Chapter 211 - Destroy the Enemy's Plans, Subdue the Enemy's Spirits!
Moon Fairy, with an air of mystique, hung the heart-shaped jade earring on his left ear. The fox face carved into the jade shone with a supple light, casting an ethereal glow on his face, adding a touch of otherworldly allure.
His silver-white eyes, cold and enigmatic, brimmed with a lethal intent. "They all think I'll run away, but the most dangerous place can be the safest," he mused, a smirk playing on his lips.
Lowering his head, Moon Fairy gazed at his hands and feet, marveling at his Divine Desolation Physique. "After refining the Desolate Essences of two thousand talents from the Demon Continent, and reaching the Late Demon Saint Realm, this body double even surpasses my main body in strength. I must be among the top ten in the Demon Continent now!" he thought. Being in the top ten there likely meant a spot in the top five of the Divine Continent.
Strength and combat prowess were the foundation of all endeavors!
With a hum, Moon Fairy transformed into a wisp of white smoke and floated out of the courtyard.
In the Ancestral Temple, where demons roamed and dark clouds of malevolent mist hung heavy, a silver fox shadow glided through the black palaces and pavilions. He looked coldly at the vicious demons, his eyes growing even colder.
"These beasts, enduring today's humiliation, must be confident in the Demon Continent's upcoming vengeance," he whispered to himself.
Patience came from confidence.
"I didn't expect the Great Merciful Tribulation to drive these demons so much into a corner," Moon Fairy reflected. Though this didn't change the outcome of the war, it had forced the Demon Continent to be on guard earlier than expected. He felt responsible for this unforeseen development and was determined to make amends.
At least, having reduced the Demon Continent's forces by a third, their hastily assembled army of 100 million couldn't match the strength of the elites who had perished. "Apart from the 100 million-strong demon army and a pincer attack, what else are these beasts counting on?"
According to the Divine Continent's intelligence, the Demon Continent's forces consisted of five Demon Emperors, 108 Demon Saints, and an army of 100 million demons.
"Eclipse and Red Lotus endured so much. With Bloody Wail and Tian Lu gone, they must have some ace up their sleeve," Moon Fairy mused. As he made his way through the Ancestral Temple like a ghost, he was thinking about what the demons were hiding alongside his original self.
"The real trump cards are surely known only to the top-tier demons, and they're dangerously powerful..."
Yun Xiao was not overly concerned about his body double's safety. Moon Fairy was an ordinary clone, made special only by the Will of Divine Desolation. If it perished, he could simply create a new one when he came across another Split Body Seed. So, the body double could take greater risk!
In a blink, Moon Fairy reached the deeper parts of the Ancestral Temple, the dwelling place of the 108 Demon Saints. Lady Hua Lian also could have resided here, but her love for peace and quiet had led her to the remote fringes.
Moon Fairy arrived at the entrance of a deep palace, surrounded by monkey demons of all shapes and sizes. Whether in human or beast form, they leaped and scampered through trees and rooftops, their incessant screeching and bare teeth an utter nuisance.
"The Ape Saint, huh..." Moon Fairy chuckled softly, drifting into the palace. He moved like a specter among the monkeys, unseen and undetected. Before long, a courtyard appeared before him, marking the next stage of his daring journey.
In the Ancestral Temple's serene pavilion, a burly man with golden wire-rimmed glasses was absorbed in a book titled "Treatise on Merits." Kneeling before him was a fiery-haired, robust warrior, exuding a mix of confusion and rage.
"Why can't our three Demon Emperors, along with the Violet Emperor, just gang up on Divine Dawn and snuff her out? With her gone, the human race of the Divine Continent would crumble like tofu!" the red-haired warrior exclaimed, his eyes burning with the resentment of the Demon Continent's lost talents.
"The Gu Emperor says that humans can't be underestimated with their cunning tricks. Even a joint attack might not kill her. Plus, she's got the Nine Heavens Immortal Army and a bunch of followers... The most crucial thing is, those four other Immortal Empires hold significant sway. The Demon Continent can only press them by waging an overwhelming war, so they dare not make a move," the Ape Saint replied, setting down his book, his voice heavy with wisdom.
"Those four old geezers? Just Saints at the Establishment stage. They might not even be as strong as you, my king," the red-haired brute scoffed.
"But they hold the human race's ancestral treasures. Although not as powerful as the Primordial Bell of the Heavenly Realm, they can inflict serious damage when fully unleashed," the Ape Saint retorted, his gaze piercing. "You're shortsighted. If humans were so weak, the Demon Continent would've flattened them after the ancient war long ago. Their daoist spells, numerous talents, and myriad strategies, along with their military and magic formations, surpass ours. We've suppressed the Divine Continent for years purely because they're disunited, greedy for glory, prone to infighting, and lack a moral compass!"
The Ape Saint tapped his book "Treatise on Merits" and chuckled. "Humans have many geniuses who write effective things. The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Our Demon Emperors have been sowing discord in the Divine Continent for generations, and our foundations in the Six Immortal Empires will unleash the deadliest morale blow once war breaks out, discrediting everything the human soldiers stand for and shattering their will to fight. Even the mightiest army crumbles like that!"
"I don't get it! I just know to fight hard, kill anyone who crosses me! If someone messes with me, I take them down on the spot!" the red-haired brute confessed, clearly perplexed.
"You'll lose to humans because you don't understand them. They're geniuses of wisdom. Their intelligence makes them selfish, blinded by their own interests, trapped in their own schemes. You just need to know that while the Demon Emperors conquer the Heavenly Realm, we can't let the other four Immortal Empires lift a finger," the Ape Saint explained.
"Even though one's downfall affects the other, those four old men's kin are on our chopping block. Their Empires have been corroded by the likes of Ye Qingtian, riddled with holes. When noon arrives, even if these so-called human Emperors want to fight, their Prime Ministers and Supreme Marshals will hold them back!" Finishing his lesson, the Ape Saint sipped his earthly tea, savoring its endless delights.
In the pavilion, the red-haired brute expressed his bafflement, "Isn't that foolish? After we deal with the Heavenly Realm, won't we just turn on them?"
The Ape Saint chuckled coldly. "That's true, but when everyone's mired in the web we've spun over centuries, do you think it's easy for them to pull away? Unless..."
"Unless what?" the brute inquired.
"Unless our Demon Continent goes solo against the Divine Dawn in the Heavenly Realm and loses. Only then will the morale and confidence of the Divine Continent's people truly ignite," the Ape Saint analyzed with a penetrating gaze.
Hearing this, the red-haired brute let out a resigned chuckle. "Then I'm relieved! Just our 100 million-strong demon army can single-handedly suppress the Six Immortal Empires. How could we not conquer the puny Heavenly Realm?"
"It used to be easy, but now with the Primordial Array of the Heavenly Realm and the Nine Heavens Immortal Army bolstered by it, plus their military tactics, it's hard to say without a real fight. The Heavenly Realm now is the Divine Continent's strongest fortress. To conquer it is to pierce the heart of the human race, and that means winning the Divine Continent!" the Ape Saint said, his eyes reflecting profound understanding.
"So, it all comes down to this Divine Dawn! Without her, we'd have no problems," the red-haired brute scoffed.
The Ape Saint shook his head, "Not exactly. Our Demon Continent has seen a surge in talent over the past two generations, reaching a peak since the ancient war. It was time to close in on the Divine Continent. But Divine Dawn, like a savior sent by the heavens for the human race, indeed foiled our grand plan."
It was such inconvenient timing! With Ye Qingtian's line extinguished and the next generation of Demon Emperors gone, the Demon Continent was teetering on the edge!
At this, the Ape Saint suddenly smiled. "Fortunately, the great catastrophe that destroyed a third of our land also brought a glimmer of hope."
"King, are you referring to the substantial strengthening of the Forbidden Fate Demon Emperor?" The eyes of the red-haired brute lit up.
"Even you know about it?" The Ape Saint raised an eyebrow.
"Just heard a bit from the Burning Saint."
"Keep it under wraps. It's our ace in the hole for conquering the Heavenly Realm. No leaks," the Ape Saint instructed.
"Don't worry, our brothers are well aware!" The red-haired brute grinned menacingly. "Lucky for us, Lady Hua Lian died early, else that traitor would've heard all about it."
In the pavilion, the Ape Saint was about to reveal a secret when he suddenly clamped his mouth shut.
"What else is there?" the red-haired brute asked curiously.
"Nothing, just wait and see." The Ape Saint waved dismissively. "Now leave, I need to brush up on this 'Treatise on Merits' by the humans. Quite an intriguing read!"
"King, you're using their knowledge to outwit them!" The red-haired brute chuckled.
"Indeed, even you, a red-haired baboon, have become cultured after a few days in the Heavenly Realm. It's indeed a fine place," the Ape Saint replied with a smile.
With pride, the red-haired brute thumped his chest, standing up, his eyes alight with anticipation for the impending war. He strode towards the door, but as he stepped out, his body suddenly froze!
Whirling around, the red-haired brute saw a silver-haired youth standing there, his icy white eyes staring coldly at the brute.
"Moon Fairy!" the red-haired brute exclaimed in shock. Before he could react, the silver-haired youth slapped him on the forehead.
SPLATTER! The red-haired brute's head exploded, scattering monkey brains everywhere.
THUD! His headless body, once brimming with excitement, stumbled and fell, reverting to its original red-haired baboon form.
"Moon Fairy?" The Ape Saint leapt up, his fiery gaze sweeping over.
BANG! The door burst into flames, and amid the engulfing fire, the silver-haired youth stood, bathed in golden fire, his cold eyes fixed on the Ape Saint, a chilling smirk on his lips.
The first time they met, the Moon Fairy was just a nobody in his eyes. But now, he was like a spectral fox!
"You dare come here?" The Ape Saint's muscles crackled, his powerful demonic aura swirling around him. Among the 108 Demon Saints, he ranked in the top five, the first among the beast demons.
"Why shouldn't I?" Moon Fairy said with a sinister smile.
"Really asking for death, aren't you?" The Ape Saint's face darkened as he glanced at the red-haired brute's corpse.
"Just you?" Moon Fairy raised an eyebrow. With those words, he transformed into a mist of white fog, drifting away from the Ancestral Temple!
The Ape Saint's thunderous roar shattered a wall as he pursued Moon Fairy. The commotion roused the monkey demons, who scurried to alert the Demon Emperors. But the chaos the Ape Saint wrought was far greater!
BOOM BOOM BOON! The Ape Saint bulldozed through everything in his path—rock gardens, pavilions, even walls of bronze and iron exploded under his fury. His golden, fiery form, like a tempestuous sea, swept towards Moon Fairy's fleeing white shadow. It was a chase between two top-tier demons!
Explosions marked his path, and lesser demons were pulverized into blood dust!
HUM! The Ape Saint transformed into his true form—a golden furred giant ape, the epitome of physical perfection. Where he tread, the earth cracked, palaces crumbled, and his golden flames left nothing but charred ruins.
Moon Fairy, now a three-tailed fox, sped along the ground with astonishing swiftness, almost invisible in his rapid movement.
"What's that?!" Many demons didn't even see what hit them before being incinerated.
"Curse that fox bitch for taking in such a traitor like you, leading to her own demise!" the Ape Saint bellowed, his face contorted with rage.
Moon Fairy didn't bother to reply. He had already darted out of the Ancestral Temple, disappearing into the deep, deserted streets of the Heavenly Realm.
"You can't escape!" The Ape Saint's relentless pursuit crushed everything in its path—streets, buildings, shops—engulfed by his fierce golden fire.
Luckily, the area around the Ancestral Temple was now deserted!
Glancing back, Moon Fairy saw the Ape Saint still in hot pursuit, with other Demon Saints emerging in the distance, but no Demon Emperors yet in sight.
"Busy, are we? What could be so important?" Moon Fairy's eyes glinted coldly. From the Ape Saint's earlier hesitation, he deduced the Demon Emperors were preoccupied with something crucial, likely a disaster looming over the Heavenly Realm's human race.
"Let's go for broke!" Moon Fairy gritted his teeth. If it meant sacrificing his body double, so be it! After a short distance, his three-tailed fox form suddenly whirled around, launching a counterattack straight at the Ape Saint!
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