467: cross-dressing

Shang Wan Ning watched the screen.

As the PK began, the top donor on "Yao Chi Xian Ji"'s side directly gifted ten spaceships, pushing the health bar over.

"Candle Shadow Shaking Red" was initially lagging behind, until the user with the ID "Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin" smashed down one hundred interstellar battleships.

The scarlet health bar suddenly surged back, crushing everything in its path.

The Empress's gaze fixed on the "Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin" ID.

"Have you checked this person?"

"I have, Your Majesty." Chen Yu quickly pulled up another prepared file, her fingertips sliding rapidly across the screen as she explained. "From City C in the Xia Kingdom, thirty-seven years old this year, and is the actual controller of a certain listed company."

"The capital flow is clean and without issues, and there are no abnormal assets under his name, yet I always feel there is an unspeakable strangeness about it."

She paused deliberately, her tone adding a touch of gravity. "The total amount he has tipped 'Candle Shadow Shaking Red' has truly exceeded eighty million. Furthermore, this money did not go through company accounts; it was all transferred directly from his personal account, without a single cent being ambiguous."

Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow slightly, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Eighty million is an amount that ordinary people might never reach in their entire lives; even with a deep family fortune, throwing it at a streamer one has never met without any hesitation hides an unspeakable mystery.

"Continue, don't miss any details."

Chen Yu nodded and continued sliding the screen to pull up the subsequent footage. "Look, in the second PK, 'Candle Shadow Shaking Red' was matched with a Lolita-style streamer, and the entire atmosphere was exceptionally relaxed and warm..."

"When it came to the punishment segment, it didn't make things difficult for the other party; it just had that streamer share her commonly used lipstick shade and then promptly ended the connection."

"Until the stream ended, 'Candle Shadow Shaking Red' still held the usual lucky draw and gift-giving, with a tone as soft as water; compared to the fierceness during the PK, it was like two completely different entities."

The notification that the live stream had ended popped up. Chen Yu put away her phone and looked at Shang Wan Ning, her face full of confusion. "At first glance, there really isn't anything unusual, but the more I ponder it, the more I feel something is wrong, yet I can't pinpoint the exact issue."

She scratched the white hair on her head, her expression adding a touch of irritability. "Since the Spiritual Energy Revival, with the Underworld there to keep things in check, the Demon race has been relatively well-behaved these years."

"Many transformed demons have already integrated into the human world, living lives no different from ordinary people. If 'Candle Shadow Shaking Red' were just an ordinary demon, I would certainly not think twice about it."

"But..." Chen Yu's voice trailed off. She suddenly looked up, the dim bronze light of the Mirror of Retribution reflected in her pupils.

"The spiritual sense of a Yin God has been sounding warnings in my Sea of Consciousness, and that feeling is becoming increasingly intense. I am certain that this is definitely the aura of a ten-thousand-year-old Great Demon; there can be no mistake."

Shang Wan Ning said slowly, "A-Yu, you are not being overly sensitive or suspicious."

"The spiritual sense of a Prefecture City God is essentially an extension of the Underworld's authority, comparable to the most sensitive early warning mechanism. If you perceive something wrong, it means the matter is by no means simple."

"To be able to evoke such a strong reaction from you, the other party's rank must certainly not be low, and it might even exceed our predictions."

"Moreover, the network has four layers of supervision. Ordinary demons have no way to avoid system detection, so being able to operate so quietly is inherently unreasonable."

Before she could finish, Chen Yu opened her eyes wide and said in disbelief, "Unless, unless the other party is..."

"One of those three." Shang Wan Ning took over the conversation, her expression suddenly sinking.

"Or some hidden great expert we have never known of, who has already quietly stepped into the Ninth-Rank realm."

The Yin energy instantly stagnated, and the evening breeze of the Netherworld seemed to stand still.

Chen Yu opened her mouth, many chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind, but in the end, she swallowed them back.

The scenes from the live stream surfaced uncontrollably: the crimson Liuxian dress swaying gently in front of the camera, the palace built of ice sculptures shining with a cold, frigid light, and that face that was both languid and aloof.

Even though it looked delicate, it exuded an inexplicable sense of oppression.

An utterly absurd thought suddenly popped up.

Could this be a cross-dressing big shot?

She couldn't help but "pfft" with laughter, hurriedly raising her hand to cover her mouth, yet her shoulders still couldn't stop trembling.

Shang Wan Ning glanced at her sideways, her eyes filled with a bit of inquiry. "What are you laughing at for no reason?"

"N-nothing." Chen Yu tried hard to suppress her laughter, her white-haired head swaying gently, a trace of lingering playfulness still in her eyes.

"I just think it's really beyond expectations that this Ninth-Rank Great Demon would be willing to try such a method to restore its cultivation."

The more she thought about it, the more interesting it became, and she couldn't help but complain, "Your Majesty, look, Zhulong, the Heavenly Emperor, the Buddha—which of these three isn't a high and mighty, majestically prestigious existence?"

"Which one looks like they would wear a crimson dress to live stream and PK with little girls in the human world? This is just too subversive to common knowledge."

Shang Wan Ning did not laugh along; she lowered her eyes to stare at her palm, where the rough texture of the handle from when she held the long whip seemed to still remain.

"What if it is Zhulong?" the Empress said slowly.

Chen Yu's smile froze instantly.

"The supreme of the Demon race, a Ninth-Rank Great Demon, whose true form loves to coil in the Profound Ice Abyss."

"A-Yu, think carefully about the ice sculpture palace in the live stream, the couch built of profound ice, and those faintly visible relics of ancient battlefields."

"Every single detail fits perfectly with Zhulong's background, without the slightest deviation." Shang Wan Ning took two steps forward and stopped in front of the bronze mirror of the Mirror of Retribution, which reflected her figure in black with a ponytail, her brows and eyes cold and stern.

"Zhulong slept for a thousand years and only slowly awakened after the Spiritual Energy Revival. It must absorb vast amounts of spiritual energy or power of vows to restore its cultivation to its peak."

"But the human world has long been under the supervision of the Underworld, and both the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Kingdom have their own foundations, so it has no way to intervene and naturally cannot obtain orthodox faith."

"Then, if it tries a different path, doesn't that make sense?"

Chen Yu held her breath, her heart beating wildly uncontrollably, as a bold guess gradually took shape in her mind.

"Starting a live stream, establishing a persona, attracting the attention of mortals in such a novel way."

"The love, admiration, and crazy pursuit of fans—these pure emotions gathered in one place can also condense into pure, unadulterated power of vows."

"Although this power of vows is not as large in volume as orthodox incense offerings, it has the advantage of a clean source and does not carry any karma, which is actually more beneficial for its cultivation restoration." Speaking of this, a flash of realization crossed the Empress's eyes.

"Most importantly, no one would think that the supreme of the Demon race would obtain the power of vows in such a way; this in itself is the best cover."

Chen Yu's Adam's apple rolled as she swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Indeed, who could have expected that the supreme of the Demon race, who intimidates immortals and gods, would actually disguise itself as a human female streamer to gain fans and do PKs on a short video platform?