CHAPTER 1787: CHAPTER 1788: PAST AND PRESENT

"I... I..."

The Tiger Demon’s mind was a complete mess at this moment, carefully weighing every word he said to Su Chengyu.

But he never expected that the words which would get him in trouble were actually exposed by his own mouth before Su Chengyu woke up.

Countless ways to remedy the situation flashed in his mind, but none seemed plausible, leaving the Tiger Demon too afraid to respond, fearful of further angering Su Chengyu.

The Tiger Demon’s reaction only confirmed what Su Chengyu was thinking, and he squinted his eyes and spoke immediately.

"Do you want to die?"

"No! It’s not that, I just... I just don’t dare..."

"You don’t dare to do it to others, but you dare to do it to me?"

The sound near the Tiger Demon’s ear was immediately followed by the Dragon Slayer Sword appearing beside him, continuously scraping across his neck.

Su Chengyu looked coldly at the beast beneath him and said calmly, "Because I saved that little fox and gave that Water Fox a proper burial, you think I’m a kind heart that’s easy to fool, so you chose to keep that secret between us?"

"No... no..."

As if not hearing the Tiger Demon’s trembling words, Su Chengyu continued speaking to himself: "Indeed, I am someone who sees human life as insignificant, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kill. On the contrary, if I hadn’t sensed that you were hiding some special secret, you would have been a dead entity long ago."

Su Chengyu intentionally spared the Tiger Demon’s life, perhaps for use as a means of transport, or rather to leverage the Tiger Demon to understand this unfamiliar world.

The real reason he was willing to keep the Tiger Demon alive was because of that awareness he exposed about humankind.

Su Chengyu knew there were humans in this world; he headed east for that very reason.

But in the circumstances he was aware of, the humans here seemed fully undeveloped compared to back home, the environment reminiscent of ancient wilderness, and there was no sign of the Human Clan having their own Three Emperors.

Previously, Su Chengyu thought there might be a place unknown even to Su Zhedian, where people had begun the path of Cultivation, but now it seemed that was not the case at all.

"I’m giving you the last three seconds. If I don’t hear the answer I want, your role as my transport ends here."

"Three."

"My lord... if what I say can guarantee my safety..."

"Two."

"My lord! This matter to me..."

"One."

As if completely deaf to the Tiger Demon’s words, Su Chengyu continued his countdown, and the moment his final word fell.

The Tiger Demon’s psychological defenses finally collapsed entirely, falling prostrate on the ground and exclaimed.

"I really did encounter someone similar to you, their power surpasses mine, I fought with him and ended up in his hands. After questioning me about many things, he left and told me to ensure I would never tell anyone about him."

"But you’ve told it now."

Su Chengyu replied softly.

"I trust you can protect me, my lord."

Su Chengyu snorted lightly: "In reality, you’re just afraid of his retaliation, just don’t want me to know about this, isn’t that right?"

"I’m not..."

"Not? You fear neither him nor me; from beginning to end, what you fear is humankind."

The Tiger Demon was shaken by Su Chengyu’s words, curling into a ball, lacking even the courage to retort.

"After meeting him, and then meeting me, you began to fear, fear that one day the Demon Clan’s domination of this world would be overturned, and humans would become the true leaders of this world. Those you see as nothing more than a tribe of savages, that’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it?"

With his true thoughts and fears fully seen through, the Tiger Demon finally gave up resisting, murmuring while lying on the ground.

"My lord, how did you realize this?"

"Realize? You are mistaken, I did not realize it, I merely witnessed it."

Having personally gone through the expedition in Qinling, understanding the long, protracted war between Ancient Exotic Beasts and humans, Su Chengyu clearly realized this matter.

The Tiger Demon’s current reaction naturally led him to this conclusion.

His fear is not directed at me nor the person who encountered him before I did, but rather at mankind’s rise.

"Then, my lord, would you do this?"

"Don’t worry, I won’t."

Su Chengyu’s words relieved the Tiger Demon’s heart, but in the next second, Su Chengyu continued, "Unfortunately, someone has already done it."

"What?"

Su Chengyu chuckled lightly but chose not to continue speaking.

In the Shattered Cave Heaven, he overheard Su Zhedian and Ye Qingci’s dialogue, learned why he had been sent here, and understood that the time his father Su Zhedian had disappeared was spent in this place.

He didn’t know exactly what Su Zhedian intended to do, so he didn’t want to delve further into these matters.

Of course, he knew that these matters were undoubtedly related to the Great Catastrophe of Heaven and Earth, but regarding those events, they seemed unwilling to reveal more to him.

Strength determines voice.

The words Ye Qingci left for him still echoed in Su Chengyu’s mind; he once thought that having people around him stronger than himself was not a bad thing.

Now Su Chengyu understands that even with those closest to him, there would always be differences in views.

Many disagreements are fundamentally irrelevant to reason or morality, only because what both sides value most differs.

In the future, if Su Chengyu wishes to uphold his beliefs, he can only enhance his strength; only then will he have the right to speak.

"My lord... but what I said is actually true."

"Hmm?"

Su Chengyu spoke softly, glancing at the Tiger Demon who started to move again.

"That person did threaten me, forbidding me to tell anyone else about him."

Su Chengyu chuckled: "Don’t worry, the ’anyone’ he referred to clearly means other members of the Demon Clan. I am not included in that."

"Really?"

"If you want to live, then do well in what I assign you. As well as getting her forgiveness, I will naturally allow you a way out."

The principle of the strong preying on the weak was the simplest truth among the Demon Clan; if Su Chengyu were an outsider, their struggles would not concern him at all.

Only because of the Little Fox did Su Chengyu control the Tiger Demon.

"Little Fox?"

The Tiger Demon was momentarily stunned, then realized, "Is it the little fox that woke you, my lord?"

"This is none of your business."

The Tiger Demon fell silent instantly, not daring to inquire further on this matter.

Yet after a long stretch of silence, the Tiger Demon couldn’t suppress the last of his inner doubts.

"My lord, I have one last question. Of course, if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to, but I really wish to ask, as it is vital to me."

After waiting for a while, the Tiger Demon didn’t receive a response from Su Chengyu, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"My lord, have you already reached the Demon Emperor Realm in your power?"

The meditating Su Chengyu suddenly opened his eyes, looking at the mountain path in front of him, speaking softly.

"I once did."

The Tiger Demon was momentarily stunned, not understanding; Su Chengyu continued speaking.

"Of course, I still do now."