"Longqie...?"
Zhu Wuyuan's pupils contracted sharply; he had never heard of this name before.
But Zhang Yu could see this scene clearly through the Image Jade Token.
When the words "Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu" Longqie" appeared at the same time, he was struck dumb, his mind went completely blank.
"System, system, what world have you brought me to?"
He screamed wildly in his heart, feeling his worldview completely collapse at that moment.
At the scene, after injuring Zhu Wuyuan, Longqie didn't even glance at him.
Because in those abyss-like eyes, Zhu Wuyuan was no different from those trembling commoners.
"My lads, devour flesh and blood to regain your strength."
Longqie, and his deep shout resounded like a war drum, making people's hearts tremble.
The next moment, thousands of ferocious War Souls surged out of the black hole like a tidal wave!
Some of those War Souls were clad in tattered Qin Armor, some were bare-chested and had their heads wrapped, some rode headless warhorses, and some brandished rusty spears and halberds.
They are the heroic souls who died in battles under the command of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, Longqie in various wars.
Each one carried lingering Killing Intent and resentment.
The residents of the Imperial City were just praising Zhu Wuyuan, but the situation changed drastically in an instant.
They watched as Zhu Wuyuan was severely injured, and as countless War Souls charged in, their legs went weak with fear.
"Ah--!"
A powerful cultivator at the Feathered Realm was about to unleash his True Qi to resist.
'But the War Souls, like a maggot clinging to bone, instantly wrapped around his limbs, its sharp teeth like knives, directly biting through his Body protection aura and gnawing at his flesh.'
His screams lasted only three breaths before he turned into a skeleton, which was devoured by the War Souls.
No, no!
A middle-aged man watched helplessly as his body rotted away, his skin festering inch by inch until his white bones were exposed.
He screamed wildly, but his voice grew weaker and weaker until it was finally drowned out by the chewing sounds of the War Souls.
"We were wrong, we were all wrong... Sheng Yu was telling the truth, there really is a den of Demon Grotto..."
An elderly man with white hair and beard, on his deathbed, used his last strength to shout to the sky, his eyes filled with regret.
He thought that if he hadn't forced Zhang Yu to abdicate, the worst that would have been facing an attack from the Five-Kingdom Coalition and suffering some hardship from the war.
But they chose to force Zhang Yu to abdicate, to Qi Restoration Zhang Yu fortune and Divine Weapon, and to release the monsters from the Zhang Yu Demon Grotto.
"I hate it..."
The old man died with his eyes wide open, his withered fingers still pointing towards the Imperial Palace.
"I was wrong, we know we were wrong."
I beg Your Highness Sheng Yu to have mercy and seal the Demon Grotto once more with the Azure Cloud Sword. I implore you.
Faced with life and death, the residents of the Imperial City were filled with remorse and fear.
They simultaneously let out heart-wrenching roars towards the Imperial Palace, hoping to attract Zhang Yu's attention and that the "tyrant" they had once insulted would stand up again and save them.
"It's all Zhu Wuyuan's fault, it has nothing to do with us."
Some people who were closer to the Imperial Palace had already scrambled to the palace gates, desperately pounding on the two vermilion doors with their bodies, crying out in anguish:
"Sheng Yu, open the door quickly! Seal the Demon Grotto!"
"We know we were wrong, we will never do it again."
"Please save us, please!"
But Zhang Yu was too busy brainstorming to pay attention to them.
He screamed frantically in his mind, trying to get an answer from the system, but all he got in response was deathly silence.
Besides, even if Zhang Yu had time, he wouldn't care.
Before taking back the Azure Cloud Sword, he had already said that the consequences would be borne by the user.
Meanwhile, people across the country, watching this scene through the Image Jade Token, were simply enjoying the spectacle.
Seeing that Zhang Yu remained unmoved by the pleas and cries outside the palace gates, they all angrily exclaimed:
"Sheng Yu is so heartless, refusing to help someone in distress. It's truly despicable."
"Exactly, he opened the Demon Grotto, how can he just sit idly by?"
"Pah, he's a complete selfish bastard."
They pinned all the blame on Zhang Yu.
But they forgot that it was they who helped Zhu Wuyuan force Zhang Yu to abdicate; they were the real culprits.
The bloody slaughter continued at the scene, the heavy stench of blood mixed with the acrid Devil Qi, almost solidified, shrouding the sky above the Imperial City.
The people of the Imperial City, like duckweed tossed about by the tide, cried and pushed, frantically gathering towards the Imperial Palace.
They pounded on the palace gates desperately, striking the cold, vermilion doors with their foreheads, producing dull thuds filled with the despair of impending death.
"Sheng Yu, open the door! Please, seal the Demon Grotto!"
"We were wrong, we'll never push you again."
"Please save us! Please save Eastern Sheng Kingdom!"
But the palace gates were tightly shut, and no one responded.
Zhang Yu stood on the city wall, observing everything with a detached eye.
Those who had insulted him, scorned him, and forced him to abdicate now clung to him like a last straw. But he felt no pity, only cold indifference.
"Ungrateful wretch... are you scared now?"
Unfortunately, it's too late.
He sneered inwardly, his gaze sweeping across the images of various parts of the country displayed on the Image Jade Token.
Those watching the live broadcast from thousands of miles away are now filled with righteous indignation, placing all the blame on him:
"Sheng Yu is a sinner; he opened the Demon Grotto."
"He is ruthless and cruel, and refuses to help those in need; he is unworthy to be a ruler."
Zhang Yu remained expressionless, his fingertips tracing the hilt of the Azure Cloud Sword, the blade emitting a low hum as if responding to his indifference.
Meanwhile, Zhu Wuyuan huddled in the shadows of a corner of the Imperial Palace, covered in blood and barely breathing.
Despite the excruciating pain from his broken ribs, he secretly activated the Voice Transmission Jade Token and sent a distress message to his father, Zhu Lunbin:
"Father, the situation is completely out of control."
The Demon Grotto is real, and the monsters that come out of it... are simply beyond the capabilities of Mortal.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the voice transmission, followed by Zhu Lunbin's slightly surprised voice:
"There really is Demon Grotto... and even monsters of this level?"
Zhu Wuyuan's heart sank. He sensed the surprise in his father's tone, but also a hint of barely perceptible... excitement?
"Father, what should I do now?"
Zhu Wuyuan said urgently,
"Those War Souls are impossible to kill completely, and countless civilians have died or been injured."
Even the experts at the Heaven Ascension Realm... were devoured.
Zhu Lunbin's voice quickly regained its composure, even carrying a sense of control over the situation:
What's the panic?
They're just Devil Creature.
Meng Hai.
"Exist!"
"Immediately issue an emergency edict in the name of the Jixia Academy to the Nearby Great Provinces."
All cultivators of the Literary Dao who have cultivated the Righteous Qi, shall immediately set off for the Eastern Sheng Kingdom to assist me in subduing the demon.
At the same time, invitations were extended to various countries, inviting Immortal from each nation to come and assist.
"Yes, sir!"
Meng Hai accepted the order, his voice calm and steady.
"Sir, has something happened?"
Zhang Qingyue, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up, a hint of doubt also arising in her heart.
Zhu Lunbin turned to look at her, a meaningful smile playing on his lips:
"Your Eldest Brother is really capable."
He whispered, his voice filled with the excitement of discovering a new toy.