Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 680
"Is this true? Such a dreadful army named 'Nether World Watch' is lurking in the North Pole?"
"Demon God Virus? Uncontrollable mutants? This—this is too scary!
"Why are the demons turning into the appearance of human beings and human beings now look more like demons?"
For many soldiers of the demon race, their worldview collapsed in that moment.
Hong Yuntao stared at the new information without batting his eyes. It was not the shocking picture that he paid attention to but the sophisticated experiment data.
The impeccable data cast Hong Yuntao into deep thought.
Videos could be faked however extraordinary the visual and sound effects were, but the data, which was internally linked, could not be fabricated easily.
"False. That is all false!" Jin Tuyi gnashed his teeth. "This is all part of the Star Glory Federation's strategic deception. You are just trying to buy yourself more time!"
Li Yao burst into such laughter that tears were flowing out of his eyes. "The Eye of Blood Demon has collapsed. So many demon emperors and elite soldiers have been killed. You cannot possibly launch a large-scale attack in the next three to five years. Is there any need for me to buy more time?
"Jin Tuyi, believe it or not, the fatal spores are hiding inside your army right now!
"The Eye of Blood Demon has been destroyed anyway. For the time being, you will not be able to start a new attack. So, why don't you perform a full examination on the soldiers here? I guarantee that you will certainly find the spores!
"One last reminder. The wormhole leading to the Heaven's Origin Sector has been completely closed. The spores will not reach the Heaven's Origin Sector. Therefore, they will only be trouble for the Blood Demon Sector!
"It doesn't matter to me whether you believe me or not. After all, even if Elder Nether Spring bursts into fury and turns to his last resort, the worse-case scenario is that the Blood Demon Sector will become a living hell and all the soldiers, as well as your family, will be transformed into zombies. Do I really care about that at all?"
Jin Tuyi was trembling in anger. The tip of his every feather was turning crimson, as if he had donned a big, red battle robe. He raised his right arm high and pointed at Li Yao like a saber.
"Commander, what are you doing?"
Sensing that Jin Tuyi's killing intent was soaring, Hong Yuntao's face lost its color as he dashed to Jin Tuyi and said in a low voice, "I feel that what the guy said is not entirely pointless. The Eye of Blood Demon has been destroyed. Our morale has hit rock bottom. We have lost the war. What use is there in killing him right now? Let's figure out how to clean this mess up first!"
Jin Tuyi glimpsed at him coldly.
"Look at the soldiers below us," Hong Yuntao added in a hurry. "They are in disorder right now. If even Blood Demon is destroyed by him, what can we expect to compete against the Heaven's Origin Sector with?"
"He couldn't have installed too many crystal bombs in only ten seconds!" Jin Tuyi remarked gloomily. "He is just bluffing!"
"The issue is not whether he can destroy Blood Demon or not!" Hong Yuntao lowered his voice and said quickly, "The real issue is that more than ten demon emperors from the Claw Clan and the Insect Clan, as well as a great number of elite warriors of the Nether Spring Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, have been killed, and their remaining troops are now lacking leadership. We are about to witness an unprecedented change in the history of the Blood Demon Sector, and we must figure out a way to lead the Blood Demon Sector onto a new path! Are we really going to fight until there are no standing soldiers and the Blood Demon Sector is an ocean of fire?"
Jin Tuyi sniffed. Finally, he turned around and glanced at the demon emperors behind him.
Some of the demon emperors were deep in thought, and some were wearing a resolute expression. Some of their faces were unpredictable, and some were written with fury. But it was obvious that none of them were prepared to go forth and die together with Li Yao.
Jin Tuyi's right hand was still in midair, but he could not slash it down anymore.
Right then—
"Aooo!"
The gold-winged falcon below him suddenly shrieked in an ear-splitting voice and knocked him off before it flew higher into sky!
While flying, it was writhing in pain. Countless dark, green pustules appeared on the falcon's body and festered at a visible speed, soon enveloping the beast and turning it into an abnormal monster made of a series of lumps. Then, the pustules all exploded into clusters of dark, green mist!
"This is—"
Everybody was shocked!
The venomous mist raged and spread out.
Jin Tuyi was greatly startled. He retreated hundreds of meters back together with the other demon emperors before commanding a barrage of the devilish warships to burn the 'venomous mist' into nothingness with demonic fire!
"Is this the spore?"
Jin Tuyi's face suddenly turned gray. He mumbled, "Elder Nether Spring planted the spore into my biochemical beast and set the time of explosion in advance.
"If the Eye of Blood Demon wasn't destroyed, I would've been engaged in a fierce battle in the capital city of the Star Glory Federation right now!
"If the spore was suddenly triggered while I was fighting hard…"
Chapter 1031: Yes, Commander! |
Jin Tuyi's words silenced all the demon emperors.
They did not realize that the biochemical beast of the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons could be compromised by the Spore Stratagem.
If that was the case, what about their biochemical beasts and the companions next to them?
If Li Yao had not destroyed the Eye of Blood Demon just now, a lot of them would have entered the capital city of the Star Glory Federation for battle.
When they were fighting hard against the Cultivators of the Heaven's Origin Sector, who could have survived when the spores suddenly broke out?
The coalition army of demons on the ground were watching the scene clearly, too, and saw that their commander-in-chief's biochemical beast had turned into a writhing monster.
The elite soldiers of the demon race were greatly shocked.
Looking at each other in bewilderment, they were thinking the same question. Is what he said just now true? Does the Spore Stratagem really exist? Has he saved us all?
"Do you see it?"
Li Yao was overjoyed by the spore that had broken out at a perfect moment. It was undeniable proof in front of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the demon race.
Waving his arms and legs, he shouted, "Jin Tuyi, if you refuse to change your mindset, your outcome will be exactly the same as your biochemical beast's, as will be the case for all the best soldiers here and all the demons of the Blood Demon Sector!
"The spore that has been lurking right next to you is resolved now, but are you certain that Elder Nether Spring has planted only one spore beside you? What about the other demon emperors? Do they have no spores around them?
"I am heavily wounded anyway, and my crystal suit has exploded. There's no way that I can escape! Even if you are determined to kill me, why must you be in such a hurry? Take some time to examine your army first! If you can't find a second spore, I am willing to cut off my head and give it to you as a football!"
Jin Tuyi's eyes were still resolute and gloomy, but his lips were trembling, indicating that he was in a quite dilemma.
"Commander!" Hong Yuntao coughed and reminded him, "When we drafted the Red Tide Plan, did you not arrange for a medical warship named Bloodborne, which boasts level-6 virus examination abilities, to join the battle formation fearing that our warriors would be scourged by the weird viruses in the Heaven's Origin Sector? Move Bloodborne here and run a test! It is true that he has nowhere to run. We can do whatever we want to him, but we are not in a hurry."
Jin Tuyi blinked and struggled for a long time. Finally, he gritted his teeth and turned around, staring at the rest of the demon emperors.
"Everybody, the Blood Demon Sector has truly come to the most critical juncture. Right now, what counts most for us is unification. Only with unification can we manage to pass through these troubling times!
"Right now, we cannot confirm whether the Spore Stratagem is real or a scheme of the Heaven's Origin Sector.
"However, assuming that the Spore Stratagem does exist, Elder Nether Spring's primary targets for his infection are definitely the demon emperors here!
"As the saying goes, destroy the leader and the gang will collapse. As soon as we are all infected and transformed into his slaves, it will be much more convenient for him to completely contaminate the coalition army of demons!
"Therefore, I must ask you to think carefully. In the original battle plan, who was to be the closest to you after you arrived in the capital city of the Star Glory Federation?
"Not just the warriors but also the demon beasts and the biochemical beasts!
"I am planning to move Bloodborne over and perform a full examination on the soldiers and demon beasts, which may take one day. Are there any objections?"
All of demon emperors looked at each other in bewilderment.
The strongest had the largest voice in the world of demons. Of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector, Jin Tuyi had ranked third before, topped by Elder Blood Robe and Elder Nether Spring.
The mediocre demon emperors, especially those from the Claw Clan and the Insect Clan, naturally respected their own leaders and would not entirely listen to Jin Tuyi's command.
But right now, Elder Blood Robe had been teleported into the Heaven's Origin Sector, only having a slim chance of survival. Elder Nether Spring had been impeached and involved in the mysterious scheme named the Spore Stratagem.
The remaining demon emperors of the Insect Clan, stared at by so many suspicious companions, almost could not wait to prove their innocence. There was no way that they were going to defend Elder Nether Spring.
Jin Tuyi's request was very reasonable. The other demon emperors had neither the strength nor an excuse to defy him.
Hun Yuntao, as Jin Tuyi's hardcore ally, was the first to nod. "Alright. I am going to make a list now. Everybody on the list, including myself, will be examined!"
Of the four giants, one was assumed to be dead, one was currently being suspected, and the other two had the same attitude. Other demon emperors had nothing more to say, and all nodded along.
If truth be told, they were worried that horrid spores were lurking around themselves, too!
"Excellent!" Glimmers blinked in Jin Tuyi's eyes before he quickly declared, "Heed my orders!
"First, the coalition army of demons will set up camp immediately and perform sanitation and sterilization work according to the standard of a level-6 infection! The Demon God Virus cannot withstand high and low temperature. So, prepare the fire and frost weapons, and kill all the infected soldiers suspected to be spores without mercy!
"Second, move the medical warships over, and prepare a rapid virus test immediately!
"Third, list your trusted subordinates and the most indispensable demon beasts and biochemical beasts for examination. Annihilate all of them should there be any anomalies!
"Not only will your trusted subordinates receive the virus test, they will also be interrogated in a deep hypnotization state. Those who refuse to be hypnotized shall be executed instantly!
"Fourth, all the devilish warships must activate their self-destruction rune arrays and aim their cannons at the ground. If any suspected spores are discovered on the ground, blow them up immediately! If too many soldiers on the devilish warship are infected and the disease is beyond control, detonate the entire devilish warship at the earliest chance!
"Fifth, contact Elder Nether Spring right now and ask him to arrive at the Eye of Blood Demon as quickly as possible, partly to supervise the troops of the Insect Clan here and partly to participate in the investigation of the Spore Stratagem!
"Finally, perform emergency maintenance on the Eye of Blood Demon, and try to recover the short-distance teleportation ability as soon as possible!"
Hong Yuntao was dazed. He frowned and said, "The Eye of Blood Demon has been seriously sabotaged. It is not likely to be repaired in a few days, is it? Even if it is repaired, we still won't be able to teleport many troops to the Heaven's Origin Sector since the peak hour of the 'tidal force' is already over."
"Who says that I am going to teleport the troops to the Heaven's Origin Sector?"
Jin Tuyi narrowed his eyes. The agitation and fury a moment ago were concealed in the deepest part of his pupils. He was suddenly more tranquil than ever, but the intense killing intent around his body was still increasing, decorating his body with yet another layer of sharp feathers. "I only want part of the teleportation function of the Eye of Blood Demon to be repaired so that part of the best troops can be sent into Elder Nether Spring's nest in the Nether Spring Kingdom!"
Deep in thought, Hong Yuntao nodded. Then, he suddenly shuddered, and his pupils constricted. He looked at Jin Tuyi in an utterly different way, with shock and fear!
Jin Tuyi patted his shoulder softly, but his giant hands did not leave his hardcore ally's shoulder. He stared at the demon emperors on the spot with a pair of eyes as deep and cold as an ocean while he solemnly said, "A catastrophe is falling right upon our race. We are now in great peril with barely any chance of survival! To preserve the forces of our race, I will resort to any approach necessary! Your trusted subordinates, and even yourselves, if involved in the Spore Stratagem, shall be punished in the most merciless way!
"Carry out my orders!"
"Yes, commander!"
All the mediocre demon emperors were sweating under Jin Tuyi's stare. They all echoed and dispersed, regrouping their troops and summoning their subordinates.
But Hong Yuntao still lingered next Jin Tuyi, wearing a both frightened and confused expression, as if this was the first day that he had met his old friend whom he had been fighting side by side for decades.
Jin Tuyi did not avoid his skeptical eyes at all. Holding his battle saber, he demanded, one word after another, "General Hong, is there any part in my orders that you find confusing?"
In the Pantheon of Demons, they were both among the four giants. One of them was the leader of the Feather Clan while the other was the leader of the Sea Clan. They were equal.
But right now, they were in the middle of a war. In the coalition army of demons, Jin Tuyi was the commander-in-chief, and Hong Yuntao was merely a general.
Theoretically speaking, Jin Tuyi definitely had the right to punish Hong Yuntao mercilessly!
Hong Yuntao glanced at the ground and looked for his own troops.
Because of the savaging tidal force, the elite troops of the Sea Clan had been mixed up with the warriors from the other clans. Also, they had been asked to set up camps and perform sanitation work in a hurry. It was impossible for them to regroup quickly and display their full combat ability.
Although the ocean was a boundless place and there were endless resources at the bottom, the density of resources in a given space was far from that on the continent.
Also, it was very costly to collect resources from the trenches that were tens of thousands of meters deep.
Fire was the source of every civilization. Modern civilizations could not have been established without large-scale metal purification. There were a lot of restrictions at the bottom of the ocean to use fire.
Therefore, although the Sea Dominator Kingdom's territory was an infinite ocean, its comprehensive capability was the lowest among the four major demon kingdoms. It was even weaker than the Gold Crow Kingdom, which governed the sky.
If it were in the ocean, Hong Yuntao would not have been scared to turn against anybody. He was confident to confront even the best troops of the Nether Spring Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lion Butchers with his warriors.
However, he was on the continent right now. The only water area here was the bloody lake that had been half vaporized.
Would a shark not have the most terrible fate when it was forced to land on the beach even though it was fiercest in the ocean?
In the intense staring contest, Hong Yuntao was the first to admit failure. He slightly lowered his head and said, "No, there isn't. Commander, I will summon my subordinates for the examination immediately!"
"Wait."
Jin Tuyi was still holding Hong Yuntao's shoulder, but his eyes were gentler than before. In a low voice, he said, "Blood Robe is dead, and Nether Spring is about to be dead, too. The Kingdom of Lion Butchers and the Nether Spring Kingdom have suffered heavy losses. The Blood Demon Sector will embrace a vastly different future!
"The future is too huge to be enjoyed by the Feather Clan alone, isn't it?"
Hong Yuntao realized where the conversation was going. With a smile, he took a deep breath and nodded, replying loudly, "Yes, commander!"
Chapter 1032: Something's Wrong! |
Inside the command center of the Spore Stratagem in the Nether World Watch's secret base…
If the place had been like an undersea graveyard when the Eye of Blood Demon was destroyed, it was like an undersea graveyard that had been abandoned for thousands of years now.
The picture sent to the retinas of the captains of the Nether World Watch through the wireless brainwaves made their faces more awful than ever.
As the peak hour of the tidal force gradually passed, the three bloody moons in the sky split apart, and the lake was now stable again.
The troops that were mixed together were setting up camps on the spot, building up iron gauze with high-voltage electric arcs and defense rune arrays.
The safety measures were meant to both stop the enemy from rushing in and the soldiers inside from running out.
Many soldiers were wearing flawless anti-chemical suits and breathing from cans filled with compressed air or through filters. Acid cannons were spinning nonstop, looking around at high alert.
