Genius in the whole system: The useless young lady dominates the world

For several days, Lie Tian searched frantically but still couldn't find any trace of Lu Lingxi and the others. The Shadow-Sniffing Beasts he sent out sniffed around the Black Wind Mountains but could only catch some vague scents, which made him increasingly anxious and fearful.

"Useless, a bunch of useless trash!" Inside the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion in Lietian City, Lietian slammed the jade cup in his hand to the ground. "So many people, so many Shadow-Sniffing Beasts, and you can't even find a few traitors!"

The black-armored guard commander, kneeling on the ground, trembled and dared not breathe...

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" The masked man arrived at the entrance of the main hall, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm. "A carpet search is inefficient, and suppressing the enemy with force is likely to provoke resistance. Although you have already ruled the demon realm, the hearts of men... cannot be conquered with swords."

Lie Tian looked at the masked man with a sinister gaze, "Mr. Ghost, what do you mean by this?"

The masked man slowly walked to the center of the hall. "It means... we need to change our approach—to the human heart."

Lie Tian frowned deeply. "How do we do it?"

The masked man let out a sinister laugh. "It's simple, find a way to make them fight amongst themselves."

He raised his head, his eyes, hidden behind the mask, gleaming with a cold light. "We can use some special methods to make them suspicious of each other."

"Special methods?" A hint of doubt flashed in Lie Tian's eyes.

“That’s right,” the masked man said hoarsely, “for example… an incurable plague, or… a curse that can cause collective panic and suspicion.”

"Plague and curse?" Upon hearing this, Lie Tian's eyes flashed with shock and hesitation. Such methods were far too ruthless, and if they got out of control, they could affect the entire demon realm.

The masked man seemed to see through his hesitation and continued, "Have you forgotten that Di Hong's life is your biggest threat? Those who are loyal to him may jump out and bite you at any time. Those who are oppressed by you already harbor resentment towards you. Once someone instigates them, they will become your enemies."

“And plague or curse can perfectly solve these problems,” the masked man explained. “First, we can create large-scale chaos to weaken the overall strength of the demon realm, leaving them no time to resist; second, we can blame all of this on Di Hong, claiming that it is a ‘curse’ they brought, thereby shaking the loyalty of the demon civilians to Di Hong and their trust in those loyal forces, making them feel that Di Hong’s return brings not hope, but disaster.”

“Third,” the masked man lowered his voice, with a hint of malice, “we will force those loyal forces to reveal their whereabouts in order to quell the panic. They cannot bear to see their people suffer, and they will surely stand up. In this way, we can take the opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop.”

"Finally," he concluded, "we will further isolate the loyal forces, preventing them from obtaining external support."

Lie Tian looked at the masked man with a flickering gaze. He knew that this method was extremely evil, but if it could completely eliminate Di Hong, this major threat, and consolidate his rule, he was willing to pay any price.

"Are you... confident in controlling the plague and the curse?" Lie Tian finally couldn't resist the temptation, but he still had some reservations.

“Of course.” The masked man laughed confidently. “This is a secret technique of our Black Abyss. We have ways to control its spread and can even stop it at any time.”

"Fine!" Lie Tian gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "As you say, sir!"

The masked man nodded in satisfaction. He took out a small black bottle from his wide black robe. Inside the bottle was a drop of liquid emitting an eerie black aura, and several stones engraved with runes.

The masked man said hoarsely, “Drip it into the Fountain of Life and drinking water sources, and then bury these stones underground in densely populated villages or tribal settlements, and they will release curse energy.”

The masked man gave a final instruction: "Remember, do not leave any clues so that everyone will think that this plague and curse are a 'natural disaster' that happened out of nowhere, or 'retribution' brought by Emperor Hong."

Lie Tian took the small black bottle and the stone. Looking at these things in his hands that exuded an evil aura, he felt a little uneasy, but he couldn't hide his excitement at the impending achievement.

He immediately summoned his most trusted confidants and secretly gave them instructions to take these evil things to various parts of the demon realm and release them according to the masked man's directions.

It's a small village on the outskirts of the Black Wind Mountains. The demons here live by hunting. Although their lives are poor, they are relatively peaceful.

However, starting a few days ago, people in the village began to fall ill with strange diseases. Their bodies deteriorated rapidly, black spots appeared on their skin, they had persistent high fevers and coughs, and eventually died in agony.

The village's witch doctor tried every method imaginable, but to no avail. He couldn't even find the cause of the illness. Panic spread through the village as people, fearing infection, began to distance themselves from the sick. Some even drove the sick out of the village, leaving them to fend for themselves.

"This is divine punishment! It's God's way of punishing us!"

"I heard... I heard the Demon Emperor has returned, bringing with him an ominous curse!"

Rumors about the Demon King bringing a curse began to circulate quietly throughout the village...

The Crocodile Lizard tribe on the banks of the Flowing Sand River is known for its volatile temper, but they have always been united. However, recently, the tribe members have become unusually strange. They have begun to suspect each other, and even the smallest things can lead to fierce arguments or fights. Their emotions have become unusually irritable and impulsive, as if they are being controlled by something.

The tribal chief, Fei Dan, noticed that his people's eyes had become clouded, they often suspected each other, no longer trusted one another, and even their families were filled with suspicion.

"Be careful, the one next to you might be a spy!"

"The way he's looking at you is weird, there's definitely something wrong!"

"They want to harm you, they want to take everything from you!"

Suspicion and panic among the tribesmen quickly eroded the once united tribe, bringing them to the brink of collapse. Similar situations occurred among various tribes and have even spread throughout the demon realm.

A secret stronghold in the Black Wind Mountains.

Lu Lingxi, Yao, and the others were discussing their next course of action when suddenly, a warrior from the Rock Tribe, who was in charge of gathering intelligence, rushed back. His face was filled with disbelief and fear as he trembled as he reported the information he had obtained to the group.

"Plague? Curse?" Upon hearing this news, Di Lin's eyes were filled with shock and anger. "Lie Tian... how dare he treat his own people so cruelly!"

“In my opinion, this is definitely not a simple plague or curse.” Lu Lingxi’s expression was unusually solemn. “This is very likely a tactic of the Black Abyss. They want to create chaos, shake the people’s morale, and frame us through this method!”

A cold glint flashed in Nalan Rongzhi's eyes, "Hei Yuan, indeed ruthless and vicious."

When the veteran ministers Cangsong, Xiong Yuan, and Ying Hong heard this news, they were heartbroken. They could not imagine the suffering that the people of the demon race were enduring.

Xiong Yuan said, "I, Old Xiong, cannot watch the demon people suffer!"

“However, our strength is limited right now. If we act rashly, we will expose our stronghold and may put His Majesty in danger again,” Pan Shi Lie said in a deep voice. Although he was heartbroken by the plight of his people, he also knew that he could not act impulsively at this moment.

Lu Lingxi Yao pondered for a moment and slowly said, "The Black Abyss's goal is to force us to expose ourselves. We cannot fall for it, but we also cannot sit idly by. Feng Xiao, Chief Pan Shi Lie, you must immediately send people to deliver a message to the affected tribes, telling them that this is not a natural disaster, but a conspiracy by Lie Tian in collusion with foreign enemies. At the same time, try to collect information about this plague and curse, including symptoms, transmission methods, and specific locations where it occurred."

"Yes!" Feng Xiao and Pan Shi Lie immediately accepted the order and left.

“We must expedite the search for the Nine Luminaries Celestial Disc.” Lu Lingxi Yao looked at Di Lin. “This token is not only key to stopping the Black Abyss’s conspiracy, but it may also help us find a way to lift the plague and the curse.”

"I will find it as soon as possible!" Di Lin said firmly.

“We cannot just passively defend; we must take the initiative.” Nalan Rongzhi’s cold voice rang out. “The Black Abyss has strongholds all over the Demon Realm. Since they dare to make a move, their strongholds are our targets.”

He looked at Lu Lingxi Yao, "Yao Yao, I suggest we launch a limited raid on Hei Yuan's stronghold in the demon realm. This will disrupt their plans and buy us time."

Lu Lingxi nodded. "Alright, you, Baihu, and Youming will be in charge of harassing the Black Abyss stronghold."

“No problem!” Nalan Rongzhi’s lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty light.