Here in the presence, all those who had endured countless battles and bloodshed were certainly no strangers to ruthlessness. At this moment, an unusual calm settled over them; even Shi Dan, a woman, fell into a brief silence.

As for the thousands of archers arrayed atop the city walls, their faces were ashen white. Though some felt the urge to raise their weapons again, the sight of the two thousand iron cavalry below, resembling monstrous beasts of steel, coupled with the watchful, menacing figures of Hu Zhongyuan and his contingent, filled their eyes with despair.

No one else needed to act; the few standing on the ramparts alone were enough to slaughter them all. Even the rest of the garrison within the pass city looked on with evident hostility. Zong Shou, however, fell into deep contemplation. After a moment, he shook his head slightly. "They are all my subjects; there must be reasons for their actions, and I cannot bring myself to kill them wholesale. However, the crimes of insubordination and treason cannot go unpunished. All ranks from Lüshuai (Brigade Commander) upward are to be executed immediately! The rest must be identified and screened. Those proven innocent will be dealt with after today's matters are concluded! Life servitude will be unavoidable. Later, send them all to the Convict Camp; if they survive ten years, they are lucky."

Hearing this, most of the people, both on and below the walls, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Only the subordinates of You Wusheng fell into deeper despair. Everyone else’s expression softened.

Those on the wall rejoiced at being spared immediate death, their lives temporarily secured. Below the wall, there was joy that Zong Shou would not hold the archers who had drawn their bows against him against them too severely.

The Convict Camp, as its name implied, was composed entirely of criminals. Within the barracks, they were assigned the hardest and most grueling labor, and during times of war, they were always sent to the very forefront, frequently used as cannon fodder. Still, being sent to the Convict Camp offered a sliver of hope.

Tan Tao frowned upon hearing the decree, clearly unconvinced. He lowered his voice. "My Lord, under normal circumstances, this handling would be perfectly appropriate. But if the news of your cultivation of Martial Spirit Arts spreads, not only might the Xue Clan harbor malicious intentions, but the former enemies of the Sovereign will likely become wary as well—"

At this point, others nearby also showed signs of deep concern.

Zong Shou, completely unconcerned, shook his head and gazed with excitement toward the direction of Qiantian Mountain City.

It was best if his cultivation of Martial Spirit Arts remained secret, but if it did not, it mattered little to him.

Toward others, he could certainly wipe out witnesses without hesitation. But those on the city walls were mostly the old subordinates of Zong Weiran, who had once risked their lives for Qiantian Mountain.

He would not, nor would he deign to, sacrifice justice simply to conceal his own matters.

If the news got out, so what? Let whatever storms arise come directly for him.

He refused to believe that the sword in his hand could not hold back such tempestuous waves.

Furthermore, the Demon Race population was small to begin with. The entirety of Qiantian Mountain held perhaps only seven or eight million souls. Including the populations of the vassal cities, the total for the Demon Race barely touched twenty million. Yet, within Qiantian Mountain City, he still had a large faction he needed to cleanse, to slaughter!

These strong fighting forces of the Demon Race—it was better to preserve as many as possible. Rather than killing them himself, it was preferable to let them die on the battlefield.

And without sufficient fighting strength, it was highly likely that Qiantian Mountain City would not survive the true era of chaos awaiting in a decade.

While Tan Tao was sharp, his vision was somewhat limited by the constraints of his era.

Seeing Zong Shou offer no definitive reply, Tan Tao sighed in resignation. He glanced around; the others, like Zong Yuan, seemed indifferent, clearly prepared to follow Zong Shou’s command no matter what. As for Zong Lan, the look in his eyes as he regarded Zong Shou was one of sparkling admiration, as if he nearly saw Zong Weiran reborn; he certainly would not offer counsel.

Tan Tao could only let out a helpless sigh and bow again. "My Lord shows great benevolence!"

His tone was sincere. The way this Young Lord had handled the situation was genuinely generous, even to the point of disregarding the broader strategic situation.

Zong Shou heard this and offered a self-deprecating sneer. Benevolence? Only those who had lived through later ages would understand the true coldness within him.

The Spirit Tide surged. Countless spirit beasts advanced, and within a few years, hundreds of spirit stone veins were discovered. Consequently, dozens of major cities rose one after another.

The entire Cloud Continent was perpetually embroiled in conflict, fighting over spirit crystal resources and the new spirit stone veins.

These three thousand men, once sent to the Convict Camp, had almost no chance of survival. Never mind ten years; they wouldn't last five. Suddenly, his eyelids twitched sharply. Zong Shou tilted his head slightly. "Did you hear that? I thought I heard a bell just now."

Zhenshan Pass was actually only fifty or sixty li from Qiantian Mountain, so the bell likely came from there.

Zong Lan also quieted his breathing to listen. After a moment, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "It is indeed a bell. It should be the Council Bell from before the Hall of Governance!"

Zong Shou smiled faintly. He surmised that Zong Shizong Yang and the others were likely convening the clan chieftains and generals of Qianshan to discuss matters—most likely to settle the position of the Clan Chief.

In other words, Qiantian Mountain was still under the control of Hu Qianqiu and Qiu Wei. He had returned just in time.

If he had truly chosen to take a detour, the outcome might have been entirely different.

"Nine tolls in succession—these people are in quite a hurry! Shall we go and join the excitement?"

Upon hearing this, Zong Lan and the others’ eyes lit up with excitement.

Zong Yuan, meanwhile, gently stroked the Purple Thunder Steel Spear in his hand, his chest churning with anticipation. They were close now, only fifty li away. In less than half an hour, he could see those two again. And the spear in his hand... it was already thirsty...

Atop Qiantian Mountain City, inside the spacious Hall of Governance, Zong Ming, Zong Hao, Zong Shi, Zong Yang, Ling Fakong, Grandmaster Yuan, as well as Xue Moyan, True Man Wu Ye, Li Hu Jichang, and others were seated in their respective places.

At the head table, only three empty seats were reserved for Hu Qianqiu, Qiu Wei, and Chai Yuan.

Zong Shi was already perched high upon the Demon King's throne, gazing coldly toward the main doors of the hall.

When the council bell ceased its ringing, Zong Ming immediately let out a cold snort.

"Qiu Wei and Hu Qianqiu truly put on airs! The Council Bell rang nine times consecutively, and they still haven't arrived! They treat my Celestial Fox Royal Clan as nothing; this is sheer arrogance—"

"If it were me, knowing there’s a trap waiting for them here, I wouldn't come either."

Zong Yang gave a cold, mocking laugh. He seemed somewhat unwilling to concede, speaking with a provocative tone toward Zong Shi in the upper seat. "Fourth Brother, Qiu Wei is the Grand General of the Left Court Pillar, and Hu Qianqiu is the Chieftain of the Iron Tiger Clan. If these two do not attend, the other clan chieftains and generals will naturally find an excuse to refuse. If they don't come, your position as Demon King likely won't be solidified. Even if you claim it here, it will be illegitimate."

Grand Elder Zong Ming’s eyes immediately flared with anger. Zong Shi narrowed his eyes, glanced at Zong Yang, and then simply ignored him, as if failing to notice the schadenfreude in Zong Shi's tone. He said calmly, "No matter! Please ask the Grand Elder to send a messenger to deliver a warning. Tell them that if they do not attend today, they should not blame me if I resort to desperate measures. At that time, perhaps I will simply set Qiantian Mountain ablaze. Having these eight million people in the city as my sacrificial companions would be quite satisfactory."

Everyone in the hall gasped. Li Hu Jichang slammed his hand down on the armrest and loudly praised, "Young Lord Zong Shi has magnificent spirit! If he cannot have something, no one else shall have it. As for Qiu Wei, so be it, but I know Hu Qianqiu’s life is precious; he will surely not fail to appear! That fellow might not care about the city, but he cannot be unconcerned about the lives of the old and weak populating this entire city. Once the fighting starts, they cannot blame Young Lord."

Ling Fakong, however, frowned deeply, a flicker of doubt flashing in his eyes before he forcefully suppressed it. For the first time, he questioned whether his initial decision had been wrong.

"Brother Ji overpraises me!"

Zong Shi smiled reservedly. "If my affairs come to a head and I am forced to act, I will need the staunch support of Brother Ji and Martial Uncle Wu Ye..."

True Man Wu Ye immediately nodded with a smile. Jichang burst out laughing. "Young Lord is generous; our Profound Purity Sect will not be stingy either. Needless to say, I will exert every effort."

Zong Shi smiled in satisfaction and then turned toward the exceptionally handsome young man seated to his right. "Especially Brother Xue Moyan. My smooth accession to the throne this time relies heavily on your Xue family's Illusory Mist Mind Control Technique."

"As long as they enter within a hundred zhang of me, those people, possessing only the strength of spirit beasts below the Sixth Rank, will naturally obey the Young Lord’s command without question."

Xue Moyan opened his eyes slightly and gave Zong Shi a meaningful look. "I only hope that the Young Lord does not forget your promise when that time comes."

Zong Shi’s lips curved slightly. The Sixth Rank—that meant the Life Return Realm and the Profound Martial Grandmaster. How many in all of Qiantian Mountain City had reached that level?

"Rest assured. Once I ascend to the Demon King's position, I, Zong Shi, will certainly propose marriage to your Xue family! We will maintain a perpetual alliance through generations."

Among all those in the hall, only Grandmaster Yuan looked visibly pale, as if extremely enraged but forcefully suppressing it.

Zong Shi couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him. His voice abruptly became sharp and resonant. "Zong Shou needs at least another day to reach Qiantian Mountain. Hu Qianqiu is constrained by fear for his people. Brother Xue will handle the clan chieftains and the military commanders. Only the Left Court Pillar, Qiu Wei, remains. I truly cannot imagine any reason why I would fail! I, Zong Shi, am determined to seize the position of Demon King of Qiantian Mountain!"

The entire hall fell silent. Everyone seemed stunned by Zong Shi's boldness.

Though not yet enthroned, every word and action from Zong Shi carried an overwhelming confidence and grandeur.

Even Zong Yang frowned slightly and said no more. Though discontent simmered within, he knew Zong Shi’s victory was assured. To contest him now would only invite disaster upon himself, leading to his own demise.

After a long pause, Zong Hao finally spoke again. "Everything else is manageable, but I am concerned about Chai Yuan."

"That is also not an issue!" Zong Shi cast another deep look at the grim-faced Grandmaster Yuan. "Uncle Chai is a man of great righteousness. Even if he won't aid us, he certainly won't help that good-for-nothing. He is merely displeased with my proposed marriage to the Xue family. Once I offer him an explanation later, Uncle Chai will surely understand." (To be continued)