Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 683
They were greeted by not the test rigs but tall, strong, nonchalant officers of the Horn Clan, as well as the bloodstained hammers and primed acid cannons.
As the head of the Dark Clothes Society confessed obediently, one 'referral' gave away more 'referrals'. The dark net that Elder Nether Spring had carefully paved in the coalition army of demons was being uprooted and crushed.
While the secret battle on the ship was going on in silence, Jin Tuyi was engaged in another war on Blood Demon, which was more clandestine and soul-stirring.
On the other side of the desk was Wei Tianqing, a demon emperor of the wolf clan who was best known for his brutality and cunningness.
The wolf demon was nicknamed 'Traceless'. Although he was not as influential as Elder Blood Robe in the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, he was even more ruthless than the controller of the country.
Wei Tianqing rolled his eyes quickly, pondering why Jin Tuyi summoned him in private.
"Twenty-two of Elder Nether Spring's maggots have been dug out." Jin Tuyi was still sitting on the broad, furry chair. He crossed his hands and casually remarked, "More spies are being named by them right now. It is estimated that there will be several hundred of them in the end, all of whom are important officers at the key posts!
"Elder Nether Spring is truly appalling. He has infiltrated the coalition army of demons to such an extent without anybody knowing!
"Even you, General Wei, seem to have the agents of Elder Nether Spring among your trusted subordinates!"
Wei Tianqing shook his tail but did not say anything. He was not sure about Jin Tuyi's real purpose yet.
Jin Tuyi continued. "The collapse of the Eye of Blood Demon made us lose countless elite warriors. When Elder Nether Spring's spies are all revealed, our losses will be even heavier.
"In the coalition army of demons, the four superpowers, and even the Pantheon of Demons, a lot of vacancies have appeared!
"Whether we like it or not, a reshuffle is inevitable."
Wei Tianqing narrowed his eyes and finally realized where the conversation was heading. His lips curled into a scornful smile.
As he expected, Jin Tuyi leaned forward and spoke in an alluring voice. "General Wei, in the Claw Clan, lions and tigers have always been most respected. The lion clan and the tiger clan have controlled the most prosperous mines and land and kept a lot of secret training arts to themselves. They have also occupied the most important posts in the Kingdom of Lion Butchers. For hundreds of years, the other few clans have been eclipsed by them. Even the country of the Claw Clan is named after 'lion'!
"It almost appears that they are the natural-born leaders of the Claw Clan and that the other clans are just vassals of the tiger clan and the lion clan!
"Right now, Elder Blood Robe is dead. The best troops of the lion clan and the tiger clan have suffered heavy losses, too. There are a number of vacancies even in the Pantheon of Demons right now. What is the wolf clan's choice?
"I once heard an idiom—wolves on the way. As the leader of the wolf clan, do you not want to taste the feeling of standing in the middle of the way?"
Wei Tianqing listened attentively, but he laughed in amusement in the end. "Commander, it never occurred to me that you were the most sordid one. You are trying to tempt me with 'chief of the Claw Clan, master of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers' and even 'one of the twelve demon emperors of the Pantheon of Demons', so that the wolf clan will join your side and help you compete with the lion clan and the tiger clan, which will in no way bend before you, right?
"But it is a shame that I know myself quite well!
"In all the branches of the Claw Clan, the wolf clan has always been relatively weak. The lion clan and the tiger clan have run the Kingdom of Lion Butchers for hundreds of years. It is not going to be easy to expel them.
"Although Elder Blood Robe is dead, Yin Tianzun, his junior brother, is still alive and has tremendous forces under his control, including Invincible Tiger Camp and the Griffin Legion!
"Of course, I've heard the idiom 'wolves on the way', but I also know another idiom—driving the tiger to swallow the wolf. Hehe. Commander, you are not trying to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf but enticing the wolf to attack the tiger! When the Claw Clan is divided because of the internal strife and the wolf clan, the lion clan, and the tiger clan all suffer heavy losses, you will be able to enjoy all the benefits as a bystander, won't you?"
"If it is the forces under Yin Tianzun's control that concern you, that is not going to be a problem," Jin Tuyi replied casually. "I have undeniable proof that Yin Tianzun is involved in Elder Nether Spring's scheme. He will soon be despised. None of the troops of the tiger clan and the lion clan will listen to him."
Wei Tianqing's pupils constricted violently. "How can that be? Yin Tianzun is the second most influential figure in the Kingdom of Lion Butchers. What benefits could he get by joining Elder Nether Spring's cause?"
Jin Tuyi's smile remained unchanged. "You said yourself that he is the second most influential figure. Is it really strange of him to join Elder Nether Spring's cause in order to be the most influential one?"
Wei Tianqing shook his head and declared, "I don't buy it! If you have any valid evidence, I would like to see it now, commander!"
Jin Tuyi did not move.
Wei Tianqing narrowed his eyes and realized what was happening. "You are trying to frame Yin Tianzun and smear him to be with Elder Nether Spring!"
"General Wei, we are in troubled times right now. Do not speak such nonsense that will sway our army. Blabbering might lose you your head."
Jin Tuyi's eyeballs turned bright gold, bordering on transparent. His smile was even sunnier as he replied, "Since General Wei is so loyal to Yin Tianzun, I will not force you to do what you are not willing to. After all, in the Claw Clan, it is not just the wolf clan that has been suppressed by the lion clan and the tiger clan. There are still the leopard and bear clans.
"Moreover, is there absolutely nobody within the lion clan and the tiger clan who is ambitious enough to replace Yin Tianzun?
"Therefore, General Wei, you may leave now."
Wei Tianqing was dazed. "You are letting me go just like that?"
Now that he had heard Jin Tuyi's great scheme, how could he walk away so easily?
Pondering for a moment, his face lost all color. Shuddering, he gnashed his teeth. "Commander, you said now that you'd found Elder Nether Spring's spies within the wolf clan?"
"Exactly." Jin Tuyi smiled. "He also confessed that Elder Nether Spring had a lot of conspirators among the demon emperors. Yin Tianzun might be one of them, but he might not be, and it could actually be some other demon emperor. That's all uncertain now."
Wei Tianqing smiled miserably. "I assume that, as soon as I walk out of the door, my name will be among Elder Nether Spring's conspirators, won't it?"
"Maybe." Jin Tuyi opened his hands. "He hasn't completely confessed yet. How would I know? However, Elder Nether Spring has been planning carefully for such a long time, and the wolf clan has a perfect reason for betrayal since you've been suppressed by the lion clan and the tiger clan for hundreds of years. It will not be strange if General Wei and Elder Nether Spring met each other's needs and worked together for the scheme, right?
"General Wei is defending Yin Tianzun loyally right now, but will Yin Tianzun trust you and defend you when you are accused of being Elder Nether Spring's accomplice?"
Shua!
Wei Tianqing bared his fangs and raised his tail like a bat. All his claws were protruding out with sharp killing intent!
Jin Tuyi was still smiling casually as if he felt nothing. "General Wei, I've also heard a third idiom before—when you row a boat against the current, you will be retreating if you are not moving forward. It is exactly so in the reshuffle. If you don't shuffle them out, they will shuffle your family and your entire clan out!
"Look. Surging tides are rising everywhere. How is it possible for you to stay where you are and protect yourself?
"Many other people are willing to do what you do not want to, in an even more ruthless way!
"You didn't earn your fame by cowering, did you? Where is your bloodthirst and resolution? Is the rumor true that you are nothing more than the dogs domesticated by the lion clan and the tiger clan?"
Wei Tianqing was silent for a long time before he struggled to say, "The wolf clan alone is no match for the lion clan and the tiger clan."
"What if you have the help of the leopard clan and the bear clan?" Jin Tuyi said. "And the supporters within the lion clan and the tiger clan? And the Feather Clan and the Horn Clan? And the Sea Clan?"
Wei Tianqing was breathing heavily, but his bat-like tail slowly dangled down. Every hair was loosening.
He finally lowered head. In a coarse voice, he said, "Commander, what should I do?"
"Very simple," Jin Tuyi replied, one word after another. "Trust me. Obey me. Follow me!"
Chapter 1036: Dry Bones in the Grave! |
Half an hour later, before exactly the same desk, in the place where Wei Tianqing, the demon emperor from the wolf clan, had kneeled down and pledged loyalty, a second demon emperor was lurking.
She had a pair of eyes that resembled crescent moons. Her bifurcated tongue was hissing nonstop. Her curved upper body and her scaly snake tail were joined together flawlessly. The tip of her tail was making rattling noises.
It was the posture of the Silver Ring Sand Snakes when they were about to launch an attack.
Bai Lianxin, a demon emperor from the snake clan, was on the verge of an outbreak!
In the Insect Clan, the snake clan was a rather unique branch. Although they were often listed together with mice, ants, and other pests, there was a huge difference between them and the ant clan, the mantis clan, the beetle clan, and the other branches.
Most of the members of the snake clan were not governed by the Nether Spring Kingdom. They were fond of establishing caves anywhere in the Blood Demon Sector and minding their own business.
White Lotus Fortress, created by Bai Lianxin, was the largest cave of the snake clan. Based on the fortress, Bai Lianxin became the leader of the snake clan.
However…
"All the evidence is here. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Jin Tuyi tapped the desk softly and pushed over a jade chip. "Your White Lotus Fortress was funded by a large sum of secret capital during the construction, and the capital can be traced back to Elder Nether Spring.
"When you became the leader of the snake clan, a lot of your competitors died without a good reason. Clues leading to Elder Nether Spring can be found, too.
"I'm afraid that you must be one of the spies of the highest level that Elder Nether Spring planted into the coalition army of demons, master of the White Lotus Fortress!"
Bai Lianxin smiled miserably. "With everything coming to this point, the winner is always self-justified. What's there to say?
"However, I didn't know anything about the Spore Stratagem. In no way would I have expected that Elder Nether Spring would be so insane!
"At that time, I only thought that he was planning to unite the Blood Demon Sector and make the Insect Clan superior!
"He was the leader of the Insect Clan. The snake clan belongs to the Insect Clan, too. He demanded that we work for him, and he gave a lot of benefits. Why would we defy him? Could we defy him?"
Bai Lianxin sighed, and her killing intent gradually dispersed. She knew that she was certainly no match for Jin Tuyi.
Jin Tuyi was weak compared to the super experts such as Elder Blood Robe or Elder Nether Spring.
Nonetheless, he was still one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector and definitely not someone whom a mediocre demon emperor such as Bai Lianxin could fight against.
Besides, the evidence was clear that she was an agent working for Elder Nether Spring in the coalition army of demons. Now that the scheme had been revealed, it was impossible for Elder Nether Spring to protect her. Her struggles before death would be futile.
Bai Lianxin closed her eyes in depression. "I have nothing to say for myself. I only want a quick death!"
A moment later, however, she heard a cracking noise, and the jade chip that stored the proof of her crimes exploded.
Bai Lianxin was stunned. She raised her head and happened to make eye contact with Jin Tuyi, whose deep, dark eyes were brimming with mystery.
In a moment, she understood everything.
Pondering for a moment, the demon emperor of the snake demon also lowered her proud head like the demon emperor of the wolf clan a moment ago.
"The accident of the spores has placed the Blood Demon Sector on the brink of destruction. In such an emergency, only the commander-in-chief can save the Blood Demon Sector from catastrophe!
"The snake clan pledges loyalty to the commander-in-chief!"
On that night, Jin Tuyi summoned more than ten demon emperors in secret. When the dawn came, his brain was aching as if it had been burnt by golden fire again.
However, it was not the time for rest yet. The most critical battle was yet to come!
At eight o'clock in the morning, in the command center of the last battle on Blood Demon, an enlarged military meeting that all the demon emperors participated in was held.
The so-called 'final battle' was a joke right now. After the loss of fourteen demon emperors, the sparse chairs in the room appeared to be a silent mockery.
However, the demon emperors who luckily survived were not in the mood for fun. They were all anxious about the havoc that nobody had expected.
The meeting was proposed by Yin Tianzun, a demon emperor of the Claw Clan, and Master Hollow Wind, a demon emperor of the Insect Clan.
After Elder Blood Robe was killed and Elder Nether Spring escaped, the two of them were the new rulers of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers and the Nether Spring Kingdom right now.
Theoretically speaking, they were the commanders of the troops that belonged to the Claw Clan and the Insect Clan, too.
However, most of their troops were mixed up with the troops of other clans. Dispersed, they were all waiting for the test of virus and the identity check.
The two demon emperors proposed the meeting of demon emperors because they were trying to figure out how to regroup the troops when the quarantine was completed.
"After a night's hard work, a lot of troops have finished testing. No more spores are hiding now."
Yin Tianzun was a lion demon who had silver, dense fur. Having just seized control over the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, he was quite ambitious and in high spirits, hoping to accomplish something great. "Should we regroup the troops according to their previous legions? After all, we are still faced with Elder Nether Spring's threat and might have to deal with the formidable Nether World Watch at any time!"
"Exactly!" Master Hollow Wind agreed. Troops were their lifeline. Their own troops had been dispersed for a whole night out of control, which was truly a terrible feeling. "Elder Nether Spring was once the leader of the Insect Clan. The problem should be resolved by the Insect Clan ourselves. I am gathering my troops right now and preparing them to annihilate the Nether World Watch!"
"Moreover…" Yin Tianzun's voice was getting more and more stern. "After being nervous for a whole night, all the soldiers are exhausted and hungry. Why haven't the supplies been delivered yet? Aren't the logistics troops right next to us? Where are the food and the crystals? Why haven't they been distributed to the soldiers?"
"Indeed!" Master Hollow Wind echoed. "Somebody must answer for the fiasco of the Red Tide Plan and the mayhem that followed!
"Let's forget who is to blame for a second. Last night, Elder Nether Spring's remnants were captured on a large scale! I do not object to the search for Elder Nether Spring's remnants, but the investigators were simply capturing random soldiers. A lot of middle-level and high-level officers have been taken away for vetting. As a result, the troops are still in a mess right now and cannot be organized! How should we deal with the Nether World Watch if they suddenly show up?"
Yin Tianzun and Master Hollow Wind lambasted Jin Tuyi, each resonating with the other. It appeared that they had reached a deal earlier and were planning to shake Jin Tuyi's position as the 'commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons' in this time of trouble!
Jin Tuyi listened silently. Now and then, he even nodded, as if he were agreeing with the honest opinions of the two demon emperors.
Then, he coughed lightly.
"Everybody, I have different opinions about the issue." Wei Tianqing, the demon emperor from the wolf clan, jumped out. "The Demon God Virus is a brand-new virus unseen before in the Blood Demon Sector. We haven't grasped the most thorough examination methods. Chances are that some of the mutants of the virus can pass the level-6 test.
"Therefore, we must tread lightly and not gather our troops until the whole issue is settled."
Yin Tianzun burst into fury. He slapped the desk, leaving four deep claw traces. "What do you mean? Are you suggesting that our troops will be kept dispersed as long as Elder Nether Spring is still alive?"
"Of course not." Wei Tianqing smiled and said, "I just feel that the destruction of the Eye of Blood Demon has caused the loss of many experts on our side. The middle-level and high-level officers have suffered heavy casualties, too. The investigation into Elder Nether Spring's spies involved a lot of officers, too. There is no telling whether they are guilty or not yet, but for safety reasons, it is inappropriate for them to command other soldiers for now.
"As a result, the vacancies of the commanders are huge obstacles for the entire command structure. How much combat ability will such an army boast even if the dispersed troops are gathered again?
"The Nether World Watch hasn't been annihilated yet, and the Spore Stratagem is still lingering about. We are at the most perilous moment in the history of the Blood Demon Sector. We must be united and join our strength!
"Now that the troops have been completely disrupted, we might as well discard the framework in the past and rebuild a coalition army of demons where troops of different clans are mixed up, one that is absolutely devoid of spores and loyal to the Pantheon of Demons!
