Chapter 107
The demon guards below the platform reacted almost immediately. They rushed down with their weapons, and the two who had fallen to the ground stood up and immediately struck each other with their palms.
Shi Yunzhou watched all this unfold. He wasn't sure if he could trust Yue Ze, but now he had a powerful ally, and even if it was a trap, he had to jump in. He quickly reached the edge of the platform and set up a barrier to prevent the demon guards who came to support him from getting up.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xuanzhi focused his attention on the sacrificial altar. Taking advantage of Yue Ze's distraction of Chonghua, he stepped forward and destroyed all the formations on the altar. To his surprise, there was a barrier set up by Chonghua on it, and he suffered a backlash for destroying anything.
After he knocked everything off the altar and threw it to the ground, he himself collapsed to the ground, spitting out mouthfuls of blood, even bleeding from his nose.
Chonghua was furious to see his hard work destroyed. He angrily asked Yueze, "Why did you do this? Why?"
Yue Ze's physical condition was the same as Chong Hua's, but Chong Hua, currently consumed by anger, had temporarily suppressed his physical discomfort, and his strength had also increased to a higher level. Facing such an opponent, Yue Ze did not retreat; he only felt heartache: "Don't you know why I did this? Chong Hua, look at yourself now, do you still resemble a demon lord?"
Chonghua, however, was unwilling to listen to anything. He drew his sword and lunged at Yue Ze. The two resumed their fight, their attacks so rapid that Zhou Xuanzhi could barely see them. Meanwhile, Shi Yunzhou, hearing the commotion behind him, knew the situation was dire. But he couldn't turn back now; if he stopped, the demon guards would immediately counterattack.
Seeing the wounded Demon Lord and the traitorous demon within the barrier, the guards fought back desperately. Shi Yunzhou didn't know how much longer he could hold out, but he was still grateful to Chonghua. If Chonghua hadn't imprisoned him in the demon realm, his spiritual energy wouldn't have been constantly circulating to fight against the demonic energy, and his strength would have surged at that moment.
Even so, it was a pipe dream to fight against so many people with two hundred years of cultivation; he might collapse at any moment. Fortunately, his senior brother had destroyed all the magic arrays on the sacrificial altar, interrupting the ceremony and ensuring the safety of the people.
He was still using his spiritual power to maintain this fragile barrier, while the battle situation behind him had already changed.
Yue Ze was knocked away by Chong Hua and crashed into Shi Yunzhou's barrier. Because the barrier was severely damaged from the inside, a trace of blood spilled from Shi Yunzhou's mouth.
Looking at the destroyed altar, Chonghua reached out and grabbed Zhou Xuanzhi by the neck. He deeply regretted his soft heart; if only he had killed the two of them back then.
He said fiercely, "You actually ruined this opportunity! Do you know that your master is lying up there!"
Zhou Xuanzhi, already severely injured, now had a flushed face. He grabbed Chonghua's wrist and gripped it tightly. Taking advantage of Chonghua's current focus on him, he had to create this opportunity for Shi Yunzhou. At the same time, three slender needles, conjured from spiritual energy, pierced towards Chonghua's back. But the three needles shattered the moment they touched Chonghua's clothes.
Seeing all this, Zhou Xuanzhi couldn't help but think that he was really stupid. He had fought his way up to this position in the Demon Clan. How could he have been safe all this time? His clothes were magical artifacts, extremely powerful magical artifacts. No amount of sneak attacks or hidden weapons could harm him in the slightest.
Chonghua looked at Shi Yunzhou, who had freed one hand to look in their direction, and said sarcastically, "Those lowly demonic cultivators really didn't teach you anything good."
Seeing that he seemed to intend to harm his junior brother, Zhou Xuanzhi's hair ribbon suddenly appeared in his hand, and he quickly tied one of Chonghua's hands together. The other end was connected to the sacrificial altar.
Immortal disciples naturally possess magical artifacts. For example, the headband worn by disciples of Tianyu Mountain is a magical artifact that can automatically record what the disciple encounters during their training trips down the mountain. No matter what kind of damage they suffer, even if the disciple is reduced to ashes, the headband will not disappear.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhou Xuanzhi quickly scrambled away, stumbling to Shi Yunzhou's side. Chonghua, left behind, stared at the hairband with confusion. A disciple of a cultivation sect had bound him with a hairband? When he tried to withdraw his hand, he discovered that the hairband was truly extraordinary; magical attacks were ineffective against it.
Seeing the disciples of the immortal sects who were hanging up, it seemed that they also had the same headbands, which appeared to be unique to the disciples of Tianyu Mountain. However, this thing naturally had its drawbacks. Even if magical attacks were ineffective, he could simply use his sword without any magic to lightly slice through the headbands.
“Your Tianyu Mountain disciples haven’t taught themselves how to face enemies, but you’ve thoroughly studied these ingenious techniques,” Chonghua said, moving his wrist.
The injuries he sustained in the battle with Yueze seemed nonexistent to him. Yueze had just managed to stand up when Chonghua launched another attack.
Shi Yunzhou was still maintaining the barrier, while Zhou Xuanzhi didn't even have the strength to stand up. As he watched Chonghua's sword thrust towards him, he closed his eyes.
At that moment, Shi Yunzhou's spiritual power was exhausted, the barrier shattered, and the demon guards rushed up. Half of them surrounded Chonghua, while the other half surrounded Shi Yunzhou and Zhou Xuanzhi, who were closest to them.
The guards, who were loyal to Chonghua, stopped in their tracks in front of Yueze. They didn't know how to deal with this person who had betrayed his lord, who was now a meritorious official who had helped Chonghua ascend to the throne.
The two brothers were mentally prepared to be killed in this situation, but Yue Ze appeared quite relaxed. This was probably the kind of mental fortitude that their master spoke of, the kind of person who must possess to be in a high position.
Shi Yunzhou and Zhou Xuanzhi posed no threat to Chonghua; his greatest hatred now lay with Yue Ze. He couldn't understand why Yue Ze would betray him, especially at this crucial moment.
Surrounded by guards, he walked up to Yue Ze and gestured for them to have some space.
"Why?"
Yue Ze looked at the several immortal disciples who were still hanging up and said, "When you first came to the Demon Realm, do you remember?"
Chonghua didn't speak, he continued to ask, "Why?"
"Because you've changed, or rather, I never truly saw your true colors from the beginning!" Yue Ze pointed angrily at the demon guards and said, "Put your hand on your conscience and tell me, what do you consider these people? From the moment you wanted to enter the human world, you should have known how many people have died here!"
During this period, not only the immortal sects but also the demon race suffered heavy casualties. Their home, the Boundless Realm, had been captured by the immortal sects, and the door to their return had been closed; they could not go back.
Chonghua smiled and asked the guard beside him, "Are you willing to stay in the mortal realm? From now on, our home will no longer be the Boundless Realm, but the mortal realm!"
"Your subordinates are naturally willing." These days, everyone has been enjoying the resentment of the human world and sucking the blood and flesh of mortals.
Having tasted the flesh and blood of mortals, who would want to return to the Boundless Realm? They all shouted in unison, "We are willing!"
Chonghua spread his hands, "Listen to this cry! Everyone wants to stay here."
These people were all his compatriots, and Yue Ze couldn't bear to see them sink deeper and deeper. The capable people in the immortal sect hadn't even come out of the mountains yet, and now these junior disciples with only a few hundred years of cultivation had already caused them to suffer heavy casualties. When those capable people came out, the demon race might be wiped out.
As for Chonghua... Yueze now only regrets that he misjudged people and helped this madman sit in this position.
"You're only acting out of selfishness. Do you think this woman will be on your side once she wakes up? Based on what you've done, she'll kill you the moment she wakes up!"
Yue Ze was unwilling to give up. Thinking of his friendship with Chonghua, he continued, unwilling to accept defeat, "You're willing to die for this woman, that's fine. But what about these brothers? Why should they support your feelings for Shi Wanqing?"
"The capital's barrier is protected by the emperor, and we cannot budge it in the slightest. But what about you, Chonghua? You were originally just a human. If you desire this mortal realm, why don't you conquer the capital? With the emperor dead, the forces of resistance will naturally diminish. Why don't you lead your men into that city?"
When the capital was mentioned, Chonghua's expression as he looked at Yueze became intriguing.
"You've said too much." Chonghua turned away; he didn't want to hear about the capital from Yueze. He raised his hand, signaling the guards to seize this traitor.
But Yue Ze came here today with a death wish. He continued, "Because you're afraid! You'll only realize when you get to the capital that you and that woman are from two different worlds. Even if you pass the imperial examination, you'll never be able to have her!"
There are some rumors circulating among the demons about the story of the Venerable Lord and Shi Wanqing from the immortal sect, but no one knows the specific details. The Venerable Lord fell from mortal to demon and initially had a very difficult time in the demon realm. Many people mocked the Venerable Lord for overestimating himself by falling in love with a female disciple from the immortal sect.
But after the Lord's uprising succeeded, all those who had mocked him for this matter died, and those who knew the inside story were unwilling to say more. Now that Yue Ze has revealed these things to everyone, he probably won't live much longer, even though he was once a meritorious official.
"Your so-called 'Shi Wanqing flatters the powerful and belittles the weak' is just an excuse. You want to stand at the same level as her, but the path you've taken..." Yue Ze's words were interrupted by Chong Hua, who angrily shouted, "Shut up!"
Zhou Xuanzhi and Shi Yunzhou were just surrounded. They never expected to hear such words before they died. They had heard about the ill-fated relationship between their master and Chonghua before, but they did not expect that there were more details they did not know.
The version they had originally heard was that Chonghua was forced into demonic possession. But Yueze just now implied that Chonghua voluntarily and actively became a demon. Those who spread rumors about their master having affairs with wealthy and powerful families in the capital—even though their master is dead, they're still being framed for such things. Those who spread these rumors have no moral compass whatsoever.
Chonghua's eyes were bloodshot. He snatched a knife from the guard beside him and slashed directly at Yue Ze. Yue Ze didn't dodge. With one strike, Yue Ze's shoulder blade and collarbone were severed, and blood gushed out instantly, staining his clothes red.
"Out of embarrassment and anger." Yue Ze met Chonghua's angry gaze and said, word by word, "Chonghua, look at yourself now, what do you look like?"
Chonghua, of course, wouldn't listen to anything. He watched anxiously as the dark clouds in the sky dissipated and the sun was about to rise. He went to the altar, rearranged the previous formation, and wiped the offerings with a clean part of his clothes.
He continued activating the formation, but Shi Wanqing on the bed showed no reaction. If it weren't for this unexpected event, Shi Wanqing would have woken up by now. Ignoring everyone's gaze, he ran to Shi Wanqing's side and whispered something.
Zhou Xuanzhi and Shi Yunzhou were too far away to hear anything. However, seeing Chonghua's reckless attitude, they thought that cooperating with the demons wasn't necessarily out of the question.
They focused their attention on Yue Ze, who was a phantom demon. If they couldn't handle Yue Mingke, then none of the guards present could handle Yue Ze.
Two burning gazes gradually calmed Yue Ze down. He looked at the two immortal sect disciples, wondering if they could even read his lips and hear him say "cast a spell." Even at this point, these immortal sect disciples were still causing trouble.
However, their idea was also correct. They were Shi Wanqing's disciples, and when Shi Wanqing returned, they could explain things to the demons. At least those present would one day be able to return to their homes in the Boundless Realm.
Their subtle interaction was naturally observed by the guards, who, seeing their lord's current state, were unsure what to do. Since the lord hadn't mentioned punishment, he was still considered a meritorious official of the demon race. The lord had previously instructed them to keep an eye on these people, so one guard stepped in front of Yue Ze, saying, "Please, sir, don't interact with them!"
As the guard spoke, he caught sight of Yue Ze's eyes. He suddenly remembered that this man was from the Illusion Demon Clan, but it was a little too late to realize it now...
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