In the silent night, a carriage was driving alone on the official road. Suddenly, an eagle's cry was startled in the northern sky.
The young man holding the whip pulled the reins, raised his head, looked at the northern sky, and whispered, "Did you hear that?"
A woman in purple lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked into the distance: "It's the cry of an eagle, but it's too harsh."
In the carriage, a pale Taoist priest leaned against the ground, breathing weakly: "This is the Eagle's Cry Order from Demon City, summoning all citizens to return to the city."
"The Devil's Castle is just ahead?" asked the young man.
The Taoist nodded: "It's in the north, where the eagle screamed!"
This group of people, naturally, were Su Baiyi, Nangong Xier and Zhao Xiaqiu. They had been traveling for more than ten days since leaving Yuelai Inn. Along the way, they had not encountered any more terrible attacks like the one they had that day, but instead of feeling relieved, they even had a vague sense of uneasiness in their hearts.
"Is the Eagle's Roaring Order a common summons?" Su Baiyi smiled, "The kind that calls on the citizens to go home for dinner?"
Zhao Xiaqiu shook his head and said, "No, the Eagle's Roar Order is the most urgent summons, meaning a life-or-death order. Once summoned, you must respond!"
Dozens of miles away, dozens of pure black horses stopped. If they continued to gallop forward for another night, they would reach the world-famous evil city. However, the leader stopped and looked in the direction of the eagle's cry, as if thinking about something.
"Master, how far is it?" asked a rider holding a silver spear. The man's long hair flew in the wind, revealing an extremely young face.
The leading black-clad man said calmly, "Keep going at your current speed, and you'll be able to see the city at daybreak. The city is the most beautiful at daybreak, because the walls of the Demon City are golden, bathed in the morning light, as if you've entered a fantasy world."
The young man with the gun asked in confusion: "Then why are we stopping now?"
The man in black let out a long sigh: "I'm about to meet an old friend I haven't seen for many years, so I can't help but feel a little nervous. What's more, it's not the time for us to meet yet."
"The sect leader and the Demon City Lord are friends?" the young man asked in surprise.
The man in black smiled and said, "After experiencing life and death together, we are of course friends. No rush, we will set up camp here and wait for the people from the other three families. Of course, the most important thing is to wait for the people from Shanglin Tian Palace."
The young man nodded, his eyes full of excitement. "The four major families, Shanglin Palace, and the three major families of Daze Prefecture. This is the Weilong Alliance of the past. I grew up listening to the stories of the Weilong Alliance fighting against Tianmen and slaughtering the Demon Sect. I never thought that one day I would be able to become a member of it."
"The Dragon Alliance?" The man in black smiled. "The Dragon Alliance no longer exists in the world. We are just a bunch of mediocre people now."
In the Demon City, a burly man in black was sitting under the moon and drinking. He looked up at the sky with half-drunk eyes and sighed. Suddenly, the golden sword beside him began to ring. He was startled, and his eyes, which had just been hazy with drunkenness, suddenly became extremely clear. He looked at the golden sword, which was ringing anxiously and became more and more sharp.
"City Lord!" The guards were startled by the cry, and the gray-clothed man in the lead hurried up.
"It's okay." The man waved his hand to stop him, "You guys can leave."
After hesitating for a moment, the man in gray could only retreat helplessly with the people behind him.
The demon city lord reached out and grasped the knife. The chirping sound finally became lighter, but it was still vibrating uneasily. He narrowed his pupils, looked at the golden knife and said, "Do you also feel my inner uneasiness?"
The golden sword suddenly became quiet.
"I understand." The Demon City Lord picked up the golden knife, stood up, and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. "Brother Su, what do you think of my choice?"
There was no answer, only the endless cold wind of the autumn night filled the entire courtyard.
The demon city lord turned around and walked out of the courtyard with a knife in hand.
It was late at night, and everyone in the city had gone to bed, but they all heard the eagle's cry, and the originally quiet city was filled with noisy voices. The demon city lord carried the sword on his shoulder and slowly walked towards the door. When he was about to get close to the door, he suddenly turned around, and the gray-clothed guard standing behind him was the one from before.
The Demon City Lord smiled and said, "Ye Huo, do you want to go with me?"
The man in gray didn't say anything, just nodded.
The Demon City Lord nodded and turned around: "It's good to have you with me." After that, he slowly walked to the door of the mansion and stretched out his hand to push it open. The heavy door usually requires four people to pull it together to open, but the Demon City Lord just pushed it lightly and the door opened. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped out.
He took only one step and froze there. Thick fog covered the entire street outside the City Lord's Mansion. It was late autumn these days, so fog was not surprising. However, no matter how thick the fog was, it should not be so thick that things ten meters away could not be seen with the naked eye. The Demon City Lord touched the hilt of the knife.
A figure gradually walked towards him in the thick fog, and the Demon City Lord narrowed his eyes. An old man in a black robe walked out of the thick fog. The old man should be very old, with long silver-white hair, but there were no wrinkles on his face. In a trance, he even felt that the person standing in front of him was still a teenager. The old man walked very slowly, but every step brought a palpitating feeling. The thick fog seemed to spread around him. Finally, seven steps away from the Demon City Lord, the old man stopped.
There was obviously no wind, but the old man's robe was fluttering violently.
The Demon City Lord didn't seem surprised, he just laughed miserably: "Since the day I became the city lord, I have been guessing when this day would come."
The old man also smiled and sat down cross-legged.
"I trapped myself in the Demon City, and Mr. Gu trapped himself in the Qingyuan Pool. I thought my world was bigger than yours, but now I understand that we are the same." The Demon City Lord shook his head and said, "We are just trapped in our own hearts."
"Now, has Mr. Gu walked out of his own heart?" asked the Demon City Lord with his head lowered.
The old man waved his hand gently, and a huge chessboard suddenly appeared in front of them, lying between the two of them. The old man bowed his head and said, "Why don't we play a game of chess? If you win, I will make way for you. If you lose, whether it's the Demon City or the Qingyuan Pond, go back to where you belong."
The demon city lord was stunned for a moment, then he smiled coldly and took a step back, swung the golden knife vigorously, and slashed down without hesitation. The knife was so powerful that the entire chessboard was destroyed in an instant. The surrounding wind was strong, and the golden knife made a sharp hissing sound again.
"I am different from my father. He was willing to be trapped in your chess game to gain enlightenment and become a chess piece in your control of Demon City for his entire life. But I am different. I hold a knife in my hand and only know how to kill people. I will kill anyone who stands in my way. Even if you are the most respected elder in Demon City." The Demon City Lord took a step closer, and the knife in his hand was about to chop at the old man.
The world became extremely quiet at that moment. The chessboard debris on the ground, the thick fog covering the whole street, and even the old man sitting cross-legged disappeared in an instant. The host of the Demon City stood there alone, with nothing around him. He looked up.
The old man stood there, his black robe fluttering in the wind. He was surrounded by a layer of dark flames, and his eyes were expressionless, completely different from the gentle and indifferent old man just now. The gloomy feeling made people breathless.
"Your decision will destroy the century-old foundation of Demon City." The old man sighed.
"My Demon City represents all the evil in the world. They call me the most evil in the world. Why?" the Demon City Lord said loudly, "I can't be the enemy of the world?"
The old man frowned and asked, "What on earth are you doing this for?"
The demon city lord smiled and bent his legs, jumped hard, and slashed the old man with the golden knife in his hand.