"Quickly, open the array wall! It's the Demon Son! The Demon Son has returned..."
"Get out of the way! Don't block the path!"
"Clear the area!"
With the Demon Son's return, the demon guards were ecstatic. The mountain wall battlements, lined with soldiers and armor, instantly cleared a wide space in the sky.
It was for the Cloud Boat to dock.
Escorted by the Twelve Demon Gods, with two demon dragons circling above and thousands of demon guards welcoming him.
Under the watchful eyes of the multitude, a single Cloud Boat sailed into the Blazing Fortress and hovered above the mountain city.
Chi Ji was ecstatic.
Huang Xiao was exceptionally excited.
Immediately.
The Twelve Demon Gods stepped onto the deck and gathered around Bai Mang, their gazes sweeping over the crowd of people tied up on the deck before looking at the travel-worn youth.
Their heads ached.
It truly ached.
Xu Xian felt uncomfortable under their stares, but he still pretended as if nothing was wrong, smiling warmly as he said, "Everyone, you're all here."
The Twelve Demon Gods remained expressionless, truly not knowing what to say for a moment.
Reprimands and concerns were on the tips of their tongues, yet they were swallowed back down.
Jin Yu kept a stern face. "You can still smile? Do you know how much trouble you've caused?"
Xu Xian waved his hand. "It's fine. The sky isn't going to fall."
"I'm not joking with you!" Jin Yu stomped her foot, fuming with rage.
Jin Qing spoke up to calm things down. "What's done is done. There's no use talking more. How do you plan to handle these people?"
Xu Xian glanced outside the Blazing Fortress at the vast crowd of figures in the Black Sand Desert and said, "Didn't you all see? They pay the ransom, and I release the people."
Pay the ransom and release the people?
The demon gods were utterly speechless.
Chi Ming couldn't help but complain, "You even dared to blackmail saints. Have you thought about the consequences? When a saint is enraged, a million corpses fall."
Xu Xian said, "It's fine. I have these bargaining chips, so they won't dare to act recklessly."
Jin Qing said slowly, "And once the people are released? Will you still have bargaining chips? You've taken the money, but will you be alive to spend it?"
Xu Xian was momentarily choked up.
Jin Qing continued, "By doing this, have you considered what kind of wrath the Demon Abyss will have to endure? Will the worlds outside let our Demon Abyss go?"
A series of questions made Xu Xian's head throb.
To be fair, it did have a significant impact on the Demon Abyss.
If he said right now that he could protect the Demon Abyss, it would be somewhat boastful.
After all, among those fellows outside,
it could be said that eighty percent of Fanzhou's top power had arrived.
To call him the enemy of the world would not be an exaggeration.
However, before Xu Xian could explain, the moment the Cloud Boat docked at the Blazing Fortress, the powerhouses who had previously surrounded the tomb gate in the Black Sand Sea appeared.
Almost instantaneously, they appeared in the sky before the Blazing Fortress.
They were just a stone's throw away.
One after another, they emerged from the void, scattered at different heights, densely packed, their divine sense and gazes focused on a single spot.
The small boat of the Wendao Sword Sect was among them.
As the saints descended upon the Demon Abyss, the atmosphere was heavy, and spiritual energy roared.
Jin Qing stopped reprimanding him and, pulling her thoughts back, said seriously, "Jin Yu, take the Demon Son back to the Nether Hall. Leave this place to us..."
Before Xu Xian could refuse, a low voice suddenly rang out like thunder.
"He..."
"Cannot leave!"
Jin Qing's expression darkened as she looked back. The one who had spoken was a saint.
Although the others remained silent, their attitudes were clear.
"If he leaves, we will level the Demon Abyss in an instant."
The voice continued, filled with threats and warnings.
Atop the fortress walls, the crowd grew restless. Jin Yu clenched her fists, cursed under her breath, and called it despicable.
Xu Xian didn't bother to explain. Taking the opportunity, he spread his hands and said lazily, "See? It's not that I don't want to leave, it's that they won't let me."
The Twelve Demon Gods wanted to cry but had no tears. At a time like this, he still had such a cynical attitude.
Do you really not know the severity of the situation?
Being too bold was not always a good thing.
Xu Xian took control of the conversation and comforted the demon gods. "Everyone, rest assured. I know what I'm doing."
The demon gods said nothing.
You know what you're doing? Like hell you do!
Xu Xian stepped forward. As he passed by Jin Qing, he paused deliberately and gave a confident smile. "Don't panic. With me here, the sky of the Demon Abyss won't fall."
Jin Qing was stunned, the expression in her eyes flickering between light and shadow.
He was as confident as ever, just like when they first met.
Back then, when Bai Mang faced the encirclement of the heavenly demon race, he had been the same way.
Calm and unruffled.
Only then, he had his identity to rely on, knew the demon script, and could condense the nether fire...
What about today?
What did he have to rely on now?
Xu Xian controlled the Cloud Boat to descend, then leaped off the boat and walked toward the battlements.
His steps were confident, his stride bold.
Facing the world's saints, he showed no fear at all.
He performed the kingly composure to perfection.
Seeing him like this and forced by the situation, the demon gods didn't know what to do and could only look toward the High Priest.
After all,
for four thousand years, whenever a major event occurred, she was the one to make the decision.
Even though most of them had been unruly and treated her with slight and resentment over these four thousand years,
they had to admit that in certain matters, Jin Qing's vision and decision-making were far superior to theirs.
The matter of the Demon Son, Bai Mang, was the best proof.
Facts had proven that she was indeed right.
Bai Mang was worthy of the title of Demon Son and was the dawn of the demon race.
Even if today, he had poked a massive hole in the sky of the Demon Abyss.
"Sister, what should we do?"
Jin Qing glanced at Jin Yu, then slowly scanned the other gods.
Finally, her gaze landed on Bai Mang, watching his back as he stepped toward the edge of the battlements.
Her eyes were deep, and her tone was slow and ethereal. "He is a bit arrogant and very greedy, but he is by no means a brute. Let's follow his lead. He is the Demon Son after all..."
Chi Ming lowered his eyes.
Jin Yu remained silent.
The other gods averted their gazes.
They chose to acquiesce.
Yes,
it was true that Bai Mang was greedy and arrogant.
He even liked to show off a bit, just like how he had just acted in front of Jin Qing.
[Don't panic. With me here, the sky of the Demon Abyss won't fall.]
But they couldn't deny that Bai Mang was meticulous. He was definitely not a reckless person, and he wouldn't act without considering the consequences.
The events in Ze Capital,
his situation in the Outer City,
his subsequent confinement,
until the war of the demon gods broke out and he arrived at the precise moment to calm the conflict and eventually take the seat of the Demon Son...
In just a few short months, he had gone from being nameless to being the Demon Son of the Demon Abyss.
Throughout this entire process, he had done many things that people couldn't understand and made many inconceivable decisions.
Yet in the end, he was always able to resolve them effortlessly and even profit from them.
He turned the impossible into the possible.
He turned disadvantages into advantages.
More than once.
Just like this time, they couldn't find a way to resolve this, nor could they think of how to appease the anger of the entire world.
But just because they couldn't think of it didn't mean there wasn't one.
Perhaps he really could do it?
Jin Qing took a deep breath and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, facing the situation calmly.
"It's already come to this. How much worse can it get? Let's go, we're going too..."
The demon gods looked at each other and shared a relieved smile.
Indeed.
It was already like this, so how much worse could it get?
They might as well watch him perform.
If he performed well, it would be a perfect ending.
If he messed up, they would just have a grand battle.
Xu Xian stood atop the battlements of the mountain wall. The demon guards all around bowed to him, and the Twelve Demon Gods returned, standing to his left and right like the most loyal of guards.
The two demon dragons coiled atop two high mountains, staring forward.
The demon guards gripped their weapons tightly and straightened their backs.
The commotion gradually subsided, and the panic began to fade.
With the Demon Son standing on the wall, the Demon Abyss seemed to have found its pillar of support.
Their aura grew significantly, and they unknowingly gained the courage and will to confront the entire world.
On the Blazing Fortress, the surge and change in battle intent caught the eyes of others, making even the saints' eyes brighten.
A great demon curled his lips and laughed sinisterly. "Things seem to have become even more interesting..."
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