Chapter 441

Chapter 441: War Approaches, Strategy First

Knowing Mu Lin could become an Earth Immortal at any time, Sheng Cang relaxed slightly and stopped urging him. He believed Mu Lin must have solid reasons for causing such upheaval before his advancement.

The truth… proved him right.

An ordinary Earth Immortal ascension wasn’t Mu Lin’s goal. During his Transformation advancement, he’d refined three hundred sixty-five units of high-level resources through Condensing Essence and Refining the Evil, forging his nearly invincible foundation and awakening supreme powers like Yin Soil and Cycle of Life and Death. Now, he aimed to replicate this feat, striving for unprecedented heights.

But Transformation required not resource refinement, but deeper comprehension of universal laws. After deliberation, Mu Lin focused on gaining heaven’s favor and mastering Life and Death principles.

With the North Wilderness overrun by endless monsters and evil spirits, cleansing this corruption would earn heaven’s utmost approval. Meanwhile, Life and Death laws formed the core of the King of Hell’s power. By slaughtering countless fiends in a grand war, the resulting deaths would become stepping stones for his ascension.

Mu Lin’s vow—“I’ll rise as Earth Immortal and true King of Hell atop mountains of monster bones!”—held deadly seriousness.

…

As Mu Lin finalized his preparations, Mo Feng and Jing Zhe returned to their legions and revealed his plans. As anticipated, both heavenly masters and generals—long despising the fiends—quickly rallied behind Mu Lin’s cause. The Black Sha Legion and Thunder Legion mobilized at once.

The war machines—Agricultural and Martial Corps, Black Sha Legion, and Thunder Legion—sprang into motion: recalling troops, stockpiling supplies, deploying Mu Lin’s clones for joint drills. But secrecy proved impossible. Despite purging insiders earlier, the scale of preparations leaked, sparking fierce debates among monsters and rival legions.

…

At Tianwu City, the North Wilderness’ heart where the Great Spirit Dynasty and Southern realms funneled resources, news of the tri-legion campaign caused uproar.

“Three legions uniting to purge everything? Black Sha and Agricultural Corps dare gamble so recklessly?”

Some marveled at their audacity; others feared consequences. “Starting this war’s unwise! Our northern stability relies on monster infighting. If they unite against us…”

“True Lord Tianwu must intervene!”

In past lives, power flowed upward through hierarchies, forcing rulers to control underlings. High authorities loathed independent mid-tier forces threatening their rule. But here, true power resided in individual might.

Thus, in this world, powerful beings rarely cared much about authority and never forced subordinates to report every detail. They’d rather spend that time cultivating—after all, no schemes could withstand absolute strength. This was why the thirteen legions of the North Wilderness, under True Lord Tianwu, never sent trusted agents to oversee things.

Of course, True Lord Tianwu could stop any action if he wished. As the pillar upholding the North Wilderness, monsters and evil spirits dared not act recklessly under his watch. The entire region rested on his shoulders—halting a major battle would’ve been effortless for him.

Yet after decades guarding the North Wilderness as Grand Marshal, he held bitter hatred toward the evils from beyond. Though unharmed himself, many offspring and disciples had fallen. When Mu Lin launched the campaign to purge evil, Tianwu offered only support. Still, to prevent chaos, he ordered an inquiry:

"Investigate the Black Sha Legion and Thunder Legion. They barely held their territories before. Are they truly capable of cleansing evils now, or is this desperation?"

"At once, Marshal."

Tianwu’s curiosity mirrored other legions’. Scouts flooded the Black Sha and Thunder Legions, jade slips speeding intelligence back to Tianwu City. All soon learned the campaign’s architect wasn’t the legion leaders—but Mu Lin himself.

"Mu Lin? The first among humans?"

"We know his talent, but he’s still unseasoned! Why would legion leaders gamble armies to please him?"

"This risks every soldier! If they collapse, we’ll suffer too. The Marshal must intervene!"

Some cited the Agricultural and Martial Corps’ recent achievements: "His Soul Binding Chains, Vengeful Servants, and Holy Salt are game-changers. This might work."

Such optimism proved rare. Even believers deemed success unlikely—not from disrespect, but cold logic. In the North Wilderness, united evils always overpowered humans.

As Tianwu City fretted, the monsters themselves relaxed upon hearing details. Many laughed openly:

"Fools! By attacking, you’re uniting us against you!"

"Your leader seals your doom. We’ll claim your spiritual ground once you fall!"

"The heavens give no favor to those who reject their gifts—they must suffer the consequences. This is our race’s chance to advance!"

…

When news of the great battle spread, countless monsters and evil spirits, along with other demonic races, began eagerly preparing for action.

Even the insect apostle, who was evacuating with their kin, caught wind of this.

Upon hearing the news, the Insect Queens briefly rejoiced.

They saw it as an opportunity and begged the insect apostle to return to the Agricultural and Martial Corps, urging alliances with other races to exterminate humanity.

"Apostle, our moment has come! We can abandon this migration!"

The excited Insect Queen spoke—only to receive a sharp rebuke from the insect apostle.

"Fools! The start of this battle is precisely why we must flee now!"

"But why? Others claim the human race stands no chance. If we destroy them, we could reclaim our lands and expand further!"

The reporting Insect Queen voiced her confusion.

The insect apostle nodded coldly.

"True. If the battle begins recklessly, humanity’s odds are indeed slim."

Yet as she spoke, her gaze hardened.

"Answer me: knowing humans will likely lose, would you aid other demon races if they begged for help early on?"

"Never!"

The Insect Queen answered without hesitation.

"Humans are our foes. Let those other monsters and evil spirits perish too! If humans can’t win, let them weaken the other races first. We’ll swoop in when both sides are crippled…"

She trailed off, finally grasping her leader’s plan.

The insect apostle meant to let humans and demons bleed each other dry before seizing victory.

This proved that flaws weren’t unique to humans—monsters and evil spirits shared the same weaknesses.

Distrust ran deeper among non-allied races than among humans. Had humanity’s combat power overwhelmed them initially, the demon races might’ve united against the Life and Death threat.

But once they realized humans weren’t invincible, their fragile alliance crumbled.

Cunning demons and monsters now schemed to betray their own "teammates," hoping to eliminate rivals and claim more resources post-battle.

The Black Sha Legion, Thunder Legion, and even the Agricultural and Martial Corps knew this well.

In fact, most rumors about "Mu Lin’s recklessness" and "humanity’s inevitable defeat" had been spread intentionally by strategists from the Black Sha Legion and Thunder Legion.

It was all a ploy to appear weak.