Chapter 181: The Demon Emperor

The assassinations meant to ease the burden of the Demon Emperor had sounded their war drums since the dead of night, and as the darkness deepened, the scalding blood had scorched the thick snow into a landscape of ruin.

A torrent of sword arts, flashing blades, whistling spells, and roaring qi.

Continuous, deafening crashes echoed from the Jade Garden, and as buildings collapsed into rolling clouds of dust, the night sky itself seemed stained with lethal intent.

The demon race's bodies were not as robust as the barbarians', but they moved faster—especially those at the peak of the Dark Demon Realm.

They had already completed their demonic transformation during prior combat, their power surging to rival that of half-step War Kings among the barbarians.

This was the demon race's advantage.

After demonic transformation, their power increase far surpassed the barbarians' barbarization.

Thus, though their transformation time was half that of the barbarians', to the human race at this moment, every additional ounce of lethal threat surged like a flood.

Yan Chuan's sword art roared like a white sun piercing the rainbow—he held off two transformed demon generals, swinging his blade, swinging his blade, swinging his blade!

His sharp sword art flashed like lightning, slicing through rolling snowwaves.

Yet behind him, Huo Hong and Yan Qiubai dodged and evaded, already bearing multiple wounds from the female demon general's relentless slashes.

With a thunderous crash, another shattering sound erupted from the eastern courtyard.

The Iron Blade of the Shanhai Pavilion Elder fell with ferocity, but two transformed demon generals blocked it outright with silver spears and their own iron blades.

Meanwhile, Jian Rong, seizing the opening, stomped the ground and shot eastward in an instant, leaving only a fading shadow beneath the snowy night.

Jiang Chenfeng had not yet recovered his composure when a massive axe, riding a rolling wave of qi, slammed down—he barely raised his sword to block, was hurled backward in shock, his arm throbbing with agony.

Before he could react, the axe, carved with venomous fangs, came again with lightning speed, its killing intent shredding the swirling snow.

At that moment, the Jiang family prodigy suddenly raised his arm, forming a golden spell through his finger seal that pierced forward—but it only held for an instant before the iron blade cleaved through it, and the blade, undiminished, slammed Jiang Chenfeng into the eastern courtyard's flower pavilion.

His flying body smashed through wooden doors and paper windows; Jiang Chenfeng crashed to the ground with a thud, hands trembling violently, blood oozing from his lips.

Fortunately, the brief moment of resistance from his finger strike allowed him to gather all his spiritual energy into a protective shield—he barely held on, but the threat of death filled him with rage and terror.

"Damn it!"

"Damn it damn it damn it!"

If properly coordinated, the triangular formation could indeed stall the battle for a short while.

But as time passed, it would inevitably show signs of collapse.

Those of the Fusion Dao Realm were considered heavenly prodigies within immortal sects, yet against such a peak Dark Demon battlefield, they simply could not hold out long.

At this moment, Jiang Chenfeng was furious—when suddenly, a clear sword chant rang out from outside the courtyard, his third eye tightening.

That was Ji You's sword—he had seen it many times during this journey…

Meanwhile, atop the tower outside the Jade Garden, the Yajia Clan Chief's expression grew increasingly anxious.

Just as the human triangular formation could not last long, the qi-concealing artifacts they had purchased from humans could only hold for one hour before shattering completely.

At that moment, the Demon Emperor would merely need to open his eyes to perceive everything.

Yet so far, they had received no report of any human death.

Without the Demon Emperor's permission, they could only mobilize peak Dark Demon generals, not Heavenly Demon commanders—but they had already calculated the power balance: with both races deploying all their Dark Demon generals, it should have been an overwhelming crush.

Even with prior preparations, the Yajia Clan Chief never imagined they could hold out this long.

"Don't rush!"

"How can I not rush?!"

"Even if we can't kill those cultivators, Shu He's talent will surely slaughter all the envoys—perhaps… he's already succeeded!"

Like Jiang Chenfeng, both now turned their gaze toward the western courtyard.

In that quiet little courtyard, a spirit sword brimming with sword intent clashed violently with a lightning-fast short blade, then swiftly parted—the sharp qi shredded the wind and snow.

Ji You had landed in the courtyard, his eyes gleaming like molten gold, his arms surging with qi, a scorching aura radiating from his body, the other sword in his hand vibrating fiercely.

Feng Yang's needles had been extremely effective—he now felt as if he had never been wounded, gripping the sword hilt as if holding the authority of Qingyun's realm, studying the demon.

Demon General Shu He also studied the scholar-like Ji You, sensing the ever-rising sword qi around him, his pupils narrowing.

Earlier, he had entered the western courtyard using 【Stealth in the Silent Night】, and though immediately detected, he was not alarmed.

For while stealth was his tool, his true killing strength lay in his speed and the twin short blades—he had always been a specter of death in silent, blinding motion.

Yet he never imagined anyone could block his short blades.

Coincidence…?

What an utterly strange coincidence.

Ting!

As if a sharp iron blade sliced through the wind.

Shu He suddenly stepped forward, instantly transforming into a black phantom; with his second step, even his shadow vanished entirely, and the faintest qi ripples vanished in an instant.

But what now boiled was the killing intent surging from within his short blades!

He was not born into wealth; among demons, he was lowly—his parents were merchants from the outer city.

Though demons did not oppress their lower classes as humans did, wealth disparity still existed, especially in this resource-starved northern snowlands, where it was deadly.

Yet through his speed and stealth, he climbed to the rank of Lin Clan demon general—proof enough of how much truth lay in the claim that though weakest in power, he ranked among the top three killers.

Shu He bared a bloodthirsty smile—but before it could fully form, it froze on his face, for the vicious short blades he drove forward with his usual speed rang out again with a clang.

It was not the sound of piercing flesh, but the metallic clash of weapons, just as before.

Ji You had already lowered his sword in an instant, the blade blooming like overlapping waves, forcing the lightning-fast blades back—his eyes glowed fiercely with golden light.

Shu He stared at his short blades, pupils snapping shut, shock flashing across his gaze.

Yet in the blink of an eye, Shu He vanished again using 【Stealth in the Silent Night】, his short blades instantly surging forward once more.

Clang!

Ji You sidestepped abruptly, swinging his sword like a hammer, cleaving downward.

The blade's edge scraped against the blade's edge, sparks flying as Ji You twisted back—then the demon general slashed again, and Ji You raised his sword to block.

Another metallic clash rang out; feeling the violent tremor in his short blade, the demon general's eyes widened.

"You can actually see me?!"

"I'm not blind."

Ji You spoke calmly, watching him with his sword ready, sword qi still surging.

Humans had two ways to perceive the outside world: the five senses, and spiritual sense.

For ordinary people, the five senses sufficed—but for cultivators, spiritual sense was the primary tool.

In the lower three realms, human cultivators gradually gained the ability to project their spiritual sense outward, expanding its range.

But his spiritual sense had always been different.

It was not a talent—it was a matter of habit.

He had always fought with Seven Swords, so his spiritual sense was constantly split into seven streams—this fighting style had long given him more observation points.

Moreover, though human bodies were frail, their sensitivity to motion was exceptional.

With his multi-point spiritual sense and human acuity for tracking motion, he could indeed perceive this man's movement trajectory…

The demon general outside was strong—but this one was not.

In an instant, Ji You frowned as the demon general stepped forward into the night, short blades striking again—he raised his sword to block.

But as sparks flew again, Ji You did not relax—his five senses warned him of danger, and he instinctively twisted aside, just as a flash of cold light swept past his cheek, leaving a deep cut that bled profusely.

With one slash, Shu He's eyes widened in disbelief—he could not believe his blade had caused so little damage.

Ji You touched the blood on his face, raised his sword again, and fixed his gaze on the demon's figure…

Throughout this journey, he had tested his body's resilience against barbarians—now, finally, he met someone who could pierce his defenses.

But…

It was not because he was exceptionally strong.

Compared to the terrifying demon generals outside, this one was nowhere near the same level in strength or martial skill.

His only terrifying trait was his ghostlike speed.

And the reason he had wounded Ji You was because of the blade in his hand.

Demons didn't just produce high-quality spirit stones—legend said the frozen earth below held countless rare iron ores…

Shu He noticed Ji You staring at his blade, frowned, and lunged forward—his short blade unleashed a powerful qi, shining like a full moon.

He believed his blade had been anticipated because his starting position was locked—he assumed this human was using spiritual sense to predict his moves.

But close-range, rapid strikes were hard to evade—the shorter the distance, the less reaction time he had; the previous sword strike had confirmed this.

Under these conditions, even if this human's body strength exceeded his expectations, a few more thrusts through his heart would kill him.

The key problem: his reaction speed couldn't match his sharp perception.

That meant—even if he could see, he lacked the same speed as himself, so he couldn't land a hit.

Seeing clearly—what good was it if he couldn't strike?

His sword could only dirty the edge of his robe!

Clang!

The long sword clashed with the short blade, sparks flying—just as Shu He expected, Ji You caught the first strike, and his left short blade instantly lunged for his heart.

But Ji You suddenly retreated, creating distance between them, raising his spirit sword high.

Shu He smirked—he thought this human was clever indeed, instantly recognizing his plan to kill him with rapid strikes.

But he could only dodge—and upon reflection, Shu He felt a pang of fear.

Because even he himself didn't know how to evade his own speed.

Hum!

Shu He raised his blades, grinning bloodthirstily, twin short blades gleaming like silver moons, radiating intense killing intent.

With a clang, the ultimate fast blade surged again, just as before; Ji You raised his sword and blocked it outright.

Just as before, the fast blade rushed forth again, giving him no chance to react.

But at that moment, Su He, moving at extreme speed, suddenly saw a brilliant flash of sword light roaring skyward.

With a sharp hiss, his left shoulder exploded in pain; blood gushed forth like a fountain. Startled, he leapt back and whirled around—only to see the sword qi already three zhang away, having cleanly severed a pine heavy with snow, which crashed down in a thunderous avalanche.

【Cannot injure myself】

【Felt a wave of fear—afraid of himself】

At that moment, Su He's eyes widened in shock as he stared at his shoulder, his face filled with disbelief.

He did not know what kind of sword that had been, but he knew it was extremely fast.

If he himself had not been fast enough, that sword qi would have severed his head!

No more holding back.

Kill him quickly, then complete the mission.

Suddenly, Su He thrust his arms upward; his face twisted into a monstrous snarl as his aura surged higher and higher.

With a faint crackling of bones, his body began to hunch, folding forward as if his waist had been suddenly bent under immense pressure.

Hum!

A furious storm of qi surged wildly; the demon general Shu He instantly completed his demonic transformation, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow, his short blade gleaming with icy brilliance.

【115】 A wild storm of aura roared in all directions; the demon general Su He instantly completed his demonic transformation, launching forward like an arrow released from a bow, his short blade flashing with dragon-like icy brilliance.

Clang! The iron blade scraped along Ji You's sword edge, then swept upward in a horizontal slash—a streak of blood instantly sprayed onto the snow.

Ji You's robes were torn; a cut marred his collarbone, yet he swung his sword instantly, a powerful sword qi surging skyward.

In truth, as Su He had thought, his speed was deadly.

If one could only see it but not inflict harm, then seeing it clearly was useless.

So he needed a fast sword—a sword that pursued nothing but extreme speed.

And fortunately, he truly had one.

With a clang, the iron sword slashed down again—this strike so swift it seemed like shards of frost exploding; as the blade moved, even the falling snow froze in midair.

But as this strike landed, it did not draw blood as before; instead, a metallic clash rang out across the garden.

The demon-transformed Su He blocked Ji You's ultimate fast sword with his blade, his vertical pupils flashing with murderous rage.

A demon known for speed had to transform just to block a human's sword—this filled him with fury.

Boom!

His left-hand short blade pierced through the wind, nearly as fast as Ji You's sword, and slashed down hard.

Ji You raised his sword to block, then swung another strike—the Spirit Sword Technique: "Return and Depart."

In an instant, short blade and long sword clashed like rain, sparks flying everywhere—but suddenly, Su He felt a piercing pain surge from his chest. He broke off the duel at once and looked down.

A sword wound gaped on his chest; blood oozed out.

Su He did not understand, but his demonic form made his temper far more volatile—he unleashed a flurry of silver blooms with his short blade in an instant.

Puff!

As Su He's lower abdomen burned with pain, another sword wound appeared on his body, filling him with intense irritation and deep terror.

Tonight, many things had gone beyond his expectations.

His whereabouts had been easily discovered; his prized ultra-fast blade had been blocked repeatedly; his relentless rapid strikes had only scratched the skin.

Most terrifying of all, he hadn't even seen the attacks—yet his body was already riddled with sword wounds.

At that moment, Ji You stepped through the snow, his iron sword slashing down once more—the same ultra-fast blade. Su He, enraged and startled, raised his blade to block it—only to see another wave of sword light roaring toward him.

?!

He has two swords!

No—three swords…

Su He suddenly felt a sharp pain at his back. He spun around in horror—and saw seven spirit swords rising into the sky, their overwhelming sword qi and blinding radiance nearly piercing through the entire night.

Beneath that swordlight, illuminated clearly, was a face with golden eyes.

At this moment, in the Princess's Mansion on the western side of Dengfeng Avenue.

Feng Yang stared grimly toward the Jade Garden, her beautiful eyes flickering with disbelief.

Since the sounds of battle had begun echoing through the night, she had known a riot had erupted in the city.

But it was the message that followed that sent a tremor through the demon princess's heart: the report said that over a dozen demon generals from the Scale and Fang tribes had all launched a night assault on the Jade Garden.

Some things are easy to overlook at first, but once noticed, no further explanation is needed.

The Scale and Fang tribes had always been the most fervent supporters of a counterattack against the Nine Provinces; their actions now were unquestionably igniting the fuse for the demon and barbarian alliance.

Feng Yang recalled the man she had previously disliked—and suddenly understood why he had insisted on restoring his arm that day.

He hadn't explained because he, too, was a demon.

So it wasn't frivolity, nor recklessness—Feng Yang stared, lips pressed tightly together.

That human man had acted so strangely all day—because he had foreseen the ambush hidden in the night, yet remained utterly composed.

"The Scale and Fang tribes acted on their own—don't they fear Father Emperor's wrath?!"

Ye Han looked at his sister: "If the human envoy truly dies, our demon clan's counterattack on the Nine Provinces becomes inevitable. At the dawn of war, the strongest four tribes—the Scale, Claw, Fur, and Fang—will not be punished. Or rather, the chieftains of the Scale and Fang tribes fear nothing but never seeing the Nine Provinces. That is their obsession."

Feng Yang clenched her fists: "The humans were prepared long before this—they won't die."

"I don't know what kind of preparation you mean, but I heard… Su He went too."

Feng Yang turned to Ye Han: "Demon General Su He?"

Ye Han nodded.

Hearing this, the demon princess's face turned deathly pale.

Every Scale tribe war general was famous, but Su He was the most notorious—for his mastery of assassination. Though his strength was weak, his innate speed ensured every strike left a corpse.

As a result, he was always the most isolated general; aside from the Scale chieftain, few dared to approach him.

Yet one could not deny: anyone he targeted was as good as already sentenced to death.

At that moment, Feng Yang's face was ashen, as if she already saw corpses littering the Jade Garden. She immediately stepped out the door and headed for the Demon Emperor's Palace.

Seeing this, Ye Han rose as well, gathering his bodyguards, and hurried toward the Demon Emperor's Palace.

At this moment, the majestic palace loomed like a slumbering beast, silently lurking beneath the thick night.

Along the snowy path into the palace, a powerful aura slowly rose from deep within the imperial court.

Soon, the black palace grew grim yet bustling: countless armored soldiers stood in rigid formation before the great hall, and three Celestial Demon Generals—who rarely appeared—had arrived.

Feng Yang stepped into the palace, passing straight through the ranks of soldiers, and saw the Demon Emperor emerging from the inner chambers, his gaze calm as he stared into the endless night.

"Father, the chieftains of the Scale and Fang tribes acted on their own, sending demon generals and death servants to assassinate the human envoy in the Jade Garden under cover of night."

The Demon Emperor looked down at his daughter: "I am already aware."

Feng Yang knelt, her eyelashes trembling: "Please, Father, send troops to quell the chaos!"

The Demon Emperor stood with his hands behind his back: "They wish to make a choice for me—hardly rebellion."

"Father, I know all clan chieftains have always wanted to return to the Nine Provinces and never truly saw the Snowlands as home. But even if we must fight, it should be done openly—not like this."

"Sometimes people push events forward; sometimes, events push people."

After murmuring softly, the Demon Emperor looked down at his daughter kneeling before the hall: "You and Ye Han will take the soldiers and generals before the hall to the Jade Garden."

Feng Yang rose instantly and turned toward the imperial guards—but before she could issue orders, the Demon Emperor's voice sounded again from behind her.

"Feng Yang, do you know why I am ordering you to lead troops?"

Feng Yang turned to him: "Isn't it to save the humans?"

The Demon Emperor fell silent for a long moment before speaking: "If the human envoy has suffered casualties, help Mu Le kill the rest—make it complete. If not, imprison everyone involved tonight in the Cold Prison."

Feng Yang trembled, her eyes widening in shock—she had never expected such an order: "Father…"

The Demon Emperor waved his hand, cutting her off, then spoke again.

"The humans have an old saying: man's plans are no match for heaven's. But I think sometimes man's plans are not always opposite to heaven's."

"For years, I have tried to discern heaven's choice. But this time, I wish to see what heaven wants me to choose. If heaven has never intended to favor our demon clan, then no matter what we choose, we are wrong. So tonight's events are fitting."

"If heaven wants us to fight, we fight. If heaven does not want us to fight, we do not. The matter becomes simple."

"So say no more—this time, it is not my choice. It is heaven's."

Hearing this, Feng Yang clenched her fists, then led the Celestial Demon Generals and imperial troops swiftly out of the city toward the Jade Garden—but her heart was ice-cold.

(End of Chapter)