Invincibility starts when I see the BOSS health bar.

Chapter 920 Messenger

"An envoy from the Demon City?!"

These four words caused all the demons to pause in surprise.

Within the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty, there has never been a shortage of demons who have established their own settlements and towns.

But... none of them lasted long, and they were all destroyed by the Great Xia Dynasty's military campaigns in a very short time.

The fact that the Demon City was not only established but has stood there for so long without being destroyed is itself incredible.

What's even more alarming is that not only was the Demon Capital established, but it was also not destroyed by the Great Xia Dynasty's army, and its envoys were even able to enter the capital safely...

The profound meaning behind this is chilling upon closer examination!
The power displayed by the demon capital probably far exceeds their previous imagination.

"I have also heard of the envoy from the Demon Capital."

One of the demons cautiously replied, "But what can it possibly do now that it has suddenly appeared at this turbulent time? Can it possibly solve the masked man's problem for us?"

"Naturally, it's not that simple."

That calm voice carried the wisdom of someone who understood the current situation.

"You all know perfectly well that with the combined strength of us today, no matter how ferocious the masked man is, he cannot fundamentally harm us in the short term. Otherwise, we would have already overturned this chessboard! The real issue lies in... the attitude of humanity! Is the masked man merely an out-of-control accident? A tentative probe? Or... the beginning of a complete purge?!"

The last sentence was like an ice pick piercing my heart.

If the higher-ups in humanity truly intend to carry out a thorough purge, then the masked man is indeed just the beginning.

It can be a masked man, or any "knife" pushed to the forefront, continuously sweeping away and eliminating the demons in the capital!

We must find a way to protect ourselves!

In the darkness, a voice spoke the thoughts of all the demons, spreading a heavy pressure.

"So... what are the envoys from the Demon Capital's opinions?" a demon asked tentatively.

"We are still in the initial stages of contact, and the overall plan is not yet clear."

The demon in charge frankly stated, "But we can perhaps guess their intentions. The demon capital is newly established, and although it has the strength to tear a hole in the Great Xia territory, its foundation is inevitably shallow. In the end, what they lack most is powerful and experienced demons like us to oversee it!"

Its gaze slowly swept over pairs of eyes that gleamed with an eerie light in the darkness.

"I'm just throwing this out there to get the ball rolling. If... if the higher-ups in Beijing are really determined to settle things, we'll have nowhere left to go here."

"Then, Chengdu might be a viable escape route! More importantly, with Chengdu as our backing, even if we ultimately have to break ties with Beijing, we'll have room to maneuver and won't be driven into a corner!"

To tear off all pretenses? The very thought carries immense weight!

How deep are the waters in the capital? Which of the demons here doesn't know?
Putting everything else aside, the unfathomable protective forces at the top of the capital city alone are not something they can easily contend with.

However... since the Demon Capital was able to establish itself within the Great Xia territory, it proved that the Great Xia Dynasty, at least at this stage, was helpless against it!

From this perspective... the escape route to the Demon Capital seems to be more than just a mirage.

"But... has the situation really deteriorated to the point where a complete break with the people of the capital is necessary?"

Some demons still clung to hope and tried to back down, thinking, "Ultimately, the problem lies with the masked man..."

"Wait a minute!"

The long-tongued demon reacted extremely quickly, a glint of light flashing in its eyes.

“Strictly speaking, that envoy from the Demon Capital is neither a demon of the capital nor bound by the agreement between humans and demons in the capital! If it were to step forward and resolve the trouble caused by this masked man… wouldn’t it be a logical step to discuss cooperation afterward? What do you all think?”

This suggestion was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds, instantly winning the approval of most of the demons. They exchanged glances and nodded silently.

The problem is that……

"As far as I know,"

A demon raised a practical dilemma: "That envoy from the demon capital seems to be... under house arrest in the deep palace? His movements must be quite inconvenient, right?"

"This is where we'll need to step in!"

The long-tongued demon had a clear mind.

"If we wish to cooperate with them, we must first show our sincerity. If the envoy from the Demon Capital's movements are restricted, we will try to create some space for him to move freely! If we can successfully resolve the masked man's problem through this, everyone will be happy. Even if the situation worsens..."

It paused meaningfully.

"Whether the envoys of the Demon Capital can move freely is also crucial to our future!"

After a secret discussion and weighing the pros and cons, most of the demons finally nodded in the darkness, approving of this expedient measure.

When a crisis is imminent, self-preservation is the top priority.

Since the human family tacitly approves of, and even condones, the masked people's slaughter of domesticated demons, these demons, who have not been affected but have already deeply felt the danger of losing their own kind, naturally have to find another way to survive.

"Therefore, I will be in charge of making in-depth contact with the envoy from the Demon Capital."

That steady voice took on the heavy responsibility.

"good!"

"Good work!"

"Be careful!"

After the demons offered their advice in a cacophony of voices, the secret gathering, filled with anxiety and scheming, quickly dispersed, their figures disappearing back into the boundless darkness, leaving only a chilling aftertaste.

The demons of the capital city are known for their "rule-abiding" nature.

Meanwhile, humanity has long maintained a facade of peace and harmony.

The two sides have cooperated for many years, and it is rare for such a tragedy as the successive deaths of demons to occur.

However, beneath this facade of "following the rules" lies a fragile balance maintained by enormous interests.

When one's own safety is blatantly threatened, when the butcher's knife is hanging over one's head, the dormant ferocity will eventually be awakened.

They have been well-behaved for far too long... so long that some humans seem to have forgotten that every figure gathered here at this moment has the blood of an extremely ferocious and violent demon flowing in their veins!

If the day truly comes when the true colors are revealed and all is lost... the resulting bloodshed will surely shake the entire capital and even the entire Great Xia Dynasty!

That scene was definitely not as simple as just "not very pretty".

The powerful demon responsible for relaying messages and making secret contacts embarked on a perilous journey to contact the envoy from the demon capital, his heart heavy with trepidation.

A strong sense of unease lingered in its heart, refusing to dissipate.

It clearly sensed that beneath the seemingly calm sky of the capital, an invisible storm was rapidly gathering. A suffocating feeling, like the calm before the storm, was pressing heavily on every corner.

……

The Foolish Underworld, the Great Prison.

The damp, decaying air, thick with the stench of blood and excrement, felt like a viscous liquid, heavily clogging every nostril.

This is the other side of the glamorous facade, a festering, pus-filled wound beneath the surface of the capital's prosperity.

“Ahhhhhh——!!!”

A piercing, inhuman scream echoed intermittently, yet seemed to come endlessly from the darkest depths of the prison.

Like the wails of tormented demons in the depths of hell, the sound echoed and collided repeatedly between the cold stone walls, eventually turning into a chilling background noise. Following the sound, in a torture chamber, the pale light of a torch flickered, barely illuminating a figure suspended by iron chains in the center—Song Zhenrong.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
The crisp, chilling sound of whipping is the main melody of this hellish symphony.

That was no ordinary leather whip, but a specially made barbed blood whip!
With each swing, the tough whip tore through the air, whistling sharply as it bit into flesh!

As the whip tip curls back, countless fine barbs cruelly tear off large chunks of flesh and blood, accompanied by a muffled "plop" sound and the victim's suppressed groans of pain.

In just a few moments, Song Zhenrong's already tattered clothes were completely stained dark red.

It clung tightly to his scarred, bloodied body.

New wounds overlapped with old ones, and beneath the rolled-up flesh, one could even faintly see the white bone fragments.

The left hand, missing a finger, hung limply.

With each lash, his body would convulse violently as if struck by an electric current.

Large beads of sweat mixed with blood rolled down his contorted, pale face.

Snapped! !

Another lash, precisely striking near his shoulder blade, the barbs scraping past and kicking up a cloud of blood.

This time, Song Zhenrong simply stiffened his body abruptly, let out a very low whimper like a dying wild beast, and then did not react further.

He clenched his teeth so tightly that blood seeped from his gums from the excessive force.

Those bloodshot eyes stared coldly at the figure wielding a whip in the shadows ahead, their gaze burning with unyielding rage and deep-seated hatred.

"Tsk tsk tsk, even if you glare your eyes out, it won't change anything."

In the shadows, the executioner was Lord Zhu.

That face, which looked particularly sinister in the flickering firelight, wore an almost gleeful, smiling expression.

He appreciated Song Zhenrong's suffering as if he were admiring a meticulously crafted work of art.

"I was just following the orders of Master Qian and doing my job properly."

Hall Master Qian!
Below the Lord of the Prefecture, the Hall Master is the most respected!
Within the vast power pyramid of the Capital City's Foolish Underworld, the will of the Hall Master is an inviolable iron law.

He was just a lowly executioner, nothing more than a henchman carrying out orders.

As for this former captain who came from some obscure little town?
They were utterly insignificant, like fish on a chopping board, at his mercy.

Torture? That's the standard procedure.

However, the "fish" in front of me was unexpectedly tough!
Perhaps because they belonged to the same Yudifu system, Song Zhenrong had an amazing tolerance and psychological preparation for common torture methods.

They actually withstood this torment that would have driven an ordinary person to a mental breakdown.

Lord Zhu licked his dry lips, his eyes showing not frustration but rather a stronger interest.

The capital city is the origin of the cruel torture techniques of the Foolish Underworld!

Many innovative and terrifying methods originated here and then spread to other places.

He has plenty of time and a constant stream of "art" to slowly wear down this tough nut.

If it weren't for Master Qian's strict order to keep someone alive to extract information, he would have already shown Song Zhenrong what a true "hell on earth" was like.

To keep someone alive and experience boundless suffering without actually killing them... this is a delicate and challenging art!

Master Zhu wholeheartedly agreed and found great enjoyment in it.

"Lord Zhu, I told you, I know nothing."

Song Zhenrong spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse and dry.

With each word he uttered, his chapped lips were stretched and cracked, blood trickling down the corners of his mouth.

The intense pain felt like countless red-hot steel needles piercing his nerves.

Even the most resilient martial artist's willpower is nearing its limit.

But the secret the other party kept asking about was about his sister Song Xi, about Ding Hui, and about Fang Yu.

That was a taboo subject he would rather give up his life than utter a single word about!

"Captain Song, why are you doing this to yourself?"

Lord Zhu shook his head with feigned regret, but his smile became increasingly insincere.

"As someone within the Yudifu system, you have a clear understanding of the local records. It's just a matter of time before we can access them. Once the records arrive, we can dig up every grave in your family, not just your closest relatives and friends, but even the burial sites of your ancestors for eighteen generations!"

Song Zhenrong's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

How could he not know?
As the former captain of the Foolish Underworld, his file information was almost semi-public within the Foolish Underworld. He never thought of betraying the organization, so there was no need for him to deliberately hide or falsify anything.

Who would have thought that I would be betrayed by the organization I served!
However, the fact that the foolish underworld in the capital is still using torture to interrogate them means that they have not yet obtained the underworld documents!

Otherwise, why go through all this trouble? His silence and resistance at this moment are buying him time!
Moreover... a bittersweet hope welled up in Song Zhenrong's heart.

His family consists of only one younger sister, Song Xi.

According to external records, the younger sister had already "passed away due to illness."

Although Ding Hui took her away, Song Xi's condition was already beyond saving in the eyes of outsiders at that time.

Even if the other party checks the records, they will only find the result that "Song Xi is dead".

Unless... they dig deeper and implicate Ding Hui!
This is Song Zhenrong's deepest fear at this moment.

Once Ding Hui is exposed, her sister's safety will be in grave danger!

The fact that the Foolish Underworld dared to use such cruel torture on him, one of their own, suggests that something has happened on his sister's side that has angered the Foolish Underworld.
We cannot say a word! We must not give any response! We must not leak any information!
Song Zhenrong's eyes regained their unwavering determination, a resolute look that disregarded life and death.

"Sigh, I really admire Captain Song's tough character."

Master Zhu sighed insincerely, his affected tone nauseating.

"But... it's pointless. Actually, a quarter of an hour ago, that Miss Linghu next door already explained your background very clearly, didn't she?"

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, observing Song Zhenrong's reaction.

Song Zhenrong's eyes widened in anger instantly, and a surge of hot blood rushed to his head!

But the next second, strong reason forcefully suppressed the impulse.

If Linghu Xiang had really told him everything, then he should have stopped interrogating her long ago and moved on to the next step!

Moreover, based on his understanding of Linghu Xiang, she was definitely not someone who could be subdued by mere torture!
This must be a scam!

"I don't know what you're talking about," Song Zhenrong said in a cold and steady voice.

"Hey hey hey!"

Master Zhu let out a smug, strange laugh, as if he had seen through his thoughts.

(End of this chapter)