"Seeking death?"
Bai Lan erected a sword domain on the spot, instantly shattering the sword strike Huang Tingyu had unleashed. He sneered, "With your paper-thin twelfth realm, you dare to face me?"
"Huang Tingyu!"
A furious roar echoed from the north, followed by the appearance of a phantasmal projection in the sky – the Demon Ancestor!
The Demon Ancestor's projection, though lacking the imposing grandeur of its first appearance, still exuded majestic authority. Swirling with the world's destiny of the Demon Ancestor, its pair of crimson eyes gazed down upon Huang Tingyu in the wind. Its voice, devoid of emotion, boomed, "As a member of the demon race, you dare draw your sword against your own kind? What benefits did Chu Huaixi bestow upon you, a stray dog, to make you so loyal? Do you not fear annihilation?"
Huang Tingyu gritted his teeth, his body trembling. Behind him materialized the pháp tướng of a yellow dog, revealing that Huang Tingyu himself was a demon, his true form being that of a yellow dog.
"Benefits?"
Huang Tingyu straightened his back with all his might, desperate to avoid succumbing to the Demon Ancestor's pressure and kneeling. He lifted his head, roaring with laughter, "Marshal Chu saved this stray dog in Huangting, reshaped my body and fate, and bestowed upon me the name Huang Tingyu. Is this not a debt of rebirth?"
"Do you truly intend to draw your sword against the Demon Ancestor?"
The Demon Ancestor asked calmly.
"Of course!"
Huang Tingyu roared, raising his long sword into the air. He unleashed thousands of sword energies, expending nearly all his cultivation as a twelfth-realm demon sword cultivator. Half of these sword energies struck the Demon Ancestor's projection, while the other half coursed towards Bai Lan, who was in the thirteenth realm. The sword energies were unstoppable, and in an instant, the Demon Ancestor's phantom dissolved into mist. Its true body was not present, making it utterly vulnerable.
"Seeking death!"
Bai Lan met the strike with a sword, shattering Huang Tingyu's myriad sword energies. A beam of sword light then rose from the ground, sending Huang Tingyu flying backward like a meteor into the depths of the east. A rain of blood bloomed in the air. The deputy commander of the Tianchi Army was now in mortal peril.
...
Before Lin Zhao's position, a gentle sword energy from Huang Tingyu shielded Chu Huaixi's corpse as it landed. Chu Huaixi's body was riddled with bloody holes from the sword strikes, his breath extinguished, beyond any hope of recovery.
"Marshal Chu..."
Chen Yu dismounted and embraced Chu Huaixi. Tears streamed down her face as she looked upon his familiar countenance.
"Marshal Chu!"
Lin Zhao dismounted and knelt on one knee.
Behind them, over four thousand Tianchi Army soldiers also knelt, their mournful cries echoing.
For many years, Chu Huaixi had been a guiding light illuminating the path for the remnants of the Great Chen Dynasty. Now, with Chu Huaixi's death, many felt lost. Was the Tianchi Army still the Tianchi Army without Chu Huaixi?
"Guards."
Lin Zhao rose, his brow furrowed. "Escort Marshal Chu back to the camp. All troops, man the defenses, and await the demon onslaught!"
Based on Lin Zhao's estimation, with Chu Huaixi's death, the demons would inevitably cross Xishan.
Everyone nodded in unison and retreated.
On a simple plank, Lin Zhao, Chen Yu, Wang Jiang, and Liu Ping personally carried Chu Huaixi's corpse. Under the escort of over four thousand soldiers, they returned to the camp. In the freezing snow, an hour later, they held a funeral for Chu Huaixi, burying the renowned "Marshal Chu" atop the highest ridge of Jiuzhangyuan. No tombstone or inscription was erected to prevent desecration by the demons.
Within the camp, over four thousand soldiers of the Great Chen Dynasty knelt facing south, while on the ridge, Lin Zhao led only a few dozen to see Chu Huaixi off.
A roasted chicken and a pot of wine were their only offerings.
"Marshal Chu."
Lin Zhao poured wine at the grave. "This is the highest point of Jiuzhangyuan. Please, Marshal, watch us fight the enemy from here, watch humanity destroy the main force of the northern four tribes. Please rest here. As long as there are descendants of the Great Chen Dynasty, someone will know where you are buried. If I, Lin Zhao, am still alive, I will offer sacrifices here every year."
Chen Yu's face was tear-streaked. "Lin Zhao."
"Your Highness Yu, it's alright," Lin Zhao's address to Chen Yu had changed. At this moment, he had a realization. He had to shoulder the burden of the Great Chen Dynasty. He was the second Chu Huaixi, destined to protect Chen Yu.
"Let's return to camp..."
The young man stood up, his brow furrowed. "The demon army should arrive soon."
"Yes!"
...
That night, a northern blizzard descended upon the land.
The entire Tianchi Army camp was enveloped in the snowfall. In the distance, a demon army had already crossed the Xishan Valley and was pressing close to Lin Zhao's camp.
In the snowy night, the camp's battlements were heavily guarded. Under Lin Zhao's command, the Decisive, Tailwind, Ironclad, and Valiant camps were to hold the fort, preparing for a true head-on confrontation with the demons.
Atop Xishan Peak, amidst the snow, a demon woman clad in fiery red armor smirked. "Although I don't know what happened, their internal affairs must be in disarray. It seems... Wen Shuoyang of Great Shang indeed put immense pressure on Chu Huaixi. Otherwise, this Marshal, skilled in defensive formations, wouldn't have launched a preemptive strike, even losing his life. So, the next one... will be Lin Zhao?"
A camp commander bowed respectfully. "Lord Yuzhi speaks wisely. Human armies are never united. Chu Huaixi of the Great Chen Dynasty has always been an eyesore to the court of Great Shang. After using our demon race's strength to eliminate Chu Huaixi, the next target should be that Lin Zhao."
"As the saying goes, once the cunning rabbit dies, the running dogs are cooked," the great demon Bai Lan sneered. "It has always been this way. Great Shang, with over two million troops, actually used the less than ten thousand soldiers of the Tianchi Army on the front lines. This tactic of using pawns is obvious to anyone. To put it plainly, Wen Shuoyang wished for Chu Huaixi's death, and for the last resisting force of the Great Chen Dynasty to be annihilated."
A demon commander turned and clasped his hands in greeting towards Yuzhi. "Lord Yuzhi, please give the order. Let the entire army advance and raze the human position to the ground!"
"No."
Yuzhi's bright eyes glinted with a dim light. She smiled. "If Lin Zhao lives, I cannot rest easy. We cannot commit the entire army rashly. Let's... issue an order to the First Army to launch a fierce assault on the Tianchi Army's camp. Command them to flatten this camp before dawn tomorrow and bring me Lin Zhao's head. Otherwise, they need not bother returning!"
"Yes!"
"Hmph..."
Yuzhi smirked. She never considered trading one army for Lin Zhao a loss. On the contrary, as long as Lin Zhao could be killed, let alone one army, even two armies, forty thousand demon soldiers, would be worth it. Moreover, with over four thousand elite Tianchi soldiers from the Snow Territory accompanying them to their doom, this deal was even more profitable.
...
In the snow, figures of demon soldiers appeared before the camp. They crouched low, holding beast bone shields in front of them. The demons lacked the craftsmanship of humans, so their military equipment was rather crude. Their weapons and armor were mostly sourced from the Great Wilderness. Their combat prowess, which outmatched human armies, stemmed solely from their innate ferocity.
"Archers!"
Luo Yang raised her hand, her brow furrowed. "Aim at the areas not covered by their shields and fire!"
Instantly, the sound of arrows leaving their strings echoed from the battlements. Streaks of cold light pierced the night, and below the city walls, the demon soldiers cried out in agony, falling in swathes. Although the defenders numbered only over four thousand, the soldiers of the Decisive, Tailwind, Valiant, and Ironclad camps were well-trained and skilled in archery. Under a volley of arrows, hundreds of demons had already fallen.
"A bunch of trash!"
From behind the demon army, someone roared, "What are you afraid of? It's just a camp of four thousand men! Charge! Break through them! Lord Yuzhi said that if you kill enemies today, your achievements will be doubled!"
"Yes, sir!"
A group of demon soldiers, their eyes bloodshot, charged forward. For the demon soldiers, achievements meant opportunities, cultivation resources, the attractive females within the demon clans, and high-ranking authority. These were all things the lesser demons craved.
Above the camp, Lin Zhao, clad in a white robe, stood on the observation platform, watching the battle below. He frowned. "Order the artillery camp to attack and illuminate the battlefield."
"Yes, sir!"
A few breaths later, dozens of cannons from the Valiant camp roared to life. Streaks of fiery shockwaves erupted within the demon ranks, and the smell of scorched flesh wafted through the cold wind.
"Sword cultivators on the wall, don't just stand there!"
Wu Zhi, dressed in female general's armor, pointed her blade forward and called out, "Launch your flying swords to kill the demons outside the city!"
"Yes, sir!"
Within the city, hundreds of sword cultivators in the Lower and Middle Five Realms unleashed their attacks. In an instant, hundreds of dazzling beams of light sliced through the air, shredding the thousand or so demons attempting to charge into a bloody pulp. This enraged the demon generals outside the city, who roared, "Do the demon race have no cultivators? Charge! Trample this camp flat!"
Suddenly, countless demon sword cultivators riding flying swords, demon spirit cultivators piloting magical artifacts, and even demon warriors stomping the earth with thunderous force, emerged to engage the enemy.
On the observation platform, Lin Zhao observed the situation below. He turned and said, "Activate the city protection formation and attack the demon cultivators!"
"Yes, sir!"
As a group of Tianchi Army Earth Master cultivators acted, a golden barrier rose around the city. The charging demon cultivators slammed their heads against it, their blood spilling. Those with lower cultivation levels were instantly annihilated, unable to withstand the backlash of the city protection formation.
"Careful, it's a city protection formation!"
A demon cultivator shouted, "No need to charge head-on. Just attack the formation with magical artifacts. How much power can the human Earth Masters wield? This formation won't last long!"
Thus, a host of demon sword cultivators attacked the barrier with their flying swords, creating a cacophony of clanging sounds along the outer defenses.
"Is that so?"
Lin Zhao frowned and waved his hand. "Activate the sword formation!"
The next moment, a pagoda exuding a rich sword domain energy rose within the city. It was a treasured artifact refined by Huang Tingyu when he was still present. The pagoda stood fifty feet tall, brimming with sword energy. Shortly after, beams of sword light shot out from within the pagoda, attacking the demon cultivators outside the city with exceptionally fierce offensive power.
...
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle.
Comically, by dawn, the demon army's single camp had not even managed to touch the perimeter of Lin Zhao's camp.