The other three Demon Venerables were also invigorated upon hearing this.
It made sense.
Although Crimson Scale usually thought highly of himself, his strength was undeniable.
Now that they had gathered five of their number, what were they waiting for?
Charging into Luling, breaking the Seal, and welcoming the Great Saint back into the world was the only thing that mattered!
The cold wind whistled.
It blew his bright red cloak into a wild dance.
Crimson Scale Demon Venerable was not moved by the flattery. Instead, he curled his lips and sneered, "What is that old dog worth? Is he even worthy of this Venerable's intervention?"
As soon as these words were spoken...
The expressions of the four Great Demons changed abruptly.
Jade-Faced Demon Venerable's heart sank even further.
As expected.
This fellow's appearance here was not for the sake of the Great Saint breaking the Seal.
Faced with such an attitude, he no longer bothered with false pleasantries.
He folded his fan, his expression hardening.
"Since you didn't come to break the Seal, then why did Brother Crimson Scale go through such trouble to descend upon this Jiangnan West Circuit... what exactly do you intend to do?"
"Heh... what do I intend?"
Red light flared around Crimson Scale Demon Venerable, and his form began to turn illusory.
Finally, he transformed into a billowing red mist, drifting toward the eastern horizon.
"Since that old dog is keeping them in check for me, and you all are keeping an eye on things for me..."
"If I don't take this golden opportunity to consume rations from a few more commanderies, how could I live up to your painstaking efforts?"
Jade-Faced Demon Venerable's pupils shrank.
The other three Demons were also stunned on the spot.
This fellow... actually wanted to use the opportunity of them pinning down the Human Race's top combat power to go to the rear and feast on blood food?!
The red mist moved extremely fast.
In the blink of an eye, it had already swept several miles away.
"Keep a good watch, you lot. Don't let them get free and ruin this Venerable's refined mood for dining..."
"Hahahaha..."
The voice drifted further away until it was finally inaudible.
Jade-Faced Demon Venerable stared at the receding red mist, fury surging in his heart, yet he helplessly relaxed his grip... Inside the central command tent.
Lü Qinghou suddenly opened his eyes, strode to the tent entrance, pulled back the curtain, and looked up at the southern sky.
An undisguised Demonic Qi was sweeping toward the east.
He had been stationed here for some time and was naturally familiar with the auras of the four Demon Venerables lurking in Luling.
But this one... was so strange.
Another Demon Venerable?!
How could one have come so quickly?!
Though he didn't know why the enemy, despite having five Mountain Gazing Realm experts, hadn't made a move on the sealed land... now all the elites of the Jiangnan West Circuit were gathered in Luling.
How could the other commanderies withstand the rampage of a Mountain Gazing Great Demon?
Two figures appeared behind him.
At this moment.
Seeing that Demon acting as if no one were there, swaggering about so brazenly.
The purple-robed old man could finally no longer hold back. Lightning flared in his eyes as he shouted sternly:
"What a rampant beast!"
"To be so unscrupulous, do you truly think my Great Tang has no one left?!"
Before his voice had even faded, his purple robes billowed, and the ground beneath his feet began to crack faintly.
"Lord Lü, stay here and keep watch. Let me go and intercept this fellow!"
"Wait!"
Lü Qinghou did not turn around, but his straight back actually seemed somewhat hunched at this moment.
The purple-robed old man turned around abruptly, his face full of indignation.
"Lord Lü! If we leave it alone, even for just half a day, this beast can finish eating the commoners of an entire commandery! I know you need to consider the big picture, but to watch that beast go and eat people with our own eyes—what exactly are we cultivating this Dao for?!"
"If you want to go, I won't stop you."
Lü Qinghou slowly turned around. "Only... right now, there are still four Mountain Gazing Realm Demon Venerables eyeing us from that barren mountain. The moment you leave, they will come out in full force to storm the Seal..."
"Isn't there still Old Commander-in-Chief Bai? Even if a Demon Saint emerges, with his methods..."
"Master... he only has one last chance to light the lamp left."
The purple-robed man's pupils shrank.
The reason a Lamp Lighting Realm Martial Saint could suppress the national fortune and deter the Demon hordes.
Was by relying on the invincible posture of seizing life from the heavens when lighting the lamp.
But this lamp oil would eventually have a day when it burned out.
Today a Demon attacks from the east, tomorrow the Demon Court provokes from the west.
Coming and going, this kind of wear and tear.
This Demon Suppression Division Commander-in-Chief had, unknowingly, already reached the point where his oil was exhausted and his lamp was going dry... Lü Qinghou took a deep breath, suppressed the unwillingness in his heart, and closed his eyes. "Whether it's letting that Demon Saint break free or allowing this Demon Venerable to run rampant within our borders, both are unbearable pains for our Great Tang."
"But between two evils, we must choose the lesser."
"If that Old Demon Saint truly breaks the Seal and forces Master to use that last chance to light the lamp, then... how will the Imperial Court easily find the means to suppress this Lamp Lighting Realm Demon Saint?"
These words.
Left the purple-robed old man speechless.
Yes.
Everyone understood the logic.
But to make this decision was to place the lives of hundreds of thousands of commoners on one end of the scale and watch them die with open eyes... The purple-robed old man opened his mouth, but in the end, he dejectedly dropped his hands.
The green-robed old man, who had remained silent, sighed softly and reached out to pat the purple-robed old man's shoulder.
"Brother Cui... don't blame yourself."
Lü Qinghou reopened his eyes, his gaze regaining its usual resolve.
"Everyone, do not be too despairing."
"News has already come from the General Bureau that Granny Liu and Old Wang, two Mountain Gazing Realm experts, are already on their way."
"Calculating their travel time, they will arrive in Jiangnan West Circuit in a day or two at most."
"As long as we hold out for these one or two days..."
"Perhaps... we can still make it... to avenge the thousands of dead commoners..."
Outside the tent.
The wind howled, and the banners fluttered.
Everyone remained silent.
One day.
It sounded very short.
But for the commoners suffering under the Demon's rampage.
This day... was likely longer than ten thousand years.
They were powerless to stop any of this from happening, just as they were helpless against the Mountain Gazing Great Demon's whims... Above the Nine Heavens.
A golden rainbow pierced the sun.
Jiang Yuechu was draped in flowing light, the wind beside her sounding like thunder, as the mountains and rivers below receded rapidly like a revolving lantern.
Since entering the Mountain Gazing Realm and performing the Divine Ability Cloud Journey of Ten Thousand Li, her speed had increased significantly.
"Almost there."
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes, looking at the towering mountain range gradually becoming clear ahead.
Even from hundreds of miles away, she could sense the Demonic Qi of this region.
Luling.
It was right before her eyes.
But just then.
Jiang Yuechu's figure came to a sudden halt, suspended in mid-air.
She tilted her head slightly, glancing toward the distance with some confusion.
"Mountain Gazing Realm?"
According to the intelligence, those four Demon Venerables should all be in Luling.
Why was one of them running off to the east?
Could it be that it got lost?
"Tsk..."
Jiang Yuechu clicked her tongue.
She had originally intended to go straight to Luling and use the Mirage Breath to deal with those four Mountain Gazing Realm Demon Venerables one by one.
But now... this stray Demon Venerable had practically delivered itself to her face.
How could she turn a blind eye?
Moreover.
Killing this stray Mountain Gazing Great Demon...
Should be much less trouble than dealing with the four that were grouped together, right?
With this thought.
Jiang Yuechu no longer hesitated.
The golden rainbow that had been pointing straight at Luling.
Suddenly swerved.
Chasing after the red mist that was about to dissipate in the distance.