The Demonkin Army Besieges the City, and the Underestimated Strategist! (Second Update; Please Vote)

Linjiang Demon City, underground Treasury.

The massive stone gate was blasted open. Dust billowed, and the acrid smell of explosives made it hard to keep their eyes open.

The Chief Steward, his face dark, took the lead over the rubble and into the Treasury.

Behind him came Sixteenth Elder Wang Lu, the Seventeenth Elder, and a host of Demon Cultivator Grandmasters. Shock, anger, and dread were written on every face.

"Forget the jars. Go to the inner vault."

Wang Lu's lion mane had yet to grow back, but his fury had lost none of its force. "See if the rare treasures are still there. Those are our lifeblood!"

The Treasury was enormous, its sections holding the wealth the Demon City had plundered and amassed over centuries.

The Seventeenth Elder hurried deeper inside, his expression grim. "Wang Lu, don't lose your head."

"The true treasures all bear bloodline restrictions left by our ancestors. No one without royal blood can move them. Some couldn't be taken by force even if a Sage came."

"Everything outside is just a veil to draw the eye."

The Treasury was only a container. Its real protection lay in the intricate restrictions carved into the shelves.

"Right! Of course." Wang Lu slapped his forehead. "How did I forget? Even a Sage couldn't break some of those restrictions."

The Demonkin felt a little more at ease.

As long as the treasures at the heart of the vault were safe, the rest of the losses were bearable.

Before long, the Demonkin assigned to take inventory came running over, drenched in sweat.

"Chief Steward, Elders."

He knelt, wearing an odd expression—half relief, half bewilderment.

"Speak. What's missing?" the Chief Steward demanded.

The Demonkin swallowed. "Chief Steward, the restrictions in the deepest chambers are intact. Not a single top-tier artifact or