"Hmm, these northern and southern defense lines are heavily guarded by elite troops. How were they breached by the human race?"
Zhi Hai's expression shifted slightly as he watched the Han soldiers charging out from the north and south. He felt that the Han Vermilion Bird Legion was acting rather unusually.
To dare attack his grand camp with a force of only a hundred thousand, and yet also set up ambushes in the north and south.
"Good!"
"Good!"
"Very good!"
"Humans, what great schemes and plans you have! To dare encircle my demon race, do you think your Great Han Dynasty is the Southern Heavenly Family of the Eastern Barrens Continent?"
"General!"
"General, a cavalry force has suddenly appeared behind us, completely cutting off our retreat!"
A demon soldier, covered in blood, his eyes filled with terror.
"What?"
"How dare the humans?"
"That is our rear, backed by the depths of the Nine Nether. How dare these humans march this way? Are they not afraid of this entire army being annihilated?"
Zhi Hai's eyes widened, his heart pounding. A strong sense of unease filled him.
"The human army has surrounded us from all sides. They intend to devour us, General!"
The soldier cried out, "We cannot just sit here and wait for death. We must fight our way out, back to Nine Nether Mountain, and await the Demon Lord's arrival!"
Zhi Hai leaned on his long saber and looked at the soldiers before him. "The Great Han Dynasty's soldiers have dispersed their forces, setting up a four-sided encirclement, intending to swallow our two hundred thousand demon warriors in one gulp!"
"The enemy has dispersed their forces on all sides, greatly diminishing their sharpness. Go, gather all our troops, break through the enemy's weak point, fight our way out, and return to Nine Nether Mountain to plan our next move!"
"Yes, General!"
Zhi Hai stood coldly in the void, looking at the smoke signals in all directions. "The Great Han Dynasty actually dares to underestimate me so greatly. Do they truly think my demon race is made of mud?"
"Even if I face defeat today, I will make your Great Han pay dearly!"
"Hmph!"
"Bad news, General! The enemy is closing in from all sides!"
"What?"
At this moment, the Han Vermilion Bird soldiers from all directions had completely sealed off the Blood Willow Forest. The army advanced step by step, their formidable might cutting through the dense forest. A rolling aura of bloodlust churned in the void, shaking the heavens.
The Vermilion Bird Legion's four armies attacked in an encirclement. Screams of agony, even within the dense forest, spread far and wide. Blood poured down like rain, and coupled with the extreme humidity, the pungent stench of blood stung everyone's eyes.
Behind the demon camp, countless troops trampled across the ground. Camps were reduced to nothingness. Demon warriors were torn apart by the Han cavalry, their bodies impaled on sharp blades, their blood splashing through the air.
The Han army's speed was too great. The cacophony of battle filled the void, making the already panicked demons even more disorganized.
"Humans!"
"How dare you ambush me!"
Zhi Hai wielded his long saber, demonic energy surging around him like a black robe. He leaped dozens of feet forward and slashed at Xu Huang!
A dark, ethereal light flashed. Xu Huang's face changed drastically. He quickly twisted his body. That dark saber light split the Blood Willow Forest apart, creating a massive chasm from which wisps of demonic energy emerged.
Zhi Hai gripped his saber, his eyes bloodshot. His previous attack missed, fueling his rage even further. His black hair seemed to ripple like black demonic snakes in the violently shaking void.
The human army, divided into four routes, had the Blood Willow Forest completely surrounded overnight.
Fifty thousand demon troops, under the Demon Lord's command, had arrived in the Eastern Barrens in advance to conquer territory, serving as the vanguard for the Western Regions' conquest of the entire Eastern Barrens.
However, this Wu Yang was useless. In the Savage Realm, he was only concerned with his own path of possession, paying no attention to the strength of the forces in the Savage Realm. This resulted in thirty thousand warriors perishing in the heart of the Great Han.
Now, he had followed Wu Yang's plan and led the remaining two hundred thousand soldiers to attack the Great Han.
But now, he was filled with grief and rage. He wished he could tear Wu Yang apart and avenge his demon warriors.
"Wu Yang!"
"Humans!"
"You all deserve to die! You all deserve to die!"
"Break through from the west and kill your way out with me!"
Zhi Hai roared. His entire army was beyond saving. How many could be led out depended on fate.
He looked at the blood-soaked ground. The dense forest was now shattered, and every tree bore the blood of his demon warriors. Of the two hundred thousand troops, he did not know how many survived, but only about twenty thousand remained in sight.
His lineage was a mere branch of the demon race, with no status in the Western Regions. No matter how lowly his status, he had to fight with all his might to leave behind some bloodline for his clan.
"Humans, die by my hand!"
He ignited his massive saber, demonic energy like flames coiling around it. With a single strike, as if without target, he furiously slashed forward.
This vast, dark saber light seemed to be grasped by Zhi Hai, splitting the heavens like a colossal curtain. Light existed only above and below the dark saber light. Only in the center did its sharpness pierce the sky, its dark light obscuring everything.
As this saber strike tore through the void, it was accompanied by deep red flames, much like the fierce rage in his heart. With a single strike, it tore open the blockade of the Great Han Vermilion Bird Legion.
Cleaving open a path to survival, to save the warriors of his clan!
"Kill!"
Zhi Hai roared, his eyes seeming to bleed. With every breath, his warriors fell. He unleashed his full power, not daring to delay for a moment.
The dark saber light grew larger and larger, like a lifeless star in the void, seeking to devour the Vermilion Bird soldiers to the west.
"Vermilion Bird Legion!"
"Kill!!"
At this moment, the deputy general of the western Vermilion Bird Legion, led by Yang Ye, let out a thunderous roar. A Vermilion Bird Legion banner suddenly appeared in the void, erupting with crimson Southern Bright Flame. Layers of flames surged towards the heavens, their terrifying might shattering the humid air and bloodlust-laden gas in the void. The crimson Southern Bright Flame continuously spread outwards.
Until it completely occupied the western sky!
"Roar! Roar! Roar!!"
The crimson Southern Bright Flame, like a scorching star descending, instantly obscured the dark energy.
The resounding cries of the Vermilion Bird echoed through the Blood Willow Forest. Flames surged, and the dense forest nearby glowed red, as if about to ignite at any moment. In an instant, the Vermilion Bird banner in the void trembled, and the divine beast Vermilion Bird depicted on it suddenly brightened.
"Great Han Vermilion Bird!!"
"Rise!!"
To the west, the hundred thousand Han Vermilion Bird soldiers, bearing the brunt of the attack, raised their weapons. Yuan energy surged into the legion banner. The Vermilion Bird instantly awoke, layers of Southern Bright Flame obscuring the sun and sky. The divine beast Vermilion Bird flapped its wings.
The deputy general floated in the air, holding the Vermilion Bird Legion banner, and shouted, "Vermilion Bird Legion Soul!!"
"Kill!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"
The crimson Vermilion Bird's eyes blazed with divine light. With a flap of its wings, the Southern Bright Flame covered dozens of miles of the Blood Willow Forest.
The Vermilion Bird soldiers in the other three directions simultaneously raised their weapons, and strands of crimson flames connected to form a sea of fire.
With a mighty roar, the divine beast Vermilion Bird swelled to an astonishing three thousand feet. As its wings spread, the world darkened!
The Southern Bright Flame swept across dozens of miles, igniting the vast Blood Willow Forest into a uniform red. Some areas began to emit wisps of white smoke, and clusters of flames flickered within the tree cores!
"Bang!"
The dark saber light shattered the moment it touched the crimson flame.
Zhi Hai's expression instantly changed drastically. The long saber in his hand instantly cracked with countless fissures. Countless demon soldiers retreated in panic.
"Humans! Besides the Southern Heavenly Family, are there still humans capable of fielding such an elite army!"
"An army of the Divine Mansion realm, though not the top army in the Cang Yuan world, is still considered a second-rate force capable of fielding a Divine Mansion army!"
"Hmph, do you think a mere Divine Mansion army formation can defeat me? What a pipe dream!"
Zhi Hai wielded his long saber and directly clashed with the fiercely burning Vermilion Bird.
A deafening explosion resounded, and countless flames, as if possessing sentience, darted through the void.
"Boom!"
Zhi Hai was sent flying backward. Although he was unharmed, the full-force strike from the ten thousand Vermilion Bird soldiers still killed ten thousand demon soldiers behind Zhi Hai.
"Boom!"
The massive Vermilion Bird army formation collapsed. The ten thousand soldiers staggered back a hundred paces, each with a trickle of blood flowing from their lips.
To be able to gain even a slight advantage against a strong practitioner of the Spirit Nurturing realm with just a formation of the Divine Mansion realm was an unprecedented and astonishing event!
Zhi Hai's face contorted in disbelief. His eyes bulged. "This is impossible! This is impossible! How could a mere Divine Mansion army withstand my attack!"
"I am Spirit Nurturing! I am a Spirit Nurturing expert!"
"Impossible!"
...Su Dan Novel Network
"What is that?"
Six hundred miles north of Nine Nether Mountain, the Heaven-Splitting Ram Legion, led by Gao Changong, was gradually advancing towards Nine Nether Mountain.
Since Wu Yang possessed the Nine Nether Wasteland Lord, he had emptied out the entire Blood Spring Wasteland and Heavenly Demon Wasteland. The vast majority of powerful tribes were transferred to the Nine Nether Wasteland.
With the backing of the number one person in the Savage Realm, the Nine Nether Wasteland Lord, these tribes fiercely resisted the attacks of the Heaven-Splitting Ram Legion.
Gao Changgong led his army south, sweeping and killing all in his path, leaving none alive.
The army swept down, with murderous intent filling the fields, mountains of corpses, and rivers of blood. Tribes that did not submit to the Great Han were all exterminated, without pity!
Six hundred miles from Nine Nether Mountain, Gao Changgong looked up at the void in the distance. At times it was as dark as an abyss descending, at times blood-red like the Nine Nether Blood Sea, fluctuating back and forth, extremely abnormal.
"Commander, is that demonic energy?"
Han Shizhong frowned, looking at the cloud-like gas that lingered in the void between the transitions of black and red, with faint hints of lightning.
If one didn't look closely, it truly resembled an impending rainstorm, with dark clouds and interweaving lightning.
"Indeed, it is demonic energy!"
Gao Changgong observed closely and pondered. "This direction should be Nine Nether Mountain, but with such a vast amount of demonic energy, what is Wu Yang up to?"
"According to the news from the Gluttonous Legion to Chang'an, all the outstanding tribes had their vital energy drained. The Kui Niu Legion and the Qiongqi Legion have also made similar discoveries."
"Have you noticed, when we were at the border, there were also many withered corpses? We thought it was the heavens, but it seems someone deliberately did this!"
"Wu Yang!"
Han Shizhong, Liang Hongyu, and Ying Bu's faces changed drastically. They spoke Wu Yang Zun's name in unison.
Gao Changgong nodded slightly with a heavy expression. "However, we don't know what Wu Yang is doing by draining the vital energy of these martial artists, and those whose vital energy was drained had all cultivated demonic scriptures."
"Boom!"
At this moment, an orange light in the void, like the sun god looking down on the world, instantly appeared in the highest heavens.
"Wu Yang, you ultimately refuse to turn back!"
This person was Ji Hongwen, who had rushed here from the far north without stopping. He looked at the skeleton teleportation array in the distance with a look of disappointment.
"Great Han?"
He lowered his head, looking at the Great Han flag fluttering on the ground, and murmured softly, "The Savage Realm, after the Master of the Cave allowed it to be so, has experienced millions of years of changes. Finally, a supreme overlord has emerged from the great waves!"
"So be it!"
"It is indeed not easy for the Eastern Barrens to produce another top-tier force. However, I wonder if the Great Han can catch up to the planar opportunity that occurs once every two million years!"
Ji Hongwen then shook his head and shot towards Nine Nether Mountain, disappearing from the sight of the Heaven-Splitting Ram Legion in the blink of an eye.
"Zun Zhe?"
Gao Changgong looked at the orange light remaining in the void and said grimly, "It seems that is Ji Hongwen, who was pursuing Wu Yang. Judging by his direction, he must be heading for Nine Nether Mountain!"
"The Vermilion Bird Legion is currently intercepting the demon army. We must not delay. Inform everyone to proceed at full speed, charge into Nine Nether Mountain, and unify the Savage Realm!"
"Your Marshal's orders will be obeyed!"
...
"Boom!"
A cluster of crimson flames, like a fiery dragon, weaved through the battlefield. Countless demon soldiers were engulfed in layers of flames, their bodies turning into fiery figures as they fled in panic. The faster they fled, the faster the flames burned.
"Ah..."
"Help me! Quick, help me extinguish these flames, quick!"
In an instant, thousands of figures turned to ashes and disappeared from the battlefield. The mournful cries pierced the last remnants of the demons' fearlessness.
Zhi Hai gripped his cracked long saber and looked at the battlefield engulfed in crimson flames. The demon forces, numbering less than twenty thousand, had now been reduced by two-thirds.
The twenty thousand strong demon army that marched from Nine Nether, without even setting foot in the Great Han Dynasty's territory, was entirely buried in this damp Blood Willow Forest.
This Savage Realm, once used as a place of exile by the Fire Cloud Cave of the Myriad Beast Realm, had now grown to a strength comparable to a second-rate force in the Cang Yuan world!
If the Great Han had a Spirit Nurturing realm expert, it would surely reach the pinnacle of a second-rate force. If it had a Zun Zhe realm expert, it would surely be on par with the Fire Cloud Cave!
"Hahaha!"
"Wu Yang, Hahaha, you worthless fool, you worthless fool!"