What's your name...

Richard's spiritual message was very gentle, lacking any sense of authority. But in Tupat's eyes, the inquiry seemed to have transformed.

"You want my true name right from the start?"

As a Curse Demon, and moreover, a Curse Demon Lord, he knew too many magics that relied on true names.

The conditions for these magics vary, sometimes easy, sometimes complex, but without exception, they are all immensely powerful.

If some of these magics succeed, even the World Master could become a slave.

Fear spread in Tupat's heart like wild grass; he longed to survive but didn't want to become a slave.

Even if his master were a Dominator.

No one understands a slave's misery better than a slave master.

Seeing Tupat remain silent, Richard's eyes flashed with a hint of red light; an imperceptible energy wave collided with Tupat, instantly providing Richard with his bodily data.

And upon seeing this, Richard felt a surge of surprise in his heart.

Curse Demons are intriguing beings, something Richard had heard about in the Natural Federation. But today, witnessing it firsthand, he realized just how peculiar they truly were.

From appearance, Curse Demons look like scarecrows, only with a massive eye on their chest.

A bit deeper, and the internal structure of Curse Demon's flesh becomes apparent.

All the stalks of straw are strands of sinew-like flesh bundles, intertwined with a skeletal structure, forming the body of the Curse Demon.

But if you delve further, as Richard had just done in his investigation.

The Curse Demon becomes even more wondrous.

Their body appears merely fantastical flesh, but in truth, this body is only an accompanying product of the Curse Demon.

Similar to an eggshell.

In essence, Curse Demons are pure soul beings, intertwined with the Power of Mystery.

The body they use is just a disguise for their true form or armor to shield the essence from harm.

"A miraculous creature, no wonder they're called slave masters by the Natural Federation," Richard remarked with interest.

Pure soul beings were something Wizards had encountered; these beings possess inherently strong spiritual power, and gifted individuals might have the spiritual power of Extreme Apprentices upon birth.

Fragile bodies paired with extraordinary spiritual talent, it's undeniable that the initial path for such beings is likely symbiosis or parasitism.

As their race flourishes, these beings naturally become slave masters, enslaving excellent creatures as alternate bodies.

This is survival-driven, unrelated to the moralities of race, whether good or evil.

The data brought by his investigation confirmed for Richard that the Curse Demon before him was in an extremely tense state.

The true body hidden within the core of the Curse Demon was trembling violently due to his question, to the point of almost collapsing.

Richard scratched his head, "Am I really that frightening?"

But he quickly realized the issue.

Richard glanced around, the complex energy light paths visible to him.

Though the ritual had posed issues, it hadn't been interrupted; its powers continued gathering towards Tupat.

In other words, Tupat was still benefiting from the ritual.

Though he couldn't quite discern the ritual's purpose, Richard's accumulation of knowledge hinted that it was a method to enhance one's Spirituality.

Such a method is common in divination and foresight, considered genuine among curse-related witchcraft.

In this ritual, the orchestrator sees all sorts of unimaginable visions. These are often symbolic, striking the soul, and without firm will, one might easily undergo mental collapse upon witnessing terrifying entities.

Apparently, Richard was that terrifying entity.

Casually interrupting the ritual, Tupat's mind relaxed.

The frightful visions slowly faded, and reason reclaimed the high ground of his mind.

"Great Dominator, my name is Tupat," Tupat replied, trembling.

The return of reason reminded Tupat of a reality: a Dominator could effortlessly probe the mind of a World Master, whether he disclosed his name or not didn't affect what Richard intended to do.

"Well then, Tupat, I have some questions for you," Richard continued.

"You can choose to respond voluntarily or involuntarily; I hope you consider carefully."

Tupat looked at Richard, feeling his body barely obeying his commands.

Was this really a choice?

He stiffly said, "As long as I can speak of it, I will leave nothing unsaid."

"Excellent."

Richard smiled; he enjoyed conversing with clever people.

"My question is simple, why did your offensive cease? Your war with the Natural Federation was progressing smoothly; why did it suddenly stop?"

The Curse Demon Empire's sudden ceasefire was abrupt. Everything was going smoothly, the Natural Federation had retreated to the point of deploying the World Tree's essence.

Yet overnight, all the Empire's upper echelons seemed brainwashed, abruptly halting the war.

Undoubtedly, a major upheaval had occurred.

Upon hearing Richard's question, Tupat felt relieved.

This wasn't a question he couldn't answer.

"Master, the ceasefire reason is simple. The Prophet met his end in the Void. Without the Prophet leading, neither of the Emperors would yield to the other, causing the war to halt."

Hearing this reason, Richard was slightly taken aback.

"What do you mean? Are you saying the Curse Demon Empire has split?"

...

The governance system of the Curse Demon race is not set in stone.

In ancient times, the rulers of the Curse Demon were the Elder Council, with elders from various regions governing the Curse Demon Mother World.

The elders were World Masters, so their lifespans were very long. To protect their status from being shaken, the elders were not just slave masters of other races; they were also the slave masters of the Curse Demons.

At that time, the elders were the Curse Demon among the Curse Demons.

But where there is oppression, there is resistance.

In that dark age under the Elder Council's rule, the first generation Curse Demon Emperor emerged as the times required.

To this day, no one knows how the first Curse Demon Emperor rose to power. The Curse Demons only know that the first Curse Demon Emperor led them to overthrow the Elder Council's rule, uniting all Curse Demons to establish the current Curse Demon Empire.

Under the leadership of the first Curse Demon Emperor, the Curse Demon Empire stepped out of the cradle and began to expand in the Star Realm, forming the current Curse Demon civilization.

However, just when everything was flourishing, the Curse Demon Emperor suddenly disappeared.

The Curse Demon Empire fell into chaos due to his disappearance.

Ultimately, a disciple of the Curse Demon Emperor, known as the Prophet, calmed all the chaos and brought the Curse Demon Empire back on track.

"So, the Prophet was actually the real emperor of the Curse Demon Empire?" Richard asked Tupat.

"Yes, great Dominator," Tupat replied respectfully. "Both emperors are students of the Prophet, and they have both followed the Prophet's teachings.

This is why we were flourishing before."

Richard rubbed his forehead: "But now the Prophet is dead, so the two Curse Demon Emperors are fighting for supreme leadership."

"Yes."

"This situation is troubling," Richard sighed slightly.

If the Curse Demon Empire were whole, he would only have to persuade one empire, one collective.

But now, the Curse Demon Empire has split into two, and neither side accepts the other.

This is quite troublesome.

He needs more than just a Curse Demon Empire; he needs dominance within the Curse Demon Empire.

Winning over one side to fight the other is simple, but this will inevitably lead to the fall of a Dominator.

A Dominator is not just any ordinary being; a mere threat won't make them comply with Richard's plans.

Moreover, the Curse Demon is a xenophobic race.

Whether he can win over one side is still unknown.

If he mishandles the situation and causes the split empire to reunite against him, an outsider, things could get grim.

However, just as Richard was troubled, he suddenly discovered a coincidence.

By calculating the time, the moment the Curse Demons stopped their offensive was precisely when the Civilization Devourer entered the Star Realm.

The Prophet's demise, the Civilization Devourer's entry into the Star Realm... such low-probability events happening together, could the Curse Demon Empire's Prophet have been a teammate of the previous Curse Crown?

If that's the case, then perhaps there's still a turning point.

The words of the Sand Spirit Prophet flashed through Richard's mind.

[They all have backup plans, just go ahead.]

"Let's hope the Prophet left a backup plan too," Richard thought to himself.

Beside him, Tupat cautiously watched this Dominator. Even though there was no change in Richard's demeanor, Tupat inexplicably felt a huge turmoil in the Dominator's heart.

"Could it be that this Dominator has some dealings with the Emperor?"

Suddenly, Tupat saw Richard looking at him.

"Little guy, which faction are you from?"

Which faction? Could the Dominator intend to intervene in the Emperor's civil war?

Tupat was startled by his own thought and quickly dismissed it.

"Sir, I am under the command of Lord Wild Wind."

"Then contact him," Richard's voice was somewhat low, "Tell him, the destined one has arrived."

...

Curse Demon Mother World.

On the desolate plains, millions of creatures clashed against each other, the sounds of slaughter and shouting resounding to the heavens.

Behind them, the ominous green glow of the Mayan pyramid constantly transformed with runes. With each transformation, something invisible to ordinary eyes appeared on the battlefield.

Although a full-scale civil war had not yet erupted, the war had already begun on the Curse Demon Mother World.

In the depths of the plains, a massive Aztec-style pyramid, as enormous as a mountain, rose from the earth.

At the pyramid's core, a Curse Demon whose body was covered with blood-red patterns was conducting an ominous ritual.

Suddenly, a wave interrupted him and his ritual.

In the spiritual vision, a giant bone arm suddenly shattered, and the shattered bones turned into countless wailing vengeful spirits.

But the Curse Demon ignored all this.

He only murmured, "The destined one has arrived?"

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