Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

"Hmph! Kid, I'll remember you. I'll repay this debt tenfold one day!"

The ghostly creature looked at Li Yuan, a sinister smile appearing in its scarlet eyes. In the next instant, the entire mass of black mist suddenly collapsed, turning into a black bead the size of a fist.

"boom!"

The bead suddenly exploded, and billowing black mist covered the entire battlefield, obscuring all vision, even enveloping Li Yuan's star field.

This black mist was extremely strange; even divine sense could not penetrate it.

Just as Ji Fanghua was about to give chase with her knife, she heard Li Yuan's voice: "Don't pursue a desperate enemy!"

Upon hearing this, she immediately stopped in her tracks and became fully alert.

Fortunately, the black mist did not last long. When it dissipated, the three demons had completely disappeared. There was still a faint demonic aura in the air, which was quickly buried by the wind and snow.

Li Yuan sheathed his sword and looked at Lang Huan and the others: "They shouldn't be coming again for the time being."

"Thank you for your help."

Langhuan put away the ancient mirror. Although her face was pale, she was still in good spirits. She solemnly clasped her hands in a fist salute to Li Yuan.

"If you hadn't arrived in time today, we would have suffered a great loss."

Although Li Yuan had warned them, he did not expect these demons to be so treacherous and cunning, and to launch a sneak attack when they were most relaxed.

That cunning woman's cultivation level is above Langhuan's, and her methods are unpredictable. Although she has a magical treasure to protect her, she will inevitably suffer losses.

As for Qingcang, it's even harder to say. He was seriously injured before, and today he's likely either dead or crippled.

"You're welcome..."

Li Yuan nodded to her, but before he could finish speaking, a cold snort came from behind him. Qing Cang, dragging his knife and covered in blood, glared at Li Yuan warily, his tone hard.

"Don't expect us to be grateful to you. Who knows if our help today is just a ploy to lower our guard so you can pull some tricks later?"

"Let me make this clear from the start: even if you save my life, I will never lower my guard against humans because of it."

Li Yuan didn't take it to heart and smiled faintly: "I saved you only because I felt you shouldn't have died at the hands of the demons. You can think whatever you want, I don't care."

Mo Ming straightened his clothes and put on a gentle smile: "I am deeply grateful for Lord Li's help this time. If there is anything I can do to help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

He spoke politely, but his eyes remained completely expressionless, displaying a skill reminiscent of his uncle's smiling tiger persona.

Langhuan frowned and said in a low, stern voice, "Qingcang, you've gone too far!"

Qingcang dared not confront her directly, so he stiffened his neck and looked resentful.

"Since you are all safe now..."

Li Yuan nodded coldly to Lang Huan, then turned around decisively, "Take care, everyone. We'll be going now."

After saying that, he took Leng Ningshuang and Ji Fanghua and disappeared into the snowstorm on his skis.

After the three of them had glided for several miles, Leng Ning Shuang finally couldn't help but speak up: "Didn't you say you wanted to temporarily ally with the demon race? Why didn't you mention it earlier?"

"They owe you a life and are facing the threat of the demon race, making this the perfect time to form an alliance."

"If they're rushing to propose cooperation like this, then the life-saving favor doesn't seem so valuable anymore."

Li Yuan sneered, "Some things, I can't ask them for; they have to come to me for them."

Leng Ning Shuang raised an eyebrow: "So you're just letting people take the bait?"

"Ha ha……"

Li Yuan laughed: "Senior Sister Leng has a keen eye. The bait has already been cast. We'll see when they bite. I'm not in a hurry."

After Li Yuan and the others left, Lang Huan and the other two busied themselves cleaning up the mess, but the atmosphere was far from harmonious.

Qingcang sat on the snow bandaging his wounds, muttering curses as he went, "These bastards are all the same, despicable and shameless!"

Mo Ming leaned against the ice rock and said calmly, "Brother Qingcang is right, but the arrival of these humans is too coincidental. Could they have some connection with the demons?"

He was always suspicious and harbored hostility towards Li Yuan, so he simply didn't believe that Li Yuan would come to his rescue.

"Now that you mention it, it's true. That kid surnamed Li never came earlier or later, he only showed up after we were all injured. What's he trying to prove with his big shot act?"

Qingcang thought it made a lot of sense and immediately shouted it out.

Langhuan finally couldn't hold back any longer and said coldly, "Are you ever going to stop? He saved us, that's a fact!"

"Regardless of his intentions, we have truly escaped with our lives. If you are ungrateful, don't expect me to save you next time the demons come."

Qing Cang snorted and turned his head away, but didn't say anything more. He always had a clear sense of right and wrong, and he knew he was in the wrong this time.

Mo Ming, observing Lang Huan's expression, knew it was not the right time to argue with her, so he obediently shut his mouth, though a hint of disdain lingered in his eyes.

"Alright, we can't stay here any longer. Let's find a secluded place to heal our wounds quickly. Qingcang's injuries can't be delayed."

Seeing this, Langhuan also softened her voice, and the three of them quickly left.

Deeper into the snowstorm, the figure of the ghostly creature reformed. Ming Ji leaned against an ice rock, her face pale; she had paid a heavy price for burning her demonic blood.

Xu Xuan lowered his head and played with a bone talisman, seemingly lost in thought.

"What the hell? Why did these humans suddenly appear and save those lesser demons? Aren't they on opposing sides?"

Mingji clutched her wound and cursed angrily.

"Are they planning to join forces against us?"

"Join forces?"

Guimo let out a cold laugh, "The two races have a blood feud. Even if they unite, it will only be temporary. They will not trust each other."

"Nothing to fear!"

The crimson light in his eyes intensified. "If this human brat is allowed to live, he'll be a problem for us sooner or later. We have to find a way to get rid of him."

Xu Xuan smiled sinisterly: "Get rid of him? Didn't you say you were very interested in him?"

"Being interested is one thing, but a threat is another. If you let a threat grow before dealing with it, that's not interesting, that's foolish."

"Let's go, let's discuss this carefully and figure out how to set this up."

As soon as they finished speaking, the three figures turned into smoke again and disappeared into the wind and snow.

In the following days, the three demons slowed down to heal their wounds. Traveling on the icy plains was already difficult, and traveling while injured was clearly not a wise move.

Li Yuan also deliberately slowed down, maintaining a safe distance from the demon race.

During this period, he maintained contact with the Demon Queen of Langhuan, remaining vigilant against the possibility of the demons making a comeback.

Fortunately, the demons seemed to have vanished without a trace and never appeared again.

At this moment, thousands of miles away outside the Jade Gate Pass, smoke signals rise again.

The day Chu Yunhe escaped danger, he immediately sent a message to his father, Chu Jinghong: "Negotiations failed, and the delegation has safely evacuated Tianyao City."

The father and son had their own secret way of communicating, which could ignore the distance between them.

Upon receiving the news, Chu Jinghong immediately met with Feng Wuhen and Yuchi Feng.

"The peace talks have failed, and the Zhu Yan Demon Emperor is still in the Heavenly Demon City."

Upon hearing this, Yu Chifeng's eyes immediately lit up: "Great! Then shall we proceed with the battle as planned?"

He turned to look at Feng Wuhen. Since the ceasefire between the two sides, the Western Regions army had never stopped preparing for war, remaining vigilant and ready to strike day and night.

"Order the entire army! Launch a full-scale war and reclaim the lost territory!"

Feng Wuhen issued the order decisively.

"This is wonderful! I've been waiting for this day for so long!"

Yu Chifeng stood up abruptly and strode outside. Chu Jinghong nodded slightly: "I have ordered Chu Yunhe, Shen Lian and others to ambush the camp outside the pass and coordinate with the main army's offensive."