Chapter 524: Jiang Fan's Famous Name Spreads Among the Demon Tribe

Had it not been for Jiang Fan, how would she have met such a fate? The consequences of this great defeat far exceeded Yaoyue’s expectations.

After the news of the devastating loss spread among the demon race, it ignited an uproar! Four Demon Kings, six Generals, a hundred Battle Kings, and countless Beast Kings all furiously demanded Yaoyue's execution.

The reason was simple: this battle was lost in an inconceivable, utter, and profoundly humiliating manner. A vast army of over ten thousand undead soldiers was completely annihilated by a mere two hundred hastily assembled human defenders at Jieshan!

Who could believe it? Who could accept it? Accusations of Yaoyue's incompetence as a commander spread far and wide. Furthermore, a significant portion of the demon race even questioned whether Yaoyue had betrayed them and sided with humans, for they couldn't fathom how this battle could have been lost otherwise.

The populace was enraged, their collective fury reaching the heavens. Even the Demon Emperor, who was in secluded cultivation, unprecedentedly interrupted his practice to join the Old Priest in judging Yaoyue! Beyond her execution to appease the public's fury, Yaoyue could not conceive of any other judgment.

She did not fear death, but she felt a sense of injustice. For she had done her utmost in this battle. The defeat was not due to her incompetence, nor was it a result of her colluding with humans; rather, it was due to the variable of Jiang Fan.

"Jiang Fan!" Yaoyue clenched her fists. "Once I clarify what happened in this battle, I will atone for it with my death, and I'll make sure to take you, this great bane of the demon race, with me!"

Outside the Sacred Altar, angry demons had gathered, all waiting for the news of Yaoyue’s execution.

Haimei's eyes revealed concern. From what she knew of Yaoyue, if Yaoyue were to be sentenced to death, she would surely expose Haimei's subservience to Jiang Fan before her demise. In that event, Haimei would also be implicated. Yet, she couldn't kill Yaoyue, as that would implicate Jiang Fan.

"This Mind-Link Worm is truly a nuisance," Haimei muttered, rubbing her temples. Things had escalated to this point, completely spiraling out of her control. She could only resign herself to fate.

Just then, a rainbow bridge suddenly materialized from deep within the demon territory. It stretched across the sky, connecting to the Sacred Altar. Birds from miles around flocked around the rainbow, as if in homage. Ethereal flower petals drifted down as the rainbow descended. The wondrous sight captivated the demons, making them momentarily forget their anger.

Haimei gazed warily at the other end of the rainbow, muttering softly, "The Old Priest. Every time she appears, she is unfathomable." Even Haimei, with all her power, couldn't discern if the path-opening rainbow, the homage of a hundred birds, and the falling petals were human magic, a demonic talent, or neither. Much like the contemporary Old Priest herself, the Priest lineage has remained utterly mysterious for countless years. No one has ever been able to fully comprehend its true nature.

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Haimei looked up, her pupils contracting. She saw a mesmerizing maiden in a flowing immortal dress, with a cascade of dark hair, walking on the rainbow. Her slender figure and face, sculpted as if by divine hand, possessed a beauty not of this world. Even mermaids, who prided themselves as a beautiful race, seemed to fade in her presence. She was the Old Priest, Yaoyue’s mother: Lingyin!

Haimei's expression turned to one of deep envy. "How many years has it been?" she murmured. "She still looks like a maiden!" Agelessness was a unique trait of the Priest lineage. Their appearance would remain eternally fixed at eighteen years old until their death. Even the Demon Emperor's lineage did not possess such an enviable ability.

Under the enraptured gaze of the demons, Lingyin gracefully traversed the rainbow, surrounded by falling petals, until she reached the Sacred Altar. Yaoyue looked up. As she gazed at her incomparably beautiful mother, an unavoidable trace of inferiority welled up within her. Yaoyue herself possessed striking beauty; among humans, she would undoubtedly be renowned. Yet, compared to her mother Lingyin, she appeared dim and lusterless.

Moreover, her mother Lingyin was not only beautiful but also immensely powerful. Aside from the Demon Emperor, she had no equal among the demon race. Her wisdom, too, was unparalleled; she was hailed as the demon race's chief strategist. The Demon Emperor often sought her counsel on significant decisions he couldn't resolve. In stark contrast, Yaoyue, who had commanded over ten thousand undead soldiers only to suffer a catastrophic defeat, seemed particularly inadequate.

"Mother, your daughter has disappointed you," Yaoyue said, lowering her head in shame. Her eyes were filled with sorrow.

Lingyin looked at her with a calm, unperturbed gaze. "We shall speak when the Demon Emperor arrives," she stated.

They did not wait long. Suddenly, demonic clouds gathered in the sky, blotting out the sun and plunging the land into darkness. A terrifying demonic aura, potent enough to make all demons tremble and prostrate, slowly descended from the clouds. The weaker Beast Kings collapsed to their knees, their bodies trembling. Even the Battle Kings proactively knelt in terror. Only the five great Demon Kings and six generals fared slightly better, but they too bowed their heads, not daring to look up.

The Sacred Altar, which had moments ago been a clamor of voices, fell into instant, deathly silence. The demonic clouds shifted, coalescing into a colossal, impassive face. From its two hollow eye sockets blazed the unique majesty of the Demon Supreme.

"This battle, why was it lost?" The impassive voice rumbled like thunder overhead, making the demons' hearts tremble. The five great Demon Kings and generals, too, knelt in terror, prostrating themselves. Was this not the very essence of divine might?

Yaoyue's body trembled violently. Under the gaze of those two hollow eyes, she felt an agonizing pain, as if pierced by countless arrows. Prostrating herself, she said in a trembling voice, "Please allow Yaoyue to recount the events of this battle."

The colossal face in the sky uttered a single, thunderous word with an impassive tone: "Speak."

The Demon Kings, generals, Battle Kings, and even the Beast Kings scattered across the ground all showed signs of dissatisfaction. "A defeat is a defeat," their expressions seemed to say. "Is she trying to make excuses?" However, as Yaoyue continued her account, their expressions gradually shifted.

Upon hearing that Jieshan had prepared an endless supply of timber and torches, they were astonished. "Where would Jieshan, with its thousands of miles of snowy plains, get so much wood?" one wondered. "Could it be that humans were prepared long ago?" "Impossible!" another exclaimed. "Not only was the undead army deployed extremely suddenly, even we weren't aware, so how could humans have known in advance? Moreover, how far is Giant City from Jieshan? Transporting such an immense amount of timber would require tremendous manpower, resources, and time. It would be impossible to stockpile enough without several years!"

Finally, Devouring Heaven Tiger, one of the five great Demon Kings, spoke in a deep voice: "It must be the hidden spaces within the Great Wall. They stockpile strategic materials from the ancient war there!" He continued, "However, the locations of those hidden spaces have long been forgotten; even the masters of the Nine Sects might not know them clearly. It appears there's a highly skilled individual guiding the Jieshan defenders."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood. If that were the case, then it made sense. It was no wonder Yaoyue's undead army suffered such devastating casualties at the outset. While the undead army indeed felt no pain or fear of death, they were extremely vulnerable to objects possessing powerful Yang energy, and fire was one of them.

"But even then, half of the undead army still remained!" someone interjected. "Did something else happen?" "Ultimately, it still points to Yaoyue's competence!"

The colossal face in the sky spoke impassively: "Continue."

Yaoyue carefully chose her words and continued to recount the battle. As she spoke, the voices of doubt gradually faded, replaced by expressions of shock and anger.

"Jiang Fan again?" "He was the one who cut off the ice layer, delaying the battle!" "He was also the one who led the Qingyun Sect, buying the Heavenly Thunder crucial time!" "Just when Yaoyue finally activated her trump card, wiping out the disciples of the True Thunder Sect and nullifying the Heavenly Thunder, that accursed Jiang Fan actually knew thunder cultivation techniques and manipulated the Heavenly Thunder, completely reversing the tide of the battle!" "Who exactly is this Jiang Fan?" "He's simply the bane of our demon race!" "I misunderstood Yaoyue; her command was flawless, even remarkably skillful." "The problem lies with that human brat named Jiang Fan!" "Damn it, I'm going to sneak into human territory and kill that bastard!"

The sense of injustice in Yaoyue's eyes slowly faded. Finally, everyone understood that the defeat wasn't entirely her fault. However, she knew this didn't mean she was off the hook. Regardless, she was still the commander of a defeated army, and responsibility was inescapable.

Prostrating herself, she said, "Yaoyue has finished her statement. Please, Demon Emperor, pronounce your judgment."