Volume 1, Chapter 225 – Joining Forces

An armored torrent surged mightily out of Xianwu City, the column stretching for dozens of li.

Because the locations where the other divisions were trapped were not all that far from Xianwu City, and because there was concern that giant avian great demons might harass them from the air, the Demon-Suppressing Army did not deploy warships.

Seated on horseback, Shi Lan suddenly felt a brief coolness at the back of her neck. She looked up at the sky, and a look of realization crossed her face.

Snowflakes like willow catkins drifted down through the sky, and in the blink of an eye a layer of white frost had covered the cold armor.

Heavy snow filled the air. Another bitter winter had come.

“Advance at full speed!”

Once the last man in the column had left Xianwu City, the marshal’s order was given.

Thunderous hoofbeats rang out as the entire force sped away like a soaring flood-dragon.

Blood and qi steamed within the army formation, and the white frost on the armor instantly evaporated, turning into rolling white vapor that drifted up into the sky.

The flood-dragon horses were extremely fast. After galloping at full speed for more than half a day, they were already nearly a thousand li away from Xianwu City.

The entire journey was calm and uneventful. Not the slightest accident occurred.

Such a smooth march only made the ominous feeling in Shi Lan’s heart grow heavier and heavier.

Bai Weiyang had said before that the demon race’s main force had already reached a point a thousand li outside Xianwu City.

Yet now the army had already advanced nearly a thousand li and still had not encountered a single demon beast.

Shi Lan was far from the only one worried by this abnormal situation, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

“I just investigated. The demon race’s beast tide has shifted position and is closing in from behind, deliberately leaving us a path. It seems they intend to encircle and annihilate us all.”

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“These beasts have quite the appetite!”

“They’re too greedy by half. Aren’t they afraid they’ll break their teeth?”

“Isn’t this exactly what we wanted?”

“In that case, increase our speed. We’ll first join up with the other divisions, then attempt to break out.”

The divine senses of several Demon-Suppressing Marshals exchanged above the army. After conferring briefly, they once again ordered the force to accelerate.

Sunset passed into sunrise. After another night, and another three thousand li of travel, the army finally encountered a contingent of about thirty thousand Demon-Suppressing soldiers coming from the opposite direction.

This contingent had originally been trapped by the beast tide and unable to move. Only at midnight last night had the beast tide suddenly scattered and opened a passage, allowing them to escape temporarily.

Those thirty thousand-odd soldiers were quickly absorbed into the main force, and the army continued marching toward the remaining divisions.

…

At the center of the boundless beast tide hovered a magnificent golden hall, with more than thirty terrifying figures standing scattered within it.

Demonic aura surged to the heavens inside the hall.

Seated on the main throne above was a blue-robed girl who looked thirteen or fourteen years old. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, and aside from her somewhat slight frame, there was almost nothing in her appearance that could be criticized as less than perfect.

Beside her lay a pitch-black circular blade. Its edges were sharpened all around, and countless Dao patterns were engraved upon it. A bloody aura that chilled the heart permeated it.

“Great Venerable, the encirclement is nearly complete. Shall we strike at once?”

A man in green stepped forward. He first bowed respectfully toward the circular blade at one side, then turned to the girl.

Before the girl could speak, vast spiritual fluctuations like an ocean spread from the circular blade. A voice whose gender could not be distinguished echoed through the hall.

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“There is no need. Wait until the human race has fully gathered, then wipe them all out in one stroke.”

“We shall proceed as the holy weapon says.” The girl glanced at the circular blade and gave a slight nod.

The man in green acknowledged the order respectfully and stepped back.

“Tianjue Demon Emperor sent word back the day before yesterday. We have only two months for this assault on Xianwu City. If we exceed that time, complications may arise. I expect all of you to give your full effort.”

The girl spoke unhurriedly, her voice smooth and melodious.

“Great Venerable… I have a request.” A woman in a green gauze robe with a jade-green hairpin stepped forward, her expression uneasy.

“Speak.”

“There is a Demon-Suppressing General in the Demon-Suppressing Army named Bai Weiyang. One of my juniors was previously captured by her, and their divine soul is linked to her life vein. If one is harmed, both are harmed, so…”

“If we encounter her, I will capture her for you and simply seize her soul.”

The girl on the main seat waved a hand, unconcerned.

“Great Venerable, that Bai Weiyang… is a Human Emperor bloodline descendant, and her bloodline purity is extremely high.”

“A Human Emperor bloodline descendant… Just how pure is her bloodline?”

“She can trace it back to its source and summon a Human Emperor phantom.”

The girl’s expression immediately tightened, and her gaze gradually sharpened. Staring at the woman below, she said indifferently,

“Zhu Xiyang, you have met this Bai Weiyang before?”

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“Yes…”

A trace of tension rose in Zhu Xiyang’s heart, and she involuntarily clenched her hand.

“For the sake of a single junior, you let go of a Human Emperor bloodline descendant with such pure blood?”

“Great Venerable, I…”

“Do you know that being able to summon a Human Emperor phantom means Bai Weiyang has a sixty percent chance of stepping into the Emperor level?”

“I understand, but Great Venerable…”

Zhu Xiyang hurriedly tried to explain, but the girl gave her no chance. So angry that she laughed instead, she said,

“You let a future Human Emperor slip away, and after committing such a grave error, you still dare make a request?”

Terrifying power of the laws filled the hall, and the atmosphere instantly fell to freezing point.

The other several dozen great demons remained silent, their expressions calm, standing apart from the matter.

Zhu Xiyang’s expression turned bitter. At last, the hand she had clenched relaxed weakly, and she lowered her head.

“Great Venerable, I know my fault…”

“That is enough. After this battle, I will settle accounts with you!”

The girl gave a cold shout and swept her gaze over the other great demons.

“Once the Demon-Suppressing Army has been slaughtered to the last, immediately prepare to launch the beast tide. We will destroy Xianwu City in one stroke and swallow the Chengtian Domain as quickly as possible. Time is short. Return and make your preparations!”

“Yes.”

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Including Zhu Xiyang, the several dozen figures vanished from the hall in the blink of an eye.

…

The movement of the Demon-Suppressing Army remained calm and uneventful all the way. They encountered five or six more contingents in succession, and the army quickly expanded to a force of a million, its blood and qi like beacon smoke sweeping across tens of thousands of li.

Because the demon race had still made no move, some people’s taut nerves had already begun to relax.

This was especially true of those disciples from the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect. They had never taken this mission seriously to begin with.

When the sect had sent them out, it had already made clear that the Demon-Suppressing Army would be the main force on this expedition beyond the city, and that they themselves would face little danger.

Since they had not encountered any demon beasts along the way, they took it as proof that the beasts feared their overwhelming numbers and had hidden themselves away.

Only after another full day of travel did the army finally meet up with the last women’s camp.

After nearly two years of war, the women’s camp had been greatly reduced in number and now numbered fewer than a hundred thousand.

Compared with the other divisions, the difficulty of replenishing the women’s camp with fresh blood was more than ten times greater, and so it had never truly regained much of its former strength.

Within the women’s camp, Shi Lan could go where she pleased. It did not take her long to find Wu Lingkong in an independent tent.

Yet Wu Lingkong’s current condition was beyond Shi Lan’s expectations.

After nearly a year apart, Wu Lingkong’s cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. She had already entered the ninth stage of the Innate Realm and was not far from the Earth Fiend Realm. But her physical condition was far from good.

Looking at Wu Lingkong reclining against the bed, her face deathly pale and her blood and qi badly weakened, Shi Lan could not help frowning.