Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Eighth Scheme of the Northern Abyss

Faced with the choice presented by Di Jun, Kunpeng was suddenly caught in a dilemma. To submit meant losing his freedom, becoming a vassal to Di Jun and Tai Yi; no matter how prettily it was phrased, in essence he would be nothing more than their subordinate. For someone as proud as he, that was almost impossible to accept. But to refuse? Just as Di Jun had considered, Kunpeng had indeed kept a reserve of power, hoping to use it to lessen Di Jun’s suspicions and break through in a single desperate attempt. Yet now, the odds of success seemed pitifully small.

“The Primordial Heluo Formation is a top-tier innate array, one of the very best in the Great Desolation. Even compared with the Ancestral Twelve Heavenly Demon-Slaying Formation of the Wu tribe, the difference is slight. Now I’m trapped inside, with a million Solar Army soldiers and both Di Jun and Tai Yi watching like tigers from the shadows, and no hope of rescue—escape is a forlorn dream,” Kunpeng thought darkly. He wanted to throw caution to the wind, to risk everything in a do-or-die attempt. Yet he could not steel himself to such ruthlessness. In the end, it was fear of death that held him back—success would be ideal, but if he failed, Di Jun would surely not waste another word, and even begging to submit would not save him then.

“Well, fellow Daoist? How have you decided? My patience is running thin. If you take too long, I may not wait any longer.” Di Jun’s eyes flashed with a cold, sinister gleam as he issued his chilling threat.

“Fellow Daoist Di Jun,” Kunpeng replied, “the old ancestor is willing to join you, to help unify the demon race and achieve great ambitions together!”

Hearing this, Tai Yi looked on with scorn, inwardly contemptuous: A coward afraid of death, always currying favor with the powerful. He thought Kunpeng would be formidable, but in the end, he was just so.

Kunpeng ground his teeth in hatred. He had thought to persuade Di Jun with words to escape this calamity, planning to renege later. As long as he didn’t swear an oath, he could always change his mind. But he hadn’t expected Di Jun to be so astute. For an ancient power such as himself, a guest of the Purple Cloud Palace, his words held great weight. Di Jun’s demand clearly showed his distrust—an intolerable insult!

Even a clay figurine has a temper, and how much more so Kunpeng? At this moment, his heart seethed with rage, wishing he could tear Di Jun limb from limb. Yet reason prevailed: under another’s roof, one must bow their head. First survive this ordeal, then plan for the future.

“Do not blame me for doubting your character, fellow Daoist,” Di Jun said politely, though making no effort to hide his mistrust. “This matter is of the utmost importance and brooks no carelessness. Once you have sworn your oath, I will personally apologize to dispel any lingering resentment.”

“Kunpeng, drop the tricks and answer plainly: will you swear the oath or not? If not, the matter is simple enough—hmph!” Tai Yi pressed him bluntly.

“Whether you are friend or foe is entirely up to you,” Di Jun said with a smile.

“Heaven above, bear witness! I, Kunpeng, do solemnly swear: I am willing to join the Demon Court, to wholeheartedly assist Di Jun in unifying the demon race. Should I harbor any duplicity, may Heaven punish me with the annihilation of body and soul!”

Kunpeng’s oath could not have been more dire, instantly dispelling the suspicions of Di Jun and Tai Yi. Although both noticed that Kunpeng had only sworn to assist in unifying the demon race, saying nothing about ruling the Great Desolation, they did not mind. They would deal with him step by step; Di Jun did not believe that, once embroiled in their affairs, Kunpeng could so easily extricate himself?

With Kunpeng’s oath, Di Jun immediately withdrew the formation, and together with Tai Yi, eased Kunpeng’s frustration.

While Di Jun was reaping the rewards of these intrigues, Bai Ze’s situation was far less favorable.

First, the Solar Dragons had either been recalled to the Sun Star or nearly all slaughtered by Tai Yi. Second, hundreds of thousands of Solar Army troops, along with the Solar Dragons, had returned to the Sun Star and lain in ambush, numbering nearly a million. Add to that the staged internecine battles that had sacrificed hundreds of thousands more “loyal” troops, and in total, nearly three million were lost in an instant. Remember, Di Jun’s total forces numbered only five million Solar Army soldiers, of which four million, led by dozens of demon kings and generals, had been dispatched across the land to gather scattered lesser and greater demons. Di Jun himself had brought only a million north to subdue the North Sea.

In prior clashes with the North Sea’s forces, losses had already reached one or two million. Thus, Bai Ze now commanded only about five hundred thousand Solar Army troops, while facing nearly ten million giant beasts and sea monsters. Even with the advantage of surprise, the odds were grim.

“Alas! Let’s just hope the lord’s plan succeeds, or this loss will be disastrous.”

Under Bai Ze’s command, the five hundred thousand Solar Army troops were arrayed in an immense formation, pressing in relentlessly on the encircled sea monsters. Within this grand formation were hundreds, even thousands, of smaller arrays—each independent, yet able to complement each other in subtle ways, an intricate marvel of artifice. Thus, five hundred thousand managed to contain ten million foes, each of whom dwarfed them by hundreds or thousands of times in size.

The vast disparity in numbers was offset by the formation, so that, for the moment, the tide did not turn. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, but for every Solar Army soldier lost, the scales tipped further against Bai Ze’s side.

“Truly, for every general’s success, ten thousand bones must bleach. For the lord’s grand designs, this is but the prelude. In days to come, the land will be piled high with bones, corpses covering a thousand miles, rivers running red with blood, resentful souls obscuring the heavens… Whether for the sake of my demon brethren or to aid my lord’s resurrection, I must press forward without hesitation—no hardship can deter my resolve!” In that instant, Bai Ze suppressed the last trace of pity in his heart. For him, reviving his master outweighed all else.

Time passed slowly. Over two million Solar Army soldiers had perished, and the corpses of giant beasts and sea monsters floated across tens of thousands of miles of the North Sea. The vast sea was stained red, the air thick with the stench of blood. The spectral souls of fallen Solar Army soldiers and the vengeful spirits of the sea monsters wailed and howled across the sky, some dissipating in the wind or sunlight, others writhing in endless agony.

At that moment, a Solar Army soldier rushed over and saluted Bai Ze: “Strategist, word from the lord—his plan has succeeded!”

Hearing this report, Bai Ze felt all tension melt away. With a sweeping gesture, he ordered, “Withdraw the troops! Rendezvous with the lord. As for these sea monsters, let Kunpeng deal with them!”

“Yes, sir!”

................................................

Thus the Battle of the North Sea drew to a close, while Qingxu hurried desperately to arrive.

Although the Taiyi Xuanhuang Divine Sovereign had the cultivation of a divine king, Qingxu had never spent time refining his divine kingdom, nor did he have any followers to speak of. As such, his divine power dwindled with every use, and by the time he reached the North Sea, he would have little strength left.

A Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament could traverse parallel spaces, ignoring distance and turning farthest horizons into inches, but this consumed immense divine power—an extravagance Qingxu, in his current state, could ill afford. He could only travel as a streak of rainbow light, which slowed his journey to the North Sea by several times. There was nothing to be done about it.

[PS: Since I began writing, I have striven to update consistently, pushing through illness, overtime, social obligations, and writer’s block, and I’ve even managed to build up a small backlog. But this time, it can’t be helped—New Year’s means visiting family in the countryside, and I won’t be able to touch my computer for several days. So, for the first time, there will be a break in updates. However, before 6:00 PM today, I will post five chapters in one go—please forgive me and treat it as an advance for the first five days of the new year. My apologies, dear readers, and may you all have a joyous Year of the Snake, your wishes come true, family happiness, robust health, blessings as boundless as the Eastern Sea, longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountains... (a million words omitted). And some good news: this book has been signed under the esteemed Changhe, and after chapter 100, each chapter will be at least 3,000 words. I guarantee no fewer than 365 chapters in the coming year, and will post more whenever possible. As a twelve-hour-a-day office worker, I can’t write as much as I wish, but I’ll do my best!]