The morning of the second day after the Demon Race army had assembled.

The sprawling ten-li-long encampment had expanded by several more li, and the watchtowers extending into the forest now reached over thirty li out. A temporary road had been built between the camp and Crescent Mountain, with the trees in its path cleared away completely. Along this road, three small stockades were also constructed, facing the Vanguard Camp from a distance.

Today, Wang Ping’s order was to rest and reorganize.

Once the order was passed down, the veterans in each battalion knew what it meant.

And so, for the entire day, aside from those on watchtower duty and the necessary scouts, most of the soldiers remained in their barracks, conserving their strength.

The night passed uneventfully.

At daybreak, the soldiers’ breakfast was just enough to fill their stomachs, but they were issued a full ration of dry provisions.

The commanders of each battalion were summoned early in the morning. When they returned, they relayed the order to assemble. At 9:15 AM, an Order Officer from the Central Army ran down the camp’s central thoroughfare, carrying a military directive into the Demon Race’s encampment.

After that, military orders flew about like snowflakes.

As expected, the elite Demon Race forces would act as the Vanguard Army for this assault. The Government Soldiers would serve as the support corps, the Militia would be positioned on both flanks, and the Qi Cultivators would bring up the rear, guarding against a sudden attack from the Taiyin Evil Cultivator’s own Qi Cultivators.

At 9:45 AM, the Demon Race army was the first to move out. As their somewhat loose formation marched out of the camp gate, the five hundred heavy-armored soldiers of the three-thousand-strong Government Soldier force followed close behind. They were followed by the light-armored and cloth-armored spearmen, with several hundred archers bringing up the very end.

After all the Government Soldiers had exited the camp, the Militia rushed into the forests on either side, advancing toward Crescent Mountain under the cover of the trees.

Meanwhile, Wang Ping himself, along with Hu Qianqian, Zuo Xuan, and Zhong Tong, ascended into the sky. He sat poised above the clouds, quietly waiting for the right moment to act.

...

Yue Zong was indeed young and aggressive. Not long after the Demon Race’s Vanguard Army arrived at the base of Crescent Mountain, he personally led his bodyguards to the front lines to oversee the battle.

The outcome of the battle was beyond anyone’s expectations. The elite Demon Race troops, serving as the Xian Deng Camp, took less than two hours to scale the walls of the core fortress defending the entrance to Crescent Mountain. This was because the defending Demon Race guards saw that their own kind were attacking, and many of them simply laid down their arms and surrendered.

Observing the entire process from the air, Hu Qianqian said, "If the Mouse Demon Xia Yan’s intelligence is true, I’m worried they’ll use the Corpse Soldiers imprisoned inside Crescent Mountain!"

"Don’t worry. There’s only one exit here. If they use the Corpse Soldiers, we can just take them all out in one fell swoop," Wang Ping replied calmly.

Hearing this, Zhong Tong hurriedly said, "There are over thirty thousand Corpse Soldiers in Crescent Mountain, and every single one has been refined. If Young Master Ming can truly control them, it will be very difficult to take Crescent Mountain in a short amount of time with just ordinary troops."

"Then we’ll take our time."

Wang Ping was in no hurry. His mission was only to search the mountain. Even if he failed, it wouldn’t be a major issue, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

Zhong Tong, however, was incredibly anxious. The value of this batch of Corpse Soldiers was more than he could repay even if he were sold ten times over.

The battle below continued. With the surrendered Demon Race soldiers from Crescent Mountain leading the way, the army swept through everything in its path, eliminating every demon stronghold they encountered.

By 5:15 PM, the army had surrounded the only city within Crescent Mountain.

Wang Ping glanced at the sky, then turned to Zuo Xuan and asked, "Have you gathered all the materials for your promotion?"

As Zhong Tong’s expression soured, Zuo Xuan nodded. "All gathered!"

"Then go down and tell General Yue to wait until dawn tomorrow to attack the city." After giving the order, Wang Ping formed a hand seal with his left hand and slapped his storage pouch with his right. Instantly, a fully refined Thunder Law Altar materialized and floated before him.

Beside him, Hu Qianqian and Zhong Tong stared in a daze. Yu Lian, however, flew two laps around the altar, her tail curling around a Magical Artifact on it that was forged from Thunder Gold. "It’s my turn to cast the spell this time," she said.

Ever since she’d played with the Thunder Technique once, she had fallen in love with the feeling of its destructive blasts. Every time Wang Ping took out the spellcasting altar, she had to give it a try. As a result, the two had an agreement to take turns as long as the situation wasn’t urgent.

Wang Ping smiled as he gazed at the gradually darkening city below. "Alright, but don’t get too carried away. Make sure you leave enough True Essence in your Qi Sea."

"Don’t worry, I know my limits this time," Yu Lian promised. Then, Hu Qianqian chimed in, "Master, is this the Thunder Law Altar that Martial Uncle Yu Lian was talking about?"

"Yes. I’ve heard it’s especially effective against Corpse Soldiers."

"Fellow Daoist, you’ve also studied the Thunder Technique?" Zhong Tong asked, surprised.

"When I get bored during my usual meditation, I like to study new things. This is just one of them."

Zhong Tong immediately put on an expression of admiration and nodded. "The Thunder Technique is one of the Yuqing Sect’s most guarded secrets. Very few outsiders can comprehend it. If you said that in front of a Yuqing Sect Cultivator, I reckon they’d jump out and challenge you to a duel to the death."

He looked like he was admiring Wang Ping, but the underlying meaning of his words was, ’Fellow Daoist, stop bragging.’

Wang Ping just smiled noncommittally and didn’t pursue the topic further. After Zuo Xuan returned, he observed the battlefield below for a short while longer, then closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

An unknown amount of time passed before a clap of thunder jolted him awake. He opened his eyes and saw that the army camp and the demon city below were quiet, save for a few grumbled curses.

He turned his head to look at Yu Lian, who immediately said, "It was Little Qianqian! She said she wanted to see the Thunder Technique."

Hearing this, Hu Qianqian’s fluffy ears immediately flattened back, her blue eyes filled with innocence. She wanted to explain, but found herself fixed by Yu Lian’s wide-eyed stare.

Zuo Xuan and Zhong Tong both had amused smiles on their faces.

Wang Ping was speechless. He shot Yu Lian a look that said, ’You know what you did,’ then closed his eyes and entered his meditative state again.

This time, Yu Lian didn’t mess around again.

When the morning light spilled across the land, Wang Ping opened his eyes. After a moment of silence, he looked at Zhong Tong and said, "Our opponent seems to be in desperate need of the Corpse Soldiers imprisoned in Crescent Mountain. Last night was a perfect opportunity, yet they didn’t use the Corpse Soldiers to launch a surprise attack."

"Those are the Daoist Scripture Hall’s Corpse Soldiers." Zhong Tong’s words carried a sense of urgency.

"No matter how urgent it is, we should at least wait until the soldiers have had a proper meal, don’t you think?"

「7:45 AM.」

The sky was completely bright. The soldiers had filled their stomachs and rested for a full half hour before Wang Ping finally had Zuo Xuan relay the order to attack.

Soon, Command Flags were waved and horns echoed. Once again, the Demon Race army served as the Xian Deng Camp...

Just then, a Puppet Bird descended from the sky. Wang Ping extended his hand and cupped it. With a CLICK, the Puppet Bird’s abdomen dispensed a small bamboo slip.

Written on it was a coded message used between the Daoist Scripture Hall Patrol Envoys of Nanlin Road. Translated, it read: "Have contacted a great demon registered with the Daoist Scripture Hall nearby. If you encounter special circumstances, you may fire a red and blue signal flare."

This was the response to the letter he had sent just after setting up camp.

After reading the message, Wang Ping put away the Puppet Bird without explaining its contents to the others.

The war below once again took an unexpected turn. This time, there wasn’t even any resistance. Only after the army had taken the city did they discover it was completely empty.

Wang Ping, however, did not let his guard down. He grabbed a handful of seeds and threw them down toward a palace in the city below, which was shrouded in a corrupting aura.

But when the seeds landed on the ground, their Wood Spirit Qi was assimilated by the Nether Qi. The expected jungle and vegetation failed to grow. Unsurprised, Wang Ping smiled and turned his head to Zhong Tong. "Your turn."