Chapter 214: Three False Demon Lords

White bones lie in the wild, a thousand li without a rooster's crow. Of the living, only a hundred remain; recalling it tears the gut. --Cao Cao "Hao Li Xing"

On the desolate plain, a demon detachment staggered while escorting several volunteer Immortal Army warriors.

Leading them was a demon chief named Mo Lidu.

He was born ugly, with a zombie face, cross‑eyes, a turned‑up nose, a blood‑filled mouth, and a pair of bow‑legged limbs.

Because of his ugliness, he was often mocked by his comrades, which made him naturally extreme.

Mo Lidu most enjoyed torturing captives, especially handsome human male cultivators, who were his favorite victims.

That day, he was ordered to lead a group of human war prisoners to Yi He City for sale.

Demon armies rarely provide pay; plunder and captives are the motivation for their brave fighting.

Each victorious battle, the demons would sell captured humans as slaves.

The group of prisoners numbered a dozen or so, both men and women; the men were handsome, the women beautiful.

All of them bore wounds, and their clothes were still stained with crimson blood.

"You disgusting thing!"

Mo Lidu cracked a whip harshly across a male prisoner.

After the male, Mo Lidu aimed the whip at a female cultivator.

At that moment, three Demon Lords walked toward them.

Mo Lidu quickly sheathed his whip and led his subordinates in a respectful bow to the three elders.

Demon Lords are powerful figures who can command a camp alone; a mere wave of their finger can end the life of a lowly creature like him.

The demon race values violence. Any demon before one of a higher rank must be cautious and trembling; otherwise, angering them could lead to annihilation with no recourse.

The three Demon Lords walked on expressionless.

They exuded a faint demonic aura, and the three pressing oppressions made Mo Lidu's heart race.

Demon God above, may the three Demon Lords not take an interest in these captives!

Demon God above, may the three Demon Lords be in good spirits!

Mo Lidu prayed to the Demon God.

His heart thumped loudly.

Fortunately, the three Demon Lords did not linger before him.

When their figures vanished from sight, Mo Lidu let out a long sigh.

Thanks to the Demon God! Thanks to the three Demon Lords!

Mo Lidu thanked in his mouth, then continued to swing the whip at the female cultivator.

After a bend, the three Demon Lords stopped.

"Nan, why don't you rescue yourself? Why won't you let us act! Didn't you see? Those being escorted are our Volunteer Immortal Army warriors." The plump Demon Lord shouted at the skinny tall Demon Lord.

"Zhu Dafu, this place is very close to the enemy camp. If we act now, we'll be exposed." The skinny tall Demon Lord explained.

It turned out that the three Demon Lords were actually Zhang Xingyu, Zhu Dafu, and Nan Qiyun in disguise.

When leaving the camp, Nan Qiyun gave Zhang Xingyu and Zhu Dafu each a Magic Disc.

The discs were inlaid with demon stones, emitting strands of black demonic aura.

"This is called a Magic Disc, a demon‑clan item. Wear it on your body, and we can masquerade as demons," Nan Qiyun explained.

Zhang Xingyu thought for a moment, then took three demon crystals from his storage ring.

These three demon crystals were the spoils he obtained in the Battle of One‑Line Sky Gorge.

Replacing the demon stones with demon crystals, the discs not only emitted a strong demonic aura but also released a powerful pressure.

With the demon crystals and the discs, the three instantly transformed into Demon Lords comparable to Golden Core cultivators.

Yi He City, formerly the capital of the Western He Niu State Minuo Kingdom.

Now, Yi He City is the main base of the southern war zone of the demon army.

At the city gate, Zhang Xingyu and his companions strode proudly into Yi He City.

The demon guards at the gate were very surprised.

How strange, why aren't these three elders riding demon wolves?

In the demon army, officers usually ride mounts.

Demon wolves are the most common mounts, usually ridden by Demon Lords.

Higher‑ranking officers prefer riding demon lions and demon dragons.

Nevertheless, even though surprised, the guards kept their eyes on the nose, nose on the heart, and performed the military salute with perfect precision.

They dared not step forward to ask.

If the three elders' mounts were lost, with fire brewing in their bellies, asking would only invite a beating.

Zhang Xingyu entered Yi He City and felt as if he had stepped into a vegetable market.

The streets were bustling, with vendors' cries rising and falling.

Of course, most of the people inside were demons.

Occasionally a human passed by, and those humans also wore shackles.

Zhang Xingyu shook his head.

Once, this place was a human paradise; now it has become a human hell.

His eyes reddened, lips tightly closed, jaw clenched, and his hands trembled slightly.

At that moment, a large hand gently patted his shoulder.

"Stay calm, don't act rashly!" Nan Qiyun said softly.

The three walked forward with the crowd and soon reached the central plaza of Yi He City.

A statue of the Demon King stood in the center of the square, and all passing demons waved and paid respects to it.

Hey! Heiteyao!

The demons saluted while shouting loudly.

Heiteyao, one of the Ten Great Demon Kings of the demon race.

He is the most handsome man of the demon race, with an angelic face, a fit physique, and eyes that are deep and resolute.

He is the demon race's most talented cultivator in a hundred thousand years, becoming the youngest Demon King of the demon race after less than three thousand years of cultivation.

Heiteyao is warlike and bloodthirsty, with a strong chauvinistic tendency.

This world should have only one continent, the Moyu Continent; this world should have only one race, the demon race.

Heiteyao's words are revered as holy scripture by the demon race and widely spread across the Moyu Continent.

One of the chief culprits who sparked the Immortal-Demon War is Heiteyao.

Damn it, handsome folks love to go crazy.

This Heiteyao is nothing but a lunatic.

Zhang Xingyu cursed silently in his heart, then continued forward with the crowd.

Past the central square, a human market appeared ahead.

The so-called human market is a market set up by the demons to sell human slaves.

Iron cages were set up inside the market.

Humans were locked in the cages like rats, three or five together.

Most of these humans were ordinary civilians. When the demon army surged forth, they had no time to escape and were captured by the demon army to be sold.

Their usual fate was only one of two: either become slaves of a powerful clan of some demon sect in Moyu, helping the demons mine until death, or be sold as food to blood demons to become delicacies in their mouths.

Zhang Xingyu's eye sockets felt a little moist.

These people are his compatriots, his clansmen.

But he could do nothing.

He could only watch helplessly as they curled up in the cages, their eyes lifeless, awaiting fate's judgment.

He must always resent how weak his power is.

He hates the demons who started the war. In his heart he secretly swore that one day he would make those demons receive the punishment they deserve.