Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1412 Remarkable Results
The cursed sword, severing all reincarnation.

With the frozen lake becoming a solid backing for the demon army, the demons had no more worries. They returned to the new laws, broke free from the cycle of reincarnation, and became truly immortal beings.

They never imagined that "death" would find them again so soon.

With a thrust of the spear, a demon general was pinned in mid-air, followed immediately by a short dagger that plunged straight into his throat. With a flash of runes, the demon general's soul was absorbed into the ice blade.

"happy!"

Tianxiong Star, Tianyong Star, Tianying Star.

Those who were named among the top celestial stars were all fierce warriors with unparalleled courage. This time, Lu Ning unleashed a sharp blade to slay demons and monsters, which also united their hearts. The Frost Array replenished the combat capabilities of their lost sacrificial array. Now, these three celestial stars are the group under Lu Ning who have killed the most demons.

Gu Tong could sense the high spirits of his comrades, but unfortunately, he could no longer resonate with that sentiment. Once upon a time, he too was a member of the battlefield, witnessing the might of a decisive battle and the repulsion of the enemy. Back then, he was young, full of passion and eager to fight for his country.

However, the battlefield treats everyone equally.

After breaking his leg, Gu Tong could no longer go to the battlefield and could only do some clerical work. He still harbored ambitions and hoped to contribute to the northern army in this regard, so he volunteered to return to the capital to serve as a messenger or similar position. He was just lame, not unable to walk, was he?
Then, reality dealt him an even heavier blow.

During Dong Zai's reign, the court was far from peaceful. Factional disputes, attacks, and open and covert struggles were constant, and the court only maintained a superficial respect for the Wei army in the north. When Gu Tong came to him, he offered his full support verbally, but he didn't offer anything in return.

Later, he could no longer see anyone.

After that...

Gu Tong sighed, and two ice-forged Emei daggers materialized in his hands. The exquisite runes and chilling mist indicated that the controller of the Ice Array had elevated the formation to a level he couldn't comprehend. When he met Lu Ning that day, he never imagined that a young girl could achieve such accomplishments.

"That's all."

A trace of Tianzui Star's power surged through his mind once more. In that instant, he felt as if he had returned to Xingyin City, to the brief time when he held the position of Heavenly Official under the Heavenly Court. At the same time, it was as if he had rediscovered his youthful days, the time when he traversed the yellow sands with lofty ambitions.

He vanished from the mist in a flash, thrusting the Emei daggers into the back of the heads of two unsuspecting demons, before disappearing again into the icy fog. The shattering ice daggers carried away the demons' souls as well.

The companions were scattered within the icy mist. According to Lu Ning, the purpose of this mission was to bully the weak; they shouldn't engage any powerful demons. If they couldn't kill one in one strike, they should leave. Under the cover of the ice array, all demons' sensory abilities would be greatly weakened, so if they wanted to run, there was no way they couldn't escape.

The actual death also fully nourished the ice array, and the power of the sacrificial offerings in devouring life finally came into play at this moment.

The fog gradually thickened, and both Juque and Qimei, who had already arrived at the artisan's camp, noticed this. Juque was alright, but Qimei's body had begun to freeze. Fortunately, demons like him didn't need very high temperatures to maintain life, otherwise he would probably be stiff by now.

However, the forges in the artisan area were still burning fiercely, and the heat from each forge was enough to resist the invasion of the cold air. At least within a ten-foot radius, the cold mist could not form.

The rivets are not here. The three "craftsmen" who stayed behind are sitting next to the forge. Their bodies are not human-shaped, but because of this, they are difficult to attack.

"Hey, Juque, the camp has been attacked. Shouldn't you go deal with it?" The demon king, made of a large lump of iron pieces, laughed. "Be careful that Di Xin doesn't come back to cause you trouble."

"With the Frost Array attacking the camp and us caught off guard, our priority should be to protect the most important areas. My judgment was correct," Ju Que said in a deep voice.

"But what if our entire army is wiped out?"

“Death is death, but it is also a lesson for the future…” Ju Que was about to speak when he suddenly frowned.

Under the influence of "All Laws," the lack of any enhanced sensation was enough to indicate something was amiss. Previously, he had assumed the demons had organized a defense, requiring sufficient reinforcements at the front lines to prevent any effect from being transmitted. However, after so much time, Ju Que didn't believe he was receiving absolutely no feedback.

Sacrificial offerings are mutually exclusive.

The fundamental principle of the world's most powerful ritual is that the death of a life can only be used to replenish the consumption of one ritual, and cannot be received by two rituals simultaneously. Previously, because the operating rules of the Ten Deadly Formations had been covered by the Law of the Ice Lake, the deaths of all demon soldiers only met the conditions of "Myriad Laws," so this ritual could perfectly fulfill its function.

But what if the Ten Deadly Formations meet the conditions again? What if the human race can really modify the rituals so quickly? Ju Que is not familiar with the construction of various rituals, which is not the strength of the demon race, so he cannot deduce which ritual will steal the energy of death in a mutually exclusive state.

“This is not a situation that is only slightly dangerous.” A demon king resembling an iron tree bent down a branch. “Juque, you should know that if our Ice Lake Law really has any weakness, and the human race has cracked that weakness… our advantages will be greatly diminished.”

Ju Que naturally understood that he could disregard other counterattacks from the human race, but if the Law of the Ice Lake, or the new law of the demon race constructed by Huang Kui, were broken, then this would be a matter of life and death!

"Qi Mei, you stay here." Ju Que circulated his inner energy, his gaze turning solemn. "I need an answer."

=
"Juque...very good."

Lu Ning did not personally kill more demon kings. She simply focused on sensing the situation within the ice array and provided support to her subordinates who were not on guard when necessary, thus relieving their crisis.

This time, the only result was a demon king, Han Zhang, who was already crippled. There weren't many demon generals either; only a few of the strongest, working together, killed eight demon generals, and the rest were just ordinary demons. But Lu Ning was very satisfied. This wasn't the kind of victory she had achieved in the past, where she had used the weak to defeat the strong and seize opportunities to kill, but it gave her a different kind of sense of accomplishment.

When a powerful azure lightning tribulation energy reaction was indeed felt within the formation, Lu Ning immediately issued the order to retreat. After replenishing the losses from the dead, the Frost Array in her hands could now expand to a much greater extent, and even with such a large range, there was no sense of stagnation in the energy mobilization throughout the array. No wonder Qin Luo had advised her to expand the array; it must be said that the feeling of controlling a vast area was indeed addictive, a feeling rarely experienced in solo combat.

"Next time, I'll try to get my revenge."

Lu Ning sneered, and as the cold mist dissipated, the soldiers followed suit, disappearing into the thick fog. The fog retreated from the central battlefield, but no demons dared to pursue them recklessly, for they had witnessed the deaths of their comrades—utter deaths.

The entire attack took less than half an hour, and to be honest, the losses to the central command tent were not very significant. However, the complete death of these demons and the subsequent news that their souls could not be guided at the frozen lake were the biggest blows to them.

When Juque arrived, it only caught the tail end of the mist.

"They actually retreated..."

Ju Que found it difficult to understand retreating when he had the upper hand. He slowly sensed something, but it was still rather vague. Di Xin could retreat when his attack failed, and he himself understood the importance of retreating when he was at a disadvantage. So, even if he had a certain advantage, was it also a kind of wisdom to retreat in advance? In the end, Lu Ning did indeed make him return empty-handed.

"I've learned something." Ju Que wasn't discouraged, but rather delighted.

Unaware that her enemy had grown stronger once again, Lu Ning, who was retreating, focused the fog. Every death within the cold fog could not escape her perception within this range. This time, the results were better than expected, and her soldiers carried out their orders smoothly. No one died, and only a few were injured, but these were not problems.

"General, there are sounds coming from the ground. It should be... a demon army passing by nearby."

Lu Ning dismissed the ice array. She heard a rumbling tremor coming from the ground. The noise of transporting large military equipment was hard to conceal in this era, especially since the demons were using the most common transportation methods.

Stone cannon.

"There's an unexpected surprise..."

Based on the established routes, the stone cannons wouldn't be transported this way. They would be safely stored in another cleared valley. Why would they travel in this direction? Has the order changed?
Lu Ning certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to actually attack the stone cannon formation. The military strength of that position had already been ascertained in the past few days, and her current, immature formation couldn't possibly withstand such an attack. However, this unusual military movement was useful intelligence.

"Frequent occurrences".

"Yes, I am here, General."

"You're agile, go and follow that group. Don't alert them. See what they're up to and why they're taking this route," Lu Ning instructed.

Chang Fa responded and then disappeared behind the hill.

"A strange troop movement... do the demons have other plans? What plans could Shi Pao possibly have...? News of my raid on the camp shouldn't have reached them yet, so it's not because of me. Gouchen hasn't had any other special military operations tonight either, so the reason must be elsewhere?"

Lu Ning dispersed the people, halting the spread of the cold mist, and instead pressed the array into everyone's body. She opened her demonic eyes, covering them with a layer of innate purple energy, allowing the power of her demonic eyes to rise once again to the level it had been in Xingyin City.

Under this level of observation, apart from a few top-tier demon kings, no demon could escape Lu Ning's sight. She was currently in a mountainous area, with a high vantage point, and could see clearly.

The demon army was splitting up according to the five elements of demonic energy, moving in all directions. The stone cannon formation was just one of them.

Seeing the direction of these demonic troops, Lu Ning had a sudden feeling of déjà vu: "This formation... looks familiar."

In fact, she didn't need to recall too much, since the only thing she had ever truly encountered in this world that involved the Five Elements was the array used by demons, and that was only one.

The formation at Zhenjian Manor was intended to break the sealing techniques used to imprison various demonic swords within the manor. If this were applied to the battlefield today, and the effect were the same, then the demons would likely be attempting to use it to destroy the protective maze array guarding Gouchen.

However, what truly captivated Lu Ning's attention wasn't the surging torrent of the Five Elements Formation, but rather the aura of reversing the Five Elements, seemingly naturally gathering at the end of the torrent. This aura was inconspicuous; with her normal demonic eyes, Lu Ning would have been completely blind to it. But now—

The Five Elements (Wu Xing) interact with each other, forming the laws of heaven and earth. Generating elements are close together, while restraining elements are positioned opposite each other, thus creating the array laid out by demons. However, at the endpoints of this array, the Five Elements energies that arise unexpectedly exhibit restraining elements close together and generating elements opposite each other—this is the so-called "reverse Five Elements" situation. In the context of array formation research in this world, this situation represents a paradox, inherently preventing the formation of an array.

A single thought flashed through Lu Ning's mind: the "former evil creature" mentioned but not yet appeared when the final stage mission was announced.

Prior to this, Lu Ning had already asked Zhao Yuqiao about the things that had experienced the return to their original state, as well as the immortal artifacts that Zhao Yuqiao had collected. These did not meet the requirements of the evil objects of the past, and the distribution center did not include these things that had appeared long ago.

Just as couriers are to demons, these are probably just derivative beings.

Thinking this, Lu Ning immediately closed her demonic eyes and, using the short-range command ability of the Frost Array, ordered Chang Fa, who was tracking her, to return. Then, she ordered the soldiers around her not to peek outside and to immediately return to Gouchen in the direction she indicated!
Lu Ning's reaction speed was already the fastest. Just a moment after she closed her vision and gathered her troops, a low murmur rang out from the "Gold" position.

An unchanging position.

The demons' grand formation evolved clockwise in the order of metal, water, wood, fire, and earth, with their interactions of generation and restraint following the trajectory of time and aligning with the seasons. The reversed order, arising from the end of the formation, evolved counter-clockwise in the order of metal, wood, earth, water, and fire, representing mutual restraint. Within this counter-clockwise and counter-clockwise formation, one element must remain constant; in this case, that element was the "metal" element. Even though Lu Ning had suppressed her senses, she still heard that whisper.

With just a sound, the demonic eye and Tianmanxing within Lu Ning's mind simultaneously began to surge violently. An endless dark river appeared before Lu Ning's eyes, stretching endlessly into the underground. If Lu Ning hadn't immediately recited a mental incantation to suppress it, he would probably have been directly dragged into the depths of that river by the demonic eye.

Cold sweat streamed down her forehead. If she was in such a state, what about the demon army...?