Chapter 296: I’ll Wait for You to Be Bound and Kneeling Before Me

At this moment, immense joy surged within Ye Yan’s heart.

He had to take several deep breaths to calm himself.

He had already grasped the capabilities of the three most outstanding princes under the Demon Emperor’s command.

Especially the Ninth Prince, whose talent was in no way inferior to Shen Mo’s.

Blessed with unparalleled fortune and brimming with potential, his strength undoubtedly surpassed Shen Mo’s.

Now, the Ninth Prince had brought along several demon kings, dozens of demon commanders, and tens of thousands of demon soldiers, lying in ambush.

The outcome was obvious.

Shen Mo would undoubtedly end up captured alive!

The mere thought of Shen Mo becoming a prisoner at his mercy, with his fate hanging by a thread depending on Ye Yan’s whims, made Ye Yan’s blood surge with excitement.

“What use is great talent?”

“Choosing the wrong side was your first mistake.”

“Your second mistake was being overly sentimental.”

“Qingxuan Sect was merely a stepping stone for you to enter the Jade Cauldron Sect, yet you insist on risking yourself to rescue them. How foolish.”

Ye Yan almost wanted to laugh aloud. “I’m waiting for you, waiting for you to be bound hand and foot, kneeling before me!”

Jade Cauldron Sect, Elders’ Pavilion

Originally presided over by the Second Elder, Yang Qiye, the pavilion had undergone a shift after news of Ye Yan’s betrayal reached the sect. Stricken with shame, Yang Qiye’s health rapidly deteriorated, leading him to resign and voluntarily retreat to the Cliff of Reflection for introspection.

The position now fell to the Third Elder.

At the moment, he was buried in a mountain of official documents.

Since Wuzhou’s fall and the Demon Kingdom’s advance to the borders, administrative work had increased several times over, with reports pouring in from all over regarding demon attacks on towns and industries.

In a nearby room, seven or eight disciples were tirelessly recording and summarizing the transmission jade messages arriving from across the region.

Suddenly, a young disciple hurried in, reporting urgently, “Qingxuan Sect of Xuanjiang Prefecture is requesting aid. They are under heavy attack by numerous lion demons, including two lion demon kings. They are relying on their sect-protection formation to hold out but urgently need reinforcements.”

The Third Elder lifted his gaze from the mountain of documents, raising an eyebrow. “Qingxuan Sect? If I recall correctly, that’s the sect our young sect master came from.”

“Exactly. The sect master had already assigned Elder Ouyang Wei to oversee their defenses, but it seems the situation has escalated beyond control,” the disciple replied.

The Third Elder frowned. “Even so, our manpower is stretched thin. Many elders are already deployed to White Crane Prefecture and Jiande Prefecture.”

“The remaining elders are either in seclusion or engaged in crucial tasks such as alchemy and artifact forging…”

The young disciple suddenly remembered something. “Right, Third Elder! The young sect master left for Qingxuan Sect a few days ago.”

“By now, he should have already arrived.”

“With the young sect master and Elder Ouyang Wei there, along with the sect’s protective formation, they should be able to handle the attacking lion demons, given there are only two demon kings.”

The Third Elder nodded slightly. “Even so, we cannot rule out the possibility of demon reinforcements.”

“What about He Tianchou? His injuries should have mostly healed by now. Have him lead a team of Core Formation stage stewards to Qingxuan Sect for support.”

“The young sect master’s safety is paramount. Nothing must happen to him.”

The young disciple nodded. “Understood. I’ll notify Hall Master He immediately.”

Northern Wuzhou, a Ruined City

A massive eagle demon soared overhead, its sharp eyes scanning for signs of life.

Seeing nothing but desolation and silence below, it relaxed and flew off to scout another area.

However, within the seemingly deserted ruins, an underground chamber concealed over a hundred cultivators.

Their robes bore the insignia of the Jade Cauldron Sect.

Although cultivators from the Three Sects and One King entered Wuzhou together, they did not act as a unified force, instead operating as four separate groups.

Even so, they frequently assisted one another and shared information.

At the center of the underground chamber stood a large table.

On the table were detailed maps of Wuzhou and Yuzhou, marked with the locations of demon strongholds and their troop deployments.

The Jade Cauldron Sect cultivators surrounded the table, strategizing their next move.

They discussed the most efficient ways to capture a stronghold, loot its resources, and retreat swiftly into the safety of the mountains and valleys.

These were all factors they needed to consider.

After all, Wuzhou had almost entirely fallen into the hands of the demon race.

Once surrounded by demons, there would be no escape—only death awaited them.

A rugged-looking man with a bold voice spoke up. “I say we strike at the Ninth Prince’s stronghold!”

“Our scouts have already investigated. That Ninth Prince is overly ambitious and reckless—easy to lure out.”

“Taking down a Ninth Prince would surely cause the Demon Emperor considerable grief!”

The surrounding cultivators nodded in agreement. “That’s right! Old Lü’s sharp as always!”

Lü Dongxuan chuckled with satisfaction.

At that moment, a small figure rushed into the room and leapt onto a chair, standing boldly on it.

No one among the cultivators said a word, and some even showed respect in their gazes.

Since leaving the Jade Cauldron Sect and coming to Wuzhou to battle the demon race, they had almost completely severed ties with the sect.

In this environment, the traditional hierarchy of elders held no meaning.

Here, strength alone determined status.

This petite girl, despite her small stature, was recognized as the strongest below the Nascent Soul stage.

She had saved the group from dire situations multiple times.

Naturally, she earned their respect—admiration that even extended to two Nascent Soul cultivators.

Her name was Zhao Yaolu.

“I scouted ahead,” Zhao Yaolu said calmly. “The Ninth Prince’s stronghold is empty, guarded only by the old, weak, and injured.”

The cultivators froze, then erupted in excitement. “That’s incredible news!”

“We can seize this opportunity to storm the stronghold and loot their supplies!”

Zhao Yaolu continued, “A few days ago, the Ninth Prince led four lion demon kings and over ten thousand lion demons to attack Xuanjiang Prefecture.”

“By now, they’ve likely captured Qingxuan Sect.”

The cultivators were stunned.

“What? How did we miss this?”

“The demon race has better night vision than us. Perhaps they moved under cover of darkness.”

“Xuanjiang Prefecture must have suffered heavy losses. Damn it!”

“Wait… Qingxuan Sect—that’s the sect where our young sect master used to belong, isn’t it?” a voice suddenly chimed in.

It was Lü Dongxuan.

“Yes! Now that you mention it, that’s the young sect master’s former sect!”

“Could this be a trap set by the demons? Think about it. Recently, the Ninth Prince has been dispatching his forces to heavily attack White Crane Prefecture and Jiande Prefecture, drawing much of our attention!”

“Damn it! It’s a diversion! His real target is the young sect master! He must have anticipated that the young sect master would return to Qingxuan Sect for assistance!”

The Jade Cauldron Sect cultivators gasped in realization.

They had long known that the Ninth Prince had sent his demon forces to attack White Crane Prefecture and Jiande Prefecture.

But they never imagined his true target was Qingxuan Sect—and Shen Mo!

“The young sect master is a deeply loyal person. With the sect’s manpower stretched so thin, he would undoubtedly return to Qingxuan Sect on his own to help.”

“I’m worried he’s fallen into the Ninth Prince’s trap.”

Zhao Yaolu’s expression turned serious. “Little Donkey, stick to the original plan. Lead the others to capture the Ninth Prince’s stronghold and rescue the captured cultivators and mortals.”

“I’ll head north alone!”

Lü Dongxuan clenched his teeth. He, too, wanted to save Shen Mo but, after weighing the options, nodded firmly. “Alright. Make sure to protect the young sect master. Don’t let anything happen to him.”

“Don’t worry,” Zhao Yaolu said, her expression resolute. “If things get dire, I’ll use… that move. I will save him.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel