"Hahahaha, rest assured, as long as you serve me diligently, your heart's desire shall be fulfilled, and I will help you exact your deep-seated vengeance!" Having accepted Ye Jingyu's oath, Yuan erupted in laughter. Another Universe-tier expert—and potentially one at the peak of that level—was now at his side. How could those other factions possibly contend with him now?

"Thank you, my lord!" Ye Jingyu maintained a stern facade, bowing again to Yuan, but a cold sneer echoed within his heart. Oaths—could something like an oath be relied upon? Even if it was bound by the Heavenly Dao, what did that have to do with him? And even if it did matter someday, so what? The Heavenly Dao. Sooner or later, he would crush the Heavenly Dao under his heel.

"Heh, it is only right. By the way, you are immediately taking command of the Blood Demon Legion. This legion has some peculiar characteristics, which you likely don't know about yet. I shall brief you now so you can be mentally prepared when you take over!" Seeing Ye Jingyu's respectful demeanor, Yuan nodded in satisfaction. To him, securing the allegiance of a peak Universe-tier master was the greatest joy.

Subsequently, Yuan relayed the general situation of the Blood Demon Legion to Ye Jingyu, who maintained his impassive expression throughout the entire explanation.

Although the Blood Demon Legion was newly established, its composition was the most complex of all the legions.

Generally speaking, the various City Lords under the Earth Alliance each commanded their own direct legions. For instance, Yuan commanded the Yuan Annihilation Legion, which was composed entirely of the Destruction Demon race. Not only was their combat strength immense, but they were also exceptionally unified, as their loyalty was directed squarely at the Destruction Clan.

Currently, the three most powerful legions in the Earth Alliance were the Yuan Annihilation Legion (comprised of Destruction Demons), the Yuan Sin Legion (comprised of Greed Demons), and the Yuan Fear Legion (comprised of Fear Demons). Beyond these three, there were hundreds of other legions, but in every single one, the soldiers belonged to a single race, and there was little internal strife among them; they merely aligned with different factions based on whom they ultimately served.

The composition of this Blood Demon Legion, however, was entirely different. This force of one hundred thousand soldiers comprised four distinct races—and these were not ordinary races, but four of the most powerful races among the Demons in history.

Devour, Fury, Ruin, and Nightmare.

As he spoke of this, Yuan even shared the entire history of these four races with Ye Jingyu, explaining that they had only lost their dominant standing because their lords had been annihilated during the battle of the previous Great Calamity.

Of course, Ye Jingyu knew all of this—perhaps even better than Yuan did. After all, he had watched the event unfold live; Yuan had still been languishing in the Abyss back then.

But there was no way he would reveal this to Yuan. Still, the fact that Yuan was confiding in him revealed a complete trust, which put Ye Jingyu at ease. It seemed Yuan truly harbored no suspicions toward him.

Moreover, since all four races were historically the strongest, even though their lords were slain, their inherent arrogance had persisted. Furthermore, this legion secretly housed four Universe-tier masters—a fact unknown to the other City Lords, known only to Yuan. Yuan’s original plan was to use Jue to step forward and suppress these four formidable experts.

Hearing that a single legion harbored four such masters, let alone Ye Jingyu, even Mu was taken aback. Universe-tier masters were not common cabbage to be plucked at will.

The entire Celestial Realm boasted barely a hundred such individuals, with the Earth Alliance possessing perhaps forty at most. Typically, an average City Lord wouldn't command even a single Universe-tier master, let alone have one attached to a legion. Outside of the commanders of a few truly supreme legions, it was unprecedented for a regular legion to possess such power.

Yet, this legion currently possessed four Universe-tier masters. Good heavens, if any ordinary person were appointed its commander, how could they possibly command respect? It was likely that even those Universe-tier experts who had recently appeared on the arena stage, even if victorious, would struggle immensely to control this army.

Ye Jingyu, however, frowned slightly. According to Yuan’s description, this legion should be incredibly formidable. Why, then, was he so readily handing such potent strength over to him?

But Ye Jingyu soon understood. This legion was indeed powerful, at least in terms of individual combat prowess, but that was only on the individual level. Four races, each inherently proud, coupled with four Universe-tier masters—how easy could it be to subdue such a volatile collective?

It could be said that this legion was essentially a bomb primed to detonate at any moment. For Yuan, rather than keeping this uncontrollable force close, constantly worrying about its explosion, it was better to pass the problem to him.

If, by some stroke of luck, Ye Jingyu managed to subdue the legion using his own capabilities, and given that he had already sworn allegiance to Yuan, the legion would naturally transform into Yuan’s private army.

What profound scheming. After all these ages, these Demons had developed such deep cunning. Yet, Ye Jingyu inwardly sneered. You intend to use me to forge a group of unruly warriors for you? Your calculation is flawed. Sooner or later, you will regret this day's decision.

Ye Jingyu thought fiercely to himself.

Having grasped the general situation of the Blood Demon Legion, Yuan instructed Mu to personally escort Ye Jingyu to the legion’s encampment to assume command. Ye Jingyu naturally offered no objection. He had once commanded the Iron Army, which had since become one of the most powerful legions in the Celestial Realm. Could he not forge another Blood Demon Legion that would shake the heavens?

Leaving Yuan’s grand hall, as they walked along the palace corridors, Mu led the way while offering Ye Jingyu counsel on several matters. Since they now both served under Yuan, they were allies, and it was only proper to foster closer bonds.

Ye Jingyu responded with a beaming smile, frequently expressing gratitude for Mu’s guidance during this period, and making it explicitly clear that Mu should never hesitate to call upon him for assistance in the future. Mu naturally responded with a cheerful thank you. Finally, Ye Jingyu requested a tour of the palace. Expecting a refusal, he was surprised when Mu readily agreed, stating that with Ye Jingyu's current status and strength, he was free to move throughout the Earth Fiend Demon Palace.

Led by Mu, Ye Jingyu admired the palace’s architectural style, noting that compared to human imperial palaces, the decorations here were shockingly austere. Just as he was about to remark on this, they arrived at a flower garden, and a familiar scene suddenly flashed through his mind...