Chapter 1150 - 235: On a Knife’s Edge! (Second Update)

Chapter 1150: Chapter 235: On a Knife’s Edge! (Second Update)

On the banks of the Menglan River, the calm surface flowed with pitch-black water.

Following the course of the river ran the Demon Clan’s winding, towering walls, holding off the assaults of invaders. Beyond the walls, as far as the eye could see in the distance, lay the continuous mountain ranges of the Demon Realm.

There, a cave abode had been temporarily opened up. The abode was not small, yet not large either. The space within was enough to hold around ten people.

The cave roof rose and fell unevenly, droplets of water dripping down, from time to time making a "tick-tock" sound within the abode.

It was very quiet inside, so quiet it was as if no one were there.

Yet, deep within the cave, on a protruding flat slab of stone, a man sat cross-legged.

His whole body was enshrouded by dense, black Demonic Qi, hiding his features and form. But the aura he released spread out from the abode, covering the skies above the banks of the Menglan River, making none dare show the slightest disrespect.

This overwhelming pressure had already shrouded the Menglan River banks for over ten years.

Yet even after more than a decade, the Demon Soldiers and Demon Generals stationed here had grown accustomed to it. Under this pressure, they went about the tasks they were meant to do.

That pressure was constantly reminding them that a supremely exalted figure—their king of the Demon Realm—was in seclusion here, cultivating.

The pressure extended all the way to the opposite bank of the Menglan River.

That was the place the Alien Race passed through every time they appeared. There, chaotic spatial turbulence swirled. Over these ten-odd years, whenever any scouts of the Alien Race appeared, attempting to probe the situation in the Demon Realm, they were all frightened off by this terrifying pressure.

Some, stubbornly refusing to submit, continued to approach the banks of the Menglan River, only to self-detonate beneath the walls and blossom into blood. In their final moments, they saw the mocking, ridiculing expressions of the Demons.

Such deterrence had made the banks of the Menglan River exceptionally tranquil over these ten-plus years.

"General, this decade of peace is about to make me forget what battle feels like." A Demon General on the wall spoke with emotion to Yuan Feng, the Commander of Demon Generals stationed at the Menglan River.

Yuan Feng cast him a faint glance, then said in his rough, booming voice, "Don’t fail to appreciate the blessing you’re in. In recent years the Alien Race has grown ever more cunning, their ambition even greater. Your Majesty is worried that something might go wrong while he’s in seclusion, so he is personally holding the line, keeping this region at peace."

"Your Majesty’s worrying too much. Even if the Alien Race really did launch an assault, aren’t there still the Vassal Lords?" the Demon General said dismissively.

But Yuan Feng saw far clearer than he did. "The Vassal Lords each have territories of their own to govern. Maintaining peace and stability throughout the Demon Realm is their primary duty. Besides, you and I have been stationed here for years. In the battles led by the Vassal Lords, which victory wasn’t a narrow one? Defeats have happened as well."

As he spoke, Yuan Feng clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the wall, grinding his teeth as he cursed, "Those damned Alien Races! They’re getting harder and harder to deal with."

Over these years, he had discovered that the Alien Race seemed to be evolving at a rapid pace. They grew ever stronger, ever more cunning, far more difficult to handle than in the past.

"Who says otherwise? Those Alien Races are something else, glaring at our Demon Clan without letup. On the Divine Clan’s side, it’s all just minor little skirmishes." The Demon General complained.

Yuan Feng shook his head. "Not entirely. News came not long ago that the Alien Race launched a vicious sneak attack on the Divine Land as well. But those of the Divine Clan act each for themselves. By the time they reacted and rushed over, the Alien Race had already withdrawn. They could only suffer a hidden loss. It’s said the casualties were severe—a city that housed two Divines and ten Mortals was completely slaughtered."

The Demon General was shocked. "When did this happen?"

Yuan Feng smiled with sarcasm. "It’s no wonder you don’t know. As soon as the incident occurred, it was immediately suppressed by the Divine Domain. They said they didn’t want to disturb the people’s hearts or cause panic. If not for our Demon Clan’s heaven-reaching methods, we wouldn’t have known about it either."

"Hmph, the Divine Clan has always been best at putting a false gloss of peace over everything." The Demon General sneered in ridicule.

On this point, Yuan Feng nodded in full agreement.

"Actually, I still think Your Majesty is worrying too much. Even if the Vassal Lords can’t match the Alien Race, don’t we still have the Princess? That last battle where the Princess led the army—I watched it with my blood boiling. In my heart I just felt that as long as we followed the Princess, we wouldn’t lose, and we could slaughter the Alien Race to the last!" The Demon General said excitedly.

"Shh!" Yuan Feng cautiously cut off his deputy. He said, "I’ve heard the Princess has not been in the Demon Realm for some time now."

The Demon General stared, tongue-tied, as if he had never imagined such an answer.

After a short while, he finally muttered, "With the Princess gone, no wonder Your Majesty doesn’t feel at ease about the border warfare here and is personally suppressing it."

"This has its benefits as well. By halting the Alien Race’s incursions, Your Majesty can also cultivate in seclusion with peace of mind." Yuan Feng said.

The Demon General nodded in agreement, his gaze turning to the black waters of the Menglan River.

Suddenly, he voiced his puzzlement. "In the past, whenever there was no war, the Menglan River would turn clear and beautiful. But these ten-plus years, although no battles have broken out, the river’s water has remained black as ink. What on earth is going on?"

Yuan Feng did not hear this murmur.

But even if he had, he would have had no answer to give. In the end, with everything presently calm, even if some doubt arose in one’s heart, it would only flash by in an instant and would not be pursued deeply.

...

Night slowly fell.

Under the curtain of night, the banks of the Menglan River seemed to merge with the sky, indistinguishable one from the other.

On the far bank of the Menglan River, the weak point of the barrier between the Divine Clan and the Demon Clan emitted a faint halo, dimming and brightening by turns, no different from usual.

Then, at this moment, a small opening slowly appeared on the barrier. A figure flashed through quickly, followed by several more figures slipping out one after another.

By the time the opening closed, seven figures had appeared on the Demon Realm’s side.

In the darkness, their shapes could not be clearly seen. Masks covered their faces, concealing their features.

"Hmph, with our status, we actually have to sneak around like this." One of them spoke in a muffled voice, his tone heavy with displeasure.

Another said, "We’ve come to carry out an assassination. If we arrived with great fanfare, how could we strike from the shadows?"

"Indeed. An assassination is not a glorious undertaking. Since we’ve concealed our faces, it’s because we don’t wish our identities exposed. So let’s not put on any Divine Emperor airs." Someone chimed in.

"A junior, and yet we must all act together against him. What an honor for him." The first speaker remained dissatisfied.

Someone reminded him, "This generation’s Demon Lord is indeed our junior. But don’t forget, his talent is nothing short of monstrous. At a young age, his Cultivation has already surpassed yours and mine. Otherwise, why would we fear him, and seize this chance to eliminate him?"