Chapter 570: Rising Demon Pass, Ganging Up on Chi Xiao

At that moment, within the grand hall of the city manor in Demon Abyss City, two of the Demon Race’s three great Demon Marshals were present: Chi Huang and Chimei. Only Chi Xiao was absent.

Chimei, puzzled by this, asked Chi Huang, “Where’s Chi Xiao?”

Chi Huang let out a cold laugh. “I sent him to guard Rising Demon Pass, of course! As a Demon Marshal, his reawakening would make him a threat to us. So naturally, it’s best to send him where the danger is.”

A disdainful smile touched Chimei’s lips. “I’ve thought something was off with him for a long time. Do you know what became of those Female Cultivators he used to satisfy his demonic urges?”

This piqued Chi Huang’s curiosity. With the war underway, he hadn’t had time to pay attention to such matters. “What about them?” he asked.

Chimei snorted. “Hmph. Although he didn’t dare defy orders and turned them into Demon Soldiers, he keeps them all by his side now. He can’t bear to send them to their deaths! Tell me, what is that if not a sign of reawakening? Since when do we of the Demon Race feel such attachment?”

The pupil of Chi Huang’s vertical eye narrowed. “It seems I was right to send him away. If he can truly hold back the human and Yao Races, we can count it as a meritorious service, even if he has reawakened. We can just send him to the Demon Lord to be re-demonized. But if he fails… well, if a reawakened piece of trash like him dies, he dies!”

Rising Demon Pass stood before the allied army. Like all such gorge passes, it was fortified with a massive Isolation Array. Bathed in a spectral glow, the pass barred entry to all but the Demon Race; any others who approached would be attacked by the grand Array.

The Communication Talismans of the three-pronged army synchronized, sounding the signal for the first wave of attack.

A sharp sword descended from the heavens. With a flash of cold light, its brilliant radiance slammed heavily into the Array protecting Rising Demon Pass.

At the forefront of the central column, Fu Jiange hovered in the air—the Sword Immortal responsible for that strike. Yet, the great Array of Rising Demon Pass did not shatter. It remained completely intact.

“Come on down, old man! If you actually shattered it in one hit, wouldn’t that make the rest of us look useless?” Zisang Jin shouted from below.

Fu Haitang, who looked even older than Fu Jiange, sighed helplessly. “Zisang Jin, he’s still your Martial Uncle. Could you please show a little more respect?”

The Cyan Sky Sect’s column had suffered the fewest casualties, so their mood was comparatively relaxed.

Fu Jiange looked down upon Rising Demon Pass with the arrogance of an Exiled Immortal. “Hmph. If one strike won’t do, I’ll just try a few more. It’s not like they reacted to the first one.”

With a flick of his finger, he executed a Sword Technique, sending his Lifebound Spirit Sword streaking down like a meteor.

But before its radiance could even touch the Array’s shimmering barrier, a giant demonic hand shot out from the pass and crushed it mid-air.

Fu Jiange’s expression soured; he was losing face. Fortunately, it was only the sword’s projected light that had been shattered, not his actual Lifebound Spirit Sword. Otherwise, he might have literally coughed up blood from the backlash.

“You ants! We were merely obeying the Demon Lord’s command, not wishing for a battle to the death. Yet you dare to press your advantage right to our doorstep! Do you truly believe my Demon Race is incapable of slaughtering every last one of you?!”

Before Fu Jiange could reply, a domineering voice boomed from afar.

“Chi Xiao! Why’d you run from the battle at North Demon City? If you’re so high and mighty, have the guts to come out here and face me one-on-one!” The booming voice belonged to none other than Xuehou, lord of the Yao Alliance.

The Yao Race already held a grudge against Chi Xiao. And since Rising Demon Pass was essentially one big Array, upon learning that Chi Xiao was in command here, they had simply moved their forces to join the Cyan Sky Sect’s front.

The seemingly indolent Xuehou flew at the head of the vast Yao Race army. Beneath his apathetic facade was the air of one who could look down upon the entire world.

Chi Xiao, within Rising Demon Pass, remained silent. It wasn’t that he couldn’t win a fight against Xuehou, but that he could never win an argument. That king, who had clawed his way up from nothing, was an undisputed master of invective. During the battle of North Demon City, Xuehou had cursed him for an entire day and night without ever repeating himself. Combined with the Innate Divine Techniques of the Roar Race, every single insult bored directly into one’s mind. Even magical seals couldn’t block it out—you had no choice but to listen.

As things stood, battle was inevitable. Rising Demon Pass was not built upon a Tier Six Spirit Vein, meaning its great Array had inherent weaknesses.

The allied army had plenty of Cultivators who specialized in long-range attacks. They could strike the Array from outside its effective range. People like Fu Changge were already hacking away at it without a care in the world. If they were ignored, the Array would be shattered by brute force long before any Array Master was needed to unravel it.

Chi Xiao couldn’t be bothered to hide any longer, just as he couldn’t be bothered to argue with Chi Huang. He knew he’d been cast aside, abandoned. He accepted his fate. It felt just like when he was first transformed into one of the Demon Race—a long, inescapable path of helplessness…

Chi Xiao’s figure ascended slowly from within Rising Demon Pass, backed by a Demon Race army hundreds of thousands strong. These were not the same as common Demon Soldiers. This was the elite of the Demon Race, every last one of them personally cultivated by Chi Xiao himself.

Among them were twelve Demon Race members at the Divinity Transformation Stage, known as the Twelve High Generals of the Owl Division. Below them were thousands more who could rival the Thirty-Six Celestial Kings, each capable of vying for that very title.

These were his personal forces, the bedrock of his power as a Demon Marshal. Competition among the Demon Race was fierce; even when he attacked the Fox Yao Race, he had only brought a small contingent of his most trusted followers. For one, he was confident the Fox Yao Race couldn’t kill him, and he had enough backing to maintain his status even in failure. For another, he had simply underestimated them. With an informant among the Yao Race, he’d thought his trusted few and a handful of Demon Soldiers would be enough for the job.

Just as he was preparing to rally his remaining forces for revenge, the Demon Lord had commanded him to stand down and cease all hostilities. That order had kept him grounded for three years.