Rearing Demons
Chapter 50: Meeting of the Lords

Chapter 50: Meeting of the Lords

Deep within the Fiend Devouring Sect, a middle-aged man swung his sword with sophisticated movements.

Despite the slow speed of his swings, each one caused the mountain beneath him to tremble.

The clouds parted around the mountain, as though trying to avoid it.

"Lord." Mid-swing, a masked servant walked in, his voice quivering. "There is urgent news."

The middle-aged man did not stop swinging, carrying on as if the servant had never arrived.

Seeing this, the servant gulped before continuing. "It’s about the Successor. He was captured."

"And what of it?" the man asked, his tone still calm and tranquil.

"Based on reports, he is being tortured by Prince Aglazeth." The servant kept his gaze low, not daring to meet his master’s eyes. "Through certain channels, the Prince has demands if we want him released—"

"There is no need to meet any demands," he replied, unbothered. "If Celis is so lacking that he got captured, then it’s on him to figure out how to escape."

"B-but Lord—" The servant was shocked by this statement, but the sudden sheathing of the blade silenced him.

"What I said is final." He walked toward the servant, his eyes calm. "Instead of fretting about that kid, start communications with the other Lords."

Staring into the sky, he frowned slightly. The middle-aged man was none other than the Azure Lord, one of the most powerful figures in Afloria.

"We need to begin stage two..."

When he said this, the servant gasped in shock. "But Lord, stage two means..."

"Quiet." The Azure Lord stared at the servant. "Set up the meeting. Go."

"As you command." The servant scampered away, fearful of punishment for his prying.

Watching the servant rush off, the Azure Lord walked back and settled onto a rocking chair.

Raising his hand, he opened a small rift in the air and reached through it.

Rummaging inside, he casually pulled out a glass decanter filled with a dark blue liquid.

He pressed the lid open, letting the liquid gush into his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he drank slowly.

The blue liquid spilled from his lips, tracing down his chin and neck. "Aahh, that feels good." As he removed the decanter from his mouth, his black eyes flickered between black and blue.

His hair also shifted between its current black and an Azure hue similar to Celis’.

He wiped his chin and neck, then stood and tossed the decanter back into the rift. "Let’s get this meeting started."

With a single step, his surroundings warped, and a blue flame swallowed him.

"Lord." As he emerged from the portal, he found himself in a large room.

The same servant stood nearby, a trickle of sweat on his forehead.

"Azure Lord, take a seat next to me!" From across the room, a young man waved excitedly.

His hair was a deep black, almost abyssal. Simply looking at it felt like staring into a void.

The Azure Lord ignored him and sat on the complete opposite side.

"How are you, Azure?" asked an old woman seated beside him. She had silky white hair, and despite her age, her aura was only a bit weaker than the Azure Lord’s.

"Busy with the Demons. What about you?" he asked calmly.

"Same on my side." She sighed, shaking her head. "These demons don’t see the bigger picture, do they?"

"Can you blame them?" The Azure Lord shrugged. "Even with a bigger, more powerful world, they have extreme internal conflicts."

"Still."

"Let them suffer." On the Azure Lord’s left sat a brawny man. His arms were covered in scars, and his right eye socket was empty. "They keep pushing my borders. I hope they get their retribution."

"Didn’t you push their borders first?" the old woman said with a bitter smile. "You’re just like Black’s successor." Her gaze flicked to an old man whose eyes remained closed.

He had his arms folded in front of him, unconcerned with those around him.

"What’s his successor’s name?" Azure rubbed his chin. "Damon... right?"

"Yup..." The old woman sighed. "He broke the treaty near young Olmi’s region, and that child ended up dead."

"Like master, like successor," Azure said with a soft laugh, unbothered. "Well, my little successor decided to get himself captured by Prince Aglazeth."

"Are all successors idiots?" The old woman’s eyes widened. "Your successor should only be at the Luminous Heart realm. What will you do?"

"He should handle basic Valgaths by now. As for the Prince?" He paused in thought. "As long as he breaks through, he should be fine."

"Should be? Don’t you care about what happens to him?" she pressed.

"He’ll be fine." The Azure Lord chuckled lightly. "Prince Aglazeth wouldn’t dare kill him."

"That’s true." She nodded in agreement. "But his mental state might be in tatters."

"It’s part of life." He shrugged, then looked at the brawny man. "What about you? How is your successor, Brick?"

"He died," the brawny man said matter-of-factly.

"Huh?" Both of them stared in shock. "Wasn’t your successor already at the Orb of Divinity realm?"

"Yeah, but he decided to fight a Nyshkar Demon God." Scoffing, he looked frustrated. "These successors are idiots."

"Didn’t you also fight a Nyshkar Demon God when you were a successor?" the Azure Lord pointed out.

"Yeah, but I survived, right?" he said with both a frown and a hint of pride.

"Rise!" Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted their conversation.

Everyone stood up swiftly. Their eyes fixed on an old man who walked into the room.

Unlike everyone else, the old man had no discernible presence. Even staring at him, they could lose sight of him, as though he were one with the world.

He ascended a few steps and settled onto a large throne. Crossing one leg over the other, he rested his chin on a knuckle, gazing blandly at the dozens gathered.

"Report," he said casually.

The Brick Lord spoke first. "My continent is erupting into a large war. The demons are abandoning the treaty and initiating infiltration." With that, he sat down.

"My side is still at a stalemate, nothing major to report." The black-haired man who had greeted the Azure Lord earlier spoke up. "I might attempt an infiltration into Zulmasharr soon with half my army."

They all took turns reporting, with the old man on the throne merely nodding.

"My side isn’t in any immediate danger," the Azure Lord said, glancing at the Black Lord. "Though Black’s successors seem intent on breaking the treaty for the second time."

"And?" The Black Lord finally opened his eyes, staring casually at the Azure Lord. "None of the demons will do much right now, so it’s fine." Then he looked at the old man. "My successor also discovered a supposed Holy Demonic City with powerful demonic cultivators. Meanwhile, the Azure Lord’s little successor didn’t accomplish anything in the war and is now a hostage to a Prince? Pathetic."

Despite the mocking tone, the Azure Lord remained unfazed, turning his attention back to the old man. "That concludes our report."

"I see." The old man nodded. "Since everything is under control, I’ll move on to the main topic."

Though some were displeased, they kept silent.

Suddenly, a screen appeared at the center of the table, showing a colossal world—countless times larger than their own.

"Our candidate was killed in the first round." The moment he spoke, the entire room fell into a tense silence.