Chapter 369: Chapter 368: Demon Marquis’s Fangs (Request for monthly tickets, request for monthly tickets!)
The sound of the Left-eye Elder was not loud, yet it entered everyone’s ears clearly. What scared people was that this sound did not evoke any innate response from them.
Normally, anyone who heard a sudden sound would have a response, even if it didn’t result in a physical action. Their heartbeat, their pulse would undergo minute changes as a way of providing a warning.
But no one believed that their reactions were slow.
The only explanation was that Left-eye Elder had clearly reached the supreme realm of ’Return to Simplicity’. Every move he made was as silent and subtle as nature itself, capable of killing without form.
Fear and awe silenced the clamor at the scene. According to the order, the men from the Demon Sky Sect would go first, followed by the Lan And Huang Union, and so on.
While the platform at the waist of the mountain was large, not everyone had the qualification to step on it. In the end, less than a tenth of all the forces of the Devil Path on the mountainside managed to enter the platform. The rest stayed on the periphery.
Shi Xiaole scanned the crowd.
First, there were the two one-eyed elderly men.
If the Demon Marquis felt like a mountain, full of magnificence and unmatched toughness.
Then the two one-eyed elders were like an ocean, seemingly calm on the surface but teeming with tumultuous waves underneath, capable of wreaking havoc and shaking mountains once unleashed.
Among the top martial artists of the eight states, these two elders were definitely matchless experts!
Moving his gaze from the two elders, Shi Xiaole looked at the pile of strange rocks behind them.
The strange rocks were odd in shape and varied in texture, some coarse and others as transparent as crystal. Looking closely, one could see a purple handle faintly exposed in the middle.
If he had not guessed wrong, that was the Divine Monarch’s Blade.
For centuries, the Divine Monarch’s Blade remained unknown to most. It had only become known to the people of Devil Path in recent decades.
It was said that it was planted here by the Black Devil Divine Monarch before he disappeared, representing a kind of spirit and heritage of the Devil Path. Whoever could draw out this blade would be his successor.
Shi Xiaole had learned from the Love Demon that all of this was a gimmick secretly fabricated by the Demon Marquis in order to unify the Devil Path and shouldn’t be believed.
However, as the story spread, this falsehood turned into truth. Since it was a wonderful thing to boost the morale of the followers of the Devil Path, even those who knew the truth wouldn’t dare to expose it.
Of course, the Divine Monarch’s Blade was undoubtedly a relic of the Divine Monarch, and strangely enough, perhaps due to the passage of time, the weapon had merged with the strange rocks, making it quite mystical.
While Shi Xiaole was observing the surroundings, the two one-eyed elders were also observing him.
"How is he?"
"He indeed has exceptional talent, a natural martial arts genius, but he is still too young. Besides, a martial arts genius does not necessarily make a great leader. This time, you and I should just sit back and watch."
The two elders communicated secretly without making a sound.
"Greetings to the two Lords!"
The observation of Shi Xiaole by the two elders only took a moment.
By now, all the top experts of the Devil Path who had entered the platform were paying their respects to the two elders. Even the Demon Marquis bowed deeply, showing surprisingly respectful behavior.
The masters of the two elders were from the era of the Black Devil Divine Monarch. In terms of generation, they were undoubtedly the singular elders of the current Devil Path. With their unparalleled strength, even the famous retired practitioners of the Devil Path had to bow their heads respectfully when encountering them and call them senior elders. Who would dare to act arrogantly in their presence?
"No need for such formalities, take your seats."
The Left-eye Elder spoke.
Everyone immediately sat down as instructed.
"Let the Mountain Cang meeting begin."
Without any lengthy speeches or motivating words, the Left-eye Elder uttered just a few short words before closing his eyes along with the Right-eye Elder, as if they were entering a meditative state.
It wasn’t an attempt to act old and wise or to appear profound. Given the experience, strength, and broad perspective of the two elders, the fact that they’ve spoken as much as they have is very remarkable. And really, how many people are around who are worthy of their attention?
As soon as the words fell, a man from the Demon Sky Sect stood up and said, "Since the two respected elders have spoken, let’s begin the first item of the meeting, drawing the sword. Who will go first?"
As the initiator of the Mountain Cang meeting, the Demon Sky Sect presided over each session.
The scene fell silent for a moment.
Many people were itching to try, but this session was different.
Everyone knew that the Demon Marquis was ambitious and was determined to become the master of the Great Cold Devil Path. At this crucial moment, being the first to rush forward would seem too eager, and what if the Demon Marquis noticed you?
"I’ll do it."
A powerful practitioner from the Devil Path, who did not belong to the Demon Sky Sect or the Lan and Huang Union, stood up. Many people recognized him as a member of the Eradicating Emotion Clan.
The Eradicating Emotion Clan is a force in the Devil Path Alliance, and its leader also harbors the ambition to become the master of the Devil Path.
Amidst the sneer of the Demon Sky Sect, the man flew to the front of the strange rocks pile. He grabbed the purple handle and tried to pull it out using his energy and strength.
The handle didn’t budge.
He elevated his force to his limit, an astonishing aura emanating in all directions. It turned out that he was a ninth layer expert of the Spiritual-Passage Realm. At a gathering like this, lower-leveled martial artists wouldn’t dare to show up and make fools of themselves.
A sound emitted from the pile of strange rocks.
However, it was not because the handle had been moved, but because the man’s strength had lifted the strange rock holding the handle by a half an inch, causing friction with the surrounding rocks.
After maintaining this for half a quarter of an hour, the man’s face turned red from exertion, and he was unable to support himself any longer. He could only lift the strange rock holding the handle by half an inch and helplessly gave up in the end. "I can’t pull it out."
Once one person took the initiative, the scene became a bit more lively. Numerous people tried their luck in succession, but the results were identical to the previous sessions.
Let alone pulling out the Divine Monarch’s Blade entirely, no one managed to even pull it out an inch.
Many top-tier martial artists eagerly went up and came down dejectedly.
It didn’t take long before a day and night had passed.
"Gentlemen, it seems we are all too dull to be the inheritor that the Divine Monarch’s Blade is waiting for. The so-called ’a powerful soldier, a nest of leaders.’ If we, the Great Cold Demon Path, want to rise and defeat those hypocritical gentlemen of the Righteous Path, we must have a capable and martial leader to step forward."
A genteel man stood up, laughing, "The one who steps forward must possess first-class martial arts, wisdom, courage, and decisiveness; otherwise, they will not be accepted by the people. In my opinion, among those present, only the Demon Marquis of the Demon Sky Sect fulfills these requirements. So why don’t we let the Demon Marquis have a try?"
It finally begun!
A chill ran through everyone’s hearts.
The Lan And Huang Union looked surprised, as members of the Demon Sky Sect were secretly resentful.
This gentlemanly man, who is the military advisor of the Eradicating Emotion Clan, seemingly praised the Demon Marquis yet harbored ill-intentions. Once the Demon Marquis fails to draw the sword, the disparity between the situation preceding and following would definitely decrease the Demon Marquis’s momentum.
The man was taking a gamble.
Given the current situation, the Demon Marquis undeniably had an absolute advantage over the other aspirants. Since they couldn’t stop him from drawing the sword, it was better to adopt a policy of ’killing with kindness.’
If the Demon Marquis failed, his momentum would instantly plummet. If he succeeded, his status would skyrocket, with no one left to compete with him.
This was a gamble none wanted to lose.
Countless gazes landed on the Demon Marquis, who sat there, poised and expressionless.
The Demon Marquis began, "Without absolute strength, a person can never become the heir of the Divine Monarch or the leader of the Devil Path, even if they manage to pull out the Divine Monarch’s Blade."
The crowd erupted into a commotion.
The gentlemanly man squinted his eyes, asking, "Demon Marquis, what do you mean by this? Are you disregarding the Divine Monarch’s Blade?"
The Demon Marquis chuckled, "The Divine Monarch’s Blade is a symbol of our Devil Path spirit. But what I want to say is, if I want to unite the Devil Path, why would I need the Divine Monarch’s Blade?"
An uproar ensued!
Whispers echoed throughout the crowd, all flabbergasted by the Marquis’s remarks.
The Love Demon felt immense pressure and let out a bitter smile. Lord Marquis, have you reached the point where you no longer need to hide your ambitions?
"Demon Marquis, it seems like you don’t regard any of us Devil Path experts?"
The gentlemanly man questioned.
The Demon Marquis didn’t answer him.
Just then, a person came galloping from afar, stopped at the outskirts of the platform, and first saluted the two old men with their eyes closed. He then turned to the Demon Marquis and said, "I have a report, Lord Marquis. Twenty miles away from the Mountain Cang, we successfully ambushed and killed members of the Gu Family, the Flying Fist Sect, the Wind Firming Gang, and six other top Righteous Path forces, killing 632 experts in total. Please review."
With a wave of his hand, a person behind him shook out a bag, and countless heads rolled out of it.
The crowd gasped in horror.
Many top Devil Path masters from the Great Cold recognized many of the heads. They were elite members of the Righteous Path, causing considerable harm to the Devil Path.
"What is going on?"
Someone asked.
Red Charm Demon stood up, laughing, "The Mountain Cang Conference this time is conducted with such high profile. You think the Righteous Path wouldn’t take any action? The attacks from the east, west, and even the north were all just a ruse. Their real backhand is in the middle. Lord Marquis has had people infiltrate the Righteous Path and provide him with this information long ago. He has set an ambush to coordinate the attack from within and outside."
Many people remained quiet, especially the several contenders, their expressions changing drastically.
They likewise had spies in the Righteous Path who had informed them about the astonishing ambush from three directions. Thus, they secretly set their own ambushes on those three directions, all set to showcase their achievements after achieving their goals.
After hearing the Red Charm Demon’s words, they naturally were half-convinced.
Before long, the confidants of several contenders rushed back and whispered a few words in their ears, instantly making their faces extremely ugly.
It turned out that the attacks from those three directions were just bluffs. They had been deceived by the Righteous Path.
From this, it was clear that the spy the Demon Marquis sent must hold a crucial role in the Righteous Path, otherwise, they couldn’t possibly get hold of the actual news.
In comparison, they were undoubtedly at a tremendous disadvantage.
"Lord Marquis, I have brought the person you asked for."
Before the crowd could calm down, two more experts rushed forward, giving their respectful salutes, and pressed a man, who was bound, onto the ground.
"This is the ’Wild Hammer,’ Ren Qianxin, the leader of the Northern Righteous Path Martial Alliance in the Great Cold!"
Someone gasped in shock.
The Northern Righteous Path Martial Alliance had always been a major threat to the Devil Path. And yet, the Demon Marquis directly sent people to capture the alliance’s leader.
The power nurtured secretly by the other side had already reached an incomparable level, yet, they managed to restrain themselves until now. They clearly intended to establish their position as the leader of the Devil Path during this Mountain Cang Conference and make the final but decisive move.
"You demons, you are brutal and heartless, you are bound to have a terrible death!"
Ren Qianxin, with disheveled hair, proclaimed righteously.
Red Charm Demon chuckled, "Leader Ren, your son has secretly raped and murdered sixty-three woman warriors of the Righteous Path over the years, humiliated ninety-six wives, and for his selfish desires, utilised the power of the Righteous Path Alliance to slaughter thirteen Righteous Path sects. You have covered up for all these deeds, are your actions righteous?"
Ren Qianxin’s face turned pale as he yelled, "Nonsense!"
Red Charm Demon cracked Ren Qianxin’s skull with one palm blow.
"Gentlemen, the Lord Marquis has eliminated the majority of the main forces of nine major sects in advance, and then removed the Leader of the Northern Martial Alliance, eliminating two major problems for us. Is this skill not enough to guide us all?"
Seeing the situation ripe, a chief of the Devil Path, who was affiliated with the Demon Sky Sect, stood up and shouted loudly.
