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He didn’t know what abilities the Sky Totem actually had, being able to easily manipulate such a strong person’s emotions like Ying Sheng, but he knew the other party must have intelligence!

There was only one instance in the world of the Thousand-Faced Fox’s talent, which allowed him to directly see others’ memories—it wasn’t that a second instance couldn’t appear; however, if the other party possessed this ability, the current situation would be many times worse.

Some secrets within the Ancient Demon Clan could even be used to directly stir internal strife, especially with a monster skilled in manipulating emotions like the other party.

Zhang Xiaoyun wasn’t foolish; he had participated in many research projects during the late stages of the Sorcerer Dynasty’s rule and was well-versed in many special abilities of demons, having seen and learned to analyze many bizarre powers.

The ability to control the mind was extremely rare; it seemed as if the original creator had done this intentionally.

Those with such abilities generally did not possess strong foundational abilities—the stronger the ability, the weaker the foundational ability would be.

The other party’s moves just now were almost on the same level as the High Priest, below King Level, which meant their innate ability likely wasn’t strong.

Moreover, if the other party could completely control a certain emotion, there would already be great turmoil now; how could they still fight so calmly?

If he wasn’t mistaken, the other party’s ability was probably just a kind of fire-stoking power, which meant that when the other party’s emotions were high, this power could make those heightened feelings burn even fiercer, causing them to lose their rationality.

And this kind of power needed sufficient intelligence to set a trap effectively.

But frankly, this situation made Zhang Xiaoyun feel even colder inside, because this meant that from the beginning to the end, the evolution of the entire battlefield was within the calculations of the enemy.

Who exactly was it?

Who possessed such capability?

And how was the intelligence obtained?

The War Priest now had his army stuck there, and clearly, apart from his own stupidity, the manipulation of emotions was probably an important reason. But before setting up this trap, one had to understand the War Priest’s character.

It was the same for Lord Ying Sheng. Compared to Lord Ling Sheng’s straightforward loyalty, Lord Ying Sheng was more delicate, more suspicious, and this suspicion was also exploited, resulting in his highly uncomposed behavior just now. Intelligence was required for this.

The Ancient Demon Clan had always stayed out of the world; several key figures seldom contacted the outside world—who could get their temperamental intelligence?

Suddenly... a figure surged in his mind.

"Are you... his person?"

"Oh?" Sky Totem instantly approached. Without an outer body, the Ancient Demon was just a fragile insect.

This was the disadvantage of all parasitic creatures—terrifying parasitic and growth talents, but the downside was an abysmal direct combat ability.

"You are quick to react. In the intelligence, you are not a calm person, but I never believed this point initially. If you were truly such an impulsive and irritable person, you wouldn’t have deceived so many people around you for so many years with the guise of a harmless child."

This voice, now devoid of the distinctive chaotic tone of the Sky Totem and calm after, was exactly like a normal Human Race’s voice, and moreover... extraordinarily familiar.

"So it’s you... I wondered why it could command a Sky Totem; it turns out to be you... But how did you..."

"That is not for you to know." Sky Totem coldly smiled, taking a step forward...

"No... you cannot kill me, and you don’t need to kill me. I have many things that can be exchanged for my life, I can still..."

"Sorry, your death is your best value." Sky Totem didn’t hesitate at all, stomping down. The Prince of the Ancient Demon Clan, one of the only two bloodlines hatched in millions of years, instantly burst into a puddle of mush under the foot of the Sky Totem.

As the plasma burst and splattered onto Zhang Zhiyun’s face, he was completely petrified in place.

He didn’t like Zhang Xiaoyun because no matter how hard he tried, the other always seemed to be watching him as if watching a joke.

He knew that the gap in their bloodlines created a huge chasm between them, whether in resources or talents, he would never compare, and thus, the title of the future direct heir of the Heavenly Master Mansion would always be a sham; he. .. was just a pushed forward "genius."

Carrying such a reputation, yet being looked down upon every day by someone truly noble, it inevitably led to long-term depression.

Yet he had never considered that the noble bloodline, which even the High Priest had to yield to, now looked so nauseating in death. It turned out that even the most distinguished people don’t look good when they die.

It all felt somewhat surreal.

Could such a noble bloodline really have just died like this?

Died so casually... so... ugly...

Watching the Sky Totem approaching, Zhang Zhiyun suddenly felt much calmer.

He felt as if he had come to understand something.

Noble as Zhang Xiaoyun, powerful as the High Priest, hadn’t they both died?

In any struggle, who doesn’t face death? It was merely a loss...

But... at the last moment, he suddenly felt some regret. If only he had delved deeper into conspiracies and schemes, at least not being far behind Zhang Xiaoyun. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have failed to guess anything or understand the words Zhang Xiaoyun said before dying.

Although Zhang Xiaoyun was dead, he died with clarity, although probably also reluctantly; at least he knew why he had lost.

But as for himself... he knew nothing.

Zhang Zhiyun sighed, closed his eyes — a life born in Yundu, just a target, truly an insignificant pawn. Even in death, it was incidental; always... so insignificant...

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The moment Zhang Xiaoyun died, all the Ancient Demons’ blood boiled. The death of a member of the Imperial Clan, in a race as heavily weighted by bloodline inheritance as the Ancient Demon Clan, was like the sky collapsing.

Almost instantly, every Ancient Demon felt it in their bloodline and an unprecedented panic rose within them.

And this was precisely what caused significant fluctuations in the morale and vitality of the Four Holy Army, already stretched to their limits on the battlefield.

In warfare, morale is paramount, especially in this Transcendent world. The basis of conflict between two armies lies in the strength of their vitality and formations. If the disparity is too large, confrontation becomes impossible, and besides physical prowess, emotions play a large role.

When emotions surge and morale soars, blood boils and the condition is optimum, which also makes the vitality formation much stronger. But when there is significant emotional despair, the flow of vitality is disrupted, especially when many are out of sync, then collapse can come very swiftly.

This is why, once morale suffers greatly, armies of equal strength can face massive defeat.

At this time, the Priest commanding the battlefield felt a chilling cold due to the Prince’s death.

Instantly, he knew—a major crisis was unfolding!

He didn’t know why the Prince had suddenly met with disaster, but this timing meant he and the Four Holy Army were in grave danger...

It would have been better if the disaster had happened before the fight.

But it just had to occur at the critical moment of confrontation, when every soldier’s nerves were stretched to their limit and faltering already present in their hearts.

The Prince’s death then was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back, arriving most timely!

What to do?

In a moment... the scenario of defeat already formed in the mind of the war Priest.