Chapter 2739: Dawn Has Finally Arrived!

The red falcon has arrived. However, it was injured in the recent battle, and its left wing is still not very agile.

Zhong Shengguang was startled, and he hurried back to the office.

His heartbeat inexplicably quickened; Panlong's situation was dire, nearly hopeless. What other bad news could Lingshan possibly bring at this time? After another major earthquake today, Xu Shichu, the dean of the Shumin Academy, had divined three hexagrams for Panlong, all indicating "extreme adversity will soon turn to prosperity"—surely this must apply here?

He rushed back to his workspace, closed the door, set up the barrier, and saw that the Bright Light Mirror on the desk was indeed glowing.

This mirror was a gift from Lingshan, one piece of a set of Bright Light Mirrors, allowing communication with other mirror holders. Of course, the farther the communication distance, the greater the energy consumption.

Zhong Shengguang sat down, reached out to brush the gem on the mirror frame, and thus connected.

The mirror surface misted slightly, and soon another face appeared.

"Mr. Xin?" Zhong Shengguang said, somewhat surprised, "Have you already returned to Lingshan?"

"No, I am still in the Shahe River basin, but very close to Beijia." Xin Yi said solemnly, "Beijia has been overturned! I must urgently tell you: Panlong must persevere, for the dawn has already appeared!"

Dawn! Zhong Shengguang's jaw tightened instantly—could Xin Yi be referring to……

"Please speak!"

"The Demon Emperor struck first!" Xin Yi said, word by word, "Within the past ten hours, Beijia has been completely overturned."

"Excellent!" Zhong Shengguang slammed the table and rose, shouting loudly, "How wonderful!"

Before the people of Lingshan, he had never lost composure like this.

If it were not for the soundproof barrier set up here, the guards outside would have been alarmed.

At last, it has come! The dawn that Panlong has long awaited has finally appeared.

"First came the coup in Yinsha State—no one expected it, but the Second Prince suddenly led troops to besiege the palace, forcing the old king to abdicate."

"The Second Prince? What is his allegiance?"

"The Demon Emperor."

Zhong Shengguang was also thinking quickly: "Yinsha State has remained neutral in the struggle between the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Palace, always a target both sides sought to win over. For the past few months, the Yinsha king has wavered—clearly inclined toward the Demon Emperor, but then quickly switched back. Probably the pressure from the Heavenly Demon was too great."

"His wavering lasted too long, and the Demon Emperor's patience was exhausted." Xin Yi smiled, "Before the Second Prince's mutiny, there were no signs whatsoever, yet even the palace gate guards had been bribed—this operation was meticulously planned. Moreover, among his rebel forces, there were as many as nine immortals, and they swiftly suppressed the old king's counterattack—truly perfect."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Shengguang understood: "The Demon Emperor's strength is indeed formidable."

The Second Prince of Yinsha could rise so quickly only because of the Demon Emperor's power behind him. However, "Yinsha State's position is so closely watched by the Heavenly Demon that the Demon Emperor still finding an opportunity to exploit is remarkable."

The Demon Emperor did not disappoint Panlong—excellent, excellent!

"Originally, among the twelve vassal demon states, the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Palace each held six, a balance of six to six. Now that Yinsha has also turned to the Demon Emperor, the previous balance is broken, making it seven to five."

Do not underestimate this swaying "one"—it represents the scales of victory tipping.

Xin Yi shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, it is very likely already eight to four."

Zhong Shengguang's joy was no small matter: "Has the Demon Emperor taken another state?"

"Probably Baoxiang State has also turned to the Demon Emperor, for Yinsha sent troops against E'ling State, passing through Baoxiang State en route, and Baoxiang State actually agreed."

Zhong Shengguang startled: "Yinsha State just changed its ruler, and this day isn't even over yet—already it begins foreign war?"

"In the declaration of the new ruler of Yinsha, he directly stated his intent to take revenge on E'ling. You know, these two vassal demon states have been enemies for nearly a hundred years. Though both lie within Beijia, they have fought each other multiple times in the past, and the number of those who died at the hands of the other is great."

National hatred and family grudges are all nourished by blood.

"However, the actions of Yinsha's new vassal demon king must necessarily follow the Demon Emperor's orders." Xin Yi analyzed, "He launched war immediately upon taking office, clearly showing no intention to follow tradition and go to the Heavenly Palace to receive the gods' blessings. Anyway, since the Demon Emperor is already opposing the Heavenly Demon, I see the new king of Yinsha not taking the 'Entrail-Linking' pill."

Zhong Shengguang mused: "I still thought Baoxiang State was truly neutral."

The Baoxiang king has long shown no desire to meddle in the open and covert struggles between the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Demon, only wishing to close his doors and live his quiet life.

"I think, however, that the Baoxiang king may have long been won over by the Demon Emperor, merely concealing it, maintaining a neutral facade—after all, the Demon Emperor still needs time to study the antidote to the 'Entrail-Linking' pill, and also to let the Heavenly Demon believe victory is within grasp."

Speaking of this, Zhong Shengguang interjected with an off-topic question:

"Is the antidote to the 'Entrail-Linking' pill already available?"

"Ninety-nine percent, and even faster than we estimated." The Demon Emperor's subordinates are numerous and capable, and he has grasped it tightly—the antidote should have been researched long ago, "only the Demon Emperor still needs to secretly organize and arrange things, which is the most time-consuming part."

"Pull one thread and the whole body moves." Zhong Shengguang murmured, "Since he chose this moment to act, there is no turning back—he can only press forward."

Is the Demon Emperor not also committing everything to one throw?

"Not yet over." Xin Yi, as an actual ancient being of several thousand years old, had not been this excited in a long time, "On the same day, Baoshu State suddenly launched troops, attacking Boli State, claiming that Boli State intentionally disrupted Baoshu State's trade routes, arrested Baoshu State's merchants, and plundered Baoshu State's wealth."

The civilian prosperity of Baoshu State, its ability to make money, and the poor neighbors looking on with envy—precisely because Baoshu State's merchants are unscrupulous, making money without restraint, indeed repeatedly violating local laws, so Boli State found several pretexts to move in and arrest them, those properties naturally confiscated.

Baoshu State previously did not care, but in fact every account was recorded, and now it must settle once and for all with Boli State.

Zhong Shengguang's breath caught: "Could it really be that the Baoshu king struck first?!"

This is truly beyond expectation.

Know that Baoshu State can be called the strongest yet relatively peaceful vassal demon state in Beijia—founded four hundred years ago, it has never experienced internal war, and its wars against other vassal demon states have been only one or two occasions. Its leader, the Baoshu king, is an ancient tree demon who survived the founding war of Beijia, and his temperament and governance have always been equally stable.

Who could have imagined that it would be the first to raise arms?

Unlike the new king of Yinsha, who just seized power and has not yet taken the "Entrail-Linking" secret medicine, thus not under Heavenly Demon control, the Baoshu king's life has long been bound to a certain Heavenly Demon in the celestial realm; now that he dares to step forward and initiate war, it shows he has already taken the antidote!

Zhong Shengguang and He Lingchuan had previously inferred: once a vassal demon king takes the antidote and breaks the life-and-death contract, the corresponding Heavenly Demon will likely sense it. Therefore, vassal demon kings aligned with the Demon Emperor must take the antidote only when the Demon Emperor orders the uprising, to avoid alerting the enemy.