The tents of the army camp were swiftly set ablaze, and the soldiers inside, caught completely unprepared, were quickly surrounded by flames.
Hysterical cries and shouts echoed through every corner.
"Quick! Everyone assemble! Bring every container that can hold water!" A demon field officer flapped his wings and swooped over Monkey's head, shouting.
The next instant, his wings caught fire and he crashed heavily into a tent.
Three or four nearby demons rushed to help put out the flames.
But could those flames be extinguished by hand?
In the end, another demon took an axe and severed the officer's burning wing.
The blazing firelight painted Monkey's face a deep red.
After the initial wave of panic, the soldiers in the camp gradually began to organize.
A large group of demon soldiers grabbed buckets, pots, and pans to splash water onto the searing flames. Yet unlike ordinary fires, the flames did not die down quickly after touching water—only dimming slightly before hissing back to full strength and spreading again.
"What do we do? This little bit of water can't put out the fire at all!"
"Forget the camp! Gather the troops and help evacuate the Alchemy House and the Planning Office!" Shortbeak shouted from a high vantage point.
Staring at the demon city core, now a sea of fire, the demon soldiers froze, stunned.
Unable to put out the fire, yet ordered to go in and rescue others?
Facing the silent doubts of the demon soldiers, Shortbeak drew the blade at his waist. "Disobey orders, and you will be executed!"
Monkey wanted to say that every demon's life was equally precious, but he knew Shortbeak's decision was the correct one.
A demon soldier's life was worth little. Even after all their hardships to reach this point, their lives still counted for little.
For Blossom Mountain, the true foundation was the Sage's Path cultivators they had struggled so hard to train—they were the lifeblood of Blossom Mountain, and only they could build the future the demons desired.
In critical moments, choices must be made.
The wreckage of the warship, having completely broken through the barrier formation, crashed heavily into the city, raising a thunderous roar and sending clouds of dust rippling outward like waves.
By now, no one paid any attention to the wreckage.
The raging flames had long since begun to flow and spread along the remnants of the barrier formation's power, ravaging every corner of the Demon City. At its center, the city had already become a living hell.
This Demon City hadn't been built for long. Its rapid scale was largely due to extensive use of timber.
Most of that timber had been treated against fire, but the problem was it only guarded against ordinary flames—not the Rootless Fire wielded as a weapon by the Heavenly Fleet.
Standing before the tent, Monkey stared dumbly at the scene, his mind blank for a moment.
The Heavenly Fleet's campaign had already begun—or rather, it had never truly stopped.
Everything before his eyes was crumbling, swept away as if by a storm.
Demons engulfed in flames ran wildly through the streets, wailing and struggling desperately, yet none could escape the fate of turning to ash.
Panicked crowds of demons stampeded, trampling each other in their rush to escape.
The city walls, once built for defense, now became a deadly cage, turning the entire city into a giant furnace.
Buildings collapsed one after another, sending showers of sparks and thick smoke billowing into the sky.
Demon soldiers raised heavy shields to fend off the rain of fire that still poured down from above, fighting to break through the crowds and rush into the city center with buckets of water.
Yet it was all in vain.
Monkey's teeth clenched tightly, his jaw trembling.
He turned to look at Tina Ao, who had just emerged from the tent.
Tina Ao was startled, her eyes wide. "You want me to summon rain for you under the Heavenly Fleet's nose?"
"Please, I'm begging you!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
Tina Ao turned to leave, but Monkey grabbed her and forcibly dragged her skyward.
"Let go! You can't do this—it'll doom my father!" Tina Ao struggled, but could not break free from Monkey.
"Please, help me. I swear I'll repay you!" Monkey pleaded, his voice almost begging.
There was no time left—not even time to persuade her. Any further delay would mean even greater casualties.
Seeing Monkey's face, twisted with desperation amid the chaos, Tina Ao hesitated.
In that instant, she realized that refusing now could bring disaster to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace just as easily as Heaven's wrath.
"Please, I'm begging you—just this once!" Monkey stared wide-eyed, enunciating each word.
Just then, a droplet of water landed on Monkey.
He paused, looking up.
Then a second drop, a third...
He slowly released Tina Ao's hand.
Suddenly, a torrential rain poured down from the sky.
Tina Ao was stunned as well.
The rain couldn't extinguish the flames completely, but it did suppress them. As the downpour continued, the fire was quickly brought under control, no longer spreading, and even began to shrink.
Survivors knelt on the charred ruins, letting the rain beat down on them, howling at the sky in grief. Blossom Mountain's emergency system kicked in, organizing every able-bodied demon into rescue teams.
"What is that..." Amid thunder and lightning, Monkey saw two dragons—one blue, one orange—leaping through the clouds, summoning wind and rain.
"Is that the Azurewave Dragon King and Princess Marina?"
Ten miles away, General Nate watched the two dragons in the clouds with a blank expression, shaking his head. "If the South Heaven Gate Fleet attacked now, Blossom Mountain would be utterly defenseless. What a waste... Hmph. The boy is hopeless."
With that, General Nate and General Skyler led their celestial soldiers toward the nearby South Heaven Gate Fleet.
By now, the entire South Heaven Gate Fleet was on alert. Celestial soldiers and generals soared from the decks, forming ranks and bracing for the Heavenly Fleet soldiers entering their encirclement.
"Who are you? Drop your weapons and state your unit, or you'll be executed on the spot!" barked a South Heaven Gate officer.
General Nate shouted back, "We're with the Heavenly Fleet! We entered this area by mistake and are willing to submit to South Heaven Gate's inspection!"