Soon, the demon army silently passed through the canyon that had once been the ambush site of the Skyward Legionnaires.
Just as twenty thousand troops quietly marched through the sunless canyon, a nervous little demon ran up to the Monkey King.
"Monkey King, we've found three Skyward Legionnaire corpses over there."
"Take me to see."
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened along the way.
Following the little demon, the Monkey King quickly crossed the ranks and arrived at a corner of the canyon.
The three Skyward Legionnaire corpses were hidden behind rocks at the edge; if not examined closely, they would have gone unnoticed. Even now, their blood still oozed faintly.
"Judging by the scene, this must be Shortbeak and his crew's doing." The Monkey King glanced indifferently at the Skyward Legionnaires, but at that moment, his heart skipped a beat.
On the arms of the three Skyward Legionnaire corpses, he did not see the Black Tortoise Division insignia. In fact, there were no identifying marks at all!
"What's going on here?"
By all accounts, Skyward Legionnaires should always bear insignia. If they were removed, why did other enemy scouts along the way still have theirs?
This made him increasingly suspicious.
"Could it be... there's a second Skyward Legion unit here?"
The thought sent a jolt through his heart.
"What's wrong?" Behind him, the Lion Demon caught up.
"It's nothing. Just found a few Skyward Legionnaire scouts' corpses. Shortbeak and his crew did well." The Monkey King turned and pulled the Lion Demon back with him.
Louis Quickpaw, who had been following closely, noticed the change in the Monkey King's expression and immediately signaled the little demons to dispose of the three corpses.
If there are other Skyward Legion units nearby, who are they? And why wouldn't they bear insignia?
One question after another surfaced in the Monkey King's mind, prompting him to think carefully.
Not bearing insignia certainly isn't because they're wary of Drake City.
Right now, in the eyes of the Skyward Legion, Drake City is practically their ally. Besides, most demons don't understand the differences between Heavenly Court divisions; even if they saw the insignia, it wouldn't matter. To them, any Skyward Legionnaire is the same.
Could it be they're wary of the Black Tortoise Division at South Heaven Gate?
Louis Quickpaw hurried up and, lowering his voice, quietly asked, "My King, those just now... seem to be from a different unit than the ones we saw before."
The Monkey King gave him a cool glance and replied, "No one else can know about this, understood?"
Louis Quickpaw nodded tactfully. "Understood, sir."
Glancing back at the dozens of demon leaders following behind, the Monkey King quietly slipped aside and took out the Jade Tablet used to contact Shortbeak. "Shortbeak."
"I'm here." Shortbeak's voice quickly came from the other side of the Jade Tablet.
"I saw the three corpses in the canyon. Was that your work?"
"Yes... but I noticed something strange."
"What did you notice?"
"I just saw a two-man Skyward Legionnaire squad encounter a three-man Skyward Legionnaire squad... and then the three-man squad killed the two!"
"What?" The Monkey King's eyes widened slowly. "Did one side have the Black Tortoise Division insignia on their arms, and the other had nothing?"
"Yes. The ones who struck had no insignia whatsoever. Also, the Black Tortoise Division seemed shocked but didn't intend to kill. And..." Shortbeak paused briefly before continuing, "We've lost contact with two of our squads, and I can confirm it wasn't the eastern scouts who did it... We're tracking every squad from their side with multiple teams."
The Monkey King's expression instantly froze.
Clearly, the worst-case scenario had happened. Another Skyward Legion unit was hiding here... and it was likely far more dangerous than the known enemy forces. At the very least, they were well aware of his side's movements!
But for now, their true purpose remained unknown.
"Does anyone else know about this?"
"A few more here—six or seven—have seen it too."
"This must not be leaked! When the fighting starts, don't return to join the battle—keep up surveillance and reconnaissance."
"Uh..." Shortbeak hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Alright, I understand."
Putting down the Jade Tablet, the Monkey King's expression grew even more grave.
Everything seemed to be unfolding in a direction he hadn't anticipated—a hidden enemy lurking in the shadows...
Who could it be?
For now, all he could do was take it one step at a time. No matter what, he had to defeat the enemy in front of him first.
If he missed his chance, there would be no way to match the Black Tortoise Division, which commanded ten thousand Skyward Legionnaires and dozens of massive warships. Then, they would truly be at the mercy of others.
Soon, the mighty demon army crossed the canyon and reached the eastern entrance.
According to plan, they would challenge the eastern army of the Black Tortoise Division here.
"At their current pace, it'll take at least another hour for them to arrive. Everyone, take your positions as assigned last night. Make no sound, and do not reveal your location. The number of enemy scouts will surge at close range—if we're discovered, our ambush will be ruined."
All the demons immediately scattered in silence.
The Monkey King and Louis Quickpaw led the weaker demons and the flying units, armed with longbows, up the northern cliff. Big Bull and the Lion Demon took a large group of powerful demons, chopped branches for cover, and hid at the western canyon entrance. Rhino and his burly crew circled to the dense woods in the northeast, ready to flank at any moment.
As for the southern marshlands, they were left to the serpent demons and crocodile demons, each group led by their own chief.
Soon, all the preparations for battle were complete.
"They're coming," Shortbeak reported.
All the demons held their breath, waiting in silence.
Several Skyward Legionnaire scouts from the Black Tortoise Division lazily flew overhead, glanced briefly at the battlefield, and then turned back.
Soon, in the sparse woods to the east, several large white banners appeared, each bearing the characters for 'Sky' and 'Tortoise.'
[Irrelevant system message, skip translation.]
A large wave of Skyward Legionnaires strolled toward them, cursing and joking along the way, as if on a leisurely outing.
General Shay lounged in his sedan, dozing off at a crooked angle.
"General, General Shay?"
"Huh? What is it?" He groggily opened his eyes.
"We're almost at the canyon ahead. Next..."
"You guys handle it from here. Haven't I already told you what to do?" He rubbed his eyes, clearly annoyed.
"Yes, sir."
After a few steps, the young officer seemed to remember something and hurried back, "General, some of our scouts haven't returned on time."
General Shay snorted, "Punish them when they get back. They're probably avoiding the march and wandering off somewhere, those brats."
"Understood." The young officer saluted and jogged to the front of the column.
"Halt—!"
The Skyward Legionnaires at the front quickly stopped, and those behind slowly gathered.
Hidden in the grass, atop trees, along cliffs, and in the marshes, the demons stared at the Skyward Legionnaires with bloodshot eyes, their hands gripping weapons so tightly the wood creaked.
In stark contrast to the relaxed laughter of the Skyward Legion, every demon's nerves were stretched to the limit—the tension was suffocating.
The Monkey King even began to worry: if a single Skyward Legionnaire made a suspicious move, would these demons erupt before he could give the order?
......
"General, the eastern army is completely surrounded by demons," reported General Skyler.
Amid swirling mist, Marshal Silver still stood on the warship's deck, sword in hand. After a brief silence, he asked, "Has the fighting started yet?"
"Not yet. Amazingly, they haven't even realized they're surrounded."
"Hmph. Fine soldiers, brought up by King Virūḍhaka. Never mind, let's keep watching."
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[Irrelevant acknowledgments and reader notes. Skipped translation.]
[Irrelevant acknowledgments and reader notes. Skipped translation.]