Chapter 69
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Chapter 69: The Battle Begins!!!
Black clouds pressed down on the city, as if ready to crush it.
Such was the current state of the Vast Forest.
This was a battle of life and death.
It was a battle concerning the dignity of the Demon Slayer Team.
When the Ghostly Divine Platform and the Demon Sword Forbidden Area declared their full support for the Demon Slayer Team, the entire focus of the Southern Region turned toward this battlefield.
Everyone was watching this battle.
The outcome of this battle was of great significance.
Originally, the Demon Slayer Team had been established by the Great Xia Empire with the support of two major sanctuaries. Now, with two-thirds of the sacred forces in the Southern Region backing them, it was clear just how powerful the Demon Slayer Team had become.
The once clear sky darkened once more.
The air grew heavy with suffocating pressure.
A bloody battle was on the verge of breaking out.
The Howling Wolf Palace, the Divine Forbidden Gate, the Beasts, the Ice and Snow Divine Palace, and various other factions were all making their final preparations.
Zhang Yang remained in meditation.
He was merely adjusting himself; the last requirement for his Nine Extremes Returning to Origin was darkness. However, this darkness had nothing to do with nightfall. He had yet to discover what he needed, so all he could do was perfect his mental and physical states, ready to face the battle at any moment.
In truth, they had not even considered taking the initiative to attack.
The Vast Forest was their stronghold. Here, no realm could suppress them beyond their level. This was their chance. With the addition of the extraordinarily strong Zhang Yang, there was hope even in despair—a chance at victory.
Once they ventured beyond the forest, even with their solid foundation, it still would not have been enough.
After all, their opponent commanded an army of one hundred thousand.
A force of that size, with thousands in the Ascending to Heaven and Opening the Sky realms, was enough to overwhelm them.
But if those forces stepped into the Vast Forest, the danger would be reduced dramatically.
Thus, waiting had become their primary strategy.
Naturally, they had already laid heavy forbidden laws around the Howling Wolf Palace, centered on the Divine Forbidden Gate, combining the full strength of the Howling Wolf Palace to create an inevitable kill zone.
Everyone felt an oppressive tension in their hearts.
They understood this was a trial. If they could survive it, they would experience incredible growth, laying the foundation for future battles and possibly even breaking free from the Vast Forest.
However…
The Seventh Prince did not give them the chance.
Just as they were sharpening their blades and preparing to face the enemy, a strong, blood-curdling stench suddenly swept into the Vast Forest. The rich life energy of the surrounding area was wiped away for a thousand miles, replaced by the overwhelming odor of blood and a heart-stopping pall of death, resentment, hatred, and countless other negative emotions.
Those stationed to monitor the Demon Slayer Team rushed back at once, their faces pale, their voices trembling:
“Report! To the southwest, outside the forest—there are piles of over ten thousand heads, believed to be from the Divine Forbidden Gate headquarters!”
In an instant, all composure was lost. Everyone rushed toward the southwestern part of the Vast Forest.
From a distance, they could already see the hill of heads.
Thousands of heads—men and women, old and young—had been stacked into a mound. The scent of blood rose into the sky, turning the land into a crimson world.
“No!!!”
Shang Zhu’s eyes bulged with rage as he coughed up blood and collapsed onto his back.
Tang Zhuo, Chen Mo, and the others from the Divine Forbidden Gate were consumed by grief and fury.
These had all been people from the headquarters of the Divine Forbidden Gate.
Ten thousand slaughtered.
Heads piled like mountains.
Even Zhang Yang felt his killing intent ignite, burning fiercely. Behind the Hill of Heads, members of the Demon Slayer Team continued their slaughter. Corpses lay strewn across the ground, and the last three victims were executed on the spot, their heads tossed atop the pile.
Blood soaked the flowers and grass, turning the earth into bloodstained soil.
Further back, the army of one hundred thousand stood in neat formation, their faces cold and unyielding.
At the forefront stood Mu Shaoyang, the Seventh Prince.
“Mad dog!” Zhang Yang pointed at the Seventh Prince. “Come here and fight! I’ll twist off your head myself!”
The Seventh Prince’s cold gaze swept past him, as if Zhang Yang were nothing more than a weed or a dying insect. He didn’t even deem him worthy of a reply. His arrogance, his utter disregard for human life, reignited the fury burning deep within Zhang Yang.
For a moment, he felt as if he had been transported back in time—
Back to when he had been powerless and helpless.
Back to the moment Xue Feishuang had been forced to her death.
The killing intent within him surged.
He wanted to kill.
And it wasn’t just him—hidden in the shadows, Xue Feishuang; standing openly, Yuluan, Lang Xiaotian, Li Yuheng, Ironback Blue Bull, Yuan Tong, and all the others—each of them felt the same violent urge to kill.
Everyone knew the Seventh Prince was ruthless and inhumane, but none of them had imagined he could be this brutal.
This was not just slaughter; it was a heart-wrenching massacre—a public execution designed to shock the entire Southern Region through sheer bloodshed.
If they failed in this battle, who would dare resist him in the future?
Perhaps the entire Southern Region would become the Seventh Prince’s territory.
Zhang Yang wanted to charge forward.
Yuluan stopped him. This fierce woman, unexpectedly calm at such a crucial moment, had been personally trained by Xue Feishuang. In moments of danger, one had to remain calm. She urged Zhang Yang not to act impulsively. The Vast Forest was their greatest chance of victory, and he must not fall into a trap.
He held himself back.
But others could not.
Shang Zhu stepped forward.
“Master!”
“We’ll fight together!”
The members of the Divine Forbidden Gate advanced alongside him.
Shang Zhu raised his hand, and a terrifying forbidden law materialized, blocking them from proceeding.
Once separated from the Vast Forest, Shang Zhu’s Great Boundless rank power could finally display its full, terrifying might.
He took steady steps toward the Hill of Heads.
Thud!
His legs weakened, and the man of Great Boundless rank fell to his knees, weeping; blood tears streamed down his face, his heart overwhelmed with sorrow.
Shang Zhu had been born at the headquarters of the Divine Forbidden Gate and raised there. Only after achieving success had he been sent here to establish a branch, tasked with seizing opportunities from the Vast Forest to benefit the headquarters and strengthen the Divine Forbidden Gate.
His family, his relatives, his brothers, and his closest friends had all been at the headquarters.
Now, he could see them—each one of them dead, their eyes wide open in terror and rage, even in death.
He slammed his head onto the ground three times in a row, cracking the earth beneath him and causing his forehead to bleed.
He cried out in agony.
“Shang Zhu has failed the ancestors of the Divine Forbidden Gate!”
“Shang Zhu is guilty!”
He wept, he shouted, and he continued to bow his head in grief.
With each cry of anguish, beams of light radiated from the ground where he knelt, sinking deep into the earth. Suddenly, the light beams intertwined, transforming into a raging fire.
Boom!
The flames burst from the earth as if a volcano had erupted, roaring high into the sky.
He wanted to burn the Hill of Heads.
As the fire consumed the gruesome mound, Shang Zhu continued to cry, repent, and bow.
This act finally provoked the Demon Slayer Team.
A master in the Opening the Sky realm shot forward like lightning, heading straight for Shang Zhu.
In truth, few truly understood the depth of Shang Zhu’s power or the rank of Tang Zhuo. Many believed that establishing a branch here was little more than exile, unaware that Shang Zhu was actually an elder at the headquarters of the Divine Forbidden Gate. He held real power—power enough to influence even the leader of the headquarters. Such a man could never have been weak.
And yet, even as the master approached, Shang Zhu continued to bow, his blood tears still falling, his voice still repenting.
But just as the master of the Opening the Sky realm closed in, a burst of flame shot out like a blade, cleaving the man in two. Before his body could hit the ground, he had already turned to ash.
This immediately triggered the other masters of the Demon Slayer Team.
The battle began.
