Wang Ping knew Yue Zong was being far too reckless. However, for the sake of their future cooperation, he didn’t voice his dissatisfaction. Instead, he immediately penned a letter lavishing praise on Yue Zong’s martial valor.

Half an hour later, another Government Soldier with a Command Flag strapped to his back ran out of the forest to report on the situation at the front.

Wang Ping didn’t even need to look at the note the soldier handed him. He had already connected with the dense vegetation along the riverbank, and an area hundreds of miles in every direction was now fully mapped out in his spiritual sense.

Yue Zong was indeed valiant, personally leading the charge. His advance had already cut down hundreds of Little Demons, and he was now closing in on a Demon Race stronghold near Crescent Mountain.

"We should order General Yue to rest and regroup. Otherwise, we could have a serious problem on our hands." Zuo Xuan landed, walked over to Wang Ping, and continued, "A few victories have gone to his head. He’s not even sending out scouts anymore."

Zhong Tong, who had already spoken with the Fox Demon, cut in. "Forget him. He needs to learn his lesson the hard way. The young man has no respect for his elders."

Wang Ping had a similar idea. Yue Zong was crucial for the mountain search, as no one else present knew more about military matters. But he was acting too erratically at the moment. After a moment’s thought, Wang Ping said, "Send a man to tell him to make camp where he is."

"Brilliant, Fellow Daoist!"

Zhong Tong praised him. "You’re not issuing a direct order, just telling him to make camp. Given General Yue’s arrogant attitude, he probably won’t listen. That way, if anything happens, we bear no responsibility, and we can even charge him with insubordination."

Wang Ping gave a noncommittal smile. "We still need General Yue to command the troops and set up formations..." He directed this remark at Zuo Xuan.

Understanding the implication, Zuo Xuan rose into the sky.

「Another half an hour passed.」

The fleet and the Government Army on the shore reached a wide, shallow beach. There, they saw several dozen Qi Cultivators from the vanguard clearing away demon corpses.

This was the designated area for the Central Army to make camp.

Under the guidance of the Water Control Qi Practitioners, the large ships moored steadily in the center of the river channel. Hundreds of Qi Cultivators then leaped from the decks to the shore.

In less than half an hour, the Qi Cultivators had already used nearby trees to construct a simple pier.

Just as they were preparing to clear some high ground behind the shallows for the Central Military Camp Area, the sound of rhythmic marching echoed from the nearby forest. Hu Qianqian immediately took some of her people to investigate.

A short while later, Hu Qianqian emerged from the forest, leading a Mouse Demon clad in chainmail. With an incredibly deferential posture, the demon approached the highest point of the northern encampment, where Wang Ping stood.

"This Little Demon, Xia Yan, pays his respects to the Upper Immortals..." Upon seeing Wang Ping and his group, the Mouse Demon immediately kowtowed, just as Hu Yi had done.

Wang Ping found this slightly amusing. "You certainly picked a fine name for yourself."

The Mouse Demon kept its head buried in the earth, not caring in the slightest as mud soiled its magnificent chainmail. In its characteristically shrill voice, it said, "To answer the Upper Immortal, this name was given to me by an Angel who delivered a decree seven or eight years ago. I was originally called Xiao Yan."

’So an Angel was involved.’

Wang Ping studied the Mouse Demon intently. ’The greatest asset of a Mouse Demon is its ability to gather intelligence,’ he thought. ’The Court’s Angel likely intended to win this one over on the side.’

But all Mouse Demons had one thing in common: they were treacherous. They felt no guilt whatsoever when betraying someone.

"Why are you here?"

"To the Upper Immortal, I am the Mountain Monarch of this land. Seeing the arrival of the Upper Immortal’s Celestial Army, I knew you must be here to purge the Rebel Army from Crescent Mountain. So, I have brought six hundred warriors from my clan to offer our assistance. Furthermore, I have a vital piece of intelligence for you."

Xia Yan lifted his head. What seemed to be a smile stretched across his large, furry mouse-like face, but to Wang Ping and the others, it was simply revolting.

"Rise and speak."

"Thank you, Upper Immortal."

Xia Yan raised his head only to be met by Yu Lian’s scrutinizing vertical pupils. He hastily lowered his gaze, but then saw a Spirit Cat sauntering toward his feet. The sight nearly scared the soul right out of him.

At that moment, Yu Lian’s voice echoed in Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea. "This one cultivates an orthodox Demon Race Cultivation Technique. Mmm, his flesh smells delicious."

"Meow..."

The Spirit Cat let out a cry, as if calling for Zuo Xuan, but he wasn’t there. Zuo Liang, standing nearby, was unsure what to do. Fortunately, Yu Lian communicated with the Spirit Cat. After their brief exchange, the cat reluctantly trotted away on its nimble paws.

A glint flashed in Wang Ping’s eyes. A wisp of Wood Spirit Qi manifested at his thought and, completely undetected by Xia Yan, thoroughly probed the demon’s Qi Sea.

It was just as Yu Lian had said. This Mouse Demon had received a true lineage of the Demon Race; the demonic qi within him was dense and on the verge of coalescing into a Fake Pill.

Such a situation usually meant he was backed by an elder who had already formed a Fake Pill, some other Demon Race senior, or even an Entering Cultivator who had procured a Cultivation Technique for him.

After probing the Mouse Demon, Wang Ping glanced at Zhong Tong before his gaze returned to Xia Yan. "First, tell us what you know."

"Yes... Ten days ago, one of my kinsmen snuck deep inside Crescent Mountain. In the main hall of the cavern estate that belonged to the former Mountain Monarch, he saw the long-wanted fugitive, Young Master Ming..."

Zhong Tong’s expression changed at this. He cut in, his voice sharp. "You mean Young Master Ming, the Taiyin Evil Cultivator?"

"Yes, that’s him!"

"Are you certain?"

"I probed my kinsman’s memories. There were many Cultivators there, as well as some Evil Monks. They all addressed him as Young Master Ming..."

Just then, the sound of tearing air came from the sky—the sound of Zuo Xuan descending toward the front lines. ’It seems things at the front are just as I predicted,’ Wang Ping thought. ’Yue Zong has suffered a defeat at the hands of the Demon Race.’

The Mouse Demon waited for the whooshing sound to fade before continuing, "They were refining an item..." He glanced quickly at Zhong Tong, trailing off without finishing his sentence.

Before Wang Ping could even ask, Zhong Tong explained, "The Daoist Scripture Hall keeps Corpse Soldiers imprisoned on Crescent Mountain. The air there is heavy with moisture, and frequent small-scale battles provide enough Evil Qi and flesh to saturate the land. Combined with the Alchemy Array and Spirit Gathering Array we established, we can produce a batch of high-quality Blood Pills every ten years!"

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow. "Blood Pills for making Blood Puppets?"

Blood Puppets are a particularly useful type of puppet, capable of storing several times more memory than an ordinary one. The Daoist Scripture Hall commands an entire army composed of them.

Zhong Tong nodded. "Correct. And a batch of Centennial Blood Pills has just recently finished maturing. The original plan was for the Mountain Monarch of Crescent Mountain to personally deliver them to the Daoist Scripture Hall around the middle of this month. I... did file a report on this at headquarters."

Wang Ping’s gaze fell on the Mouse Demon, who was staring down at the tips of his own feet. After some careful thought, Wang Ping said, "Centennial Blood Pills... Young Master Ming would openly challenge the Daoist Scripture Hall for them?"

"Rumor has it... Young Master Ming is a puppet who, for some special reason, broke free from his master’s control. If he gets his hands on this batch of Blood Pills, he might be able to cultivate real flesh and blood. Combined with the methods of the Taiyin Evil Cultivators, he could potentially break through to an even higher realm."

It was Hu Qianqian who spoke. The story of Young Master Ming was common knowledge among the Cultivators of the Southern Territory. Of course, an Ascetic like Wang Ping, who did little else but engage in secluded cultivation, was likely unaware.

After she finished, Hu Qianqian whispered into Wang Ping’s ear, "Young Master Ming has the power of the Second Realm. He’s also a Steward in the Taiyin Evil Cultivation Organization, so the resources he can command are surely substantial."

"Why wasn’t I told about this sooner?" Wang Ping’s expression toward Zhong Tong had turned sour.

"I truly never imagined Young Master Ming was behind this." Zhong Tong’s face was also grim. "We have to move as quickly as possible. We must deal with the other Mountain Monarchs with overwhelming force to prevent them from causing trouble while our backs are turned at Crescent Mountain. Otherwise, things could get very complicated."