Chapter 45: The Demon Clan Strikes
Our temporary victory also made other tribes of the orcs stunned, and they all petitioned to go to war, wanting to take advantage of this opportunity.
The Beast Emperor was delighted to do so, and ordered the troops of various tribes to be deployed to the border line to build defensive fortifications. At the same time, he also took this opportunity to dispatch a large number of Beast God Sect disciples to the territories of various tribes to teach various technologies, bestow favors, win over people's hearts, and increase the influence of the Beast God Sect.
I have stockpiled a large amount of grain and defensive equipment in Stanra City, where 20,000 Wolf Tribe soldiers and 20,000 Snake Tribe soldiers are stationed. With our four legions added to that, we have an army of around 55,000. Even if the Demon Emperor sends tens of millions of troops, I am confident that with the city's defenses, we can hold out for several months.
While we were actively preparing for defense, the demon tribe was also in a mess, and no one had ever thought that our beastman tribe would have the guts to attack them.
Although our raid was very secretive, when we occupied the sixth city, the news also leaked out. Stanra City sent envoys to request reinforcements early on, but when the message reached the hands of the minister in charge of military affairs within the demon tribe, that guy happened to be drunk, and the letter accidentally fell to one side. As a result, Stanra City naturally did not receive any reinforcements.
When we arrived at the foot of Stanra City, the Minister of Military Affairs of the Demon Clan received a second urgent letter and finally understood that he had to report to the Demon Emperor quickly. By the time the Demon Emperor knew about this matter, we had already controlled the entire territory of Dund Province.
Demon Emperor's Palace
The Demon Emperor wore a black attire, with an eight-treasured purple gold crown on his head, and a black dragon robe with golden edges. A cloak of the same material flowed behind him, as waves of icy killing intent emanated from his body. His fingers rhythmically tapped the armrest of the throne.
Beside him stood a middle-aged man who bore some resemblance to him. The middle-aged man was not dressed in official attire, but wore a plain white robe instead.
This person was the father of Gu Feng and Gu Yun, Gu Chuan·Lucifer, also the only one besides the Demon Emperor to possess four-winged fallen angel wings. He was nearly seventy years old, yet still looked very young.
Because Mo Huang helped Mò Yuè unblock her meridians and taught her the Tiān Mó Què, until now her powers have not recovered, so Gǔ Chuān naturally became the strongest in the entire demon clan.
His loyalty to the Demon Emperor is beyond doubt, otherwise the Demon Emperor would not have taken such a great risk to pass on his powers to his daughter. Mo Yue stood on the other side of her father, occasionally playing with her long hair.
The Minister of Military Affairs was trembling all over, kneeling on the ground, with demonic officials standing on both sides. Among the civil officials closest to the Demon Emperor, there was one person wearing a dragon robe that was almost identical to the Demon Emperor's, except without the golden edges. This person always had a hint of a smile on his face, but in the depths of his eyes, a glimmer of something strange would occasionally flash by.
This person is Su Zha, the Prince of Sujin, who ranks second only to Mo Huang in terms of power and status, and was also the mastermind behind the last attempt to take down Gu Feng and Gu Yun.
"Don't tell me Worton only delivered the message yesterday." The Demon Emperor's voice was as cold as ice, blowing into the Minister of Military Affairs' ear.
The Minister of Military Affairs trembled and said: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty please forgive me, a few days ago I had sent an urgent letter, but only...but only..."
The Demon Emperor roared in anger: "What is it?"
The Minister of Military Affairs stammered: "It's just that I didn't notice at the time..." The Demon Emperor stood up from his throne, two cold lights shooting out from his eyes, and said sternly: "You didn't notice? Do you know what the result of your not noticing is? The entire Dund Province was occupied by a group of stupid beastmen. You still dare to tell me that you didn't notice. Good, Kokawa."
Lucifer Fukutome, wearing a white robe, stepped forward with an expressionless face. In just one step, he reached the front of the Minister of Military Affairs and grabbed his head.
The Minister of War, although he had some strength, was unable to resist in front of him and could only beg: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare me this time. Your Majesty..."
The Demon Emperor didn't even acknowledge his plea, and sat back down on his throne alone. Kokawa looked at the Minister of Military Affairs with eyes that seemed to be gazing at a dead object: "Great Dark God, I implore you, punish this sinner before me with the most severe method." His voice was low and clear, each word heavily striking the hearts of those present.
He subtly twitched a muscle on his face, and this military minister was indeed one of his faction's people.
A thick black aura continuously gushed out of Gu's body and poured into the Minister of Military Affairs, who let out a mournful scream. The entire Demon Emperor Hall was dyed with his cries, making it seem like a purgatory. Every minister had their hair standing on end, filled with fear in their hearts.
The Minister of Military Affairs' cries gradually weakened, his entire body slowly paralyzed, Furukawa released his hand, lightly blew a breath, and the black fog dispersed, scaring those civil and military ministers who couldn't help but hastily retreat. The Minister of Military Affairs' originally robust body and his clothes had turned into a puddle of black water, Furukawa waved his hand, and the black liquid on the ground suddenly ignited, the black flames making the atmosphere in the great hall even more eerie.
The smile on his face suddenly disappeared, he stared at Kogawa with a fierce gaze, without saying a word. After all, the mistake made by the Minister of Military Affairs this time was too serious, even if he were the Demon Emperor, he would not forgive him. Kogawa's body floated back to the Demon Emperor's side as if it had no weight.
The cold gaze of Demon Emperor Sen Han swept over each and every minister below: "Which one of you can tell me, what should we do now? The beastmen who have always obeyed us are actually daring to revolt!"
Su Cha took a step forward, bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, to deal with this group of brainless guys, I think we should gather the great army, at the speed of lightning, catch them off guard and recover the lost land." The ministers below began to discuss in low voices, and Su Cha's supporters all supported this suggestion.
Su Zhan continued: "Your Majesty, as long as you give me 200,000 troops, I guarantee that we can recover the lost land within a month." The Demon Emperor's eyes flashed with a cold light, saying: "Let's stop here for today, and decide how to respond tomorrow. Strels, order each province to fully mobilize and gather their forces, ready to act at any time. Also, deploy the first, third, and sixth legions to the Lin Province in Dundee, and dispatch scouts to report on the situation at the front lines at all times."
A towering figure emerged from the ranks of the military officers and bowed his head, saying: "Yes, Your Majesty."
Mo Huang brought Guan and Mo Yue back to his study.
As soon as he entered the study, the dark expression on Mo Huang's face disappeared, and he asked Gu Chuan, "Younger brother, what do you think about this matter?"
Mo Huang is one year older than Furukawa, and the two have been playing together since childhood. It was with Mo Huang's help that Furukawa was able to cultivate to the realm of Four-Winged Fallen Angel.
Furukawa smiled slightly and said, "What can the beastman children do? As soon as our army arrives, won't they be immediately driven back? If we wanted to destroy the beastman tribe, we would have taken action long ago."
"Mò Yuè Jiāo said: 'Then why don't we just wipe them out? Isn't it a case of raising a tiger to invite calamity now?'"
The Demon Emperor looked at his most beloved daughter and smiled, "Foolish girl, it's not that simple. If the beastmen weren't taking the lead as cannon fodder, how much more would we lose each time we launch an attack on the Dragon God? Moreover, if we were to attack the beastmen, the Dragon God would definitely come to launch a sneak attack. What puzzles me the most this time is that the beastmen aren't afraid of the Dragon God? It doesn't make sense! Younger brother, your judgment earlier was incorrect. Think about it, the beastmen were able to occupy my prosperous Dundel Province in just one month, what does that imply? That implies they have strong attacking power and excellent command."
"Kogawa was taken aback: 'I heard that Old Bimon personally brought people out.'"
The Demon Emperor shook his head and said, "Although Old Bi Meng is formidable, he's not clever enough to have done this on his own. There must be someone assisting him. If it were him, the entire continent would have known about it by now. How could he have occupied our territory so silently? Bring the messenger from the Dundel Province here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
In a short while, a short and sturdy ordinary demon was brought up by the Imperial Guard of the Demon Emperor.
"Long live His Majesty the Demon Emperor, may he reign for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and ten thousand more."
The Demon Emperor grunted and said, "Alright, get up and talk."
The messenger lowered his head and slowly stood up, he saw the Demon Emperor for the first time, Furukawa and Mo Yue both saw that his legs were bent in constant trembles, apparently extremely nervous.
The Demon Emperor spoke in a cold voice: "I heard that you are the third batch of messengers who escaped when the city was broken. Tell me, who attacked you?"
The messenger endeavored to calm his own emotions, trying to make his voice as respectful and even as possible: "I report to Your Majesty, it was like this. When we received the news, six cities and dozens of villages in our province had already been occupied. The Governor immediately dispatched a small group of people to seek help from inland..."
The Demon Emperor said impatiently, "Who asked you all this? I'm asking who attacked you."
The messenger was frightened and knelt down again, trembling with fear, saying: "Yes, yes, Your Majesty, it is a large group of beastmen."
"How many people? What kind of ethnic groups?"
The messenger thought for a moment and said: "According to our scouts, the enemy has around 20,000 people, including four tribes: the Behemoth, the Lion People, the Wolf People, and the Snake People."
The Demon Emperor glanced at Kokawa.
"Didn't you have at least 40,000 garrison troops in your Stanra City? With such a strong city, can't even 20,000 people hold it off? Even if there's a traitor, it shouldn't be that easy to capture, right?"
The messenger trembled even more, he raised his head, his eyes filled with fear: "Those 20,000 beastmen are different from what we've seen before, most of them are from the Beastman Crazy Lion Army, and those snake people troops and wolf people troops are even more terrifying than the Crazy Lion Army. Especially those snake people, they can actually climb up the city wall, and on the beastmen's side, there are several powerful guys who fly to our city first, our ordinary soldiers can't withstand their attacks at all. It's too terrifying, one beastman can kill at least ten of us."
Kokawa and the Demon Emperor stared at each other in shock. Although the Demon Emperor had already thought that this group of beastmen was not easy to deal with, he did not expect them to have such strength.
Mo Huang Dao: "So, apart from Bi Meng Wang, there are other powerful experts on their side."
The messenger nodded repeatedly and said, "There are three more people who are extremely formidable. They captured the Governor-General with ease, and the others didn't even get a chance to react. The snake-like soldiers climbed up the city walls from where those experts attacked, and in no time they took care of our guards above. If I hadn't run fast, I'm afraid the news wouldn't have gotten through until now."
The Demon Emperor nodded and said, "Alright, you can go now."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The messenger practically crawled out on his belly.
"Brother, did you hear that? This time it's not so simple. If we didn't have some assurance, how would the beastmen dare to provoke us?"
Furukawa clenched his fists and said, "Let me go, I don't believe that Old Bi Meng's subordinates can defeat me."
The Demon Emperor shook his head and said, "You're leaving, but won't that guy take the opportunity to cause trouble? He came to ask for my permission today, didn't he? He doesn't have any messengers with these messages. I think he's just like you, thinking that the Beastmen are easy to deal with. Since he wants 2 million people, then I'll give him 2 million people."
Kogawa said with a sudden realization: "You're trying to take advantage of this opportunity to weaken his power."
The Demon Emperor nodded and said, "You haven't forgotten the last time he sent people to attack your two sons, have you? This time is a good opportunity for revenge. Since this bone is so hard to chew, let him go, I'll transfer all his men to him, I want to see how capable he is. Even if he defeats the beastmen, he will likely suffer heavy losses, not to mention that he may not have the ability to do so. I don't need to be afraid of him having a private army, now he doesn't even have the guts to do so. Furukawa, as soon as Su Chuo leaves with his men, you immediately start recruiting and training soldiers, ten thousand is enough, at the same time, increase the number of personnel on our border with the Dragon God to prevent them from launching a surprise attack."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Dragon God Empire Imperial Palace.
The Dragon God King, Zi Yan, looked at his most trusted ministers: "According to the reports from our scouts, the Beastmen have launched an attack on the Demon Clan and in a very short period of time, they have already occupied one of the provinces of the Demon Clan. What do you think about this?"
Duke Zifeng and General Lándì looked at each other, then looked at Prince Zizhēng.
They also knew about this matter long ago and felt very strange.
"Your Majesty, I think this action may be a trap set by both the demon and beast tribes. They are waiting for us to launch a surprise attack, then use their ambushes to annihilate our troops within their territory."
The king nodded and said: "There is this possibility. Zǐ Zhēng, what do you think." The king would never forget to train his future successor at any time.
The crown prince said, "Father, I think the Duke's words make sense, but there might be another situation. The demon tribe's oppression of the beastman tribe has been going on for a long time, could it be that they couldn't bear it and suddenly erupted?"
The king hummed and said, "This may also exist. However, I don't think the beastmen will risk extinction to attack the demon tribe for some things. First, they are not necessarily the opponent of the demon tribe. Second, aren't they afraid that we will send troops to interfere? The Beast Emperor is someone I understand relatively well, he is different from other beastmen, his mind is very clear and also a bit conservative."
"Your Majesty," said Randy, "I agree with what the Duke has said."
The king nodded and said: "Alright, Landy, inform Rivo to pay attention to the movements on both sides, send out more scouts, and report back as soon as there is any news."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will take my leave first."
Zi Feng took a step forward: "I also bid farewell." Zi Yan nodded and said: "Yes, you can go down now."
Looking at the two high-ranking officials leaving, the crown prince said in a low voice: "Father, do you really think this is a conspiracy between the demons and beasts?"
Zi Yan's mysterious smile, said: "What do you think?"
The prince said, "That may be possible, but I think they shouldn't go to such great lengths to deceive us. Shouldn't we..." Zi Yan raised her hand, stopping him from continuing: "Do you still remember the teachings passed down by our ancestors?"
The prince said with a hint of surprise, "Oh, so you are..." Zi Yan nodded and said, "As long as you understand, it doesn't matter if it's a conspiracy or not. If they want to make trouble, let them be. Why should we intervene? Whether they're conspiring or not, observing from the sidelines is always the best choice. If they really do fight, both sides will suffer losses, and won't that give us a few more years of peace?"
I gazed out at the distant scenery and said, "Second Brother, Second Sister, don't you think it's been a bit too quiet these past few days? It feels like the calm before the storm."
Jin gazed out at the distant forest, saying: "In my estimation, the Demon Clan will launch another wave of attacks. We must withstand it. Silver Arrow."
"Great Wolf God, what are your orders."
"Pointing to the small patches of forest in front of Stanra City, he said: 'Take our people there and cut down all the trees within three kilometers of the city. Transport the wood into the city, quickly, you have two days.'"
"Yes, sir." He accepted the order and left.
I suddenly said: "How did I not think of it, Second Brother is still so thoughtful." Cutting down the trees in front of the city would render the enemy's ambush useless.
What worries us most about Stanra City is that it's an isolated city, not relying on mountains or water. If the enemy has strong forces and surrounds us, we'll be in danger." Yin Dao said, "Lei Xiang, I think your plan has some problems."
"Oh? Second sister, you say." Yin Dao: "I think that apart from the people in our city now, we can let other supplies and follow-up troops all withdraw back to the Beastman Country."
I frowned and said, "Then aren't we isolated?"
Yin smiled slightly and said, "You're still too inexperienced. If I were the commander of the opposing side, I would definitely consider that you've placed all your main forces in Stanra City. I would send a large army to surround this place, first cutting off your supply lines, then sending troops to encircle and annihilate your follow-up troops and logistics supply teams. After finishing everything off, I'd retake the Dundeh Province, and then slowly deal with this isolated city of yours. Tell me, do you have any hope of winning?"
Yin's words suddenly woke me up, and I felt that the back of my clothes was already soaked through. I said somewhat vaguely: "Then, Second Sister, what do you think we should do?"
Yin Dao: "Actually, it's easy. We've stockpiled a large amount of grain and defensive equipment in Stanra City. Unless the demon tribe uses its entire national strength to attack, we can hold out for some time. My idea is to select some more people from the follow-up troops and supplement them to Stanra City, gathering an army of 600,000. The other troops will withdraw back to the Beastman Empire, and then find the Beast Emperor in the Beastman Empire's border closest to us to deploy a large army, ready to support us at any time. At the same time, we can also deter the demon tribe's troops from daring to cross the border and launch a surprise attack."
Jin nodded and said, "Yin is right. If we really want to go to war with the Demon Clan, then we should use a scorched earth strategy. Every place we go, we'll wipe out all the demons there. With our current strength, we can occupy most of the territory before the Demon Clan has time to gather enough power."
I smiled wryly and said, "I've thought of this too, but for the sake of the Beastmen Nation's future development, I can't do that. Let's do as Second Sister says, I'll go make arrangements now." After finishing speaking, I turned around and left.
Yin said to Jin: "I like Lao Si's personality. He knows his own mistakes and can quickly accept others' opinions. He will definitely become a great talent in the future."
"Indeed, and his kung fu has improved rapidly too. Ever since we left Sheng Dian together with him, it's been one trouble after another. We're about to face the demon clan's counterattack, I can feel my blood boiling just thinking about it. It seems that our decision to leave Yun Na with him was correct. This exciting and thrilling life makes me feel very comfortable."
Five days later, our scouts discovered a large army of demons approaching us continuously.
I stood on the city wall with my father, Panzong and Jinyin, gazing out at the vast dust storm approaching in the distance. Meng Ke ordered me to send a team of beastmen back to their homeland to receive them.
Jin and Yin's eyesight is the best, Jin said: "There are probably about 200,000 people, the Demon Clan really spent a lot of money." I ordered: "Messenger, order all soldiers to be on full alert, enter the highest state of combat readiness."
His father said in a low voice, "Don't worry too much, they are still some distance away from here. When they arrive, they won't attack immediately either. Two hundred thousand troops aren't that many after all. Leixiang, look, the scattered dust smoke up ahead must be the demon clan's beast troop, although their attacking power is strong but they're not easy to command. The ones behind them are the demon clan's regular army. I don't know if there will be a dark mage legion coming over, if there is, it won't be easy to deal with."
As expected, the demon tribe army has set up camp about twenty miles away from us, building defensive fortifications. I know that their vigilance is high now, and it's not a good time for a sneak attack.
Pan Zong suddenly smiled and said: "How about sending them a little gift for their meeting?"
"What gift?" I asked blankly. Pan Zong smiled mysteriously and said to Jin and Yin, "You two help me."
Jin and Yin were taken aback at first, but immediately understood Panzong's intention. They stood behind Panzong, and the golden and silver light surged violently, pouring endlessly into Panzong's body.
Pan Zong took out the blue diamond I gave him from his bosom, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and the other eight heads all withdrew, leaving only the yellow head, symbolizing the earth system magic snake head.
Is he going to attack with magic? It seems that Panzong brother likes to use earth system magic the most. Father's eyes lit up and reminded: "Hit their army's left side, it seems to be the camp of dark magic masters." We all understand that if the dark magic master joins the battle, our loss will be greater.
After all, only the magic immunity of the Behemoth can completely counter the dark magic, and other troops have some resistance, but it's hard to avoid being harmed.
The yellow snake head of Panzong was shrouded in a layer of sacred light: "Distant mountains, distant lands, you have been sleeping there for millions of years, I know that you are lonely, you are solitary, I am willing to inspire boundless power to help you change this dull life. Mountains, collapse, earth, crack. God of the Earth, please open your arms and accept my plea. Mountains collapse, earth cracks."
The air around Jin and Pan suddenly became heavy, with magical energy swirling wildly around them. The pressure was so intense that the surrounding soldiers were forced to retreat continuously, even I and my father had to step back a few steps. The diamond in Pan's hand emitted a faint blue light, as yellowish magic energy gathered around it. After what felt like an eternity, Pan's hand seemed to be holding a solid ball of earth.
Pan Zong shouted loudly: "Old Fourth, quickly help me send the earth ball over." I didn't know what to do, so I hastily stepped forward and urged all my crazy divine energy into Pan Zong's body.
"Go." The unassuming clod of earth was suddenly thrown out, flying towards the distant demon tribe's camp. As the clod flew away, Pan Zong and Jin Yin both collapsed to the ground like deflated balloons, and I rushed forward to support them. Father also walked over, holding one in each hand, as a white glow continuously flowed out of his body.
Jin and Yin had already fainted, but Pan Zong's eyes remained open, a faint sinister smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. I leaned against the city wall, looking at the earthball that had just consumed so much energy to see what it was used for.
The earthball has already landed on the ground near the local camp, and there is no movement. Did big brother's magic fail? From his incantation just now, I know that it was an eighth-level magic spell. Otherwise, it wouldn't have consumed the power of all three of them to complete it.
At this moment, the magic tribe's camp on the other side seemed to be shaking, and even here we could feel the slight tremors of the ground, I knew, it had arrived.
"Boom." The left side of the demon tribe's camp suddenly burst, a huge crack split the camp in two, and the surrounding ground began to shake violently, opening up, the entire demon tribe's camp instantly became chaotic.
Dark glows kept flashing in the camp, apparently someone had discovered that this was a magical attack and tried to stop the earth's continued collapse with dark magic.
However, the power of nature is great, and Panzong only triggered it with magic. I ordered: "The four major legions are ready to set off as soon as the enemy's camp is stable." Father, it's troublesome for you here, I'll go and make a charge. Father reminded me: "Remember, one strike and retreat, the other side may have fallen angels."
I nodded and said, "Understood." And so, I led the 15,000-strong army out of Stanra City. When the earth was calm, our troops sounded the death knell for the demon clan.
Bimon the giant led the way, with the other three legions guarding either side. Like a sharp knife, we charged into the right flank of the demon tribe's still intact camp.
It wasn't until I got closer that I truly understood the power of that magic. The left flank of the demon camp had turned into a massive crater, as if it had been hit by a meteorite. Although I couldn't see clearly how much damage they had suffered, I estimated that the Dark Mage Legion was definitely finished.
Thinking of this, my mood was greatly improved, and I led the charge into the enemy's position. As soon as we made contact, these so-called regular demon troops were instantly slaughtered by us, without any resistance. Due to the smooth attack, I became somewhat overexcited, leading the four major legions forward bravely, until we had penetrated halfway through their thick encampment, when we finally encountered real resistance.
The Demon Clan Commander indeed has two capable sons. In such a short period of time, the demon clan troops have already formed a certain formation to welcome my attack.
I made a swift decision and shouted loudly: "The rear team becomes the vanguard, cut off the Mongolian army's retreat, and charge back." I didn't want my troops to be surrounded, these were my most elite soldiers, if they were killed or injured too much, I would feel heartbroken. The four major legions exerted extremely high control at this time, under my command, they actually quickly turned around and charged in the direction they came from.
Suddenly a loud shout came from the air: "Since you've come, do you want to leave?" I felt that the air around me seemed to have solidified, and a huge pressure was transmitted from above.
No need to look, I also know that the fallen angel has arrived. I concentrated my mind and gathered my energy, and with a fierce battle cry, I drew out a long yellow light beam from Mo Ming, flinging it backhandedly into the air, while my body didn't stop moving for an instant - I couldn't let myself be entangled by the opponent, or else I would really not be able to return.
Because I didn't transform, my power was no match for the fallen angel. The massive energy released by the fallen angel sent my body flying forward, and the cold dark energy invaded my body. I quickly circulated the dark magic within me to neutralize this invading energy, but the huge impact made me feel like vomiting blood.
The fallen angel was blocked by the sword aura I released, and its speed suddenly slowed down a lot. A force of similar intensity came from my right side, and judging by my keen senses, I determined that it was another fallen angel. I secretly cursed my bad luck and shouted loudly: "Withdraw quickly!" Crazy Shadow Hundred Fissures' feet tapped the ground as he leaped into the air, and countless figures carrying strong and fierce fighting spirit flew backward from the sky.
Not only did I block the two fallen angels, but also the counter-attacking demon soldiers were blown up by my shadow, bursting into a bloody mist. The Bimon army behind me immediately retreated from the dangerous area under my cover and coordinated with the other three armies to charge in the direction they came from.
The energy of the mad shadow's hundred cracks gradually weakened, and the two fallen angels who had just wrapped themselves in wings to defend themselves revealed their ferocious faces. Black mist swirled around their bodies, and their eyes were filled with a crazy killing intent. At the same time, another two fallen angels flew over, forming a semi-arc shape flying above me, their aura subtly locking me down.
My heart sank, and I truly regretted not listening to my father's words. In this situation, I had no chance of escape unless I transformed into the Blood Red Angel now and utilized its speed to break out. However, I was currently unable to enter a state of frenzy, let alone directly transform into the Fallen Angel.