Goddess Nüwa was, after all, the Holy Mother of Humanity. Being spurned by this Sage would not only affect her own fortune, but also bring many hidden dangers.
The Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb were one such danger, and Nezha was another. Who knew whether more might emerge later?
But as for how this should be handled, or when it should be dealt with, they still needed the right opportunity.
After all, words alone proved nothing. The fact was, he had offended Goddess Nüwa. Simply admitting his mistake would not be enough to appease her anger.
Besides, he had always had some questions about what had happened in Nüwa Temple.
Perhaps if he could figure out what had happened there, he might be able to appease Goddess Nüwa's anger.
Meanwhile, after he issued his order, Zhang Guifang had already begun leading the army in an offensive.
To be frank, although the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea looked imposing, they were nothing much.
For one thing, the Seventy-Two Route Lords had their own agendas. Though they had joined forces in rebellion, they still fought separately.
For another, the Seventy-Two Route Lords seemed numerous, but the Human Race was sparse in the North Sea region.
Even combined, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea had fewer troops than the army under Zhang Guifang's command.
Their only advantage was that they knew the terrain of the North Sea. But with Zhang Guifang directing the army with calm assurance, it was hard for them to put up a fight.
Moreover, because of the King's orders, Zhang Guifang had no choice but to strike like wildfire, his army surging forward like a tide.
In a short time, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea were routed, retreating step by step under Zhang Guifang's assault.
However, though the Seventy-Two Route Lords were retreating, they were heading toward the North Sea.
Having learned from last time, Zhang Guifang couldn't help hesitating, afraid the army's morale would collapse again.
But just as he hesitated, the King's next order arrived, leaving him no choice but to lead the army in relentless pursuit.
The Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea had fled to the shore. There was nowhere left to run.
Just then, enormous waves suddenly surged across the North Sea, and a massive shape emerged.
The familiar scene unfolded once more. Zhang Guifang's expression changed drastically, and the soldiers panicked.
The North Sea Demon Race had appeared again. The pressure brought by such a gigantic creature was enough to shatter the army's morale.
Zhang Guifang's face was ashen. He didn't need to think to know what was about to happen.
The army's morale would collapse, the soldiers would scatter, and it would end in a rout.
"At last, it's appeared. But it's only a minor player!" Zi Shou said.
The enormous figure rising from the North Sea was indeed a demon, but it wasn't especially powerful.
He was no longer the ignorant man he'd once been. He had long since familiarized himself with the cultivation system of the Investiture of the Gods World.
The demon before him had entered the realm of Immortals, but it was only an Earth Immortal.
Before and after becoming an Immortal were two entirely different realms, and the Earth Immortal realm was the first step after ascension.
To mortals, an Earth Immortal was already a divine being, capable of moving mountains and filling seas.
But to cultivators, the Earth Immortal realm was only the beginning. In the Investiture of the Gods World, it was near the bottom.
Zhang Guifang was also a cultivator, and he had come from the Interception Sect, but his cultivation was a little lacking.
He had failed to enter the Immortal Dao and remained at the peak of mortal strength. Such a level was also known as a Human Immortal.
The demon from the North Sea was an Earth Immortal. Its enormous size made it a terrifying presence to ordinary soldiers.
Under normal circumstances, it would be just like last time: the army's morale would collapse, and then the troops would be routed.
This had nothing to do with whether Zhang Guifang was capable or not. It was simply the situation, and there was nothing he could do about it.
If he could slay the demon in the North Sea, he could turn the tide. But he wouldn't get the chance.
That was because, besides the enormous demon, other powerful demons had already set their sights on him.
A chill lingered in his heart. The terrifying killing intent made his blood run cold.
Zhang Guifang wasn't afraid of dying, but if the commander were killed in the middle of battle, the army would collapse even faster.
"The worst has happened. The King was too impatient. After this defeat, the situation in the North Sea will be utterly ruined!" Zhang Guifang thought to himself.
At a time like this, he couldn't help resenting the King a little. If the King hadn't been so eager for glory, how could he have suffered such a defeat?
Suddenly, he shuddered. The King was in the North Sea right now. If anything happened to him, wouldn't Great Shang...?
As Zhang Guifang worried, countless soldiers panicked, and the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea gloated,
a voice like thunder rang out across heaven and earth, drowning out the clamor of the battlefield.
"Great Shang Di Xin is here! You little demons dare to invade Great Shang? You deserve to die!"
Under everyone's gaze, a figure rushed toward the shore of the North Sea from afar.
He wore Golden Chainmail and rode the Thousand-Mile Cloud Chaser. What a magnificent sight!
As soon as the figure reached the shore, he slapped the divine steed beneath him and soared into the air, flying straight toward the enormous demon.
He moved swiftly, reaching the demon in the blink of an eye. He raised his hand and struck with his palm.
But in everyone's eyes, one was enormous, like a god or demon, while the other was tiny, like an ant.
What was this? It was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree!
And he was striking with his palm? The two were so different in size—what could he possibly do even if he hit it?
A man was charging at a monstrous beast like a god or demon. Was he going to his death?
"That's the King?" Zhang Guifang murmured, his gaze vacant.
He had just been worrying about the King, afraid something might happen to him after the army's defeat.
Who could have imagined that the King was not only at the North Sea shore, but was now charging at the demon in the North Sea?
What should he do? If the King died at the hands of a demon, what would become of Great Shang?
Horrified by the thought, Zhang Guifang could no longer worry about anything else. He hurried toward the North Sea shore.
But in the next moment, as everyone watched in stunned disbelief, the enormous figure crashed to the ground.
"Rumble!"
The tiny figure struck with his palm, and the demon that had seemed like a god or demon collapsed?
How much strength did that take?
At that moment, this thought filled everyone's minds. It seemed utterly unbelievable, yet it had truly happened.
"The King is mighty! The King is mighty!"
At the sight of this unbelievable scene, Zhang Guifang was the first to react. He immediately shouted, his voice resounding across the North Sea shore.
That man was the King?
For the soldiers of Great Shang, both what they had just witnessed and the news they had just heard were utterly unbelievable.
In that furious shout, the figure had clearly said, "Great Shang Di Xin is here."
Who was Great Shang Di Xin? Naturally, he was the King of Great Shang!
"The King is mighty! The King is mighty!"
Cheers rose and fell as countless soldiers of Great Shang rejoiced, their faces alight with excitement.
That was their King! With a single palm strike, he had brought down a demon as imposing as a god!
With Great Shang so mighty, what did they have to fear?
In an instant, their morale, which had just collapsed, soared. Their fear was replaced by excitement.
The army's morale collapsing, the troops routed?
Not a chance!
By contrast, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea all looked terrified as they stared at the North Sea.
That was the King of Great Shang? How could he be so powerful?
The giant beast in the North Sea had always been the deity they worshipped, the source of their confidence in rebelling against Great Shang.
They had lured the Great Shang army here, expecting another great victory as soon as their deity appeared.
But now, the deity in their eyes had collapsed—and so had their confidence.
"Wretched mortals! You dare act so insolently just because your bodies are strong?"
A thunderous roar shook the heavens and earth. The demon that had just crashed to the ground had stood up again.
A huge head and a thick body—on closer inspection, it was a giant serpent a thousand zhang long.
The Giant Serpent towered in the North Sea, stirring up boundless waves. It truly looked like a god or demon.
The cheers of the Great Shang army abruptly stopped. The Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, on the other hand, recovered from their despair and began cheering again.
"Mortals? I have slain deities before. Today, I'll slay you, you demon remnant!" Zi Shou said gravely.
Against an Earth Immortal-level demon, he had indeed held back just now. What he had shown was merely the strength of his physical body.
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