Everyone was shocked, looking at Mo Chenze in disbelief.
At the same moment, in the easternmost divine temple of the Divine Realm, a tall figure strode into the palace.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the connection with the inner demon has been severed. Do you think... something has happened?" Zhuang Man, the Palace Mistress of Yaochi Palace, bowed respectfully, her demeanor both reverent and cautious.
"What else could happen?"
A deep chuckle echoed from the main seat, accompanied by the sound of chess pieces falling onto the board.
"It's just those two annoying people. They both failed..."
His laughter was incredibly soft. Mo Ze sat on his ornate throne, lazily propping his chin, holding a chess piece in his left hand, looking quite at ease.
Using the inner demon to eliminate his father, the Emperor, Mo Ze had no intention of helping the inner demon.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind... When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits...
Regardless of whether his dear father, the Emperor, had escaped, Mo Ze would be the ultimate winner...
"Hahahaha—"
"This is getting more and more interesting—"
The man's figure gradually stood up. He reached out and cupped the chess piece on the board in his palm. When he opened his hand, the piece had already turned to dust.
As his fingers loosened, the powder sprinkled down, eventually landing on the ground and becoming lowly dust.
"But the hundred thousand troops of the Divine Realm... have also been completely annihilated..." Zhuang Man bowed low, his head drooping so much that he dared not even glance at the person above him.
"If other forces attack now, how should we respond?"
Mo Ze's lips curled into a smile as he looked towards the forbidden area in the westernmost part of the Divine Realm: "The Five Great Holy Lords were all put in their positions by my own hands."
Of the five Holy Lords, one had died, and the remaining four had not participated in this war.
"Besides... aren't there still those fellows?"
"Your Highness refers to?" Zhuang Man slightly raised his head but still did not meet Mo Ze's gaze: "Those in the forbidden area to the west...?"
On the high platform, Mo Ze paced back and forth, his steps leisurely and light: "As long as they are here, the Divine Realm's military strength will be inexhaustible."
"But..." Zhuang Man hesitated for a moment, then continued to ask with trepidation: "Lately, they seem to be struggling to hold on..."
A cold gaze swept over him, and Zhuang Man froze in place, feeling an oppressive aura descend, making it impossible to breathe.
"No matter what it takes, you must find a way to extend their lives. Do you understand?" Mo Ze's voice carried a warning, with a hint of anger.
"This subordinate understands..."
"There is one more thing." At this point, Mo Ze's voice grew louder, seemingly laced with endless madness and joy.
"My dear father, the Emperor, is likely not coming back." Mo Ze slowly descended from the high platform, a cryptic smile playing on his lips that was impossible to decipher.
"Tomorrow, announce to the entire Nine Heavens, the new Emperor will ascend the throne—"
"We hope all major powers will offer their support—"
"Hahahaha—"
His arrogant laughter echoed, sounding particularly chilling in the empty palace, sending shivers down Zhuang Man's spine.
...
"What did you say! The Divine Realm and the demonized humans have joined forces to attack the Demon Realm???" Xiao Zi slammed the table, suddenly standing up, his mind unable to process anything.
"Yes! Yes!" the soldier stammered in his report.
"How long ago was that??"
"About, two hours ago..."
Two hours... Xiao Zi slumped back into his chair, looking utterly dejected, as if his soul had left his body.
Two hours was enough time for several rounds of fighting. By then, it would be too late... He had found out too late...
"Has there been any news from Medicine Valley? Are they alright?"
The soldier nodded, answering Xiao Zi's question: "Although the entire Medicine Valley was severely damaged, no important pill recipes or secret techniques were lost, and the demonized humans have all been wiped out."
That's good... that's good... Xiao Zi patted his chest, finally feeling a little relieved.
"With Long Jinhan in the Demon Realm, they couldn't possibly lose to the Divine Realm and the demonized humans, right..."
After all, that guy's strength was no joke. Xiao Zi was certain he was still holding back some big move.
"There's one more thing. I heard the Ghost Clan went to reinforce the Demon Realm."
"What??? The Ghost Clan???" That meant Little Ghost had taken his people to reinforce them???
Xiao Zi's heart leaped into his throat again, pounding uncontrollably. It was too exciting.
"Could it be that the Demon Realm encountered some trouble, requiring the Ghost Clan to come to their aid?"
Was that Long Jinhan so useless that he needed Little Ghost to travel so far to save him?
The soldier nodded obediently, completely oblivious to Xiao Zi's sarcastic tone.
"It seems a demon general was held captive, and the Demon Lord's body also had issues. As for the specific problem, the Demon Realm has always been tight-lipped, so we couldn't find out."
A demon general held captive? The Demon Lord's body had problems?
Xiao Zi frowned, his brow furrowed in an unsolvable worry. His cold illness must have flared up again...
A demon general was held captive; it must be Tang Yi or Jing Yun... Thinking about it, the Demon Realm had almost fallen...
It was that serious...
"Understood. You may go," Xiao Zi waved, dismissing the soldier who had come to report.
Not long after the soldier left, Lin Ze returned, his face full of exhaustion.
"Did you know about the Demon Realm being attacked?" Lin Ze changed out of his blood-stained robes and turned to look at Xiao Zi.
Xiao Zi nodded, his expression becoming solemn: "I only just found out."
Lin Ze tidied his clothes and sighed deeply: "What do you think?"
"What do I think?"
"About Mo Ze's plan, what do you think?"
Xiao Zi tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. To Lin Ze, he probably looked like he was spacing out.
"Mo Huai'an and Mo Ze are in no way comparable..."
Lin Ze sat down, and the two sat in silence, neither speaking. The entire room was quiet.
"Although Mo Ze is young, his schemes run deeper than most people in the Nine Heavens..."
Luring the tiger away from its mountain was just a trap within a trap—
He had thought the inner demon's plan was terrifying enough, but he hadn't expected the truly terrifying one to be Mo Ze, who was orchestrating everything from behind the scenes...
Lin Ze nodded, his brow furrowed with sternness: "With this move, he has eliminated two formidable rivals, and with seemingly no effort."
Mo Huai'an and the inner demon both fell into Bai Ran's hands, allowing Mo Ze to ascend the throne smoothly.
"Truly cunning..." Lin Ze's eyes narrowed, a sense of frustration growing in his heart.
He had never formed an alliance with the inner demon or set equal terms. From the very beginning, Mo Ze's goal had been the throne...
And the inner demon was merely a miserably used and ultimately dead pawn...
"Facing someone like this, do we really have a chance of winning?"