The autumn wind swept bleakly across the rolling wilderness, carrying scraps of withered yellow vegetation.
In the distance, the mountains resembled an ancient beast lying prone, their ridgelines stark and cold beneath the gray sky.
Demon Emperor Juechen urged his mount closer to the figure in black ahead of him and lowered his voice.
"My emperor, Azure Parasol's territory lies just ahead."
At his words.
The girl merely turned her face slightly.
Yet even that response prompted Demon Emperor Juechen to hastily explain, "By rights, with our army this close, the Mangshan Demon Emperor should already have received word."
At this point, a trace of confusion entered his voice.
"Yet so far, not a single demon has appeared within Azure Parasol Mountain's territory to stop us or scout us out."
"I suspect they also wish to see just what you intend, my emperor."
Choosing his words carefully, Demon Emperor Juechen laid out his conjectures.
"After all, even an outsider demon who knows neither the height of heaven nor the depth of earth should behave for a while after hearing of a Dao Orthodoxy's Supreme Seat."
"But someone like you, my emperor..."
He stole a glance at the girl's calm profile and swallowed the rest of his words.
Swaggering straight toward Azure Parasol at the head of Forgotten River's several thousand demons like this.
Even if she plainly intended to fight the Azure Parasol Lineage to the death.
No one who saw it would dare believe things were truly that simple.
Even he, her newly appointed chief confidant, still harbored a measure of incredulous doubt about this new emperor's explanation.
Jiang Yuechu turned back impassively and said calmly, "And?"
"And..."
Demon Emperor Juechen had yet to finish.
And so, without warning, two figures appeared on the mountain path ahead.
The first