He knew that even when death was staring them in the face, these people would never take their own lives.
All that talk of humanity's greater good was nothing but a slogan they bandied about. When it truly came down to a choice between life and death, it was anyone's guess how many of them could hold out without surrendering.
Sure enough, the moment these words left Jiang Chen's lips, the others' faces drained of color. The looks they cast his way were brimming with hostility.
The demon race was hateful enough, but this fellow's tone—stirring up trouble and fanning the flames of discord—made him thoroughly unlikable.
"Kid, don't push your luck! Prince Zhao recruiting you is an honor. You think we can't survive without you?"
"Exactly. Looking at your level of cultivation, you don't exactly scream 'expert.' Running your mouth like that—ever bother to check how much you actually weigh?"
Elder Zhang's expression was grim. He let out a long sigh, his face full of regret, but said nothing more.
He couldn't understand why this person refused to stand with them. There had to be a reason, but Elder Zhang couldn't fathom what it was.
Could it be that this person, like the Cuihua Pavilion Master, had been offended by the Red Cauldron royal family?
The Cuihua Pavilion Master let out an eerie laugh, fixing his gaze on Jiang Chen. "Kid, you've certainly got a silver tongue. But do you really think you're any different from them?"
Jiang Chen replied coolly, "Even if I'm no different from them, I can still do a fine job of ruining your little blood sacrifice. When I left that altar, the blood sacrifice hadn't even begun yet. That tells me the Demon Emperor's revival won't happen that quickly. And in the meantime, I'll have more than enough time to kill quite a few of you!"
The situation had suddenly turned into a three-way battle.
The Cuihua Pavilion Master represented the demon race, Jiang Chen stood alone as one faction, and everyone else formed yet another.
The only problem was that the side represented by the others could splinter at any moment. Those who broke away might defect to the Cuihua Pavilion Master at any time.
That said, what the Cuihua Pavilion Master feared most was Jiang Chen going on a killing spree.
However, firstly, he didn't believe Jiang Chen had the strength to kill that many people. Secondly, he didn't think the rest would simply stand by and let themselves be slaughtered.
And thirdly, the Cuihua Pavilion Master still had other cards to play.
That trump card was this blood-colored mist sea. The red mist within it was Demon-Cloud Blood Fiend that had been vaporized into a gaseous state. Though its corrosive power in the short term was inferior to the Demon-Cloud Blood Fiend in its natural form, given enough time, the red mist's corrosive effects would gradually manifest. By the time these people realized something was wrong, it would be too late.
This was exactly why the Cuihua Pavilion Master had appeared so brazenly. In the end, he was confident of victory, believing he already had everything under control.
As for Jiang Chen—the odd one out—the Cuihua Pavilion Master had never witnessed his battle with Young Master Miao, so he naturally had no idea that Jiang Chen was actually immune to the Demon-Cloud Blood Fiend.
As the Cuihua Pavilion Master's thoughts raced, he suddenly spoke. "Kid, I have to admit, you're quite the schemer. But right now, I hold the knife and you're the fish on the cutting board. Even if you can cause some trouble, you can't stop the great Demon Emperor's emergence. If you're truly willing to submit, I might consider giving you a chance."
The moment these words left his mouth, Prince Zhao's side turned pale.
These two might actually reach some kind of agreement.
The elder who had already fallen silent cried out again upon hearing this. "Friend, even if you won't stand with His Highness the Prince, you absolutely cannot bargain with the demon race—trying to make a deal with a tiger!"
But Jiang Chen turned a deaf ear, smiling faintly as he said, "Remember—it's not you giving me a chance. This is simply a fair trade between us!"
"A fair trade? You think at a time like this, you still have the standing to negotiate fairly?" the Cuihua Pavilion Master said with arrogance.
Jiang Chen couldn't help but admire the Cuihua Pavilion Master's talent for acting. Based on what he knew of this man, the Pavilion Master would absolutely never compromise with him.
His current behavior was nothing more than an attempt to stall for time and lull him into complacency.
But Jiang Chen didn't call him out. Instead, he said, "If you think I don't have the standing, then let's wait and see!"
Jiang Chen was actually stalling for time himself. He had his own guesses about what the Cuihua Pavilion Master was thinking. The Pavilion Master's behavior was nothing more than a delaying tactic.
And his trump card for buying time was none other than this red mist.
Others didn't recognize it, but Jiang Chen did. This red mist was another form of the Demon-Cloud Blood Fiend. Relatively speaking, this form appeared gentler, concealing its heart-stopping corrosive power.
However, since this red mist was transformed from the Demon-Cloud Blood Fiend, it would inevitably possess corrosive properties. It simply wasn't as domineering and direct as the Demon-Cloud Blood Fiend itself.
If the Demon-Cloud Blood Fiend was a devastating weapon, then this red mist was more like a soft blade that killed slowly. By the time its victims noticed, it might already be too late.
The Cuihua Pavilion Master was stalling for time, and wasn't Jiang Chen doing exactly the same?
For a moment, the atmosphere on the scene was incredibly oppressive. Jiang Chen couldn't be bothered to warn these people anymore. In his view, Prince Zhao's group were dead for certain.
The only question was how they would die—devoured by the Demon Emperor, or killed by his own hand.
Time ticked by, second by second.
As time wore on, someone on Prince Zhao's side was the first to lose patience. Clearly, in such an oppressive situation, those with weaker resolve were naturally the first to crack.
"Your Highness, we can't just keep stalling like this—it's not a solution!" someone urged.
Did Prince Zhao not know that dragging things out like this was a dead end?
"Elder Zhang, what do you think?" Prince Zhao asked the elder beside him.
Elder Zhang pondered for a moment. "This Cuihua Pavilion Master is definitely stalling for time. In my opinion, waiting here is absolutely the worst possible strategy. Once the Demon Emperor awakens, every last one of us is doomed."