Chapter Thirty-Seven: The True Colors Revealed
Utter chaos erupted within the solemn hall of Daqing Palace. Demonic artifacts gleamed with various ferocious lights, and demonic arts clashed, unleashing a dull roar. The slurping sound of sharp blades cutting through flesh, the screams of the dying, and angry battle cries instantly replaced the previous feigned calm.
"You Chi! Ao Li! You have indeed rebelled!" Jiu Ya suddenly stood up from the throne, and the domineering demonic power originating from the "Burning Marrow and Corroding Heart Technique" spread out with a bang, actually causing the first few rebel guards who rushed to the bottom of the throne steps to spit out blood and fly backward.
She locked onto the chaotic battle below, "Li Yue!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Li Yue, who had been standing silently behind Jiu Ya, was already poised to act.
"Protect the Emperor! Slay the traitor!"
"Yes, sir!" Li Yue roared, his voice shaking the palace. "Personal Guards! Shadow Guards! Form ranks! Prepare for battle!"
"kill!"
The shadow guards, disguised as ordinary attendants and lurking in the shadows of the palace, along with the loyal personal guards who had been steadfastly holding their posts, were drawn like sharpened blades in an instant. Their movements were synchronized and perfectly coordinated, forming small battle formations in a flash, fiercely protecting the throne platform and its surrounding area.
Loyal guards and rebellious assassins clashed, each step of the struggle accompanied by bloodshed and death.
Li Yue's goal was extremely clear—the Fourth Prince, Ao Li!
This fourth prince is not to be underestimated. He is the strongest among the former Demon Lord's offspring besides Qi Mu. At this moment, he is leading his most elite group of confidants straight toward the throne. Ordinary guards are no match for him.
"Ao Li! I am your opponent!" Li Yue leaped off the platform, his blade already slashing out mid-air, aiming straight for Ao Li's face.
"Get out of my way! You lowly servant!" Ao Li sneered, his demonic sword sweeping across, instantly clashing with Li Yue's blade energy.
A violent explosion of magical energy erupted between the two, the shockwave sending several demons engaged in the surrounding melee flying. Li Yue swayed slightly, landing firmly with his sword clenched as a rock. Ao Li, however, took a half-step back, a hint of surprise flashing across his face—was this puppet demon lord's personal guard captain really that powerful?
"Kill him for me!" Ao Li, not wanting to get entangled, ordered his trusted men to surround and attack Li Yue, while he himself wanted to pounce on Jiu Ya again.
"Your only opponent is me." Li Yue's blade flashed again, not only forcing back Ao Li's henchmen but also bringing him back into his attack range. Swords clashed wildly once more, the two locked in a fierce battle, sword energy and blade aura overflowing, making it impossible for ordinary demons to get close.
At the same time, Jiuya also made a move.
"Kunwu," she murmured to herself, as the dark red dagger silently slid into her palm.
An exceptionally tall demon general smashed through two guards who were trying to stop him, roared as he charged up the platform, and hurled his massive battle axe at Jiu Ya with tremendous force.
A hint of pride flashed in You Chi's eyes. These were the elite assassins he had painstakingly trained, born specifically to attack strong opponents and kill powerful enemies.
Jiu Ya's eyes narrowed, and she instantly activated the "Shadow Secret Sense Chapter" to its maximum. In her perception, the opponent's ferocious movements seemed to have slowed down slightly. The trajectory of the battle axe swings, the nodes of the demonic energy circulation, and even the faint gaps at the joints of the bone armor became clearly visible.
Instead of retreating, she advanced, narrowly avoiding the axe's slash by sidestepping the sharp blade. The force of the wind from the axe stung her cheek. At the same time, the magic power of the "Burning Marrow and Corroding Heart Technique" surged forth from her body, pouring entirely into the Kunwu Blade.
The Kunwu Blade emitted a pleasant, soft hum, and its originally simple blade suddenly glowed with a faint, dim light.
"Die!" the demon general roared, retracting his battle axe and slashing horizontally with a force powerful enough to split mountains and sever rivers.
But Jiuya was faster. Her figure was like a ghost. With the help of the prediction and movement techniques of the "Secret Knowledge of Shadows", she skimmed along the ground and passed under the battle axe. Her Kunwu Blade stabbed with perfect accuracy at a weak spot protected by the opponent's bone armor.
The demon general's pupils shrank sharply, clearly not expecting that Jiu Ya would not only dare to get close, but also find his weakness so accurately! He hurriedly went back to defend, but it was already a fraction too late.
The tip of the Kunwu Blade easily tore through the defense, piercing through the tough bone armor and penetrating deep into its body.
The demon general felt a terrifying, corrosive energy surge into his body from the spot where he was stabbed, frantically devouring and burning his demonic essence and life force.
Having landed a successful blow, Jiuya retreated swiftly without pausing, drawing her sword.
The demon general staggered a few steps, trying to give chase, but the scorching power within his body spread rapidly. In just two or three breaths, his massive body crashed to the ground, convulsing and losing its life force, with disbelief and terror still lingering in his eyes.
Although the surrounding area was filled with deafening shouts of battle, the demons from both sides who witnessed this scene near the throne were all momentarily stunned.
A powerful demon general at the peak of his strength was instantly killed by the Demon Lord in one move?
Yu Chi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. That was one of his strongest assassins! This puppet… when did this demoness's power become so terrifying?! That eerie blade, that domineering demonic art…
"May the Demon Lord be mighty!" Someone shouted first, and instantly, the loyal guards were greatly encouraged, roaring as they launched a fiercer counterattack against the rebels. The rebels, on the other hand, felt a chill and their offensive faltered.
Jiuya stood holding her sword, a drop of dark red blood slowly dripping from the tip of her Kunwu blade. She was slightly out of breath; the attack that had just struck, though seemingly effortless, had actually drawn upon a great deal of her mental and magical power. The backlash from the "Burning Marrow and Corroding Heart Technique" was also faintly felt, the sense of life slipping away lingering, but she forcibly suppressed it, scanning the battlefield, searching for her next target.
Her intervention greatly stabilized the high ground's defenses and even briefly suppressed the rebels' ferocity.
However, the rebels outnumbered their opponents and were mostly elite warriors, making them exceptionally fierce. Although You Chi and Ao Li were shocked by the strength displayed by Li Yue and Jiu Ya, they had no way out and could only frantically urge their men to attack. Guan Shanyue also hid nearby, constantly casting insidious spells and poisons to cause trouble for the loyal guards. If it weren't for the magical artifacts Qing Cheng had prepared beforehand, which largely neutralized their attacks, the casualties would likely have been even greater.
The battle reached a stalemate, with lives being lost every moment. Although the loyal guards were valiant, their defensive line began to crumble under the relentless attacks of the rebels, and casualties gradually increased.
The battle between Li Yue and Ao Li was extremely dangerous. Ao Li's swordsmanship was ferocious and his strength was astonishing, while Li Yue had the advantage of superb knife skills, rich experience, and a calm and tenacious spirit. Both of them had several wounds on their bodies, but they were still fighting fiercely and evenly matched.
Jiu Ya frowned slightly. If things continued like this, even if they ultimately won, their losses would be too great. When would Chang Dong's army arrive?
Just as the situation was gradually tilting towards a war of attrition, and hope was rekindled in the eyes of the rebels—
Outside the main hall, a series of heavy, thunderous footsteps suddenly sounded. The sound was so dense and so heavy that it seemed as if a vast army was closing in from all directions, causing the entire Daqing Hall to tremble slightly.
Immediately following were the sounds of weapons clashing violently, short and shrill screams, and the distinctive charge horns of the demon army.
"What's going on?!" You Chi's expression changed drastically, and he turned his head sharply towards the direction of the palace gate.
A blood-soaked general from Ao Li's army stumbled in from outside the palace gates, his face filled with terror and despair. He screamed hoarsely, "Your Highness! Grand Elder! Something terrible has happened! It's the Fifth Elder's army! They appeared suddenly, and our men... our men can't hold them off! The outer perimeter has completely collapsed! The palace is surrounded!"
"What?" Upon hearing this, Ao Li was greatly shocked, and his sword moves involuntarily slowed down.
How could Li Yue let such an opportunity slip by? The knife left a deep, bone-revealing wound on his shoulder blade, and blood spurted out.
"Ah!" Ao Li roared in pain, staggering backward, his face turning deathly pale. He wasn't shocked by his injuries, but rather despaired by the news—the garrison he had deployed outside the palace to block Chang Dong and control the situation had proven so utterly ineffective?
Just then, a loud voice clearly reached everyone's ears:
"By order of His Majesty! Suppress the rebellion! Those who surrender will be spared! Those who resist to the bitter end—kill them without mercy!"
It's Changdong! He came in person!
The moment the sound faded, the incredibly heavy doors of the Daqing Hall were violently pushed open from the outside by a tremendous force.
Outside the door, it was a dark mass of people.
The scene was filled with elite demon warriors clad in black armor, their ranks impeccably aligned, their killing intent palpable, their weapons still dripping blood. Leading them was the tall and imposing Changdong. Holding his battle sword, he surveyed the chaotic scene within the hall, his gaze finally settling on Jiuya, who stood before the throne, sword in hand, and gave her a slight nod.
Sunlight streamed in through the wide-open door, illuminating the pale, desperate faces of the rebels.
The appearance of Changdong's army completely shattered the rebels' last remaining psychological defenses. Ao Li's men were easily defeated on the outskirts, meaning that their last remaining source of military strength had also disappeared.
Clang!
It was unclear which of the rebel guards was the first to drop his weapon and kneel down, trembling.
Once there's a first, there's a second, a third...
Like a plague spreading, those coerced, wavering, and even originally fanatical rebels, under the intimidation of absolute force and the cry of "surrender and you will be spared death," all gave up resistance and knelt down to beg for mercy. Only a few die-hard loyalists, such as You Chi, Ao Li, and Guan Shanyue, continued to resist, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the ferocious warriors under Chang Dong's command and Li Yue's personal guards.
Yu Chi stared blankly at everything before him. His hundreds of years of hard work, his ambition to control the Demon Realm, his meticulously planned coup... all vanished in an instant.
"Pfft—" Overwhelmed by anger and rage, You Chi suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. His body swayed, and he almost collapsed to the ground. In his eyes, there was only endless despair and hopelessness.
The true nature of his plan was revealed, but the dagger in his hand seemed so laughable and so vulnerable in the face of the enemy's well-prepared army and swift and decisive tactics.
The battle inside the main hall was quickly quelled as the Changdong Legion gained control.
Jiuya slowly breathed a sigh of relief, her grip on the Kunwu Blade loosening slightly. She looked at the reliable figure at the doorway, a sense of security washing over her.
The overall situation is settled.
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