Chapter 110: The Allied Forces Assemble, a Plan to Slay the Demon
Qian Chongxiao took Qian Daoliu and tore through space, instantly escaping a hundred miles away and landing on a desolate mountain Peak. Looking back toward the Savage Beast Hills, Devilish Qi soared into the sky; even from such a distance, they could still feel that heart-palpitating evil and chaos.
Qian Daoliu's face was pale and his breathing was slightly ragged. The continuous high-intensity combat and spatial shuttling had taken a significant toll on him. He looked at his father beside him, a hint of unwillingness in his eyes, but more than that, there was a sense of relief that even he hadn't fully realized.
He didn't know about the secrets and struggles regarding "sacrifice" deep within his father's heart, but he knew his father had suffered extremely severe hidden injuries in his youth. Although he had been recuperating for many years, the root cause was hard to heal, and he most avoided prolonged battles. Just now, if his father had fought to the death with that Demon King at any cost for a quick resolution, even if he won, his Origin Qi would surely have been greatly damaged, potentially even triggering old ailments and reducing his Lifespan. Withdrawing for now, though a helpless choice, avoided the worst-case scenario.
"Father, your body..." Qian Daoliu asked with concern.
Qian Chongxiao waved his hand. Although his expression was somewhat grave, his breathing was relatively steady: "It's fine, just some superficial wounds and a bit of exhaustion. That Demon King is cunning; he's unwilling to stray far from the gate of hell and insists on defending. It would be difficult to take him down in a short time." He paused and looked at Qian Daoliu, his tone carrying a hint of apology, "Liu'er, I..."
"Father, you don't need to say more," Qian Daoliu interrupted, his expression firm. "I understand. The demons are powerful and the portal is hard to break; fighting to the death rashly is not a good strategy. The priority now is to assemble our forces as quickly as possible, set up defenses for a cleanup, and then plan how to break the portal. Your decision, Father, was not improper."
Seeing his son so reasonable, Qian Chongxiao felt slightly more at ease, but the guilt born of his selfishness deepened. He took a deep breath, suppressed his stray thoughts, and said in a deep voice: "Correct! The demons have appeared, and we must stop them from spreading! Liu'er, go immediately to mobilize all the forces of the nearby Spirit Hall sub-halls. Urgently evacuate all residents of villages and small towns within a hundred miles of the Savage Beast Hills and move them to large cities for resettlement! At the same time, conscript all local Soul Masters to be led by Spirit Hall personnel. Immediately blockade all major roads leading into the Savage Beast Hills and construct a defensive line. We must not let the demon army rush out and harm the world!"
"Yes!" Qian Daoliu accepted the order solemnly and took the token. His six wings unfurled behind him, and he turned into a golden light, flying toward the nearest large city.
Qian Chongxiao remained where he was. His powerful Spiritual Power spread out like mercury flowing over the ground, monitoring the movements toward the Savage Beast Hills while he began to meditate and recover. He knew that the real fierce battle was still to come.
Over the next three days, centered around the Savage Beast Hills, an intense large-scale evacuation and the construction of a defensive line rapidly unfolded. Spirit Hall demonstrated the immense energy and efficient execution of the continent's number one power.
One command after another was sent in all directions through special channels. City after city and village after village began a large-scale migration under the guidance and protection of Spirit Hall's Soul Masters. Cries, the sound of hooves, and the rumbling of wheels mixed together, but overall order was maintained.
At the same time, Soul Masters belonging to Spirit Hall from various places, as well as many free Soul Masters and small Family forces who had heard the news, quickly set up checkpoints at strategic locations on the outskirts of the Savage Beast Hills under Spirit Hall's coordination. They built simple fortifications and patrolled day and night, staying alert for any demons that might appear.
Meanwhile, the father and son, Qian Chongxiao and Qian Daoliu, relying on their transcendent strength and the Angel Martial Soul's keen perception of evil Auras, constantly risked approaching the Savage Beast Hills for reconnaissance and harassment. They were like two bolts of golden lightning, occasionally plunging into the edges of the demon forces to release holy purification and clear out small groups of demons; at other times, they bombarded from a distance with Holy Light to delay the stabilization of the gate of hell and the assembly speed of the demon army.
Their actions were highly effective, killing at least several thousand low-level demons and delaying the pace of demon expansion. However, the price was that Qian Daoliu was frequently entangled by those death-defying Great Demon Knights, and several times he nearly fell into an encirclement, only escaping thanks to Qian Chongxiao's timely rescue. As their reconnaissance deepened, the intelligence they gathered became increasingly alarming.
On the evening of the third day, when Yu Boxuan, Yu Yuanchen, and the Super Douluo Yu Qingtian led the elites of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and the Ye Family physicians to the prearranged meeting point—the "Fortress of Firm Rock" three hundred miles from the Savage Beast Hills—this was the scene they saw: inside and outside the fortress, the atmosphere was grim, Soul Masters bustled to and fro, and squads of migrating civilians moved away from the battlefield under the escort of Soul Masters.
Inside the council hall at the center of the fortress, the father and son, Qian Chongxiao and Qian Daoliu, along with the earlier arrivals—Ning Zhiyuan of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Green Peak Douluo, Feng Zaiyun of the Wind Sword Sect, and others—were gathered around a massive map with solemn expressions.
"Brother Yuanchen!" "Sect Master Yu!"
Seeing Yu Yuanchen and his group arrive, everyone stood up to greet them, their faces showing a hint of excitement. Yu Yuanchen's arrival was undoubtedly a shot in the arm.
"Senior Qian, Brother Qian, everyone, it has been a long time." Yu Yuanchen returned the greeting with cupped hands, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally landing on Qian Chongxiao. "What is the situation?"
Qian Chongxiao sighed, pointed to the location of the Savage Beast Hills on the map, and said in a heavy voice: "It is not optimistic. Over these three days, Liu'er and I have scouted multiple times; the number of demons has exceeded ten thousand! Moreover, the number of high-level demons has increased significantly!"
He explained in detail: "Various high-level demons equivalent to Soul Saint and Soul Douluo levels have been found in numbers no less than a hundred! Those Great Demon Knights, skilled in combined attacks, have also increased from the initial seven to fourteen! Even more troublesome is the appearance of three 'Azure Flame Demons' with exceptionally powerful Auras; their strength is likely not inferior to a level ninety-five Super Douluo!"
Hearing this, everyone gasped. An army of over ten thousand demons, over a hundred high-level demons, fourteen Great Demon Knights who could rival titled Douluos, and three Super Douluo-level Azure Flame Demons! This force was enough to sweep across the vast majority of powers on the continent!
"And the most difficult part remains that Demon King," Qian Chongxiao's tone was grave. "He calls himself 'Salvos.' His strength is formidable, and he is incredibly cunning. He always stays near the gate of hell and never wanders far, clearly planning to be able to attack or retreat as he pleases. Once he encounters fatal danger, he can retreat back to the Demon Plane at any time. Because of this, although my Angel lineage has repelled demon invasions several times in history, there has never been a precedent for killing a Demon King."
At this point, Yu Yuanchen suddenly spoke, his voice calm yet carrying a sense of insight: "Senior Qian, in your opinion, is there only this one Demon King for this invasion? Could there be other Demon Kings hiding in the shadows or who haven't descended yet?"
This question startled everyone, and their hearts immediately rose to their throats. If there were a second Demon King, the situation would spiral completely out of control!
Qian Chongxiao pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said with certainty: "The possibility is extremely low. Demons are naturally cruel and chaotic; there is plenty of betrayal and slaughter even among their own kind, and trust is almost non-existent. The energy a single gate of hell can transmit and the planar pressure it can bear are also limited, usually only supporting the descent and activity of one Demon King-level existence. More importantly, according to the records of my Qian Family through the generations, every demon invasion has only seen one Demon King appear. They seem to follow some kind of 'hunting territory' rule and will not share their'spoils' with other Demon Kings."
Hearing this answer, everyone finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. One Demon King, though difficult to kill, could be repelled, and then the crisis could be resolved by combining everyone's strength to destroy the gate of hell.
Just then, an announcement came from outside. Tang Gan and Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect, Sect Master of the White Tiger Sect, Shi Feng of the Black Tortoise Sect, the leaders of the Fire Leopard Sect and other Sects, along with a large number of elites led by Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff Qian Chongshan and the second priest Gold Crocodile Douluo, also arrived at the Fortress of Firm Rock one after another.
A moment later, in the fortress's largest council hall, the helmsmen and Peak powerhouses of the continent's top forces gathered together. The Upper Three Sects, Lower Four Sects, and the high-level members of Spirit Hall were all present, the atmosphere heavy and solemn.
Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff Qian Chongshan first introduced the current situation and their own forces. Due to the urgency of time, each party could only bring elites, at least at the Soul King level and above. The total number of Soul Masters added up to about four thousand. Although their numbers were far inferior to the demons, their individual strength was greater, and they were all veterans of many battles.
Next, Qian Chongxiao once again clarified the detailed intelligence on the demons to everyone, especially the characteristics and threats of the Demon King Salvos.
"...The situation is as follows. The Demon King Salvos is the core, and the gate of hell is the root. Someone must be able to confront or even defeat the Demon King head-on to create an opportunity for others to destroy the gate of hell," Qian Chongxiao concluded, his gaze sweeping across the people present before finally landing on Yu Yuanchen.
In his view, he naturally had to be the one to confront the Demon King, but it would be very difficult to resolve the opponent in a short time; he needed a helper. Among those present, the one with the most hope of helping him fight the Demon King was undoubtedly this unfathomable Young Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
Qian Chongxiao's tone was heavy and candid: "Little friend Yuanchen, to be honest with everyone, that Demon King Salvos is formidably strong and exceptionally cunning, defending by the portal. Holding the Angelic Sacred Sword, I can gain the upper hand by relying on attribute suppression, but if I want to repel him in a short time, it is already not easy; if I want to keep him here permanently, it is even more difficult. Relying on me alone, I fear it will be hard to achieve full success, and I might instead be delayed by him, missing the opportunity for battle."
He paused, his gaze toward Yuanchen carrying a sincere request: "Little friend Yuanchen has profound cultivation, extraordinary combat power, and is especially skilled in powerful attacks. If I have your help and we join forces—one direct and one indirect—we might be able to resolve this quickly, or at least force him back into the portal, gaining time for the army to clear the demons and destroy the gateway. I wonder if you, little friend, would lend me a hand to resist this scoundrel together?"
Hearing this, everyone in the tent looked at Yu Yuanchen. Qian Chongxiao's words were not false; the Demon King was indeed extremely hard to deal with, and having the two strongest powerhouses of the current era join forces was the most stable plan.
Yu Yuanchen's heart stirred slightly. He knew well that Qian Chongxiao found it difficult to fight for long due to his old injuries, and he also didn't realize that Yuanchen's current strength had long since surpassed that of an ordinary Limit Douluo. Qian Chongxiao's move was out of consideration for stability and also showed his high regard for him.
He had originally planned to deal with it alone to seek a thunderous strike and end the trouble forever. But on second thought, with Qian Chongxiao holding a Divine Artifact and launching a frontal assault to attract all the Demon King's attention, he could secretly gather power and find the best moment to launch a killing blow; the success rate might be higher.
Thus, meeting Qian Chongxiao's gaze, he nodded calmly: "Senior Priest overpraises me. The Demon King's fierce flames reach the heavens and threaten the continent; I, Yuanchen, cannot shrink from my duty. It is my honor to fight side-by-side with the Senior Priest. We shall follow your words; you and I will join forces to meet that Demon King."
He did not point out that he had the certainty to kill the Demon King alone; accepting humbly at this moment allowed him to go with the flow.
Seeing Yu Yuanchen agree, a look of relief appeared on Qian Chongxiao's face: "Good! With your help, little friend, the certainty of this battle is greatly increased!"
The atmosphere in the tent relaxed. Having the strongest Demon King handled by Yu Yuanchen and Qian Chongxiao together was undoubtedly a reassurance for everyone.
Next, the tactical assignments were quickly finalized:
The fourteen Great Demon Knights would be handled by squads led by Yu Boxuan of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and Tang Gan of the Clear Sky Sect, who were responsible for crushing them.
The three highly threatening Azure Flame Demons would be handled by Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect (Ning Zhiyuan, Green Peak) would fully support all parties.
The Black Tortoise Sect (Shi Feng) would be responsible for overall defense, protecting the support Soul Masters and the front line.
The Spirit Hall elites (led by Qian Chongshan and Gold Crocodile Douluo), along with the Wind Sword Sect, White Tiger Sect, Fire Leopard Sect, and other Sects, would clear out the mid-to-low-level demons and prevent them from spreading.
"In that case, everyone, prepare yourselves! In one hour, the entire army will set out for the Savage Beast Hills to slay the demons and defend the Dao!" Supreme Pontiff Qian Chongshan ordered solemnly.
"Slay the demons and defend the Dao!" The powerhouses echoed in unison, their Battle Intent high.
An hour later, the allied forces set out like a torrent of steel, rushing toward the source of the Devilish Qi.
Yu Yuanchen and Qian Chongxiao exchanged a glance and nodded in silent understanding. Qian Chongxiao held the Angelic Sacred Sword, its divine light shimmering as he first transformed into a golden stream of light, heading straight for the gate of hell with a majestic Aura, intending to attract all the Demon King's attention. Yu Yuanchen restrained his Aura, his figure appearing and disappearing as he silently hid on the flank like lurking thunder, waiting for the moment for a killing blow.
The great battle was about to erupt! Could the joint efforts of the two strongest powerhouses of the age leave that cunning Demon King behind? The answer was about to be revealed in blood and fire.
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