Chapter 480

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Chapter 480: Dragon Battle in the Wilderness

Zhong State, outside of Shenmu City.

Two different news, one good and one bad, spread among the demon clan army, causing leaders like Demon Emperor Feng Jiu to fall into silence.

"Ancestors, what should we do?"

Feng Jiu was at a loss, being young and not as wise as Old Phoenix.

"Since we cannot avoid a battle, let’s fight. Without fighting for a future, the demon clan will never have a chance."

Old Phoenix sighed deeply. The most feared scenario had come true – a powerful being had emerged in the North State, and the demon clan could not avoid the upcoming conflict in the Yun State.

"Alright, after I refine these two Tao Achieving corpses, I will try to advance to the eighth level."

Feng Jiu said, they received two pieces of news today.

Good news is that the demon clan broke through the barrier of the Pure Jade Sect, killing the remaining two Tao Achieving from the sect, boosting Feng Jiu’s power. The bad news is that Qing State lost the battle, Peng Bird Demon Emperor died in battle, White Tiger Demon Emperor is gone, and Divine Ape Demon Emperor escaped with severe injuries.

Peng Bird Demon Emperor was a top-tier demon ruler, held high status in the Demon God Temple, and was also related to the Phoenix clan as the grandfather of the Demon Queen. This loss is significant for the demon clan.

So far, the human side lost ten Tao Achieving, while the demon clan had nine Demon Emperors fall. Both sides suffered significant losses.

However, neither side will easily give up. This is a fight for survival and dominance, with a decisive outcome needed.

"Being at the eighth level may not be enough. The Shenmu City must be breached. Whether the Yun State forces come to the Zhong State or cut off our retreat to the Bing State, a final battle is inevitable. Feng Jiu, you must win."

"Grandfather, trust me, I will win for sure."

Feng Jiu remained confident. He was the purest descendant of the Phoenix clan, inheriting their most complete legacy, becoming the strongest member in the clan’s history.

"We will attack tomorrow and must break through Shenmu City within three days."

Phoenix Demon Emperor was determined to break through Shenmu City, even at great cost, to defeat the Tao Achieving and help Feng Jiu reach the eighth level for a chance at victory.

·······

Bing State, Lin Jiang, and Cao Ying with their skilled soldiers came to rescue Pure Jade Sect without waiting for everything to be prepared on the Qing State side.

"It’s too late, Pure Jade Sect is no more."

The group, still several hundred miles away from Pure Jade Sect, already knew the news.

"The blood and flesh of cultivators are a great nourishment for the demon clan. Since many Tao Achieving have died in battle, a stronger Demon Emperor from the demon clan will emerge. Little Ying, be careful in the upcoming battles and prioritize your own safety."

Lin Jiang told Cao Ying that in the battle against Peng Bird Demon Emperor, Cao Ying still had some gap in strength compared to the top Demon Emperor, and there were no more treasures left to save her.

"Okay."

Cao Ying nodded, realizing that even the Tao Achieving were just pawns, so prioritizing her own safety was crucial and not worth dying for those people.

The group settled on a spiritual mountain and sent word for reinforcements to come quickly, while Lin Jiang led the elite soldiers to patrol the surroundings.

"Is this still the Bing State it used to be?"

Lin Jiang looked at the deserted scene for miles around, feeling a hint of anger. He was very familiar with Bing State and had been running his business here for many years.

Lin Jiang still remembered the prosperity of Bing State. Many places were overcrowded, even some remote mountain forests were filled with people.

But now, the crumbling ruins were almost covered by weeds. After flying for thousands of miles, he still hadn’t seen a living person, only lurking monsters. Bing State had become a paradise for monsters, and it was only about a year before the war started.

"Better to be a dog in peacetime than a man in chaos."

Lin Jiang sighed deeply. People in a peaceful world would not understand this saying. Only those who have suffered from war know the value of the word ‘peace.’

Two days later, Li Qing arrived in Bing State with the troops from Qing State and met Lin Jiang.

"Disciple pays respects to Master."

Li Qing bowed to Lin Jiang and knelt down directly on the ground.

"Excuse me."

"Master, I have let you down with your trust, please forgive me."

"Do you realize your mistake?"

"I know I was wrong, please forgive me, I will never disobey you again."

Li Qing lowered herself even more, now she truly regretted deeply.

Especially in these past few months, witnessing the tragic situations in various states and sects, she regretted even more. According to Lin Jiang’s plan, the Wangxian Sect could have avoided the current situation.

"Get up first and then speak."

"Master…"

"Get up."

"Yes, Master."

"How is the Wangxian Sect now? How many people are left?"

"I have less than two hundred people by my side. The fourth junior brother doesn’t want to see me."

Li Qing smiled sadly. Of the nearly one hundred thousand disciples of the Wangxian Sect, seventy percent stayed in Bing State to fight against the demons. After a major battle, they lost almost half of their members. Many more died during the escape. By the time they retreated to Zhong State, she had less than a thousand people by her side. Some might be missing, but they couldn’t be found now.

The disciples who left before the Battle of Bing State are no longer willing to acknowledge her as their senior sister, all attempts to contact them have been unsuccessful.

"I know what you have been doing in Zhong State these past few months."

Lin Jiang nodded. He had arranged for his fourth disciple to not meet with Li Qing. Li Qing was confused about important matters, and Lin Jiang was not willing to hand over the remaining disciples to her, to prevent them from being ruined.

"As a freelance hunter, working with independent cultivators to hunt down lone demon tribes."

Li Qing honestly said that after the cultivation world battle, the economy was almost destroyed, prices skyrocketed to terrifying levels. The little wealth they brought from the Wangxian Sect quickly ran out, and with no steady income, she had to lead her disciples as freelance hunters to kill demons. This was also the reason why she had less than two hundred people left after arriving in Zhong State.

"I know, you will merge your people into the various state armies and join us in the battle."

"Master, you don’t blame me anymore?"

"Can I blame you for making those disciples survive?"

"Thank you, Master, for forgiving me. I will bravely fight the enemy."

"Go rest."

Lin Jiang waved his hand, showing that he didn’t blame Li Qing.

However, there was still a distance between them. If Li Qing and the others survived after the war, Lin Jiang wouldn’t invest much in them. Competition in the cultivation world was like this: if you didn’t obey, I could train someone else. Lin Jiang had more than one disciple, and when he accepted disciples, he had a plan in mind. If a disciple was disloyal, they could be replaced at any time.

Calling Li Qing and the others back this time was also to strengthen the alliance’s power. In the battle of Qing State, although they won, there was a considerable cost with tens of thousands of people, including experts, losing their lives. The alliance urgently needed to boost their strength.

As more and more of the alliance troops arrived, cultivators quickly launched an attack. The Bing State had fewer demon tribes, so the attack went smoothly, quickly occupying a large area of the Bing State. There was a trend of isolating the demon tribes, surrounding them.

"Bad news has come, Shenmu City has been breached."

"What, wasn’t it said to be impenetrable a few days ago?"

Just when the allied forces were preparing to launch a major attack, news of Shenmu City’s breach came. The top leaders of the allied forces were extremely shocked. They were in contact with Shenmu City and just recently they were said to be impenetrable. How did they suddenly fall?

"The Demon Emperor personally intervened with the strength of a half-step eighth rank, forcefully breaking through Shenmu City. In this battle, five Tao Achieving died, one Demon Emperor from the demon race fell. The allied forces of Zhong State have retreated to the gate of Shenmu Sect, with losses of over half."

"Until now, fifteen Tao Achieving from the human race have fallen, including Zhou Huaiying, leaving only thirteen. One is in Liang State, three are in Zhong State’s Qingchen Sword Sect, two are here with us, and Shenmu Sect still has seven. As for the demon race, there are still over twenty Demon Emperors, of which about eighteen or nineteen are controlled by the Demon God Temple. In addition, there is another group at the peak of the sixth rank, at any moment they could breakthrough to the seventh rank. The demon race’s heritage is much deeper than that of the human race."

Cao Ying said. Some of the demon race are to the west of the human race. These Demon Emperors may not necessarily fight to the death for the Demon God Temple, but even without them, the demon race is stronger than the human race.

"No matter how strong, we must continue to fight."

Lin Jiang glanced at Lin Die in the corner, and since Lin Die remained silent, it meant she had no intention of stopping.

"Yes, now Shenmu Sect has asked us to meet up with them in Zhong State. What do you think?"

"No, our army has already arrived at Bing State, how do we get to Zhong State?"

"Exactly, are we going to Zhong State to protect them with our lives? I’m not going."

"I only listen to Ancestor Cao."

The top leaders of the allied forces decisively rejected the idea. They don’t trust the people from the Shenmu Sect, they only trust Cao Ying.

"In that case, let’s reject their offer and fight our own battles. We need to quickly attack the rear of the demon tribe to help our people."

Cao Ying also nodded, she thought the Tao Achieving members in the Shenmu Sect were too weak. Five of them died in one battle and they only captured one Demon Emperor. In the past, they would also be treated as cannon fodder.

After everyone dispersed, Lin Jiang found Lin Die and asked directly, "Third Sister, how can we stop the war? Must one side be destroyed completely?"

"Not necessary."

"What are the conditions to end the war?"

"Forty-eight Tao Achieving or Demon Emperors."

"Why forty-eight?"

"Go look for Xia Qingshan, when you find him, he will tell you."

Lin Die drifted away, ignoring Lin Jiang, leaving him behind lost in thought, wondering why there were forty-eight Tao Achieving or Demon Emperors and what special meaning they had.