Chapter 123: Taking the Initiative

“Enough nonsense!” the Snake King said coldly. “Either come back with me to Human territory, or go to the Storm Continent. Choose!”

“We’re going to the Storm Continent!” Fang Qingyun answered at once.

The Snake King said indifferently, “Before you go, you’ll also have to take part in the battle at Beacon Fortress.”

“I—I’ll go!” Zhao Junhong was so furious he nearly cursed aloud.

You really do treat us like conscripts, using us until we drop.

Is either of these tasks easy?

“What?” The Snake King’s gaze grew even colder. “Are you dissatisfied?”

“How could I be? Didn’t I already say I’d go?” Zhao Junhong’s mouth twitched.

He was afraid of getting beaten.

The Snake King clearly had no intention of harming either of them, and had even given them a choice.

Refusing at this point probably would not cause any real trouble, but they would inevitably suffer for it.

Fang Qingyun glanced at him, then said to the Snake King, “I’ll use my own method to intervene in this battle.”

The Snake King gave a cold laugh. “Your own method? Do you know how many people die in a large-scale battlefield like this? Below the level of a Divine General, no one dares claim they can survive.”

Fang Qingyun pointed at Zhao Junhong. “The two of us working together will have more than enough strength to protect ourselves.”

“Do as you please.”

The Snake King could not be bothered to say anything more.

He turned and left.

He was decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

To become a supreme powerhouse, talent alone was not enough. One also needed sufficient luck.

He would not protect them forever.

In truth, although he appeared indifferent toward them, ever since they had met, the help he had given them, directly or indirectly, had already been considerable.

Watching his back, Fang Qingyun and Zhao Junhong fell silent.

Their feelings toward the Snake King were complicated.

He had used their comrades as bargaining chips, desecrating them.

Those people had been loyal to the Snake King.

Yet the Snake King had betrayed them.

But the two of them also understood that the Snake King had acted for the sake of those who were still alive.

Exchanging the names of the dead for the lives of the living.

Of course, perhaps he had also been thinking of his own achievements.

Judging by the result, there was no doubt that his choice had been correct.

Unfortunately, it was not only they who would refuse to accept it. Many others, if they learned the truth, would reject it as well.

Sometimes life was priceless. Sometimes it could be thrown onto the ground, and no one would spare it a second glance.

“Do you think that after fighting on the battlefield for a while, we might become people like the Snake King?”

Zhao Junyi suddenly asked the question.

He seemed somewhat frightened.

Would he become a cold, heartless person who cared only about results?

Fang Qingyun did not answer.

Because he did not know either.

After fighting for Humanity on the battlefield for decades, he had witnessed the deaths of far too many people—family, friends, subordinates, and even enemies.

As life after life vanished, he had long since grown numb.

Perhaps everyone would gradually change.

Fang Qingyun had heard that several of Humanity’s supreme experts had never cared about family glory. The only thing they cared about was the glory of Humanity.

Not only their families—even themselves—they would put up for trade, so long as the price was high enough.

Because they had already begun to lose their emotions.

The Chancellor of Heaven!

At that moment, Fang Qingyun suddenly thought of that legendary chancellor. He was Humanity’s strongest individual, rising from a commoner to become one of the most powerful people in the human race.

It could be said that at present, even the imperial family lived beneath his shadow.

He had maintained the functioning of Humanity for several hundred years.

His entire life had been one impossibility after another.

He had risen from the humblest origins to his current position. What had he lost along the way?

“Let’s go!”

Fang Qingyun summoned Little Black once more and rode toward the distant horizon.

“Are we going to the battlefield?”

“Of course.” Fang Qingyun replied calmly. “We promised the Snake King. Besides, it would be better for this battle to end as soon as possible.”

They had always held one suspicion: Bloodmane’s attack on Beacon Fortress had most likely been provoked by the assault on the supply depot.

His purpose had probably been to personally hold Beacon Fortress in place while sending another army to capture the Northwest Military Academy—or at the very least, cripple it.

Now that his plan had been disrupted, Bloodmane likely no longer wished to engage Beacon Fortress in a prolonged struggle.

The losses were too great. Even he could not bear them.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, they had to kill as many of the enemy as possible.

Every additional enemy they killed now would slightly reduce the pressure on the battlefield in the future.

“If Bloodmane learns that you and I exist, he’ll probably come personally to kill us,” Zhao Junhong muttered.

If Bloodmane truly found out, even the Snake King and Xiang Tian working together would not be able to stop him.

He was a powerhouse who stood above both the Snake King and Xiang Tian.

“Then don’t let him find out.” Fang Qingyun snapped irritably. “There are only the two of us now. If we’re still careless, do we really not want to live?”

The two gradually disappeared into the distance.

After they had left, a graceful figure appeared out of thin air.

She gazed at the two of them and sighed softly.

“Once again, the result is the same.”

She watched in silence for a long while before turning to leave.

Unexpectedly, someone had been standing behind her for who knew how long.

The graceful figure stiffened. Then she gave a light laugh. “Teacher Liu’s strength has improved yet again. No wonder Xiang Tian chose to leave on his own. I’m curious—can you truly not deal with Bloodmane?”

The person behind her was none other than the Snake King, Liu Hen.

He stared at the young woman before him. “You should leave as well.”

“Are you driving me away?”

“Of course not!” The Snake King sneered. “The whole of Humanity belongs to your family. Who would dare drive you away? Qin Xiangjun!”

Qin Xiangjun smiled faintly. “Teacher Liu, you should not always regard me with hostility. I have no ill will toward you.”

Liu Hen remained expressionless.

He had always been wary of the imperial family.

Especially after seeing how much attention Qin Xiangjun paid to Fang Qingyun and Zhao Junhong.

Of course, given Fang Qingyun and Zhao Junhong’s talents, it was perfectly natural for Qin Xiangjun to approach them. Yet he still found it deeply unpleasant, as though she were bound to do something beyond the limits.

There was, in fact, a saying about the imperial family:

Madness flowed through their blood.

“Stay away from those two children.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Qin Xiangjun spread her hands. “Teacher Liu should understand that my circumstances are not particularly favorable. Because of that, I have to find every possible way to increase my strength. In particular, I am determined to obtain Fang Qingyun’s power.”

The Snake King frowned. “You should know Fang Qingyun’s identity…”

“Of course I do. But there are many people with an identity like his in Humanity. How many of them have truly accomplished anything?” Qin Xiangjun shrugged. “I won’t keep you any longer, Teacher Liu. If I speak with you for too long, someone will probably become displeased. Goodbye!”

The Snake King gave a disdainful smile and vanished from the spot the next instant.

Watching him disappear, Qin Xiangjun murmured, “Strength. It truly all comes down to strength.”

With the Snake King’s current power, how many people in all of Humanity dared disregard his will?

But what about her?

How many people cared about her?

Ultimately, it still came down to strength.

Her own strength, and…

Qin Xiangjun turned her gaze toward the direction in which Fang Qingyun had departed.

The strength of those under her command also counted as part of her own.

…

“Boom!”

A mass of blood exploded.

The high-ranking demon officers had long since grown accustomed to it.

They stood silently to one side.

Ever since news arrived of Count Brokenblood’s defeat, not a single day had passed in the entire command center without blood being spilled.

One high-ranking officer had even been beaten into a mass of flesh by Bloodmane.

This time, Bloodmane was genuinely enraged.

He could not understand how fifty thousand demon soldiers, with a high-ranking insider assisting them, could possibly have failed to attack a mere school like the Northwest Military Academy.

How foolish could they have been?

Could it be that Count Brokenblood was actually a traitor?

Was he secretly standing on Humanity’s side?

Even Bloodmane could not help but ache over the loss of fifty thousand demon soldiers.

They were not elite troops, merely an ordinary legion, but they were still fifty thousand demons.

Among them had been dozens of generals.

After a long silence, Bloodmane turned his icy gaze toward the demon officers.

One after another, they lowered their heads and stared at the tips of their shoes, as though a flower had suddenly blossomed there.

“Hmph!”

Bloodmane snorted coldly.

After being repeatedly slighted, he had begun to feel that his subordinates looked at him strangely, and no longer treated him with the same respect as before.

“Since that useless Brokenblood has failed, the battle between Beast’s Downcast Gaze and Beacon Fortress should also come to an end.”

Bloodmane’s words eased the atmosphere considerably. The demon officers all breathed sighs of relief, and when they heard what he meant, they relaxed even further.

The battle between the two fortresses had already lasted three days, with both sides suffering losses.

A battle that was nearly evenly matched was utterly meaningless.

Moreover, because of the fighting on their front, clashes had erupted at several nearby fortresses as well.

At that thought, quite a few demon officers cast Bloodmane a discreet glance.

He would definitely have a difficult time after returning.

The upper ranks of the demon race would certainly punish him.

His lofty status would not save him.

He had started this war without warning and gained nothing from it. What was more, because they were the attackers while Humanity was defending, their losses were greater.

Quite a few high-ranking demons were probably already stomping around and cursing him.

Unfortunately, that glance happened to meet Bloodmane’s eyes.

The demon officers hurriedly lowered their heads in fright.

“What are you thinking about?” Bloodmane asked calmly.

“Nothing, nothing!”

The officers quickly shook their heads.

“Hmph!”

Bloodmane snorted coldly. His voice turned frigid. “If you wish to die on the battlefield, you may sign up. I do not mind sending you there myself.”

The officers felt their hearts turn cold.

Bloodmane was absolutely capable of doing it, and he certainly dared.

“Woooooo!”

Just then, a series of bugle calls rang out.

Bloodmane froze. Then he flew into a rage and roared, “Those lowly humans dare to attack us first?”

Boom!

Bloodmane burst from the conference room like a thunderclap.

The other officers hurried after him.

The moment they reached the front of the army, they were stunned.

Countless human troops surged out of the fortress like a tide, blotting out the sky. Formation after formation of airborne fortresses floated in midair.

The entire army had been mobilized?

Had Humanity gone mad?

In terms of overall strength between Beacon Fortress and Beast’s Downcast Gaze, Beast’s Downcast Gaze was stronger.

The reason it had been unable to capture the fortress after repeated assaults was simply that Humanity possessed the defensive advantage of the fortress.

Yet now the humans had voluntarily come out.

The demons were at a loss.

What scheme was Humanity plotting?

Or had reinforcements arrived?

At that moment, the airborne warships spread apart, revealing two enormous vessels.

The demon officers all knew those were the flagships of the Snake King and the Celestial Form Marshal.

The two of them had taken the initiative to attack?

“Excellent!”

Bloodmane gave a savage smile. “Since the humans dare to crawl out of their shell, we’ll grant them what they want!”

At his command, the entire demon army mobilized.

Bloodmane himself charged toward the Celestial Form Marshal and the Snake King.

This time, he would wash away every humiliation!

“Woooooo!”

Another series of bugle calls rang out. Countless airborne warships rose into the sky and headed into the void.

The demon warships followed close behind.

The void was their true battlefield.

Once they determined victory and defeat there, they would be able to bombard the ground.

Of course, they had already clashed three times over the past three days, and each battle had ended without a victor.

The demons were slightly inferior to Humanity aboard airborne warships.

But Bloodmane had come prepared, having transferred an additional fleet in advance.

Humanity, on the other hand, had the flagships of two marshals—the Snake King and the Celestial Form Marshal.

That was why the two sides had remained evenly matched.

At that moment, the demon officer commanding the airborne fleet suddenly realized that Humanity had noticeably more battleships than before.

“Damn it, they have reinforcements!”

The demon officer understood immediately and shouted, “Commit all reserve forces at once!”

“Yes!”

Both sides sent in additional troops.

Although Humanity still held the advantage, the increase in numbers on both sides made that advantage far less obvious.

Two ships against one created a clear advantage.

Twelve ships against eleven was no longer so decisive.

“Boom!”

In an instant, the two sides unleashed a barrage of fire.

On another battlefield, the Snake King joined forces with the Celestial Form Marshal and once again confronted Bloodmane and his deputy.

The deputy was also a Divine General. Though not as powerful as the Snake King or the Celestial Form Marshal, he was still capable of assisting Bloodmane in battle.

“You two are remarkably bold, daring to attack us first.”

Bloodmane gave them a savage grin. “This time, without the support of Beacon Fortress’s psionic formation, I’d like to see how long you can hold out.”

The two said nothing.

The Snake King stepped forward and met Bloodmane head-on.

“Liu Hen? You?” Bloodmane burst into laughter. “You think you can face me?”

In the past, the one who had fought him had always been Xiang Tian.

Xiang Tian’s strength was slightly greater than the Snake King’s.

The Snake King had merely supported him.

But now…

“Boom!”

“Rumble!”

After their first exchange, Bloodmane was immediately startled. He stared at the Snake King with wide eyes.

“Liu Hen, you broke through?”

“Otherwise, how would I dare experience the moves of General Bloodmane?”

The Snake King’s voice slid through the air like that of a venomous serpent.

Bloodmane gave a sinister grin. “So what if you broke through? You’ll die all the same. Kill!”

The four of them instantly clashed.

The battle below also began.

This time, Humanity had clearly added more strength. During the initial collision, they actually suppressed the demon army.

Several soldiers at the very front pierced into the demon ranks like blades.

The demon deputy’s expression changed slightly. He cried out, “There are at least two hundred more generals! Where did Humanity draw such a powerful force from?”

The strength deployed along Humanity’s various battle lines was practically fixed.

Transferring a few dozen generals was not difficult. But where had they found the power to transfer one or two hundred generals, along with a number of airborne warships?

“Snipers!”

“Artillerymen!”

“Blast them! Blast those people to death!”

At his command, large numbers of demons began to move.

At the same time, Humanity began to act as well!

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