If he won the duel, he would marry Princess Shayan.
What Lan Ling had said was truly earth-shattering!
It completely stunned Princess Shayan, Lord of Calamity Cave, the Black Demon Banner Lord, and the so-called Commandery Princess Yudie.
Especially the so-called Commandery Princess Yudie. She had truly been extremely unwilling to marry Lan Ling, and had only agreed to do so together with Princess Shayan after making an enormous sacrifice.
Having lived in Rakshasa City for more than ten years, especially enjoying a luxurious and refined life in Princess Shayan’s residence, she absolutely did not want to go to a remote and impoverished place like the Flame Demon Tribe.
As for Lan Ling, she really looked down on him. In terms of appearance and bearing alone, he was far inferior to her prospective husband, Nai Shu.
However, she had never expected that Lan Ling would not take a liking to her either, and would instead boldly declare that he wanted to marry Princess Shayan.
He… was he mad?
Even saying that a toad wanted to eat swan meat could not describe his behaviour.
He was simply arrogantly insane, without the slightest awareness of his own limitations.
Princess Shayan stared at Lan Ling for a full three minutes before gritting her teeth and saying, “You, you are looking for death! Just having such a thought, just saying such words, deserves to have you torn to pieces.”
At this moment, no words could describe Princess Shayan’s fury.
She felt that she had suffered unprecedented humiliation and unprecedented desecration.
She wanted to leave this place immediately and take a bath, washing away every trace of Lan Ling’s presence.
What kind of person was Lan Ling? Nothing more than a lowly near-human.
Although he had created many miracles and had even somehow used some scheme to make all the centaur tribes pledge allegiance to him, that could not change his bloodline.
Demon women all chose their partners based on their energy aura.
And energy aura absolutely had levels of nobility and lowliness. Nai Shu’s father was the Black Demon Banner Lord, while his mother was the daughter of the Fire Demon Venerable. Therefore, although he might have some shortcomings in certain aspects, his bloodline was absolutely noble, and his energy aura was also absolutely noble, enough to attract Princess Shayan.
So, how could energy aura be explained?
Basically, there was only one standard of measurement. The higher one’s demon bloodline, the nobler one’s energy aura.
Therefore, the energy aura on the Little Rakshasa King was almost overwhelming and fatal to women.
Why were near-humans looked down upon? Because the majority of them had very low demon bloodlines. This not only meant that their martial cultivation was low, it also meant that their energy aura was lowly.
Although there were exceptions, Suo Mo and Du Yan, for example, were both descendants of demons, so their energy auras were still attractive.
But to Princess Shayan before him, the demon bloodline and energy aura of both Suo Mo and Du Yan were insignificant. She would not even spare them a glance.
And now, Lan Ling had not only changed his appearance, he had also completely concealed his energy aura, making him even less attractive than Du Yan. How could the noble and arrogant Princess Shayan possibly take a liking to him?
Now that she heard Lan Ling say that he wanted to marry her and sleep with her, she was first filled with immense fury. Then her stomach churned, and she genuinely felt like vomiting.
A lowly near-human did not even have the right to touch a single finger of hers. Yet he actually wanted to marry her and sleep with her? Just hearing such words and knowing that he had such thoughts made her feel sick.
……
The Black Demon Banner Lord also stared at Lan Ling in disbelief!
When he first met Lan Ling today, he had noticed that Lan Ling had changed his appearance and concealed his bloodline energy aura, and at the time he had been very puzzled.
Now, seeing Lan Ling actually propose marriage to Princess Shayan, he finally understood.
If Lan Ling showed his true appearance, both his face and his energy aura would have a fatal attraction for demon women.
Perhaps a woman like Ninian could not fully appreciate it, but for a demon woman like Princess Shayan, who stood at the very top of the pyramid, Lan Ling’s appearance and energy aura were truly extremely rare.
Although the Black Demon Banner Lord was a man, he could easily sense that Lan Ling’s appearance and bloodline energy aura both surpassed those of his son Nai Shu.
In fact, the only person whose appearance, bearing and energy aura he had ever felt comparable to Lan Ling was the Little Rakshasa King.
However, these thoughts only flashed through his mind.
Because he was completely shocked by another fact, Lan Ling had actually challenged him and issued an invitation to duel.
This move was even more insane than proposing marriage to Princess Shayan.
A marriage proposal could still be described as being driven by lust. But challenging him to a duel was simply seeking death.
Had Lan Ling completely lost his mind?
Now, even the Black Demon Banner Lord suspected that Lan Ling had truly gone mad.
Both he and Lord of Calamity Cave could see that Lan Ling’s bloodline talent was extremely high. If he concentrated on martial cultivation, he would certainly achieve great things, and his accomplishments would far surpass those of Nai Shu.
But at least for now, Lan Ling’s cultivation was extremely, extremely low.
Perhaps his physical strength was fairly good, and he had already reached the level of an advanced Demon Martial Grandmaster.
But for an advanced Demon Martial artist, physical strength was merely a minor path and was not worth mentioning. What mattered was qi cultivation.
Why was the stage from the peak of the Demon Martial Grandmaster realm to the Demon Sect realm so difficult to cross?
Because only when one’s qi cultivation had also reached the peak of the Demon Martial Grandmaster realm, combined with a tremendous energy impact, extremely high bloodline talent, and many external conditions, especially demonic power nirvana, could one break through to the Demon Sect realm.
To put it in one sentence, whether one could break through to the Demon Sect realm depended on the will of Heaven and Earth.
Lan Ling’s qi cultivation was barely around the level of a second or third-level Demon Warrior.
How far was he from the Demon Sect realm?
It was already impossible to calculate. There were ten levels of Demon Warriors, ten levels of Great Demon Warriors, and ten levels of Demon Martial Grandmasters.
His qi cultivation needed to advance twenty-seven levels before reaching the true peak of the Demon Martial Grandmaster realm.
For a genius, using Nai Shu as an example, this would take at least thirteen years.
And how long would it take to break through from the peak of the Demon Martial Grandmaster realm to the Demon Sect realm?
Nai Shu was a genius, but he had already remained at the peak of the Demon Martial Grandmaster realm for a full four years. Before Princess Shayan killed him, he still had not managed to break through to the Demon Sect realm.
The Black Demon Banner Lord was more determined and hardworking, but it had still taken him a full three and a half years.
Princess Shayan possessed royal bloodline and had also taken a full three years.
The Little Rakshasa King… forget it. He was an anomaly and could not be judged by ordinary standards. He had needed only a few months.
The strongest expert in the Black Demon Banner territory, the Lord of Calamity Cave before them, had also taken a full thirty-seven months to break through from the peak of the Demon Martial Grandmaster realm to the Demon Sect realm.
This hurdle was extraordinarily difficult to overcome. It blocked 99.9999… percent of the people in the demon realm outside the Demon Sect realm.
Even if Lan Ling were an unparalleled genius, with his current qi cultivation only at the third-level Demon Warrior realm, he would need at least twelve years to break through to the Demon Sect realm.
And that was already assuming Lan Ling’s talent was being greatly exaggerated. At this level, he would already surpass Nai Shu by far.
Twelve years to break through to the Demon Sect realm.
And how much time did Lan Ling have? Only forty-five days.
The key point was, even if he broke through to the Demon Sect realm, so what?
Huofeng had broken through to the Demon Sect realm ten years ago, yet she had still been killed instantly by the Black Demon Banner Lord with a single move.
Therefore, Lan Ling wanting to duel the Black Demon Banner Lord could no longer be described as simply being fearless due to ignorance.
At the very least, the Black Demon Banner Lord, Lord of Calamity Cave and Princess Shayan could not find any words to describe Lan Ling’s behaviour.
It was simply beyond all reason.
……
The room remained silent for a full ten minutes.
Lan Ling spread his hands and said, “We have all put forward our conditions. What should we do? Make a decision.”
The Black Demon Banner Lord’s condition was for Lan Ling to withdraw unconditionally and give up Black Demon City, while he would cede the territory of the Silver Alliance to Lan Ling.
Princess Shayan’s condition was for Lan Ling to pledge allegiance to the Rakshasa Royal Family, in exchange for being granted the territory of the Silver Alliance and having the fake Commandery Princess Yudie married to him.
Lan Ling’s condition was to decide everything through a duel.
If he lost, he would naturally be torn to pieces. He would give up not only the territory of the Black Demon Banner, but even the Silver Alliance, becoming completely empty-handed.
If he won, he would not only become the new master of the Black Demon Banner territory, he would also marry Princess Shayan.
This was Lan Ling’s plan for occupying the territory of the Black Demon Banner.
He wanted the territory, and he also wanted the people living on that territory.
Moreover, this was almost the only way.
Otherwise, he would have no way to conquer the Rakshasa people living on this land.
His status was inherently insufficient, while the status of Princess Shayan’s husband was exactly what he needed to make up for this deficiency.
However, in everyone’s eyes, the probability of him winning was not one in ten thousand. It was completely zero.
Even if the sun rose in the west, even if the mountains and rivers collapsed, even if the world came to an end, there was no possibility whatsoever that he could win!
Lan Ling’s proposal of a duel had already overturned the understanding of this entire world.
Lan Ling slowly said, “We have to choose one of the three proposals. In any case, I absolutely will not compromise. Either agree to my proposal, or we go to war and perish together!”
If they perished together!
All the warriors of Calamity Cave, except for those at the Martial Sect level, would be killed.
The Black Demon Banner Lord’s wife, Huofeng, would die, and he would die with her.
The entire Black Demon City would be slaughtered, and the tens of millions of people throughout the Black Demon Banner territory would also be massacred.
In the eyes of Princess Shayan and the Black Demon Banner Lord, Lan Ling would certainly die as well. But after his death, the centaur army would become even more difficult to control and would slaughter everything in its path.
So, what would be lost if they agreed to Lan Ling’s proposal?
The only loss should be damage to Princess Shayan’s reputation.
If Lan Ling defeated the Black Demon Banner Lord, Princess Shayan would have to marry Lan Ling, although such a possibility was completely nonexistent. But simply agreeing to it would be an enormous humiliation and desecration for her.
In Princess Shayan’s eyes, associating her name with Lan Ling was itself a tremendous blasphemy.
But if she refused, then… they would perish together.
Could she bear such a huge price? She could not.
The Black Demon Banner Lord and Lord of Calamity Cave could bear it even less.
Therefore, apart from being completely insane, Lan Ling’s proposal was actually entirely beneficial to others at his own expense.
It was impossible to imagine what was going through the mind of such a completely insane person.
“I agree!” the Black Demon Banner Lord said with a frown.
He really could not suppress the absurdity he felt in his heart. He… a mighty super expert of the Rakshasa realm, was actually going to duel… Lan Ling, who was like an ant. It was simply too… ridiculous.
If this matter had not been so important, he would rather have died than agree to such a duel. It was far too damaging to the dignity of the Black Demon family.
But now, he truly had no choice. He could only go mad together with Lan Ling. In any case, this was a bet he was certain to win, and the stake was Lan Ling’s life!
“I agree!” Princess Shayan said through gritted teeth. “Black Demon Lord, after you kill him, remember to remove his skull and give it to me. I will throw it into a cesspit and let it rot there for ten thousand years. Only then can the desecration he has inflicted upon my reputation be remedied.”
Lan Ling smiled and said, “Then it’s settled. Find a time to gather all the chieftains, elders and Great Demon Warriors in the Black Demon Banner territory and let them witness our Heavenly Demon Blood Oath!”
The Heavenly Demon Blood Oath was the highest oath in the demon realm.
……
Three days later!
Under the Heavenly Demon Tower of the highest mountain range in the Black Demon Banner territory.
Several thousand people had gathered here.
All the chieftains, elders and even warriors above the Great Demon Warrior level in the Black Demon Banner territory were present.
Representatives from Rakshasa City, and even representatives from Fire Demon Mountain, were also present.
Representatives from the Flame Demon Tribe and representatives from Calamity Cave were also there.
Everyone was there to witness the Heavenly Demon Blood Oath between Lan Ling, the Black Demon Banner Lord and Princess Shayan!
In the human kingdoms, there was the Divine Dragon Tower, a channel connecting the human world with the divine dragons of Heaven.
In the Wilderness World, there was the Heavenly Demon Tower, a channel connecting the demon race with the divine demons of Heaven.
This was an oath sworn before their creator.
Lan Ling was the first to kneel and said, “From this moment onward, forty-five days from now, I will duel the Black Demon Banner Lord. If I lose, I will be torn to pieces, and the army under my command will unconditionally withdraw from the territory of the Black Demon Banner and the territory of the Silver Alliance. The centaur army will be unconditionally disbanded and return to its own tribes.”
The Black Demon Banner Lord was the second to kneel and said, “From this moment onward, forty-five days from now, I will duel Lan Ling, the chieftain of the Flame Demon Tribe. If I lose, I will unconditionally surrender the territory of the Black Demon Banner, and Lan Ling will become the supreme master of this land. The Black Demon Banner will be renamed the Flame Demon Banner, and all the people of the Black Demon Banner territory will pledge allegiance to their new master, Lan Ling.”
Princess Shayan was the third to kneel and said, “From this moment onward, forty-five days from now, Lan Ling will duel the Black Demon Banner Lord. If Lan Ling wins, I will unconditionally marry Lan Ling.”
Lord of Calamity Cave said, “On behalf of Calamity Cave, I acknowledge the Heavenly Demon Blood Oath of the three parties and will enforce it!”
Then all the chieftains, all the elders and all the experts above the Great Demon Warrior level in the Black Demon Banner territory knelt down and said, “We acknowledge the Heavenly Demon Blood Oath of the three parties and will enforce it.”
No one said what would happen if the oath were broken, because there was no need.
If the person who swore the oath truly violated it, they would be offending the supreme dignity of the divine demons of Heaven. Not only would they have no place to stand in the demon realm, even being torn to pieces and reduced to ashes would be the lightest punishment. At worst, their entire clan would be exterminated.
Then Lan Ling took out a dagger, cut his finger and smeared his blood onto the Heavenly Demon Tower.
The Black Demon Banner Lord and Princess Shayan also cut their fingers and smeared their blood onto the Heavenly Demon Tower.
Almost instantly, the blood of the three disappeared, swallowed by the Heavenly Demon Tower. This represented the acceptance of the oath by the divine demons of Heaven.
Then the several thousand representatives present all cut their fingers and smeared their blood onto the stone slabs on the ground.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
Three thunderclaps rang out in the sky.
This sacred, solemn and mysterious Heavenly Demon Blood Oath was officially established!
During the forty-five days before the duel, no one was allowed to take up arms.
The centaur army was not allowed to carry out any further looting or slaughter.
Rakshasa City was also not allowed to send troops to attack, and the Black Demon Banner Lord was not allowed to launch any counterattack.
Everything would be decided by the duel forty-five days later!
Forty-five days later, if Lan Ling really defeated the Black Demon Banner Lord, he would become the sole master of the Black Demon Banner territory.
And this territory would also be renamed the Flame Demon Banner!
……
After the blood oath ended, Lan Ling released Huofeng.
The Black Demon Banner Lord, his wife and their two sons, along with five elders of Black Demon City, went to stay temporarily in Calamity Cave.
Princess Shayan led the fake Commandery Princess Yudie back to Rakshasa City.
Meanwhile, Lan Ling led the thirteen Death Warriors, several thousand powerful centaurs, and nearly two hundred prisoners back to the Flame Demon Tribe!
The nearly two hundred prisoners were all chieftains and Demon Martial Grandmaster level experts from the Black Demon Banner territory.
An unprecedented great devouring was about to begin!
An unprecedented formation of Death Warriors was about to be created.