Chapter 126: The Army at the Gates

Witnessing the monstrosity’s cruelty and hearing his wild boasts—comparing the people of the Strange Demon Realm to mere ants to be trampled at will, as if their lives were worthless—Ye Sansi was incensed.

Facing the demon, Ye Sansi shouted in fury, "You wicked creature! Your words are abominable. Even at the brink of death, you spew such nonsense, devoid of moral clarity and utterly foolish. Since you crave death, I shall grant it to you."

With that, Ye Sansi channeled his magic, weaving a shroud of black mist around the demon’s throat. Ye Sansi raised his arm, and the demon was lifted into the air by the dark tether.

Ye Sansi flicked his wrist, releasing the restraint. Realizing he was free, the demon immediately cast a spell to take flight and vanished within a few heartbeats.

Ye Sansi had let him escape on purpose. While he could have easily exhausted the demon's cultivation, he reasoned that if he truly did so, how would he be any different from the tyranny of the Demon Realm?

He let the creature flee, knowing that when he returned to the main army and spoke to the Demon King, it would serve as a sharp blow to their morale, dampening their arrogance and shattering their certainty of victory.

Of course, Ye Sansi felt this was not enough. Since he had ventured out of the Strange Demon Realm and made such bold claims, he had to achieve something. If not a thousand, he should at least claim the lives of a hundred enemy soldiers; otherwise, he would have no face to see his eldest and second brothers again.

Calculating the time, Ye Sansi murmured, "With that creature sent back, the main army, which would normally take three days, will likely arrive in two. They shouldn't send any more scouting parties. I will eat something, get some rest, and prepare for the hard battle that lies ahead."

Fortunately, Ye Sansi had stored plenty of rations in his Jade Wristlet, enough for a month, so he had no worries about provisions. He found the hut where the Peng Immortal had once stayed, tidied it up, and settled in.

***

Inside the Strange Demon Realm, there was much activity. Knowing time was short, the Strange Demon King and the Peng Immortal King made arrangements according to the strategies proposed by King Buyun. The commanders gathered their troops, relayed the royal orders, and issued detailed instructions to every demon on how to fight.

The planning was meticulous, with every contingency accounted for. Per the royal decree, they were not to get bogged down in prolonged skirmishes; they devised several escape routes, ensuring the demons looked out for one another and acted in coordination.

Such strategy was rigorous. As expected of the great generals of the Strange Demon Realm, their deployment and command were handled with ease—it seemed they had not been idle over these past centuries.

High atop the natural chasm, icy winds howled and clouds swirled. The aerial combat division was already stationed at the third iron chain peak. Though they knew the main enemy force would not arrive for several days, no one dared to slacken.

The Snake General had already hidden his troops along the perilous cliffs. Once the enemy forces gathered, they would launch a surprise attack, unleashing a toxic mist. No matter how high their cultivation, they would not be able to withstand the poison.

The stone wall defense line was the main theater of the war. Once the enemy attacked this point, they could no longer rely on hit-and-run tactics; they would have to face them head-on. Behind them lay the civilians—all minor demons—so the Strange Demon King himself took command. This battle simply could not be lost.

The Peng Immortal also camped at the front, constantly monitoring the defense and overseeing the overall situation, ready to adjust commands based on the enemy’s movements.

Ouyang and the Peng Immortal were constantly worried about Ye Sansi’s safety. After all, the village outside the realm had no reinforcements, no support, and no way to communicate; if he were in danger, no one would know.

If Ye Sansi were to fall, his two brothers would certainly exhaust the full might of the Strange Demon Realm to slaughter their way into the Demon Realm and drag the demons down with them. But with the great war looming, they could not act rashly, lest they ruin the broader plan. They had to remain calm and pray silently for Ye Sansi in their hearts.

***

In the village, Ye Sansi finished his rations, drank a single sip of fine wine, and lay down on the bed. Exhausted, he soon fell into a peaceful sleep, with Tiannu keeping watch by his side to monitor the surroundings.

The next day, Ye Sansi woke early. He lay in bed, staring blankly at the rafters, lost in thought.

He felt conflicted. While the invasion by the Demon Realm army was a catastrophe, Ye Sansi actually hoped they would arrive sooner. He felt that the sooner they came, the sooner the battle would end. Once the crisis was resolved, he could return to the Fangcun Immortal Island to find Ling Shuang and his friends. Thinking of the month they had been apart, he missed them dearly and had so much he wanted to tell them.

Ye Sansi climbed out of bed. It was already noon. He ate some rations and began setting up his own mechanism traps throughout the village.

In the past month, he had mainly studied the "Soul-Devouring Art" and the "Strange-Thought Art," and had also learned how to ignore the restrictive arrays of the mountains, allowing him to fly his sword through them regardless.

Ouyang knew many great formations of the Demon Realm, but there hadn't been time to teach them all to Ye Sansi; otherwise, they would have been very useful in the village.

Fortunately, Ye Sansi was clever. While he didn't grasp the Demon Realm arrays perfectly, he could try applying his own demonic energy to the assassination weapons and traps he had learned about in the human world to estimate their effectiveness.

His Jade Wristlet contained many concealed weapons, all purchased by Ling Shuang at the Iron-Killing Shop. They were powerful, easy to hide, and triggered rapidly, making them hard to defend against. Taking a few lives in the chaos of battle would be easy.

Ye Sansi didn't know the names of these strange gadgets, but he often tinkered with them and had gradually come to understand the ingenuity of their mechanisms.

One weapon was tube-shaped; by rotating the tail mechanism, it could fire five silver needles at once. One tube could be used three times. As far as Ye Sansi could tell, the needles were poisoned. By imbuing them with demonic energy, he could control the trigger and significantly increase their power—hitting an enemy would surely mean their end.

Another item was spherical; it could be held in the hand and thrown. Upon impact, it would detonate instantly, spewing flames while small iron blades were ejected by the force of the explosion. The range was extensive, and by channeling his demonic energy into it, the hundreds of blades released at once would at least severely wound an entire group, if not kill them outright.

Liu Lingshuang had prepared ten of each. Ye Sansi had tested one of each, leaving eighteen remaining. He deployed them throughout the village, waiting for the unwary enemy to get close before he triggered them with his magic.

With the arrangements made, the day passed. As night fell, the moon was pure and bright, breathtakingly beautiful. But Ye Sansi had no heart to admire the scenery; he had his own plan.

Taking advantage of the moonlight, he wanted to scout the enemy's situation. After all, knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle. Even with reports from his subordinates, nothing was as reliable as seeing it with his own eyes.

Flying on his sword, Ye Sansi traveled at great speed toward the location where the demon army was reported to be advancing. A massive army of such evil would surely be intercepted by the righteous sects of the world.

The Liu Family Fortress held great weight in Lingzhou; they would never let such monsters act so brazenly and would surely intervene. Ye Sansi wanted to investigate the situation and, perhaps, use the name of the Liu family to persuade others to step aside so they wouldn't throw their lives away needlessly.

After half an hour, Ye Sansi finally found traces of the Demon Realm army. He saw thousands of demons flying in the air, casting spells together to suspend a massive island. This heavy island moved along with the demons, and their pace was not slow.

Looking closer, the demons on the island were packed densely—all of them were beast-demons. Their momentum was fierce, and their eyes were filled with killing intent. Seeing such powerful demons, Ye Sansi couldn't help but feel uneasy; he feared the Strange Demon Realm might not be able to withstand this.

The island held at least five thousand demons, and their demonic aura was so intense that even from a thousand paces away, Tiannu began to radiate a freezing chill, entering a state of slaughter.

Ye Sansi smiled and muttered, "It seems Tiannu cannot wait any longer. These monsters appear to be exactly what it craves. Go ahead, then." With that, Ye Sansi threw Tiannu with all his might, heading straight for the horde.

A moment later, Tiannu returned with bits of residual ice on its blade. Ye Sansi prepared to strike again, but dozens of bird-demons rushed out, circling the area, trying to track him down.

Seeing this, Sansi dared not act rashly. If he got stuck, it would be hard to shake them off, so he decided to quit while he was ahead. Seeing that no one was stopping their advance, he felt reassured.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed someone approaching rapidly. Ye Sansi turned and struck, aiming directly at the person’s throat.

"Oh no!" Seeing it was an old acquaintance, Ye Sansi quickly withdrew his sword. Tiannu spun in mid-air, barely holding back its momentum.

Landing with the person, Ye Sansi scratched his head and laughed, "Second Elder, why are you here?"

It was Liu Mu, the Second Elder of the Liu Family Fortress.

Liu Mu patted Ye Sansi’s arm and laughed, "I was following the floating island to track these monsters' movements when I suddenly saw the sword Tiannu flying toward the enemy camp. I knew you were nearby, so I waited. When Tiannu was recalled, I followed it and found you here."

"Hahaha, Second Elder, it’s been a long time since I last saw you."

"Sansi, why are you being so formal with me? You and Shuang'er are a perfect match and intended to marry. I already consider you my grandson-in-law. From now on, just call me Second Grandfather."

Ye Sansi squinted and smiled, "Okay, Second Grandfather. I will call you that from now on. By the way, has the Liu Family Fortress taken any action against the Demon Realm army?"

Liu Mu said slowly, "It’s not just the Liu Family Fortress. Many sects heard that the Demon Realm had invaded the human world and have rushed here. The Liu Family Fortress is in command. My eldest brother ordered us not to act rashly, and he sent me to scout their movements. But under pressure from everyone, we will eventually have to fight; otherwise, what face would we have in the human world, in Lingzhou?"

"The idea is good, but this is the Demon Realm army. There are thousands of great demons, all exceptionally brave. The only ones in the human world capable of resisting them are the five grandfathers of the Liu Family Fortress. Wouldn't the other mortals just be throwing their lives away?"

Liu Mu sighed, "Sansi, who says they aren't? But those young people are filled with hot blood and have no fear of death; they want to fight the monsters with their own lives to win honor for the human world."

Ye Sansi frowned and said, "How can honor bought with one's life be worth it? Second Grandfather, why not listen to me..."

"Sansi, speak."

"Actually, I have been keeping a close eye on the movements of this demon army. After careful investigation, their goal is not the human world. I hope the Grand Elder... I mean, Grandfather, can persuade everyone not to make such pointless sacrifices."

Liu Mu nodded and said slowly, "If that is the case, I will speak with my eldest brother. Since you have a plan, the Liu Family Fortress will try our best to persuade everyone. We must not disrupt your grand strategy."

Ye Sansi thought for a moment, scratched his head, and laughed, "Hearing you say this, Second Grandfather, it seems you already know what I’ve been doing. When you saw me, you didn't ask about Ling Shuang's whereabouts, you didn't ask why I was here, and you even added the word 'your' plural..."

"Hahaha!" Liu Mu laughed heartily, "Good, good! Sansi, you are truly exceptionally brilliant. Just from one sentence, you guessed what was in my heart. Truly impressive."

Ye Sansi hurriedly asked, "Second Grandfather, please stop praising me. Tell me, how did you know about my movements? This is important; it must not be leaked..."