Chapter 62: Welcoming His Highness, Prince of the Shadow Forest, into the City

The Monster Clan.
The Thirty Thousand Great Mountains.
"Have you heard? That human Great Demon King has been born."
Occasional whispers echoed through the forest, each voice laden with barely suppressible panic.
They were two fierce monsters, comparable in strength to human generals who had taken their oaths.
"The human Great Demon King, Jiang Shang, has practically massacred his way through our Thirty Thousand Great Mountains!"
"King Honghe and King Huzhang are both dead. Their corpses are hanging from the city gates of Jiayu Pass!"
A monster rushed past in a panic. "Still talking? Why aren't you back in your dens? It's dangerously outside right now!"
Immediately, the forest fell silent once more, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind and pairs of eyes trembling with fear from the shadows.
A new legend was spreading everywhere across the Thirty Thousand Great Mountains.
The human demon god was invincible, having slaughtered half of the demon kings.
Fortunately, that human demon god had not exterminated them all, leaving after he killed King Huzhang.
Word had it that upon leaving, he had left a single message for all the surviving demon kings.
"Any monster, if any of you dare to seek revenge against my disciple or any human, I swear, I will show no mercy. Every single monster in the Thirty Thousand Great Mountains—I will slaughter them all until not a single blade of grass remains!"
His snowy white hair made him look aged, yet he was as fierce as a demon god. Every word he dropped at the end made the demon kings lower their proud heads.
.......
Smack! A massive bear paw with coarse, stiff bristles viciously shattered a tree as thick as a grown man!
"Dammit! Are we just supposed to swallow this insult and surrender? Not even dare to let out a fart?"
The speaker was a ten-meter-tall giant bear, its low roar like muffled thunder, sending cracks rippling through the surrounding muddy earth.
Demon King Xiongba!
"Xiongba, what do you expect us to do?"
"Heh, if you dare to let it out, then go ahead and fart."
Several voices rang out from the ancient trees as formidable figures lurked among the branches.
Strikingly, all the remaining demon kings of the Thirty Thousand Great Mountains had gathered right here.
And this place was the farthest from Jiayu Pass, as if the demon kings had tacitly chosen to stay far away from humankind.
The demon king Shelong sneered, his coiled serpent body slowly unspooling to reveal a terrifying wound.
"Jiang Shang's blade almost cut me in half. If you want revenge, go yourself, don't drag me into it!"
Looking at that horrifying scar, Xiongba instantly fell silent.
"Could it be... are we just supposed to live out our days in worthiness? Allowing the human demon king to slaughter us at will?" Xiongba muttered, gritting his teeth.
As the strongest and oldest being in the Thirty Thousand Great Mountains, Xiongba felt the pressure crushing down on him.
When Honghe and Huzhang were killed, Xiongba had witnessed it with his own eyes, yet he had been completely powerless.
The pride of the Thirty Thousand Great Mountains had been casually trampled beneath that old man's feet.
Xiongba was unwilling to accept this.
"I am going back to the Monster Lands! I will petition the Monster Crown Prince!" Xiongba suddenly raised his head, grinding his teeth.
All the demon kings were instantly struck with utter astonishment, as if the name "Monster Crown Prince" were some kind of taboo.
"Are you certain you want that Crown Prince?" Even Shelong grew cautious.
"If we don't seek the Crown Prince, are we just supposed to watch our Thirty Thousand Great Mountains slowly decline?" Xiongba's eyes were filled with defiance. "When we left the Monster Lands back then, we swore an oath to the Monster Emperor to take the Eastern Lands of the humans and establish the Ten Thousand Great Mountains Monster Clan. But look at us now, we only have the Thirty Thousand Great Mountains! Watching those original vows wither away day by day—you might not care, but I cannot afford not to care!!"
With that, Xiongba set off on his journey.
Shelong curled his lip and muttered behind Xiongba's back to the other demon kings, "That old blind bear really thinks he's the boss. Full of grandiose righteousness, pure hypocrisy."
The remaining demon kings smiled awkwardly and refrained from taking up Shelong's topic.
The Monster Lands served as the ultimate stronghold for the rise of the monster race. Located deep in the westernmost regions, it was a monster royal court built upon the ruins of countless old-era human cities.
......
"You're planning to go to Beizheng City?"
Back in Tianhe City, within the Linjiang Villa district, Jiang Zixun widened her beautiful eyes, her mind instantly recalling the political marriage between the Xiao and Lin families.
"Yes." Lin Yin carried a shoulder bag, the Dragon-Suppressing Mo Dao tucked into its scabbard at his waist, as he pushed open the door.
"Wait! What are you going to Beizheng City for?"
"For a promise."
"A promise?"
Jiang Zixun's eyes were full of incomprehension.
Lin Yin smiled faintly without offering a lengthy explanation, merely instructing, "I've already found a boarding school for little Huang Yin. He can only check in after a few days, so I'll have to trouble you to look after him for now."
After that, Lin Yin stepped out, straddled a motorcycle, and headed straight toward Beizheng City.
Making this trip to Beizheng was for no other reason than to see with his own eyes how Xiao Chen was doing.
The image of Xiao Chen shielding him that day remained vivid in his mind, and the sight of him pinned to the city wall by Honghe was equally unforgettable.
If the snowy night of Beizheng City could awaken Xiao Chen, that would be for the best—a joyful outcome for all.
If fate proved fickle and life and death were bound by destiny, then he would simply have to admire the snowy night of Beizheng alone and cultivate his second martial bone amidst its frost.
Just as he rode out of the city, an elderly voice drifted down from above: "Where off to?"
Lin Yin looked up and couldn't help laughing, "Teacher, those two demon kings hanging on the city walls of Jiayu Pass—that was your doing, right?"
On the city wall of Tianhe City, Elder Jiang lay reclining in a grand master chair, swaying gently.
"Yes."
"Ha? Impressive. Teacher can now kill demon kings with a mere flick of your hand."
"Spare the flattery. Where are you going?"
"Beizheng."
Beizheng? Elder Jiang's expression, previously relaxed as he enjoyed his leisure, shifted slightly. His eyes narrowed. "Does this have to do with the marriage alliance?"
Regarding the marriage alliance, Lin Yin was naturally aware of the union between the Xiao and Lin families, but he had never cared for it.
"No. Just checking on Xiao Chen, and polishing my martial bones along the way."
"Oh, understood. Off you go."
After Lin Yin departed,
Zhang Baihu, sitting not far away, took a sip of tea. "Aren't you worried about his safety on the road?"
Elder Jiang slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Safety? Are the corpses of the two demon kings I hung on the city walls of Jiayu Pass not deterrent enough?"
Zhang Baihu burst into laughter. "Of course they are, and the deterrence is terrifyingly powerful. It deters not only the monsters, but the humans as well, hahaha."
Elder Jiang closed his eyes once more, rocking his grand master chair, looking like an ordinary old man indifferent to worldly affairs.
After traveling a thousand miles, Lin Yin finally arrived at Beizheng City by dusk three days later.
A majestic and imposing city sat nestled among snow-capped mountains. Where the earth met the sky, the massive city resembled a heavenly palace, radiating a faint sense of sacredness.
"Beizheng City truly lives up to its name. It is indeed the most magnificent battle city in the Eastern Lands," Lin Yin remarked with genuine admiration.
A battle city, as the name implied, was a city born solely for war. Rather than calling it a city, it was more accurate to describe it as a heavily fortified military pass. Within its walls, there were no ordinary civilians—only martial artists, troops, ammunition, weapons, heavy artillery, and grand formations.
"Please wait a moment, we will report to the Beizheng Prince's Estate immediately!" Two guards stepped out from the city gates, bowing their heads toward Lin Yin, gratitude and respect hidden deep within their eyes.
After a brief wait, the giant gates of Beizheng City swung open with a heavy roar, and rows of standardized Beizheng Iron Cavalry marched out.
The next second, every single Beizheng Iron Cavalry soldier dismounted, bowed their heads to Lin Yin, and simultaneously cleared a path.
"Respectfully welcoming His Highness Lin Yin into the city!" a Beizheng Iron Cavalry soldier shouted in a deep voice.
Then, all the Beizheng Iron Cavalry shouted in unison, their eyes filled with gratitude and reverence.
"Respectfully welcoming His Highness Lin Yin into the city!"