King of Creation Chapter 1786 - 1771: The Emperor’s Interrogation

The narrative shifts back one day prior, to Ye Zhen’s arrival at the government office in North Sea County. Following the resolution of misunderstandings, he was engaged in a discussion about the current state of affairs with his loyal subordinates.

Suddenly, County Captain Tang Biao voiced a speculative idea: what if they encountered another Demon Clan army advancing in full force? He suggested they could covertly eliminate this invading force and then feign receiving military orders to cover their actions.

At the time, this concept seemed almost fantastical, not just to the others present but even to Tang Biao himself, who retracted his own suggestion shortly after proposing it.

The sheer improbability of such a coincidence was unheard of.

Even if such an event were to occur, their capabilities as the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy were insufficient to quietly annihilate an entire Demon Clan army.

While Tang Biao dismissed his own notion and others found it equally impossible, Ye Zhen pondered the suggestion with deep consideration.

Though others might lack the means, Ye Zhen possessed the requisite ability.

However, the gravity of such an undertaking demanded absolute secrecy; any leak of information would leave Ye Zhen with no standing in Great Zhou.

Consequently, every detail of the plan was meticulously orchestrated by Ye Zhen himself.

In essence, Ye Zhen’s scheme was deceptively straightforward. It involved reaching out to Yue Dao, who had attained the rank of Demon God Master within the Demon God Palace, and Longnu, a figure known as the Strong Ox Demon by the Prophet Demon Master Jiu Xi.

These two individuals had their assignments subtly altered per Ye Zhen’s instructions as far back as six months prior.

Longnu, hailing from the Bull Demon Clan, witnessed a tenfold expansion of his dominion due to the awakening of his Strong Ox Demon Bloodline. With the assistance of the Bull Demon Tribe, he directly entered the Human-Demon Battlefield, leading over fifty thousand elite Bull Demon warriors as their commander.

As for Demon God Master Yue Dao, also acting under Ye Zhen’s guidance, he requested a transfer to a mid-sized border city within the Demon Clan’s territory, located a mere two days' travel from North Sea County, to assume the role of Hall Master for the Demon God Hall.

This strategic positioning meant both key figures were situated in relative proximity to North Sea County.

Despite this closeness, penetrating the heartland of Great Zhou single-handedly, even with the aid of various Secret Divine Abilities, presented considerable challenges.

Yet, managing an entire invading army in formation was exponentially more difficult.

The formidable chain of mountains serving as the demarcation between Great Zhou and the Demon Clan territory, established to thwart Demon Clan incursions, was far more than a mere symbolic barrier.

These mountains were strategically erected by Great Zhou, drawing upon the power of Earth Veins from across the All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds. Tens of thousands of these veins were integrated using the Supreme Mysterious Skill to repel Demon Clan invasions.

Though their appearance was chaotic, these mountains formed intricate, ingenious formations. Without the guidance of a Formation Card, any entrant would inevitably lose their way, ensnared within layers of Bewildering Formations.

Throughout this vast mountainous expanse, at pivotal junctures, countless And Points were established. These points continuously monitored and neutralized any invading Demon Clan forces that triggered the Formation Restrictions.

This imposing mountain range was known as the Demon-Entrapping Mountain Range and the Forbidden Demon Mountain Range to the Human Clan, while the Demon Clan referred to it as the Ten Thousand Prisons Mountain Range.

The name itself evoked imagery of countless terrifying hells, rendering the range impassable.

During the initial construction of these mountains, the Demon Clan lost millions of their elite warriors. However, with time, the Demon Clan grew more cautious, dispatching their most cunning Prophet Demon Masters successively to scout the Ten Thousand Prisons Mountain Range.

Following the demise of three Prophet Demon Masters, the Demon Clan finally grasped the true nature of the Ten Thousand Prisons Mountain Range.

It was revealed to be a colossal formation, merging the might of Heaven and Earth, rendering it nearly unbreachable.

Paradoxically, despite their sacrificial reconnaissance missions, these three Prophet Demon Masters managed to uncover the formation’s single vulnerability—the location of its Formation Eye.

Disrupting the Formation Eye would sever the source of the tens of thousands of Earth Veins powering the grand formation, thereby instantly reverting the Ten Thousand Prisons Mountain Range to its natural state.

On Great Zhou’s Human Clan side, preparations had been in motion for an exceptionally long time.

Thus, the Human Demon Battlefield, a conflict spanning nearly a hundred thousand years, came into being.

The Human Demon Battlefield was, in essence, the very location where the Formation Eye of the immense Heaven and Earth Formation within the Ten Thousand Prisons Mountain Range resided.

This fundamental reason explained why, despite persisting for a hundred millennia, the Human Demon Battlefield remained a theater of relentless and intense conflict.

It also served as the primary mechanism preventing any full-scale Demon Clan army from breaching the heartland of Great Zhou.

In essence, without the complicity of internal elements, it would be almost inconceivable for Demon Clan forces to infiltrate Great Zhou's territory in an organized manner.

Likewise, Ye Zhen could not possibly have orchestrated the entry of Demon God Master Yue Dao and Strong Ox Demon Longnu with an entire Demon Clan army in formation.

This was particularly true considering the severe time constraints.

Nevertheless, Ye Zhen had not even contemplated such a complicated approach; instead, he issued identical directives to both Demon God Master Yue Dao and Strong Ox Demon Longnu.

"Within half a day, I require six hundred fresh corpses of Demon Clan warriors, and they must not be from the Demon Clan's slave population!"

This command left Demon God Master Yue Dao and Strong Ox Demon Longnu in a state of dismay, as they conveyed to Ye Zhen that the task was exceedingly difficult.

The act of slaughtering six hundred Demon Clan troops, excluding slave soldiers, within a mere half-day posed immense challenges and carried a significant risk of discovery; if exposed, their endeavors would be utterly ruined, rendering their years of painstaking work meaningless.

The two dared not openly defy Ye Zhen's order, though they felt compelled to voice the difficulties they faced.

Yet, Ye Zhen merely dispatched a Jade Scroll in response.

"Half a day from now, if six hundred fresh Demon Clan warrior corpses are not presented, I may very well be slain on the spot!"

This was Ye Zhen's reply, though he was merely positing a hypothetical scenario. Should he genuinely fail to fulfill the Grand Celestial Official's military decree, Ye Zhen would accept full accountability, but he would never passively await his demise.

"If this place has no room for me, another will."

"At worst, I shall depart with my comrades and carve out a meager existence in the North Sea."

However, Ye Zhen's declaration instilled a profound fear in Demon God Master Yue Dao and Strong Ox Demon Longnu.

Ye Zhen was their master, having subjugated their Divine Souls.

Under typical circumstances, if the master who enslaved their Divine Souls were to perish, they, the enslaved, would invariably meet the same fate.

In other words, Ye Zhen's demise would signify their own inevitable end as well.

When their very existence hung in the balance, how could they possibly prioritize the arduous efforts and sacrifices of the preceding years?

Suddenly, the objective shifted from fulfilling Ye Zhen's command to ensuring their own survival. The level of fervor these two displayed can only be imagined.

Before the stipulated half-day elapsed, Strong Ox Demon Longnu and Demon God Master Yue Tao had indeed delivered six to seven hundred corpses of Demon Clan warriors, clad in various rudimentary armors, to Ye Zhen. This was accomplished via a small Teleportation Formation, utilizing their respective Storage Rings.

The demise of these warriors was peculiar, and their bodies had yet to stiffen; some were even still exhibiting signs of fresh bleeding.

Ye Zhen did not inquire about the methods employed by the two; presumably, given their standing, achieving such a feat should not have been exceedingly difficult.

Subsequently, Ye Zhen personally sought out an subterranean cave and meticulously constructed a scene depicting a fierce battle.

Following the staged conflict, the bodies were left in situ, and Ye Zhen proceeded to sever the heads of all the Demon Clan warriors before directly adhering to the Grand Celestial Official's military directive.

This action was considered a fulfillment of the military order issued by Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu to resolve the case within three days, while simultaneously achieving the annihilation of the enemy forces.

Even Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu, upon receiving Ye Zhen's report, was filled with disbelief.

The situation seemed utterly impossible.

Xio Qiangu would never leave such an obvious loophole, let alone the numerous Void Hunting Kings who had meticulously scoured the area and found no trace of the Demon Clan's army.

And Ye Zhen managed to locate and eradicate them in mere half a day?

Did he truly believe those Void Hunting Kings were utterly incompetent?

Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu remained unconvinced.

As a member of the Heavenly Patrol Department, he was intimately aware of the formidable capabilities possessed by those Void Hunting Kings, who were held in high regard.

Each Void Hunting King represented an elite among elites, having surpassed tens of thousands of Heavenly Patrol Divine Hunters and then triumphed over hundreds of Heavenly Patrol Divine Generals to attain their prestigious rank.

Their prowess was not merely in terms of raw strength; each individual's accumulated experience was also immeasurably vast.

Yet, they were purportedly outmatched by Ye Zhen?

Could such a thing be plausible?

Impossible!

It was not only Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu who harbored doubts. Even when Wu Yu conveyed the news to Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long that Ye Zhen had successfully executed the military order by locating and annihilating the invading Demon Clan army, skepticism persisted.

Despite the presence of over a thousand demon warrior heads, independently verified by hundreds of individuals, neither Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu nor Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long could bring themselves to believe the account.

"Wu Yu, Great Attendant, enlighten me. How could this young man surnamed Ye accomplish such a military order under seemingly impossible circumstances?"

"I find it difficult to accept. How could he uncover something that even hundreds of Void Hunting Kings failed to find? Furthermore, did you not previously mention that Xio Qiangu, that scoundrel, stormed off to apprehend Ye Zhen only to return empty-handed?"

This basically signifies that the instigator, Xio Qiangu, had already seen off the invading Demon Clan forces, which fueled his immense confidence.

However, it turns out he was deceived by Ye Zhen.

While this outcome is satisfying, I am still curious about how Ye Zhen managed to orchestrate this entire affair. Could he possibly have a connection to...?

Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long did not finish his sentence, yet the implication was clear. For Ye Zhen to have achieved such a military feat against all odds, only one explanation existed – Ye Zhen had ties to the Demon Clan.

This was an idea Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long found utterly unacceptable.

Because Xio Qiangu was precisely such a person.

If this suspicion were to be confirmed, then Ye Zhen's fate would be...

Regarding this sensitive matter, Chief Eunuch Yu Chaoen did not dare utter another word.

As Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long's expression grew progressively more displeased, Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu reluctantly broke his silence, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this possibility does indeed exist, and the probability is quite substantial.

I propose that Your Majesty issue a decree of reprimand and investigation simultaneously; this way, we achieve two objectives with one action."

"Issue a decree of questioning? Achieving two objectives with one action?"

After a few moments of contemplation, Ren Venerate Emperor Ji Long's gaze shifted towards Chief Eunuch Yu Chao’en. "Then I shall issue a secret decree. Given the matter's profound importance, Great Attendant, you shall personally undertake this mission.

However, your solo journey might draw too much attention, so I shall personally escort you. Great Attendant, make haste and return swiftly."

"Your old servant obeys the decree!"

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Ye Zhen, who was in the midst of a conversation with Princess Changle within the Earl's Mansion of North Sea County, was completely stunned by the sudden, out-of-nowhere appearance of Chief Eunuch Yu Chao’en in his chambers!