For the longest time, the provocative words this man hurled at Kong Yao were merely annoying, something most people paid little mind.

But now, they caused a cold sweat to break out among everyone inside the command tent.

Did this Fiery Crow Demon Lord truly have no desire to live?

If he wanted death, he should at least not drag others down with him—

Even knowing that this Sacred Venerable of the Demonic Sect was merely trying to enrage Kong Yao and simultaneously deflate the morale of the defending army.

At this moment, the generals still felt a chill surging through their bones, penetrating deep into the marrow.

Back then, Zong Shou, in a fit of rage, wiped out thirty-seven sects of the Daoist path single-handedly.

And this time, merely for the death of a close friend, he had charged into the Imperial Capital and claimed Yin Yu’s head.

The notorious reputation of the Blood Sword Demon Lord had been forged through one bloody battle after another, one massacre after another—it was no trivial matter.

If Zong Shou were to learn of the events here, to know that Kong Yao had been injured by the Fiery Crow, one could only imagine his reaction.

Perhaps in his fury, the seven million troops gathered here would be reduced to mere ash.

Previously, the Six Teachings could keep each other in check, but now, in the Cloud Realm, there was no one left who could stop Zong Shou—

“So, you’re saying we can only temporarily retreat, observe the situation, and wait?”

Shi Qianli’s voice injected a surge of spirit into the generals within the tent.

This wasn't because they feared battle; rather, the disparity in strength was simply too vast. Such meaningless sacrifice was utterly unnecessary.

To continue garrisoning troops here served no purpose. And even if they managed to breach this temporary defensive city, what then?

The Great Shang was already fallen, and their Shi family was destined to face the tempestuous counterattack from the Great Qian.

A prompt retreat was the only way to ease the situation, allowing them to continue accumulating strength while the Great Qian and the Dark World Demonic Court fought for supremacy over the Tianfang World.

“However, we can’t just retreat like this. We must do our utmost to preserve the lives of the seven million soldiers, and Baisheng Pass must also be held firmly. Furthermore—”

With a frigid glance directed toward the clouds outside the tent flap, Shi Qianli gave a cold chuckle.

“We must also offer an apology and explanation to the Qian Emperor. After half a month of incessant verbal abuse, someone needs to appease the Qian Emperor’s wrath. I already advised Emperor Yin against consorting with demons. Slaying this fiend is an act of immeasurable merit!”

A moment of silence fell over the tent. Not a single person voiced opposition; instead, smiles touched their faces.

This man was a subordinate of the Supreme Demon, and one of the chess pieces used by Emperor Yuanchen to check the Shi family. His life or death was of no concern to anyone in that tent.

At this moment, the Fiery Crow in the clouds, for some unknown reason, suddenly felt an intense chill permeate his entire body, sparking an extremely ominous feeling,

a sensation akin to a psychic premonition of imminent danger. Yet, it was fleeting, making him doubt if it was merely a hallucination.

But looking closely around, there was absolutely nothing unusual. Down below, the armies beneath the city were already prepared once more. Countless siege engines were fully deployed,

especially the reinforcing troops transferred from various provinces, who were the most eager. Most of their officers came from humble, poor backgrounds, willing to cast aside their very lives in hopes of securing wealth, titles for their wives, and descendants.

Within a three-thousand-mile radius, his fire crows circled, monitoring everything. Even if a Summit Saint Venerable were present, he was confident he would notice the slightest anomaly.

This was why, throughout ten thousand years, despite committing countless atrocities, few people had ever tracked him down.

But now, there was definitely no abnormality around him—so where was this sense of impending doom?

Only in the main command tent was Shi Qianli gathering his most trusted direct subordinates, plotting something they couldn’t know.

However, this man’s command authority had actually been mostly hollowed out. Regardless of the outcome of this battle or any merit Shi Qianli might claim, the Shi family of Chuan You was already slated for eradication by the Qian Emperor.

So, no matter what actions this commander took, the Fiery Crow paid it no mind.

Shaking his head, the Fiery Crow Demon Lord’s eerie cackle echoed for a thousand miles: “I wonder, Consort Yao, what have you decided? It is almost time for our army to move and capture the city, and then everything will be over. Offering the city now can at least save the lives of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers within. Do you truly value your own chastity and reputation more than the lives of these hundreds of thousands?”

Midway through this proclamation, the Fiery Crow Demon Lord suddenly stopped. He saw a streak of black light rapidly approaching from a distance.

It was a three-legged crow engulfed in black flames, arriving with incredible speed, flickering instantly into view.

Upon landing in his hand, it dissolved into a bloom of black flame.

This three-legged Flame Crow was one of his methods for spying on news near the Imperial Capital.

In the instant it transformed into flame, countless pieces of information flooded the Fiery Crow Demon Lord’s mind.

And in just a single moment, the Crow’s face froze entirely, his pupils bulging slightly. He could utter no more words.

Yin Yu was dead, Zong Shou was confirmed as the Saint Sovereign, Zhu Zi was severely wounded, and the Supreme Demon, Li Biexue, had perished—

An indescribable bitterness suddenly welled up from the depths of his heart. This time, Li Biexue had truly done him great harm!

Thinking of Zong Shou, the Crow was struck by an overwhelming sense of horror. Without a second thought, he prepared to transform into a cloud of fire and escape this realm.

With Zong Shou victorious, the Demonic Path was also on the verge of annihilation. Having committed such an egregious folly right before Baisheng Pass,

there would be no place left for him in the Cloud Realm!

However, the moment this thought surfaced, the Crow was startled again. The surrounding heaven and earth had, without his notice, been completely sealed off!

Six or seven streams of Saint-tier Immortal Essence power surrounded him from all directions, confining him precisely where he stood.

Nearly half of this force originated from Shi Qianli’s command tent. The other half came from several Saint-tier experts who had arrived at Baisheng Pass to offer support.

There were reclusive Venerables serving the Great Shang, as well as Saint Realm cultivators from the Daoist and Confucian schools. At this moment, without exception, they had all turned against him, cutting off every single avenue of escape.

The Crow felt his heart tighten and stop momentarily. Had that psychic warning been precisely because he had fallen into this inescapable trap?

Then, his composure completely shattered. His expression twisted into a savage grimace as he let out a hysterical roar: “Shi Qianli, we are allies of the Great Shang, after all! What is the meaning of this?”

“Naturally, it is to prevent the Demon Lord from escaping—”

From within the command tent, Shi Qianli’s cold laughter rang out. “I intend to use your head to quell the Qian Emperor’s thunderous wrath and spare others from implication! It seems I am not the only one who harbors this intention.”

As he spoke, he acted. A towering blade shadow suddenly shot toward the sky, instantly obliterating nearly a thousand fire crows.

It then split into ten thousand strands, attacking the Fiery Crow Demon Lord.

Below, the millions of Great Shang soldiers were utterly bewildered, staring blankly at the sky, unaware of what had transpired—

Had the army’s commander-in-chief, Shi Qianli, suddenly turned traitor and attacked the Fiery Crow? Did this major power from the Southwest intend to rise in rebellion?

“Emperor Yuanchen has fallen beneath the Qian Emperor’s sword! Furthermore, the Twelve Bronze Statues of the State have fallen into the hands of the Great Qian. The Great Shang is finished; my Shi family has no choice but to act prudently to preserve ourselves. Demon Lord, please accept this sacrifice of your life to preserve the lives of my seven million soldiers in the Southwest—”

This cold shout sounded again. It was not Shi Qianli’s voice, yet this person’s imposing aura was in no way inferior to the former’s.

As the voice faded, a world-spanning parasol suddenly obscured the sky, blocking all light and spiritual energy from penetrating.

The Fiery Crow recognized this person: Shi Qianluo, a great general of the Shi clan, famously known as the ‘Sole Parasol Shading the Heavens.’

He was a cultivation prodigy from the Shi family two thousand years prior. Eighteen hundred years ago, he left the family to venture into the Outer Regions, acquiring a divine treasure named the Sky-Shading Luo Parasol, which elevated his strength beyond the Half-Step Summit Realm.

As the umbrella unfurled, the Fiery Crow felt his flame energy drain by seven or eight tenths. His three thousand fire crows could no longer be sustained.

Shi Qianli’s blade pressed in relentlessly. He was not using his full power, proceeding unhurriedly, yet bit by bit, he was forcing the Crow into a desperate situation.

Meanwhile, between heaven and earth, a jade slip, thousands of feet long and radiating ten thousand beams of light, hurtled down like a falling mountain.

“His Majesty, the Qian Emperor, is an unmatched Saint Sovereign of all ages! Now that this is confirmed, our Confucian School must obey. How could the consort of a Saint Sovereign be insulted by a mere fiendish cultivator like yourself?”

This elegant voice spoke righteously and sternly, yet it plunged the Fiery Crow’s state of mind into a hell of eternal damnation.

“The Merchant Sovereign Yuanchen colluded with demons and evil paths; he was truly muddle-headed! The destruction of the Great Shang is well-deserved! Fiery Crow, your life is stained with the blood debt of countless years; dying here will finally bring solace to those millions of wronged souls.”

Following the jade slip, a sword made of green jade also pierced the vast sky, descending like an azure bolt of lightning cleaving the heavens.

“Although I originate from the Daoist school and harbor deep enmity toward the Great Qian, eradicating evil and slaying demons is still a duty I cannot shirk!”

The Fiery Crow was utterly devastated. His three thousand fire crows coalesced into a single ball of flame cloud, shielding his body as he struggled to hold on.

Fortunately, although these few were attacking in concert, they were not trying to kill him outright. Yet, even with restraint, they relentlessly compressed his spatial margin and maintained the void lock, preventing any possibility of escape.

He was utterly perplexed by this strange situation, until the Crow suddenly felt a shift in his heart and looked downward. He then saw Kong Yao standing on the city wall, clad in silver armor, holding a silver spear, watching him with a cold, mocking expression.

The Fiery Crow’s face changed instantly again.

He finally understood: the objective of these individuals was not to execute him. Instead, they wanted the Fiery Crow to be slain by Kong Yao’s own hand!

In that moment, a feeling a hundred times darker than despair washed over his spirit.

The Fiery Crow gained a final, grim realization: the Demonic Sect of the Cloud Realm was truly facing imminent collapse—

“That Marshal Shi shows some consideration!”

Standing beside Kong Yao on the city wall, Hu Zhongyuan laughed, exultant and unrestrained.

Nothing could have brought greater joy than learning that Yin Yu was dead, the Great Shang had fallen, and Zong Shou remained safe and sound.

A full month of worry had finally dissolved.

With the clouds parting, Hu Zhongyuan now felt an urge to roar loudly, to vent the sheer joy within his chest.

Though Kong Yao’s expression remained silent, her eyes were incredibly relaxed. She hadn’t expected Zong Shou to provide her with such a surprising turn of events.

This pass city was indeed on the brink of collapse today, and the Great Qian itself stood on the edge of utter defeat.

However, with Yin Yu dead, all impending dangers and crises would be instantly averted.

It also allowed her to vent a fierce torrent of anger!

For the past seven days, Kong Yao had genuinely loathed the Fiery Crow to the bone. Few people in this world had ever elicited such hatred from her.

However, at this moment, Kong Yao was in no rush to strike. A wild beast cornered in desperation is often at its fiercest and most frenzied.

She waited for Shi Qianli and the others to completely exhaust the Fiery Crow’s last vestige of strength.

Her mind, meanwhile, was already contemplating the battle raging in the distant Tianfang World.

The lingering threat in the Cloud Realm was now concluded, and as the Left Censor of the Great Qian, she was the sole candidate for the commanding general in this decisive conflict.