Mi Lu felt a tightness in his chest and said ominously, "Good! Very good indeed!" "Young Lord," Qi Ren suddenly interjected, "A great battle is imminent. This is no time for petty jealousy and disputes." As if to prove Qi Ren’s point about the urgency of the situation, in the suspended mirror, the army led by Manxie advanced like a forest on fire, swiftly approaching the city walls with overwhelming momentum. Shockingly, these Manxie soldiers seemed unafraid of death. They cast spells using their own bodies, exploding themselves outside the city walls and smearing their Essence Blood on the Boundary Walls. Soon, the millennia-old Barrier Light Wall began to emit large swathes of bloody mist. The bright red mist rose up, and with the suicidal sacrifice of the first batch of Manxie soldiers, the blood clouds in the sky grew denser and appeared almost ready to crush the city. Within the heavy clouds, thunder brewed, and with the mist returning to the clouds, scarlet lightning struck the Imperial City like a pelting rain. Even those in the council hall could not help but feel the tremors that shook the Imperial City. Above the Imperial City in the suspended mirror, countless ancient colorful runes quickly appeared, converging into a semicircular array that enveloped and protected the entire Imperial City. The relentless scarlet lightning strikes at the Barrier Array, generating terrifying ripples that rolled like heat waves; thunder debris scatters everywhere as the Barrier remains intact but visibly thins and fades before the eye. Inside the Imperial City, numerous priests atop the watchtowers kept invoking ancient methods to strengthen the Barrier, but as humans inevitably tire, the blood clouds above grew ever denser. It seemed only a matter of time before the Barrier would break. Mi Lu’s face darkened to an extreme, realizing what he had hurriedly summoned Ning Feiyan for today. He had to suppress the anger in his heart, his eyes clearly showing unease. He gave Ning Feiyan a deep look, finally resolving her confusion, "The Manxie Clan has always been less intelligent but extraordinarily militant, always the most loyal followers of our clan. However, the Manxie of today are not as once before; they have been implanted with Spirit Roots, seemingly increasing their spiritual wisdom. They now understand the dynastic struggle, where the mighty reign supreme." Mi Lu spoke carefully, deliberately hiding as much as he revealed, but Ning Feiyan managed to infer the entire process from his fragmented phrases. To cultivate Spirit Roots... Setting aside this Daoist Skill that defies the natural order, no one in the entire Mortal World or Demon World possessed such capability, let alone the nature of Spirit Roots being the foundational basis of human cultivation. The Demon Clan relies on Demon Essence for cultivation. It was unthinkable for the Demon Clan to cultivate Spirit Roots within their own bodies. But Mi Lu spoke with such certainty, and his words carried clear regret. Ning Feiyan pondered deeply for a moment before mocking with a smile, "Your Highness truly harbors grand ambitions within that slight frame. Considering the Six Realms, the only one capable of mastering Spirit Root creation must be Shen Jibai, the Crown Prince of the Immortal Country in the Upper Immortal Realm." At this statement, the expressions of everyone present drastically changed. Shen Jibai was the Crown Prince from the Upper Immortal Realm’s Immortal Country. As immortals and demons have always been adversaries, the Immortal Country was naturally a significant enemy for the Demon World. Listening to Ning Feiyan, it seemed their Young Lord had colluded with the Immortal Realm? Mi Lu’s face grew darker, almost dripping water. He slammed the table violently but before he could speak, Ning Feiyan continued. "Today, the Manxie army besieging our city numbers in thousands. Creating so many Spirit Roots, Shen Jibai must have invested heavily indeed. However, even if these Spirit Roots were crafted by the Crown Prince of the Immortal Country himself, they couldn’t be awakened and nurtured overnight. Judging by this setup, it seems they were implanted before Young Master Mi Lu was sealed in the Demon Cave by Princess Si Li." The chamber instantly erupted in turmoil. They could now guess what Mi Lu, the Young Lord, intended—his ambition was indeed vast. He clearly wanted to train the vast Manxie Clan as his devoted soldiers. Historically, the Manxie Clan has been stubbornly loyal to the ruler of their realm, devoid of grand intelligence, and thus incapable of weighing pros and cons, simply following orders blindly. But what price had Mi Lu paid to bestow such a mass of Spirit Roots upon the Manxie, it seemed even his protector Qi Ren was unaware. Thus, when Mi Lu later challenged the Corpse Demon’s territory, causing Si Li to seal him for a millennium, no one knew that the Manxie Clan’s spirits gradually awakened, ultimately sowing the seeds of disaster. After a millennium, how could a powerful demon clan, whose desires and spiritual intelligence had grown, continue to serve others loyally? A Demon General practicing Prison Law spoke, "Your Highness, this move may have been improper." With his deeds exposed, Mi Lu showed no fear, snorting coldly, "What, do you also wish to accuse me?" The Demon General’s face darkened, but ultimately, out of respect for Mi Lu’s status, he remained silent. Qi Ren spoke again, "The current crisis is not the time to pursue blame. With the Manxie army attacking, it is crucial to resolve this predicament swiftly. Otherwise, once the city’s outer Barrier breaks and they seize the ley lines of Mo City, all will be beyond redemption." Within the ley lines of Mo City slept the skeletal remains of Great Demons from the Ancient Times, including even the original Demon Lord. Their bodies nurtured the lands of the Demon Realm, where many spirit demons lived, and later generations of Demon Lords enjoyed their protective legacy. However, if Mo City were to lose control of its land, allowing this horde of Manxie to taint the ley lines with their blood, the royal bloodline of future generations of Demon Lords would be corrupted. Qi Ren glanced at Ning Feiyan and said, "River Lord Ning has always been exceptionally clever and eloquent. I wonder, do you have any insights regarding this battle?" Ning Feiyan replied, "Defend our own, attack with surplus." Their strategy was simple yet ruthless. Attacking with surplus did not mean engaging the countless enemy army in a head-on battle of life and death; after all, to suppress the four Demon Emperors, Mo City had deployed its main military forces, leaving only about three thousand Demon Soldiers led by the Prison Law Demon General available now. The attack would be like a bolt of lightning, swiftly breaking through their ranks, aiming for the leader’s head. Killing one to shock the army of thousands. With this, the remaining forces would just be a scattered mess, too trivial to fear. Qi Ren pondered for a moment then said, "Such a strategy isn’t without its merits, but whom among us, River Lord Ning, do you think is capable of this task?" Mi Lu sarcastically replied, "The capable shall prevail. Among us all, it should clearly be Yihe who is strongest. For such a crucial task, shouldn’t Yihe step forward without hesitation?" "Young Lord is making jokes now," Ning Feiyan said with narrowed eyes, her use of the affectionate term "darling" nearly sent Mi Lu’s nose askew with irritation. Qi Ren, unusually, agreed with Ning Feiyan, perhaps feeling that the battle to defend the city was too critical to let Mi Lu indulge his vengeful whims. "River Lord Ning speaks not without reason. The switch from defense to offense has only one chance. The suspended mirror above us can still precisely locate the enemy leader’s exact position. If we fail to strike effectively, dying in enemy territory would only alert and cause them to guard their leader more carefully and cautiously. Hence, this battle must employ a surprise attack, and we only have one chance." Mi Lu also recognized the importance of this moment and simply shut his mouth. In the end, the task of capturing the enemy leader’s head was undertaken voluntarily by Qi Ren. Mi Lu’s complexion turned ever more sullen. Baili An observed his expression and knew that this battle had plunged Mi Lu and his servant Qi Ren into a significantly passive position. It was evident that the suppression of the four Demon Emperors had exhausted Mo City’s military resources, essentially revealing the Demon Lord and Shu Ci’s strength and strategies. Zangxin was merely there for appearance, accompanying the Demon Lord to suppress the forces. Yet, Mi Lu sought to use this opportunity to bridge the gap between himself and the Demon Lord, raising his own troops. The entire combat force of the vast Manxie Clan was almost entirely stationed within the border city defences, and it was likely that Mi Lu had also surreptitiously nurtured hidden soldiers and assassins within this Imperial City. This battle, because of him, was inevitably his to face. Through the suspended mirror, Baili An saw Qi Ren had already changed out of his usual robe into a dark, light armor covering his body, his face mask still on, as he stood on a concealed wall. His hands held no visible weapon, but as his sleeves fluttered, a glimpse of a viciously sharp and bloodthirsty sleeve blade could be seen. Like a droplet of ink blending into paper, he disappeared from atop the wall, vanishing outside the Barrier, his presence instantly concealed. From the point where he disappeared, billows of thick black mist rose. Within the mist seemed to be an army of a hundred beasts ascending, yet without much display, like an illusion, they silently dove into the enemy’s cloud sea, without a sound.