At this moment, the opinions of Meng Tuoluo and Princess Sha Yan were entirely opposed.
One side declared firm suppression, seeking to reduce Lan Ling and his army to ashes.
The other side sought appeasement, intending to marry a maidservant to Lan Ling!
For some time now, the Little Rakshasa King had been almost entirely obedient to his new wife, Meng Tuoluo. Furthermore, if appeasement were chosen, it would indeed damage the dignity of the Rakshasa royal family.
The Little Rakshasa King cast a glance at Princess Sha Yan and said, “Proceed as you suggested.”
As soon as these words were spoken, not only was Meng Tuoluo startled, but even Princess Sha Yan could hardly believe her own eyes.
Her elder brother, the Little Rakshasa King, had never liked her, and was so deeply fond of Meng Tuoluo, yet she had not expected him to agree with her proposal.
“Yes,” Princess Sha Yan said.
Then, Princess Sha Yan departed the Little Rakshasa King’s manor, taking the newly made Princess Yu Die along as they set off towards Black Demon City.
At this point, she could only pray that Black Demon City had not yet fallen!
…
Leading over a thousand martial artists atop various flying mounts, the Master of Misfortune Cave and the Black Demon Banner Lord arrived in the airspace above the Black Demon Banner territory.
Along the journey, the Black Demon Banner Lord had been praying continuously, hoping against hope that Black Demon City would never fall, and that everything was still in time.
However, when they were still a hundred li away from Black Demon City, his heart was filled with despair, turning icy cold all over.
Even across a distance of a hundred li, dense black smoke could be seen billowing everywhere above Black Demon City. Furthermore, the sounds of fighting had completely ceased.
Black Demon City had fallen.
Instantly, the body of the Black Demon Banner Lord convulsed.
“Lord Black Demon, what sort of person is that Lan Ling after all?” the Master of Misfortune Cave asked, his gaze turning complex as he looked towards the thick smoke over Black Demon City.
Black Demon City was not his city, yet it was also considered his city.
Because over these hundreds of years, everything within the Misfortune Cave had been sustained by Black Demon City.
The Misfortune Cave and Black Demon City shared all honour and all ruin.
The Black Demon Banner Lord shook his head and said, “Elder brother, I truly do not know, I have not even met him, for this person has risen far too quickly.”
The Master of Misfortune Cave said, “What do you plan to do next? Will you open battle directly, or request troops from Rakshasa City?”
Neither of these choices was good.
First, the Black Demon Banner Lord had no troops left in hand, so if they started a battle directly, they could only rely on the thousand-odd martial artists of the Misfortune Cave.
Could the thousand martial artists of the Misfortune Cave kill Lan Ling? With utter ease.
However, could the thousand martial artists of the Misfortune Cave defeat an army of thirty thousand centaurs?
Impossible!
Martial artists were suited for individual duels, not for the battlefield.
Centaurs were suited for the battlefield, not for martial duels.
Moreover, below the Demon Master rank, most used physical attacks, which was purely the centaurs’ strength, as every centaur was born with Herculean might.
The arm strength of every adult centaur warrior exceeded ten thousand jin.
Because they were war machines, it was awkward to use standard demon energy scales to measure their cultivation ranks, otherwise the strength of the mammoth warriors would be even more staggering.
Yet if strictly mapped out, the strength of every single centaur surpassed that of a Grand Demon Master.
And of such centaur warriors, there were fully thirty thousand.
At this moment, among the thousand-odd martial artists brought by the Master of Misfortune Cave, there were nineteen powerhouses at or above the Demon Master level, three hundred experts at or above the Grand Demon Master level, and over seven hundred practitioners at or above the Great Demon Warrior rank.
Once battle commenced, nineteen Demon Masters could kill one or two thousand centaur warriors, and could easily break away from the battlefield.
However, the thousand martial artists below the Demon Master level would all perish in battle.
The Demon Master rank was a dividing line, and once one broke through to the Demon Master level, they could crush centaur warriors. Because a Demon Master’s energy attacks allowed them to fight in the air, centaur warriors could only take a passive beating, completely unable to harm their opponent.
Yet without breaking through to the Demon Master level, fighting centaurs became exceptionally hazardous.
Would the Misfortune Cave be willing to bury all its disciples just for the sake of Black Demon City?
Naturally, there was another way, which was for the Black Demon Banner Lord to seek aid from Rakshasa City, asking the royal family to dispatch troops to crush Lan Ling.
Yet in doing so, even if Black Demon City were reclaimed, whether it would still belong to the Black Demon Banner Lord would be uncertain.
Thus, both paths were practically impassable.
Therefore, when Nai Shu’s million-strong army was defeated, the Black Demon family had already reached the brink of destruction.
And now, with Black Demon City completely fallen, half the body of the Black Demon family was already buried in the underworld.
…
An hour later.
The thousand martial artists led by the Black Demon Banner Lord and the Master of Misfortune Cave flew into the airspace above Black Demon City.
Finally, everything could be seen with utter clarity, countless houses were burning, and corpses lay densely scattered across the city walls and inside the city streets.
The garrison of Black Demon City was completely wiped out.
The army of two hundred thousand belonging to the Black Demon family was thoroughly annihilated.
The Black Demon Banner Lord felt a piercing pain in his heart, nearly spitting blood.
At this point, the centaurs’ looting had ended.
Upon the plaza of the mountaintop castle, gold coins, grain, fabrics, and other supplies were piled like mountains.
Thirty thousand centaurs had plundered every single house within the city.
Black Demon City was massive, yet every spot along the pathways was densely packed with the centaur army.
Centaurs were perpetually haughty and domineering, so upon seeing the thousand-odd Misfortune Cave martial artists flying in the sky, they showed no fear at all, directly drawing bows and nocking arrows to aim at the sky.
On the plaza outside the Grand Hall of Black Demon Castle, several thousand centaur powerhouses were densely arranged, guarding every corner.
The Black Demon Banner Lord searched for Lan Ling with his eyes, truly wishing to see what the chieftain of the rapidly rising Flame Demon Tribe looked like, and what the culprit who defeated his million-strong army and destroyed his Black Demon City looked like.
A door atop the castle opened.
Then, a figure walked out slowly.
Whether it was the Master of Misfortune Cave or the Black Demon Banner Lord, they recognized that this was Lan Ling at first glance.
This was an exceptionally handsome man, or rather, the word handsome was completely inadequate to describe him.
He was a man brimming with magical charm.
Standing at a height of one metre ninety, his skin was like smooth jade without visible pores.
His facial features truly resembled a work of art sculpted by heaven.
His two eyes were bottomless, as though concealing the stars of the universe.
Not only that, an extremely contradictory trait appeared upon his person.
Destruction, madness, yet possessing profound tranquility!
The discernment of the Black Demon Banner Lord and the Master of Misfortune Cave differed from that of ordinary people, unlike Nai Shu.
Nai Shu had described Lan Ling to the Black Demon Banner Lord many times, calling him a pretty boy of the Near-Human race with low martial cultivation, lowly to the extreme, just like the male favourites in Rakshasa City.
However…
The Black Demon Banner Lord and the Master of Misfortune Cave could tell at a glance that the aura of the Lan Ling before them was something they had faintly seen only on the Little Rakshasa King.
The two even shared quite a few similarities.
Of course, perhaps due to certain special reasons, the martial cultivation of this Lan Ling before them was indeed exceptionally low.
Furthermore, he was not a Near-Human!
In fact, he hardly seemed to belong to any race.
“This is a born sovereign,” the Black Demon Banner Lord and the Master of Misfortune Cave exchanged a glance.
…
“If I launch a surprise attack, can I instantly capture Lan Ling, or kill him?” this thought surfaced in the heart of the Black Demon Banner Lord.
Of course, he did not know that Lan Ling was practically unkillable.
However, he abandoned the thought almost instantly.
Because he saw his beloved wife, who had already become a hostage in Lan Ling’s hands.
If he took the initiative to attack Lan Ling, his wife would lose her life on the spot.
Perhaps there were many ruthless overlords who completely disregarded the lives of their wives and children, but the Black Demon Banner Lord was not like that.
He had once wanted to kill his son Nai Shu, but only to restore his honour.
“Greetings, Lord Lan Ling,” the Black Demon Banner Lord said.
Standing on the balcony, Lan Ling bowed slightly towards the Black Demon Banner Lord in the sky and said, “Lord Black Demon, Master of Misfortune Cave, greetings to you both.”
This Master of Misfortune Cave had an impressive appearance, an exceptionally dignified countenance, yet bearing a pair of gentle eyes.
This was a ruler who was exceedingly formidable, strong and resolute, yet brimming with emotion.
And the Master of Misfortune Cave beside him should be the number one powerhouse across the one million-odd square kilometres of the Black Demon Banner’s territory.
This was an emaciated old man, with completely white hair and beard, yet wearing a black cloth robe.
Moreover, two antler-like protrusions grew atop his head, making it impossible to discern what race he belonged to.
“Lord Lan Ling, what do you want?” the Black Demon Banner Lord asked.
Lan Ling said, “I want the Black Demon Banner territory.”
The Black Demon Banner Lord said, “That is impossible, you may slaughter all the Rakshasa across the Black Demon Banner territory and nominally possess this land, but do not dream of truly becoming the Lord of the Black Demon Banner. The ten million Rakshasa people on this land will never submit in loyalty to you, a Near-Human.”
Even though the Black Demon Banner Lord knew Lan Ling was not a Near-Human, he still spoke so.
“I know,” Lan Ling said.
The Black Demon Banner Lord said, “The exiles of the Near-Human race are limited, so even if all Near-Humans come to rely on you, they will not exceed a million, unable to occupy such a vast expanse of land.”
“I know,” Lan Ling said, “Therefore, I want the territory of the Black Demon Banner, and I want all the subjects upon this land as well.”
“Impossible,” the Black Demon Banner Lord said, “Why not settle for second best, you yield Black Demon City, I enfeoff the Silver Alliance to you, and the two of us live in mutual peace.”
Lan Ling smiled at the Black Demon Banner Lord and said, “Impossible.”
The Black Demon Banner Lord said, “Then there is only mutual destruction, opening battle directly!”
Lan Ling said, “Once battle begins, half of my centaur army will perish. But you will still lose, and aside from the Demon Master powerhouses, all the martial artists of the Misfortune Cave will die. Furthermore, my remaining fifteen thousand centaurs will slaughter all the citizens of Black Demon City and the ten million Rakshasa across the Black Demon Banner territory clean, and of course, your wife will die at the very first moment.”
The Black Demon Banner Lord said, “You will die as well, for your martial cultivation is simply far too low.”
Lan Ling said, “So, that means mutual destruction.”
He spread his hands, devoid of the slightest fear.
The Black Demon Banner Lord said, “Lord Lan Ling, if you do not yield Black Demon City, then mutual destruction is the only path I have.”
Then, he looked towards the Master of Misfortune Cave and said, “Elder brother, once mutual destruction occurs, your disciples will likely die. I have nothing to repay you with, and can likely only be buried alongside them. In any case, once my wife dies, I will not be able to account to my father-in-law, and will likely only follow her in death.”
“Husband, if we die, we die together,” Huo Feng said from inside the grand hall, “Never yield, do not make me look down on you.”
“Shut your mouth, you foolish woman!” the Black Demon Banner Lord scolded furiously, “When I left, what did I tell you? Once Black Demon City fell, you were to leave immediately to meet up with me, and not fight to the death with Lan Ling.”
Huo Feng was even more enraged, “Nonsense, when you left, you were fuming with anger, and did not say a single word to me.”
“Er!” the Black Demon Banner Lord felt embarrassed, as he seemed truly not to have said it.
“I did not say it, but could you not figure out that I would say so?” the Black Demon Banner Lord roared furiously, “In short, you foolish woman, shut your mouth.”
Huo Feng was nearly bursting with anger, wishing she could draw her sword and rush forward to risk her life against her husband.
However…
“With so many outsiders present today, I will give you face, but remember, it is not that I fear you,” Huo Feng said angrily, then fell silent.
This couple was truly a pair of contentious lovers.
Taking a deep breath, the Black Demon Banner Lord gathered a powerful murderous aura in his eyes and said slowly, “Lord Lan Ling, make a choice. Either yield Black Demon City and return to the Silver Alliance, or face mutual destruction.”
Lan Ling looked at the Black Demon Banner Lord, then glanced at Huo Feng, and smiled, “You two are the most affectionate couple I have seen, your bond is enviable.”
Then, Lan Ling wiped away his smile and said, “Lord Black Demon, what we two agree upon does not count, why not wait here for the arrival of another person.”
The Black Demon Banner Lord said, “Once the people from Rakshasa City arrive, neither you nor I will have a way out.”
“Not necessarily, let us wait and see,” Lan Ling said.
“Fine, then we shall wait and see!” the Black Demon Banner Lord said.
Lan Ling said, “If we are not going to battle, then it may be necessary for you to leave.”
The Black Demon Banner Lord and the Master of Misfortune Cave exchanged a glance, nodded, and led the thousand martial artists of the Misfortune Cave away from the airspace of Black Demon City, settling upon the nearby mountain range.
…
This wait lasted for a whole day and night!
The following afternoon, one thousand dragonhawk warriors and thirteen Black Blood Demon Cavalry arrived, escorting Princess Sha Yan and “Commandery Princess” Yu Die.
Seeing the smoke billowing from Black Demon City and the densely arrayed centaur warriors on the city walls, Princess Sha Yan felt a chill in her heart.
The matter she worried about most had occurred, Black Demon City had fallen.
The leader of the Black Blood Demon Cavalry shouted haughtily outside the city gate, “The Princess of the Rakshasa Royal Clan has arrived, let everyone exit the city and kneel in welcome!”
A centaur warrior appeared upon the city wall and said coldly, “The Lord has ordered that only Princess Sha Yan is permitted to enter, all other irrelevant persons are to wait outside!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the Black Blood Demon Cavalry were furious, all dragonhawk knights were furious, Princess Sha Yan was furious, and even the so-called Commandery Princess Yu Die beside her was furious.
“Have Lan Ling roll out here to speak with me!” Princess Sha Yan shouted coldly.
Lan Ling appeared riding a gryphon beast.
However, it was not his real face, but that ordinary face from his previous meeting with Princess Sha Yan in Rakshasa City.
Upon seeing it, the so-called Commandery Princess Yu Die felt a chill in her heart, filled with immense disappointment.
“Your Highness Princess, I trust you have been well!” Lan Ling said with a smile.
The leader of the Black Blood Demon Cavalry said coldly, “Rebel leader Lan Ling, open the city gate immediately and kneel to welcome Her Highness Princess, otherwise you will be slain without mercy.”
They were clearly riding flying mounts and had no need to pass through the city gate, yet they still demanded the gate be thrown wide open and Lan Ling come forth kneeling in welcome.
Princess Sha Yan knew this was a negotiation, and she absolutely could not let her imposing aura weaken at the start, otherwise she would fall into a passive position.
Khan Chi Yan shouted coldly, “Except for Princess Sha Yan, no others are permitted to enter, otherwise all will be slain without mercy!”
Both sides thus fell into a standoff and confrontation.
Princess Sha Yan commanded coldly, “All dragonhawk knights, all Black Blood Demon Cavalry, destroy the city gate!”
“Yes!” the Black Blood Demon Cavalry leader and the dragonhawk knights shouted in unison.
Then, the thirteen Black Blood Demon Cavalry and one thousand dragonhawk knights formed ranks, preparing to unleash attacks against the main gate of Black Demon City.
This aerial legion drew closer and closer to the city gate.
Lan Ling shouted coldly, “Any who cross the moat shall be slain without mercy!”
Both sides pressed forward step by step, refusing to yield an inch.
Princess Sha Yan’s exquisite face twitched, and although others could not see it beneath her mask, Yu Die beside her could clearly sense the Princess’s fury.
“Forward!” Princess Sha Yan shouted coldly.
She would not be frightened by Lan Ling’s intimidation, as she did not believe Lan Ling would dare attack the guards of the Rakshasa royal family, which was equivalent to making an enemy of the Rakshasa royal family directly, and Lan Ling definitely lacked the courage, unable to bear such consequences.
Following Princess Sha Yan’s order, one thousand dragonhawk knights and thirteen Black Blood Demon Cavalry looked disdainfully at Lan Ling and flew directly across the moat.
“Kill!” Lan Ling issued the command!
Instantly, several thousand centaurs released their bowstrings, and crystal-powered arrows shot forth rapidly like countless shooting stars.