Half an hour later, before exactly the same desk, in the place where Wei Tianqing, the demon emperor from the wolf clan, had kneeled down and pledged loyalty, a second demon emperor was lurking.
She had a pair of eyes that resembled crescent moons. Her bifurcated tongue was hissing nonstop. Her curved upper body and her scaly snake tail were joined together flawlessly. The tip of her tail was making rattling noises.
It was the posture of the Silver Ring Sand Snakes when they were about to launch an attack.
Bai Lianxin, a demon emperor from the snake clan, was on the verge of an outbreak!
In the Insect Clan, the snake clan was a rather unique branch. Although they were often listed together with mice, ants, and other pests, there was a huge difference between them and the ant clan, the mantis clan, the beetle clan, and the other branches.
Most of the members of the snake clan were not governed by the Nether Spring Kingdom. They were fond of establishing caves anywhere in the Blood Demon Sector and minding their own business.
White Lotus Fortress, created by Bai Lianxin, was the largest cave of the snake clan. Based on the fortress, Bai Lianxin became the leader of the snake clan.
However…
"All the evidence is here. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Jin Tuyi tapped the desk softly and pushed over a jade chip. "Your White Lotus Fortress was funded by a large sum of secret capital during the construction, and the capital can be traced back to Elder Nether Spring.
"When you became the leader of the snake clan, a lot of your competitors died without a good reason. Clues leading to Elder Nether Spring can be found, too.
"I'm afraid that you must be one of the spies of the highest level that Elder Nether Spring planted into the coalition army of demons, master of the White Lotus Fortress!"
Bai Lianxin smiled miserably. "With everything coming to this point, the winner is always self-justified. What's there to say?
"However, I didn't know anything about the Spore Stratagem. In no way would I have expected that Elder Nether Spring would be so insane!
"At that time, I only thought that he was planning to unite the Blood Demon Sector and make the Insect Clan superior!
"He was the leader of the Insect Clan. The snake clan belongs to the Insect Clan, too. He demanded that we work for him, and he gave a lot of benefits. Why would we defy him? Could we defy him?"
Bai Lianxin sighed, and her killing intent gradually dispersed. She knew that she was certainly no match for Jin Tuyi.
Jin Tuyi was weak compared to the super experts such as Elder Blood Robe or Elder Nether Spring.
Nonetheless, he was still one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector and definitely not someone whom a mediocre demon emperor such as Bai Lianxin could fight against.
Besides, the evidence was clear that she was an agent working for Elder Nether Spring in the coalition army of demons. Now that the scheme had been revealed, it was impossible for Elder Nether Spring to protect her. Her struggles before death would be futile.
Bai Lianxin closed her eyes in depression. "I have nothing to say for myself. I only want a quick death!"
A moment later, however, she heard a cracking noise, and the jade chip that stored the proof of her crimes exploded.
Bai Lianxin was stunned. She raised her head and happened to make eye contact with Jin Tuyi, whose deep, dark eyes were brimming with mystery.
In a moment, she understood everything.
Pondering for a moment, the demon emperor of the snake demon also lowered her proud head like the demon emperor of the wolf clan a moment ago.
"The accident of the spores has placed the Blood Demon Sector on the brink of destruction. In such an emergency, only the commander-in-chief can save the Blood Demon Sector from catastrophe!
"The snake clan pledges loyalty to the commander-in-chief!"
On that night, Jin Tuyi summoned more than ten demon emperors in secret. When the dawn came, his brain was aching as if it had been burnt by golden fire again.
However, it was not the time for rest yet. The most critical battle was yet to come!
At eight o'clock in the morning, in the command center of the last battle on Blood Demon, an enlarged military meeting that all the demon emperors participated in was held.
The so-called 'final battle' was a joke right now. After the loss of fourteen demon emperors, the sparse chairs in the room appeared to be a silent mockery.
However, the demon emperors who luckily survived were not in the mood for fun. They were all anxious about the havoc that nobody had expected.
The meeting was proposed by Yin Tianzun, a demon emperor of the Claw Clan, and Master Hollow Wind, a demon emperor of the Insect Clan.
After Elder Blood Robe was killed and Elder Nether Spring escaped, the two of them were the new rulers of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers and the Nether Spring Kingdom right now.
Theoretically speaking, they were the commanders of the troops that belonged to the Claw Clan and the Insect Clan, too.
However, most of their troops were mixed up with the troops of other clans. Dispersed, they were all waiting for the test of virus and the identity check.
The two demon emperors proposed the meeting of demon emperors because they were trying to figure out how to regroup the troops when the quarantine was completed.
"After a night's hard work, a lot of troops have finished testing. No more spores are hiding now."
Yin Tianzun was a lion demon who had silver, dense fur. Having just seized control over the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, he was quite ambitious and in high spirits, hoping to accomplish something great. "Should we regroup the troops according to their previous legions? After all, we are still faced with Elder Nether Spring's threat and might have to deal with the formidable Nether World Watch at any time!"
"Exactly!" Master Hollow Wind agreed. Troops were their lifeline. Their own troops had been dispersed for a whole night out of control, which was truly a terrible feeling. "Elder Nether Spring was once the leader of the Insect Clan. The problem should be resolved by the Insect Clan ourselves. I am gathering my troops right now and preparing them to annihilate the Nether World Watch!"
"Moreover…" Yin Tianzun's voice was getting more and more stern. "After being nervous for a whole night, all the soldiers are exhausted and hungry. Why haven't the supplies been delivered yet? Aren't the logistics troops right next to us? Where are the food and the crystals? Why haven't they been distributed to the soldiers?"
"Indeed!" Master Hollow Wind echoed. "Somebody must answer for the fiasco of the Red Tide Plan and the mayhem that followed!
"Let's forget who is to blame for a second. Last night, Elder Nether Spring's remnants were captured on a large scale! I do not object to the search for Elder Nether Spring's remnants, but the investigators were simply capturing random soldiers. A lot of middle-level and high-level officers have been taken away for vetting. As a result, the troops are still in a mess right now and cannot be organized! How should we deal with the Nether World Watch if they suddenly show up?"
Yin Tianzun and Master Hollow Wind lambasted Jin Tuyi, each resonating with the other. It appeared that they had reached a deal earlier and were planning to shake Jin Tuyi's position as the 'commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons' in this time of trouble!
Jin Tuyi listened silently. Now and then, he even nodded, as if he were agreeing with the honest opinions of the two demon emperors.
Then, he coughed lightly.
"Everybody, I have different opinions about the issue." Wei Tianqing, the demon emperor from the wolf clan, jumped out. "The Demon God Virus is a brand-new virus unseen before in the Blood Demon Sector. We haven't grasped the most thorough examination methods. Chances are that some of the mutants of the virus can pass the level-6 test.
"Therefore, we must tread lightly and not gather our troops until the whole issue is settled."
Yin Tianzun burst into fury. He slapped the desk, leaving four deep claw traces. "What do you mean? Are you suggesting that our troops will be kept dispersed as long as Elder Nether Spring is still alive?"
"Of course not." Wei Tianqing smiled and said, "I just feel that the destruction of the Eye of Blood Demon has caused the loss of many experts on our side. The middle-level and high-level officers have suffered heavy casualties, too. The investigation into Elder Nether Spring's spies involved a lot of officers, too. There is no telling whether they are guilty or not yet, but for safety reasons, it is inappropriate for them to command other soldiers for now.
"As a result, the vacancies of the commanders are huge obstacles for the entire command structure. How much combat ability will such an army boast even if the dispersed troops are gathered again?
"The Nether World Watch hasn't been annihilated yet, and the Spore Stratagem is still lingering about. We are at the most perilous moment in the history of the Blood Demon Sector. We must be united and join our strength!
"Now that the troops have been completely disrupted, we might as well discard the framework in the past and rebuild a coalition army of demons where troops of different clans are mixed up, one that is absolutely devoid of spores and loyal to the Pantheon of Demons!
"Of course, it is just an emergency measure. When Elder Nether Spring is removed, the command of the troops will immediately be returned to the relevant kingdoms."
"Rebuild the army?" Yin Tianzun and Master Hollow Wind both burst into fury. Yin Tianzun rose up and slapped the desk hard, grinning hideously at Wei Tianqing. "Is this your idea, or somebody else's? Are you suggesting we hand our troops over?"
Wei Tianqing held his head high and argued with Yin Tianzun. "All for the big picture, Acting Chief Yin!"
Yin Tianzun was so angry that he laughed out aloud. "What an absurd proposal. Let's see who will agree to it!"
"I agree!"
Bai Lianxin, the demon emperor from the snake clan, shook her tail and said solemnly, "The Blood Demon Sector is in peril. We cannot place our selfish wants on the top of our racial interests! Due to the loss of so many middle-level and high-level commanders, the troops cannot be regrouped in the same way as before. Therefore, I agree that the coalition army of demons should be reorganized. The troops of the snake clan will be the first to be reorganized!"
"Troops of the bear clan agree to be reorganized, too."
A demon emperor of the bear clan who looked like a black iron tower slowly raised his paw.
"Troops of the leopard clan also agree to be reorganized."
"The Blood Shadow Saber Mantis troop are willing to be reorganized."
One demon emperor raised their hand after another. Dozens of mysterious eyes were focused on Yin Tianzun and Master Hollow Wind.
Yin Tianzun and Master Hollow Wind were both dumbfounded. Their faces instantly turned pale, and they could not help but step back. Looking at the arms and limbs raised up, as well as Jin Tuyi's emotionless face, they immediately understood what those eyes meant.
That was the way people looked at bones in a grave or fish in a water tank!