“You haven’t sensed anything yet?” Yue Tiannu inquired, her voice a low murmur atop the city wall wide enough for war chariots to traverse.

Two nuns of the Wash Moon Temple walked side by side, their conversation unheard by the ordinary soldiers patrolling the ramparts, their polearms glinting under the sun.

The nun named Yu Zhen simply shook her head. Her wide, grey monastic robe concealed her exquisite physique, and the captivating charm that could bewitch a crowd was hidden within the clear, tranquil depths of her eyes, like still water.

They had spent a considerable time together, fostering a deliberate connection, during the period when Yu Zhen had sought success in her body-exchange technique. Later, Yue Tiannu resolved to pursue her path through a puppet body, abandoning the idea of further body exchanges. Yet, their friendship endured. If there was anyone in the Wash Moon Temple who truly understood Yu Zhen, it was her, apart from the ancestor master whose likeness was captured in a painting. After all, she was not only on good terms with Yu Zhen but also shared a camaraderie born of shoulder-to-shoulder combat with Jiang Wang.

As the former chief seat of the Chamber of Wonderful Existence, although her body was destroyed and her soul scattered once, many memories were lost. However, the vision of a Cave True realm expert still remained, allowing her to perceive the essence of many things. With the growth of her cultivation, fragmented pieces of past knowledge also began to return.

Her current path was one never before trod.

She cultivated the puppet while seeking the Great Dao. She explored the path while meticulously refining each part of her body, each carved inscription, until one day, she would once again perceive the true reality of the world, and this puppet body would infinitely approach the appearance of an ideal Dao body. Only then would she consider her path truly forged.

The human body itself was a marvel of creation. Normal cultivators, upon reaching a certain realm, would naturally achieve a Dao body. She, however, had to explore and perfect each individual part, each etched pattern.

To know not only what was, but why it was.

Compared to ordinary cultivators, the difficulty was incalculable.

Yet, the cultivation path was fraught with peril. To err and still have the chance to rectify one’s steps was an incredibly rare opportunity.

She had no cause for dissatisfaction.

Having thoroughly bid farewell to the past, with the puppet body as her true form, and with herself as the spirit boat, she had reached the state of “self-crossing the bitter sea, I am the Buddha.”

Only then did she truly perceive herself, and each subsequent step was taken with unwavering steadiness.

This most arduous path was also the one of true, unstained clarity. “Do you feel he might still be alive?” Yue Tiannu asked softly.

Yu Zhen continued walking forward, her gaze fixed ahead. “Alive, I must find him. Dead, I must also find him.”

At that moment, the city’s seal suddenly lifted. The figures of the Great Chu’s Duke of Huai and the Great Qi’s Army God were already visible in the distance, and Wen Renshen’s war cry resonated throughout the entire city.

Wu’an City instantly erupted with excitement. Soldiers rapidly formed ranks, countless cultivators drew their swords and held their halberds aloft, rushing towards the city gates. War chariots thundered across the ground, flying boats streaked across the sky, and heavy crossbows were pushed towards the wilderness.

A grand racial war, unforeseen until this moment, had suddenly begun. And Yu Zhen had already turned back.

Yue Tiannu sensed her determination, her own steps slow, even hesitant. “I’ve never truly liked someone, or perhaps I did, but have forgotten. So I can’t quite understand.”

She spoke with a touch of bewilderment, “Why do people become so fixated on another?”

“I don’t know.” At this moment, the ancient well of her clear eyes had shattered, and a lonely, sorrowful emotion flowed within Yu Zhen’s beautiful gaze. Her voice was softer than the wind. “I only possess my own feelings. I am not an answer for others.”

“So, what are your feelings?” Yue Tiannu pressed.

“What I owe him, I shall return to him. What he owes me, I shall claim back.” Yu Zhen leaped down from the city wall, her monastic robes billowing in the wind. “How can it be calculated otherwise?”

Bai Yuxia, leading the Wu’an Marquis Guard, had only completed their first day in Wu’an City, having just relocated from Yan Prison City.

As the direct subordinates of the Wu’an Marquis, actively commemorating him within the city, they carried a distinct sense of responsibility. However, in the current situation, with their strength, aside from more rigorous training, they were largely unable to do anything else.

Qi Country’s high-level strategies were beyond their influence. They lacked the power to approach the Demon Race, let alone investigate the mastermind behind the scenes. Qi and Jing Country’s joint investigation had yielded nothing substantial, so what use were they?

Heaven Prison World was a place far too cruel to the weak. But under Bai Yuxia’s leadership, the two hundred guards practiced their military formations ceaselessly every day. Their independent investigation into the Wu’an Marquis’s disappearance never ceased either.

As Bai Yuxia had said, possessing a portion of strength meant exhausting that portion. Stationed in this city, they could not diminish the prestige of the name “Wu’an.”

Without any prior warning, Wen Renshen suddenly ordered the entire city’s forces to march towards Tianxi Wilderness and conquer the Demon Race’s Southern Heaven City.

This was undoubtedly a military taboo.

Even with daily preparations for war, such a large-scale decision felt far too rash.

However, when linked to the sudden arrival of Great Chu’s Duke of Huai, Zuo Qi, and considering that Zuo Xiao and Jiang Mengxiong were personally leading the charge, all doubts regarding military matters ceased to be doubts.

The Duke of Huai possessed his strategy, and the Army God had his considerations.

This was not blind faith, but the continuation of countless glorious moments from the past. Those who could write military treatises, their actions were themselves examples for those treatises!

From Bai Yuxia downwards, the entire Wu’an Marquis personal guard team was naturally not one to shrink from battle. They were among the first to respond to the expedition order in the entire Wu’an City.

Gathering instantly, they rushed towards the city gate under Bai Yuxia’s command. But from the side, a majestic wolf cavalry suddenly surged forth, being the first to charge out of the city.

The giant wolves, over three zhang long, were awe-inspiring. Their riders, clad in armor, each held a sturdy iron spear. Such a fierce weapon required no complex techniques. On the battlefield, it was a matter of life and death upon contact, injury upon impact.

Galloping at extreme speed, without a sound, without a single disordered rider, several hundred riders moved as one, their momentum a whirlwind.

The renowned Cang Tu Divine Riders, the world’s foremost cavalry force, naturally had the qualifications to spearhead the charge.

However, after charging out of the city gate, the leading general of that wolf cavalry suddenly reined in his mount and looked back, observing the banner behind Fang Yuanyou’s formation, as if lost in thought. “You are my third brother’s people?”

Fang Yuanyou stared at this man, whose face was indescribably handsome, feeling bewildered.

Bai Yuxia, however, had been to Guanhe Terrace and witnessed this person’s recognition of Jiang Wang. He knew that this man named Zhao Rucheng shared a brotherly relationship with Jiang Wang.

Therefore, he spoke, “I am Bai Yuxia, chief guest of the Wu’an Marquis Manor. This detachment is the Wu’an Marquis’s personal guard. After arriving at the Ten Thousand Demons Gate, we were originally to follow the Marquis into battle. Due to the Marquis’s accident, we have stopped here to wait.”

Zhao Rucheng had no recollection of Bai Yuxia, but he nodded respectfully, then turned his wolf. “On the battlefield, follow me.”

In this moment, on the verge of facing death in battle, these words were undoubtedly more significant than anything else.

Bai Yuxia cupped his hands and said, “Wherever the General’s sword points, we shall not retreat!”

The massive Cang Wolf leaped forward, and Zhao Rucheng was already side-by-side with He Lianyunyun and He Lianhuhu, the foremost riders of the wolf cavalry.

“How is it, first time fighting the Demon Race, nervous?” He Lianhuhu’s tone was restless. Though he was caring for the two juniors, there was an undeniable surge of excitement.

This excitement was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

As a True Person of the Great Shepherd Imperial Clan, and one of the commanders of the Royal Account Cavalry, what else in this world could move him?

His task in the Demon Realm this time was solely to ensure the safety of He Lianyunyun and Zhao Rucheng. He cared not for the Demon Realm’s war situation or the newly opened racial battlefield.

But truthfully, witnessing this sudden racial war, initiated by the joint efforts of Great Chu’s Duke of Huai and Great Qi’s Army God, and being able to participate in such a conflict, it was hard not to feel excited.

Two great military masters joining forces to attack the demons!

What could be more captivating to a military family than participating in such a war?

He Lianyunyun was the daughter of He Lianshanhai, and the Azure blood flowed within her. Naturally, she would not be nervous in such a scene. But she turned and asked, “Rucheng, are you nervous?”

“Nervous.” This fierce general, who had killed countless foes on the Jing Mu battlefield and earned the moniker Blue Ghost, now murmured, “Terrified.”

“Jiang Wang is someone who contends for life with Heaven, you don’t need to worry too much.” With many people present, He Lianyunyun found it inconvenient to act freely, so she merely brushed Zhao Rucheng’s wolf with her whip. “When the time is right, I will open my Heaven’s Eye and help you find him.”

“Don’t open your Heaven’s Eye, that’s too conspicuous,” Zhao Rucheng immediately refused. “If my third brother is still alive, and if the Demon Race detects that we are searching for him, he will be in great danger.”

“You are right,” He Lianyunyun said. “My concern for you has muddled my thinking.”

Zhao Rucheng continued, “Your Highness, do not let this distract you from the larger objective. Your training and safety are the most important things about this journey to the Demon Realm. Finding him is my matter.”

“I will not make such a mistake!” He Lianyunyun said loudly and seriously, “You are my larger objective!”

The entire wolf cavalry fell silent, their iron spears held low, their divine wolves running forward with lowered heads. He Lianhuhu pretended not to hear, his face serious as he looked towards the distant sky, where red and blue shadows, fist strength and halberd strength, seemed to be intertwined, constantly churning, rendering a magnificent painting on the high sky.

Zuo Xiao and Jiang Mengxiong’s action this time was completely aimed at killing the opposing Sky Demons!

In this brief period, that expanse of sky had been shattered several times over!

The Sky Demon Ape Immortal Court could still hold on, but Spider Yi’s momentum was visibly weakening.

Would a Sky Demon fall today?

At the rear of the wolf cavalry, among the galloping horse teams, Fang Yuanyou clenched his teeth and gripped his long sword.

Zhao Rucheng, riding side-by-side with the Great Shepherd Princess and a Great Shepherd True Person, was the most outstanding person he had ever seen. And his commanding presence, sweeping through the battlefield with a hundred riders, fully displayed his identity and status.

An absolute important figure!

And the Wu’an Marquis was unexpectedly the third brother of this important figure from the Shepherd Country!

He had never heard that his Marquis had such a younger brother. Linking this to what he had witnessed these past few days, a sense of pride surged within him. What person in the world did not know the gentleman?!

But he also felt a little troubled and couldn’t help but ask Bai Yuxia, “Sir, earlier, True Person Ye also said that once the war begins, we can follow him. Now the Shepherd Country’s Cang Tu Divine Riders are also telling us to follow them. Who exactly do we follow?”

Bai Yuxia had already considered this. “Others’ concern for the Marquis is something we cannot refuse on his behalf. I will lead a team to follow General Zhao Rucheng, and you will lead a team to follow True Person Ye.”

Fang Yuanyou clicked his tongue. “Too many backers. Fortunately, we have many people, otherwise, we wouldn’t be enough to go around.”

Bai Yuxia ignored his sigh and simply commanded, “Remember, no matter what True Person Ye instructs, you must complete it without fail. Also, protect Miss Ye Qingyu as you would protect the Marquis.”

“Understood!” Fang Yuanyou lightly pulled the reins, leading a hundred men away. The two teams of people and horses thus separated.

Bai Yuxia’s team closely followed behind the Cang Tu Divine Riders. Fang Yuanyou’s direction—

A team of four-winged Ink Warriors flew horizontally in the air, clearing the path ahead. Four ox-horn horizontal knife puppets, four eagle-eyed heavy arrow puppets, and four thin-armored double-sword puppets, like stars surrounding the moon, guarded a carriage of magnificent, flowing, colorful clouds.

The Young Pavilion Master of Lingxiao Pavilion stood within the cloud carriage. A light veil covered her face, her fairy-like posture seeming to soar.

And the contemporary True Person, Ye Lingxiao, leaped into the high sky, his entire person enveloped in a roaring mass of Qi force, directly crashing towards Tianxi Wilderness, crashing towards those two characters, “Southern Heaven.”

From afar, Brave Earl’s shout could already be heard, and the momentum of Qi’s Ninth Rank, the Annihilating Thunder Army, surged like a flood.

And the entire Wu’an City continued to pour out armies. A racial war, one that no one had anticipated beforehand, had just erupted in the Wu South battlefield.

This war, on the Human Race side, counted one hundred thousand main force of the Annihilating Thunder Army, three hundred Cang Tu Divine Riders, two hundred Wu’an Marquis Guards, and forty thousand soldiers from Qi Country’s prefectures.

True Persons: Ye Lingxiao, He Lianhuhu, Wen Renshen. True Monarchs: Zuo Xiao! Jiang Mengxiong!

Bloodbath, the sky is not cold!

At this moment, Jiang Wang was completely unaware of the scale of the war that had been stirred up in this Heaven Prison World because of him.

He alone had crossed the cold, desolate wilderness of drifting snow, climbing back into the hundred thousand great mountains. At this moment, he walked carefully through the mountain forest, moving silently through the gaps in the Demon Race’s line of sight, avoiding those Demon Race warriors he could easily sweep aside.

The great Demon Race city outside Frost Wind Valley had cut off his return path. But the Demon Realm was vast, the civilization basin immense. Across that long boundary line between the two races, across those many battlefields, he did not believe there was no chance for survival.

Life was simply a road forward, walking from yesterday to today, from today to tomorrow.

If this road was blocked, then he would walk towards another. In his experience, the word “give up” did not exist.

Of course, the current situation was indeed dire.

First, his injuries were difficult to heal. Second, the language barrier. Third, his return path was cut off. Fourth, insufficient intelligence. Apart from the simple map drawn by the two small demons earlier, apart from this small area shown on the map, he knew nothing about the rest of the Demon Race territories.

And the act of exploring the map within enemy territory with his physical body was itself the most dangerous choice.

He had fought wars and knew that probing the mists within the war environment often came at the cost of scouts’ lives.

Many small Demon Race teams were driven into the deeper reaches of the mountains. Jiang Wang calmly observed the war preparations of these Demon Race warriors, watching them cut wood for vehicles, twist vines into nets, and cut bamboo for arrows. He saw them gather various poisons, manufacture buckets of poisonous liquid, and on the spot, dip bundles of arrows in the poison. He also saw them setting up great arrays on the mountain. Apart from gaining some understanding of the Demon Race armies, his biggest harvest was probably that the pronunciations of the various military commands used by these Demon Race warriors were quite consistent and relatively easy to understand, thus greatly enriching his Demon language vocabulary.

The Demon Race’s arrays seemed simpler compared to the Human Race’s, relying more on terrain, possessing a kind of straightforward essence. Of course, with Jiang Wang’s knowledge of arrays, he couldn’t see too many details.

Before the Demon Race’s great array was fully formed, he had already withdrawn far beyond its coverage.

At a certain moment, these Demon Race warriors who had entered the mountains seemed to have received some command, hastily ending the array’s arrangement and beginning to withdraw in formation—he did not dare to follow and observe, but instead walked in the opposite direction, towards the deeper parts of the mountain range.

With True Demons stationed on the battlefield, he could not take risks.

His physical and spiritual state also did not allow him to risk another venture into Tianxi Wilderness.

Jiang Wang stayed on high alert, concealed and trailing behind a team of small demons executing a task within the mountains.

Passing by a large tree carved with a thorn flower mark, Jiang Wang casually erased it, leaving a rough beast claw mark on the tree, disguising it as the destruction caused by an evil beast.

He let these small demons help clear the path while observing their habits, learning their language, and thinking about a way to break the situation. Wandering through the mountain forest like a solitary ghost was not a long-term plan. Constantly wandering through the gaps in the Demon Race’s line of sight was no different from dancing on the tip of a knife—there were always moments of distraction, moments of error. And within Demon Race territory, there was no room for mistakes. The problems of intelligence and injuries were even more urgent to solve. Where was the exit?

What to do?

Roar!

Just as he was thinking, a sudden giant roar resounded through the mountain forest.

A black giant bear burst out from the front, destroying countless large trees, scattering the small team of Demon Race bounty hunters ahead. Rolling up a foul wind, it happened to roll towards Jiang Wang!

This bear was three zhang tall at the shoulder and two zhang wide, rolling over like a wall, leaving no room for evasion.

Jiang Wang’s eyes flashed.

In an instant, the foul wind and ferocity dispersed. The black giant bear suddenly restrained its fangs and sat down on its rear, stirring up countless dust and leaves. Its bear eyes stared round, and its paws rested honestly on its belly, looking somewhat silly and cute.

But Jiang Wang’s mood sank—he had been discovered!