"You lot still have the nerve to complain?" Old Master Long's face was dark, and he could hardly contain his anger. But he also knew that people's hearts were in turmoil, and he couldn't let the situation deteriorate further.
"Your Majesty, please forgive us!" The group knelt on one knee. In fact, after they returned and calmed down, they realized that they had acted rashly.
With so many people watching, it would be a lie to say that the four of them didn't act like leaders at all.
But staying there carries the risk of certain death. Who are we? How precious are we?
Even if those heavenly generals are dead, as long as we are still alive, we can eventually retrieve them from reincarnation. If we are gone, wouldn't the Heavenly Court fall apart?
The Heavenly Emperor, observing the seemingly respectful yet shifty eyes of the men, knew in his heart that they felt no remorse whatsoever. They abandoned their subordinates of many years without a second thought, showing absolutely no regret. Even if the situation were repeated ten thousand times, these four would probably still do the same.
He suddenly remembered what Lao Liu had once told him, "Among your men, only three are truly capable soldiers. The rest are actually not up to the task. If you don't see this clearly, you'll regret it one day."
I used to scoff at that idea. The power dynamics of the world were already established; I had plenty of time to make those four excellent. Aren't generals all made through experience and training? Give them enough resources, and how much difference could they possibly make in the end?
Indeed, with his intentional allocation of resources, the quality of the Heavenly King Army clearly surpassed that of the Three-Eyed General's Fighting Division. In several military exercises, the Four Heavenly Generals had a slight advantage. Over the years, he had always believed that the Heavenly King Army was his trump card.
Now it seems there's a huge difference. Inside the Heavenly Mirror, even with their commander entangled and their escape formation being frantically looted by the Heavenly King Army, the divine general's troops haven't collapsed. They've maintained their formation and are putting up a fierce resistance.
In contrast, the Heavenly King Army, which he had invested heavily in training, was now trampling on each other, even turning against their own comrades to fight for a teleportation spot; they were nothing but a rabble.
If such an army were to truly fight against the Demon Realm, would it have any chance of victory?
This was the first time the Heavenly Emperor had such concerns.
In previous eras, due to its special geographical location, the Heavenly Court almost only engaged in offense and had no defense. Moreover, it could always deploy troops according to the situation, so it never had to deploy its full force. Of course, this was also related to the fact that the four major powers each restrained themselves.
However, this also resulted in the Heavenly King Army not experiencing a true life-or-death battle for almost three eras.
We miscalculated. We had planned a lot back then, but we never thought of sending the Heavenly King Army to the battlefield for training.
"You lot, stop pretending to regret it here. Get up and go reorganize your men. A large number of demons have gathered outside the Heavenly Court. Although there is a great formation guarding it, it is not completely safe. Immediately organize the Heavenly King Army and intimidate those demons!"
"Yes!" The four beings from beyond the heavens immediately understood.
No wonder the Heavenly Emperor didn't punish them even after such a huge blunder; so that's why—the outer perimeter was protected by demons from beyond the heavens?
Heh, well done, you extraterrestrial beasts!
Now, with San Yan's fate unknown in Vermilion Bird City and Zi Wei also absent, Elder Long can only rely on them. Upon thinking of this, their previous fear completely vanished, and they stood up straight, their backs ramrod straight, which made Elder Long grit his teeth.
A bunch of idiots wasting resources, yet they dare to act like arrogant and powerful warriors. Where do they get the nerve?
But there's nothing I can do now. Just like those idiots thought, I can only rely on them now.
--
"My lord, the soldiers' morale is extremely low. Even if we manage to rally them, their combat readiness will be very poor. Are we really going to go and defend against the great demon outside?"
The deputy general looked worried. They hadn't expected their troops to be so weak. Despite having superior capabilities and resources compared to the general's unit, their performance on the battlefield was simply appalling.
"What else can we do?" Chiguo Tian, who was heading towards the east gate, said coldly, "We've lost face so badly this time. If we don't show some strength now, what will His Majesty think of us? Besides," he lowered his voice, "Those people below are already dissatisfied with the treatment of our Heavenly King Army. If we don't show some strength now, it will be troublesome if they develop rebellious intentions. The Heavenly Court has suffered such a great setback, and His Majesty previously massacred the Heavenly Pool. The lower-level players are still manageable, but those Heavenly Generals born from native demons will probably require more attention."
The deputy general was taken aback. Dhritarashtra was also a political figure with a strong political sense. He was able to become Elder Long's confidant, so he was not bad in terms of intelligence or ability.
Just like now, they easily figured out the current situation in Heaven.
But why did he perform so poorly in the lower realms?
After thinking about it, I suddenly felt a bit lost. Maybe my group of people really weren't suited to lead a force?
"Don't worry too much," said Chiguotian, frowning at his subordinate's panicked expression. "It's not like we're going to have a major battle. It's just about displaying some power in front of the formation to intimidate those extraterrestrial beasts. Once those demons are frightened, we'll decide what to do next and kill some of the fleeing demons. That should be enough. It's not like we've done this before. What are you worried about?"
Upon hearing this, the lieutenant calmed himself down slightly.
Indeed, the Heavenly Kings Army has been responsible for the safety of the Heavenly Court for many years. They have done similar things before, and it is precisely because they can always drive away demons that the lower-level gods and generals maintain awe towards the Heavenly Kings Army.
Although their performance was extremely poor for the past few days, as long as they have dispelled the demons and demonstrated their effectiveness, their image can be gradually improved. Some battlefield habits and experience can also be trained slowly. After all, the quality of the Heavenly King Army is there for all to see, and there is still a chance to make amends.
Thinking of this, the deputy general felt much better. After his celestial generals gathered the troops, before they had even counted half of them, the Heavenly King of the Nation hurriedly said, "Continue counting the rest. The matter is urgent. Let's lead the team over first."
The deputy general hesitated for a moment, then nodded and quickly issued military orders to his men. He understood his commander's anxiety and knew that he needed to demonstrate his abilities. It was normal for his commander to be unsettled at the moment. In fact, such a matter of deterring extraterrestrial demons did not require too many people.
But when he led tens of thousands of celestial soldiers to follow Lord Dhritarashtra outside the East Gate, he immediately changed his mind.
"This"
Even Heavenly Capital was stunned at this moment.
What's going on?
Outside the East Gate, it was pitch black. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the dark, writhing creatures were demons, almost completely enveloping the entire barrier of the East Gate, like dark clouds covering the sky.
That number... it's far more than hundreds of millions.
The lieutenant was also stunned.
How can there be so many?