As his secretary, his status naturally wasn’t low.

"Oh, the lanterns!" the Demon Master sighed upon hearing this, yet a hint of relief flashed in his eyes.

After years of hard work, wasn’t it just to witness such a day? Now, the Demon Capital was thriving, the faces of the Demon Clan’s people were brimming with brilliant smiles, everything was so beautiful that it almost didn’t feel real.

While the citizens of the Demon Capital were cheering and celebrating, the monsters in the mountains had to face the cruel war.

After regrouping, the Heavenly Court finally extended its reach into the mountains.

With the assistance of the Mountain God and Land God, the group was not completely ignorant about the situation in the mountains; as deities controlling the mountains and lands, the Mountain God and Land God were thoroughly aware of everything that took place within their divine duties.

Soon, countless traps were dug out by the Heavenly soldiers.

Nezha led troops through the deep mountains to dismantle the traps, and upon seeing those deeply hidden traps, even this renowned warrior of the Heavenly Court couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.

"What vicious monsters!" Nezha cursed softly.

He was always fond of battle and liked least the guerrilla tactics of the Demon Clan, wishing he could engage in a real, fierce battle with the enemy.

"Fortunately, we have the assistance of the Mountain God and Land God, otherwise we wouldn’t know how many lives it would take to fill these traps," a Heavenly General said, still somewhat shaken.

The traps hidden densely in depth made their scalps tingle.

"It’s a pity, if the Mountain God and Land God could exert their full strength, these mountains would be no different from our backyard," lamented the Heavenly General.

No one expected that the Demon Clan could come up with countermeasures so quickly, greatly weakening the role of the Mountain God and Land God.

"My father said, this will be a protracted war, with both sides fully exposing their cards; no one can expect a fatal blow," Nezha sighed deeply.

He remembered how unsightly his father’s face was when he said this.

"The Heavenly Court appears strongest, presiding over the Three Realms, but in reality, it is fraught with crises. If this continues, it is likely the Heavenly Court itself that will not endure."

Although Nezha was not versed in politics and did not pay much attention to matters beyond combat, he could clearly feel the surging undercurrents in the shadows.

All of this had begun the moment the Three Pure Ones vanished, it just hadn’t fully developed yet; everyone thought that with the fall of Great Emperor Gouchen, the turmoil in the Heavenly Court had completely dissipated, but Nezha and others knew very clearly, this was just the beginning, the greater undercurrents were yet to follow.

As for whether the Heavenly Court could survive this turmoil, to be honest, he had no confidence, and this was precisely why his father had hurriedly separated himself from his two elder brothers, aiming to preserve the seed.

However, unlike others’ deep worries, Nezha didn’t feel the same; he felt as if his blood was about to catch fire.

For him, a spirited and thrilling battle was all he ever sought.

Meanwhile, a Demon King with a wolf’s head was leading a group of little demons in an ambush deep in the mountains.

A little monster quietly poked its head out and glanced at the nearby ravine, "Boss, should we go up and mess with him?"

The Demon King glanced at him and said, "Charge up now? What’s the difference between that and sending ourselves to death? That’s Nezha, the Lord of the Three Tanhai Association from the Heavenly Court, a figure even the Great Saints take seriously."

The little monster, chastened by these words, reined in his eagerness to try out. The Demon King continued, "I know the battles lately have made you grow arrogant, but I need to remind you, the Heavenly Court is no easy target. How many brothers have died at their hands over the years?"

"So we just watch?"

"We need to be patient, and not every Heavenly soldier is guarded by an expert like Nezha. We’ll pick on the easier targets, hit them and then run. After all, they’ll be dreaming if they think they can trace us once we vanish into these mountains," the Demon King said with a somber look at Nezha and his group.

"You guys keep watch; I’ll take a nap. Call me when there’s a big fish hooked."

After saying this, the Demon King actually lay down on the grass and began to snore loudly, while the remaining little demons looked at each other in bewilderment. In such a tense moment, they hadn’t expected their king to be so calm and comfortably fall asleep.

"The king truly is a king. He can even sleep at a time like this," a little demon whispered in admiration.

An elder monster among the crowd chuckled and said, "It looks like you are all young kids. This skill isn’t just in our king; many kings of these woods possess it. It has been honed through years of battling the Heavenly Court. Otherwise, how could we deal with the fearsome Heavenly Army? You should know these mountains have never once fallen."

The old demon spoke with pride, having been born and raised in these mountains, living here his entire life, and constantly facing off against the attacking Heavenly Army.

One could say that battling the Heavenly Court was ingrained in his bones; thus, he appeared exceptionally calm, feeling no urgency despite the impending battle.

The surrounding monsters instantly looked at him with admiration—here was a veteran of countless battles, respected wherever he went.

This admiration greatly satisfied the old soldier’s vanity, and he spoke earnestly, "You also need to learn this trick. We must always be in our best condition to face the Heavenly Court, which means seizing every opportunity to rest."

"But we can’t do that. Just the thought of the upcoming battle excites us too much to sleep," a little demon said in distress, greatly envying the calm and composed demeanor displayed by the old soldier and the king.

"Haha, no worries, we all came through this way. Participate in a few more battles, and you’ll get used to it. The battlefield is the best teacher."

"Lucky for you guys, now that we have the Demon Court’s support and endless resources, you don’t need to worry about logistics. As long as you’re careful, the chances of surviving are very high. You should know we had nothing back in the day, and many of my brothers starved to death," the old soldier sighed, his mind flashing back to images of comrades who had fought shoulder to shoulder with him. If only they were still alive today.

The old soldier’s calm tone conveyed the harsh realities of the past, making it difficult for the young monsters to imagine how these individuals had persevered. They looked at him with respect, waiting for further guidance.

Seeing this, the old demon smiled and said, "Pay close attention; don’t miss even the slightest movement. You can also use the little animals in the forest for gathering intelligence. Once we find someone isolated, we’ll make our move."