From a distance, Nathan Young narrowed his eyes to slits as he watched the two men.
He couldn’t hear what King Virūḍhaka and Marshal Silver were discussing, but why would King Virūḍhaka cast a sound-blocking spell at a time like this?
There were only five people present: aside from Marshal Silver and King Virūḍhaka, there was Nathan Young, King Northmore, and General Ward, whom Marshal Silver had brought along.
General Ward didn’t need to be guarded against; he was Marshal Silver’s trusted aide, a fact known throughout the Heavenly Court.
Could it be that they were guarding against Nathan Young and King Northmore?
A faint sense of foreboding crept over Nathan Young.
Time slipped by, moment after moment. The two men talked for a long while. From the outside, the whole negotiation seemed perfectly harmonious—polite, without a hint of conflict, and judging by their expressions, some kind of agreement had even been reached.
Not until the sun set behind the mountains did the negotiation finally end.
When the sound-blocking spell was lifted, King Virūḍhaka stepped over to Nathan Young and quietly said, "It’s settled. He won’t leak this matter for now."
With that, he turned and cupped his hands toward Marshal Silver and General Ward. "I’ll take my leave now, Marshal."
"Take care," Marshal Silver replied politely, returning the gesture.
King Virūḍhaka glanced at Nathan Young, then turned and summoned the Wind Riding spell, flying toward the warship.
Seeing this, Nathan Young and King Northmore exchanged a distant look with Marshal Silver, then quickly turned to catch up with King Virūḍhaka.
"What did he say?"
"He’s promised me he won’t leak it for now."
"And then? That’s it? He didn’t set any conditions?"
"None. The Marshal hopes we can resolve this quickly, asked if we need his cooperation, and said not to stand on ceremony if we do."
Nathan Young looked back at Marshal Silver in disbelief. "That pig-headed Tianpeng is really going to let it go that easily?"
King Virūḍhaka didn’t answer, only sped up toward the warship.
In King Virūḍhaka’s mind, Marshal Silver was half an enemy, but still far more trustworthy than that demon monkey of Blossom Mountain. After all, Marshal Silver had never once broken his word.
Besides, if everyone could set aside their factional prejudices, aren’t we all colleagues?
At this desperate moment, if he had to choose between trusting Marshal Silver or that demon monkey of Blossom Mountain, who would he pick?
From afar, General Ward stroked his long beard and gave a helpless chuckle as he watched the three board the light warship, which slowly turned south.
“Blossom Mountain lies in Eastrealm, which has never been under the Heavenly Fleet’s jurisdiction. Even if something happens, blame won’t fall on us. If South Heaven Gate collapses and the Jade Emperor needs our intervention, he’ll issue the order himself. As for General Lee, he was never on good terms with the Marshal—why bother playing the good guy?”
Marshal Silver sighed expressionlessly and said, “What do you think is the most important quality for a commander?”
General Ward glanced at Marshal Silver but did not answer.
Marshal Silver paused and said, “First and foremost: loyalty.”
With that, Marshal Silver slowly turned and, together with General Ward, summoned the Wind Riding spell and flew northwest. He asked softly, “How do you think Blossom Mountain compares to the Six Demon Kings, who once gathered a million demon troops?”
General Ward thought for a moment and replied, “Naturally, it can’t compare. Most of the Six Demon Kings have reached the Celestial Sage realm, with countless powerful demons under their command and a million followers. How could mere Blossom Mountain measure up?”
Marshal Silver smiled faintly. “Then, since you and I defeated the Six Demon Kings and their million-strong horde, why is Blossom Mountain holding out so stubbornly? Is that Celestial Sage monkey really just a fool?”
"Uh..."
Seeing that General Ward could not answer, Marshal Silver continued, "He's been stalling for time all along. When he captured King Broadgaze, he demanded a hundred Peaches of Immortality; now, with General Lee captured, he's forcing South Heaven Gate into a standoff. It's all about delay, avoiding a direct clash with Heaven while holding his ground. What do you think he's really up to?"
General Ward's brow furrowed slightly. He shook his head and said slowly, "I don't understand."
Marshal Silver gave a cold laugh. "He's trying to rally the entire demon race against Heaven."
General Ward's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean by that?"
Marshal Silver let out a long sigh. "It's been just over a year since King Broadgaze was defeated, and no matter how tightly South Heaven Gate seals Blossom Mountain, its strength has grown at a staggering pace. If South Heaven Gate fails this time, what then? Right now, only minor demons who can't protect themselves have joined Blossom Mountain. If South Heaven Gate falls, even the great demons of the mortal realm will rush to join. At that point, gathering a million demon troops, like the Six Demon Kings once did, would be no challenge at all."
"But—even if a million demons gather, so what? The Six Demon Kings rallied a million in Xiniuhezhou, and still they were defeated, weren't they?"
Marshal Silver waved his hand. "That million demons are not the same as these. Don't forget, if Zhenyuan hadn't withdrawn his support back then, those million demon troops—with their steady supply of elixirs and weapons, swift reinforcements, and fierce morale—would not have been so easily defeated. The demons of Blossom Mountain now are just like those Six Demon Kings with access to elixirs and weapons, maybe even stronger."
General Ward fell silent, while Marshal Silver continued his analysis.
"From beginning to end, that Monkey is marked by the shadow of Crescent Star Cave and Guanjiaokou. We can't guess Crescent Star Cave's true motives, but as for Guanjiaokou... isn't it obvious?"
"Given time, Blossom Mountain may become an existence even the Six Demon Kings couldn't rival. With the way things are developing, it won't just be a demon city—soon, it could be a demon nation. When that day comes, eradicating it won't be so simple."
"A general dying on the battlefield is fate itself—there's nothing to lament. Since General Lee has been captured, he must be prepared for death."
"But if South Heaven Gate, out of concern for Lee, blocks the Heavenly Fleet from intervening in Blossom Mountain's affairs, then when they can no longer hold back and Heaven issues new orders, Blossom Mountain may be beyond our reach."
"Report to Heaven, send envoys to argue with South Heaven Gate in the High Sky Throne Hall, and by the time a verdict is reached, ten years will have passed. We eat the ruler's grain; we bear the ruler's burdens. As ministers, in times like this, the fate of the realm must come first."
"Our purpose in coming here is to change the narrative, so South Heaven Gate won't hinder the Heavenly Fleet's intervention. Their disregard for Heaven's laws is detestable, but compared to the threat posed by the Blossom Mountain monkey... priorities must be set. We'll settle accounts after we've taken Blossom Mountain."
Listening to these words, General Ward couldn't help but give a bitter, admiring smile.
To give up the chance to defeat his political rival—ultimately, it was all for Heaven.
After the Emotion Case, who would have thought Marshal Silver could remain so loyal to Heaven as ever before? What was he truly fighting for?
...
Meanwhile, the Monkey on Blossom Mountain had no idea that King Easton had reached an agreement with Marshal Silver behind Nathan’s back. That very night, a confidential memorial departed from Cloudrealm Sky Harbor, heading straight for Heaven and into the hands of the Jade Emperor.