After his breakthrough, all the meridians in his body were damaged, and his life was like a candle in the wind—ready to be snuffed out at any moment.
Such grave injuries, if suffered by any other demon, would leave permanent scars unless the Supreme Lord Lao himself intervened.
Yet this monkey, relying on the elixirs provided by Miles Moon and his own indomitable vitality, managed to recover in just three days.
By the third day, he could barely get out of bed, and the first thing he did was summon Anna Yang to obtain the incantation for the Cloud Vault technique.
This battle—he must win, no matter the cost!
During these past three days, something incredible happened in the military camp outside the city.
Under Gene Elk’s iron-fisted policies, the rampant desertion vanished!
This change can only be described as "sudden."
Many of the previously indifferent leaders grew active, joining the reorganization. Though their eyes still burned red with hatred as they looked at Gene Elk, at least the newly recruited troops were finally sorted into units and began training.
Though these demons were treated as mere cargo, commanding a force of twenty thousand without training would be unimaginable on the battlefield.
Four more days passed like this.
On the fourth night, three hundred li north of the outskirts of Evil Dragon Pool, the sky was filled with dazzling stars. High above, eighteen hundred zhang from the ground, clouds slowly swirled, as more than a dozen sentinels from the Celestial River Navy quietly fluttered between the mists.
Hidden on the deck of a warship within the clouds, Marshal Tianpeng stood with his sword, quietly raising his head, eyes closed.
Soft moonlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating his face with a gentle radiance, as peaceful as a luminous pearl.
A deputy general slowly approached, knelt on one knee, and saluted: "Greetings, Marshal!"
"What is the situation?" Tianpeng remained bathed in moonlight, eyes still closed.
"Reporting to the Marshal," the celestial officer replied, "The South Heaven Gate fleet is currently a thousand li east of Purple Cloud Azure Wave Pool, advancing toward it."
"How many have come?"
"Ten thousand elite soldiers. Judging by their banners, they should be the Black Tortoise Division under King Virūḍhaka."
"Sending the defense division to attack? How creative."
"Also, our scouts have not seen King Virūḍhaka’s banner."
"Understood." Tianpeng’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"Additionally... Our scouts probed the Black Tortoise Division, but even when we got within ten li, they showed no reaction. It seems... they haven't detected our scouts at all."
Tianpeng fell silent, took a deep breath, lowered his head and opened his eyes to gaze at the empty deck ahead. He pursed his lips and smiled slowly: "Are they here for a picnic...? Hmph. What about Purple Cloud Azure Wave Pool?"
"The defenses at Purple Cloud Azure Wave Pool remain tight. Over the past two days, we have conducted reconnaissance in batches and discovered a city inhabited by demons. Initial estimates, including those in the military camps outside the city, put the number at over thirty thousand. Judging by the banners, it is likely the Serpent Demon King wanted across Southern Jambudvipa with a bounty of a million Gold Essence."
Tianpeng burst into laughter, his star-like eyes narrowing into crescents: "Well done. Every morning, we send troops to besiege them, and return at sunset. After a hundred days of raids, we’ve actually rooted out a demon city. King Virūḍhaka’s abilities have truly grown."
A celestial general standing nearby, wielding a giant axe, immediately sneered: "Once we’ve investigated thoroughly, let’s see what Li Jing has to say for himself this time!"
This celestial general wore silver armor, sported a bushy beard, and stood nine feet tall, with a broad back and strong build. His giant axe was engraved with fearsome demon totems.
The reporting celestial general bowed his head and asked, "What should we do now, Marshal? Please advise us."
"Keep a close watch on all sides and hold your positions!" With that, Tianpeng glanced at the tall celestial general standing nearby: "Tianheng."
Tianheng understood instantly, nodded, and with a light shout, his entire figure leapt into the air, swiftly landing atop the warship’s tower.
Once in position, he closed his eyes, spread his arms wide, and began chanting. Overhead, the sky formed a swirling vortex of clouds, and as he swung his giant axe, bolts of lightning gathered around him.
"Wind—rise!"
With a thunderous shout, the air currents throughout heaven and earth changed direction. The southeast wind shifted, becoming a pure north wind.
The cloud layer concealing the warship squadron began to slowly move toward Evil Dragon Pool.
......
Late at night, inside the grand hall of Evil Dragon City, the Serpent Lord reached into a small chest and scooped up a handful of Gold Essence, his eyes wide as he watched the precious metal slip through his fingers and fall back into the box. His smooth face radiated utter satisfaction.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, look at this... Ah, how beautiful. Today, King Virūḍhaka already sent the deposit. Another fine season for harvesting. These pests are like wild grass—no matter how cleanly I cut them down, next year they’ll grow back outside the city. Hahaha. Jin Zhi, every time I see this Gold Essence, I find them not so annoying after all. Hahaha. Don’t you agree?"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!" Jin Zhi knelt in the empty grand hall and shouted.
Reluctantly placing the Gold Essence back into the chest and closing it, the Serpent Lord looked up and took a deep breath: "How are things in the barracks?"
"Thanks to Your Majesty’s great fortune, all is well in the army. Now we only await the arrival of the Heavenly Army tomorrow."
Under the dim red lights of the grand hall, the Serpent Lord looked down at Jin Zhi kneeling on the floor, and at the four flickering shadows behind him, smiling: "You’ve worked hard this time. Now that rumors are flying, you must not make any mistakes."
"Your servant... will not fail Your Majesty’s trust!" Jin Zhi hurriedly kowtowed.
The Serpent Lord drew a slip of paper from his sleeve and said, "This is the route for the advance. Follow it exactly—no mistakes allowed."
Jin Zhi rose, bowed, stepped forward to receive the slip, then respectfully knelt back in place: "I accept the order!"
Just then, a demon attendant outside the door shouted, "The Cavalry General has arrived!"
——————————————Divider——————————————
There will be more later, but some things still need to be handled.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!" Jin Zhi knelt in the empty grand hall and shouted.
Reluctantly placing the Gold Essence back into the chest and closing it, the Serpent Lord looked up and took a deep breath: "How are things in the barracks?"
"Thanks to Your Majesty’s great fortune, all is well in the army. Now we only await the arrival of the Heavenly Army tomorrow."
Under the dim red lights of the grand hall, the Serpent Lord looked down at Jin Zhi kneeling on the floor, and at the four flickering shadows behind him, smiling: "You’ve worked hard this time. Now that rumors are flying, you must not make any mistakes."
"Your servant... will not fail Your Majesty’s trust!" Jin Zhi hurriedly kowtowed.
The Serpent Lord drew a slip of paper from his sleeve and said, "This is the route for the advance. Follow it exactly—no mistakes allowed."
Jin Zhi rose, bowed, stepped forward to receive the slip, then respectfully knelt back in place: "I accept the order!"
Just then, a demon attendant outside the door shouted, "The Cavalry General has arrived!"
——————————————Divider——————————————
There will be more later, but some things still need to be handled.