Inside the Demon Manor, the stench of blood mixed with the smell of alcohol.
Ever since that foolish Ox Demon had its head crushed by the White Ape Duke, the various Demons in the hall had quieted down considerably.
Although they were still eating meat and drinking wine in large amounts, the sounds of their unrestrained laughter and curses could no longer be heard.
On the main seat, the Old Ape still looked half-dead, holding a tattered scroll and reading intently.
Just then, a foul wind swirled in from outside the hall.
"True Lord! True Lord! I'm back!"
It was Dog Second.
Behind it, it dragged a person who was tightly bound and had already fainted.
The person was clearly wearing the uniform of the Demon Suppression Division.
The hall instantly fell silent.
The gaze of all the Demons was immediately drawn over.
"Someone from the Demon Suppression Division?"
"Alive?!"
"That Dog Second bastard actually managed to catch a living one?!"
"True Lord."
Dog Second stepped forward, grinned, and revealed a smile, "You asked me to scout outside the pass, and I happened upon a squad of Demon Suppression Division officers who didn't know their place. So, I conveniently caught a live one for you."
It secretly glanced at the Old Ape on the main seat.
Seeing that he still had no reaction, it couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"Just a String Hearing Stage piece of trash, what use is he?"
A Wolf Demon said sourly, "Even if you skinned him, he wouldn't fill our stomachs."
Dog Second immediately grew anxious upon hearing this: "What the hell do you know! This is a Squad Leader of the Demon Suppression Division! His rank isn't small. We can definitely interrogate him for the true situation inside the pass!"
"And what if we find out?"
The Wolf Demon sneered, "That Yumen Pass has the Great Tang Demon Suppression Grand Array installed. When people of our cultivation get within a few miles, we feel our Demonic Qi stagnate and our limbs weaken. Even if we knew the true situation, are you suggesting you dare to attack the city?"
"Uh..."
Dog Second looked somewhat embarrassed.
Indeed.
Yumen Pass was the greatest Stronghold under Heaven. For this, the Great Tang even constructed a Demon Suppression Grand Array there. Let alone Dog Second, even if the True Lord himself arrived, he would likely find it troublesome.
Just then, a voluptuous Female Demon with a pair of fox ears swayed her hips and stepped out from the crowd of Demons.
"True Lord, this servant has an idea."
The Old Ape finally raised his head and glanced at her.
"Oh?"
The Fox Demon giggled and continued, "We established this Demon Manor here with great fanfare. The large army of the Demon Suppression Division will arrive soon. At that time, we will either have to fight them head-on or retreat to the Western Regions; there will be no other way."
"But now... Heaven has granted us a perfect opportunity."
She pointed at Li Gui on the ground, "Why don't we use this person to sneak into Yumen Pass?"
As soon as she said this, the hall erupted in renewed discussion.
"Sneak inside the pass? Yumen Pass is a Human Race Stronghold. It is said that the pass walls are inscribed with Demon Suppression Arrays. Our Demonic Power is greatly reduced when we approach. How can we sneak in?"
"Exactly. Didn't the True Lord use his Divine Ability to move rocks earlier, trying to test it out, only for his Divine Ability to dissipate and fail when he got within a hundred zhang of the wall?"
The Fox Demon covered her mouth and smiled, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes.
"Direct assault is naturally impossible."
"But what if... we could destroy the Demon Suppression Item inside the pass?"
"As long as that thing is destroyed, Yumen Pass will become a dead city! At that point, we can Occupy the Magpie's Nest, seizing the Stronghold and defending it! No matter how large the Demon Suppression Division's army is, what can they do to us?"
"When that time comes, we can advance or retreat as we please, and never have to act according to the Human Race's whims again!"
The breathing of the Demons became slightly hurried.
Instead of waiting on this Gobi Desert for the Demon Suppression Division to come and exterminate them, it was better to Turn the Tables and seize the greatest Stronghold under Heaven!
A ripple finally appeared in the Old Ape's cloudy eyes.
He slowly closed the scroll and spoke hoarsely.
"How do we sneak in?"
Seeing that the True Lord was interested, the Fox Demon's smile deepened: "This relies entirely on this person."
"We only need to interrogate him briefly to find out the defenses inside the pass, then find some clever brothers, use this servant's Illusion Technique to disguise them as others, and have him lead the way to infiltrate the pass without anyone noticing."
"Once the Demon Suppression Item is destroyed, we can Coordinate from Inside and Outside, and the great deed will be accomplished!"
The Old Ape was silent for a moment.
He didn't care about strongholds or Hegemony.
But if he could turn this Region upside down... "True Lord! This plan is brilliant!"
"Please, True Lord, make your decision!"
For a time, the Demons were agitated and pleaded for the mission.
Hearing the Demons' discussion, Dog Second felt unpleasant.
Damn it, this was the person I caught, so why is this Flirtatious Fox taking all the credit?
But it didn't dare to speak up, only casting its gaze toward the main seat.
In the end, all the Demons' eyes converged on that withered figure.
Whether it succeeded or failed, it still needed this lord's approval.
After a long while.
"Approved."
The Old Ape stood up, his gaze sweeping over the Demons in the hall.
The Fox Demon's smile deepened, her Seductive Eyes like silk, and she was about to step forward to accept the order and drag away the half-dead Human Race member on the ground.
"However, before that, I have something I want to ask him."
The Fox Demon's movement paused, the flirtatious smile on her face stiffened slightly, but then she recovered, bowed gracefully, and stepped aside.
Seeing this, Dog Second immediately understood, dashed forward, raised its paw, and slapped the unconscious Li Gui on the ground.
Slap!
With a crisp sound, Li Gui jolted and slowly woke up.
He opened his eyes blankly.
Where was this place?
The firelight flickered in the hall, reflecting terrifying and ferocious faces.
Wolf Heads on Human Bodies, Ox Heads with Snake Tails, Spider Legs with Human Faces... A strong stench of blood mixed with an indescribable foul odor rushed madly into his nasal cavity.
On the ground, there were scattered remnants of gnawed limbs, stark white bone fragments mixed with dark red bloodstains, and several fist-sized flies buzzed around.
"Ah... ah..."
Dog Second spat disdainfully and raised its foot to kick him again.
"Step back."
The Old Ape slowly walked forward, his steps slow, his withered body looking as if it could be blown over by the wind at any moment.
But with every step he took, the Demons in the hall instinctively lowered their heads even further.
Only when he arrived in front of him did he speak lightly: "Let me ask you, how many years have you been in the Demon Suppression Division?"
Li Gui was terrified, his mind blank, unable to grasp the other party's meaning at all.
But the instinct for survival still made him stutter out a reply.
"Ten... twelve years..."
"Twelve years..."
A subtle ripple seemed to flash in the Old Ape's eyes, "Then... has your Demon Suppression Division ever slain a Tiger Demon?"
A Tiger Demon?
Li Gui was stunned.
What kind of question was this?
Though filled with a hundred doubts, he still answered subconsciously.
"Slain... naturally, we have slain them..."
"Oh?"
A burst of sharp light finally erupted in the Old Ape's eyes.
"What did that Tiger Demon look like?"
"Huh...?"
Li Gui was completely bewildered.
In all these years, the Tiger Demons killed by the Demon Suppression Division numbered at least eighty, if not a hundred... How was he supposed to know which one the True Lord was asking about?!
"..."
The Old Ape seemed to understand Li Gui's thoughts. He placed his hand on Li Gui's head and said grimly: "It doesn't matter... Tell me in detail, one by one... don't miss a single one."