Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 466 Prioritizing the Big Picture [Please Subscribe]

"Your subordinate respectfully welcomes the return of the Commander."

When Zhou Chun returned to the First Brigade's base, Cheng Zhiming and all the cultivators of the First Brigade, who had been notified in advance, were already lined up in the base, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

Upon seeing him return riding a golden-winged tiger, these people, led by the two deputy commanders Cheng Zhiming and Yue Feng, bowed and saluted to express their welcome.

Seeing this, Zhou Chun couldn't help but shake his head, not really impressed by Cheng Zhiming's ingratiating behavior.

But he couldn't show it on his face, so he just waved his hand and said, "Brothers, you're too kind. I'm just back to rejoin the battle. There's no need for such formalities."

He then dismissed everyone, leaving only the two deputy commanders to accompany him to the command post within the base.

"Does Your Excellency dislike my arrangements this time? I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to..."

Upon entering the command post, Cheng Zhiming, observing the expressions on people's faces, nervously tried to explain the purpose of the arrangements he had just made.

But Zhou Chun shook his head slightly before he could finish speaking, saying, "Vice Commander Cheng, there's no need to say more. How could I not know that you meant well? It's just that I've never liked crowds or the limelight, and I don't blame you at all!"

After saying that, he sat down in the main seat.

After hearing his explanation, Cheng Zhiming seemed to understand something, chuckled a few times, and felt relieved.

Just then, Yue Feng, who was usually silent in front of Zhou Chun, suddenly looked at Zhou Chun and asked, "Commander, are you back with another mission soon?"

His change surprised both Zhou Chun and Cheng Zhiming.

Then Zhou Chun said calmly, "What makes you say that, Deputy Commander Yue?"

"This is merely my guess."

Yue Feng responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun narrowed his eyes, then said in a deep voice, "Then let me tell you, your guess is untrue. I have not received any missions yet!"

"Yes, I understand."

Yue Feng responded with a sound of agreement, and then remained silent.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Chun frowned and then ignored him, instead inquiring about the team's situation from Cheng Zhiming.

It wasn't until half a month after Zhou Chun returned to the team that he received a new mission.

This mission involves sending half of their First Brigade to participate in a crucial battle. Zhou Chun can lead the team himself or arrange for a deputy commander to lead the team.

This task truly put Zhou Chun in a difficult position.

Wei Yong gave him the choice, which shows great respect and consideration for him.

But he had a lot to consider.

Because this offensive operation involved not only Wei Yong's battalion, but also two other battalions, it meant there would be many variables on the front lines.

If Zhou Chun personally leads the team, this would be an excellent opportunity if someone really wanted to assassinate him.

However, if he didn't go, he would undoubtedly miss an opportunity to make a contribution, and people might think that after being listed among the "Seven Heroes of the Heavenly Spirits," he had become timid and afraid of battle, and lost his ambition.

However, Zhou Chun had little time to think; he only had less than half a day to consider his options.

After some hesitation, Zhou Chun decided to proceed cautiously, sending Cheng Zhiming with half of his troops to the battlefield to provide support, while he remained at headquarters.

As long as he is still on the battlefield, he is not afraid of not having the opportunity to make meritorious contributions.

There's no need to be so eager to make a name for yourself and give others an opportunity to take advantage of you.

After making this decision, Zhou Chun personally escorted Cheng Zhiming and the others out of the camp, and then waited at the camp for the results of their battle.

With the demonic cultivators now weakened, they are likely to win this battle.

However, Zhou Chun was unaware that shortly after he saw Cheng Zhiming and the others off, the news reached a group of demonic cultivators.

"Excellent! Now that man only has half his forces stationed at the encampment, and the Golden Core cultivator protecting him has gone to the front lines. This is the perfect opportunity to kill him!"

Inside a sinister demonic palace, a handsome young demonic cultivator finished reading the message in his hand and couldn't help but sneer, revealing a smug smile.

This person was none other than Yin Shaotian, the "Prince of the Underworld" whom Zhou Chun had seen on the battlefield!

As one of the "Seven Fiends of the Primordial Demons," Yin Shaotian had already decided to kill Zhou Chun after learning that Zhou Chun had killed Yan Wuji, the "Blood Fiend Prince" who was on par with him.

It wasn't that Yin Shaotian and Yan Wuji had a good relationship; on the contrary, the two had previously been at odds and had a very bad relationship.

However, since the two were both among the "Seven Fiends of the Primordial Demons" and were each the representative figures of their respective sects, many people in the Primordial Demon Legion compared the two, and neither could subdue the other.

Now that "Bloodthirsty Prince" Yan Wuji is dead, such comparisons are naturally meaningless.

However, the former supporters of "Blood Fiend Prince" Yan Wuji did not admit defeat. They even believed that if Yin Shaotian, the "Netherworld Prince," were to encounter Zhou Chun, he would be even more helpless in front of Zhou Chun's four-clawed thunder dragon.

Although this made a lot of sense, it still infuriated the proud and arrogant Yin Shaotian.

Furthermore, given that the Yuanmo Legion had already offered an extremely high bounty for Zhou Chun's head, Yin Shaotian naturally developed a murderous intent towards Zhou Chun.

As long as Zhou Chun is killed, not only will those who say that "Young Master of the Netherworld" is inferior to "Young Master of Blood Fiend" be shut up, but he will also receive a generous reward and become the strongest among the "Seven Fiends of the Primordial Demons" in terms of reputation.

It can be said to be a win-win-win situation!

So over the past six months, Yin Shaotian has done a lot of work, specifically keeping an eye on Zhou Chun's news.

In the process, he even won over a group of demonic cultivators who were willing to join him in killing Zhou Chun.

After all, he wasn't stupid. He knew that Zhou Chun's four-clawed thunder dragon was indeed his natural counter, and that Zhou Chun also had countless other powerful defensive techniques.

If he wants to kill Zhou Chun, he definitely has no chance on his own.

Upon learning of Zhou Chun's latest information through official channels, Yin Shaotian immediately began sending out numerous messages to gather manpower.

On the other hand, Zhou Chun probably didn't expect that even if he hid in the camp, he would still attract the attention of demonic cultivators.

He was only alerted by the police after the demonic cultivators appeared outside the camp.

When Zhou Chun left his residence, he saw that hundreds of demonic cultivators had appeared around the camp.

These demonic cultivators were at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, and their leader was even a demonic cultivator at the early Golden Core stage!

Among them are also renowned Purple Mansion stage cultivators from the Yuanmo Legion, such as "Netherworld Prince" Yin Shaotian and "White-Haired Blood Demon" Ge Changsheng.

Zhou Chun even saw the leopard-tailed witch who had escaped from his hands.

"These people came specifically for me!"

Upon seeing these familiar demonic cultivators, Zhou Chun immediately understood why they were there.

Then his heart sank, and he sensed something was wrong.

It is obvious that since the enemy came specifically for him, they must have already prepared sufficient means to deal with him.

Now that most of his trump cards have been revealed, this battle is likely to be dangerous!

However, he was a man who had seen a lot in the world, and although he had a bad feeling, he did not panic at all.

He first activated the formation with all his might to resist the attack from the demonic cultivators outside, and at the same time, he sent out several "Thousand-Mile Communication Talismans" to request reinforcements from the camp headquarters and other nearby garrisons.

He also launched several types of distress fireworks into the sky, making them visible within a hundred or two miles.

The Heavenly Spirit Legion deployed numerous patrol teams outside its various outposts. As long as a nearby patrol team saw the distress fireworks, they would immediately help send a distress signal to other outposts, creating a beacon fire communication effect.

Zhou Chun also knew that since the enemy had come specifically for him, it meant they had already taken this into consideration.

He might not be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive!

Not only Zhou Chun knew this, but everyone else certainly did too.

Outside the camp, upon seeing Zhou Chun's distress fireworks, Yin Shaotian, the "Prince of the Underworld" who had orchestrated the entire operation, burst into laughter, saying, "Hahaha, Zhou Zhengchun, don't bother struggling. Since I've come specifically for you, I've naturally made ample preparations. Don't expect anyone to come to your rescue in time; you're doomed today!"

"Hehehe, Fellow Daoist Yin is absolutely right. No one can save you today, you little brat. After today, there will be no more 'Young Master of the Dragon'!"

"White-haired Blood Demon" Ge Changsheng also kept laughing strangely, looking like a smug little man.

The Leopard-Tailed Witch, her eyes filled with murderous intent, said in a hateful voice, "Zhou Zhengchun, you killed my friend and stole my magic weapon that day. Did you ever imagine that one day you would die by my hand? Today, I will avenge Fellow Daoist Yu and the others!"

Zhou Chun listened to these people's words without any change in expression.

He had seen all sorts of dramatic situations. The one he had been chased by the middle-aged man in the blood-red robe was far more dangerous than this.

The situation is dangerous now, but it hasn't reached that point yet.

He didn't respond to the demonic cultivators' clamor, but simply patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist and released the Thunder Dragon Bai Bai, letting it take advantage of the formation still being in place to prioritize killing those Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivators.

Although the formation at the First Battalion's base wasn't a forbidden formation, it was still on par with the "Five Directions Miro Formation" on Zhou Family's Nine Peaks Ridge, and even stronger in terms of defense.

Even though the enemy includes a Golden Core cultivator in the early stage and several powerful Purple Mansion cultivators in the late stage, it shouldn't be a big problem to hold them off for a while.

However, since Yin Shaotian and the others came specifically to deal with Zhou Chun, they naturally put a lot of effort into breaking the formation.

Among the cultivators they brought this time were many from the Corpse Demon Sect and the Yin Ghost Sect. When attacking the great formation, they released a large number of refining corpses and evil spirits as helpers.

In addition, some cultivators from the Beast Demon Palace released a number of demonic beasts and poisonous insects to join the attack.

Although Lei Jiao Bai Bai was able to restrain those corpse-refining ghosts, he was still outnumbered and couldn't manage them all.

Moreover, those demonic cultivators spared no expense in using large quantities of magic talismans and thunder beads to assist them in breaking the formation as quickly as possible.

Therefore, in less than a quarter of an hour, the protective formation of the First Battalion's base began to crumble and could no longer hold on!

Just then, Deputy Commander Yue Feng suddenly shouted, "Commander, the enemy's offensive is fierce, and we fear we cannot hold out for long. We urge you to make a decision as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing his words, many cultivators from the First Brigade turned their gazes toward Zhou Chun, their eyes filled with anticipation.

The cultivators of the First Brigade were filled with awe and admiration for Zhou Chun, the commander who had repeatedly created miracles since taking office.

Now, after Yue Feng's "reminder," these people realized that what seemed like a desperate situation might not actually be a desperate situation!

Zhou Chun, the commander who has repeatedly created miracles, may be able to create another miracle this time!

But when Zhou Chun saw this, his face immediately darkened.

He stared at Yue Feng with a gloomy expression and said in a deep voice, "Decision? What decision? Does Deputy Commander Yue have some brilliant plan to repel the enemy?"

Yue Feng, seemingly oblivious to the change in his expression, replied confidently, "This subordinate dares to speak frankly, but these demonic cultivators outside seem to have come specifically for you, Commander. If you weren't in the camp, they might not be attacking it so fiercely!"

Upon hearing his words, many cultivators from the First Brigade changed their expressions, looking at the two commanders with surprise and doubt in their eyes.

Few cultivators who make it to the battlefield are fools.

On the contrary, most of them are people who are adept at interpersonal relationships.

If they had previously been driven by a desire to survive and led by Yue Feng's words to develop somewhat unrealistic expectations of Zhou Chun, then...

So now Yue Feng's words made them feel the smell of infighting at the top.

In this situation, the only two cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage in the camp were at odds with each other and plotting against one another, which made the other cultivators in the camp even more panicked.

The result was that they were noticeably slower in responding to the demonic cultivators' attacks from outside, and were no longer as resolute as before.

Upon witnessing this scene, Zhou Chun's anger flared, and he coldly stared at Yue Feng, saying, "Does Vice Commander Yue mean to expel me from the garrison?"

"I had no such intention! I only beg the commander to have mercy and save my life and the lives of these two hundred-odd brothers!"

At this point, Yue Feng bowed deeply to Zhou Chun and said, "I implore Commander to prioritize the overall situation and take the initiative to break through!"

"Prioritizing the bigger picture? Do you really know what the bigger picture means?"

Zhou Chun looked at Yue Feng with a sneer, his eyes flashing with cold light, and said, "Let me tell you, I am the mastermind!"

After speaking, he swept his gaze across the other cultivators of the First Battalion and said, "You should know what a devastating blow it would be to my Heavenly Spirit Legion if I were to perish here. How rampant these demonic cultivators outside would be in spreading this news. Can you bear the responsibility for such consequences?"

These words caused the cultivators to change color slightly, and they dared not answer.

Regardless of whether Zhou Chun's words make sense or not, as the current commander of the brigade and the person with the highest cultivation level, who would dare to say to his face that their life is more important than his life?

Even Yue Feng's expression changed, seemingly surprised that Zhou Chun would say such a thing.

But what made him change color and even feel fear was yet to come!

Zhou Chun suddenly spoke again, "However, what Vice Commander Yue just said reminded me. Why did those demonic cultivators arrive so suddenly, right after Vice Commander Cheng and the others left? Could there be a traitor among us?"

As Zhou Chun said this, his gaze clearly fell on Yue Feng.

Many cultivators were also drawn to Yue Feng by his influence, their eyes also filled with surprise and doubt.

Seeing this, Yue Feng couldn't help but shout angrily, "What does the Commander mean by this? Do you suspect me of being a traitor?"

"Zhou didn't say that. Why is Deputy Commander Yue so agitated? Could it be that he has a guilty conscience?"

Zhou Chun said sarcastically, but her eyes were cold.

His gaze intensified Yue Feng's unease, and he couldn't help but shout angrily, "Zhou Zhengchun, don't push your luck!"

"Whether it's Zhou who's gone too far, or you're just feeling guilty, you know the answer in your heart!"

At this point, Zhou Chun sternly ordered, "I hereby command that Deputy Commander Yue Feng and I each lead a team to break out of the encirclement. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot!"

Upon hearing this order, Yue Feng was immediately filled with shock and anger, shouting loudly, "No, this is using my position to settle a personal score! I refuse to obey! I will not follow your order!!"

As he spoke, he even brought out his own magical artifact.

Seeing this, Zhou Chun couldn't help but nod with a cold smile and say, "Very good. You're the first person to dare openly defy my orders and attack me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and patted the spirit beast pouch, releasing the Golden-Winged Tiger and the Golden-Armored Mountain-Carrying Turtle Stone together.

"Kill him!"

Zhou Chun let out a cold shout and immediately unleashed the "Golden Flame Demon-Slaying Blade" and the "Golden Light Demon-Slaying Mirror" to attack Yue Feng.

"You dare! I am a true disciple of the Fire Cloud Palace, if you dare..."

Yue Feng let out a hysterical roar, seemingly unable to believe that Zhou Chunzhen dared to attack him.

But before he could finish speaking, he was overwhelmed by various attacks from Zhou Chun and his spirit pets!

The result was obvious. In a fight against four opponents, Yue Feng couldn't even withstand two rounds of attacks before being killed on the spot by Zhou Chun's single strike!

This scene deeply shocked all the cultivators in the camp.

No one expected that before the demonic cultivators outside could even break in, their two high-ranking members would engage in a fierce battle, and Zhou Chun would actually kill Yue Feng without hesitation!

After killing Yue Feng, Zhou Chun immediately collected his belongings and body, then looked at the crowd and shouted, "Yue Feng colluded with the enemy, disobeyed orders, and launched a rebellion by attacking his superior. He has now been executed on the spot by this commander, and you are all witnesses!"

"Yes, I am willing to testify!"

One of the cultivators seemed to be intimidated by Zhou Chun's aura and involuntarily agreed.

Then the other cultivators seemed to snap out of their daze and hurriedly echoed, "Your subordinates are also willing to testify!"

At this moment, they seemed to have forgotten that there were demonic cultivators attacking the formation outside, and they had forgotten the dangers outside. All they wanted to do was survive in front of Zhou Chun.

They were terrified that if they dared to utter a single word of opposition, they would follow in Yue Feng's footsteps!

But Zhou Chun clearly hadn't forgotten the external threat. After swiftly dealing with the troublemaker Yue Feng, he immediately gave a stern order: "Now, I, the commander, will personally break through the encirclement to lure those demonic cultivators away. You all must hold the formation with all your might and await reinforcements!"

It was clear that the cultivators of the First Brigade who heard his words were all extremely astonished and surprised.

Previously, Zhou Chun had righteously declared that he was in charge of the big picture and that his life was more precious than anyone else's.

Now, however, he suddenly becomes willing to break through and lure away those demonic cultivators. This huge change is truly hard to keep up with.

However, Zhou Chun ignored their surprise and directly collected all the spirit pets. Then he punched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood essence.

Then, he quickly formed hand seals and actually used the Blood Escape Technique, which was the most proficient technique of the Blood Bone Sect's demonic cultivators!

Because the protective array blocked the view of cultivators outside, they didn't know what was happening inside; they only felt that the array's resistance had suddenly decreased significantly.

This made them extremely happy, thinking that the formation was about to be broken.

Just then, a streak of blood-red light suddenly burst out from within the formation, instantly darting out through a gap where there were no Purple Mansion cultivators, and flashing away into the distance.

Upon seeing this, the early-stage Golden Core demonic cultivator's expression immediately changed, and he shouted, "It's that junior! He broke through using the Blood Escape Technique!"

Before his shout had even finished, he waved his natal magic weapon, the "Hundred Ghosts and Thousand Souls Banner," and a gray-black demonic light instantly pierced through the air, striking Zhou Chun, who had turned into a bloody light and fled.

However, Zhou Chun seemed to have anticipated this, and while flying away, he still activated a third-grade high-quality water-element talisman, which transformed into a blue-black giant whale phantom that swallowed the gray-black demonic light.

Although the phantom of the giant whale was quickly dispersed by the gray-black demonic light, it also deprived the demonic light of the opportunity to continue pursuing Zhou Chun.

"Chase him! We absolutely can't let that kid get away!"

Finally regaining his senses, Yin Shaotian, the "Prince of the Underworld," roared with a gloomy expression and immediately recalled his three evil spirits that were attacking the formation, chasing after Zhou Chun.

Seeing this, "White-Haired Blood Demon" Ge Changsheng also followed without hesitation.

Only the Leopard-tailed Witch hesitated for a moment before deciding not to follow, and instead led the remaining twenty or thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators to continue attacking the First Battalion's encampment.

Furthermore, after Zhou Chun broke through the encirclement using the Blood Escape Technique, he also knew that it would be difficult to escape from the pursuit of a Golden Core cultivator using only such an escape technique.

So after escaping for only about a hundred miles, he fell straight into a valley.

Immediately, he raised his hand and wiped it across his storage bag, revealing a dark green banner-like magical artifact in his hand.

He quickly channeled his magic power into the dark green banner, causing it to shake. A large cloud of dark green poisonous mist surged out from the banner, quickly covering an area of ​​several dozen feet around it.

A dozen or so breaths later, a powerful gray-black demonic light shot out from afar, instantly sweeping away the dark green poisonous mist.

However, Zhou Chun was missing from the list.

This scene surprised even the early-stage Golden Core demonic cultivator from the Yin Ghost Sect.

He immediately seemed to understand, and with a cold smile, he took out an earth-yellow talisman from his storage bag. He then activated the talisman, which transformed into an earth-yellow giant hammer that crashed heavily onto the ground near the valley.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the ground below shook violently, as if an earth dragon had turned over.

However, what made the early-stage Golden Core demon cultivator from the Yin Ghost Sect change his expression drastically was that the "Mountain Shaking and Earth Tremoring Talisman," which was specifically designed to interrupt earth-escape techniques, failed to shake Zhou Chun, who was hiding underground, out!

Just then, Yin Shaotian, who was chasing from behind, shouted loudly, "Uncle Lu, quickly use the 'Ground-Gazing Compass'! We can't let that kid get away!"

"I understand!"

The early-stage Golden Core cultivator from the Yin Ghost Sect responded in a low voice, and immediately took out an earth-yellow compass magic tool from his storage bag. He raised his hand and sent a stream of magic power into it to activate the tool.

He then threw the object to the ground.

As soon as the earthen-yellow compass touched the ground, its pointer began to spin rapidly, and soon it pointed in a certain direction.

Seeing this, the early-stage Golden Core cultivator from the Yin Ghost Sect revealed a sinister smile and hissed, "Damn brat, where do you think you're going to run now!"

With that, he put away the earthen-yellow compass artifact and, guided by it, chased after it in the direction of the compass needle.

(End of this chapter)