The Demon Lord looked at the glaring blood on the handkerchief and sighed softly. Then, he lay down on his throne, gazing up at the dome of the Demon Palace, "My time is running out, it's time."
Ever since that day, the Demon Lord has frequently summoned Qin An to his place.
The Demon Lord would entrust some of his official duties to Qin An. Qin An was new to the job and still a bit rusty, so the Demon Lord taught him step by step.
In addition, the Demon Lord would spar with Qin An from time to time, giving him pointers on moves and swordsmanship.
To receive guidance from a powerful being at the Mahayana stage was an extremely rare opportunity. Therefore, Qin An listened attentively, eagerly absorbing the experience and techniques taught to him by the Demon Lord.
One day, after the Demon Lord finished sparring with Qin An, Qin An returned to his palace. Jia Qi had arrived at the Demon Palace's main hall early and had been waiting silently by the side.
After Qin An left, the Demon Lord turned his attention to Jia Qi, "What do you have to report?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty," Jiaqi knelt down and kowtowed to the Demon Lord, "I have ascertained that the young master's birthday is approaching, in two months."
"My son's birthday!" The Demon Lord sat on his throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrests of the chair. "He's nineteen years old now, isn't he?"
"Yes, young master is already nineteen years old."
"Then, his twentieth birthday will be in two months." The Demon Lord narrowed his eyes. "It's time to hold his coming-of-age ceremony."
"I'll leave the arrangements for the young master's birthday to you and Li Yuan. This coming-of-age ceremony must be a grand affair."
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys." After kowtowing to the Demon Lord, Jiaqi went to find the Left Protector, Li Yuan.
Left Protector Li Yuan is a female demon cultivator. She is a woman of few words and rather quiet. When she heard from Jia Qi that the Demon Lord wanted her to host the young master's birthday banquet with him, Li Yuan immediately began preparations without hesitation.
Two months passed quickly, and Qin An's twentieth birthday arrived.
The Demon Palace's birthday banquet was a grand affair, inviting all the prominent figures in the Demon Realm.
At the banquet, everyone congratulated the Demon Lord and spoke highly of the young master.
"Young Master is truly a man of exceptional talent! A dragon among men!"
"Like father, like son! Your Excellency has a worthy successor!"
"Young Master, you are so young yet your cultivation is so profound. You are truly a rare genius!"
...
The Demon Lord accepted all the flattery without question.
Qin An, who was standing to the side, was getting impatient upon hearing this, but he could only wait patiently. After all, today was his birthday banquet and his coming-of-age ceremony, and he couldn't very well refuse to give these people face.
The coming-of-age ceremony proceeded meticulously step by step. Finally, when the ceremony was complete, it was the Demon Lord's turn to bestow a name upon Qin An.
The Demon Lord muttered, "'As Xiang said, those who recognize the root of silence are without birth or death.' Let's call him Silent."
Thus, Qin An's courtesy name was decided.
"Thank you, Father." Qin An bowed to the Demon Lord and then withdrew.
As Qin An gazed at the lively scene in the main hall, his thoughts drifted away. How he wished his coming-of-age ceremony could be held by his master, how he wished his master could personally bestow the cap upon him, how he wished to be by his master's side. Alas, it was all just wishful thinking.
Qin An turned his gaze to the sky outside the main hall. "Master, are you alright? Little An misses you so much!"
Thousands of miles away, Shu Lan sat beneath a cold orchid tree on Tinglan Peak, quietly watching the falling petals. He gently stroked the auspicious bird jade pendant at his waist, a bitter smile playing on his lips: "Xiao An, today is your twentieth birthday, and also the day of your coming-of-age ceremony. After today, you will have grown into an adult. How I long to bestow this crown upon you!"
Shu Lan cast her gaze into the void, "I miss you so much! Where are you? When will you come back?"
After Qin An's birthday banquet ended, all the demon cultivators left.
Jiaqi and Liyuan were cleaning up the mess in the main hall, while the Demon Lord was instructing Qin An.
Suddenly, the Demon Lord couldn't stop coughing, "Cough cough cough cough cough!"
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Jiaqi and Liyuan stopped what they were doing and anxiously surrounded the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord felt his power surging, and the demonic energy within him was raging and flowing backwards.
He took out a handkerchief and covered his mouth.
Fresh blood kept flowing from the Demon Lord's mouth, overflowing the entire handkerchief and dripping outwards along the edges.
"Lord!" Jiaqi and Liyuan's expressions changed drastically upon seeing this. They hurriedly reached out and placed their hands on the Demon Lord's back, channeling their respective demonic energy to alleviate the rampant demonic energy within the Demon Lord's body.
The Demon Lord knew this was the result of his forbidden cultivation technique, and it seemed he truly had no time left. He desperately needed to go into seclusion, a seclusion that would be a matter of life and death. Success would mean further advancement in his cultivation; failure would mean certain death. But the Demon Lord knew in his heart that failure was more likely.
The Demon Lord closed his eyes tightly, deciding to explain what would happen after his seclusion.
The Demon Lord beckoned to Qin An, who then walked over.
From the moment the Demon Lord coughed up blood, Qin An had been watching coldly from the sidelines. He didn't have much affection for his father, and couldn't bring himself to go forward to comfort him or help him alleviate his suffering.
However, Qin An could tell that the Demon Lord's condition was truly dire, showing signs of demonic possession. It seemed his days were numbered.
When Qin An walked up to the Demon Lord, the Demon Lord grabbed Qin An's wrist and took out the Demon Lord's Token from his storage ring, shoving it into Qin An's hand without saying a word.
"Your Excellency? What is this?" Jiaqi and Liyuan were both very surprised.
"My son, my days are numbered, and I urgently need to enter seclusion for a life-or-death cultivation. If I fail this time, then the position of Demon Lord will be passed on to you!" The Demon Lord gripped Qin An's hand tighter and tighter. "This is the Demon Lord's Decree. With it, you can command everyone in the Demon Palace, including the two great protectors, the ten elders, and the four great demon generals..."
"Your Majesty, please don't do this!"
"Your Excellency, you are blessed with good fortune and will surely be safe and sound!"
Upon hearing the Demon Lord's words, which sounded like he was making his final arrangements, Jiaqi and Liyuan were so anxious that tears streamed down their faces. They both increased the intensity of the demonic energy they were channeling, hoping to improve the Demon Lord's condition.
"No need for further words! I'm well aware of my situation during this seclusion; there's a high chance I'll fail. If I do fail, you two must do everything in your power to assist the young master! That's an order!"
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!" Jiaqi and Liyuan both held back their tears and accepted the Demon Lord's order.
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