After returning to Frostbane Imperial Palace, Evan Chu headed straight for the main hall. With the Zane Zuo crisis finally resolved, the looming Immortal-Beast war was now the biggest headache. He had to gather everyone and figure out how to respond.
And as for Zane Zuo’s Coldshroud Imperial Palace, it was time to fold it into our own territory. That would make Frostbane Imperial Palace the unchallenged top power in the Immortal Realm.
Evan Chu sat at the head of the hall, gazing down at Frostbane Imperial Palace’s core members. “The Immortal-Beast war is right around the corner. What do you all think? I haven’t been in the Immortal Realm that long, so I don’t know all the ins and outs. The other powers are busy preparing—Frostbane Imperial Palace can’t afford to fall behind, can we?”
“Palace Lord, the Immortal-Beast war isn’t just a contest of top experts—it’s a chaotic clash between Immortal and beast armies. We need enough troops, and a commander who can really take charge. That’s the only way we’ll beat the Immortal Beast army.” an Immortal Emperor Elder said.
“Second Elder’s right. Our army is way too small—we need to recruit on a massive scale. Frostbane Imperial Palace has a lot of cities; if each city sends ten thousand troops, we’d have close to five hundred thousand soldiers.”
“But even that won’t cut it. The Immortal Beast army has at least two million fighters, so we’ll need to recruit another five hundred thousand. That’ll burn through a mountain of Immortal Stones, so Palace Lord, you’d better be ready.” another elder advised.
“Palace Lord, don’t worry too much about the Immortal Stones. We can tap the City Lord’s Mansions for funding, though it might mean suspending taxes for a while. You know as well as anyone—a real army needs solid material support.”
Right now, Frostbane Imperial Palace’s strength matches Martial Spirit Dominion, but our reserves are way weaker. Plus, a lot of Immortals just don’t want to join the army. Palace Lord, you’ll need to take thunderous measures if you want a real force.” Second Elder added.
Evan Chu wasn’t exactly a battle-hardened general, but he’d once been Grand Protector-General of the Heavenly Dragon Empire. He knew that victory—or defeat—came down to the commanders and the strength of the troops.
Most soldiers are Heavenly Immortal or Golden Immortal, with a few at Earth Immortal. Immortal Beasts are much tougher physically—some giants can take on three or four Immortals at once.
If both sides have similar numbers, the outcome is obvious. That’s why we need to recruit even stronger soldiers—if they’re all Golden Immortal or Da Luo Golden Immortal level, they can fight one-on-one, maybe even one-on-two.
But recruiting soldiers at that level isn’t easy. Like the elder said, most people don’t want to join up—once you’re in, you’re risking your life in every battle.
Evan Chu scanned the crowd, his mind racing with strategies. If he could gather the strongest experts into a special force, that army would be unstoppable—a true juggernaut that could smash the enemy’s lines.
But to build such a force, the members would need to be at least Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal realm—Immortal Lord would be even better. Evan Chu was already making plans.
He glanced at everyone and announced, “I’ve made up my mind. We’ll recruit another five hundred thousand ordinary Immortal soldiers, all below Da Luo Golden Immortal. This must be done within ten years.”
“We’ll also form two elite legions—one made up of Da Luo Golden Immortals and early Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortals, the other of mid Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal to late Immortal Lord experts.”
Grand Elder, Second Elder, pass my orders to every City Lord. Prepare lists of all Da Luo Golden Immortal and late Immortal Lord experts—I want them drafted. Anyone who refuses will be executed without mercy.
The Immortal-Beast war is every Immortal’s duty—cowards have no right to stay in this world. Tomorrow, we’ll seize Coldshroud Imperial Palace. I’m sure we’ll recruit plenty more soldiers there.”
Evan Chu’s edict stunned the entire hall into silence. Forcing even late Immortal Lords into the army was unheard of in the Immortal Realm, but his words carried absolute authority—no one dared object.
Seeing their doubtful looks, Evan Chu added, “This isn’t shameful—once the war’s over, you’ll be free again. Besides, I can’t afford to support so many high-level experts for long.”
Blazefire Immortal Lord and Grand Elder will handle Da Luo Golden Immortal recruitment. I’ll personally oversee Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal and Immortal Lord enlistment. We’ll begin once Coldshroud Imperial Palace falls.
“Palace Lord, a lot of Immortal Lords probably won’t accept your orders. This is going to be a tough job!” a Protector said.
“Won’t accept? No one in the Immortal Realm dares defy me. Anyone who refuses will be executed—no exceptions. If you won’t fight for the Immortal Realm when it needs you, your fate is death!”
Anyone here who won’t obey will face the same fate. My word is final—be prepared.” Evan Chu’s kingly aura sent chills through the crowd.
“Of course, I won’t let anyone down. After the war, I’ll reward everyone according to their merit—the greatest contributor will receive one of the Immortal Realm’s finest treasures. You’ll find out what it is when the Immortal-Beast war starts.” Evan Chu continued.
“We’ll complete the Palace Lord’s mission!” everyone shouted in unison. The hall blazed with fighting spirit, as if the battle was about to begin.
“Good! Tomorrow, four elders will come with me to Coldshroud Imperial Palace; the rest will hold Frostbane Imperial Palace. When I return, we’ll launch the plan. With our special armies, I’m sure we’ll win.”
I’ll name these two armies the Heroic Eagle Legion and the Overlord Legion. With them, the whole Immortal Realm will be proud.” Evan Chu declared.
The council ran long, but everyone’s blood was pumping. With a rare genius and peerless powerhouse like Evan Chu leading them, hope for victory in the Immortal-Beast war soared.
Evan Chu then returned to his new chambers. The council was too important for the women to attend, and his quick return left them no chance to talk.
“Evan, how did the battle with Zane Zuo go?” Yvonne Xuan asked.
Evan Chu recounted the fight with Zane Zuo, leaving the women shocked—none expected his Immortal Infant to escape to the Demonic Realm.