Thousands of elite soldiers surged out from the high walls and shadows, completely surrounding the First Young Master's exhausted, remnant forces!
And standing at the very front of the line...
...was actually none other than the Bone Blade General, Grif!
The First Young Master's face changed drastically, and he shouted harshly.
“Grif! Are you rebelling?! Second Brother is dead! I am the new Black Bone Demon Marquis!!”
“Nonsense! A piece of trash who slaughters his own kin like you is worthy of being called the Demon Marquis?!”
A mocking voice drifted down from the high platform.
Wearing luxurious robes, Baikui looked down on him from above.
The First Young Master's heart leaped into his throat. He sensed that something was terribly wrong.
“Thirteen?! You?! The Second Brother you backed is already dead! How dare a useless trash like you try to snatch my position?!”
“That's right, just me.”
“What? Am I not qualified?”
As soon as he spoke, powerful and unmatched auras erupted from behind Baikui!
Gaia and Elise threw back their hoods, and the oppressive pressure of the Dominator Rank swept over the crowd!
Immediately after, an exquisite woman in a noble, long dress also lifted her veil.
It was the Corpse Princess, Third Miss Camilla!
Two Dominator Rank powerhouses!
Over a hundred Extraordinary Rank demons!
And two thousand well-rested, elite soldiers of Black Bone City!
On the other hand, after the grueling battle, the First Young Master was left with only one wounded Dominator Rank, Longge, twenty Extraordinary Ranks, and five hundred exhausted personal guards.
The First Young Master was dumbfounded, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
He and Second Brother had fought so brutally that blood flowed like rivers and corpses littered the ground... yet, in the end, their own home base had been stolen right from under them?!
“Thirteen! You don't deserve this! Third Sister, you bitch, you don't deserve it either! Only I am the Demon Marquis! Kill them!!”
The First Young Master grew hysterical. Roaring at the top of his lungs, he drew his sword in a desperate bid to fight to the death.
“There are no cowards in the Black Bone Territory! Dying in battle is the most honorable end for a demon! Charge with me!!”
Pfft!
A blade light pierced through the First Young Master's heart from behind!
“What...?”
The First Young Master turned his head with great difficulty, staring in disbelief at the person who had stabbed him.
The Bone Fiend General, Longge, slowly withdrew his battle blade. With a casual swing, he cleanly decapitated the First Young Master!
Holding up the bloody head, Longge roared with a voice like thunder.
“The rebel has been executed! Follow me to wipe out the remaining traitors! Kill!!”
Longge's elite forces instantly turned on their comrades. Like wolves among sheep, they slaughtered the remaining five hundred personal guards of the First Young Master!
On the high platform, Baikui watched this dog-eat-dog farce with a cold sneer on his lips.
After a long while, the slaughter finally ended.
The Bone Fiend General, Longge, knelt on one knee below the castle, holding the First Young Master's head in both hands, and shouted loudly.
“The rebel has been slain!”
“Longge... swears fealty to the new Lord of the Black Bone Territory!”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Baikui looked down at him and mocked.
“Old geezer, you certainly are quite skilled at playing the traitor.”
Longge kept his head lowered, his voice steady.
“This... is merely a humble person's survival wisdom in a chaotic world.”
“Others might not dare to employ you, but I, Baikui, don't care.”
Baikui snorted coldly, his eyes filled with pride.
“If I can't even suppress a minor figure like you, how can I be worthy of being my Master's most loyal servant?!”
Longge was completely bewildered. He had no idea why this Thirteenth Demon Prince called himself Baikui, nor why he kept referring to a "Master."
But he was smart enough not to pry. It made no difference to him who was in charge, as long as they spared his life.
Standing nearby, Gaia cast a cold glance at him, resting his hand on his sword hilt as a warning.
“Keep your hands clean. My eyes will be watching you at all times.”
Longge trembled all over and buried his face lower, crying out.
“I wouldn't dare! Absolutely wouldn't dare!!”
The dust finally settled.
The Bone Blade General, Grif, stepped forward and asked in a low voice.
“My Lord, it is time to make an announcement to the entire territory... May I ask, who is our new Lord? Is it the Third Miss? Or is it you, the Thirteenth Young Master?”
“Neither.”
Baikui smiled mysteriously.
Grif was stunned.
“Then who is it?”
“Until we receive my Master's approval, the Black Bone Territory will be temporarily managed by me, Baikui. You may call me the 【Representative of the Demon King】!”
Grif gasped in fright and hurriedly waved his hands.
“Uh... My Lord! You cannot use the term 'Demon King' so casually! If word of this reaches the Demon King City...”
“Hmph. With my Master's greatness, being crowned with the title of Demon King is only a matter of time.”
Baikui snorted softly.
However, he also knew his limits. Right now, he absolutely could not cause unnecessary trouble for his Master.
Thus, a formal announcement was quickly issued across the Black Bone Territory.
On the surface, the noble and beautiful Third Miss Camilla would serve as the Acting Demon Marquis, while the Thirteenth Demon Prince changed his name to Baikui and took the position of Chief Steward of the territory, holding full authority over all affairs.
Although the outside world murmured in discontent over the word "Acting," nobody dared to raise any objections given the territory's strongest military force backing the Third Miss.
As for the crucial military appointments, Baikui had also made proper arrangements.
Gaia was exceptionally appointed as the Commander of the Territory's Defenses, monopolizing the supreme military power of the Black Bone Territory, while Elise served as his deputy and advisor.
The Bone Blade General, Grif, remained in his original position to assist with coordination.
Meanwhile, the Bone Fiend General, Longge, was demoted to the Captain of the Judgment Squad.
Although Gaia was an outsider who had appeared out of nowhere, under the crushing might of his Dominator Rank strength, not a single demon officer dared to utter a word of complaint.
Besides... those stubborn troublemakers had already been conveniently purged by Gaia on the night they seized power.
As for the demoted Longge, not only did he have no complaints, but he also became a ruthless blade under the Third Miss's command!
Aware of his awkward position, Longge took the initiative to do the dirty and lethal work that no one else wanted to touch in order to regain trust—a bloody purge!
Every last loyalist of the First and Second Young Masters, and even the other remaining children of the old Demon Marquis, were completely uprooted and annihilated by him!
For a time, the Bone Fiend General, demoted to the Captain of the Judgment Squad, became a terrifying, bloody nightmare that struck fear into the hearts of the entire Black Bone Territory. Consequently, he offended everyone and had to rely entirely on the Lord's Mansion to survive.
And all of this was, of course, a masterpiece secretly orchestrated by Baikui.
“Longge is surprisingly useful as a tool.”
“This way, we can secure a clean territory before Master moves over!”
Baikui stood atop the towering city walls, a bright smile on his face.
Meanwhile, in the Tree Court territory.
Qimeng, who was sitting on her throne sipping flower tea, suddenly sneezed.
“Achoo... Strange. Is someone talking about me behind my back?”
Qimeng rubbed her delicate little nose, completely unaware that her fanatically loyal dog of a servant had already conquered an entire demon territory for her...
After securing the territory, Baikui proved to be highly tactful and efficient.
His very first order upon taking power was to dissolve all contracts of the White Feather Clan captives previously conscripted by the Black Bone Demon Clan, releasing them unconditionally!
“Long live the great Lord Qimeng! Long live Lord Baikui!”
The White Feather girls were overjoyed. Weeping tears of gratitude, they hugged one another, packed their bags, and returned to the Wind-Thunder Mountains.
As for the remnants of the Thunder Eagle Clan...
...they were truly struck by misfortune!
Previously, the Thunder Eagle Chief had been ambushed by the White Feather Clan on his way back. His main forces suffered heavy casualties, and it was only through the desperate cover of all his elites that the chief managed to escape.
Gathering his surviving clansmen, the chief fled all the way to seek refuge with the First Young Master.
However, he never expected that just two days after joining the First Young Master, he would run straight into the bloody coup in Black Bone City.
The final sparks of the Thunder Eagle Clan, along with their chief, were completely wiped out in the decisive battle at the Black Bone Castle!
With their enemies destroyed, the White Feather Clan surrendered their hearts entirely to the Tree Court.
Just like that, while Qimeng was still eating fruit in the Tree Court and leisurely looking at maps...
...this vast sphere of influence spanning the southern corner of the Flourishing Forest, encompassing the demon territory and its surrounding vassal clans, had quietly fallen into the palm of her hand!
Rate on N.U.
