Chapter 143: Gearing Up

Watching Xu Zhe go from being injured and weak to instantly recovering his peak state, Qin Wurong and the others felt their hearts twitching.

Especially Jiang Zhiying and He Han, whose faces burned with a stinging heat.

Just a moment earlier, they were shouting about protecting Xu Zhe, but in the next second, this guy directly obliterated a Void-Splitting stage demonic beast.

Although Xu Zhe seemed to have suffered injuries from forcefully unleashing a magical treasure, he had the advantage of possessing a divine medicinal pill.

He recovered and healed instantly—would you believe it?

While they did not recognize the exact nature of that golden fruit, judging by the astonishing speed of Xu Zhe's recovery, they knew it was a priceless and extraordinary treasure.

"What a waste, it hurts my heart."

He Han touched his bald head, stared at the pile of fruit pulp Xu Zhe had tossed onto the warship, and could not help licking his lips while swallowing hard.

Such a precious item, yet it was merely squeezed for its juice while the pulp was discarded just like that?

Clearly, the pulp still looked extremely enticing and exuded a rich medicinal fragrance.

Should he go pick it up?

"Don't lose focus, there are still demonic beasts ahead."

Jiang Zhiying snapped coldly, pulling He Han back to reality.

Yet in the next instant, Jiang Zhiying deftly reached out, scooped up the fruit pulp Xu Zhe had thrown onto the deck, stored it in her interspatial ring, and said expressionlessly, "Proud Son Xu, protecting the environment is everyone's duty. Please refrain from littering."

He Han and the others: "???"

"Ah... right, right, right. I was a bit hasty just now and didn't pay attention. My apologies, everyone." Coming to his senses, Xu Zhe quickly blamed himself and apologized.

He genuinely reflected on the matter, realizing that this habit was truly terrible and a subconscious residual behavior from his previous life.

After all, back in the Immortal Emperor family of the Azure Heaven Domain, he could casually toss away whatever he wanted, knowing there was always a group of maidservants at the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm to clean up after him.

"It's fine. If Proud Son Xu wishes to discard anything next time, I can handle it on your behalf," Jiang Zhiying said magnanimously, waving her hand.

He Han and the others were dumbfounded.

*Damn it, you call picking up trash like this a good deed?*

*The crucial part is that Proud Son Xu actually believed it?*

*How on earth did that work?!*

*If I had known, I would have gone to pick it up myself!*

"Everyone, there shouldn't be any trouble here anymore. I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

At this moment, Xu Zhe spoke up, bidding farewell to the group.

Having single-handedly eliminated hundreds of flying demonic beasts at the Core-Formation stage, along with obliterating a three-eyed giant bird at the Void-Splitting stage, he had turned the warship of the Fifty-First Battalion and a small surrounding area into virtually a blank zone.

Aside from a few scattered Nascent Soul stage beasts and the occasional Core-Formation beast, no high-level demonic beasts of any threatening caliber remained.

Several Crimson-Feather Boats were thus freed up to reinforce other flying vessels, and the aerial battlefield clearly began to tilt in favor of the Vermilion Bird Army.

Therefore, Xu Zhe did not linger further. He departed swiftly, transforming into a streak of light and plunging toward the ground.

"Wait..." Qin Wurong opened her mouth, intending to call him back, but she was a step too slow.

Xu Zhe had already dashed downward in the blink of an eye.

Vaguely, Qin Wurong saw arcs of purple lightning dancing across Xu Zhe's body.

Resembling a descending god of thunder, the lightning intertwined into sheets, carrying both man and electricity like a cannonball crashing into the horde of demonic beasts on the terrestrial battlefield.

With a deafening "boom," the ground fractured, sending up a massive shockwave that hurled dozens of demonic beasts into the air, tearing flesh and bone apart.

The scene was exceptionally bloody and violent.

"A true man should be just like this!"

Qin Wurong widened her eyes, feeling a tingling sensation across her scalp, yet she felt a heartfelt sense of admiration.

She considered herself a fierce individual, and within both the Vermilion Bird Army and the demon forces, she possessed a formidable reputation.

Yet seeing Xu Zhe's methods now, she realized she was nothing by comparison, with zero grounds for rivalry.

For a moment, alongside her admiration, a faint sense of adoration blossomed within her.

How utterly charismatic such a mighty man was.

However, on the eve of the war, during a secret meeting convened by Lan Zhen with her and various battalion commanders, she had disdainfully remarked that Xu Zhe merely possessed refined looks, lacking the fierce masculinity of other men in the army and holding zero appeal.

Recalling that now, Qin Wurong felt her face burn slightly.

"We all underestimated him. Perhaps... he truly has a way to help us beat back the demon race. If so, Vice-Commander Lan's plan suddenly seems somewhat unnecessary!" She furrowed her brow slightly in contemplation.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhe had already plunged into the terrestrial battlefield, merging with the ground forces of the Vermilion Bird Army to engage the demonic beasts in close combat.

To be precise, while others were fighting fiercely, Xu Zhe was entirely engaged in a massacre.

He fought at the very forefront alongside the vanguard troops, and every punch he threw caused several Core-Formation demonic beasts to drop dead instantly, bursting into bloody mists.

From time to time, dark fire lotuses bloomed like beautiful, bewitching flowers amidst the demon army before detonating, instantly freezing a vast patch of demonic beasts into ice that shattered into frosty debris across the battlefield.

Even more bizarrely, he hurled several purple lightning spheres. While they looked unremarkable from a distance, once the lightning spheres entered the beast horde, they directly blasted groups of monsters into ashes.

That destructive power was even more terrifying than the dark fire lotuses.

Soon, Xu Zhe's performance drew the attention of many Vermilion Bird Army soldiers.

As they fought, everyone distinctly felt their pressure plummet, as most of the demonic beasts seemed to have their aggro drawn by a single person, suffering heavy casualties in the process.

This left everyone deeply shocked, secretly wondering where this fierce entity had dropped from.

It wasn't until they snatched a moment to glance closely that their minds trembled violently.

"It's the Demon King Xu!"

"Holy crap, when did Demon King Xu run over to our sector?"

"Did he just smash down from the sky?"

"Wasn't that previous impact an Immortal Spirit Cannon attack?"

"Gosh, and here I was wondering why the Immortal Spirit Cannon shells suddenly became so powerful. Turns out it was Demon King Xu."

Exclamations erupted everywhere among the crowd. Some even hurriedly seized the moment to rest and recover their spiritual qi; having fought in so many battles, this was the first time they realized that being the vanguard squad actually afforded them a moment of rest—truly a sight unseen in a lifetime.

"Don't let your guard down. Hurry up and kill a few more, or you won't get another chance like this later."

Xu Zhe reminded them in a loud voice.

On the side of the demon army, middle-tier battle formations had not yet been deployed, and they were currently locked in a bitter stalemate with the Vermilion Bird Army.

Although his entry into the battlefield had inflicted thousands of casualties on the beast horde, it was limited to granting an advantage to the small sector where he stood.

Compared to a major war that typically incurred millions of casualties, his tally of a few thousand dead beasts was merely a drop in the ocean.

Looking across the entire battlefield, the current balance of strength between the two sides could at best be described as an even split.

Hearing this, the numerous soldiers dared not lose focus any longer and followed Xu Zhe, slashing their way forward.

...

On the side of the demon army, several Void-Splitting stage demon lords observing the battlefield had also taken notice of Xu Zhe.

"Since when did the human race produce such a powerhouse?"

"Incorrect, he is merely a trifling Nascent Soul stage cultivator. How can he slaughter so many of our kin?"

"Surround and kill him. This brat cannot be allowed to live."

"Agreed. Before the plan commences, let us hunt down a few human prodigies."

The several demon lords immediately issued commands, dispatching multiple waves of beasts to encircle and annihilate Xu Zhe.

Soon, Xu Zhe and those around him distinctly sensed the surging numbers of demonic beasts.

A massive horde of fierce beasts seemed targeted squarely at him, ignoring the other Vermilion Bird Army soldiers and charging relentlessly in his direction.

"Proud Son Xu, be careful. These demonic beasts possess high intelligence and love to encircle and assassinate human prodigies."

Someone hurriedly issued a warning.

"Utterly intolerable!"

Xu Zhe furrowed his brow, looking greatly indignant.

The Vermilion Bird Army soldiers nearby instantly twitched the corners of their mouths.

It was indeed intolerable when demonic beasts usually targeted other prodigies for assassination.

But surely this didn't apply to him?

Just look at how many beasts he had slaughtered; it would be stranger if the enemy *didn't* target him.

Complaints aside, everyone maintained their formation with tacit coordination, closing in toward Xu Zhe to provide backup.

Yet before they could approach, a voice rang out like a booming bell.

A shout of "Sword Sweeping the Eight Desolations" echoed across the vicinity.

Following that, a massive bronze sword expanded to nearly ten meters in length, immensely thick and heavy, and began spinning wildly amidst the beast horde.

The giant sword's blade instantly blurred into an illusion, blooming with a sky full of dazzling, brilliant sword radiance.

Layers of sword shadows enveloped hundreds of beasts, a murderous aura sweeping in all directions.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a muffled roar, the ground shook violently as a massive bloody mist erupted amidst the sword radiance.

Hundreds of demonic beasts were instantly reduced to nothingness.

The Vermilion Bird Army soldiers surrounding Xu Zhe were struck dumb with astonishment.

"Fighting one hundred and fifty opponents alone, I have broken through my personal shackles! The harvest from this battle is immense!" While pouring golden fruit juice down his throat, Xu Zhe excitedly shared this good news with the others.

"..." The crowd indicated they had no desire to respond.

*Is this guy even human?*

*Fighting one hundred and fifty opponents alone?*

*For a Nascent Soul cultivator to fight one hundred and fifty peers of the same realm would already be monstrous.*

*The problem is that your one hundred and fifty opponents were almost entirely Core-Formation stage demonic beasts!*

*Measuring your strength against opponents of that caliber and calling it breaking through shackles—were you sent to the battlefield purely to push your limits?*

*The crucial question is, what kind of treasure is that golden fruit you keep shoving into your mouth?*

*Just drinking the juice instantly restores you to your peak state?*

*Are you keeping the leftover fruit pulp or not? If not... wait, wait, why are you packing it away again?*

*A grand proud son of heaven, yet so stingy?*

*Your mindset is far too petty!*

...

On the demon side, the several Void-Splitting demon lords were likewise jolted awake.

They had originally assumed that dispatching so many Core-Formation beasts to specially assassinate a Nascent Soul prodigy would be a trivial, effortless task.

And yet, this was the result?

Hundreds of their Core-Formation powerhouse kin were simply wiped out just like that?

Are you kidding me?

"This human is problematic. He is definitely not merely at the Nascent Soul stage."

"This person is at least on par with us—no, perhaps even stronger than us."

"Damnable. Immediately report this matter to the Demon King."

"I shall do it." A demon lord with a sharp horn protruding from his head said wrathfully.

The next moment, the horn atop his head emitted a brilliant glow, and spiritual divine sense surged forth.

"Reporting to Lord Li, the human race lacks all martial virtue and rules, actually dispatching a Fusion stage expert disguised as a Nascent Soul cultivator to lurk on the terrestrial battlefield and slaughter our clan," the horned beast reported with a petty complaint.

The Demon King on the other end remained silent for a moment, appearing occupied, before replying coldly and indifferently a short while later: "I am aware. You need not concern yourselves with him; prepare to execute the plan. Lan Zhen is already in retreat."

"Understood!" The horned beast hastily acknowledged.

...

On the terrestrial battlefield, both sides were still engaged in fierce combat.

Although Xu Zhe had slain quite a few beasts—which amounted to little in the grand scheme of the entire battlefield—he single-handedly alleviated the pressure in his sector, allowing numerous soldiers to rush off and reinforce other war zones.

This acted like the straw that broke the camel's back, playing a pivotal role and triggering a chain reaction.

Many war zones thus broke their stalemates, and seizing the opportunity, the Vermilion Bird Army charged forward relentlessly, beginning to push the demon army back.

In an instant, the morale of the entire Vermilion Bird Army soared continuously, seemingly returning to the state of an undefeated division from before.

"Bang!"

At that moment, a deafening explosion erupted high up in the distant sky.

The commotion was so massive that it drew countless gazes, causing people to look up in unison.

In the distant firmament, a brilliant radiance was bursting forth.

"The demon race vainly attempts to rule our people. The human race will triumph! The Vermilion Bird Army will triumph! I'll tear you bastards apart!"

A roar like rolling thunder rang out, transmitting with absolute clarity across the surrounding expanse.

Following that, the radiance in the sky flared violently, and a human figure gradually dissolved into nothingness.

"Vice-Commander Liu!"

"Vice-Commander Liu actually detonated his dantian..."

"No!"

Across the battlefield, countless soldiers felt their eyes split with rage, shouting in fury.

This sudden turn of events was something countless people found hard to accept.

Both the aerial and terrestrial battlefields had clearly begun seizing the advantage, yet unexpectedly, a vice-commander had suffered defeat in the upper-tier battlefield and chosen self-detonation.

For the Vermilion Bird Army, this dealt a heavy blow.

Rage and unwillingness filled many hearts, while a heavy, crushing grief surged up as well.

That radiance in the firmament was the residual glow produced by Vice-Commander Liu's self-detonation. A powerhouse at the early Tribulation-Crossing stage had faded and fallen as swiftly as a brilliant shooting star.

As the radiance gradually faded, a gigantic, ferocious-looking demonic beast appeared in everyone's view.

It was clearly a powerhouse at the Tribulation-Crossing stage, already belonging to the Demon King tier. It possessed the head of a saber-toothed tiger with two particularly prominent sharp fangs, while its physical body resembled that of an ox, covered in a thick layer of scales that gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.

"The human race is nothing special. Self-detonation? Ha, like scratching an itch."

The tiger-headed Demon King sneered, its mocking voice ringing out clearly beside everyone's ears.

The numerous soldiers of the Vermilion Bird Army were instantly filled with rage.

"Absolute nonsense!"

"How dare you insult our army's commander! The demon race deserves to die!"

"Kill them! Slaughter these beasts and avenge Vice-Commander Liu!"

Many roared with bloodshot eyes, charging forward toward the oncoming demon army.

Driven by intense fury, many unleashed their potential and broke their limits, slaughtering the demonic beasts until they retreated in disarray.

Yet as more people broke their limits, they also lost a measure of rationality, charging forward wildly so that their battle formations shattered and their ranks fell into chaos.

After withstanding the first wave of attacks, the demon army suddenly launched a massive counter-offensive, instantly tearing countless Vermilion Bird Army soldiers into shreds.

"Boom!"

Almost simultaneously, a muffled sound echoed from the rear of the demon army.

Waves of formless pressure formed ripples in the air, rapidly spreading and diffusing across the battlefield.

It was like a pebble dropped into water, stirring countless splashes.

"Awooo~"

"Roar!"

All the demonic beasts let out prolonged howls, various roars sweeping across the field and causing everyone's eardrums to ache fiercely.

"Starting to deploy the mid-tier battle formation?" Xu Zhe frowned, sensing the power of the battle formation empowering those beasts and making them grow stronger.

On the side of the Vermilion Bird Army, a commotion began to stir.

"Damnable."

"Again. This bizarre tactic yet again."

"Their cultivation realms have increased."

"What kind of sorcery is the demon race actually using?"

Many roared in frustration.

Without these tactics, they would have had a high certainty of beating back the demon army.

Yet once these methods were deployed, the Vermilion Bird Army was simply no match for the demon army, as their previous two successive defeats had already proven.

A profound sense of powerlessness welled up naturally within everyone.

In that instant, morale plummeted drastically.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a figure surged from the distant clouds, gripping a long spear that multiplied into thousands, sweeping forth with formidable pressure as it fiercely smashed down toward the tiger-headed Demon King.

Bang!

The tiger-headed Demon King swung a claw, but let out a muffled grunt on the spot, instantly being blasted backward.

"Vice-Commander Lan!"

"Vice-Commander Lan has fought his way back!"

"Vice-Commander Lan is awesome!"

"Well fought!"

Countless Vermilion Bird Army soldiers were ecstatic, cheering and shouting with excitement.

Lan Zhen's return granted them hope and a dawn of light, stabilizing military morale instantly.

"Heh, the good show is about to begin!"

Xu Zhe narrowed his eyes, a smile curving the corner of his mouth.

Inside the interspatial ring in his hand, several mid-tier battle formations were already stirring restlessly, poised and ready for action!