Chapter 348 - 212: 3 Trials

Chapter 348: Chapter 212: 3 Trials

"Junior Brother Su, you’re really something else!" Xu Chongyuan said excitedly. "That Lv Lake fellow actually caved."

"This is the most direct route to the Demon Court."

"Have you shown it to Mr. Zhu?" Su Mu asked, his expression calm.

’As expected.’

’As long as Lv Lake and Tushan Hanyu weren’t fools, they would know that continuing the stalemate would do them no good. Tushan Hanyu has already seen Ao Qing. She ought to realize that unless the Demon Court sends a Tier Five Demon or dispatches an army of Demon Soldiers, they won’t be able to harm the envoy in the slightest. If the Demon Court truly resorted to that, there would be no point in negotiating peace. Sending a Tier Five Demon or an army against the Da Xuan Envoy is no different from declaring war directly on Da Xuan.’

’To put it bluntly, from the very beginning, the Demon Court just wanted to put the Da Xuan Envoy in their place to gain the upper hand during the negotiations. Now that they know a show of force is impossible, they certainly won’t try any more petty tricks on the road—unless everyone in the Demon Court is an idiot.’

’As for any trouble that might arise in the Demon Court now that Ao Qing has been exposed...’

Su Mu was not afraid of the Demon Court targeting Ao Qing.

’The Ao Qing that Tushan Hanyu saw was a Tier Five Demon. Now, Ao Qing is a Tier Six Demon. If they really do target Ao Qing, Ao Qing will definitely give them a nasty surprise.’

Su Mu had always believed that as long as his strength grew fast enough, any trump cards he exposed would always be his old ones.

’Take now, for example. The Five Flames Heaven-Shaking Bow and the Wind and Thunder Wings are both trump cards I’ve already revealed. But the enemy definitely doesn’t know that I still have the Physical Divine Technique, Giant Body.’

A tenfold burst of power combined with his Indestructible Golden Body—even Su Mu himself found the thought terrifying.

"Mr. Zhu has seen it. He says there’s no problem with the route," Xu Chongyuan said. "So we don’t need to take a detour anymore? We’re heading straight for the Demon Court?"

"Straight to the Demon Court," Su Mu said flatly. "Time to meet the Master of the Demon Court, and that renowned Demon Court National Preceptor."

...

"This is Da Xuan. Like a centipede, it doesn’t fall even in death," Liang Jinglue said, his voice full of emotion. "An endless stream of talent emerges, each capable of extending Da Xuan’s life by decades. If our Demon Court had such a wealth of talent, would we still be trapped in this desolate wilderness?"

"National Preceptor, he’s just a single Taiping Captain. I could crush him with ease," a Demon Court General snorted. "Why are you boosting their morale and diminishing our own?"

"The fall of a single leaf heralds the coming of autumn," Liang Jinglue said calmly. "A single Taiping Captain is, of course, no cause for alarm. But you must look past this Captain and see what he represents."

The assembled Demon Court Generals all shook their massive heads, their eyes filled with confusion and dismissal.

’What does "represents" mean? Might makes right.’

However, without Liang Jinglue, the Demon Court would not be what it is today.

The demons had great faith in Liang Jinglue.

If Liang Jinglue said it, they believed it.

Back then, the National Preceptor said he would make the Taiping Bureau lose two Marquises, and what happened?

They really did succeed in killing two Marquises from the Taiping Bureau.

In the Demon Court, Liang Jinglue was practically a god.

"National Preceptor, we don’t understand what you’re saying, but with the Da Xuan Envoy being so arrogant, won’t it affect our negotiations?" one of the slightly more intelligent Demon Court Generals asked.

Targeting the Da Xuan Envoy was not their goal. Otherwise, for a small envoy of just over a hundred people, annihilating them would have been all too easy.

The reason they kept sending demons to ambush the Da Xuan Envoy was, ultimately, for the sake of the peace talks with Da Xuan.

Only by beating the members of the Da Xuan Envoy into submission would they not dare to refuse the Demon Court’s demands during negotiations.

But now, not only had they failed to intimidate them, they had made them even more arrogant.

The Demon Court Generals were now all silently cursing Tushan Hanyu.

’The National Preceptor’s lead disciple, and she hasn’t even learned a tenth of his skills!’

"It is of no concern," Liang Jinglue said lightly. "That was all merely icing on the cake. What ultimately decides everything is the national strength of Da Xuan versus the Demon Court.

"As long as we grasp Da Xuan’s weakness, we can be sure they will compromise.

"Before, I only intended to use the Da Xuan Envoy as a training exercise. In hindsight, that was a bit petty.

"But this way is also good. It lets Hanyu and the others see the gap between them and the young prodigies of Da Xuan, so they won’t get so arrogant in the future."

The Demon Court Generals all gazed at Liang Jinglue with admiration. They only half-understood what he said, but they could tell it was profound.

"I have already prepared three trials for them," Liang Jinglue said with complete confidence. "Three trials to decide three provinces. We will see if the Da Xuan Envoy has the courage to accept the challenge.

"If they don’t dare to accept, they will lose their momentum, and then they won’t be able to refuse the Demon Court’s other demands."

Negotiations are a battle of momentum. Whoever has the stronger presence will naturally reap greater rewards.

’Da Xuan Envoy, your real challenge has only just begun.’

Liang Jinglue’s eyes were deep and profound, a chilling aura emanating from his body.

...

The Demon Court possessed only a single city.

This city was built to be dozens of times larger than even the Da Xuan Capital City.

In truth, to call it a city wasn’t quite accurate.

It had no walls at all.

Along a great river in the desolate wilderness, countless palaces and houses were situated within a hundred-li radius.