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"We didn't see it with our own eyes—how do we know you're telling the truth, Lord Liyan?!"
Doubt filled the ranks of the demon subordinates. They couldn't be sure if Liyan, their demon city lord, was actually telling the truth.
But Liyan didn't seem surprised by the suspicion. Calmly, he pulled out seven command tokens.
Each one bore the name of a different Demon City—symbols of authority only granted to city lords.
"Everyone, before they died, the other demon lords entrusted me with these command tokens. You think I, Liyan, would lie to you about something like this?!"
He tossed the tokens out in front of them and shouted, voice booming, "Mobilize the army! Go after the Fire Demon! We'll avenge the fallen city lords!"
The moment the tokens hit the ground, the demons who had followed the other seven city lords instantly realized Liyan was telling the truth.
Without hesitation, they responded, "Lord Liyan, we'll do as you say! We'll summon every demon and gather at the Demon City! Let the Fire Demon's dragon army take over our cities!"
"We'll face them head-on in your territory!"
Seeing their fierce determination, Liyan couldn't help but smile, satisfied. "Good. Very good!"
Then, each demon released a wisp of black energy that shot off toward their respective cities—spreading the order to gather the demon armies and march toward Liyan's city.
These subordinates weren't just any demons—they were the right-hand men of their city lords. Their commands carried absolute authority, so no one dared disobey.
Watching the demons get to work, Liyan spoke grandly, "Everyone, before the dragon army arrives and while our forces are still gathering, I, Liyan, invite you all to a feast. Please!"
"I don't know if I'll be able to fulfill the wishes of the fallen lords, but before the big battle, we might as well enjoy good food and drink!"
With that, Liyan raised his hand and pointed to a grand palace built to host guests.
The demons from the seven cities didn't hesitate. After a quick thanks, they all headed toward the guest palace.
As they left, a wicked grin crept onto Liyan's face.
He waved for the rest of his subordinates to leave—except for one trusted demon who remained behind.
"My lord, what are your orders?"
The demon didn't know why he was singled out, but he was smart enough to speak first.
"Limó, take this blueprint and head outside the city."
Liyan's voice dropped low, serious.
Limó glanced at the blueprint, frowning. "My lord… what is this?"
Liyan shook his head slightly, his tone turning cold. "Just go. This thing is the key to our victory."
"As my retainer, you should know—some things are better left unquestioned."
Noticing his master's displeasure, Limó didn't ask anything more. He simply turned and left.
Watching him go, a chilling smile slowly spread across Liyan's lips.
"Haha… the Soul-Devouring Demon Array... It really deserves its name—spanning past and future, a legendary formation among demons!"
"Who would've thought that the Demon Monarch casually created this magic array… and now it's gonna be my trump card against him."
"Just seven city lords is enough to boost my power by several levels."
"So if I absorb all the demons from eight cities... how powerful will I become?!"
"I can already see it now—once I drain their demonic power and life force, I'll be strong enough to match the Demon Monarch himself!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
With that wild thought in mind, Liyan was giddy with excitement.
Then, he headed to the palace to join the other demons in what would be their final banquet together.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
Two days passed. The Fire Nation's dragon army continued its steady march toward the heart of the demon territory—the Demon City.
On the way, the dragons didn't spot a single demon—only human slaves living in the cities.
Five whole cities, and not a single demon in sight. The dragons asked around, and the slaves told them the same thing: all the demons had left and were headed toward the central Demon City.
The dragons were stunned. Five cities abandoned without a fight? They'd been eager for battle, but now that there was no one to kill, they were boiling with frustration.
As they neared the outskirts of the Demon City, the army's commander, Abel-Yato, suddenly halted. He stared at the dark, misty air ahead.
In that moment, they understood—every demon who had fled was now holed up in the first-ranked Demon City. They were going to make their last stand there.
"Should we report this to the Lord?" Yato looked at Abel.
"Yeah, we probably should," Abel replied after a pause, giving a nod.
Both of them began to chant softly, calling to the source of their demonic energy.
Moments later, a blast of fire shot up into the air, forming into a giant bronze mirror of flames—ten meters tall, glowing like an illusion.
As soon as it appeared, Abel and Yato both dropped to one knee.
"Greetings, my Lord!"
The demon dragons and demon soldiers behind them all knelt as well.
"Greetings, Lord!"
Inside the bronze mirror sat a relaxed figure on a throne. He wasn't huge like a typical demon—his form was exactly like a human's.
But what set him apart were the two golden dragon horns on his forehead.
If he had been just a regular human, the dragons wouldn't have shown him this kind of respect. But they could feel it—his power, his aura. This was no doubt the Fire Monarch himself—Shendu.
So of course, they knelt in reverence.
Shendu no longer appeared in his terrifying dragon-headed demon form. Now he looked fully human—except for the long golden horns on his forehead.
Why the change? Simple. In his past life, he realized that a human body, while not his first choice, was far more practical than the monstrous one.
His true preference was to use his Great Sun Golden Dragon form, but since no one had ever seen it, he kept it as his hidden trump card.
When experimenting with magic, he'd always had to awkwardly use levitation to toss ingredients into a bronze cauldron. Way too inconvenient. A human body was just way easier to work with.
Next to Shendu stood a woman with silver-white dragon horns. Her eyes showed a hint of fear—but even more so, loyalty.
On the other side stood Xue'er, who had received the brand of Shendu's Fire Monarch Authority.
She gently played with her silver horns, brushing her smooth hair.
Shendu looked over at the flaming mirror that had suddenly appeared, his voice calm:"What is it now? It's only been two days. Don't tell me you've already run into demons you can't handle."
His words were casual, but the chill behind them made the dragons shiver.
Yato immediately spoke up, "My Lord, we've already taken over the other five cities. Only the central Demon City remains."
"These past two days, we've met no resistance at all. No city lords tried to stop us."
"All the demons abandoned their cities and retreated to the last one. We're worried they might be plotting something, so we came to report it to you."
"....."