Chapter 772

Qinglong, seeing this leader from afar, couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

This man was none other than the foremost of the Demon Palace's Four Sages, equal in fame to him within the Yin Yue Imperial Court—the Evil Dragon!

"Qinglong!"

As if sensing Qinglong's gaze, the Evil Dragon sat atop his monstrous beast, looking down upon Qinglong with cold eyes.

"Enough! Evil Dragon, the seal is broken—we have returned to the great world.

Quickly open the path of the Demon Dao, and let the Demon Dao descend upon mortals!"

In Pudu Cihang's eyes, whether Qinglong or the Evil Dragon, neither was a match for his avatar, let alone his primal savage centipede true form.

Now he saw the Evil Dragon's eyes flicker repeatedly, as if ready to charge down and fight Qinglong at all costs.

Pudu Cihang immediately issued a warning.

Clearly, within the Yin Yue Imperial Court, this Pudu Cihang held high status.

At his words, the Evil Dragon could only withdraw his gaze and scan the battlefield below—the Tang army and the various experts.

Feeling the demonic army gathering behind him in increasing numbers, he could not help but swell with confidence and declare:

"The Yin Yue Imperial Court has returned to the mortal realm—the world rightfully belongs to the Demon Dao. All who join the Demon Dao and submit to the Yin Yue Imperial Court shall live.

All who resist the Demon Dao shall die!"

This bold proclamation caused the warring factions, previously locked in chaos, to gradually fall silent.

No one had expected the Yin Yue Imperial Court to be so brazen.

Upon emerging, the Evil Dragon, foremost of the Demon Palace's Four Sages, had directly declared war on all powers under heaven!

This made the Tang Dynasty laugh heartily.

The Yuan Dynasty had launched this southern campaign for the Yin Yue Imperial Court, squandering countless resources and experts.

Even to seize Beizhen, they had lost Yinshan Pass and the Hetao region.

In short, the Yuan Dynasty's territory had retreated northward by over a hundred li.

With such losses, they had expected to gain the Yin Yue Imperial Court's loyalty—or at least its cooperation.

From then on, apart from the Qinglong Society, the Yuan Dynasty could firmly claim the title of the greatest power.

Even the Qin Dynasty would be forced to submit beneath the Yuan.

Who could have imagined that the moment the Yin Yue Imperial Court was unsealed, it turned on them without mercy?

The Evil Dragon had publicly declared that the Yin Yue Imperial Court would tower above all others.

This was, effectively, a slap across the Yuan Dynasty's face.

A loud, ringing slap.

The Tang experts who had been attacking the Yuan could not help but burst into laughter.

"What's this called? Losing the lady and breaking the soldiers?"

Corpses Hanba looked coarse, but he knew a bit of literature and quoted the proverb.

At his words, the Tang experts and soldiers all roared with laughter.

Mu Huali's face turned ashen, feeling this had surpassed all his expectations.

He had been one of the planners of this southern campaign—and its actual executor.

In short, up to this point, he had invested everything he could.

The auxiliary force under Borqu in the northwest had sent no word—clearly either cornered and destroyed, or already recalled.

Added to this, the Tang army had advanced here, meaning the garrisons across Youzhou had clearly been shattered.

Thus, the military losses alone were already immense.

Compared to the war with Western Xia, it might even be less severe.

But for the Yuan Dynasty, it was a crippling blow.

Was such a massive loss worth saving such an ungrateful wretch?

Who could endure this?

Watching Mu Huali nearly explode with rage, General Zhebie felt his scalp tighten.

Just moments ago, under everyone's eyes, Pudu Cihang had directly "consumed" the spiritual essence of Long Xiang Seng.

That is to say, the Yuan Dynasty's eighth-reincarnated national guardian, the loyal Long Xiang Seng, had been utterly annihilated.

And that wasn't all—the Yin Yue Imperial Court had turned on them the moment it emerged.

What did this mean?

Earlier, Jing Wuyuan had communicated with him, clearly promising that within one month, the seal would be lifted and the Demon Lord would submit to the Yuan.

Who could have imagined that instead of submission, they received betrayal?

General Zhebie could no longer hold back—he shouted at the Evil Dragon:

"Evil Dragon, I am General Zhebie, one of the Yuan's Thirteen Wings. I previously made an agreement with the Demon Palace's strategist Jing Wuyuan—where is Jing Wuyuan?"

After issuing his command, the Evil Dragon saw the battle below cease and was preparing to send Yin Yue Imperial Court envoys down to accept the surrender of the forces below.

Hearing General Zhebie's words, he recalled Jing Wuyuan's earlier words before the Demon Lord.

He burst into laughter, leaning back on his monstrous mount, howling with mirth for a long while before finally calming down:

"You are General Zhebie?"

This was obviously redundant—he had just announced his identity.

But the Evil Dragon deliberately feigned ignorance; for the sake of the Yuan forces here and the Yuan Dynasty's interests, General Zhebie could only swallow his anger and say:

"Yes! Previously, I made an agreement with Jing Wuyuan: as long as the Yin Yue Cave Heaven was unsealed within one month,

the Yin Yue Imperial Court would join the Yuan Dynasty under the command of Great Khan Temujin.

The one-month deadline has not yet passed—we have already…"

"Wait!"

The Evil Dragon did not wait for General Zhebie to finish, and asked directly,

"Let me ask you — the matter of unsealing the Yin Moon Cave Heaven, which hero of your Great Yuan was it who unsealed it?"

"It was the Righteous Dharma Staff of the Protectorate, Pudu Cihang, my lord."

General Zhebie pointed at Pudu Cihang beside the Evil Dragon as he replied.

"Pudu Cihang is a man of my Yin Moon Imperial Court — what does his unsealing have to do with your Great Yuan?"

The Evil Dragon did not want to acknowledge the debt and immediately turned hostile, then went on to say,

"Besides, do you know what is meant by 'demon'?"

What is meant by 'demon'?

That single sentence plunged the tens of thousands of people present into deep thought.

In the past, within the Wu Lin, the distinction between the righteous and the demonic —

Some were classified as the demonic path simply because their Wu Gong and cultivation methods were extremely heretical.

For instance, the Sun Moon Holy Sect's Star-Sucking Art — harming others without benefiting oneself.

The Sunflower Manual's "To practice this divine art, one must first castrate oneself."

Added to that, they used poison to control others, and so they were called the Mo Sect.

Others, unable to coexist with the righteous path, banded together for warmth in the end and were called the demonic path.

For example, the Dasuimo Sect's Momenliang Sect and Six Paths — in the earliest days they were simply rejected by the righteous path, and in the end banded together for warmth.

But whether it was the Dasuimo Sect, or a demonic path like the Sun Moon Holy Sect —

What is meant by 'demon' — within the Wu Lin there was actually no clear definition.

Generally, those who went along with one were the righteous path; those who went against were the demonic path!

Hearing the Evil Dragon's words at this moment, General Zhebie still did not know how to answer.

But Mu Huali had already understood — what the Evil Dragon meant was simply that demons do not care about keeping faith.

They had said so before, but they would not abide by it.

Moreover, they were just Jing Wuyuan's empty words — they had never put down anything substantive.

The only one with ties to Great Yuan, Pudu Cihang, had just, in front of the three armies of Great Yuan, swallowed the spiritual body of Long Xiang Seng.

Although all of this was seen only by a mere handful of people — Mu Huali, General Zhebie, and a few others.

Yet this was enough to show that Pudu Cihang, and even the Yin Moon Imperial Court, had never truly regarded Great Yuan with any respect!

Damn it!