Chapter 440: Chapter 298 Mountain God and Land God

But the Jade Emperor still had great trust in the abilities of the Divine Exorcist Great Sage, and he knew that the other party was not one to speak without evidence.

Since this information had been delivered to him, it proved to indeed be factual.

"So you’re saying we’ve been fooled by a mere Snake Demon?" asked the Jade Emperor, his voice deep with gravity.

"Although I’m reluctant to admit it, that’s indeed the case," the Divine Exorcist Great Sage nodded in affirmation.

"Find him. I want to see for myself what kind of Snake Demon is this capable," the Jade Emperor said with rising interest.

If it really was this Snake Demon, then there must be a profound secret behind it, otherwise how could it have grown so powerful in such a short period of time.

"Yes!" replied the Divine Exorcist Great Sage with great respect.

"As for Mr. Mo..." the Jade Emperor began, then trailed off.

"All is normal, but it seems he has started to have doubts," replied the Divine Exorcist Great Sage.

The Jade Emperor remained silent, and after a long pause, finally said, "If he discovers the truth, you know what to do, don’t you?"

At that moment, the Jade Emperor’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, as chilling as the cold wind of deep winter.

"I won’t show any mercy," the Great Sage affirmed.

After their conversation ended, the Lingxiao Treasured Palace returned to its previous calm, but as the results of the battle between the Buddhist Sect and Marx spread, the entire Heavenly Court was enveloped in an oppressive atmosphere.

Those with discerning eyes could see the handiwork of the Heavenly Court within the turmoil at Mount Ling, though it was not openly claimed, the evidence was as clear as day.

Now that the Buddhist Sect had dealt with its crisis and was free to act, they would inevitably target the Heavenly Court, increasing the pressure on the Celestial Realm.

In private, many whispered and speculated anxiously about what the future held.

Meanwhile, Li Jing, who was far away in Luzhou in the North, was also troubled. Ever since the main forces of the Demon Clan had entered the mountains, a great dilemma had presented itself before Li Jing.

To enter the mountains or not.

If they went in, given the Demon Clan’s home-field advantage, it could very well be a death march. If they did not, as time passed, the morale of the forces of the Heavenly Court would diminish, while the Demon Clan’s reinforcements continued to arrive, which would be very disadvantageous for future battles.

"Damn it, if only I had the Treasure Ship in hand, we wouldn’t have to be so passive!" Li Jing cursed under his breath.

If he had the Treasure Ship, he could abandon this position and strike deep into enemy territory. But now that the Treasure Ship had been destroyed, and the Demon Clan clearly also had the ability to construct their own, he dared not act rashly. If he ventured deep into enemy territory alone, he might well be surrounded and devoured by the Demon Clan.

As the war progressed to this stage, the Commander of the Heavenly Court felt a sense of powerlessness. The overwhelming victory he had expected did not occur; on the contrary, the strength of the Demon Clan far exceeded his expectations.

Now faced with this situation, he was caught between a rock and a hard place, with no good strategy to turn the tide of the battle. All he could do was set up camp in this location and form a stalemate.

Looking into the distance, he saw several figures burst out, among them Nezha and the Nine Luminaries Star Lord.

They appeared disheveled and in disarray, covered in dust and grime.

"How’s the situation?" Li Jing asked with concern.

Nezha’s expression was gravely serious as he shook his head and said, "Monsters are cunning; the mountains are full of traps. One careless move can lead us straight into one. Now that they’ve scattered, they’re not directly engaging us anymore; relying on their familiarity with the environment to constantly harass us."

Li Jing listened quietly to Nezha’s account, his brows deeply furrowed. The Demon Clan had indeed come prepared. At present, these mountains were like a vicious beast that had opened its gaping maw. If he were to allow his troops to go in, it would be like sending sheep into the tiger’s den.

"It seems that going into the mountains to exterminate them is not a wise move; we should just patiently wait for His Majesty’s command," sighed Li Jing.

Everyone fell silent. The war had reached this point, and indeed, there seemed to be no better course of action. Both sides, powerful forces, had entered a standoff phase, where endurance was key.

By the time everyone returned to the main camp, they saw that the envoy of the Heavenly Court had already arrived at the camp and hurriedly received the imperial edict.

The Angel smiled as he delivered the imperial decree to Li Jing, "His Majesty is aware of the Marshal’s difficulties here. This time, he has specially commanded me to bring some Earth Gods to this place. They will take control of Luzhou in the North’s leylines, sorting out the local energies, to aid you with extra strength."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing’s eyes lit up, "This is really just in time. I was worrying about how to deal with those monsters hiding in the mountains. With the assistance of the Mountain God and Earth God, we will surely succeed."

His headache had been that he was unfamiliar with the terrain; the Demon Clan was cunning, and the mountains were riddled with traps. Recklessly entering them meant nothing but certain death.

However, with the help of the Mountain God and Earth God, things would be different. These mountain ranges would immediately become like a backyard.

"Yet the leylines of Luzhou in the North are intricate and chaotic. Without a carefully surveyed Leyline Atlas, mastering the leylines and becoming the Mountain God and Earth God would be as difficult as ascending to heaven," Li Jing raised his concern.

Such a task would take a long time, and the war might well be over by then.

"The Marshal need not worry; the Divine Exorcist Great Sage has already drafted a detailed Leyline Atlas. These Mountain God and Earth God will soon be able to grasp their divine duties and provide information to the army," the Angel reassured.

"That’s fantastic!" exclaimed Li Jing, pleased.

Although he had never really liked this Divine Exorcist Great Sage, finding him too gloomy and underhanded in his actions, he couldn’t deny that the Great Sage was not only immensely powerful but also one of the best in intelligence work.

No one had expected him to be so well-prepared that he had already produced a Leyline Atlas ahead of time, which was a tremendous help to Li Jing.

"Then I hereby wish the Marshal a smooth and triumphant victory."

Watching the departing Angel, Li Jing said with a smile, "His Majesty has given us such good conditions; we cannot afford to fail. Prepare for battle, and as soon as the Mountain God and Earth God master the leylines, we’ll take action."

The Mountain God and Earth God that had followed the Angel now sprang into action. With the aid of the Leyline Atlas, they were quickly mastering the mountains and lands. Their unique divine duties allowed them to be acutely aware of everything that occurred within the mountains, providing all necessary intelligence to the army.

However, these movements swiftly drew the attention of the Demon Clan. A flash of red light from the demon flag beside the Shituo King sent countless pieces of information flooding into his mind.

The Great Sage of the Demon Race abruptly stood up and said, "Quite a move from the Heavenly Court, sending the Mountain God and Earth God here. They have already taken control of several mountains by now."

"It’s impossible; even for the Mountain God and Earth God, unfamiliar with the terrain and ignorant of the leyline patterns, how could they possibly master their divine duties so swiftly?" questioned a Demon King, incredulous.

Indeed, mastering divine duties took time, which was why so many Mountain God and Earth God were at the mercy of monsters.

Since ancient times, Luzhou in the North had been the domain of the Demon Clan and never had any Mountain God and Earth God. How could they have achieved mastery now?

The Peng Demon King’s expression darkened, and he bellowed angrily, "Exorcist!"

Only then did everyone realize that on the side of the Heavenly Court there was also a Divine Exorcist Great Sage who had originated from the Demon Clan of Luzhou in the North.