Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1427 The Decisive Battle Begins
"Still polishing the sword?"

"It's time to clean the sword."

Qin You and Lu Ning spoke in hushed tones. Their armies had now joined forces, and both sides fully appreciated how smoothly it was to cooperate with a complementary ally.

The blood carpet had been laid out, and in Qin You's words, the area covered by this blood carpet was within the range of the Blood Transformation Array. Furthermore, the area affected by the blood was easily detected by Lu Ning's Ice Array, allowing her to spread the array's power.

"Time is too short. We still can't replicate the curse killing techniques you sent up on a large scale. It's so great to be able to fight alongside you at a time like this." Qin You plucked a blade of grass and sucked on it a couple of times. The blade of grass had turned red, indicating that it was a plant that had grown due to being "contaminated" by the Blood Transformation Array.

"You should also be careful. I've heard that the Blood Transformation Array isn't known for its offensive capabilities." Lu Ning repeatedly wiped her sword, as if trying to incorporate something into it.

“Indeed, even with our enhanced abilities, we're at most on par with ordinary demons in terms of physical attributes. My Blood Transformation Array lacks direct lethality; we can only hack and slash and then control them, lacking any decisive means. But with you all, we're not so bad.” Qin You straightened his bandages. “You weren't just wiping your weapons, were you? Did you come up with something new on the spot?”

“The curse killing method I researched before was a method that combined the characteristics of the ice array. It used the spontaneous disintegration of the weapon to destroy the soul inside, thus achieving a fatal result. My subordinates all use weapons generated by this array, but they use a different set for combat,” Lu Ning said. “However, I discovered a problem with this method during our last battle with the demon army.”

"Ah... When I arrived, I discovered that due to the manpower issue, once you get into a tough battle, you won't have the chance to assemble weapons to kill these enemies, and these weapons themselves aren't strong enough to be used directly to engage the enemy?" Qin You asked.

"Correct."

Lu Ning raised the sword, looked at it in the moonlight, then continued to wipe it, and slowly engraved the rules she had improved onto the sword blade.

"To solve this problem, we still need to address all the issues you raised in a unified manner."

"any solution?"

"Self-generating and self-destructing cycle of curse killing." Lu Ning gave a name that sounded a bit like a formation naming method.

Qin You understood for a moment and said, "So this kind of curse can condense and collapse on its own, and keep regenerating? That's a bit difficult."

“A little, not much.” Lu Ning narrowed her eyes. “Qin You, if I unfortunately die on the battlefield this time, you must keep this sword, understand?”

"Don't say anything unlucky before setting out." Qin You's smile faded. "You've only just taken over the command of the Frost Array. The Ten Deadly Arrays won't be destroyed so quickly."

“Qin You, I never take any chances,” Lu Ning said in a low voice. “I have seen the Demon Star, and I have also seen the Demon Star’s master, Xu Fu, whom you all speak of… I have spoken with him up close. I know very well that even now I have no chance of winning.”

“In a one-on-one fight, even my uncle couldn’t beat the Demon King.” Qin You snorted. “But humans have never relied on individual combat to fight demons.”

"Don't underestimate your opponent."

The moon was setting. Within the Guanyuan area, the harsh environment of the Great Wilderness no longer affected entry. Lu Ning could feel the night breeze blowing, and... the gathering of demonic energy in the distance.

"Less than half an hour left."

"So fast? That's fine." Qin You carefully wrapped the strips of cloth around his great axe, making sure it was tightly wrapped. Lu Ning then sent a message to her flag officers: "What I just said applies to you as well. If this sword proves its effectiveness on the battlefield, whoever survives must ensure that it is sent back."

"A good battle is fought after the rain, and it's quite exhilarating."

"General, we will do everything we can to cover you."

"Yes, it would be best if you returned this sword."

"……meeting."

The last word of response came from Gu Tong.

Yes, as the scale expanded, Lu Ning promoted more flag officers, including Gu Tong. Lu Ning still didn't believe in this person's will to charge into battle, but she had great faith in his survival instinct.

Time passed quietly, and Lu Ning silently completed the inscription of her new curse. Looking at the sword shimmering in the moonlight, she contentedly sheathed it. This task wasn't particularly difficult for her; creating a perfect new law—the Law of Man—was far more impressive.

As the demonic aura began to approach, Lu Ning made a hand gesture, activating the core of her array.

First, he notified those around him to begin their journey; second, he reported to Grand Tutor Qin, who was far away in the city, that the troops had already set off.

Crossing wastelands and braving fierce winds, the demon army marched through the desolate landscape. Wuchang looked around, his unpredictable face revealing no hidden thoughts, and no demon dared to look at this gloomy commander's expression.

But Wuchang knew very well that Huang Kui's methods had now been learned by the human race and improved upon.

The power of the Ice Lake Law can protect every demon who submits to its might, but it only protects the individual demon. The environment surrounding the Ice Lake is protected by this power, but it has no way to spread.

Night Wanderer brought Huang Kui the location of the necessary wonders, but even Night Wanderer had searched for so long and only found a few. It was impossible to rely on them to protect all the demons. And if only such a small area was habitable, how could the demons survive in this world?

In contrast, the human race has already extended blessings to the land they inhabit.

The fickle thoughts did not last long; it noticed that a scout squad had lost contact.

"stop."

The queue immediately stopped moving forward.

Impermanence opened its black and white umbrella and looked up at the sky.

"...You may not know, but Minotaur is dead. I didn't even know how to kill it, but it still died. If even a demon king's strength results in a violent death on the battlefield, then no amount of caution is too much."

A yin-yang sphere gradually formed in its palm and then rose into the air.

This small ball may seem insignificant, but its purpose was something the several underworld commanders had already planned.

"Direction specified... Day trip, it's up to you."

The instant the Yin-Yang sphere stopped spinning, a beam of light streaked across the sky—a spear forged from light—which crashed into the hills ahead, triggering a violent burst of light. Wuchang glanced at the four demon generals standing behind him: "Prepare."

The four demons each took out a round ball from their bags, put it in their mouths, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it. Immediately afterwards, their eyes were covered by complete darkness, and their auras rose steadily.

"Ketu, Rahu, Hegu, Lizhu," Wuchang called out.

The pupils of the four demon generals instantly regained their color, but unlike before, their auras were now indistinguishable from those of the demon king.

"Is this when we're needed?"

"Of course, the annihilation of a scout unit means something I think you understand. If you don't remember, let me remind you again: when the Minotaur, who came here with me, was found dead the other day, all the demon soldiers were confirmed dead; not a single one survived. Death... is no longer an exemption for us."

"Oh……"

"That's why we need people like us to explore the way."

The four demon kings laughed, then pounced out and disappeared in an instant.

The support from "Tianyi" has arrived, which serves as a second layer of insurance in case "Ice Lake" fails.

However, there was one thing that Wuchang hadn't expected: someone on the other side could see the changes in demonic energy with the naked eye.

The barrage of light guns did not cause any damage to Lu Ning and Qin You's team; in fact, it heightened their vigilance. After killing the scouts, the experienced duo immediately withdrew their team several miles away. Even the most powerful light gun couldn't compare to a missile, and its destructive radius was relatively small.

Lu Ning immediately noticed the four changing demonic energies. Fortunately, the demonic star in the outer heavens had given her a sufficiently high threshold for acceptance, so even though the demonic energy had changed, she felt that this was something new created by demons, rather than some strange phenomenon.

“Four are coming, Demon King.” Lu Ning gestured.

"How strong is it?" Qin You asked.

"Those who were forcibly promoted are not bad in strength, but they can't compare to the top group."

"That's good. How so?"

"If we don't engage, they lack the ability to locate the enemy and are just running around in the mountains. We should go around them and attack the main force of the army directly."

"good idea."

The two hit it off immediately and moved their position, circling around in the mountains to get to the demon army's position.

As a sliver of dawn shone down from the mountaintop, shouts of battle erupted from all around Guanyuan.

Before the demon army could launch its offensive, it was intercepted by the human army. However, after a brief period of chaos, the demon army quickly regrouped, and some of the weapons developed by the craftsmen were put into use to regain their footing. Then came the close-quarters battle.

The Heavenly Annihilation and Earthly Fury formations completely thwarted the demon army's offensive. When the demon army counterattacked, the Heavenly Annihilation formation unleashed its most powerful lightning strike. Destructive purple lightning pierced through the formation, turning every soldier into a ball of lightning that burned away all the surrounding demons upon impact. The Earthly Fury formation, meanwhile, churned up the earth's rock layers, causing scorching magma to erupt from its deepest depths. Countless demons plummeted into the abyss; only a few with the ability to fly managed to escape, but their numbers were negligible.

However, during this process, some soldiers were caught off guard and swarmed by the demons, torn to pieces. The winged demons, clutching the Thunder Pearls, flew low and hurled them at every densely populated area of ​​humans. Yet, even penetrating so deep into enemy territory, they themselves were shot down by crimson arrows just moments later.

The roaring, colossal demons joined the charge, once again displaying their gigantic forms, proving that even in human form, this most basic ability could still be effective. The ground trembled slightly under their stomping, these thick-skinned demons blocking the arrows the humans used to slay them.

Immediately following, artillery fire arrived.

The demons' stone cannons and the humans' artillery unleashed a barrage of fire. The crushing force of the boulders and the splattering flames of the cannons were both highly effective in inflicting casualties on the enemy. The human army, composed of ordinary civilians, did not stand at the forefront but instead, under the cover of the defensive formation, began to engage with ranged weapons. Rows of cursed blood arrows were fired, and a crimson barrier blocked the corrosive ranged attacks launched by the demons—a unique effect indicating that the Demon Suppressor had joined the battle.

Ning Ke, leading the demon-suppressing officials and the group of "demon hunters" left behind by Li Duanyu, moved like ghosts on the battlefield. Their targets were not ordinary demons, but rather small teams specifically tasked with assassinating demon generals and assisting the army in its defense. These teams consisted of three to five people and were highly mobile on uneven terrain. If they encountered a demon army and there was a demon king among them, they would immediately retreat; if there was only a demon general, they would instantly leap out and chop the demon general down with their swords before turning and running away.

As he streaked across the sky, Ning Ke, with the help of Lin Xiyin's eyes, searched for the location of each demon king on the battlefield.

Advanced combat forces are beginning to enter the fray.

However, being a demon king does not necessarily equate to strength. Most of the demon kings under Huang Kui's command are not as strong as those under Fengdu. These demon kings are prey for people like Ning Ke.

On Lu Ning's side, two deadly formations directly cut into the rear of the Wuchang army. Under the cover of the Blood Transformation Formation, the Frost Formation's surprise attack covered most of the ranks with icy mist, followed by an airborne assassination by Lu Ning and the strongest members of the Frost Formation. Lu Ning's longsword only needed to thrust and flick, and a spray of blood would take the life of a demon. As she landed, rolled, and got up, three demons had already been beheaded. The remaining demons, whose senses were obscured by the icy mist, finally reacted and rushed forward, only to step into the viscous blood.

Qin You's support came at the perfect time. Lu Ning swept her sword backhand, and a circle of demons fell to the ground.

"It works." After testing the power of the new curse, Lu Ning couldn't help but show a hint of joy.

Just then, the cold mist suddenly began to distort, and "cold vortexes" began to gather within it.

"This formation seems to have a special connection with me..." Wuchang twirled the umbrella in its hand, floating into the air. Cold vortices swirled around it, drawing in the chilling mist and instantly increasing visibility within the fog. It walked step by step, crashing directly into the fog, the swirling air currents clearing a patch of clarity for the surroundings.

Then, Wuchang raised his hand and pointed, and two cold vortexes instantly approached the two nearest soldiers. Amidst the overflowing chill, their heads were all sent flying into the air.

"Hold your ground! Lord Wuchang has come to our aid!" a demon shouted.

Wuchang frowned slightly; that shout was not good. Sure enough, the next second it felt a tremendous force explode in front of it. If it hadn't dodged quickly, it would have been hit squarely.

Then, Lu Ning instantly materialized from the mist and attacked. The power of "Dishonorable Murder" was now only useful for seizing the initiative with a sudden strike, but she still unleashed its maximum threat through her intense killing intent. The Cursed Killing Sword was once again imbued with a rich crimson color by the Blood Transformation Array. With this strike, crimson ice spikes naturally condensed within the icy mist, shooting towards Wuchang like an explosion. Wuchang also coldly snorted, his umbrella opening and closing before him, its black and white swirling, deflecting all the blood-ice spikes aimed at him.

"Is that all? That won't do."

The voice of the Impermanent One, though soft and feigned, carried a hidden killing intent. With a flick of its finger, a vortex of cold energy drifted toward Lu Ning. Lu Ning had never seen the Impermanent One's vortexes transform before, but the easiest way for her was to simply destroy it.

A flash of red light, and the Demon Blood Curse ignited on Lu Ning's body. This time, the blood she ignited was still the blood of the Demon King, but the difference was that this blood came from the one Qin You obtained from the Bull Head.

The sword passed through the frost, and the coldness collided with the coldness in the air. A large amount of ice shards gathered out of thin air and exploded in all directions. People and demons who were close by were hit by the ice shards in places where they were not wearing armor, and instantly a blood pit was formed.