The biting frost pierced, and the wind and snow showed no sign of abating.

A figure, clad in tattered robes and with tangled grass matted upon his head, finally slithered out of the deep mountain ranges. The snow clung to his ragged attire and straw hat, rendering him almost invisible in this desolate wilderness. One need not mention the myriad of demon warriors he meticulously avoided, nor the breathtaking agility of his movements and his astonishing grasp of the environment. In short, after enduring countless hardships, he had finally, silently and stealthlessly, emerged from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. He had returned to the wilderness and was now moving towards Frost Wind Valley, towards the path of survival!

Jiang someone was not one to crave comfort. He had tasted every bitterness imaginable and could endure more. Yet, only after truly traversing this demon territory did he deeply realize the wonders of the mundane world! In the mundane world, though enemies existed and life-or-death crises were frequent, friends were abundant. No matter whom he offended or crossed, there was always a place to find refuge. No matter how severe the injuries, where could he not find someone to tend to them?

Furthermore, in his struggles along the way, he had risen to the noble station of a sovereign realm’s king and marquis. A single word from him could exterminate the Wusheng Sect – such was his awe-inspiring might. As long as he did not challenge the bottom line of the sovereign realm, he could walk sideways in the mundane world without a problem. But here, in the demon realm, he felt as though he was treading on thin ice, living each day in fear. He had to sneakily hide from even insignificant demons that he could extinguish with a flick of his finger, tirelessly recovering and endlessly fleeing for his life. These bitter days were unbearable. Let whoever desired such an experience partake!

From the demons’ war preparations, it was evident that a large-scale conflict between the two races was on the verge of erupting in this area. If he could not seize this wartime opportunity and quietly slip back into the civilized basin, how could he live up to his reputation as a military-merit marquis? While he was not an expert in troop arrangement, his ability to grasp wartime opportunities and charge into battle earned even Chongxuan Pang’s endless praise.

As the saying goes – A good wind relies on strength, sending me up to the blue clouds. Another states – Heaven grants not, yet suffers its blame. Of course, he was unwilling to miss this rare opportunity. Sensitive and decisive, he did not hesitate to risk brushing past large groups of demon warriors. Relying solely on his acute perception, he dodged the dense demonic gazes and carved a solitary path out of the deep mountains, which had become a tumultuous uproar.

At the most perilous moment, a demon warrior had already advanced to the very thorn bush where he was hidden. One more step would have revealed him, forcing him to unleash a bloody slaughter and thus miss this once-in-a-millennium opportunity. Fortunately, that fellow was finally called away by other demon warriors. They had both been lucky.

Despite being active in the same mountainous forest as these demon warriors, Jiang Wang, by virtue of his control over space and vision, felt as if he were in a parallel dimension. This fleeing experience honed his movement techniques greatly, though Jiang Wang earnestly hoped never to undergo it again.

No matter how arduous the process, the most difficult period had passed. He was now in the wilderness. If the demon race and human race were preparing for a great war, a vast battlefield depth would inevitably exist before hostilities commenced. Opportunities would be everywhere. He believed that as long as he was given an opening, he could certainly seize the chance and escape successfully. Even in his currently injured state, escaping the pursuit of a few demon kings would not be a problem. Even if a True Demon was nearby, the moment he made a commotion, the powerhouses on the human side would surely respond immediately.

The hope of escaping back was significant!

He held his breath and concentrated. The moment he emerged from the deep mountains, he prostrated himself in the knee-deep snow. He melted the snow in front of him while condensing the snow behind, keeping himself in a small snow pit at all times, advancing with the utmost caution.

Travel a hundred *li*, only half is ninety. Jiang Wang reminded himself to maintain vigilance. Until a certain moment, he cautiously and carefully drew out the red makeup mirror. Using its reflection, he raised his eyes to gaze into the distance. He did not even dare to use the extraordinary power of the red makeup mirror to probe the wilderness, fearing he might disturb a demon powerhouse. He merely utilized the mirror’s function as a pure reflection.

Thus, he suddenly saw—

In the vast wilderness, at the edge of his sight. A majestic demon race great city stood! Although he only saw an outline, and it was merely a reflection in the red makeup mirror, that powerful, ferocious, and heavy feeling surged forth, almost filling his chest!

Jiang Wang suddenly withdrew the red makeup mirror, burying himself completely in the snow. He inhaled a sharp breath of cold air, as if also drawing the wind and snow into his lungs. A chill spread throughout his body, and at the same time, his breathing stopped, his body stiffening motionless.

What was happening? That enormous Frost Wind Valley! Where had it gone? He still remembered the night he left Frost Wind Valley, his injuries severe, the wind and snow fierce, the surroundings cold and silent, the place empty and desolate, the vast expanse in all directions. Everything remained vivid in his mind. How could a turning of the head, an opening of the eyes, reveal such a colossal demon race city?

Jiang Wang couldn’t help but suspect that he had taken the wrong direction, walked the wrong path. But burying himself in the snow, he pondered deeply for a long time, repeatedly reviewing and comparing maps. He confirmed again that he had not gone astray. Jiang someone was not like Yi Shisi, who had only followed Chongxuan Sheng since childhood and had no life experience. He had left Zhuang Country alone at seventeen to wander the world. In these years, he had traveled north and south, fought in the east and west. How could he possibly get lost? Furthermore, so many days had passed, and he had wandered like a lone soul in this area for so long. Although he had not learned the demon language, he had explored seven or eight parts of the nearby map and environment. It was impossible to walk wrong even with his eyes closed!

The map was right, the direction was right, the position was right, and his eyes were not blind. So, where exactly had things gone wrong?

A place that should not have disappeared – a natural boundary pass. A place that should not have appeared – a demon race great city. This world was simply absurd! Absurd to the extreme!

But at this moment, Jiang Wang obviously had no way to grasp someone and demand an answer. He didn’t even dare to gaze at that great city again, not even using the mirror’s reflection. As for True Demons and Heavenly Demon powers, he did not understand them sufficiently and would not use his shallow knowledge to speculate. He knew that avoidance was the only correct choice.

The instant he saw that demon race great city, his mind was blank. Then, thousands of thoughts exploded, but he quickly suppressed them all. Jiang Wang did not allow himself too much time for astonishment and dejection, only considering how to face the situation.

No matter what, with a demon race great city blocking the way, there was absolutely no possibility of him returning to the civilized basin from this direction. Even if his movement techniques were superb, his escape experience vast, and his combat power strong, he absolutely could not safely pass near a demon race great city. A majestic city capable of leading this level of racial war must have at least one True Demon stationed within. Approaching even at his peak strength would be seeking death, let alone now when his total combat power could not even muster three-tenths.

He did not speak of despair, although the path ahead truly seemed blocked. Nor did he blame heaven and others. Although he had come with great hopes and taken significant risks, worldly affairs were originally thus. It was not to say that if you held hope, if you made great effort and paid a lot, you would certainly succeed. There was no such logic. He had originally come to secretly seek opportunities; now, there were simply no opportunities.

Looking positively, at least he had now obtained a useful piece of information – the road back through Frost Wind Valley was cut off. There was no need to bitterly wait eleven months and come again, only to be disappointed once more. Not to mention waiting eleven months, even waiting eleven years would yield no opportunities, unless the human race’s vast army attacked, flattened this demon race great city, and planted flags throughout this wilderness – but how could that be easy? The balance of war between the human and demon races within the demon world had been maintained for several hundred years. If the civilized basin could so easily charge out, it wouldn’t have waited until he, Jiang Wang, came over to begin.

Jiang Wang said nothing, did nothing. He silently placed the red makeup mirror into his storage box and held the storage box under his tongue. Aside from the demon race clothes, he had nothing else on him – even if a keen demon race powerhouse noticed him here, they would only detect the breath of the demon race.

Then, he began to retreat. Silently erasing every tiny trace, slowly retreating. Although he did not know what he should do next, what road could lead him back to the civilized basin, his current goal was very clear – he wanted to return to the deep mountains once again, once again brush past those demon warriors who had entered the mountains, and find his lodging place again. This time, he would probably need to explore further. So, he would go to further places.

No one saw this scene, but it was very much worth commemorating— In the sky full of wind and snow, below, at the boundary of Tianxi Wilderness and the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. A prostrating figure, covered in snow, came awkwardly, and went awkwardly again. Quite comical, yet not laughable.

The golden sun of the winter demon world brought no warmth. The higher the station of the powerhouses, the more they could feel that kind of “cold”. The Heaven Demon Zhu Yi, with a dignified and graceful face, withdrew her distant gaze. Within her beautiful eyes, like a painting, there was a trace of hidden worry: “The situation is not quite right. That Wu’an City has gathered more and more human powerhouses, far exceeding the scale of an ordinary war.”

Not far in front of her, Yuan Xian Ting sat alone on the high city wall, his back to the entire city, his flamboyant red cloak hanging down quietly. His golden eyes gazed into the distance, as if confronting some existence, his voice indifferent: “Besides True Monarchs, how many people come, it’s just a matter of one spear.”

Zhu Yi said: “Jiang Mengxiong does not plan to leave either?”

Yuan Xian Ting still did not turn back: “It’s a pity I let him run last time. If he comes to kill again, he will definitely not be alone.”

Zhu Yi’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly: “Things might not be simple. I have already sent a message to the Heavenly Court, asking them to urgently transfer several True Demons and armies.” Although the Heavenly Court demon race had become history, the present demon race still referred to themselves thus. Of course, the human side only called it the Demon Court.

“Speaking of which, what exactly is going on with this Jiang Mengxiong this time?” Yuan Xian Ting was somewhat bewildered: “Is the death of a human prodigy such a rare thing? To cause such a huge commotion? Frost Wind Valley has been broken through, the battlefield opened, and battles fought. After everything is finished, he still hasn’t left, still continuously mobilizing people? We don’t seem to have taken advantage either? Shi Shansheng, Ying Kekun, Xi Yanbing, Lu Qiyi, these several demon kings are all dead. Especially Shi Shansheng, that is the old lion’s heart’s baby. The old lion didn’t even say he was going to swallow Yanlao City in one gulp!”

“You never look at intelligence,” Zhu Yi sighed: “That human prodigy who died was named Jiang Wang. He helped Qi Country become the first overlord of the Yellow River, and also on the battlefield, relying on real military merits, he was sealed as a marquis, the youngest military-merit marquis of a sovereign realm. He is very influential in Qi Country.”

“That still doesn’t warrant True Ones coming one after another.” Yuan Xian Ting raised his eyebrows: “They are all surnamed Jiang. Is he Jiang Mengxiong’s illegitimate child?”

“Why would Jiang Mengxiong need an illegitimate child? To hide from you? Afraid you’ll misunderstand?” Zhu Yi said somewhat helplessly: “This time, the reason they are so agitated, it is said, is because Jiang Wang did not die at the hands of our warriors, but at the end of the struggle in Frost Wind Valley, killed by their human side’s sneak attack. It should be related to some internal struggle.”

“Ha!” Yuan Xian Ting laughed in anger: “If he was backstabbed by someone, then he should go find that person. How is it our problem to fight to the death?”

Zhu Yi said: “Now their unified statement is that someone colluded with us and received our instructions.”

“If they really did, then it would be fine, let’s just keep fighting. But they didn’t do anything, yet they are still being beaten at the door. Tsk tsk.” Yuan Xian Ting turned back. At this instant, his fangs were exposed, his ferocious appearance fully displayed, and his killing intent almost solidified. His red cloak on his shoulder seemed to flutter into a river of blood at this moment! And his voice was very light: “I can barely suppress my anger.”

Zhu Yi did not care about his temper, only pondered: “Is it possible that avenging that Wu’an Marquis is just a pretext? In reality, they want to take this opportunity to kill their way out of the Five Evils Basin? If we are negligent and only see it as an ordinary act of revenge, we might suffer a great loss.”

“Human cunning, one cannot not guard against.” Yuan Xian Ting did not know what he was thinking. In an instant, he restrained everything and slowly looked back at the distance: “But since I have come here, they need not have this thought again.”

Jiang Mengxiong was also somewhat bewildered! His personal trip to the demon world was, of course, to stand up for the great Qi king and marquis and to avenge the great Qi prodigy. But fundamentally, it was more to clean up the mess stirred up by his disciple. With Jiang Wang’s current prestige in Qi Country, an accident in the demon world and a True Monarch coming to assess the situation was reasonable, but it didn’t necessarily have to be him, Jiang Mengxiong. In fact, when Ji Zhaonan left the demon world and returned to the mundane world, he went directly to the political affairs hall to conduct a comprehensive report of the entire event and did not speak with him at all. It was his senior disciple, Chen Zeqing, who transmitted the message through special channels, allowing him to know at the first moment.

And he also knew the Emperor’s value of Jiang Wang. That was treating Jiang Wang as a future pillar of heaven to cultivate. How many people could be personally supervised by the Emperor in their studies? How many people dared to casually argue with the Emperor and still rise step by step? In past years, there was no shortage of so-called upright ministers and remonstrating ministers. But the Emperor truly did not buy that act. That year, the deposed crown prince was imprisoned in Green Stone Palace. There were so-called remonstrating ministers who committed themselves and advised the Emperor directly, saying that they would advise him with their lives to let him know his virtue was thin. The Emperor only said one sentence: “The word ‘death’ is too heavy, it cannot be said. Qing desires to imitate the lone eagle striking the pillar?”

“Lone wolf starving to death, lone eagle striking the pillar to die” were two small stories recorded in the “Four Seas Strange Records,” saying that the lone wolf and lone eagle represent human integrity. Finally, that so-called remonstrating minister, under the gaze of the entire court’s civil and military officials, went to crash into the pillar, crashed three times, and died. Those who sought fame through remonstrance, were they ever lacking? Like that Er Fengming, who was very good at playing this act, but when did he dare to oppose the Emperor?

The present Emperor, his sacred heart solely in his grasp, his power and fortune immeasurable. Jiang Wang was not favored by the Emperor because he dared to argue with him, but because he was Jiang Wang. He had earned trust through his past experiences, and then he could limitedly do his own thing, even sometimes arguing with the Emperor. It was precisely because he understood the Emperor’s value of Jiang Wang.

So Chen Zeqing recognized the seriousness of the problem and informed him immediately. So he would urgently descend to Linzi and seek an audience. He was afraid that if he was a step late, Ji Zhaonan would have an accident! But the Emperor did not see him. Only the inner official Han Ling came out to convey a message, saying that the Emperor was tired tonight and did not wish to discuss matters. If he said that he had expected the Emperor’s anger, those two words “tired” made him feel the Emperor’s emotions.

The relationship between the Wu’an Marquis and the Emperor before was deeper than he imagined. It could be said to be beyond monarch-minister, also teacher and friend, more like monarch father and minister son. Thinking about it. In the court, from top to bottom, the two young people the Emperor valued most and were indeed the most promising, besides the Wu’an Marquis, were the Champion Marquis. Initially, the Champion Marquis went against the Emperor’s will, in the same Yaowu Mansion, established an outer building on his own and left the pass. The Emperor also did not think it was permissible, but always bestowed grace and rewards continuously. But the Champion Marquis’s character was more independent, his background more complex, and there was the old matter of Chongxuan Mingtu. No matter how the Emperor treated him, it could not be as intimately as he treated Jiang Wang.

The Emperor called himself alone, with his children, with the people by his side, he could not fully confide. Aristocratic families, meritorious nobles, civil ministers, military generals, new and old Qi people, each party and faction, all sides had to be balanced with one hand. Internally, he needed to regulate the dragon and the tiger; externally, he had to look far into the world. Both to look at the current situation, the gains and losses of an inch of land, and even more to look at the long-term merits and demerits, the rise and fall of a hundred years. Every word and action required deep consideration. Heavenly will is hard to fathom, because the Emperor’s heart cannot be grasped by others. The present Qi Emperor ruled over the world, held supreme power, and before how many people could he laugh naturally and be angry casually? Han Ling counted as one, Li Zhengshu counted as half, Cao Ji counted as half. His Jiang Mengxiong’s power was too prosperous now, and he only counted as half. In the younger generation, there was only one Jiang Wang. Wait until one day, when Jiang Wang reached his current position, he would probably only count as half, but at least now, he could still bare his heart, still show sincerity to the Emperor.

It was precisely because he felt the Emperor’s mood. So Jiang Mengxiong would personally descend to the Heaven Prison World, let Xiuyuan be the witness, to prove Ji Zhaonan’s innocence. He would also directly break through Frost Wind Valley, open a new battlefield, and try his best to save this great Qi prodigy. After doing all that could be done, he would open a great city, plotting the long-term interests of Qi Country within the Heaven Prison.

But truly speaking, his supervision of the construction of Wu’an City was to maximally utilize the loss of the Wu’an Marquis to seize interests for Qi Country. It was also to provide cover for Jiang Wang’s possible survival. In the short term, it was only confrontation and deterrence, with no plan to kill out of the civilized basin and exterminate the demon race great city. There was no such plan, nor were that many people prepared.

As a result, your Xiyue An, Yun Country, Mu Country, and Chu Country, each like hungry ghosts who wouldn’t choose food, all sent experts to Wu’an City. What did you want? I’m afraid Yuan Xian Ting misunderstood!