"Greetings to Your Majesty, Empress Qingyalin!" Qingyalin said with utmost reverence, her head pressed to the ground.

"Heh, Qingyalin, isn't your liege lord Auglathine?" The man made no move to rise, still reclined upon the stone slab, his voice laced with faint mockery.

"In Qingyalin's heart, Your Majesty is but one, and that is you, the great Demon Lord King Jinlis Jun!" Qingyalin showed no sign of anger, merely bowing her head deeply to the man, her tone soft and respectful.

"Is that so? I had rather thought you wouldn't seek me out!" The man still did not stir, his tone equally derisive.

"I, Qingyalin, swear by the name of the Wolf God, from this moment forward, I dedicate my life to the service of Demon Lord King Jinlis Jun. Should I violate this vow, may I be struck by lightning and meet a wretched end!" Qingyalin straightened her kneeling posture, bit the tip of her tongue until it bled, and spat out a mouthful of vital essence to activate the Demon God's Oath.

This was an oath sealed with the vital essence of the Demon race; once cast, it would inevitably be fulfilled if the promise were broken. Seeing Qingyalin utter such a venomous oath, Jinlis Jun slowly sat up from the stone, gazing at the woman before him—pure yet suffused with endless allure, and elegant beyond measure within that allure. A faint smile touched his lips.

"Tell me, why the sudden change of heart?" The man's smile was gentle, reminiscent of a preaching priest.

"He actually passed the Shedding Body Escape Art to that slut, Fen Zi!" As Qingyalin spoke the name Fen Zi, fire seemed to erupt from her eyes.

Jinlis Jun paused, then instantly understood. Qingyalin had always been the closest woman to Auglathine, holding the highest status—a perception shared by herself and the other Ninth Rank Demon Lords. Yet, one day, she discovered her standing in Auglathine’s heart was less than that of a woman who usually showed her deference. The resentment within her naturally exploded.

Jealousy: it was the nature, the very essence, of the Werewolf Clan.

Jinlis Jun nodded lightly, and his body slowly reclined back onto the stone slab. The silver fur upon him gradually receded, revealing at last a perfect, flawless physique.

Qingyalin seemed to grasp the moment. She let the thin, almost non-existent gauze covering her fall away and carefully climbed onto Jinlis Jun's body. Streams of silvery-pink light emanated from within her, gradually absorbed by Jinlis Jun's form, while a golden radiance shot forth from Jinlis Jun's core, merging into Qingyalin’s body.

After an immeasurable time, as their bodies trembled continuously, Qingyalin lay exhausted upon Jinlis Jun, who stroked her silver hair gently, much like one might soothe a small dog.

"Remember what I taught you. You will absorb his power without him realizing it. When your strength surpasses his, how you deal with him will be your own concern!" Jinlis Jun’s ethereal voice drifted from his lips.

"I understand, great Demon Lord King," Qingyalin murmured softly...

"Go forth..." With a wave of his hand, Jinlis Jun projected Qingyalin away. Silver fur began to sprout across his body once more.

Qingyalin gave Jinlis Jun a final, respectful salute and turned, stepping into the transportation array.

As her figure vanished, a shadow drifted forth from behind Jinlis Jun. Watching the departed Qingyalin, the shadow spoke faintly, "Your Majesty, to impart the Heavenly Fragrance Mind-Seizing Art to her just like that—are you not concerned she will betray you? She swore upon the Wolf God's name! Auglathine now possesses a sacred artifact of the Wolf God, potent enough to dissolve her oath! Even if Auglathine won't, what if she obtains the artifact someday? Couldn't she dissolve it herself then...?"

"Heh, as long as she harbors jealousy, she will not betray me. As for her strength ever surpassing Auglathine? Who knows how long that will take. For every measure of Auglathine's power she absorbs, nine parts will transmute into my core, and she will gain at most one part. Even if she drains Auglathine dry in the end, could she possibly best me? Auglathine schemed against me back then and usurped my position as the Demon Lord of the Werewolf Clan, but he was simply too naive. This time, let's see how he meets his end!" The smile on Jinlis Jun's face was dazzlingly bright.

Hearing Jinlis Jun’s words, the shadow nodded, saying no more, and dissolved back into the void.

Meanwhile, at the center of the Thunder-Raze Circle, within the Violet Flame Demon Palace, the Violet Flame Demon King, Hei Mingba, sat upon his throne. Below him, two magnificent thrones were set, occupied by a man and a woman.

The man wore a black tailcoat, his golden hair cascading down his back. His face was pointed, his complexion extremely pale, giving him a delicate appearance, yet he radiated a beauty—an eerie, captivating beauty.

This man was naturally the Vampire Demon King, Zhan Bulasi *William.

The woman was curvaceous and stunningly beautiful, particularly her pair of brown eyes, which possessed a unique charm that few men could resist. Only Hei Mingba and Zhan Bulasi *William remained immune to this allure.

She, of course, was the Demon King of the Silver Serpent Clan, the sole female among the Eight Great Demon Kings—Medusa.

"Hei Mingba, what is this meeting about? I am busy expanding my bloodline progeny..." Zhan Bulasi *William immediately inquired upon seeing Hei Mingba seated on the throne.

"Heh, what significance does the small bit of progeny you are cultivating on the Dou Hun Continent hold? In the end, they are all captured for experimentation, yielding no benefit. I have brought you both tremendous good news this time!" Hei Mingba chuckled faintly.

"Oh? What good news?" Zhan Bulasi asked.

"Sharing the territory of the Werewolf Clan—would that not be good news?" Hei Mingba stated calmly.

"Nonsense! That brat Auglathine may not amount to much, but if the three of us truly made a move, do you think the others wouldn't? It would lead to chaos, and we would all suffer heavy losses!" Upon hearing it concerned dividing the Werewolf Clan's domain, Zhan Bulasi rolled his eyes and cursed outright.

"Four of Auglathine’s Ten Great Demon Lords have already fallen. Do you think we still need to make a move?" Hei Mingba smiled faintly, and at these words, Zhan Bulasi’s eyes lit up...

(I was supposed to finish writing at half-past nine, but the computer shut down automatically halfway through, and then wouldn't turn back on, forcing me to rewrite everything on my laptop. What terrible luck; lost my phone recently, and now the computer keeps breaking down, sigh!)