In the candle-lit main hall of Cloudrealm Sky Harbor, a military council was underway.
Marshal Silver stood by the massive sand table bristling with flags, arms folded, studying it intently. Around him, a circle of generals stared unblinkingly at the terrain.
Veteran General Ward held a long pointer, explaining the situation in detail.
After a thorough briefing, General Ward said, "Marshal, within a thousand miles of this area, there are not only the lairs of three demon kings but also numerous demon chieftains entrenched here. The power dynamics are tangled and chaotic—a scattered mess. If our forces attack rashly, we may win some battles, but could easily get mired in a quagmire and gain nothing. Sending infiltrators, however, is not difficult."
He paused and bowed, "In my view, the right time for a campaign is after our Western Cloudwatch Harbor is operational. With stable logistics, we can fight a long war. Intelligence will be more accurate, and the situation will greatly favor our forces."
Marshal Silver pressed both hands on the sand table, staring at the flags for a long moment. He asked, "Is the alliance of the six demon kings real?"
"Verified, sir."
"So, if we move against this region—" Marshal Silver picked up the pointer and jabbed it at the raised mountain in the center of the sand table, "—besides the Drake King who might be here now, and the three resident demon kings, we also have to consider the two demon kings from other provinces."
General Ward hesitated, then replied, "Maybe... not just them."
"Who else?" Marshal Silver looked up.
"According to reports, the Nine-Headed Wyrm is here as well."
The generals in the hall erupted in astonishment.
"Nine-Headed Wyrm, Nine-Headed Wyrm..." Marshal Silver muttered the name twice, then laughed and sighed, "What a rotten mess—utterly rotten. So many monsters gathering in a thousand-mile stretch."
All the Heavenly generals, including General Ward, fell silent.
Marshal Silver clasped his hands behind his back and paced. "If we keep letting this go, it’ll only get harder to wipe them out in the future. This must be treated as a top priority."
A junior officer hurried into the hall, snapped a quick salute, and walked briskly to Marshal Silver’s side, whispering, "Marshal, Nathan Young and King Virūḍhaka are here. They say... they’ve come to take King Virūḍhaka away."
Though the officer spoke quietly, every general in the hall heard clearly and remained silent.
Marshal Silver’s face turned cold. After a brief silence, he spoke softly, "Issue my order: hand King Virūḍhaka and the Black Tortoise Division’s commander over to them."
Every general present was stunned, even the junior officer who delivered the message was momentarily dazed.
"Marshal... this..."
"Issue the order!" Marshal Silver commanded in a low voice.
"Yes, sir!"
After the junior officer left, the generals in the hall remained silent, heads lowered, occasionally glancing at Marshal Silver’s impassive face.
After a moment, General Ward asked softly, "Marshal, do we... continue?"
"Continue!" Marshal Silver took a deep breath and said loudly, "The purge of demon kings in the Western Isle has nothing to do with King Virūḍhaka. If we leave such a rotten mess in the lower realm, it will become a major disaster in the future! As Heavenly generals, we are responsible for patrolling the Three Realms. We cannot shirk this duty!"
After a brief discussion, the plan was finalized and all the generals departed, leaving only General Ward behind.
Once the others had left, General Ward bowed and asked, "Marshal, to release King Virūḍhaka like this... did the Jade Emperor mention it when you met him a few days ago?"
"The Jade Emperor did not mention it. This was my own decision. Don’t ask further."
"Understood." General Ward nodded, then bowed again. "Marshal, I have another report. It’s important."
"Speak." Marshal Silver paced slowly, eyes fixed on the sand table.
"There are signs that the demon kings... are in contact with Zhenyuan."
"What?" Marshal Silver was startled, squinting at General Ward. "Zhenyuan of Longevity Mountain?"
"Precisely."
Marshal Silver fell into deep thought at this.
The situation in the Western Isle was truly tangled and complex: Spirit Mountain’s Great Thunderclap Temple, Enlightenment Peak’s Crescent Cave, Longevity Mountain’s Five-Fruits Temple, plus all those demon kings—a hopeless tangle.
After a long time, he sighed, "The Western Isle really is a place where pulling one hair moves the whole body. Looks like our campaign will require careful planning."
After thinking a bit more, he casually asked, "Any news from General Skyler’s side?"
"Nothing yet."
"In three days, if there’s still nothing, order him to withdraw. The monkey demon is dangerous, but we can’t waste too much time or manpower on him."
"Yes, sir!"
General Skyler of Marshal Silver’s command requests an audience with Elder Stillwater!" General Skyler called out again.
General Skyler of Marshal Silver’s command requests an audience with Elder Stillwater!" General Skyler called out again.
Dozens of warships flying Waveblade Banners hovered around him. On deck, the soldiers stood at attention, imposing as mountains.
In the darkness, Stillwater Valley remained quiet, not a sign of movement.
"No response?" General Skyler muttered to himself.
Just as he wondered what to do if Elder Stillwater refused to meet and how to retrieve his men, suddenly a gust of wind swept up sand and leaves, forming a huge, ancient face before him, eyes closed.
The Heavenly soldiers were all startled.
A voice rang directly in the minds of all the soldiers: "Heh heh, General Skyler arrives—pardon my poor welcome, forgive me."
General Skyler remained expressionless and bowed. "Elder Stillwater, I’m a career soldier, not good with formalities. I’ll be direct: you summoned me, so I’ve come. Will you return my men?"
They attempted to infiltrate my Stillwater Valley at night. I heard it was on your orders—true?
"It was my order."
Oh? Heh heh, General Skyler is straightforward.
My Skyward Navy serves Heaven and the Dao, our loyalty as clear as the sun and moon. I sent them into Stillwater Valley to hunt a fugitive monkey demon—now a wanted criminal, extremely dangerous!
Then why not inform me and search openly?
Must I spell it out?" General Skyler snorted.
Elder Stillwater only smiled, saying nothing.
General Skyler raised his head. "Not only do we suspect the monkey demon is in your valley, we suspect you’re sheltering him."
At this, Elder Sky’s brow furrowed. "Isn’t that a bit blunt?"
Danny Crimson burst out laughing. "I like this guy—much better than you roundabout Sage’s Path types. If there’s a fight, I’ll spare him."
Elder Stillwater coughed twice. "So, General Skyler, are you planning to attack Stillwater Valley?"
Surveying his troops, General Skyler declared, "We know Elder Stillwater’s power, and that two of the Nine Sages entered the valley today. I have ten thousand soldiers—not enough to defeat you. But we Skyward Navy aren’t cowards. If you refuse to release my men, we won’t withdraw. As for promises not to trespass in the future—I’m just a minor figure. Above me is Marshal Silver, above him is the Jade Emperor. Even if I agree, tomorrow’s orders could send me off to guard some mountain. I can’t promise, and it wouldn’t matter!"
Heh heh, General Skyler wants a deal with no cost. Do you think I’d just let your men go after sneaking into my valley?
That’s not a choice—it’s the only way. The Skyward Navy never ransoms its own. Either you release them, or you kill them and I’ll report to Cloudrealm Sky Harbor. I’ll take responsibility, and for the rest, you can talk to my marshal.
The generals on deck twitched at this.
The negotiation stalled—even Elder Stillwater could only force a laugh.
Elder Sky stroked his beard. "Are all Skyward Navy this blunt?"
“This one’s especially blunt,” Danny Crimson coughed.
Well? We’re all elders here—don’t be coy. Give me an answer. You don’t want me to surround your valley, do you? If I do, you’ll be uncomfortable, and feeding ten thousand soldiers isn’t cheap. I want results, too.