"Your Majesty, there are so many North Sea Demon Race members. I'm afraid we won't be able to defeat them by force in this battle!" Zhang Guifang said in a deep voice.
The Yao Race were inherently stronger than ordinary humans. Leaving aside everything else, their sheer size alone gave them an absolute advantage.
Although there were some cultivators in the army, there were not many of them. The army was still composed mainly of ordinary humans.
Although he commanded the army at this moment, how could the army alone fight against so many demons?
"What do you plan to do, my loyal subject?" Zi Shou asked calmly.
In fact, there were not that many members of the Yao Race currently appearing in the North Sea, and all of them had low cultivation.
There were probably dozens of Earth Immortals among them. The rest were below the Earth Immortal level and had yet to amount to anything.
They only appeared numerous because quite a few of them were actually sea beasts from the North Sea.
According to his understanding, only those who had awakened their spiritual wisdom and understood cultivation could be counted as members of the Yao Race.
Although the sea beasts in the North Sea were enormous, they had not awakened their spiritual wisdom and did not understand cultivation. They could only absorb the essence of Heaven and Earth by instinct.
However, despite that, sea beasts were enormous. Their rough hides and thick flesh alone made them impossible for ordinary humans to deal with.
"Your Majesty, the Yao Race are causing chaos. This is something Heaven and Earth cannot tolerate. Any cultivator who learns of this will surely lend a hand!
"I was born into the Interception Sect. I can invite experts from the Interception Sect to come out of seclusion and help us. Suppressing the remnants of the North Sea Demon Race will certainly be easy!" Zhang Guifang said.
His idea was simple. To suppress the remnants of the Yao Race in the North Sea, cultivators naturally had to take action.
Since he came from the Interception Sect, the first thing he thought of was to invite its experts out of seclusion. Suppressing the North Sea Demon Race would then be effortless.
"For matters concerning the Human Race, why should we trouble the experts of the Interception Sect?" Zi Shou said.
Having the Interception Sect's experts take action while he sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight was indeed a possible solution.
But as the Human Sovereign, how could he request outside assistance when facing foreign enemies, especially the Yao Race?
"Your Majesty, this battle is dangerous. How can we suppress the North Sea Demon Race with only the people we have?" Zhang Guifang urged.
He was becoming anxious, afraid that His Majesty would lose his head and lead the army in a charge against the North Sea Demon Race.
The strength of the two sides was utterly disproportionate. Inviting experts from all over was the best choice. How could they act on impulse?
"Enough. I have my own plans. Go set up camp first and keep a close eye on the Yao Race's movements!" Zi Shou said.
He naturally would not be foolish enough to use the army to suppress the North Sea Demon Race, but he had no reason to worry at this moment either.
Although the Yao Race before him were numerous, in his eyes, they were nothing more than chickens and dogs.
There could not possibly be only these few members of the Yao Race in the North Sea. How to resolve this hidden threat in one stroke was the most important matter.
Moreover, the Exposition Sect was stirring up trouble in secret. Who knew what tricks they would come up with?
However, this was also an opportunity—an opportunity to completely pacify the North Sea!
In the depths of the North Sea, two figures stood on the vast, rippling sea. Their gazes pierced through the void and looked toward the North Sea shore.
One of the figures wore a black robe. His body was concealed within its loose folds, making his build and appearance impossible to see.
The other figure was tall and imposing. Although he had a human form, horns grew from his head, making it obvious at a glance that he was a member of the Yao Race.
Anyone familiar with the North Sea would have been able to recognize him. He was none other than the North Sea's publicly acknowledged overlord, Jiao Demon King.
Jiao Demon King had dominated the North Sea for many years. His cultivation was profound and his strength formidable, so few people dared to provoke him.
Yet at this moment, the North Sea overlord, Jiao Demon King, wore an expression of complete respect as he stood behind the Black-Robed Figure.
"Crown Prince, are we really going to obey the Exposition Sect's orders and help them deal with King Zhou?" Jiao Demon King asked in a deep voice.
In the past, when they helped the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea rebel, they had merely sent two members of the Yao Race to take action.
But this time, the Exposition Sect had suddenly ordered the North Sea Demon Race to mobilize in force. This was no good thing.
"The Exposition Sect is powerful. If our Yao Race wants to participate in the Canonization of the Gods, we cannot offend them!" the Black-Robed Figure said.
His voice was somewhat low and hoarse, sounding strange and even a little sinister.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Black-Robed Figure had concealed not only his face but also his voice.
"Even so, we can't send the North Sea Demon Race to their deaths!" Jiao Demon King said.
The Human Race was currently at the height of its power. Making enemies of them was not a wise choice.
"It won't come to sending them to their deaths. We're merely putting on a show! We're cooperating with the Exposition Sect, not submitting to them!" the Black-Robed Figure said.
Helping the Exposition Sect was acceptable, but allowing the North Sea Demon Race to suffer heavy losses for that purpose was absolutely impossible.
Just like now, although there were many members of the Yao Race at the North Sea shore, they were nothing special.
Even if all these members of the Yao Race died, it would not count as a significant loss to the North Sea Demon Race.
Giving the Exposition Sect an explanation would be enough. Taking advantage of this opportunity to achieve his own goal was the most important thing.
Hmph! Those self-important fools have repeatedly brushed me off. It's time to teach them a lesson! the Black-Robed Figure thought to himself.
Deep in the North Sea, quite a few Great Demons had survived from ancient times. Every one of them possessed profound cultivation and formidable strength.
He was the legitimate Demon Emperor, and all members of the Yao Race should submit to him. Yet these Great Demons refused to acknowledge him.
If the Yao Race had not currently been weakened, he would have slaughtered those old fellows long ago to make an example of them.
But those Great Demons had always been outwardly obedient while secretly defying him. His patience had reached its limit, and this was the perfect opportunity to intimidate them.
"Hmm? The Great Shang army is moving. Are they preparing for a large-scale attack?" Jiao Demon King asked in a deep voice.
The Black-Robed Figure temporarily set aside his thoughts and focused his gaze on the North Sea shore.
Since yesterday, after the Great Shang army had reached the North Sea shore and set up camp, it had remained motionless.
They had thought that King Zhou was afraid. Who would have expected the Great Shang army to launch a major movement after only one day?
What were they trying to do? Did they think that a few mortals could contend with the Yao Race?
How arrogant. This was the perfect chance to teach that King Zhou a lesson and give the Exposition Sect an explanation as well.
Returning to one day earlier, after setting up camp, Nezha hurried impatiently to his master, his face full of anger.
"Master, those demons in the North Sea are too arrogant. Let me go and kill them all!" Nezha said.
After charging alone into the enemy formation and killing an Earth Immortal from the Yao Race last time, he had become the center of everyone's attention.
He was only a three-year-old child to begin with, and after becoming the object of countless people's praise, he naturally became somewhat carried away.
Now that he had arrived at the North Sea shore and seen so many members of the Yao Race, he did not take them seriously at all.
In his view, since he had already arrived, those demons should have fled in panic. Their failure to do so showed that they did not know what was good for them.
Having tasted victory once, he was now itching to fight and make those demons flee in utter disarray.
"Don't worry. You'll have a chance to take action soon," Zi Shou said with a smile.
He naturally did not take Nezha's childish temperament to heart, but he really did intend to let Nezha fight.
"Your Majesty, do you truly intend to send Nezha into battle?" Zhang Guifang asked doubtfully.
Although His Majesty's actions in the face of the North Sea Demon Race were difficult for him to understand, he did not dare say much.
After all, not long ago, he had also suspected that His Majesty was merely eager to gain glory, only to be proven wrong soon afterward.
Although he could not quite see through His Majesty, he knew that His Majesty was definitely not a foolish ruler.
Since he was not a foolish ruler, perhaps this seemingly unreasonable arrangement contained a deeper meaning.
"Since the Yao Race refuse to move, we naturally have to make the first move," Zi Shou said with a smile.
The army had appeared openly at the North Sea shore. It was impossible for the Yao Race not to know, yet the Yao Race in the North Sea had shown no reaction.
Even now, the Yao Race remained in the North Sea and had not come ashore.
If the Yao Race would not come, then they would go to them. This was the perfect opportunity to test the North Sea Demon Race's strength.
On the second day, the army set out. Its orderly ranks stood at the North Sea shore, forming a sharp contrast with the Yao Race in the North Sea.
Zi Shou took one step forward and stood at the very front of the army, gazing solemnly at everyone.
"Since ancient times, humans and demons have been irreconcilable. Today, the Yao Race has invaded Great Shang's borders and slaughtered Great Shang's people. If this can be tolerated, what cannot?
"Today, I will tell everyone this: whoever offends Great Shang, be they gods, devils, or the Yao Race, will be slain no matter how far away they are!" Zi Shou said in a deep voice.
His immense voice reverberated between Heaven and Earth. Behind Zi Shou, the fire of the Human Path burned fiercely, while a Phoenix soared high with wings spread amid the flames.
At this moment, everyone who saw this scene and heard these words changed expression. They all realized what was happening.
As the Human Sovereign, making such a declaration in public represented a proclamation. It had even resonated with the Human Path Luck.
The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao and the Yao Race in the North Sea suddenly realized that this matter would probably be difficult to resolve peacefully.
With the status of the Human Sovereign, issuing such a declaration had already transformed this battle into a conflict between the Human Race and the Yao Race.
What had begun as a rebellion in the North Sea had escalated into a racial conflict. These were two entirely different concepts.
The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao exchanged glances. Although they were somewhat surprised, they did not take the matter to heart.
After all, King Zhou was targeting the North Sea Demon Race, not the Exposition Sect. Why should they worry?
Before you continue