Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

"Old man, didn't you say your son was the most filial and honest? How come he doesn't even acknowledge you?" The Eagle King felt increasingly humiliated. "Tell me! Did you conspire with him?"

Li Chongwen was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, the sound of his head hitting the ground loudly, and blood quickly streamed down his forehead: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please be wise! Although that unfilial son has never been close to me since childhood, he would never dare to disobey me."

"He...he must not have recognized me. Yes, that must be it. He must be worried that I'm an imposter, after all, there were rumors of my death before..."

Li Chongwen forced himself to find excuses, but in his heart he cursed Li Yuan a thousand times, wishing he could tear him apart.

"Your Majesty, please give me another chance. I am confident I can persuade that brat to abandon his evil ways and pledge allegiance to the Demon Court..."

The Demon Emperor of the Stars couldn't be bothered to look at his pathetic and obsequious behavior. He waved his hand, and Li Chongwen immediately froze, unable to utter another word.

"Alright, I have my own plan for this matter. You may leave."

"But Your Majesty..."

"Step back."

A wave of pressure swept over him, and the Silver Wolf strategist trembled, daring not to say another word, and could only bow and retreat.

Li Chongwen felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled out after him.

Only the Demon Emperor Chen Su remained in the main hall.

He stretched out his hands, forming a complex hand seal, and chanted incantations. Strands of starlight overflowed, transforming into a light screen that floated in front of him.

Within the light screen, a blood-red eye could be vaguely seen, seemingly facing him across endless space.

"Elder, Li Yuan may indeed be the person predicted, but strangely, I haven't sensed anything unusual about him."

The Demon Emperor of the Stars frowned in thought. "I have sent people to contact the other two, but they have not yet given me a clear answer."

The eyes in the light screen flickered, and an old voice came out, "The energy of heaven and earth is in chaos, the stars have shifted, and the things foretold have all come to pass. If we, the demon race, want to break the curse, we must find the person foretold."

"This matter is far beyond your imagination," the aged voice continued. "How could the person who was prophesied be found so easily? There are two other people who are equally worthy of attention."

"Yes." The Demon Emperor Chen Su nodded. "It seems the Demon Court intends to take this opportunity to condone rebellion, and war with the human race is likely to break out again."

"Hmph! What does the conflict between the Demon Court and the human race have to do with us? We're just a bunch of ants, no need to bother with us."

Immediately afterwards, the tone on the other end of the screen changed, and it seemed to be some ancient language, obscure and difficult to understand.

"I understand." After listening, the Demon Emperor Chen Su nodded solemnly with a serious expression.

The light barrier slowly dissipated, transforming into starlight and returning to his body. The Demon Emperor Chen Su stood with his hands behind his back, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Li Yuan..." he muttered to himself, "Interesting. It seems this trip out of the Holy Land won't be so boring."

The next day, at noon.

Ten miles outside Tiger Wolf Pass, the slope is desolate and silent.

On the wall, Chu Jinghong and his men stood ready for battle. General Hu had also gathered three thousand elite troops to form ranks on the inner side of the wall, ready to provide support at any time.

Outside the pass, a figure suddenly appeared.

The Demon Emperor of the Stars stood with his hands behind his back on the hillside, his face still covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of cold, eerie eyes.

Not far behind him, the Blue-Eyed Eagle King personally escorted Li Chongwen, his eyes fixed on the direction of Tiger Wolf Pass.

The side door of the wall slowly opened, and two figures walked out.

Walking in front was Yu Chifeng, his steps were leisurely, as if he were just having a gathering with old friends, and Li Yuan followed half a step behind him.

Li Yuan had washed off his disguise, tied up his long hair, revealing his handsome face. He raised his head and, across a distance of hundreds of feet, met the gaze of the Chen Su Demon Emperor in the air.

An invisible pressure swept over him, and Li Yuan's face paled slightly, but he showed no fear and stood ramrod straight.

The Demon Emperor Chen Su narrowed his gaze and let out a low laugh: "Not bad, quite courageous, much better than your cowardly father."

Li Chongwen chuckled awkwardly twice, then turned to Chen Su, the demon emperor, with a fawning expression.

The Demon Emperor Chen Su looked Li Yuan up and down with an ambiguous expression, then nodded and said, "Not bad, as expected of the chosen one."

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

The chosen one? What does that mean?

He recalled the bronze palace in his mind and the demons on the murals, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

Li Yuanqiang suppressed the turmoil in his heart, only slightly frowning and showing a puzzled expression: "What do you mean by that? This junior is foolish and does not understand what you are talking about."

The Demon Emperor of the Stars stood with his hands behind his back, not in a hurry to answer Li Yuan's question. Instead, he looked up at the scorching sun in the sky, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke.

"I have my reasons for saying you are the chosen one, but it is too early to tell you now."

He paused, then his gaze returned to Li Yuan. "I have come here today not to be your enemy."

Upon hearing this, Yu Chifeng scoffed, "Not an enemy? Then why are you mobilizing such a large army, attacking cities and kidnapping people? Are you here as a guest of my Great Tang?"

The Demon Emperor of the Stars was not angered. "Everything I have done has its purpose, but I can tell you that I have no intention of being an enemy of the human race. In ancient times, the human race and the demon race also lived in peace, without distinction between us, and fought together against external enemies."

Li Yuan's heart stirred. He recalled the days in Lock Dragon City, when humans and demons lived together peacefully, fought side by side, and jointly resisted the threat of the demon god.

"Since you know about the history of humans and demons coexisting in ancient times, you should understand that war benefits neither side," Li Yuan said coldly. "Now, Liangzhou is engulfed in war, and people are displaced. Whether human or demon, all those who die are living beings."

"If you truly desire peace, why not withdraw your troops and cease hostilities?"

The eyes behind the mask of the Demon Emperor Chen Su flickered. "Withdraw your troops? I can certainly withdraw, but the demons besieging the other passes are not my subordinates."

"Moreover, even if I abdicate, this chaos will not end, because the real storm has not yet arrived."

"What do you mean?" Yu Chifeng frowned.

The Demon Emperor of the Stars looked up at the sky, his voice ethereal: "Among my demon race, there has always been an ancient legend: when the blood moon rises for the seventh time in the starry sky, a world-ending war will ensue."

A war to destroy the world?

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He recalled the terrifying battle between gods and demons depicted in the murals, where the heavens and earth shattered, stars fell, and countless lives were lost...

Is it possible that such a great war will be restarted again?

Yu Chifeng sneered, "Playing tricks? I've lived for so many years, what kind of demons and monsters haven't I seen? This is nothing more than an excuse for your demon race to start a war."

"Believe it or not." The Demon Emperor Chen Su did not argue, but simply said, "I came here today not to persuade you, but to make a statement: I will not make things difficult for this boy, nor will I imprison his father."

He waved his hand, and the Blue-Eyed Eagle King immediately shoved Li Chongwen.

Li Chongwen was stunned for a moment, then scrambled to Chen Su Demon Emperor's side, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you for sparing my life!"

The Demon Emperor Chen Su didn't even glance at him, but said to Li Yuan, "Li Chongwen, I'm giving you your freedom. Whether you want to go back with your son or not is up to you."