novelbest Chapter 351 - 211: The Great Army Moves Out
Chapter 351 - 211: The Great Army Moves Out
A heavy Pill Furnace, thirteen feet tall, was the color of gilded brass. Pale Demon Fire surged and flickered erratically within it, accompanied by piercing, miserable screams.
The screams were so shrill they sounded like someone undergoing horrific torture, enough to stir pity in any heart.
The Great Sun Demon Fire reflected out from the furnace’s chamber, casting flickering shadows across Yang Jing’s face and making him look exactly like a legendary Demon Cultivator.
He activated the Demon-Catching Tripod, cranking up the heat. The screams stopped abruptly. A moment later, a stream of incomparably pure Essence Qi flew out from the furnace and was absorbed by the Celestial Waterfall Sword.
After absorbing the Essence Qi, the Celestial Waterfall Sword erupted with a dazzling light as its aura swelled once more.
Yang Jing channeled the Great Sun Demon Fire, and a moment later, a Tier Three Demon Sect Treasure was broken down into various Demonic Materials and Spiritual Gold.
He packed the spoils from the last few days into his Storage Bag, then summoned a Tunneling Light and flew to the prearranged meeting spot with Wei Ying. Only after confirming it was Yang Jing did Wei Ying cautiously open a gap in the Seven Illusions of Celestial Demon Array to let him inside.
"Do you really need to be this careful?"
Yang Jing asked, a bit exasperated, upon seeing Wei Ying acting like he was facing a great enemy.
"I’ve invested all my savings into this deal," Wei Ying said, letting out a deep breath. He rubbed his hands together.
"Fellow Daoist Yang Jing, what are you waiting for? Hurry and show me the Spirit Gold and Demonic Materials."
Compared to his previous status as the senior-most disciple of a Demon Sect, the Wei Ying of today seemed more like a mercenary peddler.
If the Demonic Materials from Yang Jing weren’t so incredibly valuable, he would have had no desire to undertake such a high-risk deal.
Yang Jing readily took out his Storage Bag and brought out all the neatly stacked Demonic Materials.
Wei Ying opened the chests one by one. Though he had prepared himself, he still couldn’t help but hold his breath upon seeing the sheer quantity of assorted materials—especially the Tier Three Demonic Materials and Spiritual Gold.
"Th-this... Did you rob an entire fleet of ships?!"
The Spiritual Gold glittered brilliantly in the faint light.
"Don’t ask about its origins," Yang Jing said, looking at Wei Ying. "Where are the goods I asked for?"
Wei Ying nodded, took out a Storage Bag, and emptied its contents. The various Demonic Materials needed for Refining the Demon-Catching Tripods were all neatly stacked on the ground.
Yang Jing took a quick inventory, then swept all the Demonic Materials into his Storage Bag.
"By the way, you didn’t expose yourself when you acquired these materials, did you?"
He said to Wei Ying.
"Of course not," Wei Ying said. "Some of these materials came from other Sects, others from the Northern Continent. I purchased them all under the name of a Foundation Establishment Clan."
He had obtained so many Demon Sect Artifacts, Spiritual Artifacts, and various Demonic Materials from Yang Jing; of course, he had to have a way to sell them off. Otherwise, he would certainly attract unwanted attention.
"Cut ties with that Foundation Establishment Clan," Yang Jing warned kindly. "Otherwise, disaster will befall you."
’Once a large number of Demon-Catching Tripods appear in the hands of the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion, the Celestial Demons will undoubtedly pressure the Four Demon Sects.’
’After all, this concerns the grand plan of the Outer Celestial Demons.’
’If Wei Ying fails to cover his tracks and gets exposed, I might lose this very pleasant business partner.’
Wei Ying’s pupils constricted. He knew from Yang Jing’s tone that the intended use for these goods was deeply problematic. ’Is the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion planning a major move against the Four Demon Sects?’
’But if they were making a major move against the Demon Sects, why would they be buying up vast quantities of Spiritual Materials to refine Demon Sect Artifacts? Shouldn’t they be stockpiling Spirit Stones and buying Spirit Talismans and Healing Elixirs?’
’The Four Demon Sects have hidden posts within the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion. Although many were rooted out after Yang Jing took his position, making operations much harder, their basic intelligence gathering hasn’t been completely severed.’
He suppressed his myriad thoughts and decided to find a way to eliminate the Foundation Establishment Clan that had acted on his behalf as soon as he got back.
As for what the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion was planning, it wasn’t his problem. ’Could the Governor’s Mansion’s army alone really destroy the Dark Spring Demon Sect? Unlikely.’
The Sect was the Sect, and he was himself. Wei Ying understood this distinction very clearly.
Yang Jing swept all the Demonic Materials into his Storage Bag, turned, and departed via Cloud Escape.
After returning to his residence outside the Demon Realm, Yang Jing worked around the clock, Refining all of the Demon-Catching Tripods.
He even substituted in some Tier Three Demonic Materials to create five Demon-Catching Tripods of the highest quality, which he gave to his five disciples to begin bonding with.
Upon learning that all the Demon-Catching Tripods were complete, Canyuan True Monarch gave the order, and the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion, a massive war machine, roared to life.
One after another, Flying Boats took to the sky, transporting Arrays, Spirit Stones, and personnel to the lands outside the Demon Realm.
Huge quantities of supplies were piled up in chests on the ground.
Array Masters bustled about outside the Demon Realm, setting up Arrays and constructing a forward base. Warriors stripped off their Armor, revealing lean torsos as they swung great hammers, driving Array Banners one by one into the Spirit Vein nodes.
Under the command of numerous well-trained officers, troops of the Demon Suppression Army had already formed into tight battle formations. Organized into units of Wu, their auras linked together, giving their formation the unshakeable presence of a mountain.
Several Impact Boats, each commanded by a Foundation Establishment Realm Yu Hou, patrolled the perimeter of the Demon Realm. Their bodies were covered in Lesser Yang Exorcism Talismans. Should any High Tier Celestial Demons try to exploit the Demon Suppression Army’s still-unstable foothold and rush out to destroy the Arrays, the talismans would react instantly, providing an early warning to the formations on the ground and the Flying Boats in the sky.
Higher above, the Flying Boats hung suspended in the air, their on-board Arrays fully activated and ready to unleash a devastating strike at a moment’s notice.
Yang Jing stood on the deck of a Flying Boat, looking down upon the disciplined ranks of the Demon Suppression Army.
A single soldier from the Demon Suppression Army fighting one-on-one against a Low-level Celestial Demon would have, at best, a fifty-fifty chance of victory. But if five thousand soldiers fought five thousand Celestial Demons in formation on an open field, the Demon Suppression Army would win a swift and decisive victory.
When battling Demons and Demon Cultivators, these highly disciplined soldiers of the Demon Suppression Army were always a decisive factor.
Perhaps because the High Tier Celestial Demons had previously suffered heavy losses, there was no sign of activity from within the Demon Realm.
「Three days later.」
All the Seven Luminaries Demon-Slaying Arrays outside the Demon Realm were complete. In addition to these Tier Three Grand Arrays, the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion had also established over thirty smaller Tier Two Arrays between them.
The large and small Arrays were interlinked, completely encircling the Demon Realm.
Once the Arrays were in place, the thirty thousand soldiers of the Demon Suppression Army, led by their generals, assembled in a Grand Array before Canyuan True Monarch’s flagship.
Canyuan True Monarch had changed into a solemn Vestment Robe. His expression was stern, his gaze profound, and his majestic aura was so intense it was chilling.
In that moment, the murderous aura befitting the Northern Army Governor completely eclipsed his usual air of a tranquil cultivator.
The Flying Boat descended slowly, skimming just above the ground.
Representatives from the major Royal Families and Golden Core Clans of the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms were already waiting on deck.
"Bring the prisoners forward."
Soon, soldiers pushed forward seven Cultivators. They had been stripped of their Armor and wore only rough burlap prison uniforms. They were forced to their knees on the deck.
"Governor! Governor! We’re willing to atone for our crimes with meritorious service! We’re willing to atone!"
"Spare my life, Governor! I am a direct descendant of the Bishui Zhang Family! I’m willing to pay for my crimes with Spirit Stones!"
Seeing the grand formation, the seven kneeling cultivators realized the Governor intended to use them as a sacrifice to consecrate the war banners, and they immediately began to beg for their lives.
Of the seven Cultivators, five were from the outer watchposts guarding the Demon Realm, and two were local Independent Cultivators from the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms.
Lured by Demon Cultivators, they had captured more than fifty other Cultivators to serve as host bodies for possession and sold them to the Celestial Demons within the Demon Realm.
"Read the charges."
Canyuan True Monarch turned a deaf ear to the cultivators’ pleas.
A Wenshu stepped forward and began to loudly recite the seven men’s crimes.
"The condemned prisoners, Ji Zong’an and Sha Zhongji... for personal gain, did conspire with Celestial Demons, betraying and harming fifty-three citizens of the Northern Domain, including Qi Tianduo... By law, they shall suffer the punishment of beheading and soul-extraction!"
Upon hearing the sentence of beheading and soul-extraction, the faces of all seven men turned deathly pale. Even the two Independent Cultivators, who had until then looked completely defiant, were so terrified they lost control of their bowels and began to struggle with all their might.
But their Magical Power had already been crippled. No matter how much they struggled, they couldn’t break free from the iron grip of the soldiers holding them.
"Carry out the sentence!"
At Canyuan True Monarch’s command, an executioner stepped forward, carrying a Ghost Head Saber. He was followed by a Cultivator holding a Bronze Oil Lamp.
With a flash of the blade, a head fell to the deck like a ripe melon from the vine. Hot blood spattered across the commander’s banner.
The Cultivator holding the Bronze Oil Lamp recited a Spell. He activated the lamp, which drew out a Divine Soul. The soul drifted to the wick and began to burn with an ethereal glow.
A faint, agonized scream emanated from the flame. The face of the beheaded man was faintly visible within it, twisted in excruciating pain.
Before long, all seven prisoners were beheaded, and each of their Divine Souls was drawn into the lamp’s wick.
Such ruthless methods caused the expressions of everyone on the Flying Boat who had been watching the ceremony to turn solemn.
After consecrating the banners with the seven men’s blood and souls, Canyuan True Monarch used his Great Magical Power to recite a formal call to arms, declaring the purpose of the great war ahead. Only then did he order the Demon Suppression Army to march out, leaving behind roughly three thousand soldiers to disperse and guard the various Arrays.
He would lead all the armies under the command of the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion beyond the Northern Domain to intimidate the Demon Armies of the Four Demon Sects.
These Demon Cultivators were like puppets, each with a noose around their neck, and the Outer Celestial Demons held the other end of the rope.
If the Demon Realm were truly in danger of being destroyed, the Demon Venerables among the Outer Celestial Demons would certainly compel the Four Demon Sects to march their armies south, forcing a diversion to relieve the pressure.
Canyuan True Monarch was leading his army north for this very reason: to deter the Four Demon Sects, and if necessary, he was even prepared to fight several major battles.
He also issued an order to conscript the Immortally Cultivation Clans and Independent Cultivators of the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms.
Thanks to the Seven Nations Ticket Shop, the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion’s finances were quite robust. The rewards offered for this war were exceptionally generous, including one hundred Foundation Establishment Pills right from the start, along with vast quantities of Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, and Cultivation Techniques.
Already, large numbers of conscripted Independent Cultivators and clan Cultivators were rushing toward the border.
After watching the ceremony, Yang Jing flew down from the Flying Boat. He watched as, one by one, the vessels filled with soldiers, formed a massive fleet in the sky, and flew toward the north.