Previously, Puhua indeed hadn’t relied on mortal lives to cultivate, but wasn’t he driven to desperation like a cornered dog by Shen Qiyuan?

Ruyi understood this reasoning, but Shen Qiyuan couldn’t say it in front of the Celestial Emperor. He could only say: “As a divine being, causing the deaths of numerous lives through mistakes, how can one still qualify to maintain temples standing everywhere in the mortal realm? This matter is entirely Divine Lord Puhua’s own doing and has no relation to this minor god.”

The Celestial Emperor nodded slightly, but then asked: “Then your private establishment of the dome – do you have any difficulties to speak of?”

Shen Qiyuan’s brow furrowed slightly. Before he could speak, Puhua sneered coldly: “What difficulties could he have? He’s merely relying on his high cultivation to deceive heaven and earth so he can love a demon spawn.”

Compared to his “mistakenly” causing deaths, this crime of the Azure God loving demon spawn and deceiving heaven was far more serious.

The gods in all four directions whispered among themselves. The Celestial Emperor asked Shen Qiyuan in a heavy voice: “Is this so?”

Ruyi stood in the distance, instinctively shaking her head.

Just say no – Puhua could make ghostly excuses and sophistry, so naturally, he could too.

However, standing in the golden light, Shen Qiyuan calmly answered: “Yes.”

Ruyi stared with stunned, wide eyes.

Wind lifted his azure smoke-colored long robes, the hem fluttering like a banner. His hair bun, originally bound by a silver crown, transformed back to cascading loose behind him in the divine light, long strands of hair like ink dropped in water, gracefully falling back around his temples.

Shen Qiyuan faced the Celestial Emperor’s scrutinizing gaze without the slightest panic: “When heavenly lightning strikes, torrential rain will pour down and flood the mortal realm. As the Azure God of the human world, I naturally must build a dome to protect Great Qian.”

“Ridiculous. If you hadn’t fallen in love with demon spawn and brought down heavenly lightning, how would the mortal realm suffer calamity?” Puhua said.

The Celestial Emperor slowly raised his head, gazing far toward the direction where Liu Ruyi stood.

In an instant, Ruyi felt as if she had fallen into overflowing honey – her hands and feet too heavy to lift, her entire body falling uncontrollably downward. Halfway through the fall, she seemed to be supported by something and slowly flew toward that group of gods.

Without thinking, Shen Qiyuan stepped sideways two paces and suddenly struck out against the Celestial Emperor’s golden light.

The moment pure white light intertwined with golden light, the Celestial Emperor slowly opened his previously half-closed eyes: “What audacity you have.”

Paying no heed, Shen Qiyuan’s white light flashed like lightning, forcibly cutting through that golden light. He pulled Ruyi over and shielded her behind him: “Weren’t you questioning this minor god? Why must you also involve other innocent people?”

“Innocent?” The Celestial Emperor looked toward Liu Ruyi. “Can demons also be called innocent?”

Shen Qiyuan pressed his lips together, glancing at the sky where thunder was faintly stirring again, and hurriedly reformed the dome.

Powerful white light shot skyward, illuminating the compassionate profiles of the gods in all four directions.

“Demons are naturally not innocent.” Ruyi broke free from her restraints and spoke coldly, “We demons feed on other living beings, our hands stained with blood, utterly rebellious and unnatural.”

Upon hearing this, the surrounding gods felt somewhat awkward. Feeding on other living beings – the immortals weren’t all vegetarian either.

The Celestial Emperor paused: “Mortals are high-order primates created by Nuwa – how can they be lumped together with other living beings?”

“Your words are mistaken.” She pressed down Shen Qiyuan’s hand that was protecting her and walked boldly to the front. “What defines high-order primates? Isn’t it just having brains and the ability to work, capable of benefiting the divine realm, which is why you gods especially favor them? If they couldn’t burn incense and worship gods, how would they differ from pigs and dogs in your eyes?”

All things favor self-interest, and the divine race was no exception. The conflict between gods and demons regarding mortals ultimately came down to one raising chickens to lay eggs while the other killed chickens to take eggs. Rather than a distinction between good and evil, it was more a difference between wisdom and folly.

“Since you have manifested today, I will speak plainly.” Ruyi looked at the towering golden divine statue before her and said lightly, “The existence of Great Xia alone can sustain my demon race. The demon race has a long history of eating humans – wanting to change this completely in an instant is impossible. But since I have accepted the position of Demon King, I will dedicate my entire life to guiding them away from slaughtering mortals.”

For such a small demon to dare speak such bold words in such a setting made all the gods turn their attention to her.

With this turn of attention, one True Lord exclaimed, “Ah!””Liu Ruyi?”

She stepped forward, looking puzzledly at the demonic aura shrouding her body: “Weren’t you a divine cultivator on Qidou Mountain? How did you become a demon?”

Ruyi looked up in return, and upon seeing this person, instinctively darkened half her face: “Zhujie.”

“You still recognize me.” Zhujie smiled slightly, then turned to bow to the Celestial Emperor with cupped hands: “Your Majesty, this person is not a demon. She and I and the Azure God all come from the same school – she is also a disciple of Divine Lord Puhua.”

This was indeed curious.

The Celestial Emperor carefully examined Liu Ruyi: “She does have some aura of a divine cultivator. What is this about?”

Puhua panicked somewhat and wanted to speak, but Ruyi got ahead of him: “Speaking of which, your divine race should properly reward Divine Lord Puhua. If he hadn’t first schemed to destroy my mother city and then found ways to deceive away my divine bones, I wouldn’t have become a demon, and thus couldn’t have led the demon race toward the righteous path.”

She spoke mockingly, but the gods listened in astonishment.

Previously, immortals had reported Puhua’s theft of divine bones. At the time, they all found it absurd, but hearing these words now, it sounded like there was a matter.

Zhujie, worthy of being her rival for a thousand years, had excellent rapport. She immediately added, “What nonsense are you spouting? Divine Lord Puhua is an elder – how could he destroy your mother city and deceive away your divine bones?”

“This must be explained starting from Divine Lord Puhua’s divine root.”

Ruyi raised her hand to point at her brow, pulling out a glowing thread. The thread grew longer as she pulled, flying out to transform into a sheet of water mist. Within the mist, her past entanglements with Puhua appeared vividly.

The gods watched this bloody past in astonishment.

Saving the people of her mother city, being pierced through the heart and hung on city walls, having divine bones extracted, falling into the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern… With so many hardships, it was truly a miracle that this person was still alive.

Just as the memories were about to reach the part where she and Shen Qiyuan exposed the Demon King’s true face, Puhua struggled to rise and cast out a ray of light to disperse the water mist.

Shen Qiyuan drew his sword and severed Puhua’s light. The force was as heavy as a thousand jun, and with one strike, Puhua couldn’t withdraw his hand in time and was immediately shaken until he spat blood.

“You dare to act before the Celestial Emperor?” Ruyi quickly pulled the thread back into her head, frowning as she rubbed her forehead. “Who are you looking down on?”

Celestial Emperor: “…”

He gently raised his hand, encasing Puhua in a transparent golden bell.

“From this perspective, your fall into demonhood was indeed Puhua’s fault.” The Celestial Emperor’s voice became much gentler. “But regarding your mother city’s calamity, there is no clear evidence proving it was Puhua’s doing.”

“Not only her mother city, but also the Great Heng Kingdom from over two thousand years ago.” Shen Qiyuan stepped forward and released the nine-headed serpent from his qiankun pouch. “Since Your Majesty has personally descended to the mortal realm today, please also grant this minor god justice.”