Chapter 596 — A Graceful Young Lord Comes from Afar

In other words, if the demon race attacked, they could be drowned at any moment by the demon army. There would absolutely be no way to survive.

The Butcher laughed heartily. "Shen'er has spirit after all! Good! I too will duel this celestial god before the two armies! You bird god—do you dare?"

Lord Yangxing hesitated and looked toward Qi Jiuyi. Qi Jiuyi pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed despite himself. "If Brother Shen dares, why would I not dare? Lord Yangxing, you are being overly anxious about gain and loss, placing too much importance on me. With such a mindset, facing an expert in battle, you will easily lose the initiative. Why not adjust your mindset?"

Lord Yangxing felt a chill in his heart.

Qi Jiuyi said with cheerful laughter, "Since Brother Shen extends the invitation, then... please!"

Shen Mu turned and walked back toward the Divine City, secretly praising him: "This Qi Jiuyi is truly no ordinary person. I wonder what his origins are, to have tempered his Dao heart to a level not inferior to mine. Most remarkable."

The Butcher strode after him, walking ahead of him. Granny Zhu, the Silent Artisan and the others followed behind, exchanging glances and frowning slightly. The Deaf Elder said in a low voice, "Should we all go at once and just kill this blasted Lord Yangxing and the nine-headed bird? If we all strike together, killing them will not be difficult. We could run them through in less than a quarter-hour."

"To strike here—the demon race would easily see through the bluff."

The Deaf Elder shook his head. "This Lord Yangxing is no easy opponent. That great sun hanging above his head has likely already drawn the demon race's attention. It is only because they do not know whether we are friend or foe that they have held back. If we fight him—even if we press him hard—the demon race will see that we have encountered an enemy."

The faces of the others turned grave. If they could not dispose of Lord Yangxing in the shortest possible time, Varuna would see through their depth and know they were playing the Empty City Stratagem.

And if in battle Lord Yangxing blasted apart the Divine City, Varuna would also see through the bluff.

The best path now was undoubtedly Shen Mu's choice: before the demon army, an open and honorable challenge—to defeat or even slay Lord Yangxing and Qi Jiuyi.

Dangerous, yes, but there was a way to live.

In the demon camp, one demon god after another was activating their demon eyes, scanning the Divine City opposite.

Varuna could not hold back any longer. He was about to order that no matter what, this Divine City must be taken—when suddenly the city gates swung wide open. Varuna's heart jolted. He swallowed the words that were about to leave his mouth and raised a hand to halt the demon armies preparing to attack.

Shen Mu, Qi Jiuyi, the Butcher, Lord Yangxing and the others continued walking forward, apparently intending to head toward the demon camp.

"Only these few come out of the city. What trick is True God Pang Yu playing?"

Varuna sneered. "Just a handful of petty gods! Who will go and cut them down for me?"

"Wait!"

Lu Li saw the faces of Qi Jiuyi and Lord Yangxing, and his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly raised a hand and said in a deep voice, "Those opposite are honored personages from the Heavenly Court. Varuna, you must not offend them!"

Varuna was startled. "Honored personages? Could it be..."

Lu Li's pretty face shifted between light and dark. Her white teeth ground together, back and forth. She sneered, "Indeed, honored personages have descended. Why would such an honored personage descend to the mortal realm? Could it be that those above already know about the Shen family brat, and have come to harvest the fruits... It must be someone from the Nether Capital who sold me out! Hateful! Was it Han Lei or Xuan Ming? Or Yu Huang? These fellows—they are first-rate at stabbing me in the back, but when I ask them for help on ordinary days, they cannot even be bothered to lift a finger!"

Varuna said in a low voice, "Daoist Lu, that youth surnamed Shen is right beside the honored personage you spoke of!"

Lu Li's gaze fell upon Shen Mu. Shen Mu sensed it and looked up toward the demon camp. He did not know whose gaze it was, but he still flashed a brilliant, sunny smile.

Lu Li snorted. "He has grown up and become somewhat handsome. As a child he was so ugly he could scare a ghost to death!"

Shen Mu stopped a hundred li before the demon camp and called out clearly, "Shen Mu, Sect Master of the Heavenly Sage Sect, pays his respects here to the heroes of the demon race and the gallants of the Heavenly Court. Might I ask the outstanding figures of the demon race—is there any among you who dares to come and offer instruction?"

His voice took a moment to reach the demon camp. Though very light and faint, it nonetheless transmitted clearly into the ears of the many demon gods.

One demon god after another wore shifting expressions. Among the demon god disciples, the demon experts of the same realm as Shen Mu had basically all been killed by him.

"The demon race's experts of the Heaven-Man realm, the Life-Death realm, and the Divine Treasury realm may also come and offer instruction."

Shen Mu's voice continued to arrive, clear and loud. "Those of lower realm than I may also come and offer instruction. I can seal my Divine Treasury for a fair duel! Is there any who dares to fight?"

After a moment, Shen Mu received no response. His voice reached the demon camp once more: "The demon race has no guts. Brother Qi, it seems you and I must go first."

Suddenly, the gates of the demon camp swung open. One after another, demon experts charged out in a fury, shouting angrily, "Human brat, you dare insult the demon race as having no demons!"

Shen Mu smiled and said to Qi Jiuyi, "You and I warm up first—what say you?"