Daqin Zhentiansi

The seven men continued their march without stopping, like seven divine arrows dipped in the power of heaven to slay demons, crushing forward relentlessly.

The fleeing monsters formed a terrifying wave, but their escape speed was far slower than the seven people's advance.

The Heavenly Dao realm expands, and the power of the two realms sweeps across.

Wherever the demonic tide recedes, destruction follows.

Along the path behind the seven people, the demonic energy in the vast demonic territory was greatly purified, and the small and medium-sized demon strongholds that had been entrenched there were easily wiped out.

The terrain even underwent subtle changes due to the cleansing power of the Heavenly Dao, appearing much "cleaner".

Finally, after defeating the last organized group of demons and purifying a small area of ​​demonic energy accumulation, the seven stopped.

Ahead lay the edge of the abyss, where the demonic clouds had grown even thicker and a faint aura that even made the Venerable One's heart tremble.

Zhang Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the boundless dark abyss. His dark figure, illuminated by the gradually calming afterglow of the Heavenly Dao behind him, resembled an insurmountable monument.

Yue Shanhe stood beside him with five half-step Venerables, each with a slightly fluctuating aura, but their eyes burned with an unprecedented light.

They didn't feel much fatigue as they pushed forward. On the contrary, under the nourishment and blessing of the power of the Heavenly Dao, their cultivation improved slightly and their understanding of power deepened.

Behind the seven people was a "vacuum" zone stretching for 100,000 miles, with demonic corpses lying on the ground, demonic energy dissipated, and the world cleared up!
The news, like a super storm, swept across the entire Blood Millstone War Zone, even the Boundary Barrier Pass, and even the deeper Chaos Demon Realm, and... certain hidden locations of the Heavenly Palace, at a speed even faster than the collapse of the demonic tide.

Jielu Pass, Central Hall.

Dead silence.

Absolute silence.

On the sand table, the three huge scarlet demon camp markers representing the "Weeping Bone Wasteland" on the southeast side have been extinguished and disappeared.

Instead, there is a "purification corridor" that extends from the direction of Chentieling, spans 100,000 miles, and reaches the edge of the abyss, marked by a faint golden and dark black light.

Just moments ago, they were debating the merits and demerits of "Sinking Star Terrace" and mocking Zhang Yuan for overestimating his abilities.

At this moment, Zhang Yuan delivered a resounding slap to everyone in the face in the most domineering, direct, and irrefutable way!

It is not an altar.

They are three demon camps!
It is a vast demonic territory spanning ten thousand miles!

Venerable Zhaowu opened his mouth wide, his tiger eyes wide, unable to utter a sound for a long time, his chest heaving violently, finally bursting into a wild laugh that shook the palace: "Hahahaha! Good! What a feint! What a sweeping sweep of ten thousand miles by the seven Venerables! Magnificent! Exhilarating! Zhang Yuan! Fire Commander! Truly divine beings!"

Venerable Li Xing's face turned deathly pale, as if he had been struck hard in the chest by an invisible giant hammer. He staggered back a step, his finger trembling as he pointed at the glaring "purification corridor" on the sand table. His lips quivered, but he couldn't utter a single word.

His deputy general and the elites of the Heavenly Punishment Hall were ashen-faced, their eyes filled with disbelief, horror, and fear.

Seven people... only seven people...

This is no longer a tactical victory; it is a strategic display of power!
It is a subversion of the existing rules of the battlefield!
The Venerable Zichen sat upright beneath his jade crown, the beaded curtain trembling violently, remaining silent for a long time.

Deep within his usually calm eyes, a surge of emotion welled up, revealing shock, deep thought, and a complex, indescribable light.

Zhang Yuan's move not only perfectly implemented the "nibbling away" strategy, eliminating a major threat with swift and decisive action, but also expanded his strategic space.

It also laid bare to the Heavenly Palace, the Demon Clan, and all forces that were paying attention to this place, demonstrating the terrifying power he could unleash after ruling over a certain territory and living beings, a power powerful enough to shake even the Venerables and higher levels!
This power originates from the beacon network, from the resonance of the two realms' heavenly laws, and even more so from his own unfathomable inheritance and control.

"Pass on the order."

After a long silence, Venerable Zichen's voice finally rang out. It still didn't reveal much emotion, but it carried an unprecedented solemnity.

"Zhaowu, immediately muster the elite troops of your 'Tiangang Camp,' armed with heavy weapons, and march out of the pass to garrison the newly established defensive line in the 'Weeping Bone Wasteland,' consolidate the gains, and support the Fire Commander's forces."

"Li Xing, your Heavenly Punishment Hall is responsible for allocating double the logistical supplies, especially materials for array repair and construction, and sending them to Chen Tie Ridge immediately. There must be no mistakes."

"Furthermore," his gaze seemed to pierce through the palace ceiling, looking towards the distant, briefly purified 100,000-mile-long territory, "in my name, I hereby announce to all halls: in the Blood Millstone War Zone, all matters of war and defense shall be decided by Fire Commander Zhang Yuan... on the spot, without needing to consult the central government for a decision."

"Whatever the Fire Commander needs, resources from within the pass will be supplied with priority."

The last few words, like a thunderclap, once again shook the hall.

Make decisive decisions on the spot! Prioritize supply!
This effectively and publicly granted Zhang Yuan the supreme command and resource allocation authority at the Blood Mill front!

Li Xing suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness, but under the calm yet unquestionable gaze of Venerable Zi Chen, he could only grit his teeth and squeeze out a single word: "...Yes, sir."

Zhao Wu, greatly encouraged, clasped his hands in a resounding gesture and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

The news had already spread outside the main hall.

Throughout the pass, both Celestial Warriors and cultivators of vassal races were in an uproar!

"Seven men pushed through three battalions! They swept across ten thousand miles! My God!"

"Fire General! Is that the power of Fire General Zhang Yuan? With the Primordial Heavenly Dao upon him, even Venerables are like ants?"

"A feint! That's brilliant! The Sinking Star Platform is just a decoy; the real target is to eradicate those three malignant tumors!"

"From this day forward, the Blood Mill front will likely be under the 'Zhang's' name!"

Amazement, awe, fervor, disbelief... a mix of emotions converged into a surging wave that crashed against the ancient city walls of Jielei Pass.

Deep within the chaotic demonic clouds, those few lurking, terrifying wills, after a brief period of deathly silence, erupted with roars and hisses even more furious than when they missed their target at the "Sinking Star Platform," and even mixed with a hint of fear.

Zhang Yuan... this kid has become a major threat!

A reassessment is necessary! It must be done... at any cost!
On the edge of the desolate wasteland, where bones weep.

Zhang Yuan slowly withdrew his gaze from the abyss, turned around, and looked at the completely renewed world behind him, as well as the six golden lights of the beacon towers in the distance, whose warmth and power he could still feel even though they were far apart.

Yue Shanhe stepped forward, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "Commander Huo, this battle... is worthy of being recorded in the history of the primordial war!"

Zhang Yuan nodded slightly, the chaotic and mysterious light in his eyes gradually subsided, returning to its deep focus.

"This is just the first step." His voice was calm, yet carried an iron will. "With beacon towers as our foundation and iron walls as our body, we have built up our strength over the past ten years... What I want is far more than just these ten thousand miles."

He raised his hand, pointing to the ancient altar markings scattered throughout the vast demon realm, more numerous and dimmer. "Order Lei Zhen, Yue Zhenshan, and Xuan Lan to proceed according to plan."

"Keep encroaching."

Xuanmo stood against the wind, with the newly opened pure land behind him and the endless abyss of demons in front of him.

The net of beacon fires has been quietly spread.

The foundation of the iron wall is forged in blood and fire.

The era of Fire General Zhang Yuan began on this day, with his seven peerless warriors sweeping across ten thousand miles of demonic realm, and he descended with overwhelming force.

However, in the following six months, this commander, who had shocked the world upon his debut, did not continue to advance and expand his territory with the momentum of his great victory, as everyone had expected.

On the contrary, Zhang Yuan chose what seemed to be the most conservative and dull strategy—consolidation.

For a full six months, the newly established three forts and six beacon towers on the front line of the Blood Mill seemed to have transformed into an enormous, roaring war furnace and anvil.

There were no earth-shattering expeditions, no dazzling surprise attacks, only day after day of ramming earth fortifications, military training exercises, and the terrifying consumption of massive amounts of resources like a rushing river.

The defense system of the three main fortresses, Chentieling, Yingzui Cliff, and Guxingbao, was completely reconstructed.

With the cooperation of array masters and warriors, the city walls were continuously thickened and raised, and the runes engraved on the surface gradually added complex effects such as purification, rebound, and gravity interference, from basic protection and sturdiness.

The "Void Crystal" from Jielu Pass was embedded in key nodes to form a stable spatial network.

The "Earth Vein Essence" was infused into the foundation of the fortress like blood vessels, resonating with the spiritual veins deep within the primordial earth, making the fortress itself seem to have breath and pulse.

"Starry Gold" was forged into the sharpest crossbow spearheads for city defense and core array components, its cold light revealing the power to annihilate stars.

Every day, new arrow towers, rune cannon bases, and early warning arrays are built. The originally somewhat rough defense line gradually becomes more precise and formidable, like a steel behemoth crouching on the edge of the demon realm, its body covered in ever-growing thorns.

Those 300,000 troops underwent a transformative ordeal. Within the military camp, roars shook the heavens, and dust billowed everywhere.

Like the most demanding craftsmen, veterans of the Panshi Battalion, such as Yue Zhenshan and Pan Yue, relentlessly instilled the survival rules and combat skills learned on the Blood Mill battlefield—learned with the lives of countless comrades—into the flesh and soul of every new recruit.

Basic military drills last from sunrise to sunset, involving shield bashing, spear thrusting, and crossbow firing. The movements are required to be precise to the millimeter, and the coordination must be seamless.

The live-fire drills were conducted in a carefully cleared outer area, including squad combat, formation offense and defense, and responses to sudden magical attacks...

Every drill strives to closely resemble the brutality of real battlefields, and injuries or even occasional casualties are considered a necessary price to pay.

Guided by the "nibbling away" strategy, elite teams of 100 and 1000 men took turns going out from the Three Fortresses to clear out the remaining monsters in the surrounding area and explore the abandoned altar nodes further away.

These operations, though small in scale, were extremely frequent, spreading like mercury across the ground, constantly shrinking the demons' space for maneuver, while also allowing new recruits to quickly accumulate combat experience under controllable risks.

The consumption of resources reached an alarming level.

The furnace in Lei Zhen's workshop burned day and night, with the sounds of hammering, melting, and engraving runes intertwining incessantly.

The captured demon bones and heavenly demon essence were sent in like a flowing stream, and then transformed into batches of armor, weapons, and arrows and sent out.

More than 10,000 sets of heavy armor for the Rock Battalion have been forged, and hundreds of thousands of magic-breaking bows and special arrows for the Rift Battalion. The new magic-breaking cone tower shield combination has been equipped to almost every front-line soldier.

The logistics and supply convoys flowed continuously along the reinforced roads, carrying food, medicine, spirit stones, and various rare materials for maintaining magical artifacts and formations.

The supplies obtained from the Boundary Barrier Pass mission hall, especially the healing potions and group purification talismans, were distributed, used, and replenished at an astonishing rate.

Zhang Yuanzhi never skimped on equipment and logistics for his troops. He knew that only by ensuring that his soldiers were armed with sharp weapons, clad in strong armor, and free from worries could they unleash their strongest fighting power in the ensuing bloody battles.

In half a year, the "Fire Commander" division, which was originally expected to keep attacking and revealing its weaknesses in the eyes of the demons, became like a red-hot iron blank, becoming denser, harder, and more and more... dangerous through constant forging and quenching.

Deep within the chaotic demonic clouds, the wills of several demon lords gradually shifted from initial rage and anticipation to suspicion and unease.

The information reported by the scouting monsters they sent out was becoming increasingly chilling.

The lights of those beacon towers are becoming increasingly stable and are showing a subtle tendency to form a network.

The human army's patrol range and frequency are steadily expanding, and the tactical proficiency and equipment sophistication they demonstrate when encountering enemies far exceed those of six months ago.

What alarmed them even more was that the other side seemed to be using those burning altars as a base to silently "purify" and "solidify" the surrounding primordial laws, eroding the foundation of the Demon Realm.

Finally, a strong sense of crisis, accompanied by the shame and anger of being fooled, completely ignited the fury of the abyss.

Can't wait any longer!
We must not allow Zhang Yuan to continue to grow so steadily!
"Roar--!!!"

A deep, guttural roar, seemingly emanating from the deepest depths of the netherworld, reverberated within the core of the demonic cloud.

One after another, grotesque abyssal rifts were forcibly torn apart and widened, and torrents of demonic energy of different colors and exuding different decaying auras surged out.

Skeleton Tyranny Demon Lord, Corruption Demon Lord, Shadow Blade Demon Lord...

These superior beings, who usually fear and even antagonize each other, temporarily set aside their struggles under the coercive command of a higher will and a common threat.

The army began to be mobilized.

They were no longer scattered harassment forces, but real, organized main forces belonging to different demon lord bloodlines.

A heavily armored infantry phalanx, a forest of skeletons; a horde of lizard-like war beasts spewing poisonous flames; a group of soul-devouring assassins lurking in the shadows...

Emerging from their respective abyssal lairs, they surged forth like three viscous, filthy, scarlet waves of blood, slowly and resolutely converging towards the Blood Millstone and the three blinding golden beams of light from the beacon towers.

The demonic clouds churned violently due to this unprecedented troop mobilization, blotting out the sky and the sun. Even before the battle began, the oppressive aura of destruction and despair had already enveloped the beacon land, which had only been under construction for half a year.

The shadow of war loomed down like a mountain.

At this moment, inside the Spring Mountain Cave, the stream murmurs and the aroma of tea fills the air.

Zhang Yuan's divine avatar stood before the light screen, gazing at the crimson wave on the sand table—far larger and more dangerous than any wave from six months ago—that was slowly pressing in from three directions. This wave was the same size and danger that had swept in from three directions.

The strength accumulated over six months of silence is about to face its most brutal test. The real storm is coming. (End of Chapter)