Chapter 425: Drawing Firewood from Under the Cauldron

Great Tong Imperial Capital, Changyang Prefecture!

Outside the solemn and spacious Great Tong Hall, a chilling scene was laid out… the severed head of a serpent, as tall as three grown men, sat alone in the open square.

The scales on the serpent’s head were dried and dull, clearly indicating that its owner had been dead for quite some time.

The head was covered in a crisscross of sword marks, each cut deep to the bone, like ferocious scars silently narrating the terrifying strength of the opponent it faced in its final moments.

Inside the hall, all ministers—human and demon alike—kept their heads bowed low, trembling with fear.

After all, at the head of the hall, the faces of the two Emperors were dark with rage.

Especially Lei Zhen, whose demonic aura had surged to its peak. The invisible pressure he emanated made it hard for anyone to even breathe.

And the reason for this scene? A force of 30,000 human cavalry, accompanied by 100,000 demon troops and even a demon general—You Ying—had been completely annihilated in a single day during their attack on Four Corners Town.

Had the people of Four Corners Town not used a technique to “deliver” You Ying’s head back via a paper effigy, they wouldn’t even have known their entire army had been wiped out…

“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!” Lei Zhen’s eyes were bloodshot. Looking at the dried serpent head outside the hall, he felt as if he might lose his mind from sheer fury.

It wasn’t that he held deep feelings for You Ying—far from it—but the blatant provocation from Four Corners Town filled him with boundless hatred.

Shouldn’t it be “bullying the demons too much”? Emperor Tongchu mused to himself, yet he kept his composure and said, “Emperor Lei, please calm yourself. Victory and defeat are common in warfare.”

“Your Majesty’s composure is certainly commendable!” Lei Zhen said through gritted teeth, glaring at the man beside him. “According to the demon general I sent out, what we attacked this time wasn’t even the real Four Corners Town!”

“That damn place was just a mass grave!”

“Burying 100,000 of our demon soldiers!”

“Even General Lei has perished!”

“How do you expect me to restrain my grief?”

At those words, Emperor Tongchu sighed deeply. “What’s done is done. We must remain calm. Only then can we carry the will of our fallen soldiers, take revenge, and seize the world.”

“Emperor Tongchu…” Lei Zhen narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “To deceive General You Ying and bypass his grand formation clearly isn’t something that could be done overnight.”

“Also, how did the people of Four Corners Town know we were going to strike, and prepare a fake town ahead of time?”

“I suspect someone among us is a traitor—tipping them off beforehand!”

“A traitor?” Emperor Tongchu nodded slightly. “That’s not impossible. I ask that Emperor Lei conduct a thorough investigation. I too shall have my people look into it.”

Staring at Emperor Tongchu for a while, Lei Zhen, despite his suspicions, had no evidence. In the end, he could only let it go for now.

The fact that Four Corners Town was able to kill You Ying proved that their strength was far greater than previously estimated.

Thinking this way, he actually began to regret provoking them.

If he had to provoke them… it should have been saved for last…

“For now, let’s put aside the matter of Four Corners Town. We’ll first investigate whether we have any traitors within, and make further plans after.” As he spoke, Lei Zhen stood up and left his seat. “Court is adjourned. For now, let’s deal with Yan Wuyong. Once he’s eliminated, we can have some fun with Four Corners Town…”

…

Year 15 of the Great Wu War!

Late autumn—everything desolate and withered.

Emperor Tongchu stood atop the city walls of Great Wu Prefecture, gazing into the distance. Beside him, the elderly and white-haired Minister of Personnel bowed and said, “Your Majesty, the rites and music of the Great Tong Dynasty have collapsed. Its downfall is imminent!”

“These past three years, wherever they’ve taken a city or county, the demon race has committed hundreds of atrocities. After occupying a place, they only escalate further, treating humans as less than animals!”

“Minister Qian, what you’re saying is already outdated.” As he spoke, Emperor Tongchu pulled a gold tube the size of a finger from his waist and handed it over.

Receiving the tube, Minister Qian quickly took out the folded parchment inside. The moment he read the message, his body swayed, hands trembling as tears streamed down his face. “Y-Your Majesty!”

“The demons have gone completely mad!”

“One city, three counties, fifteen villages—they were boiled, eaten, mocked, and slaughtered…”

“Beasts! Monsters!”

“They truly are beasts in human form. No matter how they appear, their nature cannot be changed!”

Hearing this, Emperor Tongchu pointed toward the battlements and said quietly, “Once, my third brother stood right here—forced to the brink.”

“And today, so am I…”

Sensing something odd in the Emperor’s tone, Minister Qian softly called out, “Your Majesty?”

But Emperor Tongchu merely continued to mutter to himself, “From the very beginning, I genuinely wanted to build a kingdom where humans and demons could coexist in harmony.”

“Humans are not wholly good, nor are demons wholly evil. Take my former maid, Hongmei—she had five hundred years of cultivation. She could’ve fled, but still insisted that I escape first…”

“There is a natural imbalance in strength between humans and demons, but that doesn’t mean a balance cannot be achieved.”

“Back then, the Flood Dragon Emperor, who shared my vision, was that very balancing point. Unfortunately, something went wrong with him, and Regent Emperor Liu got caught up in it too…”

“Perhaps I was too naive. The desires of living beings are endless. Any show of leniency only makes the demon race more arrogant.”

At that, Emperor Tongchu’s expression turned cold, his voice stern: “I established the Great Tong Dynasty to reform the world order—not to let fruit-picking demons treat humans like livestock!”

“Minister Qian, summon the civil and military officials—we convene in the Golden Hall!”

…

Golden Hall.

After the officials had gathered, Minister Qian reported in full the atrocities committed recently by the demon alliance.

Upon hearing how the demons had completely disregarded their previous agreements and began indiscriminate slaughter, everyone’s expressions darkened to the extreme.

Many generals stepped forward to request troops, eager to strike back even if it meant heavy losses—to make the demons suffer.

Numerous civil officials also proposed venomous strategies: poisoning the demon army’s food, luring them into ravines to drown or burn them, leaking their marching routes to Yan Southern Army to stage ambushes…

For the first time, there was no internal conflict among the officials. Instead, there was an overwhelming unity in discussing how to punish the demons for breaking their word.

Seeing this, Emperor Tongchu felt deeply gratified. Smiling, he said, “To see you all so united brings me great comfort. It proves I did not misplace my trust…”

“However, though your plans seem ruthless, they are mere petty tricks—far from enough to truly cripple the demon race.”

At this, he stood and cleared his throat before declaring:

“I have decided to surrender to Yan Wuyong—and proclaim him the new Emperor!”