Chapter 228 - Invincible Under the Heavens, Long Live the Empress!
"The devils, they've truly betrayed us..." the Ape Saint muttered, his heart nearly shattering.
"Just see if Burning Saint can find them, and you'll have your answer," Moon Fairy said, closing his eyes, his voice heavy with solemnity.
Not long after, Burning Saint returned with a peculiar look on his face, saying, "I searched high and low in the Ancestral Temple, calling out numerous times, but they never showed up."
"To hell with their empty fort strategy!" The Ape Saint growled, his face darkening. He tore up the book titled 'Moral Treatise' right there and then. "Those Endless Netherworld bastards."
The Demon Saints all turned their eyes to Moon Fairy. His guess of a betrayal had shockingly come true!
"You big fool, if we had listened to you from the start and sent our 100 million-strong demon army charging down, our Demon Continent would've been doomed," Burning Saint said through gritted teeth to the Ape Saint.
"Enough, let's drop it. I won't be teaching lessons in cunning anymore," the Ape Saint replied, feeling utterly deflated.
"Lucky for us, Moon Fairy had the wisdom to see through the ruse and saved us demons from a huge loss," Burning Saint said, looking at the fox demon with fervent admiration, his heart filled with immense gratitude.
"Two Demon Emperors," the Violet Emperor said, turning to the Gu Emperor and Red Lotus, "With the enemy forces pressing towards the Ancestral Temple and their true intentions revealed, this is an overt plot. If Forbidden Fate doesn't lead his troops into the Heavenly Realm, we're cornered for a last stand! But if the army enters, they'll fall right into the traps set by devils and Divine Dawn. We're still unclear on what other tricks they might have up their sleeves. What do you think we should do?"
Hearing this, all the Demon Saints looked gravely concerned. The key point was, the Nine Heavens Immortal Army had assembled on their own turf, launching a swift attack. They were running out of time to react!
Everyone turned their gaze to the two Demon Emperors. But the Gu Emperor and Red Lotus remained silent. Ever since the Eclipse Demon Emperor fell in battle, they hadn't uttered a word. The situation was like a massive ship veering uncontrollably off course.
For some reason, when they saw Eclipse perish miserably before them, a flicker of fear ignited in their hearts. It felt as if an invisible crimson net had ensnared their eyes, leading the entire demon race by the nose. Who was the master of this net? The War Princess? Divine Dawn?
"Two Demon Emperors..." the Burning Saint said solemnly, "Please show us a way forward!"
The Gu Emperor and Red Lotus remained silent.
Finally, Moon Fairy said, "Inform Forbidden Fate. Whether he chooses to save us or not, it's his call. I'm ready for a last stand. If the Primordial Array won't open, we'll force it open! If not, we march out of the Ancestral Temple and into the palace! For the prosperity of our Demon Continent, what's there to fear in death?"
"Right!"
"We can be the vanguard, opening a path for Forbidden Fate and the 100 million demon troops!"
In that moment, 108 Demon Saints nodded with determination, their blood ignited.
"To fight to the death for survival, to uncover the enemy's secrets, that's our only path now," the Ape Saint declared, the leader among the beast demons, naturally understanding the situation and supporting Moon Fairy.
"There is another way," the Gu Emperor suddenly interjected.
"Please, speak!" the Violet Emperor urged.
The Gu Emperor took a deep breath, glanced at Moon Fairy, and said, "We abandon these millions of demons and break out with the 108 Demon Saints and Violet Sky's officials. With our peak combat strength, we can cut through the Heavenly Realm. They can't stop us unless they activate the Heavenly Realm's gates. Once activated, we can render them useless!"
At these words, the Demon Saints fell silent.
"What a joke!" Burning Saint stood up, his eyes blazing like torches. "Abandoning millions of our kind for our own escape? That's not the conduct of the Demon Continent's heroes! I'd rather die in battle than be a despicable coward fleeing!"
"Calm down," the Ape Saint tried to soothe him.
"I am calm!" Burning Saint took a deep breath and said loudly, "I just want to remind everyone that, so far, our Demon Continent and the Heavenly Realm haven't clashed, yet we've been led around by the nose. It's one thing to consider not entering the city with an army of 100 million at the doorstep. But if we, the leaders of the Demon Continent, lack the courage to fight and let ourselves be driven out of the Heavenly Realm, to watch our kin slaughtered before our eyes, then what use are our wretched lives?"
"Everything you're saying, we all understand," the Violet Emperor stepped forward, playing the peacemaker. He thought for a moment, then added solemnly, "But there's one thing we've all overlooked—morale. Morale is the primary element of war. We already have a powerful force, we can't afford to show any sign of weakness. This battle must be fought. Otherwise, if the militant factions in the other four Immortal Empires see the Demon Continent faltering, they'll seize the opportunity to suppress the pro-demon factions within their own nations. Then, if the other four Immortal Empires also join the fight, we'll completely lose our advantage!"
"That makes sense!" The Violet Emperor and Moon Fairy clearly sided with those favoring a last stand.
The 108 Demon Saints were also brimming with battle fervor. They'd been held back too long. Despite their strength, the decision-makers had been too cautious, and they were growing impatient. What was death, after all?
Seeing this, the Gu Emperor and Red Lotus became even more silent. They felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
"Inform Forbidden Fate! And prepare for battle!" Red Lotus stood up, her voice cold and drained, as if saying these few words had sapped all her strength.
Hearing this, the Violet Emperor and Moon Fairy stood firm in their respective stances, their eyes shining with a sly light.
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The bustling streets of the Heavenly Realm, once lively and warm, were now icy and grim.
Countless soldiers of the Nine Heavens Immortal Army assembled, dividing into nine forces like nine furious dragons converging on the Ancestral Temple.
Their discipline was ironclad, their formations unified, their will unwavering, and their hearts held firm beliefs. Years of training and discipline starkly contrasted the motley crowd of demons at the Ancestral Temple, who were more spectators than fighters.
In addition to these tens of millions of Immortal Army troops, there were millions of cultivators from the Heavenly Realm, mostly robust and young.
In the past two days, Supreme Marshal Chen Xiao had reorganized them, bolstering their combat effectiveness significantly. It was clear that these 20 million troops, in discipline and ferocity of thought, were unmatched.
Whether it was the Divine Dawn Empress' declaration of war or their proactive attack today, both were actions of awe-inspiring boldness. This emboldened the once timid humans, shoring up their historical weaknesses. Now they marched towards the Ancestral Temple without fear, even without the Primordial Array.
The Primordial Array was indeed gone. But a new Primordial Array had arisen in their hearts. The power of the inner self was endless!
"Supreme Marshal!" At the front of the army, Sword Saint Sun's heart surged with fervor. He asked, "Will Her Majesty join the battle today?"
"Of course, who else will deal with the Demon Emperors? the Supreme Marshal boomed. Clad in White Tiger battle armor, he stood like a tiger descending the mountain, a pillar of strength for the Nine Heavens Immortal Army.
"I've waited so long for this day..." Sword Saint Sun gripped the amber necklace around his neck, his eyes burning red. Each of the twelve amber beads contained a strand of hair, the last remembrances of his deceased family. His hatred for demons was profound.
For generations, humans despised demons to their core. It had always been demons killing humans, never humans annihilating demons. How many bones of those slain by demons were buried under the land of the Divine Continent?
Sword Saint Sun and his sword remembered every single one. Those who were butchered, whole families sent to the underworld, they never had a chance to speak. Who had the right to pity the demon race for them?
"Today, we must fight! We must win! If we lose, tens of millions in the Heavenly Realm will be turned into blood soul pillars, and tens of billions in the Divine Continent will never see peace again!"
The Supreme Marshal's voice was heavy as he looked back at the millions in his army. "Demons rampant, humanity waning! In our hands, on our shoulders, we bear the peace of countless generations, the dignity and fate of our descendants! All men must die, but we, blessed with unique skills and magic, if not destined for immortality, shall choose to die for our country!"
How could the hatred of their ancestors be forgiven? And who had the right to forgive? At this moment, the Nine Heavens Immortal Army, entrusted with the hopes of tens of billions, clad in armor and wielding magical weapons, knew only the fury of battle, not forgiveness.
"Our ancestors passed down their daoist spells, constructed great formations, forged legacies, creating what we are today! Our lives are not our own. The souls of our ancestors, the glory of a thousand generations, hinge on this one battle!"
The Chen Clan's lineage birthed warriors for generations. Their military spirit was immense! The Divine Dawn Empress' fierce resolve was undoubtedly influenced greatly by her father, Chen Xiao.
Words of valor ignited the will to fight to the death in the Nine Heavens Immortal Army. Coupled with the Divine Dawn Empress' war declaration, they charged like nine dragons, thundering towards the Ancestral Temple!
"Thousands, follow my command, flatten the Ancestral Temple!!"
A grand, thunderous command stirred a storm, engulfing the dark palaces ahead! The great battle erupted, and speed was of the essence in war!
The Nine Divine Guards, the Supreme Marshal, Sword Saint Sun, Nangong Xi, and other powerhouses from the five Immortal Empires attacked from nine directions, storming into the Ancestral Temple!
Breaking through its walls, the endless, brutal, and ferocious demons appeared before their eyes! Cornered, they too fought with a will to die!
In an instant, the entire Ancestral Temple plunged into a sea of war! Faced with these disorganized demons, the Nine Heavens Immortal Army, furious but disciplined, pressed on!
"Suppress them with magic!" Corporals, captains, commanders, generals... a well-ordered hierarchy, the strength of the human army, with teams of ten, squads of a hundred, battalions of a thousand, all systematically arranged!
As the battle commenced, countless group attack spells unleashed like a tempestuous storm towards the Ancestral Temple, ravaging the demon ranks with annihilating force.
"Defend! Avoid close combat with demons!"
"Beware of snakes underfoot, birds in the sky!"
"Form up! Form up!"
Under this layered control, the Nine Heavens Immortal Army advanced like nine precise flesh-and-blood killing machines into the heart of the Ancestral Temple! This was their battleground, the Heavenly Realm!
As humans, the Immortal Army knew the architectural layout of human buildings like the back of their hand, a battlefield they were intimately familiar with. In the past two days, they had pored over the blueprints of the Ancestral Temple dozens of times, rehearsing their strategies hundreds of times. All this preparation was for this once-in-an-age battle for vengeance.
"There's only one chance! If we fail to take the Ancestral Temple, there's no hope left for the people of the Divine Continent!" It was this belief that reddened the eyes of every human warrior, fueling their fervor even in the face of the demons' ferocious onslaught. And the soul of this belief was the Divine Dawn Empress!
"Has Her Majesty joined the fight yet?" Countless human cultivators gazed ahead with fervent eyes. They were confident in the ground battle, but in this war of Immortals, the clash of peak powers could turn the tide!
At the most intense moment—
BOOM! Blood-red thunder roared in the sky, countless lightning serpents swirling, shrouding the skies above the Ancestral Temple!
Thunder rolled! Amidst the thundering, a figure in a golden-red dragon robe and a nine-bead crown, wrapped in dense blood-red lightning, soared into the clouds, imposing like a supreme sovereign, dominating the skies above the Ancestral Temple!
At that moment, the 20 million-strong army of human cultivators went wild.
"Our Empress, invincible under heaven, may she live forever!!!"
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