"Pass the order."
Within the demon race's command tent, the great demon Yu Zhi lightly clenched her fist and said, "The first to seventh legions will attack from the front and break through the human frontal positions. The eighth to fifteenth legions will launch an attack from the east. All remaining legions will gather on the west battlefield and launch a fierce assault on the human left flank. Convey my order to the demon and ghost races, and have them jointly launch an offensive with the demon race."
"Yes, my lord!"
...
This was the first day of Lin Zhao's death on the battlefield.
Starting from noon, the demon race's total of 23 legions launched a full-scale offensive. In the afternoon, the demon race deployed the full strength of fifteen divisions, a total of 1.5 million demon cavalry, to attack the human eastern encampments. By dusk, the ghost race's attack horns blared, and swarms of ghoul beasts and giant-mouthed ghost soldiers surged forth. In the air, stone gargoyles with crimson bodies screeched, and on the ground, hulking, foul-smelling giant war corpses, driven by necromancers, charged towards the Snow Region Heavenly Pool with massive weapons.
From the Snow Region Heavenly Pool to Nine Zhang Plain, a vast expanse of dozens of miles, the human race had established 64 encampments. At this moment, these encampments fiercely resisted, supporting each other, utilizing the advantages of rivers, trenches, and caltrop defenses to intercept at every turn. Each encampment the demon race captured required a tremendous price. On the east, the demon cavalry encountered a formation of spears like a forest and arrows like rain. In a single charge, tens of thousands of elite demon cavalry failed to breach even a single encampment; instead, their cavalry was pierced by countless spears. When the demon race's first wave of assault retreated, the ground was strewn with the corpses of demon cavalry and horses.
On the west, the ghost race's offensive was also fiercely intercepted. More than ten human encampments were mutually supported, separated by rivers and trenches. The cannons on the ramparts rained down shells, so much so that after several hours of fierce assault, the ghost race had only managed to flatten one encampment with the advantage of their giant war corpses. To advance further still required paying the price of thousands upon thousands of soldiers.
At this point, the forces of both sides were interlocked on the vast plains north of the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, having already engaged in a chaotic melee. Even if the great demon Yu Zhi saw through the enemy's strategy, she could no longer retreat completely. Therefore, she could only order a sustained assault, deploying all of the demon race's strength, determined to raze the Snow Region Heavenly Pool within three days.
However, things did not go as planned.
For a full five days, millions of troops from both sides continued to fight bloodily on the vast plains north of the Snow Region Heavenly Pool. Ultimately, after the demon, demon, and ghost races paid a considerable and tragic price, they advanced a mere twenty miles. Of the 64 encampments Lin Zhao had originally established in the north, only 21 remained, still fiercely resisting.
At this moment, a "Soldier Immortal's Vanishing Array" deployed by Han Xin deep beneath the Snow Region Heavenly Pool was continuously operating. This immortal array, like a giant funnel, was continuously guiding the luck, fighting strength, morale, and fighting spirit of the northern four races downwards, greatly suppressing the enemy's combat power. Simultaneously, it was feeding back to the human forces, causing every human warrior who stepped onto the battlefield to be filled with fighting spirit and a profound sense of martial intent.
...
That afternoon, the demon race dispatched many great demons of the Upper Five Realms to assault the human positions. The human encampments suffered extremely severe losses. At this critical juncture, Old Marshal Chen Wanli led the human cultivators down the mountain to intercept.
Beneath a magnificent ray of light, Chen Wanli, a peak twelfth-realm martial artist, entered the enemy ranks. With a swing of his fists, he immediately sent a True Return realm demon cultivator flying back dozens of miles. His body crashed through hills, and when he stopped, only a smear of flesh remained. No one could have imagined Chen Wanli possessed such terrifying power. Subsequently, the demon race dispatched five great demons of the twelfth realm to surround and attack Chen Wanli. However, the old marshal, filled with righteous indignation, wielded his iron fists like thunder, resisting the combined assault of numerous great demons.
At this moment, under the nourishment of the Soldier Immortal's Vanishing Array, Chen Wanli had approached the legendary thirteenth-realm peak martial artist realm!
By dusk, one of the five twelfth-realm great demons besieging Chen Wanli had its head torn off by Chen Wanli. Another had its arm broken, and a third was struck in the abdomen by Chen Wanli's punch, its internal organs in disarray. Fortunately, the great demons' physiques were robust; they managed to suppress their injuries and retreated north.
Chen Wanli himself was also not lightly injured. His back bore more than ten sword marks from a twelfth-realm sword cultivator, and his arms were covered in burns from the demon cultivators' spells. However, this old human marshal showed no intention of retreating. With his arms crossed, he stood before a human encampment and sneered, "Yu Zhi, if you have the guts, send more Upper Five Realms. I, Chen Wanli, will accept them all!"
...
In the demon race's command tent.
Commander Yu Zhi gnashed her teeth in fury. She glanced up at everyone and said coldly, "Chen Wanli must be eliminated."
"Agreed."
A thirteenth-realm demon cultivator nodded lightly. "However, under the nourishment of the Soldier Immortal's Vanishing Array, Chen Wanli's realm has been indirectly elevated by half a step, bringing him close to being a half-thirteenth-realm martial artist. Forget twelfth-realm demons; even a thirteenth-realm might not be able to handle this Chen Wanli. To truly kill him, at least three or more thirteenth-realms will be needed!"
"Then dispatch reinforcements!"
Yu Zhi exclaimed angrily, "Guards, immediately send a flying fish letter to Zushan and have Grand Ancestor Demon dispatch three more thirteenth-realm seniors to the battlefield. This battle, I want to send a sufficient number of thirteenth-realms to hunt down this damned Chen Wanli!"
"Yes, my lord!"
...
On the eastern battlefield, the demon cavalry charged straight ahead but was intercepted by the people of Fusu Great Wall before a series of encampments. The thirteenth-realm old sword immortal Lu Xinghe personally oversaw the battlefield. With a single sword light, over a thousand demon cavalrymen instantly fell. The remaining Fusu Great Wall sword immortals and martial artists also took charge of different sectors of the battlefield, intercepting the demon race and preventing their cavalry from advancing south.
The human artillery roared continuously, and the losses suffered by the demon race were unimaginably immense.
At that time, in the demon race's command tent.
Su Chan, the three-army commander of the demon race, stood before the sand table with a furrowed brow and said, "It's been five full days, and my divine race's 1.5 million cavalry advancing south has only progressed less than twenty miles!"
Princess Ming Yu lightly furrowed her brows. "More importantly, in these five days, my divine race has already lost over 300,000 cavalry. In the history of my divine race, when have we ever suffered such a heavy loss?"
A strategist said in a deep voice, "Your Highness Princess, Commander Su, I believe this is Lin Zhao's strategy. He used himself as bait to lure the four northern races into the fray, intending to draw the enemy deep and trap them on the battlefield. I have carefully investigated the peculiar characteristics of the human encampments. They are arranged in a grid pattern, allowing for rapid reinforcement. Once we launch an offensive, we will be firmly ensnared by this vast net, and breaking free will require paying a considerable price."
"The lives of 300,000 cavalry are the price."
Su Chan frowned and said, "We are in a precarious situation now; we can only continue to attack and expand our gains. The demon race has practically thrown everything they have into the fight, with a total of 26 legions committed to the battlefield. If our divine race holds back, the demon race will certainly react with hostility. Humph, I fear Yu Zhi, that shrew, might resort to some underhanded tactics. So, there's no choice. Pass the order: if the cavalry in front is depleted, continue to send reinforcements until all the human encampments are razed!"
"That's right."
Princess Ming Yu said, "We are less than ten miles from the Snow Region Heavenly Pool. Once we capture the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, it will be equivalent to breaking the human race's backbone. At that time, they will collapse like a mountain."
"Indeed!"
...
Another two days passed. Only a meager five human encampments remained north of the Snow Region Heavenly Pool. Nearly 100,000 human warriors defended these five encampments, still fighting valiantly.
At this moment, a streak of snow-white sword energy descended from the sky, striking heavily above an encampment, instantly washing it in blood, almost splitting the entire encampment in two.
Immediately after, a majestic fist aura surged from the snowy forest. A twelfth-realm demon martial artist violently punched and crushed the defensive fortifications in front of an encampment into powder.
In the air, several more figures descended. Various terrifying spells erupted among the crowds, continuously blasting human warriors into bloody rain.
...
"Scoundrels!"
Above the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, Shao Shiyu clenched her fists and frowned. "How many thirteenth-realms has the demon race dispatched?"
"Seven."
Qin Yushan, with one hand behind his back, looked extremely solemn. This human thirteenth-realm great cultivator was already a prodigy of the human world, but facing seven thirteenth-realm demons, he still hesitated. To truly risk his great Dao cultivation and fight to the death? To fight against superior numbers would mean certain death.
As Qin Yushan hesitated, Old Marshal Chen Wanli stepped forward. "I will face them. Someone must step forward for the human race's peak cultivators."
"Old Marshal."
Qin Yushan frowned. "It's not that I, Qin Yushan, fear death, but if I go, I will truly die."
"What if I die?"
Chen Wanli laughed heartily. "If Chu Huaixi can die, if Lin Zhao can die, then I, Chen Wanli, can die as well! Qin Yushan, you stay and guard the main camp!"
With that, the old marshal, enveloped in a torrent of fist intent, transformed into a beam of light and shot towards the seven thirteenth-realm great demons, shouting, "Human, Chen Wanli, willing to fight you all to the death!"
At the same time, a brilliant light shot up from the east. A figure, riding a soaring sword, charged towards the seven thirteenth-realm great demons, laughing, "Human, Lu Xinghe, willing to fight you all to the death!"
In a flash, two human experts, along with the seven thirteenth-realm demons, charged towards the distant snow forest, choosing their own battlefields.
...
In front of a human encampment that had already been captured by the demon race, a misty figure rose from a mountain of corpses and seas of blood. He wore white armor and a cloak, with an ancient sword radiating immortal energy strapped to his back. His handsome face had sharp, star-like eyes. He let out a soft sigh, appearing on the battlefield in the form of a soul, something he had not anticipated.
Not far away, a similarly misty and imposing figure also rose from the battlefield – Bai Lan, the thirteenth-realm great demon who had been beheaded.
"Seven days have passed..."
Bai Lan chuckled wryly. "Returning to the living on the seventh day?"
Lin Zhao looked at him and lightly raised his hand to grasp the hilt of the Dragon Slaying Sword.
"Alright, alright..."
Bai Lan waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head with a wry smile. "We're all dead men now, what's the point of fighting anymore?"