UCL

Eh? You told him about your past?" Wu Yijun blinked with surprise shining in her dark eyes. "You even told him about your father?"

Shangguan Bing Xue nodded calmly, not caring at all about the word 'father'. Even if she hated that man to the marrow of her bones, she could not deny the fact that he was her father and that his blood ran through her veins.

"Not only that." Shangguan Bing Xue rested the weight of her body on one of the large columns supporting the roof of the building and noted, "Thanks to him, I even stopped hating that man so much. Although I still can't tolerate him and will make him suffer at least a portion of the pain that my mother and I suffered because of his irresponsibility, at least I have no more thoughts about taking his head."

In the past, Shangguan Bing Xue aspired to the short-lived dream of claiming a position high enough within the government cabinet to make her father's rule a living hell and, if possible, take everything away from him. Something like killing him never crossed her mind since even if one set aside the great security Xuanyuan Wentian had as president of one of the most powerful countries in the world, his own strength was nothing to scoff at.

However, when the apocalypse broke out and the possibility of evolving rose before her eyes the moment the Soul Record appeared on Earth, Shangguan Bing Xue no longer restrained herself and her thoughts ran wild and unbound. If she acquired enough power in the midst of this chaotic world, she would be the dictator of life and death; therefore, she would be the one to hold that person's life in her hands.

But her talk with Bai Zemin changed many things, among them, her way of thinking.

"No? Not anymore?" Wu Yijun could not believe what she was hearing. She was aware of how great Shangguan Bing Xue's hatred for her father was, her hatred for him was so great that the only real goal in Shangguan Bing Xue's life other than making her mother happy was to make her father's life as unhappy as possible.

Wu Yijun many times tried to help her to let go of that hatred, tried countless times to make her live her own life; unfortunately, she could not. Therefore, now that she heard that a single talk with Bai Zemin made her good sister could at least leave some of that hatred behind, Wu Yijun felt incredulous and for a moment did not know how to react.

"Not anymore." Shangguan Bing Xue shook her head. Then, as if she was remembering something, she spoke as her clear sky blue eyes were lost in the view outside through the huge window at her right: "He said words that made me reconsider many things.... After thinking it over, I realized that there was no point in hating that man to such an extent. After all, it was partially his attitude that shaped my personality and my being to be what I am today. To hate him to the breaking point would be the same as rejecting my own personality and my own self."

Wu Yijun fell silent and lowered her head, thinking carefully about what she had just heard.

The scene was silent for a minute or two as none of the two women present said anything and it was only when a glimmer of understanding showed in Wu Yijun's bright eyes that the conversation resumed.

"I understand." She said with a very soft smile, and as she looked at the girl before her, who was basically like her family, she said in a gentle voice, "I'm happy for you, Bing Xue. You finally started to walk your own path, leaving that thorny path where you were chasing the back of a person who didn't even turn once to look at you."

Shangguan Bing Xue chuckled and said calmly, "Well, I wouldn't say it's a radical change.... But, a change is a change at the end of the day."

Even the tallest skyscraper was once small and even the most powerful existence was once weak. Everything starts small and even the white clouds in the sky were once drops of water on the earth.

Wu Yijun nodded at the realization of this fact and looked at her silently.

Shangguan Bing Xue also looked at her friend, and although she had not said anything, it was easy to notice that Wu Yijun looked hesitant about something. It was as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to go about it.

"Yijun? What's wrong?" She asked with a slight frown.

"No..." Wu Yijun was about to shake her head but stopped herself as she saw Shangguan Bing Xue's worried frown turn to one of anger. In the end, knowing that it was not good to hide things from someone who was always open with her, she said, "I was wondering.... I was wondering, what kind of life or experiences did he live to say such meaningful words even though he is so young..."

It is said that when one falls in love with another person even the smallest of details cannot slip away from one's attention. The current Wu Yijun was very curious about Bai Zemin, she longed to know more about him and to be able to close that seemingly small but actually incredibly large distance between the two of them.

"About that..." Shangguan Bing Xue hesitated as to whether or not she should tell her what Bai Zemin had confided in her.

While he didn't seem concerned at all about that past and also didn't seem to care about that girl who hurt him, Shangguan Bing Xue felt that it wasn't good of her to talk about something so private that someone else shared with her. She felt that if she did that, regardless of whether Bai Zemin would be upset or not, she would be betraying the trust he deposited in her.

In the end, even though Wu Yijun was her best friend, she shook her head and said in an apologetic tone of voice, "I'm sorry, Yijun. But I think it would be disrespectful if I talk about such a private topic just like that."

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Wu Yijun hurriedly shook her head while waving her hands nervously. "I'm just curious, that's all!"

Shangguan Bing Xue smiled faintly upon hearing this and did not continue with the previous matter. Instead, after thinking about it for a moment, she said with a hint of concern in her usually indifferent voice, "Yijun.... Are you sure it really must be him?"

"It must be him." Wu Yijun didn't even hesitate for a second. She said in an extremely serious voice: "He has been the only man who could make my heart beat like this. It is only him who makes me feel at peace and safe just by his presence.... Any other man is no good."

Shangguan Bing Xue sighed as she heard this and shook her head. After a slight hesitation, she said quietly, "In that case, you'd better get ready. Getting Bai Zemin's heart will definitely not be easy..."

Wu Yijun's small mouth opened slightly, briefly showing a glimpse of her pearl-white set of teeth. She felt that she figured something out from her friend's words but even then the steadfastness in her gaze did not waver at all.

Seeing her so determined, Shangguan Bing Xue finally chuckled and said in a somewhat uncanny voice, "Well, in return for your efforts, if you manage to get his love, I'm sure you will be an extremely happy woman in the future. All the sadness and hardship you have to go through to get there will surely be richly rewarded when you reach the destination. After all, he is an anomaly!"

A consensus was reached between tthe two ladies that. regardless of his faults, faults that every human being had, Bai Zemin was indeed a great man.

This conversation ended here, at least for today. But who knows, a similar discussion with the same subject as the core might take place in the future between the two friends.

* * *

Achoo!

On his way to his village, Bai Zemin suddenly stopped and sneezed.

'Am I catching a cold?' Such a thought flashed in his mind for a second before he immediately dismissed it.

Even if the nights were cold he shouldn't have caught a cold, right?

Considering his current evolutionary level, a normal cold was impossible for it to break through the defenses of his current immune system. Therefore, another idea popped into his head, one that was soon discarded as well.

Bai Zemin did not give the matter much thought and continued walking. Due to everything that had happened in the previous four days, he did not even have time to check his spoils of war obtained after slaughtering tens of thousands of goblins.

After all, as the leader of a growing faction whose boundaries were expanding day by day, Bai Zemin didn't just need to worry about leveling up or searching for survivors. Just like any leader, he needed to read many documents, listen to ideas, approve some and disapprove others, and so on.

The amount of work Bai Zemin had to do during the four days when the North Camp survivors were adjusting to life in Beginning Village was immense! If not for the fact that there were people like Lu Xiaoyao, Cai Jingyi, Wu Yijun, Lu Yan, and others there to help him, even now he would be immersed in paperwork.

Suddenly, he felt his nose itch and before he could do anything, the unthinkable happened.

Achoo!

Bai Zemin stopped dead in his tracks and muttered under his breath, "Damn it, is someone talking bad about this elder? This father will beat your ass a couple of times if I find out who you are."

Then, he proceeded on his way as he looked at his surroundings cautiously.

* * *

Walking out of the building where the meeting had been held, Shangguan Bing Xue suddenly took a hand to cover her mouth and nose before a small, delicate sneeze escaped her.

"Eh? Are you okay?" Wu Yijun, who was standing next to her, asked with wide eyes.

Shangguan Bing Xue looked behind her and then to her sides before shaking her head and saying, "Someone is probably talking bad about me."

"Oh, well... Considering our positions it's normal for people to talk bad about us. Even more so about you." Wu Yijun shrugged her shoulders.

The two women soon disappeared from the scene after that.

What kind of expression would Shangguan Bing Xue put on if she knew that the person who was "talking bad" of her and saying that he would give her a couple of smacks on the butt was actually none other than Bai Zemin, the "great man" she was talking about just a few moments ago? Surely her expression would be interesting to witness.

* * *

An unknown place.

The wind was blowing strongly, strong enough to turn the body of a normal First Order existence into a pile of chopped meat as the countless wind blades were too powerful and terrifying.

This was a world without an Earth-like sun, so the environment was considerably dark; even the leaves on the trees grew deep black. The whole atmosphere would be rather gloomy were it not for the two bright stars that dimly illuminated the world.On top of a mountain surrounded by huge forests, a giant castle of majestic appearance stood proudly. The tallest tower surpassed the clouds and the dark-colored walls were surrounded by mighty futuristic-looking cannons with the power to wipe out High Existence of the Fifth Order with ease.

Several groups of men and women could be seen patrolling the surroundings, walking on the wall while keeping serious faces on constant alert. Clearly, they were all taking their vigilance very seriously even though the odds of an attack on this place were as low as the odds of the universe suddenly exploding.

Two handsome men dressed in heavy armor and carrying swords at their waists guarded the main entrance. Both as straight as spears and with extremely solemn expressions.

However, the solemn expression on the two handsome men's faces practically collapsed in an instant when a beautiful beyond words woman appeared in the distance.

9

The two guards who protected the entrance to the magnificent castle were two supreme Fifth Order existences. The power of both of them was enough to wipe out people like Bai Zemin and all life on Earth with ease as long as they were given enough time.

Both were heroes of their respective worlds and before evolving into Fifth Order, joining a faction of Higher Existences, the two men were worshipped and revered by their race.

However, when the two men saw the woman approaching with slow steps from the bottom of the path connecting the mountaintop to the forest it was as if they were two small mice who saw a big mountain cat.

As they blushed and their hearts pounded, they both hurriedly lowered their heads and looked at the toe of their combat boots as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

The woman's black hair swayed gently and gracefully despite the great gusts of wind. The two bright stars acted like two small suns, illuminating her snow-white, flawless skin.

As she passed by the two men guarding the gate to the castle, she completely ignored their existence, and even though she could feel the slightly altered breathing of the two males, she continued to move forward without worrying about them at all.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two guards raised their heads and looked at each other at the same time.

"R-Really scary." One of them gulped and swore he could feel his heart thumping against the chest plate covering his upper body.

"As expected from the only woman capable of rivaling the archangel Uriel belonging to the army of those white pigeons in terms of beauty." The other soldier could feel his crotch in its peak state as he said bitterly, "Just her scent and a small glimpse was enough to turn me into a complete joke."

"Not for nothing is she a succubus. Her aura of charm is something else." Said the first soldier. Then, as if thinking about something, he said in a low voice, "Recently, things have gotten a little out of hand. It seems that a world controlled by those pigeons was destroyed and the demonic energy makes them suspect that we were the cause. That's why His Majesty Lucifer summoned all the higher-ups."

"To even summon the Bloody Succubus, it has to be really bad." Said the second soldier before silence reigned once more.

The woman these two men were talking about was, of course, Lilith.

The current Lilith looked completely different compared to when she hangs out next to Bai Zemin. The playful and kind smile that was always on her face naturally was nowhere to be seen, her red eyes that usually flashed with amusement whenever she teased him at this moment were indifferent and cold like two sharp blades ready to claim lives.

On the way to the castle's meeting hall, Lilith met many Fifth Order existences patrolling the surroundings. She also encountered several Sixth Order existences heading towards the same place as her, however, when these Sixth Order existences who were on her same scale of power saw her, they immediately decided to deviate and walk down another hallway; evading her as if she was the most terrifying evil in the creation.

Unlike that aura similar to that of a protective and charming elder sister that always surrounded her when she was together with Bai Zemin, the current Lilith's aura was not only extremely charming but also exuded danger all around.

No one dared to engage her in conversation despite her beauty.

As she reached the end of the long hallway, a door approximately fifty meters high appeared before her. The door appeared to be made of normal wood, but in reality, the wood it had been forged from was capable of withstanding the attacks of Fourth Order existences for some time before collapsing.

When Lilith approached the door, it opened on its own as if it had intelligence within itself.

Bang!

The double door slammed against the walls, causing a rumble that for a moment seemed to make the entire castle tremble.

There were already several people inside the huge hall so when Lilith made her appearance everyone's eyes automatically moved towards her. Some of them immediately looked away in fear and others looked at her with unhidden lust.

Lilith walked elegantly towards the large table in the center of the room. Her signature black dress hugged her curvy body tightly giving her an extremely seductive appearance that provoked gasps from a large number of beings regardless of gender or race. She did not need to show even a tiny bit of cleavage to become the instant focus, stealing the spotlight from all the demon women present.

Even though there were other succubi present with great charm and beauty they could not compete against her.

"Oh? Lilith, it's been about two years since we last saw each other."

As Lilith sat down in her designated seat around the large circular table, where there were already approximately 50 beings before her, one of them was the first to greet her.

He was a very handsome man, his beauty had reached the point where not the slightest imperfection could be seen on his face. Although he wore light silver armor, the muscles of his body made many of the women seated around the table and women who did not have the qualifications to sit there but were looking on standing up feel hot all over.

Only those who had the strength of at least a Sixth Order existence had the right to sit around the big table. Those Fifth Order existences could only stand in the hall as a sign of respect.

Lilith looked at the man for a moment before ignoring his existence again and looking at her delicately manicured nails with indifference.

"As cold as ever, eh?" The handsome man chuckled without caring at all about the cold shoulder he had just received. On the contrary, when his demonic golden eyes met Lilith's ruby-colored eyes the man was moved beyond words.

This man was an existence of the Seventh Order and one of the ten beings who possessed such power within the Demonic Army. His nickname was Crow, as for his real name, Lilith did not know nor did she care.

The Demonic Army had the custom of calling its members by a nickname instead of the real name they had used when they were still Lower Existences. Only a few called the rest by their true names.

"Crow, you've been trying to woo the Bloody Succubus for a decade and you still haven't given up? At this point, you're starting to embarrass the hell out of me!" Said loudly a burly man with a giant sword on his back.

Crow looked at the burly man and said with a graceful smile, "Hellscar, long time no see. I heard you challenged Doom Roar of the Dragon God Kingdom. Why don't you tell us a bit about it?"

Hearing those words, everyone's eyes immediately moved towards Hellscar. Even Lilith slightly raised her head to look at him.

Hellscar, one of the first generals of the Demonic Army and a powerful existence of Seventh Order. His physical strength was basically unsurpassed and the number of lives his sword had claimed in a single night caused an entire continent to be dyed red.

Doom Roar, another Seventh Order existence and one of the most powerful dragons under the command of the Dragon Monarch. The reason behind his name came from the fact that one of the Heavenly Moon Army's fortresses collapsed with one of his roars, burying everyone inside forever.

Battles between Seventh Order existences were extremely rare so it was no wonder that even the indifferent and cold Lilith was curious about it.

Hellscar snorted and his powerful voice made the atmosphere shiver as he said loudly, "That coward Doom Roar should change his name to Bitch Cry. I was out of his world challenging him for a whole month but he didn't even dare to show his tail."

Bored, Lilith shook her head and looked down at her hands again while ignoring everyone else.

"Hahaha!" Crow burst out laughing, causing some of the demon ladies to give him flirtatious looks that he ignored. "Hellscar, I'm sure while you were freezing to death in outer space, Doom Roar was enjoying the warmth of his wives' bodies! Hahahahaha!"

"Crow, you bastard... Do you want to die?" Hellscar was not a man of good temper to begin with so when he heard Crow's taunt he immediately clutched the hilt of his massive sword.

Crow raised both hands and said without losing the smile on his face, "I surrender, I surrender... I don't want to look like a savage in front of Lilith, unlike you."

"Hmph!" Hellscar snorted loudly and his eyes flashed strangely as he said, "I heard that the Bloody Succubus has spent the last two years looking for a person and that's why she was missing... Crow, probably while you were playing with your little worm, she was already enjoying the warmth that a real man can give instead of wasting her time listening to your bullshit. Pahahaha!"

Crow's face changed as he heard this and the smile on his face slowly faded away.

Upon seeing this, a large grin appeared on Hellscar's face, which gave him an extremely frightening look due to the deep gashes on his face; gashes that he himself refused to let regenerate as he felt that these were his medals of honor after emerging victorious through defeating powerful opponents.

"There's no way such a thing is true, you battle-crazed bastard." Crow said viciously and his golden eyes suddenly turned completely black along with the sclera, leaving nothing but deep darkness in his gaze.

Hellscar laughed out loud as he felt Crow's aura pressing the atmosphere around him. The other Seventh Order existences also smiled as if they were about to see something funny.

When one lived for a long time, long enough to forget when they were born and forget who their parents were, life could become very boring; especially when one reached a level of power where there were practically no challenges waiting for them.

The members of the Demonic Army were quite savage and often even killed each other just out of boredom. Therefore, these Seventh Order existences were more than interested in seeing Crow and Hellscar fight.

Unfortunately, the Sixth Order existences were not in good condition as they endured the insensible pressure released by Crow's aura. They all turned pale and only Lilith's expression remained impassive, being irrefutable proof of her power and thus gaining everyone's respect.

Those Fifth Order existences directly knelt down on their knees and some fainted while bleeding uncontrollably, unable to resist at all in the face of the pressure

of someone so powerful.

"If it's true or not, why don't we ask her?" Hellscar thundered and with a big smile looked at Lilith. "Bloody Succubus, why don't you tell us what you've been doing during these years? You've even skipped the annual meetings."

Everyone's gaze focused on Lilith immediately. However, not many managed to withstand her charm and most simply stared at her in a daze, losing the ability to hear clearly.

Lilith looked at Hellscar and Crow with indifferent eyes. She didn't seem to care at all about the difference of one Order between her power and theirs as she said coldly, "You two, who do you think you are? Hellscar, I don't have to explain to you what I do with my life. As for you, Crow... you really should stop wasting your time. Don't you already have over ten thousand women? Stop being an annoying eyesore around me or I'll freeze you to death."

"Pahahahaha!" Hellscar laughed out loud without caring at all about Lilith's harsh words, "I really miss being on a battlefield next to you, Bloody Succubus Lilith!"

However, Crow didn't seem satisfied and pressed, "Lilith, what were you doing?"

Lilith stared at him for several seconds before a charming smile bloomed on her face.