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    Chapter 55: Chaos

    Wen Ying exclaimed, "Do you think he's special in any way?"

    Muershi: "..." It felt strangely surreal to hear such words from a low-ranking demon. A bottom-dweller among low-ranking demons was picking and commenting on the powerful offspring of the Demon Realm. It was absurd, yet Wen Ying made it seem perfectly normal. Even the Extreme Evil Bird was momentarily at a loss for words due to the stark contrast.

    Though Wu Shaluo was utterly detestable, that sentiment was limited to their perspective.

    In the Demon Realm, the Scarlet Crow clan was a prominent and respected family. The marriage of the Demon King's sister to a member of the Scarlet Crow further elevated their status. The direct descendants of the Scarlet Crow bore countless honors, and Wu Shaluo was the dream of countless young male and female demons. Many demons might never have the chance to lay eyes on him in their entire lives.

    The object of countless youths' and maidens' fantasies, yet this demonic mirror found nothing remarkable about it. Muershi imagined that if those demons heard Wen Ying's words, they might just overwhelm him with a flood of magic.

    Wen Ying walked over to pick up the score cards scattered on the ground. They were somewhat soiled from the dirt, so he took out two bags from his spatial bracelet. One he slipped over his hand, and the other he used to collect these slightly dirty score cards. Even though Wu Shaluo had carelessly thrown them all on the ground, the feeling of picking them up was akin to free gains. Wen Ying's mood remained unaffected.

    As he squatted on the ground collecting the cards, the corner of his eye caught sight of two demons approaching him. He looked up to see the Demon Witch Fairy and the Nekomata walking over. The former sat on a horizontal magic wand, her black robe enveloping her body, and under her large hood, only half of her delicate, petite face was visible.

    Aruda should have chosen the Demon Witch Fairy as his successor, Wen Ying thought subconsciously.

    "Are you here for a share of the score cards?" Wen Ying asked.

    Koroy shook her head. "No, we didn't do much. It was mainly the two of you who got him out." Her voice held a hint of something deeper, as if she possessed the maturity and control of an older sister despite her childish appearance.

    Wei Er squatted down to meet Wen Ying's gaze at eye level. His expression wasn't very expressive, but now that he was no longer in combat mode, he transformed from a fierce predator into a lazy feline. The enchanted claws on the back of his hand returned to their bracelet form, and his golden eyes lost their threatening glint. With a relaxed demeanor, he wrapped his arms around his knees and asked Wen Ying, "Can we use your method too?"

    His voice had a slightly sluggish youthfulness to it, a rasp that suited a golden-eyed black cat in human form.

    "Of course not a problem~" Wen Ying responded with a natural lilt in his voice. Wei Er's ears twitched repeatedly, and his pupils constricted slightly. "You... are you okay?"

    "Cough, cough," Wen Ying realized his mistake, putting the scorecards away in his bag before standing up and returning to his normal tone. "I just choked a bit. Don't worry about it."

    Demons from the Realm of Devils had no idea about the preferences of young people in the Human Realm, such as the appeal of white fur or how most young men and women would involuntarily adopt a high-pitched voice when encountering a stray kitten. The fact that he hadn't outright called out "Meow-meow" just now showed remarkable self-restraint.

    Despite being in the same class for a month, Wen Ying and Cat Demon hadn't exchanged more than three sentences. They usually sat far apart and had no reason to interact. Now, he realized that he had only just discovered what Cat Demon's voice sounded like.

    Another reason for Wen Ying's subconscious lilt was that among all the devils he had encountered in the Realm of Devils, even the seemingly childish Koroy had an imposing presence that seemed to stretch two meters and eight. In their interactions, Wen Ying always felt like Koroy would be the one taking the lead. Today, he finally discovered a devil like Cat Demon, whose aura wasn't as overwhelming. It was like a human facing a cat, with a sense of superiority and home-field advantage.

    Demons truly didn't understand the popular preferences of humans. Muershi observed Wen Ying's reaction and guessed that Cat Demon might fit this Mirror Devil's tastes. But what were they? Boreas, Phileos, and Wei Er—dogs, fish, and cats—were there any commonalities among these three devils or their races? The Evil Bird was utterly baffled.

    Muershi approached them. "You want to use our method too?"

    The witch fairy nodded. "I think you've already earned quite a few points with this method."

    "Muguo was eliminated in the process," Muershi beamed. "Anyway, you would have used it even if I said no, so it doesn't matter." Although he was talking to the witch fairy, his gaze kept wandering to Wei Er. What exactly was Wen Ying's type? It was an intriguing mystery for the extremely wicked bird.

    "Thanks then~" Koroy blinked one eye. "I'm going to try it now. It sounds fun."

    Cat demon Wei Er nodded at them. "Goodbye."

    After they left, the impatient Muershi immediately asked, "What exactly is your type? What does Wei Er have that attracts you? Normally, Wu Shaluo is more handsome, and he's stronger and comes from a more powerful family, right?"

    "Why do you insist on knowing?"

    "Because I'm... cough, cough," Muershi almost blurted out something he shouldn't have, but he scratched his chin as if nothing had happened. "I'm just curious."

    Wen Ying rolled his eyes. "You want to cause more trouble in the future, don't you?" This social terrorist was well-informed about the demons and their affairs, and these bits of information could aid him in manipulating the situation to his advantage.

    Muershi changed the subject. "Let's talk about something urgent first."

    Wen Ying gestured for him to continue.

    "They've also learned to use this tactic. If they employ too many demons, they'll surely be discovered. Then, one by one, all the demons will start using it, and our advantage of being in perfect form will vanish," Muershi said, his playful demeanor turning more serious as he discussed the matter at hand. "So we don't have time to play around here."

    Wen Ying rolled his eyes again. The reason was indeed urgent, but he couldn't help thinking about what Muershi had asked earlier. If Muershi went to the Human Realm, he would understand his preferences. Mermaids and cats were popular, while Berossus represented his personal preference. He also liked the gentle Buddha type.

    As if oblivious to Wen Ying's expression, Muershi emphasized, "Our advantage is our perfect state. Other demons are already exhausted and drained of their magic power, struggling to maintain it."

    Wen Ying flew to the top of a tree, careful not to draw attention. He crouched down and took out his binoculars to scan the northern area. "They're still fighting. We can't see the situation on the other side from here. Let's go to the middle to check it out."

    The two demons headed north, reaching the midpoint between North Mist Mountain's northern and southern sections. Wen Ying took out his binoculars again and continued to observe from the treetop.

    The fiercest battles were happening in the middle of North Mist Mountain. Both sides were defending creatively, making sure no enemy demons slipped past. As they fought for score cards, the conflict had been ongoing for a hundred years, with smoke and lightning never ceasing to rise into the sky. Thunderbolts struck from above, tornadoes formed in several areas, and the clashing of weapons echoed continuously. It seemed that the climax of the battle had arrived.

    Wen Ying scanned the area with his binoculars. Besides Wu Shaluo earlier, all the powerful demons on both sides were under close watch, preventing any from sneaking through. Occasionally, a few less significant demons managed to break through the defenses, but they were insignificant. On their side, some demons had not ventured into the center due to the intensity, fearing for their survival. They patrolled the outskirts, keeping an eye on these sporadic intruders.

    It was hard to believe that this was a monthly exam at a school. Wen Ying put down his binoculars, trying to calm his uneasy feelings. Even the Military Academy didn't conduct such realistic combat. He had seen several demons carried away by the referees watching from above, covered in blood, needing urgent medical assistance.

    Muershi added, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. I have an instinct for dodging beatings, allowing me to evade tough opponents ahead of time."

    Wen Ying: "..." The principles of evolution were truly fascinating. Perhaps the Evilbird species had survived until now because of this evolved intuition.

    "The battle is too intense right now, and both sides are closely watching," said Wen Ying. "Let's wait a bit longer."

    Perched atop a tree, the two demons held binoculars in their hands, concealed by magical vines. Wen Ying cast a spell to hide their auras, making it difficult for the combatants to detect them as they remained virtually motionless.

    With the binoculars, Wen Ying observed the battle as if watching a 3D anime, realizing that he had access to a vast library of magical techniques. He immediately began studying the demons' spells in detail.

    Meanwhile, Cat Demon and Witch Fairy adopted Muershi and Wen Ying's strategy, finding it highly effective. They abandoned their original plan of dual-mage tactics and intervened in the ongoing battle between four demons, eliminating two from the opposing side effortlessly and without casualties.

    The two demons on the same side witnessed this and replicated the tactic after they left. As the strategy spread, other demons followed suit, and soon, the magic transmission became rampant. With a shortcut to victory, who would choose bloody battles? Many green demons took advantage of the chaos, while many blue demons felt perplexed, noticing a significant decrease in their own ranks.

    Silent and stunned, the observing high-ranking demons watched the scene unfold through their monitors. The conference room was quiet except for sporadic sounds from the battlefield. These monitors were not designed for clear audio transmission, so only those demons extremely close to the monitors could pick up some sounds. For the rest, they could only interpret the situation through gestures.

    Despite the lack of dialogue, they could still distinguish the colors of the demons. Initially, they had imagined Muershi and Wen Ying employing such tactics, but they were surprised to see many green demons doing the same. They exchanged glances, recognizing the shock and confusion in each other's eyes.

    With too many green demons attempting these unconventional maneuvers, some weaker ones failed due to insufficient speed during their backstab attempts, alerting the blue team. The blue demons condemned this shamelessness, not knowing who started it, assuming it was a coordinated effort.

    Confused, the green demons on the front line thought, "?" How did they miss the news? When did they discuss this? They were part of the green team too, yet no one informed them about this thrilling tactic.

    Upon learning about the trick, the blue demons began emulating it, spreading the unconventional strategy into the heart of the battle. The elite fighters, upon hearing the news, also wanted to try it out. However, they encountered an awkward realization.

    Powerful demons, confident in their strength, disdain forming teams. This was the crux of the issue; they were now uncertain if the demons they encountered with the same color scorecards were truly on their side. It could be an enemy demon impersonating one of them to stab them in the back. Thus, these formidable lone wolves became the most physically and magically drained participants in this practical exercise, engaging in genuine, no-holds-barred battles.

    In the conference room, the Devil Kings and Greater Devils, especially the Devil King, watched with twitching faces. His meticulously planned drill had been turned into a game of "Werewolf" by Muershi and Wen Ying. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, feeling utterly frustrated.

    Fortunately, it was only an exercise. If it were real, the situation would be terrifyingly chaotic. No one would trust their teammates, creating a climate of fear among the demons. The Evilbird race truly lived up to its name. All eyes unconsciously turned towards the adult Evilbirds in the conference room.

    Yan Yujing averted his gaze, forcing a laugh. "You can't expect us to suppress our instincts, can you?" That kid had quite the knack for things, surpassing his mentor.

    Thanks to the green team's early use of deceit, they advanced far north, heading straight for the stone. When some blue team Greater Devils noticed many enemies heading that way, they retraced their steps to chase after them, intercepting any green team demons they encountered within their own territory.

    They decided to provoke even those from their own team, and several demons misjudged the situation, eliminating themselves in the process. Those who were eliminated due to attacking their allies grumbled curses at the demon who came up with this tactic. After discussing with those already out of the game, they discovered that the initial perpetrators of this cunning move were the Evilbirds and Mirror Demons.

    The eliminated and defeated demons cursed those two scoundrels in their resting area, filling the entire place with their angry cries.

    Wen Ying and Muershi sneezed simultaneously, covering their noses and mouths to minimize noise. "Probably cursing us," Wen Ying said, rubbing his nose.

    The situation was chaotic, so Muershi put down his binoculars. "I think it's about time. Let's go. I'll lead, taking out anyone we can. If it's too tough, we'll detour."

    Wen Ying followed behind him, his brows slightly furrowed with concern. "Why do I feel like you're not reliable?" Was it intuition? Sixth sense?

    As it turned out, the extremely wicked bird's intuition to avoid beatings was indeed accurate. Along the way, when they encountered weak demons, Muershi didn't react. But if there were any that seemed challenging, he would detour. Surprisingly, their journey had been smooth, even allowing them to delve deep into the Blue Faction's territory. Through the trees ahead, Wen Ying caught sight of the Blue Faction's stone and found it unbelievable.

    "Wen Ying was amazed. He then asked, "Then why didn't you sense Feng Luo sneaking in during those previous classes? You got caught red-handed."

    The corners of Muershi's smiling lips faltered slightly. He was also puzzled. "I'm wondering too, why it didn't work at all in the classroom. Not just there, when Feng Luo caught me and beat me up at the academy gate, my intuition didn't warn me either... Eh?"

    Both demons understood something. Wen Ying said, "It seems Feng Luo is the bane of your intuition."

    "I've never encountered such a situation before," Muershi stroked his chin. "I'll ask my mother when we get back. For now, let's think of a way to break that stone."

    "This kind of stone looks unbreakable with just a few punches or kicks," Wen Ying said. "Do you sense anything around us?"

    Muershi pointed to several spots in succession. "No need to ask me, you can feel it too, right?"

    Although no powerful demons were visible within their line of sight, the sounds around them grew closer. Several groups were fighting, and they might be eyeing the stone. Once a demon attempted a sneak attack, they would immediately rush over.

    Wen Ying used two concealment magic cards. The two demons hid behind a protruding rock formation to discuss their plan. Compared to the other openly battling demon offspring, Muershi was like a weakling, and so was Wen Ying. Their behavior was far from that of a powerful demon who revered strength.

    The sounds of battle intensified around them, but not in a single clash. Instead, there were scattered conflicts involving dozens of groups. Everyone was cautious and kept their distance from unfamiliar teammates, resulting in a widespread battlefield without any major group confrontations.

    Wen Ying sensed the scorching, destructive black flames belonging to Beros. They flickered and danced, constantly changing shape, sometimes expanding and sometimes shrinking.

    The ground trembled as a demonic powerhouse slammed into it. Before the two demons could decide on a shortcut to destroy the boulder, Beros and another golden-haired demon entered their line of sight.

    "Muershi, it's Beros and Lan Jiaying," Muershi whispered. "It seems Beros is in the lead."

    "How could Beros choose a bow, a long-range enchanted weapon?" Wen Ying wondered. "I thought he would use something like a greatsword or a hammer."

    Muershi chuckled softly. "You lack combat experience. The reason Beros chose a bow is simple. He doesn't want his power to weaken if his opponent keeps their distance. That bow is custom-made, extremely sturdy. See how he's using it as a melee weapon?"

    Wen Ying suddenly understood. Beros excelled in close combat. Once enemies distanced themselves from him, his advantage waned. At such times, an enchanted weapon for long-range use could regain the upper hand.

    Should he say that Beros was going easy on him or that Beros deemed him unworthy of using an enchanted weapon? In truth, it was the latter, but Wen Ying wished to delude himself into believing the former for a moment of emotional relief.

    Silently, Wen Ying took out the large scissors and stroked them. Muershi rolled his eyes. "Is your priority to cut Lan Jiaying's hair or to destroy the boulder?"

    Without hesitation, Wen Ying firmly declared, "Cut his hair."

    Muershi's mischievous mind, inherited from the malevolent bird ancestors, began to spin. As Wen Ying watched the two demons fiercely battling and saw Lan Jiaying's smooth golden tresses dancing in combat, he caressed the large pair of scissors in his arms as if holding a beloved.

    That hair was truly beautiful, it must be filled with magical power. Aruda would surely be delighted if he took it back. The corners of Wen Ying's lips lifted uncontrollably.

    Muershi, in the midst of his contemplation, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine from Wen Ying. He silently moved half a meter away. There was no space beside him, any further and their secret would be exposed.

    "You need to calm down," Muershi said involuntarily.

    Confused, Wen Ying turned his head. "Calm down from what?"

    The feeling that had made him want to distance himself vanished. Muershi was baffled but shook his head, deciding not to mention it.

    Lan Jiaying sensed an intensely dangerous gaze coming from one direction. His distraction allowed Berros to seize an opening. With a longbow, Berros hooked the blade in Lan Jiaying's hand upward, sending the sword spinning into the air.

    Lan Jiaying immediately flew upward, but Berros' flames shot out to intercept him. Lan Jiaying breathed out a green dragon's breath, and the collision of the two flames created a powerful airflow. It bent the surrounding flora and fauna around them at nearly a 90-degree angle, resembling the aftermath of a typhoon.

    Wen Ying gazed at the scene around him, grateful he hadn't sought refuge behind a tree moments ago.

    Lan Jiaying soared upward, stretching out his arm to grab the long blade, clashing with Perses' black bow once more, generating another burst of intense energy waves.

    Several of the Devil King's surveillance cameras were destroyed by this violent energy, causing several small squares on the conference room screens to go dark. Conveniently, one of the remaining cameras was located in a tree behind Wen Ying and Muershi, taking the shape of a fruit.

    The group of demons saw the two demons whispering on the screen. Due to the strong wind and other ambient noises at the scene, they couldn't hear what Muershi and Wen Ying were saying. However, seeing the large pair of scissors in Wen Ying's hand, all the demons, including Aruda, felt that something significant was about to happen.

    "That pair of scissors looks familiar," the Devil King commented, "Is it the one from your courtyard?"

    Aruda nodded, "Little Yin asked to borrow it, so I lent it to him." She currently couldn't tell what Wen Ying was going to use the scissors for, perhaps to chip stones? But there was no need to borrow them specifically for that.

    "... They've started their move," The Devil King said, usually the one playing tricks on others, he now found himself on edge, unsure of what these two rascals were up to. His eyelids kept twitching, giving him an uneasy feeling.

    The two demons, using magic to conceal their auras, sneaked forward. With Perses and Lan Jiaying locked in combat, their energy waves were expanding outward, making it difficult for them to detect the presence of the other two demons.

    This was akin to a lion and a gazelle on the grasslands. The gazelle had the advantage of being upwind, while the lion was downwind. With the wind blowing against it, the gazelle wouldn't be able to smell the lion. The situation here held some similarities.

    However, the sight on the surveillance cameras puzzled the high-ranking demons. There didn't seem to be any underhanded maneuvers from Wen Ying and Muershi. They sneakily approached the battlefield between Perses and Lan Jiaying before suddenly bursting out to join the fight. The only changes were that the large scissors in Wen Ying's hand disappeared, replaced by a whip, and Muershi smeared more blood on his face, making it appear as if he were severely injured.

    Muershi's lightning bolt struck Lan Jiaying's back, who was being restrained by Perses and unable to free himself. Lan Jiaying glanced at him briefly before shifting his gaze back to Perses. That fleeting look was enough for Muershi to perceive his anger and ferocity.

    Wen Ying and Muershi, now appearing before the demons, showed no intention of going near the stone; they only wanted to take advantage of Beros's presence to join in attacking Lan Jiaying together.

    The surrounding demons, seeing that the stone posed no threat, didn't rush to intervene. Each was occupied by their own opponent, and unless it was an urgent situation, they wouldn't risk injury to gain distance.

    Beros was surprised to see Wen Ying there, but he didn't dwell on it. Most of his attention was on Lan Jiaying. That knife of his was peculiar, almost alive. Beros had witnessed it absorbing Lan Jiaying's wound blood and then moving on its own. Despite being outside Lan Jiaying's field of vision, the blade guided Lan Jiaying's hand to block his attack.

    Wen Ying hovered on the periphery, bothering Lan Jiaying like an annoying fly. He couldn't cause much harm, but his presence was infuriating. The demon mirror seemed to lack combat awareness, unable to maximize the use of his magic power. He posed less of a threat than the severely injured Evil Bird, whose attacker remained unknown.

    Everything seemed ordinary to the demons in the meeting room. They couldn't discern any cunning maneuvers from these two.

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