Cultivating with Bragging System-Chapter 514 - 256: The Battle Begins! How to Fight When Everything is Seen Through? (6500 words)_1
Inside Demon Sea Island, an order was given by the high command of the Demon Race.
Instantly, the sky above Three Origins City was consumed by roiling demonic clouds. A colossal, boundless hand reached out from the void and obliterated the territory of the Earth Magic Elephant Clan with a single palm strike. Countless demons perished in that moment, their screams echoing as severed limbs flew everywhere. Many had not even registered what was happening before they were turned to ash.
Before the horrified gazes of innumerable onlookers, the giant hand seized Xiang Shan, tore through the void, and vanished. It left behind a thunderous voice that boomed across the land, "Xiang Shan of the Earth Magic Elephant Clan has betrayed the Demon God and is a traitor to the Demon Realm! His crimes are unforgivable! By order of the Demon Emperor, he is to be apprehended immediately and publicly beheaded as a warning to all!"
At these words, countless demons cried out in alarm, their eyes seeming to burst with rage.
"The Pope!"
"It’s over! They’ve taken the Pope!"
"The Pope was right all along! Their compromises were just a stalling tactic. In the end, they still want us to walk blindly to our deaths! Now that His Holiness has exposed their conspiracy, they’re lashing out in fury and have resolved to kill!"
By now, the Ancestral Demon Sect had blossomed everywhere, its followers as numerous as the stars in the sky, numbering in the millions. Upon hearing the news, riots erupted across the land. Marches, demonstrations, protests, and looting became rampant. Followers even clashed directly with the major Pureblood Families once again. In an instant, war and conflict spread, plunging the entire Demon Sea Island into utter chaos.
"Can this really work?" one of the high-ranking demons worried.
"This is like poking a hornet’s nest! Now all the Foreign Demons are in an uproar!"
"If I had known it would come to this, I would have been decisive from the very beginning. I would have snuffed out the Ancestral Demon Sect the moment it first appeared, and we wouldn’t be in this mess today!"
The upper echelons of the Demon Race were filled with regret. They had initially dismissed the Ancestral Demon Sect as inconsequential, believing that no matter how numerous the lowly Foreign Demons were, they were nothing but ants to be crushed at will by true demon powerhouses. But they had never imagined that the mastermind behind the scenes had no intention of overthrowing their rule. Instead, their goal was to subvert the faith of all demons, to turn them against the Demon God and awaken a consciousness they were never meant to possess!
"How did they even manage this? I truly can’t understand!"
"The Human Race must have snuck onto Demon Sea Island! They have to be pulling the strings!"
"A scheme this grand could never be the work of one or two people. I suspect an entire group of humans has infiltrated our lands!"
"And what were those guarding the seal entrance doing? Did they notice nothing at all?"
"Utterly useless!"
The Demon Race’s high command was beside themselves with fury. Their long-laid plans were on the verge of going up in smoke. Most humiliatingly, they were being led around by the nose without even knowing who their enemy was.
"Regardless, we must suppress their new ideas! The glory of the Demon God has bathed this world for millennia. This so-called Ancestral Demon Sect has only existed for a little over a month. I refuse to believe their faith is so unshakable!" a terrifying Shadow Fiend declared, its form shimmering in and out of existence amidst surging Demonic Light and swirling Chaos mists.
"Those lowly Foreign Demons fear death above all else," another agreed. "If we are ruthless enough, if we kill a portion of them until the rest are terrified, and then execute their leader... their will is certain to collapse!"
"Perhaps there’s still a chance to remedy this."
"It’s our only option now."
「...」
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
High above the firmament of Demon Sea Island, a screen of light blotted out the sun as it slowly unfurled like a scroll.
Countless Foreign Demons looked up, their expressions changing as they gazed at the sky.
On the screen was Xiang Shan, the Pope whom they revered as the symbol of their new faith. He was bound tightly to a pitch-black Demon Mountain. The mountain was wreathed in strange Demon Flames that burned fiercely, seeming to scorch the very void itself. Horrifying heat relentlessly battered Xiang Shan’s body while various Demon Birds swooped down to peck at his flesh, tearing his demonic form apart as he endured unimaginable agony.
A deafening voice boomed from the screen, shaking the hearts of countless Foreign Demons like a clap of thunder, "Xiang Shan of the Earth Magic Elephant Clan has shown disrespect to the Demon God and betrayed the faith of our Demon Race! He is a sinner! Today, he will be publicly executed and beheaded as a warning to the world! Let this be a lesson to you all: do not repeat his mistakes and choose the path of self-destruction!"
The Demon Race’s high command intended to make an example of Xiang Shan. They were emulating the methods of Nicholas, seeking to shatter the newfound faith in the hearts of these Foreign Demons and force them back onto the "correct path."
"Your Holiness!" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
"Pope!"
Countless Foreign Demons fell to their knees, weeping bitterly. They gazed at the image in the sky, prostrating themselves again and again. They had once been the most downtrodden beings in this world; it was the Ancestral Demon Sect that had saved them and given them a taste of justice. Now, the man who had led their resistance was bound to an execution platform, about to die, and they were utterly powerless to help. Their hearts were filled with an agonizing mix of indescribable defeat, regret, helplessness, and sorrow.
"Hahaha..."
At that moment, the image of Xiang Shan on the screen burst into laughter, his eyes filled with disdain for the world. "What joy is there in life? What fear is there in death? Do you think that killing can silence the voices of the masses? Do you think death can frighten the countless hearts that yearn for freedom and equality? Dream on! You lapdogs of the demon Bu Ou! One day, the Demon Ancestor will awaken from his slumber and cleanse every last one of you! You are already on the path to your own demise and don’t even know it. You are the truly pathetic ones!"
Upon hearing this, the high echelons of the Demon Race exchanged glances in the void, frowning. "Demon Bu Ou? Who is that?"
"Never heard of him, but the name certainly sounds powerful."
