Started out getting scumbags, but then invested in the invincible Empress.

Chapter 202 The Demonic Bloodlust Array

"Fan Chuan, are you crazy?!"

"Senior Brother Zhou has always treated you well, how could you do such a cruel thing?!"

"what is this?"

The disciples were all stunned, their faces filled with deep shock, before they angrily questioned him.

"Because I am a member of the demon race, I apologize... Senior Brother Zhou."

The young man with pockmarks on his face spoke in a low, languid tone.

"puff--"

He coldly drew his sword, placing himself at a safe distance, and looked at the angry crowd without changing his expression.

Zhou Bai staggered backward, his face turning pale in an instant, his cracked lips trembling as he said, "I didn't understand why you found the Demon Clan's secret passage so easily, but it turns out... you were originally a member of the Demon Clan!"

"No wonder! We found clues about the demons several times before, but when we tracked them down, they were all gone. It turns out you, the traitor, leaked the information!"

Gan Ning's face darkened, and he suddenly understood many things.

"Yes, I made all of those."

Fan Chuan readily admitted it, then coldly said:

"I didn't want to expose myself so early, but you guys were too persistent. In order for the plan to be executed perfectly, I had no choice but to deliberately bring you guys in to resolve the issue."

"Let me tell you another secret: Chang Tao and his bunch of idiots were tricked into coming here using the same method. Also... I was the one who spread the news of their disappearance."

At this point, a mocking smile appeared on his lips. "It's not entirely my fault. You were all too stupid. I just made up a few lies, and you all actually believed them..."

Upon hearing this, the disciples' faces turned ashen, and their fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Who would have thought that their fellow disciples, with whom they had spent so many years, were actually spies of the demon race, causing them to suffer a huge loss and leaving them feeling incredibly frustrated and driven to the brink of madness!

"Asshole, I'll kill you!"

Some people angrily denounced him, filled with grief and indignation, and drew their swords to charge forward.

"Don't act rashly! Let's get out of here first!"

Zhou Bai temporarily suppressed his internal injuries and, with a pale face, stopped the disciple.

Now, he is seriously injured and his fighting strength is greatly reduced. Moreover, he is in the enemy's stronghold. Fighting would only increase casualties and he has no chance of winning.

Gan Ning glared at Fan Chuan with hatred, then turned to leave without daring to linger.

"You can't leave!"

Suddenly, a muffled, cold laugh rang out from not far behind.

"I was just wondering how to wipe you all out in one fell swoop, but you came here to die on your own. It's like we got you all without any effort at all!"

Cheng Yuanliang, dressed in a black robe, with a shiny forehead and a glaring scar on his cheek, arrived like an arrow, nearly a thousand meters away, in just a few breaths.

The eldest prince Li Zheng and Qi Xinghai, along with other demons, followed closely behind and quickly surrounded Zhou Bai and his group.

This is bad!

The disciples' expressions shifted rapidly, sensing that something terrible was about to happen.

"Gan Ning, among us, you have the best agility. You go first, and we'll cover your escape!"

Zhou Bai quickly assessed the situation.

"No, if I leave, what will happen to you?"

Gan Ning's eyes reddened, and he shook his head in refusal.

"Now is not the time for sentimentality. Only you have a chance to leave alive. Be sure to convey this news to Senior Brother Li and ask him to avenge us."

"We can die, but we must never allow the demons to wreak havoc on human territory."

"We cannot allow the tragedy of ten thousand years ago to repeat itself. For the sake of the millions of people in the capital, you must live and deliver this message!"

Several disciples looked sorrowful and spoke in a heavy tone.

No one wants to die if they can, but in desperate situations, someone always has to make a sacrifice.

Seeing Gan Ning still hesitating, Zhou Bai grabbed his arm and forcefully flung him towards the entrance, roaring, "Stay alive and tell Senior Brother Li that I, Zhou Bai, broke my promise and failed to protect everyone..."

He paused slightly, then smiled wryly and said, "If possible, I hope to trouble Senior Brother Li to take care of my sister. She doesn't aspire to pursue martial arts; she just wants to live out her remaining years in peace as an ordinary person."

"Senior Brother Zhou!"

Gan Ning looked at everyone with tears in his eyes, reluctant to leave.

After struggling for a moment, he gritted his teeth, turned around, and pushed his movement technique to its limit, trying his best to escape into the distance.

The only way for Zhou Bai and his group to survive is to report the news to Li Wudao as soon as possible.

If we wait any longer, we may never see each other again in this lifetime.

"Trying to run? Stop him!"

Qi Xinghai frowned.

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of figures covered in black robes charged towards Gan Ning in unison.

"kill!"

Zhou Bai and the others roared, all with expressions of fearlessness as they charged forward one after another.

This was solely to give Gan Ning more time to escape.

Fortunately, those men in black robes were all only at the Martial Grandmaster level.

Despite being outnumbered, they were able to put up a fight against Zhou Bai and his men's relentless fighting style, though they were slightly at a disadvantage.

Just as the disciples breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the dust had settled.

Changes occurred suddenly.

"The mantis' arms are like a chariot!"

In the void, Cheng Yuanliang stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at his disciples with disdain and sneer.

The next instant, he suddenly waved his sleeves, as if a hurricane had struck, causing invisible energy to surge, the space to tremble violently, sand and stones to fly, and the earth to tremble.

"puff!"

With a single strike, all the disciples who were fighting the black-robed men were sent flying, like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily to the ground, coughing up blood, and instantly defeated.

The disciples collapsed to the ground, too weak to even get up. Their faces were pale and their eyes were dull.

The gap was too wide, so wide that they couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resistance; all they felt was resentment and...despair.

Zhou Bai was filled with more worry than anything else.

He had initially thought that the demons' rampage was caused by some minor insignificant figures, but he never expected them to be such top-tier experts.

Is the demon race really going to make a comeback and repeat the tragedy of the human race ten thousand years ago?

"Greetings, Your Excellency Protector."

Fan Chuan quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Well done, you'll be rewarded later."

Cheng Yuanliang nodded in satisfaction, in high spirits.

At this moment, Qi Xinghai's face turned grim. He anxiously looked in the direction Gan Ning had fled and said, "Quickly chase after him! We absolutely cannot let him return alive!"

"Yes."

Beside him, two black-robed men with mid-stage Martial King cultivation transformed into two wisps of black smoke and sped off in the direction Gan Ning had left.

"It's just a small fish; even if it escapes, it won't make any waves."

Cheng Yuanliang remained calm and composed, speaking without haste.

"But Father, the Heavenly Demon Bloodthirsty Array is not yet fully completed. If the news gets out, things may change."

"It's alright. After absorbing the flesh and blood of tens of thousands of humans, the great formation can now barely operate and is enough to cover most of the imperial city..."

"Within the area covered by the magic array, I am the absolute ruler. Even if the sect leader of Xuantian Sect were to come in person, I would not be without the power to fight him."

Cheng Yuanliang stood with his hands behind his back, his slightly ferocious face radiating absolute confidence, and said:

"Even if someone manages to relay the news back to the Xuan Tian Sect, by the time their reinforcements arrive, it will be too late; the entire imperial city will have been reduced to ruins!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Xinghai nodded in agreement, his eyes lighting up with joy. He said, "So Father had already planned ahead. I have learned a lot!"

Immediately, as if struck by a thought, he sneered, "Father, now that the plan has succeeded, shouldn't we deal with the guy who killed Xingyu?"

"nature!"

Cheng Yuanliang's eyes visibly turned cold, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Once I capture him, I will tear him apart, refine his soul, and torture him day and night. Only in this way can I quell the hatred in my heart!"

The disciples who overheard their conversation paled in shock.

"For your own selfish gain, you actually attempted to sacrifice the entire population of the imperial city. You deserve to die!"

"Aren't you afraid of being purged by powerful human beings for doing this?"

All the disciples were horrified; the thought of such an inhumane scene was terrifying.

"You are the Crown Prince, yet you collude with the demons and even personally put your own people to death. Are you even human?"

Zhou Bai glared fiercely at the blue-robed youth not far away.

Li Zheng's face stiffened, his expression changed slightly, and then he calmed down and said, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. You cannot understand my state of mind."

Compared to the readily available throne, sacrificing some insignificant common people is nothing.

As long as he becomes emperor, he can simply compensate the people of the world, which is a very worthwhile deal.

"you!"

The disciples were both shocked and furious, staring incredulously at the eldest prince of the Yu Dynasty.

They couldn't understand how someone could sacrifice the lives of an entire city's inhabitants without batting an eye for the sake of a throne...

"You are like clay bodhisattvas crossing the river, barely able to save yourselves, yet you still have the leisure to worry about those ants in the capital? How laughable!"

Qi Xinghai's undisguised sarcasm.

Immediately, as if struck by a thought, his gaze swept over Zhou Bai and the others with the fervor of someone eyeing prey, and he said:

"Father, these are all true disciples of the Xuan Tian Sect, each with extraordinary talent and abundant vital energy."

"If their flesh and blood were used to refine the Heavenly Demon Bloodlust Array, it would likely produce unexpected and miraculous effects!"