On the training grounds of the city palace, over forty Demon Kings had assembled, led by Lao Ke, Kosen, and Yin. They stood in solemn silence, gazing ahead.
Behind these Demon Kings were over a thousand Demon Commanders of varying cultivation levels, and more than ten thousand Demon Generals.
Though the crowd was vast, not a sound was to be heard on the training grounds. The atmosphere was grave and heavy.
The three Peak-rank Demon Kings exchanged glances, each seeing the confusion in the others' eyes. None of them knew why the newly arrived Prince had summoned them all here at this hour, yet every one of them shared a premonition that something major was about to happen.
Yang Kai stood before the assembled Demon Kings, his gaze sweeping over them with a faint, detached expression, and spoke. "I have been here a mere two days, and yet a priceless treasure has already been stolen. The state of Cloud Shadow City's discipline speaks for itself — it truly pains me!"
Lao Ke, standing at the center of the front row, twitched at the corner of his eye upon hearing this. As the commander of Cloud Shadow City, responsible for managing all its affairs, if Yang Kai had truly lost something, it would absolutely implicate him. And judging by the grand show of force Yang Kai was putting on, whatever had been stolen seemed genuinely valuable. A sudden unease stirred in his heart — if this matter wasn't handled well today, he might just meet a terrible end.
He immediately stepped forward, cupping his fists. "Your Highness, may I ask what was lost and when it went missing? This subordinate is willing to personally lead a team to investigate and give Your Highness a proper accounting."
Yang Kai raised his hand. "That won't be necessary. The Vice Commander has already determined the thief's whereabouts. However, the thief possesses considerable strength and commands quite a few followers. The reason I've gathered you all here today is to go and capture this thief, so as to restore discipline in our Cloud Shadow City."
Lao Ke couldn't help but cast a lingering glance at Boya upon hearing this. The woman stood with lowered brows and docile eyes, gazing at the tip of her nose with an expression of meditative calm, and the unease in his heart only deepened.
He knew that over the past two days, this newly appointed Vice Commander had been trying every means to wrest power from him. But he had long since lost the ambition of his youth, and since Boya's actions were entirely legitimate, he had simply let things be. Still, he had only relinquished half his authority, keeping the other half firmly under his own control. Losing one's ambition did not mean losing the instinct for self-preservation.
But when had the Vice Commander gone to gather such intelligence? How had he not heard a single whisper of it?
It wasn't just Lao Ke who was confused — Boya was cursing internally as well. She naturally knew what Yang Kai was after. "Stolen treasure, capturing the thief" was certainly a decent pretext, but though there were many people here and quite a few strong ones among them, could they actually be of any help? She suddenly felt that Yang Kai was far too naive, treating a chicken feather like a command token. Tonight, he might just suffer a terrible setback.
She quietly made up her mind: if the situation truly turned dire, she would absolutely not concern herself with Yang Kai's fate. She would seize the Soul Puppet at the first opportunity and flee far away.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai continued, "This operation will be led by me personally. You are all to follow my commands without question. Vice Commander, where are you?"
Boya's lips twitched. She stepped forward. "Here, Your Highness."
"Keep a close watch. Anyone who dares disobey orders — kill them on the spot!" Yang Kai swept a cold gaze over the demons before him.
Boya braced herself. "Understood!"
"Very good." Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction, then waved his hand. "Move out!"
The moment he finished speaking, he was the first to shoot skyward, with Boya close behind. The three Peak-rank Demon Kings exchanged a glance, then hurriedly called for their subordinates to follow. In an instant, over ten thousand figures swept across the sky above the city palace in a massive procession.
Though the hour was late, Cloud Shadow City remained bustling and lively. Concealed by the cover of night, the massive group moved in complete silence despite their overwhelming numbers.
At the very front, Yang Kai wore a calm, detached expression — the very picture of nonchalance. Boya, however, was visibly anxious, her eyes darting left and right as though scouting an escape route for when things inevitably went south.
Behind the two of them, the three Peak-rank Demon Kings' spiritual senses stirred subtly, clearly communicating with one another.
Even if Yang Kai noticed, he couldn't be bothered to care. These three were no doubt trying to guess his intentions, but they would find out soon enough.
And indeed they were. After flying a bit further, Yin suddenly transmitted via voice, "Our esteemed Prince isn't planning to go after Lie Kuang, is he?"
Lao Ke and Kosen both startled, turning their heads to look at her. Kosen asked, "What have you figured out?"
Yang Kai's talk of a stolen treasure and capturing the thief was undoubtedly a ruse. They weren't fools — they could see that much. Any treasures would be kept in spatial rings; how could they be stolen out of nowhere? Lao Ke and the others had initially thought Yang Kai meant to use this as an excuse to punish them and establish his authority, but they'd since realized that wasn't the case either.
But to go to such lengths with such a massive force — he clearly had something else in mind.
Yin let out a cold laugh. "Don't tell me you didn't know Lie Kuang entered the city yesterday."
Lie Kuang had made no effort to hide his entry. He'd strutted right in, and had even contacted all three of them afterward to ask about this so-called Prince. How could they not have known?
Yin pointed ahead. "Lie Kuang's estate is right in that direction!"
And that direction was precisely where the group was headed.