Jiang Yun closed the roster and swept his gaze over the people below. His voice was indifferent. "I have only just arrived. Everything will remain as it was."
5
"As for everything that happened before, I will not pursue it. From now on, you must work together and handle your duties with care!"
"If any of you harbor ulterior motives—"
Jiang Yun did not continue, but the faint killing intent in his voice sent a chill through everyone in the hall.
"This subordinate obeys!!"
Tiangang General hurriedly bowed. Instead, he felt somewhat relieved.
Although this newly appointed marshal was overbearing, he did not seem to be the sort who would kill without mercy and purge dissidents.
He had strength, methods, and even greater bearing!
Following someone like him did not seem so bad after all.
Ancient Star River.
The star river surged endlessly, boundless and vast.
More than twenty enormous treasure ships, each ten thousand zhang tall, sailed through the star river.
These were the mounts of the Heavenly River Navy—the Star River Immortal Arks!
Each had been jointly refined by immortal craftsmen from the Heavenly Court Artifact Bureau, and each had taken a thousand years to complete.
Unlike the spiritual treasures used by ordinary immortals, the Star River Immortal Arks were inscribed with formations!
They excelled at group attacks!
They had been designed specifically for the Outer-Realm Heavenly Devil Race, whose numbers were terrifying but whose individual strength was mostly limited.
Jiang Yun stood at the bow of the flagship, his robes fluttering in the wind.
Behind him stood a group of strange-looking heavenly soldiers. They wore the standard immortal armor of heavenly troops and generals, yet each possessed six arms!
They were the elites Jiang Yun had drawn from the Six-Armed Clan.
One thousand Mysterious Immortals!
Fifty Golden Immortals!
A total of one thousand and fifty!
Every twenty formed a small squad, commanded by a Golden Immortal captain!
They were Jiang Yun's personal guards!
Their combat strength far surpassed that of ordinary Heavenly River Navy units!
The commander of the personal guards was none other than A Duo, Elder Cangyun's granddaughter and an old acquaintance of Jiang Yun's!
"Marshal."
Tiangang General stood respectfully at Jiang Yun's side and introduced the area. "Look, Marshal. This Ancient Star River is scattered with the three hundred and sixty-five great stars of the heavens, surrounded by another one hundred and eight thousand lesser stars."
"There are also countless smaller stars beyond number!"
"Above the star river lies the Membrane of Heaven and Earth."
"During the era of the Ancient Demon Race's Heavenly Court, Demon Emperor Di Jun expended countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures to establish the Zhou Tian Star Dou Grand Array here, to resist the Outer-Realm Heavenly Devils!"
"Unfortunately—"
Tiangang General sighed. "The War of Witches and Demons affected the Ancient Star River as well, leaving the grand array with many damaged and weakened sections."
"The duty of the Heavenly River Navy is to patrol these weak points and slaughter the Outer-Realm Heavenly Devils that exploit them to enter."
"It is tedious work, and battles are frequent, but the danger is not particularly great."
Tiangang General smiled. "The methods of the various Sages remain within this star river. If a Heavenly Devil at the Demon Venerable level truly infiltrates it, the Sages will naturally act. There is no need for us to worry."
Hearing this, Jiang Yun's regard for the Heavenly River Navy rose another level.
Patrolling the star river and resisting Heavenly Devils!
This was an act that benefited all living beings of the Primordial World. The Heavenly Dao would surely grant Merit as a reward!
It might not be like purifying the baleful qi of Mount Buzhou, where vast amounts of Merit condensed into clouds.
But it accumulated over time. As long as he patrolled every day, Merit rewards would flow in without end.
Drops of water gathered into a river!
Over days and years, the amount would be exceedingly considerable.
As Marshal Tianpeng, Jiang Yun commanded the Heavenly River Navy and would receive at least thirty to forty percent of that Merit!
No wonder Zhu Bajie, the Human Sect's only direct third-generation disciple in later ages, had come to serve in the Heavenly Court.
The Jade Emperor's gift was truly generous!
Just then!
"Report—!!"
"Reporting to the Marshal! Demonic qi has been discovered in the star region ahead!!"
A sharp gleam flashed through Jiang Yun's eyes as he immediately gave the order. "Full speed ahead!"
"Pass down the order: leave none of the Heavenly Devils alive!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Having received the order.
The Star River Immortal Arks surged in speed, traveling tens of thousands of li in a single breath. Before long, they arrived at a ruined star region.
Ahead, demonic qi spread everywhere in a dark, dense mass. There were actually hundreds of thousands of Outer-Realm Heavenly Devils!
They came in all forms, savage and terrifying!
Even the weakest among them were Heavenly Immortals!
"Kill!!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The formations aboard the more than twenty Star River Immortal Arks all activated at once!
Lightning, true fire, frost—
Countless divine abilities unleashed by the formations poured down, instantly shredding swathes of Heavenly Devils!
"Roar!!"
At that moment, demonic qi churned as three terrifying demonic shadows, each thousands of zhang tall, appeared with a thunderous crash!
"Grand Unity Golden Immortals?!"
"Three Daluo-level Outer-Realm Heavenly Devils!!"
"Two early-stage and one mid-stage!"
Tiangang General's expression changed slightly at the sight!
A demonic tide of this level would require a bitter battle even for the Heavenly River Navy!
"Hahaha! Such pure flesh and blood!!"
"Devour them!!"
The three Great Luo Heavenly Devils ignored the other heavenly soldiers and charged madly straight at Jiang Yun's flagship!
"Marshal, be careful!!"
Tiangang General shouted and was about to act.
But Jiang Yun merely pointed with one hand.
"A single demonic tide has three Daluo-level beings. The strength of the Outer-Realm Heavenly Devil Race—"
"Boom—!!!"
Eighty-one terrifying pillars of baleful qi shot into the sky!
Eighty-one Late Taiyi Golden Immortal Baleful Corpses appeared with a thunderous roar!
The Lunar Dark-Baleful Grand Array, rise!
Buzz!!!
The grand array began operating with a roar, and endless baleful qi instantly enveloped the three Great Luo Heavenly Devils completely!
"Ahhh—!"
From within the array came only several terrified and unwilling roars!
After a long while!
The grand array dispersed.
Eighty-one Baleful Corpses stood within the star river, while the three once-arrogant Great Luo Heavenly Devils had already vanished without a trace.
Only three clusters of incomparably pure demonic qi remained where they had been.
"..."
Tiangang General stood beside Jiang Yun, utterly dumbfounded as cold sweat streamed down his back!
"Gulp."
He swallowed with difficulty, leaving only one thought in his mind:
At the Heavenly River Water Palace before, the Marshal had actually held back?!
At the Golden Immortal realm, he had casually suppressed three Daluo beings!
This time, he had not even used a Xiantian Spiritual Treasure!
A monster!
Such combat strength, such talent!
He was absolutely a monster!
Before long, the other heavenly soldiers and generals also finished the battle, slaughtering every remaining Outer-Realm Heavenly Devil.
Quite a few heavenly soldiers and generals actually sat cross-legged and began slowly absorbing the lingering demonic qi.
When Tiangang General Wang Yu saw Jiang Yun's puzzled expression, he hurriedly stepped forward to explain. "Marshal!"
"These Outer-Realm Heavenly Devils possess form but no nature. They are exceedingly strange."
"Although their demonic qi can defile magical treasures and erode the primordial spirit, if one can guard one's true heart and refine the pure demonic thoughts within it, it can instead stimulate and strengthen one's primordial spirit!"
"However, this method is dangerous. One must never absorb too much at once, or there is a risk of qi deviation and being assimilated by demonic thoughts!"
"Oh? It has such benefits?"
Jiang Yun's eyes lit up again upon hearing this!
Primordial spirit?!
He glanced at the eighty-one Baleful Corpses.
Baleful Corpses were dead things to begin with. They acted only according to his will, so how could they suffer qi deviation?
With a thought!
"Roar!"
The eighty-one Taiyi Baleful Corpses began madly devouring the pure demonic qi left behind by the three Great Luo Heavenly Devils like whales swallowing the sea!
Three days and three nights passed in this manner!
When the final wisp of demonic qi had been completely absorbed!
"Boom—!!"
The auras of the eighty-one Baleful Corpses surged once more!
They were no longer far from the Peak Taiyi Golden Immortal realm!
Before you continue