The night was black as ink, and the fires of war had yet to die.
The meat-grinder battle on the outskirts of Demon City raged on.
Although heroes from across the land had arrived through the Nine Provinces Netherworld Altar and barely stabilized the defensive line, the ghost armies pouring out of the Golden Bridge of Naihe were so vast that they seemed impossible to kill to the last.
Meanwhile, inside Demon City.
The highest Operations Room in the Military Intelligence Branch building was likewise ablaze with light.
Bang!
Zhang Yunqing slammed his fist into the war map, knocking down a swath of black flags representing the ghost armies.
"Those stubborn old fools at City God Headquarters won't shed a tear until they see their coffins!" Zhang Yunqing's face was livid, his narrow phoenix eyes blazing with fury.
Several official documents that had just been returned lay scattered across his desk.
"I already requested the Sea-Calming Pearls and Taiyi Evil-Warding Talismans in storage in my capacity as Deputy Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and those old bastards rejected me on the grounds that 'the front lines are under pressure, and resources require centralized allocation'!"
Zhang Yunqing ground his teeth. He had promised Li Xiang that he would cover all the supplies and manpower for this trip to Linjiang.
But now, City God Headquarters had their hands around his throat, withholding the most crucial top-tier magical artifacts needed to resist the corrosive effects of the River of Forgetfulness deathwater.
"They're using this opportunity to undermine our bureau's authority!"
The intelligence staff officer standing beside him said cautiously, "Young Marshal, although we've suppressed news of the Commander-in-Chief's disappearance, those Powerful Elders at City God Headquarters aren't fools. They must have noticed the weakness within Beiyang."
"At a time like this, they