A gentle breeze swept across the ten thousand miles of the vast sky.
The soaring Demonic Qi that originally shrouded Qingluan Mountain had now completely returned to the dust along with the blood raining from the sky.
Such earth-shattering momentum naturally alerted the many Demon Emperors entrenched deep within Spirit Mountain at the first moment.
Deep within those mountain peaks, in a place shrouded by clouds and mist.
A solitary peak rose abruptly, piercing into the clouds like a sharp sword, with the momentum of a crashing thunderbolt.
Atop the peak, jagged rocks were strewn about, and ancient pines hung upside down.
A man dressed in light blue robes with cloud patterns stood with his hands behind his back, gazing indifferently at the blood-colored crescent moon gradually dissipating in the distance.
This man's appearance was quite extraordinary.
His face was as fair as jade and his eyes were like bright stars, yet an irrepressible Evil Qi was revealed between his brows.
At the center of his forehead, a faint 'Wang' character pattern was dimly visible, adding a few degrees of majesty.
This demon was precisely the overlord who sat in the fourth cave among the Seventy-two Caves of Spirit Mountain—the Taiyuan Demon Emperor.
Although he was ranked fourth and occupied a position below others.
In this territory of Spirit Mountain, no one dared to underestimate him.
This was because his origins were extraordinary; he was a descendant of the ancient Divine Beast, the White Tiger, with a noble Bloodline and mastery over slaughter.
If not for his aloof nature and his lack of interest in competing for empty fame with that group of mundane demons who only knew how to fight and show off.
He might very well have had a seat among the top three positions.
At this moment.
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor's eyes, shimmering with an eerie light, stared indifferently in the direction of Qingluan Mountain.
His eyes were filled with solemnity.
"Azure Fox... is dead?"
Although he usually looked down most on Azure Fox's submissive, servant-like appearance, he was still a genuine Ascending the Tower great demon.
Furthermore, Qingluan Mountain had an Immortal Master from Yujing Tower presiding over it today... even if he were to take action personally, taking down Qingluan Mountain would require some effort.
But now... it had only been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Even a cup of hot tea wouldn't have cooled down yet.
"What overbearing strength..."
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor took a deep breath and mentally calculated for a moment.
If it were him... could he have withstood that girl's strike?
After a long time.
He slowly shook his head, a trace of bitterness appearing at the corner of his mouth.
If he were to take it head-on, his end probably wouldn't be much better.
"However..."
A flash of sharp light crossed the Taiyuan Demon Emperor's eyes.
Although he was wary of the Girl in Black Robes's strength, he did not panic too much.
Moreover... as a noble descendant of the White Tiger, how could he be content to be a mere bandit king occupying a mountain here in Spirit Mountain?
He certainly wouldn't be like Azure Fox, being someone's dog without any dignity.
The reason he was willing to take orders from Wang Canglan, even to the point of lowering himself to run errands for him.
What he was plotting was not something an idiot like Azure Fox could imagine.
"Right now is the critical moment for Wang Canglan's Breakthrough; I must not let anyone ruin the great plan..."
If the Demon Emperors of the first three caves knew that a member of the Human Race had so brazenly charged into Spirit Mountain and was even carrying out a massacre on their own territory.
Presumably... they wouldn't just sit by and watch, would they?
Having made up his mind.
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor did not stay any longer.
His figure flickered.
A faint ripple rose around his body, like a gentle breeze brushing across the water's surface.
In the next moment.
The light blue figure had already vanished from the spot... deep within Spirit Mountain.
This place was not like the outer regions with their overlapping mountain ranges; instead, it was a vast and boundless pitch-black plain.
The earth was cracked and dry, and not a single blade of grass grew.
Only a single, incredibly massive mountain peak pierced into the sky.
Rolling black Qi fell from the mountain top like a waterfall connecting heaven and earth, shrouding the surrounding area under a suffocating pressure.
In the center of the plain.
Three colossal beings were standing quietly.
The one on the left.
Was a giant horse, snow-white all over without a single stray color.
Its stature was grand, like a mountain.
The strangest thing was those eyes.
They had no pupils, only a mass of ghastly white.
Spirit Mountain's Second Cave—the White-Eyed Demon Emperor.
The one in the center.
Was entrenched within the black mist, appearing and disappearing.
Only a series of hideous and terrifying heads were revealed; counting them carefully, there were as many as nine.
On each head grew a different face: some were ferocious, some were sinister, and some were laughing.
The body was not in the shape of a beast but was an incredibly large spider, with bristles like spears and limbs like pillars, covered in viscous venom.
Spirit Mountain's First Cave—the Jiu Ying Demon Emperor.
The one on the right was an old, failing black flood dragon.
It was truly too old.
Large patches of scales had fallen off its body, revealing blackened flesh.
But even if it just lay there, with every breath, it still emitted a suffocating and terrifying pressure.
The three great demons were all silent, merely casting their gazes toward the direction of Qingluan Mountain.
"That girl..."
After a long time.
It was the Jiu Ying Demon Emperor who spoke first, the mouthparts on its nine heads twitching simultaneously to produce a sharp, piercing sound.
"Is she the rumored Grand Princess of Great Tang?"
As soon as these words were spoken.
The White-Eyed Demon Emperor on the side looked indifferently toward the old dragon.
He and the Jiu Ying Demon Emperor had not left Spirit Mountain for a long time; if the old dragon hadn't found them to discuss this matter some time ago, they probably wouldn't even have guessed the other party's origin.
"..."
Feeling both Demon Emperors looking at him, the old dragon closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
After a long while.
He finally spoke slowly: "It cannot be wrong... This Emperor has seen the portrait drawn by that old dog Wuxiang... the Thousand Feathers Demon Emperor and the Crimson Blood Demon Emperor both died at her hands..."
"Only..."
"I didn't expect that she would actually dare to break into our Spirit Mountain territory alone; she is indeed... quite bold."
"Hmph! High boldness leads to a quick death!"
The Jiu Ying Demon Emperor snorted coldly in disdain.
"..."
Seeing that no one paid attention to his words, the Jiu Ying Demon Emperor scanned the two demons in annoyance: "What do you mean? Are you afraid?"
The White-Eyed Demon Emperor did not get angry, but merely said indifferently: "You saw it just now; although Azure Fox was an incompetent thing, he was still at the late stage of Ascending the Tower. Furthermore, with an Immortal Master from Yujing Tower present, he just... died."
"Don't forget the rumors from a few days ago; the number of Dao Lineage Immortal Masters who died at her hands is at least eighteen, if not twenty."
"In this matter, it is better to be cautious."
"Cautious?"
The Jiu Ying Demon Emperor let out a sneer, his voice becoming increasingly sharp: "What most people from the Dao Lineages are made of—others might not know, but don't you? Relying on their Dao Lineage's reputation to act high and mighty outside, when it comes to actual combat skills, which one of them isn't a useless waste?"
"Never mind her, even if this Emperor were to take action, I could do what she did."
As the Demon Emperor of Spirit Mountain's First Cave.
He naturally had his pride.
Let alone a mere Dao Lineage Immortal Master.
Even against Wang Canglan... he had the confidence to go head-to-head... No matter how strong the woman before them was, she was only at the Ascending the Tower stage.
And within the Ascending the Tower stage, how many people could compare to Wang Canglan?
"Jiuying is right."
The old dragon, who had been silent, finally spoke slowly.
His aged voice was like muffled thunder rolling across the earth.
"Making a move—naturally, we must make a move."
"A True Dragon's providence is a once-in-a-ten-thousand-year opportunity. If we let her slip away from under our noses like this, wouldn't that be a waste of God's gifts?"
The old dragon raised his massive head, his lips curling back to reveal rows of cold, sharp teeth: "Only... this girl is not of the ordinary Ascending the Tower sort and cannot be underestimated... We must still calculate carefully to ensure that nothing goes wrong."