Chapter 180: Night Kill

At dusk, the Snowland Demon City had already slipped into night.

The streets were devoid of any figures, only the biting wind raging endlessly, howling without pause.

Inside the Jade Garden, an eerie silence reigned—no bird calls, no insect chirps—only the heavy snow accumulating on branches until, with a sudden crack, they collapsed under their own weight.

Beyond the Jade Garden, the looming night spread slowly, like snowflakes drifting downward.

Along the Dengfeng Avenue near the Demon Emperor's Palace, several mansions along the road glowed brightly with lanterns, their gates wide open, yet utterly empty—only swirling snow and wind poured inward.

This scene did not feel festive; instead, it carried a profound, suffocating pressure.

At this moment, Princess Fengyang passed before these residences and returned to her princess's mansion, where she found Ye Han seated in the courtyard, wrapped in a thick robe, brewing tea by a brazier.

"That potted orchid you brought back from the human realm—did it not survive?"

Princess Fengyang nodded lightly at the sound: "It was simply too cold—even in the greenhouse, it could not endure."

Ye Han glanced toward the palace: "If we could go to the Nine Provinces, cultivating flowers and plants wouldn't be so difficult."

"But I think it's better not to wage war."

Ye Han suddenly noticed her medicine chest: "Why are you back so late tonight? Where did you go?"

Princess Fengyang set down her medicine chest and handed it to a nearby maid: "I went to the Jade Garden to treat the human named Ji You."

Ye Han looked at her in surprise: "I didn't expect you to care so much about this human?"

Princess Fengyang, no longer the flustered woman from the Jade Garden, frowned slightly as she recalled today's events: "I was initially curious about him, but now I've grown somewhat displeased with this human."

"Why?"

"He's frivolous."

Ye Han: "?"

Princess Fengyang spoke softly: "I heard tales of him slaying the Barbarian Warlord with a single blade in the Wilds—said to be miraculous. But after several encounters, I found… he has no manners, acts recklessly, and speaks without sense."

Ye Han let out a quiet laugh: "When I traveled to the Nine Provinces under the guise of trade, nearly all the humans I met were like this."

"And another thing—he doesn't value his own life. His hand could have healed on its own; I don't understand why he went out of his way to do it himself?"

"?"

Ye Han didn't fully grasp the latter half, but he fixated on the first part—thinking: Is this dislike… or concern?

As the two spoke, the snow outside the mansion gate suddenly sank into a dense, inexplicable darkness.

Both turned their heads—and saw that the courtyards of the mansions lining the street, moments ago brightly lit, had all been extinguished at once, as if strangled by an invisible force.

They froze, a flicker of bewilderment crossing their eyes.

Meanwhile, on Guilin Avenue within the inner city, as the lanterns in those mansions went dark, a rapid, dense patter of footsteps rose like sudden rain, moving swiftly through the thick night.

First one wave, then two, then three…

Along with the footsteps came sharp, cutting qi, woven into the wind, and a concealed yet unmistakable surge of boiling killing intent, racing toward the silent Jade Garden.

Amid the wind, polished armor gleamed like polished steel, and an iron-blooded aura spread instantly.

With these figures slipping into the city came two ancient demon elders, their scales dull, their fangs spotted with yellow—landing with a roar, feet planted firmly on the snow.

"The Emperor cannot decide—so we must ease his burdens…"

"The demon race has waited long enough. Shouldn't we stop waiting?"

"Our deeds will benefit the present and secure glory for a thousand generations. We will be remembered forever by our people."

"Go—kill!"

The ink-black night pressed down heavily; the icy snow fell like blades against the face.

The Scale Clan Chief and the Fang Clan Chief, cloaked in night, suddenly uttered a single word—"Kill"—low, not loud, yet piercing the ears of every demon present that night.

In an instant, dozens of powerful, ferocious auras shot forward like released arrows, streaking toward the Jade Garden, carrying death and frost, like a black flood ready to drown all—while the night itself erupted in fury.

Then, from courtyard to pavilion to stone gazebo, stealthy footsteps moved swiftly, yet without chaos.

The demon death servants' eyes burned hot, their vertical pupils gleaming; though chilled to the bone, their blades and hearts burned fiercely.

As the foremost demon raised his hand in the night wind, the death servants instantly drew their blades and surged forward toward the covered walkways.

But after only a few steps, these fearless demons abruptly halted.

For standing in the walkway was an elderly man, white-haired and bearded, descending the steps with an iron sword in hand, tilting his head slightly upward.

In an instant, an excruciatingly sharp sword qi, howling with the wind, flashed like a brilliant lightning bolt cleaving the dark night—crashing downward like stacked waves.

Amid the sword's shriek, blood sprayed in all directions, splashing onto the deep snow, staining the entire white Jade Garden with a blinding crimson.

Simultaneously, a thunderous boom erupted from the right side of the courtyard.

A pillar of fire surged skyward with overwhelming force, blazing and brilliant, illuminating the heavy night, piercing the thick frost mist, and blasting apart a group of demon cavalry who had infiltrated the bamboo grove on the right.

The falling snowflakes, caught in the blast, instantly melted into droplets, hissing as they evaporated.

But at that moment, a powerful aura suddenly surged from the night, followed by a colossal hammer descending from above, crashing down with the weight of ten thousand tons.

Yan Chuan parried with a slanted sword—and was smashed straight into a tall building within the Jade Garden.

In an instant, the Jade Garden's tall building collapsed, bricks and stones flying, the thunderous crash echoing for long moments along the long street.

The flood of demon death servants who arrived moments later surged inside, their battle cries shattering the long night.

At this moment, the qi swirling above the Jade Garden reversed violently, a deafening roar erupting across the land, jolting awake countless demons in nearby homes who had just settled into sleep.

"What's happening?"

"It's a fight—inside the Jade Garden…"

"It's the humans—the human envoy delegation is staying there. The killing intent is aimed at them!"

Demons living nearby threw on their robes and leapt onto the walls, landing just as the battle cries surged like a tidal wave, each cry sending chills down their spines.

What startled them even more were the snow-covered ground soaked in blood, and the swirling, chaotic killing auras darting everywhere.

Demons could resolve disputes through private duels—it was written into their laws.

But even then, they only fought with fists—never had they witnessed such a brutal scene inside the inner city.

At that moment, a colossal hammer rose again into the air and came crashing down upon the already-collapsed structure.

"It's Ye Tuo, the Xuan Yao-level general of the Scale Clan!"

"So it really is him."

Demons watching from the walls widened their eyes in shock, whispering among themselves, as they saw the Scale Clan Chief observing the scene.

He was one of the strongest forces he could mobilize without the Demon Emperor's knowledge.

BOOM!

As the death servants stormed in, countless prodigies from immortal sects suddenly appeared—the covert assassination instantly turned into a chaotic battle of dust and flying snow.

Beneath the collapsed tower, as the war hammer struck again, a blade of light shot forth from the swirling debris, causing the Scale Clan general's pupils to contract sharply.

CLANG!

Sparks flew as the war hammer wielder staggered back several steps, then swung again with brutal force.

Seeing this, the Scale Clan Chief and Fang Clan Chief's faces darkened instantly.

They had never been to the Nine Provinces, but through trade and intelligence gathered over time, they knew much about the human realm.

In their view, this race was always selfish and self-serving.

Immortal cultivators never cared for mortal lives—only their own gains or family interests, their scheming growing ever fiercer.

Fathers and sons, brothers and sisters—even those bound by blood—would not stop them from plotting against each other.

The behavior of these human prodigies accompanying the envoy delegation had only confirmed their beliefs.

So they had lured them with Snowland Demon Stones, even the cores of spirit mines, inviting them to banquets to scatter them—then planned to slaughter the entire defenseless envoy delegation.

In their eyes, these human cultivators cared little for whether the demon and human realms formed an alliance—this plan should have been flawless. Yet after the invitations were sent, not a single one attended.

Now, their night raid on the Jade Garden met a counterattack as if long prepared—this could not be coincidence. Only someone had anticipated them…

"They've set up an array."

"Then make them break off—kill the human envoys quickly, even if only one!"

Amid the titanic qi surges, a figure wielding a massive axe leapt into the air, his body suddenly swelling three feet in the night—his true demonic form revealed—as he dove toward the western courtyard.

As the axe came crashing down, a searing iron blade shot out from the darkness, intercepting it with force.

In the explosion of sparks, the powerful qi blew the thick snow back into the air like a storm, rolling outward in all directions.

The iron blade, now controlled by swirling spiritual energy, landed in the hand of a figure descending from the sky.

"General Jian Rong has arrived too…"

"That… that's the Scale Clan general, Nuo Gao!"

"And the Fang Clan general, Xue Bai—I saw him from afar during their Ancestral Rite!"

As more demon generals' auras emerged, the entire Jade Garden rang with violent clashes.

The human cultivators, who had been holding their own moments ago, were now all entangled—Yan Chuan and the Elder of Shanhai Pavilion each faced two opponents alone.

The immortal sect prodigies fought tooth and nail against the death servants of both clans, while also joining forces to battle the demon generals—blades and blood flashed constantly, every nerve stretched to its limit.

BOOM!

The thunderous crash was deafening.

Amid the swirling dust and snow, a heavy iron blade slashed down—Huo Hong, barely blocking it, spun his spiritual energy desperately—but was still smashed flying.

A female demon general, pale-faced and slender-waisted, landed with her blade, then swung forward in a furious slash, cleaving through the bamboo grove ahead—only to frown as she realized Huo Hong had vanished.

At that moment, a sword qi surged skyward—Yan Chuan, having just split two demon generals apart, spun his blade backward and forced the female general back ten zhang.

"How can we not kill even one?!"

The Scale Clan Chief narrowed his eyes: "They've formed triangular formations—the elders watch over the young, each protecting the others."

The Fang Clan Chief clenched his fists, anger flaring in his gaze.

The original plan was a swift, decisive strike—irreversible. Who could have foreseen that the first step would fail, leaving them hopelessly bogged down?

His Majesty hates most when others make decisions for him. Mu Le, I am not afraid of punishment, but I fear failing at the final moment.

A sudden strike when the water is spilled cannot be recalled can eliminate one possibility for His Majesty when least expected.

But if he fails to kill, he may push the Demon Emperor toward another possibility.

At this moment, snow and wind continued unabated, and the battle spirit burned like fire.

The Scale Clan chieftain remained silent, but the Fang Clan chieftain suddenly froze, sensing a wisp of cool breeze slipping into the night beside him.

Among the human, demon, and barbarian races, humans are the weakest. Compared to the other two, they lack not only physical strength but also racial innate abilities.

Among the many innate abilities of the demon race, some excel at assassination—such as this demon general named Shu He.

In terms of raw combat power, his ability ranks only among the lower tiers, but if it truly came to a fight to the death with clear victory or defeat, he would surely rank among the top three.

Because he is fast—and silent.

When any skill is pushed to its extreme, it becomes terrifying.

Such as his supreme speed and stealth.

In tonight's situation, killing one is the same as killing many—there is no difference. All he needs to do is enter the Jade Garden, kill at least one, preferably all.

At this moment, Shu He crouched beneath the night, silently slipping past the chaotic courtyard, avoiding countless sword qi and blade glimmers, moving like a phantom into the West Courtyard, his short blade gleaming with lethal frost.

He seemed already to taste blood, to feel the fear radiating from those facing death.

Shu He narrowed his eyes, watching through the window the shadows cast by the swaying candlelight, his right hand coiling with power, ready to claim the lives within.

But at that instant, his scalp suddenly prickled, and every fiber of his spirit tensed involuntarily.

Instinct took over before his mind could react—he leaped backward in a flash, and just then a spiritual sword screamed past, crashing down onto the spot where he had stood, carving a deep furrow into the frozen ground.

"?!"

General Shu He reeled in shock, turning to see a figure standing atop the roof, eyes blazing with radiant light, locked onto his form—those golden irises like brilliant lanterns of the netherworld.

(End of Chapter)