I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

"Not the Demon King's army? Then what is it?"

Does the Demon Race have a labor dispatch army? A third-party outsourced force? Or is Demon King Malbaz just a mascot?

Legolas seemed to sense his confusion and explained, "They are several independent tribal armies, each only obeying their own chieftain. The Demon King has no right to directly mobilize them."

Ji Tian raised an eyebrow: "Isn't the Demon King the king of the demon race? Would he allow an army that is not under his control to exist?"

Anna picked up the thread, "The Demon King is indeed the king of the demon race, but the scope of power associated with the title of Demon King may be much narrower than you think."

The demon race is not a monolithic entity. Various races have their own territories and armies in the demon realm. Excluding the demon priests, the chieftains of some powerful races are second only to the demon king in status.

They only periodically pay tribute to the Demon King's castle and send hostages; they don't usually obey the Demon King's orders, only deploying troops when their own interests align with the Demon King's. Most of the time, they operate only near their own territories, and even clash with each other.

Alright, so they're a labor dispatch army, and the clan leader is directly connected to the Demon King, right?

Ji Tian then looked at Lilith, the former daughter of the Demon King, and found that she also had an expression of "learning something new".

There is a kind of beauty that has not been tainted by knowledge, a pure and untainted beauty.

Actually, Lilith can't be blamed for this. She was protected in the Demon King's castle since childhood and was exposed to court etiquette, portraits and books. She knew very little about the actual workings of the outside world. It's normal that she felt both unfamiliar and new when listening to Anna talk about common sense that she had never been allowed to access.

Ji Tian gestured for Anna to continue.

"The Demon King possesses the ability to transform the entire Demon King's Castle and everything within it into his own power, which is the true deterrent of the Demon King's position. But precisely because of this, few powerful demons at the level of Grand Magister or above are willing to stay in the Demon King's Castle."

It seems that "The Demon King's Castle Has Risen" is a realistic style here.

Ji Tian nodded thoughtfully: "Because staying in the city is tantamount to turning yourself into a source of power for the Demon King?"

"Yes, once they enter the Demon King's castle, the magic within them will be drawn by the Demon King's authority."

Although it wouldn't have much of an impact under normal circumstances, once the Demon King unleashes his power, the entire city would become part of him. Naturally, those powerful individuals were unwilling to take that risk, so most of the princes in the Demon King's city were only at the level of Archmage.

"The Flame Demons who launched this attack are the most warlike tribe. They are born with a love for battle and destruction and can rush to the battlefield without any reason. The leader of the army is the strongest of the younger generation of the Flame Demons."

The Shadow Demons, however, are different. They were the first tribe to swear allegiance to the current Dark Lord Malbazar after his ascension to the throne, specializing in infiltration, stealth, and assassination. This time, the Shadow Demon chieftain did not attend in person; he may be hiding in the shadows.

Legolas added, "The Shadow Fiend's stealth abilities are so advanced that even the elves' senses can hardly detect it. We still cannot confirm whether the Shadow Fiend chieftain has arrived."

"What about the patriarch of the Flame Demon Clan?" Ji Tian asked.

Legolas said with the composure typical of elves, "The Balrog clan's chieftain, the Balrog Grand Duke, has reached the level of a Grand Magister. The Balrog Grand Duke is the type who might unleash forbidden spells once he gets into a fight, which is why the Demon King has strictly forbidden him from leaving the Demon Realm."

"..."

"As expected of someone who cultivates fire, fitting the stereotypes of the new generation of online novelists."

Upon hearing this, Ji Tian had a vague idea: "Could it be that the one leading this Flame Demon army is already..."

"Yes, he was killed by your sword when he charged ahead. He was the brightest one in the middle."

Sure enough, even those who specialize in fire in this world will be corrupted by fate.

"The Flame Demon Clan has always taken pride in 'leading the charge,' especially the strongest among the younger generation. I just didn't expect you to use the Holy Mountain to cut them down."

Ji Tian hummed in agreement. "Does he have any adjutants or anything like that who can take over command?"

"There might be an adjutant, but the Flame Demon clan has a strict hierarchy. Once the strongest young member dies, it will take time for the remaining members to elect a new leader. During this period, the operational efficiency of this Flame Demon force will be greatly reduced, and there will be no organized attacks for at least three days."

Elena had been listening quietly, but then she gently nudged Ji Tian's toes under the table and glanced at him. Ji Tian understood her meaning: the atmosphere was a little awkward, but just the right amount of awkward.

Ji Tian pressed further, "So Shadow Fiend is the one we really need to be wary of?"

Legolas nodded. "Shadow Fiends won't charge head-on. They'll strike from where you can't see them. A Shadow Fiend chieftain skilled in stealth is more difficult to deal with than a group of charging Fire Fiends."

Ji Tian turned his gaze back and swept it over everyone present.

Lilith was observing his expression, and as soon as he looked up, she immediately looked away, pretending to study the elven patterns hanging on the wall; Elena was looking down and gently stroking the edge of the table with her fingertips, as if waiting for him to speak first; Ophelia stood quietly behind him, her short silver hair glowing warmly in the fireplace firelight.

Anna and Legolas were also watching him.

One is a former priest representing the church's hero squad, and the other is a former archer representing the elven royal court's hero squad.

Ji Tian suddenly stood up.

The chair leg scraped against the stone slab with a soft sound, drawing everyone's attention.

"You all get some rest tonight. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

After he finished speaking, he took two steps toward the palace entrance, then stopped and turned to look at Legolas: "If your scouts can find the Shadow Fiend's exact location, tell me first thing tomorrow morning. Since we're already here, we should get things done."

Legolas nodded slightly, acknowledging his agreement.

Ji Tian then led the group out of the stone hall. Lilith followed behind for a while, then finally couldn't help but lean forward and ask in a low voice, "Master, that sword strike you just used—"

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing! It's just... it's just..." She hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say, "Could you please tell me in advance next time? So I can squat further away."

Ji Tian's voice drifted back calmly: "You can squat a little closer."

Why?

"Because if I crouch down closer, I won't be scared."

Lilith thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out whether those words could be considered a form of comfort.

She decided it would be safer to continue walking beside Elena, still holding her wooden stick.

When they arrived at the lodgings arranged by the fortress, the moon had already risen above the tower.

Elena pushed open the door, lit the oil lamp on the windowsill, and turned to look at Ji Tian by the warm yellow light. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke softly:

"Ji Tian, ​​that sword strike of yours... I mean, even after you became mortal, you could still use the power of the Holy Mountain, right?"

Ji Tian was leaning the Holy Sword against the corner of the wall when he heard this and nodded.

"The Sacred Mountain has already refined the Heaven-Turning Seal, which can form its own cycle and does not require additional spiritual power to maintain. The Mortal Dispersion only dissipates my own spiritual power reserves; the power of the magic weapon itself remains unaffected."

Elena walked to the window, her gaze falling on the vast wilderness outside the city, plowed by golden furrows. "How long can you use this power?"

Ji Tian finally straightened up and turned to look at her: "Are you afraid I'll run out of supplies before I need them?"

"Your purpose in transforming into a mortal this time is to break through to the Divine Transformation stage. You should experience more worldly affairs instead of using the Heaven-Turning Seal to solve all the problems right away."

Ji Tian began to seriously consider what she had said.

"You're right. What's the difference between using the Heaven-Turning Seal and cheating? I'll be careful about what I do next."