Monkey lowered his brows, grinning as he looked at Marshal Silver standing expressionless at the prow of the flagship.
"What now? Aren't you going to muster your troops? We've already come right to your doorstep."
Is this a provocation? Just the two of them?
Marshal Silver remained expressionless, but the hand resting on his sword at his waist gripped it tightly.
He gave no order, yet all the Heavenly Generals and soldiers were already moving into action.
The war drums thundered and horns blared. Every warship began to reposition, trying to encircle the two in the center. On the ground, Heavenly soldiers paused their tasks and returned to their formations, while the Heavenly Generals headed to their muster points, ready to deploy at Marshal Silver's command...
The demons on the ground and the Demon Kings atop the main peak were instantly ignored. The entire fleet moved like a giant beast, jaws wide, slowly closing in on its prey—just waiting for them to fall into its mouth.
Everyone present held their breath. It seemed a great battle was now inevitable.
As time passed, Marshal Silver's gaze shifted between his warships, waiting for the crucial moment.
But just then, Monkey and Nine-Headed Wyrm both subtly adjusted their positions, rising higher.
With that ascent, they immediately moved beyond the originally planned encirclement. But that was all—they had only just crossed the boundary when both stopped rising, still wearing mocking expressions as they stared at Marshal Silver.
The Heavenly Generals and soldiers exchanged glances, then quickly and wordlessly adjusted their positions.
The encirclement continued.
But before they could truly close the net, Monkey and Nine-Headed Wyrm split up—one east, one west—and each flew out of the encirclement again.
Now what?
One by one, the Heavenly Generals looked to Marshal Silver.
Marshal Silver still stood motionless, his eyes wide and unblinking.
The Heavenly Generals understood.
The army repositioned, each force moving to surround the two once more. The Heavenly Generals began to summon their magical instruments, rising into the air.
Just then, the two troublemakers again slowly adjusted their positions—one descending, one ascending.
"What is this supposed to be? Hide-and-seek?" Marshal Silver's teeth were clenched so hard they audibly ground together.
With a casual wave, his subordinates, though puzzled, followed his command nonetheless.
The once unified army completely split into two groups, like two beasts stalking their prey in the wild. The difference was, this "prey" was already fully aware of their presence—and seemed to be enjoying it.
Just as the two were about to be surrounded, Monkey and Nine-Headed Wyrm exchanged a glance, and once again began to adjust their positions.
What next? Are they just toying with us?
With a metallic ring, Marshal Silver drew his sword. "Kill—!"
At his command, the taut bowstrings were released, unleashing a rain of arrows upon the two. Instantly, the Heavenly Generals formed multiple battle arrays, while the soldiers charged forward with heavy shields...
But in that very instant, the two vanished.
To be precise, they shot away so fast they left no trace. The Heavenly soldiers lunged at empty air.
"They just ran off? If they were going to flee, why show up at all?" King Bullhorn, hiding atop the main peak, gaped in astonishment.
They had expected a lifeline, but it came and went in a flash.
Compared to King Bullhorn's dejection, the Celestial River Navy was left utterly bewildered—even Marshal Silver himself.
Did they come just to provoke us?
Marshal Silver could hardly believe it.
He quickly restored the army to its original formation, but did not send out more squads to hunt the demons on the ground. Instead, he deployed waves of scouts to search every inch.
Though it was impossible for Blossom Mountain's army to cross an entire continent in such a short time, Marshal Silver couldn't rule out the possibility that they had seen through his plan and set out early.
This upheaval resulted in a six-hour ceasefire.
It was not until late at night, after sending out four waves of scouts and even dispatching some Heavenly Generals for repeated searches, that Marshal Silver was convinced Blossom Mountain's army hadn't come—only Monkey and Nine-Headed Wyrm had appeared.
A vague sense of foreboding crept over him.
"What do we do next?" General Nate asked.