Chapter 181: The Demon Emperor's Choice
The assassination to relieve His Majesty the Demon Emperor's worries began with the beating of war drums at midnight, and as the night deepened, the scorching blood had already scorched the thick snow, leaving it scarred.
Rushing Sword Dao, flashes of blades, howling Daoist Magic, and Qi.
Deafening sounds of collapse continuously echoed from Yu Garden, as the buildings crumbled, dust and smoke billowed, even illuminating the night sky with Killing Intent.
The Yao Race's Physical Body is not as strong as the Barbarian Race's, but it is faster than the Barbarian Race's, especially at the Peak of the Profound Demon Realm.
They had already completed their demonic transformation and a surge in combat power in the previous battles, and their combat power was comparable to a half-step Soldier King of the Barbarian Race.
This is the Yao Race's advantage.
After their Physical Body undergoes demonic transformation, the degree of improvement is far higher than the Barbarian Race's barbaric transformation.
Therefore, even though their demonic transformation time is half that of the Barbarian Race's barbaric transformation, for the Human Race at this moment, every increase in deadly Killing Intent is like a sweeping torrent.
Yan Chuan's Sword Dao roared, like a white rainbow piercing the sky, single-handedly holding back two demon-transformed Demon Generals, continuously swinging his sword, swinging his sword, swinging his sword!
The sharp Sword Dao was like lightning, cutting through the rolling snow waves.
But Huo Hong and Yan Qiubai, who followed closely behind him, dodged and evaded, yet they had already sustained multiple injuries under the relentless pursuit of the female Demon General Xue Bai.
With a loud bang, a shattering sound also came from the East Courtyard.
The Mountain and Sea Pavilion Elder's iron blade fell fiercely, directly parried by two demon-transformed Demon Generals with silver spears and similar iron blades.
And Demon General Jian Rong took advantage of this gap to suddenly stomp the ground and dart eastward, leaving only an afterimage in the snowy night.
Before Jiang Chenfeng could recover, he saw a giant axe, pressing down with rolling Aura, fiercely chop down. In his horror, he raised his sword to block, and was sent stumbling back, his arm throbbing with pain.
Before he could recover, he saw the giant axe, carved with fangs, whistle towards him again with lightning speed, its Killing Intent shattering the scattered snow.
At this moment, this Jiang Clan Prodigy suddenly raised his arm, and a golden light of Daoist Magic condensed between his finger gestures, piercing directly through, but it only blocked for an instant before the golden light was fiercely split open by the iron blade, and Jiang Chenfeng was directly struck with powerful force by the undiminished iron blade into the flower building of the East Courtyard.
His body, flying horizontally, directly smashed through the wooden door and paper window. Jiang Chenfeng fell to the ground with a "Peng" sound, his hands trembling wildly, and blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth.
Fortunately, the momentary resistance of that one finger allowed him to gather all his Spiritual Qi to protect his body, barely holding on at this moment, but the threat of death filled him with shock and anger.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
If the triangular formation was properly coordinated, it could indeed stall the battle in a short period.
But as time passed, it would eventually show signs of decline.
Those in the Rongdao Realm are considered Prodigies within the Immortal Sect, but facing this kind of battle at the Peak of the Profound Demon Realm, they really couldn't hold on for too long.
At this moment, Jiang Chenfeng was exasperated, but suddenly heard a clear Sword cry from outside the courtyard, and his brow furrowed.
That was Ji You's sword; along this journey, he had seen it many times. At the same time, on the tower outside Yu Garden, the Fang Clan Chieftain's expression gradually became anxious.
Just as the Human Race's triangular formation couldn't hold on for too long, the Magical Artifact they bought from the Human Race to conceal Qi could only last for one hour before it would directly shatter.
At that time, as long as the Demon Emperor gently opened his eyes, he would be able to perceive everything.
But until now, they still hadn't received news of any Human Race deaths.
Without the Demon Emperor's permission, they could only mobilize Profound Demon Peak and not Heavenly Demon Generals. However, they had calculated their combat power earlier, and with all the Profound Demon Generals from both clans participating, it should have been an overwhelming victory.
Even though they had made preparations earlier, the Fang Clan Chieftain couldn't believe how long they could hold on.
"Don't worry!"
"How can I not worry?!"
"Even if they can't kill those cultivators, with Shu He's talent, he can definitely kill all those envoys. Perhaps... he has already succeeded!"
Like Jiang Chenfeng, both of them were now looking towards the West Courtyard.
And in that secluded small courtyard, a Spirit Sword with surging Sword Intent and an extremely fast short blade fiercely collided, then quickly separated, the sharp Qi directly stirring up the wind and snow.
At this moment, Ji You had landed in the courtyard, his eyes shining like molten gold, his arms surging with Qi, and a scorching Aura began to emanate from his body, his other sword continuously clashing.
Feng Yang's needle was indeed extremely effective. He was now like he had never been injured, gripping the hilt of his sword as if he held the authority of the Qingyun World, and was currently observing the Yao Race member.
Demon General Shu He was also looking at Ji You, who appeared like a scholar in the courtyard, feeling the continuously rising Sword Qi around him, his eyes narrowing.
Earlier, he had entered the West Courtyard using 【Gui Qu Lai】, and although he was immediately discovered, he was not alarmed.
Because compared to stealth techniques, his greater killing move was his speed and the two short blades in his hands. With silent, extreme speed, he had always been a grim reaper-like existence.
But he never expected that someone could block his short blades.
Coincidence...?
What a strange coincidence.
Zeng!
It sounded like sharp iron pieces piercing through the wind.
Shu He suddenly stepped out, instantly transforming into a black phantom, and when he took the second step, he was so fast that even his shadow completely disappeared, and even the subtle Qi fluctuations in the air vanished in an instant.
But what was boiling at this moment was the Killing Intent constantly splashing within the short blades!
He was not born into wealth; in the Yao Race, he was considered low-born, his parents being outer city merchants.
Although the Yao Race doesn't have the same upper-class oppression of the lower-class as the Human Race, there is still a wealth gap, especially in this extremely resource-scarce Snow Region, which is even more deadly.
But relying on his extreme speed and stealth talent, he climbed to the position of a Scale Clan Demon General, which shows the true value of the description that although his strength is the weakest, his killing ability ranks among the top three.
Shu He revealed a bloodthirsty smile, but before the corners of his mouth could fully curve upwards, the smile completely froze on his face, because the ferocious wolf short blade, which was usually driven by extreme speed, once again made a clang sound when it struck.
That was not the sound of piercing flesh, but the clang of metal striking metal, just like before.
Ji You had instantly dropped his sword, his sword blooming like overlapping waves across the sky, directly forcing back the rapidly approaching short blade, and golden light burst forth from his two solemn eyes.
And at this moment, Shu He looked at the short blade in his hand, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and a hint of shock flashed in his gaze.
However, in just a blink of an eye, Shu He instantly disappeared from his original spot again in a 【Gui Qu Lai】 posture, and the extremely fast short blade instantly rushed forward again.
Clang!
Ji You shifted his body gracefully, like a hammer striking, and once again delivered a sweeping blow.
The sword's edge scraped fiercely against the blade's edge, sparks flying. Ji You shifted and retreated, seeing the Demon General swing his blade to kill again, and immediately parried with his sword!
After another clang of metal, feeling the wild tremor of the short blade in his hand, the Demon General's eyes suddenly widened.
"You can really see it!?"
"I'm not blind."
Ji You spoke indifferently, looking at him with a sword-drawing posture, his Sword Qi unceasing.
The Human Race has two ways of observing the outside world: one is the five senses, and the other is Divine Thought.
For ordinary people, what is observed by the five senses is sufficient, but for cultivators, Divine Thought is the primary means of observation.
In the cultivation of the Lower Three Realms, the Divine Thought of Human Race cultivators gradually began to be able to be released at will, and its range continuously increased.
And his Divine Thought has always been different from others.
This is not a talent, but a matter of usage habits.
He has always used seven swords to defend against enemies, so his Divine Thought often needs to be divided into seven strands. This fighting style,
allowed his Divine Thought to have more observation points long ago.
Moreover, although the Human Race's Physical Body is weak, its sensitivity to dynamic capture is excellent.
With the multi-point observation method of Divine Thought, coupled with the Human Race's capture of dynamic trajectories, he can indeed see this person's movement trajectory.
The Demon General outside is strong, but the one in front of him is not as strong.
In an instant, Ji You frowned, seeing the Demon General stepping into the night, the short blade attacking again, so he swung his sword to block.
But after the same sparks flew, Ji You did not relax for a moment. The crisis warning brought by his five senses made him instinctively shift his body, and then he saw a cold light flash before his eyes, and a knife mark appeared on his cheek, immediately bleeding profusely.
With one strike, an expression of disbelief appeared in Shu He's eyes, unable to believe that his strike had only caused such a small injury.
And Ji You touched the bloodstain on his face, continued to raise his sword, staring intently at his figure.
All along this journey, he had been testing the strength of his Physical Body against the Barbarian Race, and now he finally met someone who could break his defense.
But that wasn't because he was particularly strong.
Compared to those terrifying Demon Generals outside, this Demon General was not on the same level in terms of either strength or martial arts.
The only thing that could make him fearful was his ghostly speed.
And the reason he was able to injure himself was because of the blade in his hand.
The Yao Race not only produces high-quality Spirit Stones, but it is also said that there are countless rare iron ores beneath the permafrost. Shu He noticed Ji You staring at his blade, then frowned, and suddenly attacked, the short blade bursting forth with a powerful Qi, as bright as a moon wheel.
He felt that the reason his blade was seen through was because the starting position was locked, so this Human Race must be using Divine Thought for pre-judgment.
But close-range rapid attacks are difficult for him to dodge, because the shorter the distance, the less reaction time he has. That previous sword strike verified this conjecture.
In this situation, even if this Human Race's Physical Body strength exceeded his imagination, as long as he pierced through his heart and added a few more strikes, he would surely die.
The key problem is that his reaction speed cannot keep up with his keen capture ability.
In other words, even if he can see, he simply doesn't have the same extreme speed as himself, and thus cannot injure himself.
To merely see, what meaning is there, even if one sees clearly?
His sword, then, can only slightly dirty his clothes!
Clang!
Sparks flew from the collision between the long sword and the short blade. As Shu He expected, he could indeed capture the first sword.
Then the short blade in his left hand immediately rushed towards his heart.
But Ji You suddenly retreated, directly widening the distance between them, and raised the Spirit Sword in his hand high.
Shu He raised the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself that this Human Race was indeed intelligent, able to tell at a glance that he intended to take his life with a lightning-fast combined attack.
But he could only dodge; putting himself in the other's shoes, Shu He felt a surge of fear.
Because even he himself didn't know how to evade such a lightning-fast version of himself.
Buzz!
Shu He swung his blade, a bloodthirsty smile on his face, and his two short blades, like silver moons, radiated brilliance, instantly unleashing a dense Killing Intent.
With a clang, the extremely fast blade once again whistled forth, and just like the previous times, Ji You parried with his sword, directly blocking it.
And just like the previous times, the fast blade surged forth again, giving him no chance to react.
But at this moment, Shu He, moving at extreme speed, suddenly saw a powerful Sword Light whistling into the sky.
With a tearing sound, his left shoulder throbbed with pain, and blood immediately gushed out like a fountain. Startled, he flashed away, and looking back at extreme speed, he saw that the Sword Qi was already thirty feet away, having abruptly cut down a pine and cypress tree covered in thick snow, causing the heavy accumulated snow to collapse with a roar.
“Cannot injure self.”
“Feeling a surge of fear, even I am afraid of myself.”
At this moment, Shu He's eyes instantly widened, and his shoulder revealed an expression of disbelief.
He didn't know what kind of sword that was just now, but he knew it was extremely fast.
If he hadn't been fast enough himself, that Sword Qi might very well have struck his head!
He could no longer hold back.
He had to kill him quickly and then complete the mission.
Suddenly, Shu He violently swung his arm, his face gradually contorting, while the Aura around his body began to continuously climb. As a series of subtle bone collision sounds rang out, his figure began to hunch, and his entire body folded forward, as if he had suddenly been bent at the waist.
Buzz!
Wildly dancing Qi waves roared and surged, and Demon General Shu He instantly completed his demonization at this moment. His entire being shot out like an arrow from a bow, his short blades appearing like a Dragon's cold glint.
With a clang, the iron blade scraped against Ji You's sword edge, sweeping horizontally upwards, and a streak of blood instantly splattered onto the snowy ground.
Ji You's clothes were torn, and there was a blade mark on his collarbone, but at this moment, he swung his sword, and powerful Sword Qi suddenly rose into the sky.
Indeed, just as Shu He thought, his speed was extremely lethal.
If one could only see him but not harm him, then no matter how clearly one saw him, it would be useless.
Therefore, what he needed was a fast sword, a fast sword that only pursued extreme speed.
And coincidentally, he really did have a fast sword.
With a clang, the iron sword once again chopped down fiercely. The speed of this sword was so fast that it was like a cold glint splashing, and even the snowflakes in the sky seemed still as the sword moved.
But as this sword fell, it did not cause the opponent to bleed profusely as before; instead, a clang of metal echoed throughout the garden.
The demonized Shu He held his blade and blocked his extremely fast sword, a hint of malice and anger flashing in his vertical pupils.
It greatly angered him that a demon known for its speed had to demonize to block a Human Race's sword.
Boom!
The short blade in his left hand came whistling through the wind, almost as fast as Ji You's sword, chopping down fiercely.
Ji You raised his sword to block, and then swung his sword, delivering a strike of Lingjian Mountain's Dao Sword, Gui Qu Lai.
In an instant, the clash between the short blade and the long sword was as dense as rain, sparks flying. But at this moment, Shu He suddenly felt a piercing pain from his chest. He quickly disengaged from the struggle with Ji You and looked down.
There was a sword mark on his chest, and blood was oozing out.
Shu He didn't understand, but his temper after demonization was clearly more volatile, and his extremely fast short blades instantly bloomed into countless silver flowers.
Pfft!
As Shu He felt a pain in his lower abdomen, another sword mark appeared on his body, making him feel an intense irritation and profound panic.
Tonight, many things had exceeded his expectations.
His whereabouts were easily discovered, his proud, extremely fast blade was intercepted multiple times, and even with continuous rapid attacks, he could only inflict superficial wounds.
The most terrifying thing was now: he hadn't even seen clearly, yet his body was already covered in sword wounds.
At this moment, Ji You stepped through the snow, his iron sword chopping down violently—it was that extremely fast sword again. Shu He, filled with shock and anger, swung his blade to block that sword, but then saw a wave of Sword Qi whistling towards him again.
?!
He had two swords!
No, three swords—
Shu He suddenly felt a pain in his back. He turned around in horror, only to see seven Spiritual Swords suddenly rising into the sky, their powerful Sword Qi and bright Sword Light almost illuminating the entire dark night.
And beneath that Sword Light, a face with bright golden eyes was illuminated.
At this moment, at the Princess's residence on the west side of Dengfeng Avenue.
At this moment, Feng Yang was looking solemnly in the direction of Yu Garden, a trace of disbelief flashing in her beautiful eyes.
Ever since the sounds of battle began to echo in the night, she knew that a riot had suddenly broken out in the city.
But the subsequent reports were the reason for the Yaozu Gongzhu's heart-shaking fear, because the reports said that
More than a dozen Demon Generals from the Scale Clan and Fang Clan had all taken advantage of the night to attack Yu Garden.
Some things are hard to think of if you don't pay attention at first, but once you do, you don't need to ask why.
The Scale Clan and Fang Clan had always been the strongest supporters of a counterattack on Kyushu. Their actions at this moment were undoubtedly a fuse for the Alliance between the Yao Race and the Barbarian Race.
Feng Yang recalled the man she had previously found repulsive, and at this moment, she suddenly understood why he had insisted on recovering his arm earlier in the day—
The reason he didn't say it explicitly was because she herself was a Yao Race.
So it wasn't frivolity, nor was it a disregard for life, Feng Yang pressed her cherry lips together thoughtfully.
That Human Race man had acted so strangely during the day because he had long ago anticipated a Killing Intent hidden beneath the night, yet he remained so composed.
“The Scale Clan and Fang Clan are acting without authorization. Are they not afraid of Father Emperor's displeasure?!”
Night Chill looked at his sister: “If the Human Race envoy group truly dies, then our Yao Race's counterattack on Kyushu will become a certainty. When war is about to break out, the four clans with the strongest combat power—Scale, Claw, Fur, and Fang—will naturally not be held accountable. Or rather, the Clan Chiefs of the Scale and Fang Clans have never feared death; they only fear not seeing Kyushu. This is their obsession.”
Feng Yang clenched her palms: “The Human Race had already made preparations beforehand; they will definitely not die.”
“I don't know what preparations you're talking about, but I heard Shu He went too.”
Princess Feng Yang turned to look at Night Chill: “Demon General Shu He?”
Night Chill nodded.
Hearing this, the Yaozu Gongzhu's expression became extremely solemn.
Every Scale Clan warrior had a great reputation, but Shu He among them was the most notorious because he was extremely skilled in assassination. Although his combat power was not strong, with his innate speed, every time he struck, there would be casualties.
This led to him always being the most marginalized warrior; besides the Scale Clan leader, many people were unwilling to approach him.
But it had to be admitted that if he targeted someone, it was almost equivalent to being sentenced to death in advance.
At this moment, Feng Yang's face was pale, as if she had already seen corpses strewn across Yu Garden, so she immediately stepped out and headed towards the Demon Emperor Palace.
Seeing this, Night Chill also immediately got up, taking a few guards under his command, and hurried to the Demon Emperor Palace.
At this moment, the majestic palace was like a giant beast in deep slumber, quietly lurking beneath the dense night, silent and still.
And on the way to the palace in this snowy night, a powerful Aura had slowly risen from the depths of the Imperial Palace.
Subsequently, the black palace became eerie and bustling. Countless soldiers in armor lined up in solemn rows before the grand hall, and three Heavenly Demon Generals, rarely seen on ordinary days, had also arrived.
Feng Yang stepped into the palace, directly passing through the ranks of soldiers, and saw that the Demon Emperor had already emerged from the depths of the palace, his gaze calmly fixed on the boundless dark night.
“Father Emperor, the Clan Chiefs of the Scale and Fang Clans have acted without authorization, taking advantage of the night to dispatch Demon Generals and Death Warriors to Yu Garden to assassinate the Human Race+”
The Demon Emperor looked down at his daughter: “I already know about this matter—”
Feng Yang knelt upon hearing this, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she said, “Please, Father Emperor, send troops to quell the unrest!”
The Demon Emperor stood with his hands behind his back: “They want to make a choice for Us; they can't be considered rebels.”
“Father Emperor, I know that the Clan Chiefs of the various tribes have always wanted to return to Kyushu and have never considered the Snow Region as home, but Feng Yang believes that even if there is war, it should be done openly and honorably, not like this.”
“Sometimes people push things forward, but sometimes, things also push people forward.”
The Demon Emperor murmured, then looked down at his daughter kneeling before the hall: “You and Night Chill, take the Demon Soldiers and Demon Generals before the hall and go to Yu Garden.”
Feng Yang immediately stood up and turned to look at the Imperial Guards before the hall, but before she could give the order, she heard the Demon Emperor's voice sound again from behind her.
“Feng Yang, do you know what I want you to do by leading the troops?”
Feng Yang turned to look at him: “Is it not to save the Human Race?”
After a long silence, the Demon Emperor spoke: “If the Human Race envoy group truly suffers casualties, then help Mule kill the rest completely, make it thorough. If not, then send all those involved tonight into the Cold Prison.”
Feng Yang trembled upon hearing this, her eyes widening. She hadn't expected her Father Emperor's decree to be like this: “Father Emperor—”
The Demon Emperor waved his hand, not letting her continue, and instead said,
“There's an ancient saying among the Human Race: 'Man proposes, Heaven disposes.' But We believe that sometimes, what man proposes isn't always contrary to what Heaven disposes.”
“Over these years, We have always tried to discern the Heavenly Dao's choice, but this time We want to see how the Heavenly Dao wants Us to choose. If the Heavenly Dao has never intended to favor Our Yao Race, then any choice Our Yao Race makes will be wrong. So, what happened tonight is also good.”
“If the Heavenly Dao wants Our Yao Race to fight, then We shall fight. If the Heavenly Dao does not want Our Race to fight, then We shall not fight. Things become simpler then.”
“So you don't need to say anything more, because this time it's not Our choice; it's Heaven's choice.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Yang clenched her fists, then led the Heavenly Demon Generals and Imperial Guards swiftly out of the city towards Yu Garden, but her heart felt utterly cold.
