A slender figure appeared less than 100 meters ahead; it could be vaguely discerned that it was a woman.
The twelve people didn't even seem to discuss it before unleashing their power without the slightest hesitation, attacking without reservation.
Raging wind blades, blazing flames, thick lightning bolts, massive boulders weighing thousands of pounds...
All sorts of attacks came rushing in.
The earth trembled violently, unable to withstand the power of the simultaneous attacks from twelve masters.
The hard, rocky ground cracked open beneath their feet, the cracks spreading outwards towards the woman.
Such an attack, which combined the full strength of all twelve people, could be described as an earthquake.
The twelve people didn't intend to defeat the suddenly appearing stranger. Instead, as soon as the attack was launched, they quickly turned around, split into different directions, and fled at high speed.
They understood perfectly well that they were no match for someone like that.
All they wanted was time, time to escape.
Their plan was well-thought-out. The combined attack of twelve people would be hindered even if the opponent was an eighth-level expert, and would cause some shock and injury.
That little bit of time would be enough. They ran off in different directions, and no matter how powerful that person was, it was impossible for him to capture all twelve of them at once.
As long as one person is left behind, they can deliver a letter to Qin Ming.
That's right, they were the experts who were supposed to join Qin Ming's 60,000-strong army, but they never expected that such an accident would happen before they could even join forces.
"Sigh..." A soft sigh rang out again. Due to differences in strength, the twelve people had run a slightly different distance. However, when this sigh rang out, they all stopped in their tracks as if they had been frozen in place.
Then, just as suddenly as she appeared, that slender figure vanished.
It was as if nothing had happened here.
The twelve people swayed and then collapsed to the ground with a thud.
As for the attack just now?
They all vanished into thin air because the attacks had never found their target.
Less than an hour later, on the other side, 60,000 soldiers who had been traveling through the night suddenly felt a chill as they crossed the sandy ground and shivered inexplicably.
It seemed to be the night breeze that was affecting me; I was still muttering to myself, "Sure enough, the night is cool."
Everything was so normal.
At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), 60,000 soldiers arrived at Qin Ming's side, rested, and waited for dawn.
As dawn broke, Qin Ming anxiously gazed in a certain direction, wondering why the person he cared about most hadn't arrived yet.
Time passed slowly, and finally the first ray of sunlight pierced the inky black night. As the sun rose above the horizon, the darkness was completely dispelled.
Qin Ming immediately reorganized his army and forced them to the border of the demon realm, shouting loudly, "The time has come, Your Majesty, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
His voice was loud and clear, instantly waking everyone in the demon realm's royal city.
"Lord!" The Demon Lord hurriedly rushed to the Demon God's palace, wanting to ask why the Demon God had not yet appeared. Little did he expect that upon entering the palace, the Demon Lord almost lost his balance and fell to the ground.
The Lord was slowly opening the soup dumpling for Liu Lanyan to cool it down, making it easier for her to eat.
"Lord... Qin Ming has already started challenging us." The Demon Lord murmured helplessly.
Outside is a life-or-death moment for the demon realm, how can anyone eat breakfast here?
"Yes, I heard you." The demon god said unhurriedly, his gaze lingering on Liu Lanyan's plate for a moment before he immediately picked it up.
The Demon Lord was speechless for a moment. Well, he knew the Demon God must have heard him.
Not to mention the demon god's great strength, even ordinary people could hear Qin Ming's roar.
The problem is, he didn't come over to ask if the Demon God had heard, but to tell the Demon God that Qin Ming was already outside the Demon Realm, so shouldn't he go and deal with him first?
"Lord," the Demon Lord called out again helplessly, he had to give him some kind of response.
"Hmm?" The Demon God didn't even glance at the Demon Lord. Perhaps because he found the Demon Lord's constant chatter annoying during the meal a bit irritating, he casually asked, "Are you hungry too?"
"No, I'm not hungry." The demon lord almost vomited blood.
Now that things had come to this point, the Demon Lord had resigned himself to his fate. Since even the Demon God wasn't in a hurry, he wasn't either.
Watching the Demon God and Liu Lanyan comfortably finish their breakfast, and hearing Qin Ming's hoarse voice outside, the Demon Lord felt somewhat at ease.
It seems he wasn't the only one who was anxious.
"I'm full." When Liu Lanyan said these two words, the Demon Lord suddenly realized that Liu Lanyan's voice was so beautiful.
The demon god looked at Liu Lanyan and said, "You can rest in the palace for a while. Peng Zhen will keep you company."
He still didn't really want Liu Lanyan to go with him.
"No, I want to see it." Liu Lanyan shook the demon god's arm. "Take me there."
Her request, a mix of coquetry and fierceness, was irresistible to the demon god.
"Alright. But you need to stay far away." The Demon God couldn't refuse Liu Lanyan's request.
Pulling Liu Lanyan along, he finally spared a bit of attention for the Demon Lord: "Shall we go now? Is it convenient?"
"Convenient, very convenient." The Demon Lord was almost frantic, having already prepared everything and was just waiting for the Demon God's arrival.
"Hmm." The Demon God nodded, and after pulling Liu Lanyan out of the palace gate, he put his arm around Liu Lanyan's waist and walked directly into the air, heading straight for the outer edge of the Demon Realm.
The Demon Lord followed closely behind, while Peng Zhen stayed close to the Demon God.
Liu Lanyan comfortably handed over all her weight to the Demon God. Since he was strong enough, it wasn't unreasonable for her to relax a bit.
They soon arrived at the border of the demon realm. The royal city was not far from the border of the demon realm; it was practically nearby.
Standing on the border, the demon god coldly looked down at Qin Ming.
"Lord, have you finally shown yourself?" Qin Ming was so angry he was about to vomit blood. He never expected the Demon God to be so arrogant and refuse to show himself.
"Haven't found Liu Xinya yet?" the Demon God asked casually, completely ignoring Qin Ming's question.
"If we had found it, would we be facing each other like this today?" Qin Ming sneered. "If our Lord had put in a little more effort back then, there wouldn't be this war between the two realms."
Qin Ming still wants to shift the blame onto the Demon God; that's his main objective.
"A war between two realms?" The Demon God was not one to be easily led by the nose. His casual question left Qin Ming speechless. "Did the Demon Emperor also agree to your military campaign?"
Qin Ming was speechless at the casual remark. No matter what he said, he couldn't pin the blame on the Demon Emperor.
"Since five days have passed and I still haven't seen my wife, then I have no choice but to use this method to resolve the matter." Qin Ming tried to change the subject, but unfortunately, could he really change the subject so easily?
He seemed to have forgotten that there was someone next to him who was very quick-witted.
"You can't find your wife, so why are you attacking the demon realm?" Liu Lanyan asked Qin Ming in confusion.
"If it weren't for the Lord's negligence, how could my wife have disappeared? Shouldn't I demand an explanation?" Qin Ming angrily questioned loudly.
"Does the demon realm think it can run rampant just because it has the protection of the demon god?" Qin Ming deliberately raised his voice. He had seen that many people in the royal city had approached this place, observing the situation from a safe distance.
The instinct to enjoy watching a spectacle is something that will never be eradicated.
Moreover, this incident has caused such a stir that people in the demon realm all want to know what happened and how it will be resolved.
Therefore, their conversations here can be heard by people over there.
"Sister Xinya left on her own, how can you blame it on the Lord? You're being so unreasonable!" Liu Lanyan complained angrily.
She wanted to take this opportunity to clarify everything so that people who didn't know the truth wouldn't misunderstand the demon god.
She didn't want the demon god to be smeared with dirty water.
"If the Lord truly cares and has nothing to do with this matter, why hasn't the Lord sent anyone to search for him in five days?" Qin Ming's words immediately drew nods from countless people.
Some people began to agree with Qin Ming's words, saying that if the Demon God had sent people to search for him, he probably would have found him long ago.
Then this war would not have happened.
"Could it be because the Lord is too proud to care?" Qin Ming threw out another strong dose of medicine, aiming to shake the Demon God's position in the hearts of the people in the Demon Realm.
"Disdainful? What has the Lord been doing protecting the Demon Realm for so many years? Is fighting fun? Does the Lord enjoy fighting with people for no reason?" Liu Lanyan immediately retorted to Qin Ming.
"Hmph, who knows?" Qin Ming remained unmoved. His words were surprisingly meticulous, a stark contrast to his rugged appearance. "Wouldn't it earn you more respect if you demonstrated your strength?"
"What a joke! Does the Lord need to prove himself through force? Everyone knows the Lord's strength!" Liu Lanyan's words immediately drew nods from countless people.
Back then, when the Venerable One swept across the Three Realms with his own power, he shocked the Three Realms. Who did not know the Venerable One's brilliance?
"Besides, your wife is missing, why don't you look for her yourself? Why are you waiting here for five days? Are you really worried about your wife or are you just looking for an excuse to send troops?" Liu Lanyan's seemingly naive words hit the nail on the head and awakened many people.
Those who had believed the rumors just a few days ago suddenly realized, "Yes, if Qin Ming is really so worried about Liu Xinya, why doesn't he go find her himself?"
Yu Jinshuo, who had been observing the situation, frowned. The rumors he had painstakingly spread a few days ago had been neutralized by Liu Lanyan's simple words.
Yu Jinshuo's feelings were truly complicated at this moment.
He admired Liu Lanyan greatly and wanted to keep her by his side. Such an outstanding woman could only be with him.
However, Liu Lanyan's current position of opposition to him is giving him a headache.
"Hmph, now you're the ones saying everything. Since we can't reach an agreement, let's let our strength speak for itself." It has to be said that Qin Ming was smart. Since the advantage of the topic was not on his side, there was no need for him to continue the conversation.
"Using force when you can't win an argument? Coward!" Liu Lanyan stomped her foot angrily and pointed at Qin Ming.
"Further words are useless." Qin Ming raised his hand, about to order an attack.
"Wait a minute," Liu Lanyan called out in time. "Qin Ming, you married my sister, Xin Ya. She's from the demon realm. Do you think she'll be happy if you attack the demon realm like this?"
"Now that she's missing, what does it matter whether I'm happy or not? If anything really happens to her, I'll make those who harmed her pay with their lives." Whether it was genuine emotion or just good acting, Qin Ming spoke with great feeling.
"This is where Sister Xinya was born, where her relatives and clansmen live. Have you really not considered Sister Xinya's feelings and emotions?" Liu Lanyan continued to persuade, seemingly unwilling to see any bloodshed.
"Since you are her relatives and her people, why haven't you considered her? There's no point in saying more now. Since we can't find her, I'll avenge her first." Qin Ming signaled his soldiers to begin the attack.
"Wait a minute!" Liu Lanyan continued to shout, "What revenge are you talking about? How do you know that Sister Xinya is in trouble?"
"Nothing happened? If nothing happened, how come she's been missing for five days?" Qin Ming gritted his teeth. This Liu Lanyan was really annoying. What was she chattering about, disrupting his plans?
In particular, her words often hit the nail on the head, and her seemingly innocent words always left him flustered.
Elder Li was right after all; he should be careful around Liu Lanyan.
I should have found an opportunity to get rid of Liu Lanyan.
"Disappearance doesn't necessarily mean something happened. Why are you cursing Sister Xinya?" Liu Lanyan frowned and stared at Qin Ming with dissatisfaction, questioning him.
"There's no point in saying anything more now." Qin Ming turned his head and focused his attention on the Demon God. He knew he couldn't continue talking to Liu Lanyan. If she kept arguing like this, who knew how long she would keep bothering him.