Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

"I am fifty percent certain that he is the person foretold. I have already planted a star mark in his body. When the time comes, we will see the truth."

"Star Mark?" The Xuan Tian Demon Emperor raised an eyebrow. "You're quite willing to invest."

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub," the Demon Emperor Chen Su said calmly. "He's worth any price I have to pay."

"Now that this matter is settled, I have done everything I promised you. Don't forget the promises you made in the future." The Xuan Tian Demon Emperor looked at him with a half-smile.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the envoys of the Holy Land never break their promises," said the Demon Emperor Chen Su proudly. "However, I have something to remind Your Majesty of."

"Speaking."

The Xuan Tian Demon Emperor stood up, walked to the edge of the main hall, looked down at the City of Ten Thousand Demons shrouded in night, and remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"The world is about to descend into chaos; Your Majesty, please make plans as soon as possible."

The Demon Emperor Xuantian's eyes flickered slightly: "You mean...?"

"The Grand Elder has discovered that the fortunes of heaven and earth are changing. This chaos may be an unprecedented crisis for our demon race, but it may also be... a once-in-a-millennium opportunity."

"A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?" The Xuan Tian Demon Emperor smiled, "You mean you want me to take this opportunity to expand?"

"No." The Demon Emperor of the Stars shook his head. "It's not expansion, but dormancy."

"Hibernation?" The Xuan Tian Demon Emperor was somewhat puzzled.

"Indeed." The Demon Emperor Chensu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze becoming distant. "A chaotic era is approaching. Only those who know how to lie low and accumulate strength will be able to reach the end."

After saying that, he turned around and transformed into a streak of starlight, leaving behind the words, "Ten years later, I will return to Heavenly Demon City."

The Xuan Tian Demon Emperor sat alone in the main hall, gazing in the direction where the Chen Su Demon Emperor had disappeared, resting his chin on his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Ten years?" he murmured to himself, a meaningful smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

A moment later, the Demon Emperor's decree was issued from the Heavenly Demon City.

"By imperial decree, effective immediately, I will enter seclusion for ten years. All affairs of the Demon Court shall be temporarily managed jointly by the three Demon Emperors: Zhu Yan, Mo Lin, and Xuan Bing, without fail."

The decree immediately caused a huge uproar.

Upon hearing this news, the Zhu Yan Demon Emperor was first stunned, then overjoyed and couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"Hahaha, that's great! The Demon Emperor is in seclusion, Mo Lin is a good-natured man, and Xuan Bing is indifferent to everything. This Demon Court is now under my control."

"Men, immediately summon the Crimson Dragon Demon Emperor, the Northern Expedition Demon Emperor, and the Blood Prison Ghost Emperor. I've been wanting to make a move against the human race for a long time!"

After receiving the decree, the Demon Emperor Molin closed his cave, seemingly unwilling to meddle in other people's business.

Meanwhile, the Xuanbing Demon Emperor was still besieging Mr. Mo in the Thirty-Three Heavens Diagram, fighting fiercely until the sky darkened, and was completely unaware of what was happening outside.

Within the Heavenly Demon City, undercurrents are surging.

Tens of thousands of miles away, outside the Jade Gate Pass of the Great Tang Dynasty, there was an inconspicuous little town. It was called a town, but it was really just a street made of rammed earth, with a few inns and restaurants scattered on both sides for merchants and travelers to rest.

The town is small, but because it is located on a key route in the Hexi Corridor, it is quite lively.

Chen Shuo chose to rest here because Li Yuan's condition was really not suitable for traveling overnight.

Since falling into a coma outside Tiger Wolf Pass that day, Li Yuan had been in a strange state. His bodily functions were normal, his heartbeat and breathing were steady, but his eyes were always empty, as if his soul had been ripped from his body.

The Soul-Suppressing Bell remained suspended above his head, casting pale golden light to protect his heart. Even so, his condition did not improve; he was barely clinging to life.

Chen Shuo was extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do. He could only travel day and night, hoping to send Li Yuan back to Chang'an as soon as possible and hand him over to the Imperial Advisor for handling.

As night fell, the group of eight checked into a fairly clean inn in town. Chen Shuo arranged for people to take turns keeping watch, placed Li Yuan in the innermost room, closed the doors and windows, and set up a simple security formation.

After everything was arranged, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair to rest.

At midnight, all was quiet.

A soft footstep echoed in the corridor. The footsteps were very light, but the night watchmen immediately opened their eyes alertly.

"Who?"

"Sir, let me bring you a pot of hot water." The waiter's solicitous voice came from outside the door.

The demon-hunting guard peeked through the crack in the door and saw a young waiter dressed in shorts, carrying a steaming kettle, standing outside with a smile. He relaxed his guard and opened the door.

Just as the latch was closed, a cold glint flashed in the waiter's eyes, and the kettle in his hand suddenly exploded, shooting out a cold beam straight for the Demon-Slaying Guard's throat.

"There's an assassin!"

The demon-hunting guard only had time to utter a short warning before the cold light pierced his throat, blood spurted out, and his body went limp.

But his warning was enough.

"boom--!"

Chen Shuo's door was kicked open, and his long sword was already drawn, its blade flashing as it slashed straight at the waiter's head.

The waiter clearly hadn't expected Chen Shuo to react so quickly. He twisted his body strangely, dodging Chen Shuo's blade, and at the same time, he flicked his wrist, sending out three more cold beams.

"Clang clang clang!"

Chen Shuo parried with his sword, deflecting all the hidden weapons with a few crisp clangs. But in that brief exchange, more footsteps echoed from all directions.

The roof, the windows, both ends of the corridor, and even the walls of the next room were all smashed open at the same time, and figures dressed in black surrounded Chen Shuo and his group.

Having dealt with the demon race for a long time, Chen Shuo was very familiar with their methods. He narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

"The Dark Pavilion!"

His pupils contracted, and he blurted it out.

Back in Chang'an, the Dark Pavilion had tried to assassinate Li Yuan several times without success. Unexpectedly, this time, despite the operation being so secretive, the news still leaked out, and they were targeting him again.

This time, the Dark Pavilion has more than twenty assassins, the lowest of whom is a demon general, and there are also several demon commanders in charge.

They cooperated seamlessly, advancing and retreating with precision. Chen Shuo originally had six demon-hunting guards under his command, but one of them was killed in the sneak attack, leaving only five. Apart from Chen Shuo and Xu Sheng, who were at the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, most of the others were at the Breaking Illusion Realm or the Questioning Heart Realm. Facing an enemy several times their size, they were instantly plunged into a fierce battle.

"Form ranks! Protect the room where Li Yuan is!"

Chen Shuo shouted sharply, his long sword flashing like the wind, forcing back the two assassins who rushed at him. He was extremely anxious; these assassins were clearly after Li Yuan, who was currently powerless to resist. If they broke through his defenses, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Without further hesitation, he immediately sent out a distress signal. Yumen Pass was just a few dozen miles away, and they would be able to come to his aid soon.

The assassins from the Dark Pavilion clearly understood this as well. They separated a group to entangle Chen Shuo and his group, while the other group rushed directly to the room where Li Yuan was.

"Stop them!"

One of the demon-hunting guards roared and lunged at the assassins, but was surrounded and attacked by the three of them, and was injured within moments.

Chen Shuo was surrounded by five assassins and unable to escape. He watched helplessly as one of the assassins broke down the door and rushed into Li Yuan's room, his eyes wide with rage: "No—!"

The assassin rushed into the room, saw Li Yuan lying on the bed with his eyes closed, grinned maliciously, and thrust the dagger in his hand straight into Li Yuan's heart without hesitation.