"The intelligence is accurate."
Shen Xingchen continuously scooped up congee with a spoon and then put it down, cooling it, while he chuckled, "Among them, Xinghe has 33,000 people, Canglong has 28,000, Hancheng has 26,000, and Linyuan Xianyu has 25,000. These four major guilds alone have mobilized over 100,000 troops. With the addition of other small and medium-sized guilds, the total number of players in this expeditionary force will surely exceed 200,000."
"So many..."
Lin Zhao frowned and said, "It seems they are indeed aiming to destroy the two demon encampments."
"Indeed."
Shen Xingchen said, "The ratio of players to demons is 1:2, meaning each player only needs to kill two demon soldiers to complete the mission."
"We can't calculate it that way."
Lin Zhao laughed, "Killing two ordinary demon soldiers is not a problem for a single player, but what about those in the Upper Five Realms? Can one player still kill two? I'm afraid even thousands of people wouldn't be enough to kill them. Besides, the people in the demon encampments aren't foolish; they'll certainly have strategizing demon advisors. Su Xinghe is being too idealistic."
"They don't care."
Chen Xue said, "This expeditionary force of over 200,000 people even calls themselves the 'Crab Corps,' the meaning is self-evident. The first to eat crabs, they want to experience what the current demon race is like in the Northern Territory. After all, during the closed beta, we players never had large-scale battles with the demon race. The ten people in the beta only skirmished, never truly showcasing the status and role of players."
"Mm."
Shen Xingchen said, "That's why Su Xinghe is initiating this. They don't actually care. Even if they are annihilated, it at least shows that the Xinghe, Canglong, Hancheng, and Linyuan Xianyu guilds are willing to bear the moral responsibility for the Huaxia region. They just want the reputation."
"It's just tough on me."
Lin Zhao rubbed his temples, "I originally wanted to sleep early tonight, but with the expeditionary force arriving, I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Why?"
Luo Man frowned, "They fight their fight, why can't brother sleep?"
"It's simple," Lin Zhao said, "With the expeditionary force arriving, there will inevitably be a major battle in the Northern Region. If the expeditionary force wins, it's fine. But if they lose, the demon race will take advantage and attack Xueyu Tianchi. If I'm not there... things will likely go terribly wrong."
"True."
Chen Xue said, "However, you don't need to be online waiting for them so early. They start their mission at midnight and won't depart from Shanhaiguan until one o'clock. They'll arrive at Xueyu Tianchi at least by five in the morning, so you can sleep for five or six hours."
"Okay, great!"
Lin Zhao finished his late-night snack and went online before midnight. He quickly drew talismans, obtaining many Swift Talismans and Immobilization Talismans, then logged off. He set his alarm for 4:50 AM, took a shower, and went to bed with his bedding.
...
Xueyu Tianchi.
North of Jiuzhangyuan, a majestic mountain range stood tall on the land, stretching for hundreds of miles. This mountain was called Panyun Mountain. Most of its peaks were relatively flat and not very high, at most a few hundred meters. However, several peaks within the mountain stood out, piercing the clouds. Coupled with its treacherous terrain, the human race and the demon race had fought several battles in this mountain range during the Xia Dynasty, deeply understanding its defensibility, hence its name, Panyun Mountain.
Currently, the nearly 400,000 troops from the two demon encampments had completely withdrawn from Jiuzhangyuan and were stationed on Panyun Mountain.
The command tents of the two encampments were merged into one on the mountainside.
At this moment, seventeen people were seated in the command tent, including the thirteenth-realm great demon Fu Sheng. After the battle of Xueyu Tianchi, Fu Sheng had lost three of his life-bound bamboo slips, a considerable loss. However, he had fought valiantly on Xueyu Tianchi and even saved the life of the great demon Lu Hai, so the Demon Ancestor had bestowed rewards. As a result, Fu Sheng's thirteenth realm had become stable once more.
Beside Fu Sheng sat a woman in a white dress, whose beauty was so captivating that a single glance from her eyes could shake the soul of any man in the world. Beneath the white dress, her graceful and alluring figure was breathtaking, yet none of the demon men present dared to look at her for too long. The reason was simple: she was the most beautiful woman in the demon race, Nan Qingfeng, a thirteenth-realm cultivator.
Once, many reckless individuals among the demons couldn't control their eyes when they saw Nan Qingfeng, their gazes lingering on her face, her chest, and her back for extended periods. Afterward, these reckless individuals would no longer have eyes.
Nan Qingfeng was not only beautiful but also exceptionally powerful in combat, second only to the four Guardian Elders on the Demon Ancestral Mountain.
To Nan Qingfeng's right sat a middle-aged man in a white robe, carrying a sword on his back, enveloped by a potent sword intent. This man was Feng Quan, a twelfth-realm demon sword cultivator and the commander of the tenth demon encampment. He possessed both wisdom and strength, and it was precisely because of Feng Quan's presence that the tenth encampment's strength far surpassed that of the ninth.
To Feng Quan's side sat a demure young girl in a cyan dress, with a beautiful face that exuded the aura of a lady from a distinguished family. On the table before her lay a cyan oil-paper umbrella. She looked like a human maiden, but a faint golden dragon horn protruding from her hair revealed her true identity.
Long Zheng, a twelfth-realm demon sword cultivator, her true form was a蛟 dragon (Jiao dragon) that had traveled extensively and was close to transforming into a true dragon. She was a distant relative of Lu Hai. However, Lu Hai was currently only an eleventh-realm cultivator and not a sword cultivator, so this young girl might not even spare Lu Hai a second glance.
To Long Zheng's right sat two demon men. One wore a cyan long robe, and the other wore a gray and white robe. Both were great demons with profound auras and dense demonic energy. The one in the cyan long robe exuded a faint scholarly air and was named Lu Xiuyuan, a twelfth-realm cultivator. The one in the gray and white robe was named Wu Li, also a twelfth-realm cultivator.
Following them were a group of eleventh-realm cultivators led by Bai Ye, totaling ten eleventh-realm great demons. Combined with the previously mentioned figures, the demon race had deployed a total of two thirteenth-realm, four twelfth-realm, and ten eleventh-realm cultivators, making a total of sixteen great demons in the Upper Five Realms.
However, at this moment, all the great demons were silent. After Fu Sheng coughed, all eyes turned to a woman in a black robe, her entire face covered by a black veil and a hat.
This woman was disheveled, with threads of golden silk used to mend her body. These silk threads were a method the demon race used for prolonging life, allowing her to barely survive, but her soul flickered. This was the greatest effort her master, Ning Yuansheng, could achieve – gathering her soul and stitching her flesh together, preserving her at the Nascent Soul realm. Any further decline in her cultivation would render her virtually valueless to the demon race.
Her name was Shi Jungang, a resourceful great demon from the Demon Ancestral Mountain. After the battle of Jiuzhangyuan, her master Ning Yuansheng, relying on his peak thirteenth-realm cultivation, had miraculously brought Shi Jungang back from the brink of death. Shi Jungang, unable to swallow her resentment, insisted on coming to the front lines to face Lin Zhao again. She wanted to win; she desperately wanted to defeat Lin Zhao just once, even if it was just to gain a slight advantage in a formation battle!
"Lord Shi Jungang."
Fu Sheng narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Xueyu Tianchi is currently constructing a teleportation array. What shall we do now? Shall we wait for the teleportation array to be completed? Or shall we immediately march and attack the mountain? Our Upper Five Realms cultivators are sufficient this time. Even if Lin Xingchu and Lin Wanhua arrive, we might not lose to them. Fu Sheng and I can keep Lin Xingchu occupied, and as for Lin Wanhua, Lord Feng Quan and Lord Long Zheng, two twelfth-realm sword cultivators, can handle one twelfth-realm peak cultivator. The remaining ones, like Tu Zhi, are only slightly stronger, but Lord Lu Xiuyuan and Lord Wu Li combined are enough to deal with him. The rest will be handled by the ten True Qi realm demons. Against Xueyu Tianchi, it will be a one-sided slaughter for us."
"Don't rush."
Shi Jungang spoke with a slight lisp, her body not yet fully repaired. She furrowed her delicate brows and looked in the southern direction. "When confronting someone like Lin Zhao, one cannot rely solely on paper strength. Otherwise, the four northern tribes would not have lost. According to the intelligence brought back by Lords Fu Sheng and Lu Hai last time, Xueyu Tianchi currently possesses the Juque Umbrella formation controlled by Tu Zhi, as well as some Mohist mechanical devices. Furthermore, the Great Shang Dynasty has sent 5,000 Vermilion Bird Cavalry to help defend Xueyu Tianchi. Once we attack the mountain, it's likely that Han Yetang from far-off Shanhaiguan, and Chen Xi from Tianji City, will also come. Even if we win, our losses will likely be significant."
Fu Sheng chuckled.
Nan Qingfeng's lips curved upwards. "I believe Lord Shi Jungang is correct. Although we have enough Upper Five Realms cultivators this time, we must still proceed with caution, especially in choosing the timing of our attack. We should maintain control of the initiative, rather than being led step by step into someone else's trap."
Shi Jungang nodded and smiled at Nan Qingfeng.
"How should we arrange our forces?"
Feng Quan cupped his fists and said, "Please, Lord Shi Jungang, enlighten us."
Shi Jungang smiled faintly. "Please have Lords Feng Quan and Bai Ye each dispatch fifty thousand demon soldiers down the mountain to set up camp below Panyun Mountain. Let it serve as bait for our demon race. Additionally, ambush one hundred thousand troops on each flank, tens of miles to the left and right of Jiuzhangyuan. All Upper Five Realms cultivators will remain with me in the command tent. If Lin Zhao carelessly dares to come, we will trap them like a turtle in a jar!"
"Understood!"
Everyone smiled.
...
Five o'clock in the morning.
Lin Zhao logged in. After repairing his equipment, he, along with Tu Zhi and Mu Zha, rode their horses to a cliff in the south of the mountain. At a glance, he saw a dense mass of players ascending the mountain from the south. Many of them were like tourists, even going to the front of Su Shanjun's ancestral shrine to take pictures with a V-sign, enraging Su Shanjun so much that he hid inside his idol, thinking, "Cannot afford to offend, cannot afford to offend."
They had indeed come, and Chen Xue's timing was spot on.
Lin Zhao frowned, turned his head, and glanced back in the direction of Panyun Mountain to the north. He felt a sense of unease but couldn't quite pinpoint why.
...
At the forefront of the expeditionary force.
Su Xinghe, Yi Shi Cang Liang, Yan Yu Han, and Jian Huang, the four alliance leaders, four heavy cavalry players, rode at the front. They ascended the stone steps, and just as they were about to enter the small town, a scruffy man carrying a long sword appeared before them, blocking their path with his arm, exuding an imposing aura. He said indifferently, "What are you doing in Xueyu Tianchi? State your purpose clearly before you can pass through this gate!"
"Gate?"
Su Xinghe looked around in confusion. Where was the gate?