The words of the Shituo King filled everyone’s hearts with endless expectation, believing they would definitely have a bright future.

"Of course, the prerequisite is that we must drive these Heavenly Court fellows out," the Shituo King said, gazing into the distance.

That direction was where the Heavenly Court’s current main camp was located.

Meanwhile, Li Jing, the Commander of Heavenly Court, was also patrolling the camp. After the last great battle in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, the morale of the Heavenly Army was quite low.

After all, they had arrived full of confidence, believing that the Demon Clan of Luzhou in the North was no match for them and that victory would be swift. However, reality had slapped them hard in the face.

The tenacity of the Demon Clan had exceeded their expectations, and the earth-shaking cannon fire had become an enduring shadow in their hearts.

They had never imagined that one day they would be frightened by the Heavenly Court’s cannons.

Moreover, at some point, a terrible rumor began to spread among them that the Demon Clan had found a way to deal with the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals. Now, the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were no longer undying. On the battlefield, death was indeed real.

In the past, these Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, relying on their undying bodies, could often exert extraordinary strength. However, when undying turned out to be illusory, the fear deeply hidden in their hearts would surge forth.

Those who had never considered death were now consumed by fear when confronted with it, completely losing their previous bold spirit.

"Father, this can’t go on. The soldiers are panicking and morale is low. If these rumors continue to spread, I’m afraid the consequences will be unimaginable," Nezha said, frowning.

Although he was not interested in these matters, as Li Jing’s son, Nezha was very familiar with military affairs from a young age and was extremely perceptive to the anomalies.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing also sighed deeply. He knew that because of the existence of the undying bodies, these soldiers had long forgotten the cruelty of war. Now that they suddenly heard that undying bodies were useless, it was natural for them to panic.

But he couldn’t tell them the truth. Their fragile minds simply couldn’t withstand such a blow, and a large-scale rout seemed imminent.

As a commander of thousands, he wouldn’t allow such an event to happen.

"Dire times call for strict measures. Find out who is spreading these rumors, and once found, execute them without mercy. All my Heavenly soldiers have passed through the Immortal Transformation Pond. It’s laughable to think the Demon Clan has a method to counter that. Anyone spreading these words must have ulterior motives. Catch them, and let them face righteous law, their souls to be pressed into the Heavenly Prison," Li Jing said coldly.

A flash of cold light in his eyes, this command was given to Nezha but was also for all the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals in the camp. He intended to use killing to silence these people and bring their hearts in order.

These words were still very daunting to the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, and immediately, everyone shut their mouths, not daring to speak further.

Li Jing’s explanation also won the agreement of many. The Immortal Transformation Pond was a sacred place of the Heavenly Court, inaccessible to the Demon Clan. How could they possibly decipher it? Thus, evertyone’s hanging hearts were finally put at ease, no longer as anxious as before. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Seeing that his strategy was effective, Li Jing quietly nodded and then turned to leave.

Nezha closely followed behind, and the two arrived at the Treasure Ship floating in the air, beginning to gaze into the distance, observing the Demon Clan’s position.

"The Demon Clan has some capable people!" Li Jing exclaimed, not knowing how many times he had made such a remark.

Because in his eyes, the defensive fortifications of the Demon Clan opposite were interlocked in a disorderly yet orderly fashion, appearing chaotic but with a unique pattern resembling a giant, gaping maw ready to crush any incoming enemies.

This must have been deliberately constructed by someone. As the Commander, Li Jing could vaguely sense the remarkable nature of these fortifications.

"It looks like it will be another fierce battle!" Li Jing said softly.

The ferocity of the Demon Clan far exceeded his expectations. Instead of fleeing in disarray as in the past, they fiercely launched counterattacks against the vast Heavenly Army, their ferocious demeanor vividly embedded in his memory.

The Demon Clan had changed from before, a sentiment unanimously shared by Li Jing and the other Immortals who had come this time. If the Heavenly Court continued to treat them as before, they would likely suffer a great loss.

Li Jing didn’t understand—could the Demon Emperor really be so formidable that he could instigate such earth-shattering changes in the Demon Clan in such a short time? He couldn’t help but be curious about this being who could contend with the Jade Emperor for the title of Master of Heaven and Earth.

"Father, what does the Imperial Court say?" Nezha asked curiously.

In fact, after these several battles, Nezha had also realized how difficult the Demon Clan was to deal with. The Great Saint who moves mountains from the Demon Clan was no ordinary character, matching his own strength closely. Several times he had wanted to engage in a decisive battle, but the opponent chose to retreat, avoiding entanglement, making it feel like punching cotton, which was incredibly frustrating.

The few Demon Kings around him were also formidable, coupled with a fearless nature, forcing Nezha to be cautious in battle, to avoid being surrounded. He knew that with the current strength in his and his father’s hands, it would be impossible to defeat the now more powerful Demon Clan.

"His Majesty is already preparing the second wave of reinforcements. It is expected that the Four Generals of the Demon Clan and the Nine Luminaries Star Lords will all rush over."

Upon hearing this, Nezha sighed in relief; such reinforcements were not insignificant, indicating that the Heavenly Court was not being careless.

"Good, it seems that His Majesty is also very cautious about the Demon Court. With this, we’ll also have enough strength to contend with the Demon Clan," Nezha said softly, resolute in his mind that he would redeem himself and definitely have a proper encounter with that Great Saint who moves mountains.

"After all, His Majesty is the Master of the Three Realms, with a high and unmatched wisdom. His understanding of the Demon Court is much deeper than ours. Let’s be patient and wait. The moment reinforcements arrive will be the time for us to launch our attack," Li Jing said, gritting his teeth.

The battle in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, although successful in repelling the Demon Clan and capturing this forward base to achieve the set strategic goal, those who understood the full course of the battle knew it was actually a failure for themselves.

The opponent, with far weaker strength, had maximized their tactics to cause significant damage to the Heavenly Army, and rather than saying they recaptured that position, it was more like the opponents had voluntarily given it up.

Such an outcome was undoubtedly a defeat for him. As a famed commander of the Heavenly Court, Li Jing had fought countless battles throughout the Three Realms and bore a resounding reputation. If asked who had the highest mana and strongest Divine Skills in the Heavenly Court, perhaps no one could tell, but if asked who was the best at leading troops into battle, everyone would say it was Pagoda-Bearing Li Tianwang.

This reputation made Li Jing particularly cherish it, unwilling to tarnish his precious fame.