Chapter 1025 Demon Lord… Game

Zheng Fan stood up.

The other Demon Lords rose as well.

Everyone was standing, no one spoke.

The Master's gaze slowly swept over each of the Demon Lords.

Si Niang, his wife, in his heart, she would always be charming; that psychological transition from a mature woman to a peer, and then to a beloved wife, was something that ordinary men wouldn't have the chance to experience like he did.

Time seemed to have frozen on her.

The Blind Man remained the same; his pursuit of refined living details was always in sync with his own. Perhaps the most obvious change over the years was the faint yellow tinge on his left fingernails, stained from peeling oranges year after year.

Fan Li was still so honest and simple,

San'er's thing was still so long,

A Ming still maintained his noble laziness, Liang Cheng his eternal cold silence;

Even the red stone in his arms had only changed color compared to when it first appeared.

Indeed,

Considering the length and depth of the Demon Lords' "lives," it was almost impossible to change their perception of the world, their personal habits, and their aesthetics in less than twenty years.

They had all experienced true magnificence in their "own" lives.

Waking up in this world was nothing more than taking a nap.

You can't expect a normal person to have a "great epiphany" or "turn over a new leaf" after just a nap.

However,

While he couldn't change them and the world,

At least,

He changed them and himself.

He still remembered the scene when he first woke up in the Tiger Head City inn, cautiously observing this brand-new world, and even more cautiously observing them.

He had always been very clear about their mindset when they looked at him back then.

Otherwise,

How could he have been so calm about the rebelliousness and mischievousness his son displayed in his youth?

After all, he had been there, done that.

Si Niang was like a cup of wine; the wine never changed, but that didn't mean the taste wouldn't change, because the person tasting the wine had a different state of mind.

From the initial fear and curiosity, having the desire but not the courage, tremulously being led by the hand;

To later harmonious accord,

And then, after having a son, seeing the occasional helplessness and embarrassment she showed when facing their son, he only found it all so endearing.

As for the Blind Man, from the beginning when he arranged everything himself, at most going through a superficial process to let him take a glance;

To actively needing to discuss things with him, and then, after knowing his bottom line and dislikes, automatically omitting what shouldn't be asked and shouldn't be done.

Fan Li's shoulders were used to having a woman sitting on them;

San'er's restless baton had also found a suitable container;

A Ming became more and more talkative, always thinking about finding someone to drink and taste wine with;

Liang Cheng also occasionally prompted him to try to smile, even if the smile was very forced, but for a great zombie, wanting to express some kind of emotion with a "smile" was already a very surprising thing.

Even this "dear" son in his arms,

After personally taking care of him twice,

Had been smoothed out of much of his戾qi (evil influence), and would occasionally reveal the mature demeanor of an "older brother" or "older sister."

Thousands of words seemed superfluous in front of them.

But what needed to be said still had to be said; life needed a sense of ritual, otherwise it would inevitably be too empty.

"I, Zheng Fan, thank you. Without your companionship and protection, I wouldn't have been able to see so much scenery in this world; in fact, I almost certainly wouldn't be alive right now.

I always say,

This life, was earned.

It was you,

Who earned it for me."

The Blind Man smiled,

And said:

"Master, you're being too polite.

While you were enjoying the scenery, we weren't idle either, were we?

Besides,

You yourself are the greatest scenery in our eyes."

After years of getting along, they were already very familiar with each other; the skill of handling this ladder was even more refined.

Zheng Fan reached out and patted the scabbard at his waist:

"Back in the inn in Tiger Head City, when I first woke up, you sat around a table and asked me a question.

Asked me if I wanted to be a wealthy man in this life, marry and have children, and live a stable life;

Or if I wanted to do something in this strange world.

I chose the latter,

Mm,

Not because I was afraid that if I chose the former, you would be dissatisfied and… chop me up."

"Hahahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

The Demon Lords all laughed,

Fan Li also laughed,

But as he laughed, Fan Li suddenly realized that everyone, including the Master, was looking at him,

"…" Fan Li.

"Over the years, step by step, we have gained more and more things. Logically speaking, the constraints on us have also become heavier and heavier.

It is said that,

When a person reaches middle age, they can't help themselves, and they no longer seem to be living for themselves.

I also asked myself,

And I felt that I could.

Then I wanted to naturally assume that you could too,

And then I realized I was wrong,

Hehe,

Even I can do it,

How could you not be able to?

Clearly, I'm the one who's the most troublesome, the most pretentious, the most difficult, and the one who holds you back the most.

So,

I brought you here.

So,

You came with me.

Blind Man, your wife…"

The Blind Man said, "We have always treated each other with respect."

"San'er, your wife…"

"We have always been inseparable."

"A Cheng."

"The big battle is already over anyway."

"A Ming."

"I gave the key to the wine cellar to Cahill."

Zheng Fan lowered his head and looked at the demonic pill in his arms.

"Jie jie… jie jie… They… have… grown up…"

Zheng Fan then looked at Si Niang standing beside him,

And called out:

"Wife."

"Master, you've been calling me wife for so many years, what else is there to say?"

The Blind Man said:

"Master, what we should let go of, we have either already let go of, or we have been very open-minded about it from the beginning. Master doesn't need to worry about us, never need to worry that we will not be able to keep up with your pace."

Zheng Fan nodded very seriously.

He rarely even went to the front lines to give pep talks and mobilize troops anymore,

But this time today,

Couldn't be spared.

It had to be said well,

It had to be explained well,

It had to be settled well;

Not because the "invite the enemy into the trap" ahead were so powerful.

Although they were indeed very powerful, with Third-Rank experts, normally hard to come by, being the lowest entry threshold among that group of people ahead.

But these were secondary, no, they didn't even have the qualifications to be put on the table for discussion or even be glanced at properly.

Demon Lords,

Would always be Demon Lords,

Their Master,

Was "maturing" step by step.

Zheng Fan placed his hand on the handle of the Wu Ya saber and slowly said:

"In this life, what I, Zheng Fan, value most is my family.

My family, is my bottom line.

And my daughter,

Is my dragon's reverse scale!

What is a dragon's reverse scale?

A dragon's reverse scale is that if you dare to touch it,

I will risk everything,

And fight you to the death!

What royal power and wealth,

What magnificent rivers and mountains,

Even if we really had a throne to inherit at home now, I wouldn't care.

There's no need for long-term planning, and there's no need for gradual implementation.

Alright,

Since they've set up the stage,

And given me,

Given us this opportunity.

Then let them open their eyes wide,

And take a good look,

At just how worthless that heaven high above their heads is in our eyes!

They themselves also think they are the number one people under heaven, dreaming of controlling the rivers and mountains, the people, and all the happenings in the world in their hands.

Then today, we will let them know,

Who,

Are the real ants!"

"Buzz!"

Wu Ya was unsheathed.

Zheng Fan held the saber diagonally and began to walk forward.

The Demon Lords followed closely behind.

Si Niang had silk threads wrapped around her hands, Xue San was playing with a dagger, the Blind Man was playing with an orange in his palm, A Ming was stroking his fingernails, Liang Cheng was grinding his teeth;

Fan Li raised his double axes,

Walking at the very end,

He shouted:

"Ura!"

This didn't look like the demeanor of the Regent Prince of Great Yan and the esteemed and mysterious gentlemen of the Royal Mansion at all.

If anyone else were here, they probably wouldn't believe that they had an army of a million men under their command that could be mobilized with a single order.

Because,

This was clearly just a bunch of thugs in the town, knife-licking wanderers who sold their lives for money in the martial world;

On the hilltop,

Two women were still standing.

"They're here."

"Yes, they're here."

"It's still a bit unreal; I thought there would be other backup plans, but they actually came so recklessly."

"How could there be other backup plans? Besides you, there are eight Great Qi Refiners who have been watching all along."

"Send the message, prepare to receive guests."

…

"Oh, are they finally coming?"

Huang Lang rubbed his hands together, looking slightly nervous and excited.

"Yes, Master, they're here, with quite a bit of momentum."

Huang Lang scratched his head and asked:

"Who's the first batch at the back of the valley?"

"It's the Xu brothers: Xu Gang, Xu Huai, and Xu Hai. Logically speaking, they're Yanese, and they're martial men, so they requested to stand on the front line, wanting to meet this Regent Prince of Great Yan."

Huang Lang asked with some concern:

"Will there be any problems?"

"Is Master worried that they're Yanese, so they'll, show leniency?"

"Yes."

"Please rest assured, Master. Anyone who chooses to enter the sect has long abandoned their identities in the mortal world. Although these three brothers have the same surname, they're not from the same family; they're sworn brothers who chose a pleasing surname and jointly took the name Xu.

Among them, the eldest, Xu Gang, was even wanted and hunted down by the Yan Kingdom back then.

Furthermore,

At this point,

We know clearly what we want."

Huang Lang looked at the Old Drunkard,

Lowered his head slightly,

And asked:

"If I remember correctly, Old Drunkard, you're from Chu, right?"

"Yes." The Old Drunkard then smiled, "Therefore, this subordinate has always been very polite to His Majesty beside Master, but, that's all."

Huang Lang then said: "That's because the state of Great Chu is weak now, so Old Drunkard, you look down on our Majesty a bit, but what about Great Yan?"

"Impossible." The Old Drunkard said firmly, "Xu Gang has a grudge against the Ji family of Yan."

The Emperor of Chu suddenly spoke: "No matter how big the grudge, what does it matter after lying down for a hundred years?"

Hearing this, the Old Drunkard's expression changed slightly.

The Emperor of Chu then looked at Huang Lang and said: "These people, besides being strong individually, are truly a group of… no, even worse than a rabble."

The one coming is the Regent Prince of Yan;

This Prince, who almost single-handedly conquered most of the Xia territories and created Great Yan's current unified situation, is actually letting three black-robed martial artists of Yanese origin be the first line of defense.

This is equivalent to two armies playing chess, and you're actually using surrendered traitors to lead the charge.

Huang Lang said somewhat awkwardly: "Your Majesty shouldn't say that to me. They respect me a bit and call me Master, but I've never dared to call myself Master.

You've also wronged Old Drunkard.

These people are all arrogant and proud. If it weren't for that prophecy and that future, they wouldn't have been able to gather together at all.

Right now, they're just being forced together by a very large benefit.

Who really wants to command who, and who can command whom?

It's true that some are strong and some are weak,

But they all cherish their lives and longevity. Even the strong ones don't dare to go to war in order to suppress the others. It's a losing proposition, not worth it.

People say that a fair complexion covers a hundred flaws in girls,

These people,

Oh no,

These Great Immortals,

It's fortunate that they are all strong; ah, all that's left is their strength."

The Old Drunkard felt somewhat embarrassed hearing this, but he wasn't angry. However, he still said:

"Please rest assured, Master, we're keeping an eye on the situation over there. This subordinate doesn't believe that the three brothers will really defect at this time. If they were going to betray us, they would have done it long ago.

This subordinate will call another group of people to go…"

"There's no need." The Emperor of Chu said, "Since my brother-in-law has come, he won't turn around and leave."

At this time, the old woman hovering next to the high platform continued to host the light screen in front of her,

And smiled:

"There's no need to worry so much. The Xu family brothers are three Peak Third-Rank martial artists.

Combined with the suppression of this Four Directions Formation,

It'll be very easy to deal with a mediocre Third-Rank Prince and six or seven Fourth-Rank followers.

I just don't know if the others will get itchy."

The Old Drunkard responded: "How could they get itchy? Since waking up, all of us feel that even taking an extra breath is a sin."

"That's true, so the Xu family brothers snatched the first place, right? But they're not at a loss either. Perhaps when the world is settled in the future, they'll be rewarded based on their contributions.

If they're lucky, the heavens might be more lenient to these three."

"Qian, if you had said that earlier, those people would have been unable to sit still for a long time."

"I was just saying it casually.

Oh,

Look, look,

They're here, they're here,

Hahaha,

They're walking right towards us,

Looking at that style and momentum, who would think he's a decisive Prince?

It's a pity, such a good daughter-loving Prince, the dream Prince of so many girls' boudoirs."

"Qian, are you getting horny?" the Old Drunkard teased.

The old woman "hehehe" laughed for a long time, then, her eyes narrowed,

And cursed:

"Those three brothers, they really want to cause trouble!"

…

In the middle of the valley,

Xu Gang stood there, with the great formation behind him.

It could be clearly seen that behind Xu Gang, almost a hair's breadth away, were two majestic figures standing in the shadows.

Xu Gang was dressed in a very simple and traditional Yanese style, with his hair tied in a simple hairstyle, and wearing a black robe that the Yanese liked to wear to resist the sand.

"Regent Prince?"

Zheng Fan also stopped at this time, looking at the person blocking his path, and then at the formation behind him.

"You're Yanese," Zheng Fan said.

Regardless of the other party's clothes, that Yanese accent alone was enough to prove his identity.

Not only was he Yanese, but he should also be from the west, near the Northern Sealing County, and if you really wanted to talk about it, he could be considered half a fellow villager with this Regent Prince of Great Yan.

"Xu Gang is here to say a final word to the Prince. Has the Prince truly let go of this world?"

From Xu Gang's point of view,

From the point of view of someone within the sect,

To be able to stand a step outside the formation at this time and say this sentence was already extremely rare.

If the Prince in front of him chose not to enter this formation, there was still a chance to escape this swamp.

It was nothing more than risking the loss of a daughter…

To put it bluntly, just a girl, not even an嫡zi (son of the first wife). Even if it was an嫡zi (son of the first wife), couldn't you just have another one?

Would the dignified Regent Prince of Great Yan lack women?

The Emperor of Chu inside was right. Even if Xu Gang had grievances with the Ji family and the court in the past, what did those great grudges matter after lying down for a hundred years?

It's just that the Emperor of Chu didn't say another sentence, which was that if Great Chu had a dominant force in the world, you would definitely treat me, this Emperor of Chu, differently than Old Drunkard.

There was no way to compare, but it could be guessed.

Xu Gang made this decision.

However,

His "great contribution," his "great feelings,"

Did not receive any of the expected responses that he felt were justified.

The Regent Prince of Great Yan in front of him,

Not only did he not appreciate it,

But instead, slightly tilted his chin,

And said:

"I am the Regent Prince of Great Yan. Since I am a Yanese man, all should listen to my orders. Those two behind you are also Yanese, right?

Kneel to the side,

And I will let you stay and atone for your sins."

Xu Gang was stunned for a while,

After confirming that this Prince of Great Yan was really not joking,

Xu Gang laughed:

"Hahahaha…"

Zheng Fan did not laugh.

"My Prince, I really admire you a bit. Since that's the case, then there's no need for us to pretend anymore.

I was also once a Yan soldier,

But I don't know if there are still rules for military competitions in the Yan army now.

My two brothers can stay out for now. I'll give the Prince a chance to duel with me outside."

At this time,

The two black-robed women who were originally standing on the mountain peak, the two women who had fought with Chen the Swordsman and the Sword Maid, silently came down the mountain and came to the back, blocking Zheng Fan and others' retreat from afar.

Inside the formation, several powerful auras also swept over, obviously, those inside had learned that these three brothers were a bit out of line.

However, since everything was under control, no one forcibly reprimanded the three of them.

Because inside the Gate, it wasn't a sect. Sects had rules, but inside the Gate, there were no rules at all.

Zheng Fan sighed,

And asked:

"Do you have to come one by one?

Do you have to play this scene of sending people to their deaths one after another?

I used to think this was very stupid,

Now I find that I was wrong,

Stupid people will always be in the majority."

"Is the Prince very impatient? Actually, what's the difference between rushing up and me dueling with you, Prince?"

Zheng Fan nodded,

And said:

"There really is no difference."

The Blind Man then said: "Master, since the other party wants to help us double our happiness, why don't we agree?"

Saying that,

The Blind Man turned around and shouted to the two people standing in the back:

"You two standing in the back, do us a favor. I thought it would be quick, but who knew you wanted to play it slow. We have sunflower seeds and candied fruit in our saddlebags. Please, the two of you, help us get them and share them with you."

…

"Is he bluffing?" the old woman muttered to herself.

The Old Drunkard then said: "After all, he's a master of using troops. This momentum is really a bit intimidating. It's both real and fake. Let those Great Qi Refiners check again and reconfirm whether there are any reinforcements or hidden experts on the periphery."

The old woman was a little angry and said: "Absolutely not."

However, she still sprinkled water to send a message, indicating that they should investigate again.

Huang Lang sat there, looking at the light screen in front of him, and pursed his lips.

The Emperor of Chu, with half-white hair, had a smile on his face. He didn't know why, but he suddenly became more interested and smiled slightly:

"There's no need to intercept him. He won't choose to turn back."

…

Xu Gang took a step forward,

Placed both hands on his chest,

And said:

"Dying in the hands of a Yanese can also be considered a kind of belonging."

Zheng Fan shook his head very seriously,

And said:

"It's sadness.

If you were under my command, how many meritorious deeds could you establish?"

"The Prince is joking. If we weren't inside the Gate, we would have become withered bones long ago, unable to wait for your summons.

Prince,

Please!"

"You are not worthy to fight with me."

"Oh?"

Zheng Fan asked: "Since they want to play like this, then we'll play along with them. Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go!"

Fan Li took a step forward and inserted the axe in his hand into the ground, kneeling on one knee in front of Zheng Fan.

Xu Gang smiled:

"The Prince himself is a Third-Rank expert, saying that he disdains to fight with Xu, and then… sends out a Fourth-Rank subordinate?

Prince, are you looking down on people?"

Zheng Fan raised Wu Ya,

And placed it on Fan Li's shoulder,

In an instant,

A powerful aura burst out from Fan Li's body.

Xu Gang was stunned,

This iron tower-like man actually broke through into the Third Rank at this time, at this moment!

Was it… was it such a coincidence?

Zheng Fan withdrew Wu Ya,

And said very calmly:

"Alright, you're qualified now."