Chapter 595: Lone-Faced Demon Tribe Heroes

Yaoyue's expression changed. She said, "Jiang Fan? It couldn't be him, could it?"

If the one captured was her "husband," Jiang Fan…

Given the humiliation Jiang Fan had brought upon the demon race, he was sure to die.

And if he died, how could Yaoyue survive?

Lingyin calmly said, "The Demon Emperor wouldn't bring back any other human named Jiang Fan."

She raised her eyes and looked outside the valley. She softly said, "Alright, let's see who this Jiang Fan is. For him to force my woman to use the Conjoined Heart Worm, he must be extraordinary."

She walked slowly. Along her path, a hundred flowers bloomed. Rainbows spanned the sky, and a hundred birds bowed in reverence.

A hundred miles away, countless tribal encampments were scattered across the snowfield like stars in the sky.

Surrounded by these, a magnificent, majestic complex of golden palaces stood at the center of the snowfield.

The highest, the Demon Emperor's Hall, reached straight into the clouds.

Standing atop it, one could command the demon race's heroes up close and overlook the vast world from afar.

With the Demon Emperor's return, Demon Kings, generals, and War Kings all came to greet him. "Welcome back, Demon Emperor! Welcome back, Consort Yunxia!"

As representatives of the demon race's strongest combat power, they all bowed in awe.

Only Sea Charm Demon King, amidst her reverence, harbored intense unease.

Because the Demon Emperor had brought back not only Consort Yunxia but also Jiang Fan!

Looking at Jiang Fan, who stood bound hand and foot beside them, Sea Charm could hardly believe her eyes.

Jiang Fan had actually been captured by the Demon Emperor. She immediately felt a turmoil of emotions.

"Rise," the Demon Emperor commanded, sitting on his throne and looking down at the crowd. "I have two announcements to make."

"First, the secret realm exploration failed. The legendary demonic artifact cannot be used. Therefore, prepare for direct war with the human race."

Consort Yunxia looked ashamed. She had been in charge of the secret realm exploration. For this, she had even brought over two hundred drops of the Demon Emperor's essence blood. In the end, she hadn't found the legendary demonic artifact and had nearly died.

Everyone showed regret.

After the great defeat at Mount Jie, they had suffered immense humiliation. But they hadn't yet launched a decisive battle to avenge their shame. The reason was that they needed to await Consort Yunxia's actions.

Previously, a human warrior who had passed away within the demon territory had left behind not only a beast skin scroll but also a handwritten note.

The note recorded that in that secret realm, there was a killing artifact left by the Great Yang clan of demons a thousand years ago. It was originally intended to deal with ancient giants. But the Great Yang clan had suffered devastating, near-extinct losses before they could use it. And after the subsequent war ended, the killing artifact was gradually forgotten. If not for the discovery of the note, the artifact would have remained buried in the dust of history.

According to the note, the killing artifact was left by a sage of the Great Yang clan. It required a large amount of the Demon Emperor's blood to activate it. Once its power was unleashed, it could easily turn the tide of war and destroy human powerhouses.

Such a secretive and crucial mission had been entrusted by the Demon Emperor to his most trusted Consort Yunxia. Now, the mission had been declared a failure, which was truly regrettable.

"Demon Emperor, if it's war, then it's war," cried out a demon. "Our demon race has no cowards. Even without the killing artifact, our demon race will surely win!"

The previous humiliation still festered in their hearts. Every demon was filled with fighting spirit, eager to wash away the disgrace.

The Demon Emperor nodded with satisfaction. Their morale was still high; the demon race had a good chance of winning this war.

He smiled slightly and looked at Jiang Fan. At this very moment, Jiang Fan's value became apparent. He could boost the demon race's morale by another three points.

"For my second announcement, guess who this human youth is?"

The demons looked at Jiang Fan in confusion. They had noticed him earlier, but they didn't understand why the Demon Emperor would bring a human youth to such a sacred place as the Demon Emperor's Hall. Even as a captive, bringing him here was inappropriate. Only the masters of the Nine Sects, the Grand Elders, and the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion were qualified to be brought to the Demon Emperor's Hall, right? Did this human youth in front of them possess such qualifications?

Seeing that no one could answer, the Demon Emperor smiled slightly and his gaze fell on Sea Charm Demon King. "Sea Charm, you tell us."

Sea Charm's heart pounded. Why had he singled her out? Had the Demon Emperor seen something? After a brief thought, she cautiously guessed, "A human youth who could be personally captured by the Demon Emperor and brought to the Demon Emperor's Hall… it could only be Jiang Fan, the human who has recently been in the spotlight, couldn't it?"

The Demon Emperor laughed. "Exactly! He is Jiang Fan, the human Jiang Fan who caused the collapse of the undead army!"

What? These words were like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake.

"He's that Jiang Fan?" "The Jiang Fan who brought unprecedented shame upon our demon race?" "So this is what he looks like!" "Kill him! Avenge our demon race!" "Tear him limb from limb, break him into ten thousand pieces!" "Damn it, for such a junior to cause our demon race such losses, killing him would be letting him off easy!" "He should be tormented for all eternity!"

Hearing the increasingly fervent shouts, the Demon Emperor was very satisfied with the effect. Killing Jiang Fan publicly would maximize morale.

Consort Yunxia was secretly worried. Sea Charm also bit her red lip slightly, unsure of what to do.

"Heh, a bunch of rabble." Jiang Fan spoke then. Although he wore shackles and chains, his body stood as straight as a spear. Facing the demon race's most powerful figures, he revealed his sharp edge, utterly fearless.

"You suffer a defeat, yet you don't seek honor on the battlefield. Instead, you vent your frustrations on a human youth. You don't analyze the reasons for your failure; you try to shift the blame onto a human youth. You don't dare to admit your defeat; instead, you seek to establish authority by killing to bolster your courage and momentum. Incompetent! Stupid! Cowardly! With such qualities, how can you compete with us humans? How can you defeat humans who are united in purpose? Look in a mirror and see yourselves right now! Do you look like victors?"

His words were passionate and stirring, full of conviction. They made the ears of the demon heroes buzz. More like a sword, they pierced deeply into their hearts, causing them sharp pain.

The few who had shouted the loudest just now couldn't help but feel their old faces burn. Indeed. Instead of seeking revenge on the battlefield, they wanted to kill a human youth to vent their anger. Was this how a powerful race should behave? Wasn't it the same as losing a fight in the village and not daring to confront the adults, but instead picking on their children?

Such words might be acceptable from lower-ranking demons, but to hear them from the mouths of the demon race's higher-ups was truly shameful.

And so, the Demon Emperor's Hall, which had just been filled with shouts of bloodlust and righteous indignation, became eerily quiet. Only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard. No one dared to shout about killing Jiang Fan to establish their authority anymore.

Consort Yunxia stared in a daze, her beautiful eyes reflecting Jiang Fan's back. Was this still the cunning, sly youth she knew, the one who had even flirted with her? Standing alone, he looked down on the demon heroes. His resounding words silenced all the powerful figures. He exuded a majestic aura, as if declaring, "Even if there are thousands of troops and horses, I will go forth."

She couldn't help but recall when she was about to be humiliated by Lu Liang. Jiang Fan had similarly descended from the sky, shielding her with his powerful back, covering a piece of the sky for her. Thinking of this, she gazed at Jiang Fan's back, and subtle ripples appeared in her eyes.

"What, have you all gone mute?" Jiang Fan, his aura like a rainbow, shouted again with a resonant voice, "Didn't you want to kill me to vent your anger? Come on, kill me! Let humanity and the outside world laugh at you bunch of useless wretches. Let the whole world see how incompetent your demon race is!"

*Bang!* A Demon King, unable to endure being verbally assaulted any longer, stomped his foot heavily on the ground. "Enough!" he roared. "Demon Emperor, this boy is insulting our demon race. I suggest we cut him down now and offer his head as a sacrifice to the heavens!"

The Demon Emperor's face turned somewhat green. He had gone through great trouble to bring Jiang Fan back, intending to boost morale. But Jiang Fan's rhetoric had, instead, dampened their spirits.

He didn't answer but looked at the assembled demons. "What do you all think?"