All-Out Assault

Si Ming thought for a moment and figured it was probably just the kid's pride acting up, especially since three Nascent Spirit Transformation had suddenly appeared. So he didn't try to stop him, but simply warned, "Be careful on your way back. If you get captured and taken hostage, I won't come to your rescue."

"Hmph, so long-winded. You'd better watch out for your own romantic troubles."

Si Ming was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses, realizing that he was the only man left.

Chapter 690 The Final Attack

In the main battle zone's central military camp, Xing Daozhuang and a group of generals sat solemnly around the sand table, not uttering a word. The atmosphere was unusually oppressive. Standing to Xing Daozhuang's left was the general's strategist, and to his right was Spirit Transformation Grandmaster.

Most people weren't looking at the chess pieces representing the enemy and their own armies on the sand table, but rather at the shadow clock placed on it. The undisguised anxiety in their eyes proved that they wished time could pass even faster.

The tactics had already been formulated and discussed countless times. Although no one thought the final revised tactics were perfect, it was the best strategy they could come up with. It took all aspects into consideration, not seeking to achieve a surprising victory, but only to be safe and leave no loopholes. Besides, there was no more time for them to formulate a new strategy.

The shadow hand of the timer gradually moved toward the mark marked with red. With less than ten minutes left, even the generals present, who were used to seeing big scenes, found their breathing becoming heavy. Those with slightly weaker nerves couldn't help but clench their fists, making a clattering sound.

Seeing this, Xing Daozhuang wanted to ease the tension, so he said, "Although we have discussed this many times before, I will reiterate it again. You should all know that this battle will completely change the situation on the entire battlefield and will become the turning point of this war. As long as we win this battle... no, as long as we achieve our strategic objectives, the Demon Race will have lost 90% of the battle, and there will be no way to turn the tide."

Standing on the right, Lord Yunxia smiled and said, "The Demon Race has not yet noticed anything amiss. We have already won this battle. As the Fayun, 'Thus, the skillful warrior places himself in an invincible position and does not miss the opportunity to defeat the enemy. Therefore, a victorious army first secures victory and then seeks battle, while a defeated army first engages in battle and then seeks victory.' Thunder King's strategy is 'first secure victory and then seek battle.'"

A general opposite echoed, "Indeed, the strategic objective has already been achieved. The remaining battles are merely the harvest of victory. As the Fayun of war says, 'He who wins a battle before it is fought has many calculations in his favor; he who loses a battle before it is fought has few calculations in his favor.' This battle is a victory won in the court."

Others chimed in, quoting classical texts and using various methods to flatter Xing Daozhuang, praising him as the greatest general of all time. Of course, they did this to relieve the pressure in their hearts.

As a long-term undercover agent, Xing Daozhuang's cautiousness and self-reflection were ingrained in his very being, becoming second nature. Naturally, he wouldn't make the mistake of being carried away by success like someone else. Even when praised by everyone, he remained unmoved, saying, "The greatest contributor to the success of this plan is Senior Wu God-Burying Coffin Witch. If it weren't for her concocting the corpse poison that can spread with the wind, we would have been like a skilled cook without rice to cook."

Although Yu Shuying addressed Xing Daozhuang as her senior uncle, he was not of the same generation as Wu Xiu still addressed her as a senior. Everyone present did the same; Wu Xiu's seniority was the same as her age.

"Senior Wu is a master of medicine and Grandmaster of both medicine and poison; this matter is a piece of cake for her."

"That's right. Fifty years ago, Senior Wu was already a renowned master. No one could cure the poisons she concocted. Before I entered the martial world, my master warned me never to provoke her disciples, lest I die without even knowing how."

"This time, it's all thanks to Senior Wu. I never expected she could actually concoct a corpse poison that works specifically on corpses. Those Demon Beast, when feeding on their own kind, probably had no idea they were actually consuming a death trap."

"Corpse poison is not uncommon, but the 'Blood-Rupturing Powder' concocted by Senior Wu can be dispersed by the wind, and it doesn't take effect immediately after ingestion. It only takes effect when the battle is intense and the Qi and Blood are at their peak, which is very rare. If it weren't for the fact that it's a slow-acting poison, the Demon Race probably would have already noticed it before we even had a chance to poison all the Demon Beast in the war zone."

"I think the more important thing is that the ingredients used to refine 'Blood-Rupturing Powder' are all common items, without heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to concoct a dosage that could poison millions of Demon Beast."

The Blood-Rupturing Powder was not a poison formula that Wu Xiu concocted on the spot, but rather one that Wu Xiu had advanced to the Spirit Transformation. After all, inventing a new poison is just as difficult as inventing a new medicine, and it is impossible to rely on last-minute cramming. This is also the reason why Xing Daozhuang invited Wu Xiu instead of other medical masters— Wu Xiu had lived long enough and had a sufficient reserve of poison formulas.

The Blood-Rupturing Powder was once considered a useless poison formula. After Wu Xiu invented it, it was thrown into a corner to mold. Although the poison was colorless and odorless, and the method of administration was secretive, its effects were remarkable. However, it was too difficult to use it to kill an enemy. It didn't necessarily require a corpse as a medium; raw meat with blood streaks would also be effective. But unless you were a savage, who would eat raw meat?

Even if you want to use "duck blood vermicelli" or "pig blood" as a medium, it won't work. As long as you boil it in boiling water, 90% of the toxicity of the Blood-Rupturing Powder will be eliminated.

However, this seemingly useless poison formula became the key to the war between humans and transvestites, a development no one could have predicted.

To poison millions of Demon Beast, the amount of medicinal herbs needed would undoubtedly be astronomical. But that's only for an individual or a civilian organization. If it were a nation, consuming so many medicinal herbs at once would certainly be painful, but that would be all. If it could eliminate a million enemy troops, it would undoubtedly be a very profitable deal. Not to mention that the Su Kingdom among the nations is mainly composed of Agricultural School Medical School of medicine, and it is rich in medicinal herbs.

After obtaining the poison formula from Wu Xiu, under Xing Daozhuang's command, the governments of the various countries operated with unprecedented efficiency. They prepared all the necessary dosages in just two days and completed the poisoning of all the Demon Beast in three days. During these three days, all the garrison troops raised no-battle signs to prevent the Demon Beast from being poisoned prematurely due to battle.

While some may have escaped, Xing Daozhuang didn't intend to poison all the Demon Beast to death. As long as the vast majority were eliminated, the Demon Race wouldn't be able to cause any trouble, and the Human Race could deal with them at their own pace.

Without the millions of Demon Beast acting as accomplices, relying solely on demon soldiers, Demon General, and Demon King, they are at best a powerful Evil Dao organization, posing a certain threat, but they shouldn't even think about shaking the foundations of the nation.

Seeing everyone praising the God-Burying Coffin, Lord Yunxia said with dissatisfaction, "If it weren't for Thunder King's keen insight, would you, as commanders, have thought of using Demon Beast to devour the corpses of your own kind?"

Everyone already knew that Lord Yunxia was a die-hard fan of Xing Daozhuang, so they weren't surprised by her protest. No one would be foolish enough to contradict Thunder King at this critical moment, so they all changed their tune and praised Xing Daozhuang, since Wu Xiu wasn't present anyway.

"To be honest, it's one thing for those Demon Beasts to be ignorant and foolish—after all, they're just beasts—but it's another that neither their Demon Marshal nor that mysterious North Sea Demon King noticed anything amiss with their subordinates. Soldiers not knowing their generals, and generals not knowing their soldiers—this is the path to defeat."

The generals unanimously agreed, criticizing the Demon Race generals for their ignorance of military strategy.

Only Xing Daozhuang knew that it wasn't that the Demon King was indifferent to the cannon fodder below, but rather that he was too busy to spare the time. The Demon King was plotting to eliminate "Mad Ink," who had recently gained immense popularity and was regarded as one of the saviors of Human Race.

When Xing Daozhuang met with Nether Lord, one of the reasons he did not stop the matter was that he wanted to use Si Ming as bait to attract the attention of the Demon King and the Demon Marshal and delay the time when they discovered that their subordinates were poisoned. Otherwise, why would those Demon Marshal have cooperated so well and stopped attacking for three days? They don't care whether you have raised a truce or not, nor do they need to abide by the rules of Human Race war.

Xing Daozhuang believed that with Si Ming's strength, regardless of whether the Demon King succeeded in the assassination, he would have to pay a corresponding price, and this amount of time was enough for him to complete his plan.

Just then, someone suddenly shouted in a shrill voice, "Time's almost up!"

Everyone quickly looked closely and saw that half of the shadow needle had entered the red line, meaning that there was less than half a minute left of the agreed time. So they all turned their attention to Xing Daozhuang.

Xing Daozhuang did not disappoint the eager gazes of the crowd, nodding and saying, "In the name of the Allied Forces Commander-in-Chief, I hereby order the commanders of all military regions to begin the general offensive. Success or failure hinges on this!"

The group replied in unison, "Yes, sir!" and then filed out of their tents to carry out their tasks.

Then the messengers who were already prepared sent out secret telegrams. Although the military commanders already knew about the general offensive plan, they would still launch the attack when the time came, even without the order. This was just a formality.

Lord Yunxia looked intently at Xing Daozhuang, knowing that if this battle succeeded, Xing Daozhuang's reputation would reach an unprecedented peak. He would be remembered by the world as the savior of mankind, at least in the Northern Continent. People would worship him as a great hero, offer him a longevity tablet, and record him in history, revered by hundreds of millions of people.

Lord Yunxia felt a sense of pride that she had not misjudged him.

Before long, a deafening roar erupted outside the camp, a cacophony of drumbeats, shouts of battle, and explosions... The sounds were deafening, and even just imagining them conjured up a vivid picture in one's mind: war drums blaring, smoke billowing, men and horses falling, cannon fire raging, a fierce battle raging, and blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Xing Daozhuang closed his eyes and pondered. These days he had borne unimaginable pressure. Even with the composure of Spirit Transformation cultivator, he felt quite overwhelmed. The position of Commander-in-Chief was both an honor and a responsibility.

Although his true form is that of Monster Race, and the stern and impartial Thunder King is merely a mask he wears, the mask, worn for so long, has become ingrained in his true face. He has long forgotten what his face looks like—selfish and cowardly? Heartless and ruthless?

Xing Daozhuang couldn't remember anymore.

For decades, he has played the same pre-set role day after day, to the point that he has even forgotten his real name. After all, if a person's acting skills can't even fool themselves, how can they deceive others?

If my true identity is revealed, how will those who see me as a hero view me? Will I fall from grace and become a pariah?

--Was sacrificing so much really worth it...? No, I only chose to infiltrate the Monster Race. We can't put the Mohist School before the horse. Thunder King is just an identity I'm using.

Even if I wanted to continue this act, the Remote Heaven Society wouldn't allow it. They would expose my identity sooner or later Non-Self could make up my mind to Unity of the Sacred and Evil, or Turning Evil into Sacred.

A jumble of thoughts filled Xing Daozhuang's mind, making him extremely annoyed. He suddenly swung his palm, overturning the sand table in front of him.