After dismissing the attendants, only Ian Song and Serena Fox remained in the Imperial Study Hall.
Ian looked at her and asked, "How is Lynette Ji doing now?"
"She is me, and I am her. We have already become one." Serena Fox replied softly.
Hearing this, Ian was slightly taken aback, and a faint sense of melancholy welled up within him.
"Your Majesty, are you grieving for Lynette?"
Suddenly, Serena Fox's demeanor shifted, losing some of her coquettish charm and gaining a gentle beauty. "Actually, Your Majesty need not be sad. Though we have merged into one, all those memories remain vivid as ever."
As she spoke, a tender affection appeared in Serena Fox's eyes.
"Let it go."
Ian waved his hand, "Let's talk about the alliance instead. What terms does the Tiger King want?"
The Demon Race is made up of three major clans: the Land-Beast Clan, the Sky-Wing Clan, and the Sea Clan. Of these, the Land-Beast Clan has two Monster Gods and is the strongest; the Sky-Wing Clan has only one Monster God, but thanks to their innate ability to fly, the Land-Beast Clan can't suppress them. The Sea Clan has no Monster God, but their numbers are vast—especially the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, who are countless. However, once the Sea Clan leaves the water, their strength drops sharply.
Over the years, the three branches of the Demon Race have fought endlessly, each wanting to unify the others and become Monster Emperor, but none has managed to prevail.
"Why don't Your Majesty state your terms first?" Serena Fox resumed her alluring demeanor.
"Two-thirds of the Devil Race's territory will belong to the Human Race!" Ian Song said gravely.
"Your Majesty, don't you think that's a bit greedy?" Serena Fox sneered.
Ian wasn't offended. He smiled and said, "No, even if I don't ally with the Demon Race, I'm confident I can take down the Devil Race!"
Upon hearing this, Serena Fox's expression changed, her tone carrying a hint of threat. "If Your Majesty wants everything for yourself, our Demon Race won't agree—we're not afraid to die."
Faced with Serena Fox's threat, Ian simply smiled, unconcerned. "If the Tiger King doesn't want to cooperate, I can choose the Eagle King instead. If I promise to help the Sky-Wing Clan become the imperial lineage of the Demon Race, the Eagle King surely won't refuse me!"
Serena Fox's face changed again, her stunning features turning gloomy as her gaze flickered. Finally, she smiled once more, her eyes soft and watery as she stared at Ian. "Your Majesty, I was only joking with you just now."
"Hahaha!"
Ian burst out laughing. "I was joking with Princess Seven as well. As for the Devil Race's territory, I want four-fifths!"
"Impossible!" Serena Fox exclaimed, but quickly got up and walked over to Ian, reaching out her soft, pale hand to gently stroke his chest. "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. I know I was wrong."
"And what exactly was your mistake?" Ian asked.
Serena Fox giggled sweetly, then settled herself into Ian's lap, her lotus-like arms wrapped around his neck as she breathed softly, "Your Majesty, can you really bear to bully a delicate girl like me?"
Feeling the soft, boneless body in his arms, Ian felt a sudden surge of heat in his lower abdomen and thought to himself, 'She really is a fox spirit.'
He reached out and wrapped his hand around her slender waist, whispering in Serena Fox's ear, "Four-fifths is non-negotiable. If we succeed, I'll help the Land-Beast Clan deal with the Sky-Wing Clan."
As he spoke, Ian's other hand quietly slipped under Serena Fox's dress, gripping a spot as tender as a bamboo shoot. He thought to himself, 'The feel is absolutely perfect.'
"Mmm..."
Serena Fox let out a low whimper, her whole body collapsing into Ian's arms, her eyes flashing with seductive electricity. "Your Majesty, but one-fifth is too little. I'm afraid I can't answer to the Tiger King—what about two-fifths? Tonight, I'm all yours."
"Haha!"
Ian laughed again, then stared coldly at Serena Fox's captivating face. "You're not worth that much."
Hearing this, Serena Fox couldn't help but look sad, tears welling in her eyes. "Your Majesty, saying that makes me feel so heartbroken."
"Leave." Ian withdrew his hand and commanded coldly.
Seeing Ian's sudden change of expression, a flash of anger and shame crossed Serena Fox's eyes as she left his embrace. But this mission concerned the Fox Clan's status—if she succeeded, the Fox Clan would surely rise above the Snake Clan; if she failed, their status would plummet.
So she bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong!"
A playful look appeared on Ian's face. "If you know you're wrong, you must accept punishment. Come here, squat down!"
Serena Fox stood still, her face flashing with anger and embarrassment. Ian didn't rush her, just watched.
After a while, Serena Fox bit her lip and slowly walked over to Ian. Her beautiful face was flushed with shyness as she squatted down, glanced at Ian's slightly bulging pants, reached out, pulled them down, and then lowered her head...
A quarter of an hour later, Serena Fox left the Imperial Study Hall. Her beautiful face was filled with resentment. Thinking back to what had just happened, she felt both angry and humiliated—especially remembering that she had swallowed that filthy thing, which made her feel a strong urge to retch.
One month later.
The Human Race mobilized a ten-million-strong army to attack the Devil Race, and the Demon Race followed up with twelve million troops to launch a joint offensive against the Devil Race.
The Human army split into five divisions, each with two million troops.
In this battle, all kinds of Thunder Grenades, rifles, and cannons made their debut. In just ten days, the border line between the Devil Race and Human Race was breached—three million Devils were killed or wounded, while Human casualties were less than one hundred thousand.
The Demon Race side suffered much more. Without the Human Race's advanced weapons, they had to fight head-on. Although the Demon Race broke through the Devil border, their casualties reached over three million.
With the border breached, the Human army swept in as if entering unclaimed territory, blasting open paths with cannons. In close combat, they combined rifles and Thunder Grenades for devastating attacks. In just half a year, the Human army conquered one-tenth of the Devil Race's territory.
The Demon Race progressed much slower. After half a year, the territory they captured from the Devil Race was still less than one-tenth of what the Human Race had seized.
However, with so much territory taken, the front lines had stretched too far. Ian ordered the army to hold position and rest. Meanwhile, pre-made iron rails were rapidly shipped to the border, and construction began on railways within the conquered Devil lands.
Once the railways were laid, supply issues would be completely solved.
In the real world, building a hundred kilometers of railway would take two to three years, but this is a cultivation world—every worker is a martial artist, far more efficient than ordinary people. To build the railways, Ian mobilized twenty million people, sending many Grandmasters and Martial Saints to help. As a result, several railways, each tens of thousands of kilometers long, were finished in just one year.
Such a feat would be unimaginable in the real world.
Of course, this also relates to the Human Race's population here. In the real world, the total global population is just over six billion.
But in this world, the registered population of the Human Race exceeds eighty billion, with at least ten billion unregistered. Naturally, this world's land area is vast—the Human Race's territory alone is dozens of times larger than the real world, yet it only accounts for one-tenth of the world's total land.