Volume 2 - Chapter 59: Slaying the Enemy - Part 2
Two consecutive attacks struck Li Tiangang just as he killed Feng Shanjun, sending his body crashing into the ground.
The searing hot earth cracked tens of meters deep. Climbing out of the fissure, Li Tiangang swiftly rose into the air, where he saw two figures appear in front of Feng Shanjun’s corpse.
“Bastard!”
Seeing Feng Shanjun truly dead, the two newcomers were both shocked and enraged.
They wore strange long robes, their garments entwined like vines with an otherworldly design.
Li Tiangang recognized them at a glance—they were from the Void Realm.
“So, even the Void Realm intends to enter the fray?”
Li Tiangang’s eyes turned icy. He had been tracking the movements of Dragon Gate and the Sacred Palace but had not expected that the Void Realm, which had remained secluded for a millennium, would also make a move.
The Void Realm was one of the top-tier demonic forces. For years, they had lived in isolation and maintained a cordial relationship with the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, with neither side infringing on the other.
At this moment, Li Tiangang felt deeply that the Great Yu Divine Dynasty was on the brink of disaster.
The Void Realm’s emergence was not merely a threat to Liang Province but also a harbinger of something far greater.
In recent years, not only had the Li family suffered heavy losses during their campaigns, but the Divine General Mansions had also seen relentless warfare.
Six of his brothers had fallen in battle, a far cry from the peace and stability of centuries past.
This increasing unrest among the demonic forces surrounding the Great Yu Divine Dynasty was becoming undeniable.
And now, even the Void Realm, secluded for a millennium, had joined the fray.
Thinking of all this, Li Tiangang gripped the divine blade in his hand even tighter. His eyes blazed like divine fire. If chaos was inevitable, he would right the wrongs and restore order to the world!
“Li Tiangang!”
The two Void Realm demon kings, one an elderly figure and the other a handsome youth, fixed their cold gazes on Li Tiangang. Their eyes burned with fury but lacked deep hatred.
Feng Shanjun had been a rogue demon king with no true allegiance. His involvement in this coalition was purely for revenge, which was why they had allowed him to act as the vanguard.
But they had not expected Li Tiangang to kill him so easily!
Their intelligence had been flawed. Li Tiangang had concealed his true cultivation, having already reached the Fourth Pillar Realm.
What’s more, he had slain his opponent despite being at the Dao Heart Realm, a feat that was downright terrifying.
“Fourth Pillar Realm—no wonder you dared to step out of the formation!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter what realm you’re in or what you’ve hidden. Today, you will die!”
The two demon kings’ eyes gleamed with murderous intent. They did not immediately attack but instead sent out a sound transmission, summoning other demon kings from the coalition to join them.
Though Feng Shanjun had fallen, the methods Li Tiangang had used were unclear. To be safe, surrounding and overwhelming him would be the best approach.
After all, this assault was not theirs to bear alone.
Li Tiangang noticed their hesitation and grew increasingly alert. Without delay, he turned and bolted toward the protective formation.
“Trying to escape? Too late!”
The elderly demon king acted swiftly, unleashing a murky gray light that instantly reached the protective formation behind Li Tiangang, enveloping it. Simultaneously, the light transformed into a thick gray mist, engulfing Li Tiangang.
Within the mist, all five senses were lost, and directions became indiscernible.
Sensing the situation, Li Tiangang immediately closed his eyes. Gathering all his strength into his arm, he swung his divine blade with a powerful slash.
The fiery energy tore through the gray mist, clearing a path. Yet, beyond the opening, the protective formation was nowhere to be seen.
Alarmed, Li Tiangang realized the demon sorcery had disoriented him and made him lose his way.
“All things have order. Begone! Do not block my path!”
With a thunderous shout, divine light burst from Li Tiangang’s chest. He replaced his physical sight with the Eye of the Heart and substituted his conscious mind with the guidance of the Dao Heart.
Channeling the laws of the Dao etched in his heart, he quickly found his bearings through the unseen order of the universe.
Boom!
With a mighty swing, his divine blade carved a channel through the mist. Catching sight of the formation, he surged forward, using his body to displace the air outside the formation. In a flash, he disappeared and reappeared inside the protective array.
With the formation token in hand, he had direct access.
In one swift motion, he entered the protective array.
“Stop!”
The youthful demon king’s sword slashed down, but it struck only air as Li Tiangang crossed the threshold first.
The sword energy collided with the array, sending ripples of divine patterns across its surface.
Inside the array, the soldiers of the Yuan Battalion were momentarily shaken by the sword’s impact, their faces showing faint signs of discomfort as their blood surged.
“Marshal!”
Yu Xuan rushed over. Seeing the overwhelming aura emanating from Li Tiangang, he already understood that the marshal had advanced to the Fourth Pillar Realm. Though unsurprised, his expression was grave as he spoke urgently:
“The defensive line is under attack by a massive demon horde. Among them are demon kings leading the charge, assaulting various points. The formation is on the verge of collapse!”
“How many?”
Li Tiangang’s expression darkened. Even as he spoke, he was focused on stabilizing his state, conserving energy for the imminent battle.
“Three!” Yu Xuan replied swiftly. “One from Dragon Gate, one from the Sacred Palace, and one from the Void Realm. Along with the two outside...”
He glanced beyond the formation.
The brilliant golden array shimmered, its membrane-like surface separating them from the furious demon kings outside. The elderly Void Realm demon king and the youthful one continued their relentless attacks on the formation, creating wave after wave of ripples.
Additionally, two more demon kings had arrived in response to their summons. Dressed in black robes, they now discarded their disguises, revealing battle armor that gleamed with a rough metallic sheen—clearly the work of demon artisans.
Compared to the elegant craftsmanship of human battle armor, theirs lacked refinement but exuded ferocity.
“Li Tiangang, get out here!”
“Hiding inside—do you think you can escape us?!”
“When we break this formation, you’ll be the first to die!”
The demon kings hurled insults at Li Tiangang as they furiously struck the formation. While they cared little for Feng Shanjun’s death, their dignity had been tarnished.
Li Tiangang’s face darkened further. He had anticipated a catastrophe in Liang Province but had not expected so many demon kings from Dragon Gate, let alone the Void Realm’s involvement. The sheer number of demon kings had exceeded his expectations.
These forces were not aiming for a prolonged war like in Yanbei—they were launching a full-scale assault on Liang Province!
“Quick! Form up the military arrays and defend the formation with everything you have!”
“Activate the array’s demon souls!”
Li Tiangang issued commands rapidly.
One order after another spread like wildfire along the defensive line through beacon signals.
Inside the defenses of the Blackstone Great Wall, countless arrows rained down on the demon horde, accompanied by demon-exorcising talismans, oil pots, and boulders hurled by trebuchets. These projectiles passed through the array and struck the demon tide, leaving a trail of destruction and countless casualties.
Yet the horde of demons surged like locusts and ants, endless and overwhelming. The gaps created by the attacks were instantly filled with new demons, leaving the ground a solid black mass.
The earth was a swarming sea of darkness, while the sky above was filled with demons flying like locusts, blotting out the sun. A thick black demonic aura swirled like a storm cloud, covering the sky above the defensive line.
The sunlight was dimmed, leaving only a murky glow. The roaring of the demon horde outside the array was deafening, shaking the heavens and earth.
The piercing cries and roars of the demons were enough to unnerve even battle-hardened veterans. Without the morale-boosting presence of the military formation, many soldiers would have succumbed to fear and had their legs give out beneath them.
The gathered forces stationed at the frontier now moved into full action. Soldiers rotated swiftly along the walls, archers fired volley after volley of arrows until their bows were almost smoldering, and countless talismans and oils were prepared for the next wave.
Under the beacon commands, the protective array activated. Thousands of heavily armored soldiers from the Yuan Battalion, originally scattered across the defensive line, began taking up positions.
The number of Yuan Battalion soldiers was far greater than previously thought. Many of them had been disguised, blending in with other troops.
While intelligence from the Tianji Hall suggested the Yuan Battalion had only 50,000 soldiers deployed, Li Tiangang had secretly mobilized 200,000 of these elite warriors!
Now, every one of them donned the strongest battle armor crafted for the Li family’s army. Each suit of armor was exorbitantly expensive, with materials and craftsmanship rivaling the most coveted treasures.
The 200,000-strong Yuan Battalion was a force capable of overwhelming even the strongholds of the Three Immortal Realms. Their power was unstoppable.
The total strength of the Li family’s Yuan Battalion numbered one million. After decades of brutal campaigns in Yanbei, the battalion had been reduced to just over 700,000.
Now, Li Tiangang had brought 200,000 of his best soldiers to Liang Province, preparing for the worst.
Of the remaining 500,000, 300,000 were stationed in Yanbei, while the other 200,000 were permanently garrisoned in Qingzhou.