon King of Havoc," Yu Qiye raised an eyebrow. He had expected a mere shrimp, but this guy was no simple foe. He was a true Demon King. Or perhaps not a demon at all. Regardless, he didn't belong here.

"Screech!" Yu Qiye let out a cry like a thunderclap. Having upgraded "Crow's Cry (Red)" to "Cry of the Rising Sun (Gold)," the power of his call had surged, shaking the very earth and causing the Demon King of Havoc deep within the mountains to stumble.

"What was that?" the Demon King of Havoc let out a strange cry, steadying himself. He grabbed a massive blade and charged toward the source of the sound.

Moments later, a burly figure appeared before Yu Qiye. He wore a dark-gold helmet, a robe fluttering in the wind, black-iron armor, and sturdy boots. He stood ten feet tall, holding a heavy blade. Every step he took caused the earth to tremble.

"Who are you? How dare you act so insolently in my territory?" the Demon King of Havoc roared, pointing his blade at the sky.

There, Yu Qiye stood silently, his cold expression fixed, his wings motionless. He hovered as if suspended by the wind itself, mysterious and eerie.

[Race: Demon.]
[Rank: Early-stage Demon King.]
[Attributes: Innate Divine Strength (Red), Demonic Seed (Red), Leaking Demonic Qi (Purple), Roar Like Thunder (Purple), Vengeful (Purple)...]

"I'll ask you one more time: who are you? If you don't speak, don't blame me for being heartless," the Demon King of Havoc threatened, his blade wreathed in dark, swirling demonic energy.

Boom! The heavens changed color as a pillar of demonic energy shot upward, staining the clouds pitch-black. It was terrifying, enough to chill one's bones.

Yet, Yu Qiye remained silent. There was nothing to say. He held a mantra from his previous life close to his heart: "Villains die because they talk too much." He wasn't a villain, but he had no intention of dying for the sake of chatter. Moreover, he didn't like talking to corpses. Seeing the "Vengeful (Purple)" attribute, he knew only one of them would be leaving this place alive. He didn't want a Demon King holding a grudge against him, nor did he want to risk those around him.

Since he had already decided to offend him, he would finish him off completely.