I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The Demon Race's High Priest, in legal terms, holds a position equal to that of the Demon King and is the true pillar of the Demon Race.

The one we know today has lived for over three thousand years, and his strength is unfathomable.

He never paid attention to the wars between the demon race and other races, and only appeared in the world when the demon race was facing a life-or-death situation. The most recent time he appeared was more than three hundred years ago after the destruction of the old demon king's city, when he signed the "Treaty of No First Use of Forbidden Spells" with the leaders of the human race and the elves.

If anyone has the reason and ability to kill the hero so cleanly and decisively, it is probably only him.

Could it be that the High Priest couldn't bear to see the vanguard army wiped out and personally intervened?

Just as I was thinking this, the palace door was gently pushed open.

The gray-robed priest entered silently, like a withered leaf drifting into the temple.

His white eyes gleamed with a cold light in the shadow of his hood, and the black bone ring on his thumb shone faintly in the candlelight.

"Your Majesty," the priest bowed, "you may need me."

Malbaz turned around and stared at the priest with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

"The power of the Holy Sword suddenly snapped." He directly voiced his suspicions. "Has your teacher, the High Priest, emerged from seclusion?"

The priest slightly raised his head, a barely perceptible glint flashing in his white eyes.

"Your Majesty, our teacher is still in seclusion in the Demon God's Hall. He has been in seclusion for a hundred years and has never concerned himself with the affairs of the demon realm. Even major events such as the change of the Demon King or the survival of heroes are not enough to disturb him. You should know this."

He knew all too well, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to "invite" his brother to step down half a year ago.

Malbazz frowned even more.

Not the High Priest?

Who could it be?

Has the Church's "Sage" gone mad? Or is it the Elven Court's "High Priest" betraying them?

"Divination." Malbaz sat back on the throne, his hands on the armrests, his fingertips clenched. "I need to know the current state of the Holy Sword and the Hero, even if it's just something I observe indirectly."

The priest bowed slightly and took out the few black bone fragments from his sleeve.

He crouched down and scattered the bone fragments on the ground. The fragments landed with a crisp clinking sound that echoed throughout the hall.

They spun and jumped in a strange manner, like little figures performing some kind of sacrificial dance.

The priest's white eyes were fixed on the bone fragments, his lips moved as he chanted ancient prophetic incantations in a low, rapid voice.

The light on the bone fragments grew brighter and brighter.

Then it went out with a whoosh.

The priest stiffened slightly. He was somewhat surprised that the holy sword, which was usually impossible to observe directly, was now easily "seen" by him.

"Your Majesty..." His voice was filled with disbelief, "The divination results show that the Holy Sword is broken. It was forcibly broken by external force."

"External force? What external force?"

"This... I can't see it clearly." The priest lowered his head, staring at the dull bone fragments. "The image is shrouded in a layer of mist that I can't penetrate. The only thing I'm certain of is that it's not the power of demons, nor any known magical system of humankind."

He paused, then added, "And... the hero isn't dead. His lifeline is still alive, and it's even stronger than before."

Malbazz's pupils contracted sharply, as if he had seen a ghost:

"He's not dead yet?!"

The priest lowered his head, pretending not to have seen His Majesty's loss of composure, and said no more.

A long silence fell over the main hall.

The hero has gone from being a consumable item to being reusable. Who can stand that?

If the opponent were to draw a sword, break it, wait for the sacred mountain to nurture a new sacred sword, and then draw it out again with three breaths returning for another battle, then the Demon King would truly be whipped like a top.

No, there must have been some price to pay, it must have been.

Marbaz leaned back on the throne, looking somewhat weak, closed his eyes, and after a long while said:

"Pass down the order: halt the general offensive and reorganize the vanguard. Also, send men to investigate whether there have been any... unusual people or events in the western border recently."

"Yes." The priest bowed and withdrew.

…………

When Ji Tian returned to Kolde City, the ashes were still drifting.

From afar, he saw a silver-white dumpling squatting on the steps in front of the inn—his hands were wrapped around his knees, his chin rested on his arms, and his purple eyes were staring straight in the direction he had left, without blinking.

Ji Tian walked up to her, but she didn't move.

"I'm back."

Lilith blinked, as if waking up from some kind of standby state. She suddenly stood up, but because her legs were numb from squatting, she swayed and accidentally fell towards her master.

"Master! You're finally back! Did that hero do anything to you? I just saw flashes and explosions in the direction of the wasteland, it scared me to death—why are you covered in blood? Why are your clothes wrinkled again? Wait, why do you look even more handsome?"

When she fell, Ji Tian used his spiritual power to help her up and then blocked her voice to prevent it from leaking out. After she finished speaking, he slowly said, "I've found you a junior brother."

"ha?"

"Your junior brother will become the seventh disciple of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect."

Lilith's mind started racing—a junior brother? There's actually someone who started learning later than her?

Does that mean she doesn't have to be the youngest in terms of seniority? Great!

Wait, that's not the point.

"Who is it? Is it really a man?" She leaned closer, sniffing Ji Tian suspiciously. "Was it found in the city? Or is it some other breed of egg?"

"He is a hero."

"Oh, a hero..." Lilith nodded, then realized what she meant, her voice rising several octaves in an instant, "A hero?!"

"Master, which hero are you talking about? The one with golden hair, silver armor, a holy sword at his waist, who cleaved tens of thousands of demons into ashes with a single strike? The one I wish I could shrink into an ant every time I see him? The one—"

"It's him. Also, I've already broken his holy sword."

Lilith felt her soul leaving her body, probably having reached the state of "soul leaving the body" that her master had described.

What does it mean to say, "I am a former princess of the demon race, and my junior brother is a hero?" What kind of new "infiltrating the enemy" plan is this?

No, I was here first, he came later!

However, when the sect held a general meeting later, I sat in the sixth seat and he sat in the seventh.

He called me "senior sister," should I dare to answer?

If I answer, will a bolt of lightning strike me down?

And does he know I'm a demon? He definitely knows! Master, you didn't tell him my identity, did you?

Oh no, if we run into each other in the sect from now on, should I take a detour? No, I should just dig a tunnel...

Ji Tian glanced at her, then turned and walked towards the hotel.

Lilith jogged after him, still muttering, "Master, wait for me! And should I prepare a gift for him? No, he's my junior brother, shouldn't he prepare a gift for me? Will he give me a fragment of a holy sword as a souvenir? No, that thing is bad for me... Ouch, Master, why did you stop?"

"...It's nothing." Ji Tian shook his head and said. He suddenly remembered that his newly accepted disciple no longer had the power of the Holy Sword and seemed unable to teleport into the city.

Never mind, it's only a few dozen miles, I'll just consider it a workout.

……

The hero was still rushing back.