Fortifying Every Step
The One Qi Dao Gate, Great Void Peak.
Three streams of light shot into the main hall in succession, causing the array patterns to surge.
True Lord Wenxuan raised his hand, and three communication Jade Slip hung in his palm; as his Divine Sense swept over them, the Jade Slip slips shattered inch by inch, and jade powder fell through his fingers.
"The Grand Purity Sect claims that the Heavenly Ape Domain is in turmoil and has no time to look south; the Supreme Purity Sect is guarding Clear Blue to the death, on high alert against the Flood Dragon; the Righteous Qi Gate has sealed off the border and is staying indoors."
"As expected."
"Those old foxes, they all want to be the last one standing; since they won't come, Profound Truth Kingdom will have to bear the burden itself."
"At this point, they still can't see the situation clearly; a bunch of idiots."
Wenxuan shook his head, his face full of disappointment. When did the Human Race become like this? They were simply a bunch of parasites possessed by demons.
In comparison, the Devil Cultivator of the Jin Kingdom back then, no matter how despicable they were, still knew right from wrong and what was important. Those who were most concerned about their race were also the first to be eliminated and expelled. Truly, the world is unpredictable.
"Transmit the decree of this deity!"
"Reorganize the nine lower sects and their elders, and select twelve Golden Core True Person to head to the central part of the Huang Province; using the six key towns of Red Rock, Tianxing, Black Water, Golden Edge, Thick Earth, and Qingmu as a base, deploy the Six Harmonies Heaven-Locking Grand Array!"
"If the Nascent Soul cannot be achieved, the outcome will be decided by the Golden Core stage."
"Defend the six cities to the death; those who retreat will have their souls extracted and their spirits refined!"
The decree resounded throughout the entire sect.
The disciples, deacons, and elders all bowed deeply to receive the decree.
"I will obey the Sect Leader's decree!!"
As soon as the decree was issued, the entire Profound Truth Kingdom was mobilized, and tens of thousands of cultivators rushed to the central part of the Huang Province.
And the eastern part of the Huang Province.
The sky was overcast, and the Yao Qi as dark as ink.
After the Demon-Suppressing Pass was breached, the Human Race initially thought that the Demon Race would advance unimpeded, directly into the heart of the Yellow Sands, and further conquer various parts of the Huang Province.
But the beast tide stopped.
On the wilderness, the densely packed low-level Demon Beast did not continue their charge, but instead scattered into the vast plains and desolate Gobi Desert.
On the ruins of a small town that has been captured.
Zhao Xuanqing was covered in blood, and his dark red dog fur stood on end in the wind.
He swung his scaly claws and smashed the underground protective array base, taking away all the Spirit Stone sealed within.
Hundreds of Half-Demon and tens of thousands of low-level Demon Beast poured into the city, demolishing houses, flattening city walls and roads, and excavating Spirit Vein.
In half a day, this once prosperous Human Race city was completely reduced to rubble.
Immediately afterwards, numerous wood, earth, and air-related Demon Beast Demon Beast, such as the Azure Ape, the Boulder Bear, and the Feathered Crane, surged in from behind.
The demons either lay prostrate on the ground, exhaling Yao Qi.
Vines and towering trees burst forth from the earth, growing wildly.
The once arid yellow sandy land is now covered with black, demonic forests at a visible speed, bringing verdant greenery to the barren land.
Or they could use magic to strengthen the soil, fertilize the land, repair the earth's veins and energy, and bring the mountains into order, allowing the earth's energy to flourish and Spiritual Qi to emerge.
Or perhaps it is the flight of Feathered Crane that stirs the atmosphere of heaven and earth, or the descent of sweet rain, or the stirring of pure energy that clears the Heaven and Earth Qi Dynamic, creating places of spiritual significance.
Even more aquatic crocodile demons would dive underground, diverting groundwater and creating swamps that reeked of a foul stench.
This nourishes the earth, allowing water and moisture to grow, forests to thrive, the earth's energy to remain constant, and pure energy to flow smoothly between heaven and earth.
The conversion of farmland back to forest has turned the land into a demonic wasteland.
The cities were wiped out, all traces left by the Human Race were erased, leaving only the dense forests and lakes and marshes most suitable for the survival of Demon Beast.
Across a vast territory, the earth's veins were forcibly twisted, and Spiritual Qi was assimilated by Yao Qi.
High in the sky.
Shi Pan, Kuang Dou, Golden Crocodile, Flame Brown Bear, Yu Tian, and Six-Winged —six Golden Core Demon General— stood on the clouds, scattered across the heavens and earth.
Kuang Dou snorted, spitting out a mouthful of hot sparks, his eyes filled with irritation.
"This method of proceeding step by step is truly frustrating."
"Isn't the Ancestor being overly cautious? In my opinion, wouldn't it be much more satisfying to lead the troops straight through the Huang Province and reach the foot of Great Void Peak?!"
Shi Pan glanced at him, his tone still as steady as a mountain:
"His Majesty has decreed that the Profound Truth Kingdom's foundation remains intact, and Wenxuan is no weakling either. If pushed too far, he will resort to the Nascent Soul stage. How many moves can you withstand?"
Kuang Dou curled his lip, snorted coldly, and didn't refute.
The Shi Pan overlooks the changing landscape below.
"Human Race rely on cities to gather energy and on spiritual fields to reproduce."
"We will destroy its cities, plunder its fields, and completely taint this Huang Province with Yao Qi, merging it into the ley lines of my Myriad Demon Domain. Only then can we truly sever its foundation."
"And if my Demon Realm were to expand by several thousand miles, do you know how many demons it could support, and how many Demon General it could give birth to?"
Shi Pan's gaze was profound. "Once this thousand-mile territory is transformed into demonic land, our rear will be completely secure; from then on, we can advance or retreat as we please, and Human Race cultivators will have no chance to return to this place."
Yu Tian chuckled and replied, "Brother Shi Pan is right. Right now, our clan is strong while the Human Race is weak. We should proceed cautiously, step by step."
"Moreover, the One Qi Dao Gate has built six important towns in the central part of the Huang Province, and according to their movements, they should have deployed twelve Golden Core cultivators to guard them."
"This bone is tough; we have to gnaw on it slowly, we can't rush it."
Six-Winged Golden Cicada hung to one side, its six thin wings vibrating at a high frequency.
"So, how do we tackle this tough challenge?"
"There is a way, of course, fishing."
"If they don't come out, we'll push the demonic soil to their city walls and see how anxious they get. If they reveal a weakness, we can advance further."
"If they remain unmoved, that's fine too."
"The eastern part of Gungu Huang Province is the pastureland of my Demon Race race. This harvest is not a loss. It's like cutting meat with a dull knife, one slice at a time."
Central part of Huang Province, Red Rock City.
The city wall is hundreds of feet high and is entirely made of reddish-brown igneous rock.
The array within the city shone brightly, transforming into a massive crimson light shield that enveloped the entire city, protecting it.
Two Golden Core cultivators stood atop the city wall.
On the left is True Person Chihuo, Golden Core Middle Stage; on the right is True Person Iron Stone, Early Golden Core. Both of them come from the Red Iron Gate, one of the nine gates of the Profound Truth Kingdom.
Thousands of miles outside the city, the Black Demon Forest continues to spread daily.
The once flat desert is now shrouded by towering ancient trees, with poisonous miasma churning like ocean waves, and the roars of Demon Beast echoing day and night.
"These demonic creatures repaired the underground energy and strengthened the energy of the entire area."
"And from behind, they continuously brought in all sorts of birds and beasts, intending to carve out territory and enclose it within their demon domain."
"This completely shatters our plans to reclaim our lost territory."
True Person Chihuo sighed, "I never expected the Demon Race to resort to such tricks; if we take the initiative to attack and prevent them from establishing themselves, we will face the possibility of being hunted down at any time."
If left unattended, the longer it drags on, the more likely the eastern part of the Huang Province will be lost; for every inch of land the Human Race loses, the Demon Race grows stronger.
With one side gaining at the expense of the other, their Profound Truth Kingdom will only continue to decline.
Today we cede one city, tomorrow a hundred, until there is nothing left to cede and nowhere left to retreat—that will be the day our nation perishes and our race is wiped out.