Chapter 2279: Afraid of What Comes

"The Princess! It's the Princess!" Many soldiers on the city wall recognized her and exclaimed, "Patriarch, quickly find a way to save the Princess!"

Soren Shi was beautiful and kind, often helping the common soldiers, which made her very popular within the Soren family.

The Soren Patriarch's face was etched with bitterness. "If I could save her, don't you think I would have already?" he thought.

At that moment, only one thought echoed in his mind.

It's over. Everything is over.

He knew Soren Shi had secretly gone to consult with the Rong and Wu families. Her appearance here now clearly meant she had been betrayed by either the Wu or Rong family.

His envisioned plan to unite with the Rong and Wu families against the Yun family was now completely ruined.

He simply couldn't understand why. For thousands of years, the major families had always been on equal footing. Perhaps one family would be stronger for a period, but circumstances always shifted, and another family would rise to power, allowing the four great families to maintain a consistent balance.

Had the Rong and Wu families gone mad this time? Why would they willingly give up being respected patriarchs to act as dogs for the Yun family?

Once the Soren family was gone, how long could the Rong and Wu families possibly last?

Why couldn't those two old foxes grasp such a simple truth?

Too many questions plagued his mind at that moment, but his attention was soon drawn to shouts from outside the city.

"Brother Soren, if you don't surrender soon, if you don't pledge your loyalty to the Demon God, your beloved daughter will surely die!" The Yun Patriarch stood atop a high platform, shouting towards the city tower. With his cultivation, his voice easily carried across the entire battlefield.

As he spoke, teams of soldiers piled firewood beneath the platform. Killing someone was easy, but doing it too quickly would be meaningless.

Slowly burning her with firewood would create a powerful visual impact and further demoralize the troops inside the city.

Furthermore, if the Soren family changed their minds and decided to surrender, they could extinguish the fire in time and release Soren Shi, preventing the Soren family from being completely pushed into fighting to the very end.

The Soren Patriarch had initially considered using the opportunity to lead a surprise attack, but upon seeing the Rong and Wu patriarchs also on the high platform, surrounded by layers of soldiers from all three families, he instantly abandoned the idea.

He cursed loudly, "Yun! When two armies clash, one should fight honorably! What kind of hero are you, bullying a young girl?"

The Yun Patriarch burst into laughter. "War is a matter of life and death! Everything is for victory; how can we cling to outdated rules? Besides, we are demons, known for our cunning! Are you learning these so-called 'honorable' but misguided ways from humans?"

At his words, the army outside the city erupted in laughter, mocking the Soren family for their outdated notions.

On the city wall, the Soren soldiers were filled with righteous indignation, clamoring to charge out and fight.

"Don't fall for their provocations!" the Soren Patriarch urgently stopped them. Given the overwhelming odds, charging out would only needlessly deplete their forces.

"It's widely rumored throughout the demon race that Soren soldiers are the bravest and most skilled in battle, but now it seems you are nothing but cowards who cling to life!" the Yun Patriarch sneered.

The Soren Patriarch knew he was trying to provoke them and ignored him completely. Instead, he ordered his subordinates to strictly guard their positions, forbidding anyone from leaving the city to fight without his direct command.

Seeing him deploying troops on the city wall, the Yun Patriarch grew impatient. "Soren Xing, are you abandoning even your own daughter? Just hand over the White Tiger Stone, and Soren Shi can become your Soren family's Saintess! The four great families can then serve the Demon God together. Once the Demon God bestows his blessing, all of us will fully awaken our bloodline powers, restoring the demon race to its ancient glory! Why must you push things to this point?"

The Soren Patriarch loudly retorted, "Our family's millennia-old teachings state that the Four Symbols Stones are the most important family treasures and must never be given to outsiders! Rong family, Wu family, have you forgotten your ancient oaths?"

The Rong and Wu patriarchs looked ashamed. Each of them, upon inheriting their position, had solemnly received the Four Symbols Stones from the previous patriarch, along with repeated instructions to keep their existence secret and emphasize their extreme importance. However, after so many years, they had felt no benefit from the stones and had gradually grown dismissive of them.

The Yun Patriarch scoffed, "Do you even know what the Four Symbols Stones are for? You don't even know what you're protecting! What's the point of such mindless guardianship? Is a mere Four Symbols Stone worth the lives of your entire family?"

Indeed, upon hearing his words, many Soren family members on the city wall instinctively looked towards their patriarch. Truth be told, they had only recently learned of the Four Symbols Stones' existence; previously, this had been a secret known only to the patriarch.

The Soren Patriarch remained silent for a moment before speaking. "It's true, I don't know what the Four Symbols Stones are for. However, since they have been so solemnly passed down through generations in our families, there must be a profound reason. My duty is to continue this mission, lest I become a sinner against our family and the entire demon race in the future."

"Hmph, you may not know their purpose, but the True Demon and the great Demon God do! Only when all four Four Symbols Stones are gathered can their true power be unleashed," the Yun Patriarch continued to persuade him.

The Soren Patriarch said coldly, "The True Demon's origins are suspicious, and the Demon God is even more elusive. Have you not considered the consequences if we hand over such vital Four Symbols Stones to someone who turns out to be a fraud?"

"Audacious! How dare you disrespect the Demon God and the True Demon's envoy!" The Yun Patriarch's expression darkened instantly.

At this point, the Rong Patriarch also tried to persuade him, "Brother Soren, do you think we are all fools, completely lacking discernment? We all believe there's no problem, so why do you think you're smarter than all of us?"

The Wu Patriarch added, "Other things can be faked, but the True Demon's envoy's ability to awaken and enhance our bloodline powers can't be! Who else could achieve this without the Demon God's power?"

"Soren Shi once said that extraterrestrial demons also possess similar abilities," the Rong Patriarch said coldly. "Previously, the Second Prince and Little Golden Roc King were both misled by demons, their strength suddenly surging, but the ultimate price was their demise."

"Stop spreading such nonsense!" the Yun Patriarch said, clearly annoyed. "That's just a saying for winners and losers! If the Regent King hadn't interfered, the Second Prince and Little Golden Roc King would still be alive and well, perhaps even as powerful as the Old Demon Emperor himself! Don't you want to possess such power?"

"While I want to become stronger, I refuse to become a slave to demons," the Soren Patriarch said coldly.

"You're beyond saving. You will become a complete blasphemer," the Yun Patriarch said, shaking his head. He then turned to Soren Shi. "Niece, quickly persuade your father! Don't let him lead the entire Soren family to ruin."

"Father!" Soren Shi took a deep breath, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Soren Xing was also weeping, his old tears flowing freely. "Your father is useless; I can't save you, Shi'er. Are you afraid?"

"Yes, I'm afraid," Soren Shi said in a low voice, but then quickly lifted her head. "But I'm more afraid of the Soren family being doomed forever. Father, don't worry about me. As a woman of the Soren family, I can only die standing, never begging for mercy!"

"You're seeking death!" The Yun Patriarch was enraged. With a casual flick of his hand, the flame from a torch held by a soldier below the platform was instantly drawn into the pile of firewood, which quickly burst into a roaring blaze.

Scorching heat billowed upwards. The Yun Patriarch gazed coldly towards the city wall. "Soren Xing, this is your last chance. If you surrender now, you can save your daughter and preserve your clan's lives. Otherwise, in a moment, this beautiful, tender daughter of yours will be burned alive, and Soren City will meet the same fate as her."

Soren Xing gripped the parapet tightly, his fingers digging a hole in the hard city wall.

His lips trembled incessantly, trying to speak, but no words came out.

Just then, Soren Shi suddenly cried out from the high platform, "Father, hold on! The Regent King will eventually notice the disturbance here; he will come to save the entire Soren family!"

"The Regent King?" The Yun Patriarch sneered. "That pretty boy is probably living a life of debauchery in the human imperial city right now. By the time he learns of the situation here, the Soren family will likely be nothing but dust."

Soren Shi fell silent at his words. She knew it was true. The Regent King would indeed rush to help once he found out, but by then, the other families, the True Demon envoy, and even the Demon God might have disappeared. She also didn't know what they planned to do with the Four Symbols Stones; perhaps their power would suddenly surge, making them too strong even for the Regent King to handle.

The crucial question was: could the Soren family hold out until then?

At least she certainly couldn't.

Thinking of their first meeting, and how he had saved her in the Sealed Land, and his handsome smiling face, Soren Shi's heart was filled with longing. She truly wished to see him one more time.

At this point, the Wu Patriarch also joined in the mockery. "That fellow is truly outrageous, openly seducing even the Little Demon Empress! He clearly has no respect for us elder demons. When the Demon God descends, he will learn that there's always someone stronger out there!"

The Rong Patriarch echoed, "Precisely. Relying on the Regent King to save you is less reliable than waiting for the Demon God to descend."

Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from the sky, "Oh, is that so?"