With that, he turned away coldly, leaving behind a hall full of watching demon elders and clan heads, and Lu Meng standing alone.
Her teeth gritted with a crunching sound, the veins on her temples gradually bulging.
Damn it… Despite sharing the same bloodline, they looked down on her so much!
A ferocious glint flashed in Lu Meng’s eyes, leaving behind only a bottomless hatred.
…
“Kid, what brings you here?”
Xiao Zi scratched his cheek, his nine tails behind him swaying joyfully.
Bai Ran’s lips curved into a teasing smile, “If something happens to you, won’t I also be in trouble?”
Hearing this, Xiao Zi cast her a helpless glance, then his expression turned serious again.
“Don’t worry, even if I were to die, I would send you out of the demon race before I did.”
“You won’t die.”
Bai Ran stopped, her eyes shining with hope, “I say you won’t die, and you absolutely cannot die.”
Xiao Zi chuckled softly, his eyes gentle, “Okay, I won’t die.”
Bai Ran continued to walk, contemplating a plan. “Of the nine great families, how many do you know will stand on your side?”
Xiao Zi pursed his lips, his expression hesitant, “Perhaps only two families.”
The Jing and Fang families had always been loyal to Xiao Zi. Whether he was in the demon race or not, these two families would never betray him.
Furthermore, there were no women from these two families among those presented as tribute this time, which was enough to indicate their stance.
Bai Ran nodded. At least three more families needed to be recruited…
“Lian Shuiyue and Hua Yun secretly support you. Perhaps we can start with these two families.”
As if on cue, Hua Yun’s voice echoed from not far behind them.
“Your Majesty!”
The two stopped and turned to see Hua Yun running towards them, her expression anxious.
She stood before them and said, “Uh, perhaps I can help you.”
Xiao Zi and Bai Ran exchanged a glance. Xiao Zi’s lips curved as he spoke, “How can you help? As far as I know, your Hua family has already defected to Lu Ji.”
Hearing this, Hua Yun quickly shook her head, “No! The Hua family was forced!”
She lowered her head, her emotions dampened, “Lu Ji forced the clans to say that if they pledged loyalty to him, their families would be ranked among the top.”
The higher a family’s ranking, the more resources they would receive.
Conversely, if they refused to submit to him, their family’s power would be severed, leaving them no chance to rise again.
Xiao Zi’s brows furrowed deeply, “Did the Jing and Fang families suffer any incidents?”
Hua Yun’s eyelashes trembled, and her voice became much lower, “Half of the demons in both families died…”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zi clenched his fists, a cold aura emanating from him.
Before he left, the Jing family was the foremost family in the demon race, followed by the Fang family.
Now, both families had dropped to the bottom of the rankings and had lost half their demons…
Bai Ran’s eyes narrowed. No wonder so many families had defected to Lu Ji.
The path to loyalty for Xiao Zi was difficult, and he had to fight alone, unsure when he would return.
Hua Yun looked up, her eyes filled with pleading, “I can persuade my clan head, but I only ask…”
“that Your Majesty go easy on the Hua family in terms of punishment…”
With the return of the Demon Emperor, all the defected families were in a panic, fearing that if Lu Ji was defeated, they would face severe punishment.
Hua Yun was also afraid, but she believed that compared to Lu Ji’s cruel and bloodthirsty nature, the Demon Emperor was a more suitable ruler.
Although the Demon Emperor was decisive and knew how to repay kindness, he always stood from the perspective of his subjects and considered their well-being.
Even if she were punished, she, Hua Yun, would accept it.
Xiao Zi let out a long sigh, then said faintly, “I can consider reducing the punishments.”
Hearing this, Hua Yun’s eyes bloomed with joy, “I will go back and inform my father immediately!”
As she left, she smiled at Xiao Zi, her smile incredibly bright.
“Hua Yun believes in Your Majesty, and you will definitely crush Lu Ji!”
Turning, she looked at Bai Ran, “And thank you, human!”
Thank you for always steadfastly staying by Your Majesty’s side…
Bai Ran chuckled softly, saying nothing, but a glimmer of hope appeared as she watched Hua Yun’s retreating back.
“Pfft—”
However, the moment the two turned around, an arrow shot towards them.
The bright red blood was glaring. Hua Yun’s eyes widened as she saw the arrow pierce straight into her heart.
The two of them turned abruptly, only to see Hua Yun collapsing to the ground.
Bai Ran’s expression sharpened, and she quickly stepped forward to check her injuries. Xiao Zi, on the other hand, looked at Lu Meng standing not far away with a cold expression.
“Attacking under my nose, are you tired of living?”
Lu Meng’s killing intent was not directed at them, so the two were caught off guard, and Hua Yun was injured.
Lu Meng lowered her bow and laughed, “I am a demon under Deputy General Lu. She betrayed Deputy General Lu, so I killed her.”
“May I ask Your Majesty, what is wrong with that?”
Xiao Zi laughed in anger, gathering spiritual energy in his hand, “Then it is also correct for me to kill you!”
But just as he was about to strike, Hua Yun gritted her teeth and let out a roar.
“You can’t kill her—!”
Hua Yun’s face was pale, and her breathing became intermittent.
“You can’t kill Lu Meng. Lu Meng is also your blood relative, Your Majesty…”
“You can’t, because of me…”
Hua Yun’s lips were gently covered by a hand. She turned and saw Bai Ran radiating killing intent, her eyes filled with ferocity.
Spiritual energy raged. Xiao Zi attacked Lu Meng without mercy, each blow fatal.
Hua Yun’s pupils trembled. She struggled with all her might to stop Xiao Zi, but Bai Ran’s strength was immense, and she couldn’t break free.
“Be quiet.”
A suppressed voice came. Hua Yun froze, meeting Bai Ran’s gaze, and heard her continue,
“If he can’t even protect you, he will only hate himself more.”
Hua Yun stood stunned, completely quiet.
Bai Ran’s movements were swift. After pulling out the arrow, she immediately fed Hua Yun a seventh-tier rejuvenation pill.
Not far away, Xiao Zi’s eyes were bloodshot as he launched a frenzied assault on Lu Meng.
“Stop!”
A sharp reprimand. The near-death Lu Meng looked at the newcomer.
“I told you to stop!”
Lu Ji gritted his teeth, enduring Xiao Zi’s attack head-on, and suffered significant internal injuries.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll kill you too.”
Their cold eyes met. Lu Ji gritted his teeth, drew his long sword, and actually stabbed himself in the abdomen!
“Deputy General Lu!” Hua Yun’s voice trembled. What was Deputy General Lu doing!
Blood flowed continuously, and Lu Ji’s body swayed precariously. “Now we’re even…”
Xiao Zi regained his senses and stopped his movements.
“Slap—” Lu Ji turned and raised his hand, slapping Lu Meng.
Lu Meng’s ears buzzed, and her mind went blank for an instant. “Lu…”
“What exactly are you doing! Cough cough!”