Chapter 2744: The Final Trial of Fate

These ten-odd generals' troops had been waiting outside, anxious as fire, thinking about how to enter the tent to take a look. Their master's order to them was to rush to aid upon hearing the sound of weapons, or to act if the waiting time became too long.

After a quarter of an hour, Chunyu Zhao and the others came out, telling the troops, Lingxu City has changed its strategy, re-established harmony with the Heavenly Palace, and this great decisive battle will still be fought. This great treasure, the Great Square Vessel, is desired not only by the gods but also by the Emperor of Bekka, who wants to grasp it in his own hands.

The Great Square Vessel has always remained in Panlong, so the gods have never given up. And if it falls into the hands of the demon emperor, the gods' chance of obtaining it becomes nearly zero.

As for how to seize the Great Square Vessel, that will be a matter after Panlongcheng falls.

Actually, saying this is reasonable; everyone knows the upper echelons of Bekka are fickle, the relationship between Lingxu City and the Heavenly Palace is tangled, alternating between good and bad, near and far. A few days ago they broke ties, but in the coming days they might reconcile again.

After all, the great army is ten thousand li from the homeland; what the domestic situation truly is, they cannot truly feel firsthand.

The troops probed with a few questions, but these generals' expressions were stern and solemn, only saying they strictly obey the superior's command and strictly forbid further discussion of this matter.

Thereafter, war preparations were extraordinarily tense; everyone in the camp was kept running about.

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The sun had not yet set, and a hint of moon-white appeared at the edge of the dense clouds on the horizon.

This indicates that imperial nectar may still fall tonight, and the rainfall will not be light. He Lingchuan stood on Chen'en Cliff behind the Mingsha Forest, gazing westward, his mood somewhat heavy.

Recently, the outbreaks of imperial nectar have indeed been somewhat frequent; the spiritual energy concentration on the Panlong wilderness has already approached reality. For those in the know, this is not a good thing: the denser the spiritual energy in the environment, the more suitable it is for immortals and demons to act.

Hu Min hurried over:

"The king seeks you."

He Lingchuan took three steps in two strides, leapt down the high ridge, and entered the rear camp.

The pressure on the Mingsha Forest battlefield is too great; Zhong Shengguang has almost transferred all remaining troops from Panlongcheng here, leaving only a thousand to guard the city.

Mingsha Forest is only a few dozen li from Panlongcheng, the last solid defensive line before the Bekka southern army invades Panlongcheng; Zhong Shengguang leaving too many personnel in the rear is meaningless.

Anyway, if Mingsha Forest cannot be held, the Panlong army can retreat further to Panlongcheng.

Although Zhong Shengguang sits in command at the front line, the supreme authority over military command is still entrusted to He Lingchuan, while he himself oversees logistics and dispatch.

The commanding ability of the Tiger Wing General has long been proven by war; the less restricted he is, the better he performs.

For many days, Zhong Shengguang's face showed its first sign of relief:

"The Red General sent word: Zhang Kangyi and Du Shian's two armies have both raised truce flags; the demon-bird observers detected that their rear units have begun withdrawing; moreover, our spies embedded in Du Shian's army have confirmed that the demon emperor has issued an edict, ordering immediate withdrawal!"

The Bekka army is the attacking side; if they raise truce flags to withdraw, the Red General does not want to provoke them.

The faster they withdraw, the better.

Zhong Shengguang exhaled a long breath: "If the Bekka army withdraws entirely, Panlong's crisis may thus be resolved, and humanity's crisis may also ease from now on."

Once the demon emperor consolidates Bekka's supreme authority and again turns against the gods, the latter will no longer be able to control the demon emperor's havoc in the human world, nor will it be easy for him to come again to seize the Great Square Vessel.

This was originally a beautiful vision too daring to dream of, yet now it is about to be realized; how could Zhong Shengguang not be excited?

But He Lingchuan had to pour cold water on him: "Our opposite number, Huaiyuan Gao, not only shows no sign of withdrawing troops, but is instead organizing military equipment and martial arms; an hour ago, they were already distributing fodder and feeding warhorses."

How rich is the Nine Abysses Great Emperor's war experience? He can tell at a glance whether the opposing army is preparing to fight or to retreat; misjudgment is impossible.

"Therefore, I have already ordered the Red General to come at full speed. She will leave part of the garrison to continue observing, lest the enemy feint and launch a counterattack." Zhong Shengguang's smile faded; he too was not that naive: "What do you think—does Huaiyuan Gao intend to defy orders and attack?"

"The demon emperor's withdrawal edict must have already reached Huaiyuan Yuan's hands, but taking advantage of the fact that this news has not yet spread, he and the demons might still have one last opportunity." He Lingchuan naturally knows Huaiyuan Gao is of the Heavenly Palace faction. "But this opportunity is fleeting. If I were Huaiyuan Gao, if I were controlled by the demons, I would stake everything on one last gamble."

"Does he intend to make a final decisive battle?" Zhong Shengguang frowned tightly, "What confidence does he have?"

Huaiyuan Gao is not attacking Panlong for the first time; the two sides have already fought in disarray on this plain, so what does Huaiyuan Gao rely on, thinking he can take Panlong in the final battle?

"Defying orders, this is a huge gamble for Huaiyuan Gao." He Lingchuan said solemnly, "His nature is steady and not rash; choosing this moment to go all-in, either his life and fate are completely under demonic control, or the demons have given him great confidence. If the latter, we are in serious trouble."

How will the demons seize this last opportunity?

"Initially, the Heavenly Palace put on a show of dealing with its own officials and pacifying public anger, merely to buy time for the demons' next move." Zhong Shengguang said softly, "During this period, no one knows what they have secretly done."

"We will know tonight." He Lingchuan had a premonition that the demons' countermove is mostly related to Xiyu, "After nightfall, another imperial nectar will arrive."

Zhong Shengguang also secretly worried:

"Even if the Red General's army comes at full speed, it will take seven hours."

This is still under the premise that Panlong's defensive perimeter has already shrunk; in fact, the distance between the two imperial stars is not great—only a few hours are needed for mutual vigilance.

"As long as we endure these few hours, Panlong can welcome the dawn of rebirth." Saying this, He Lingchuan lowered his head to look at the Fate Divine Sigil on his wrist.

The little snake's eyes glowed red-hot, like a burning branding iron.

This indicates that his fate's trial has already reached the climax stage.

And his fate is bound together with Panlong.

Zhong Shengguang nodded, also filled with resolute determination: "This morning I already ordered all remaining supplies in Panlongcheng to be transferred here. Coincidentally, strategic supplies from the seven allied nations and Ling Mountain have also arrived via the Red Cliff Road, including xuancrystal, oil, grain, elixirs, arrow weapons, and so on. Anyway, this is the last batch of supplies—you may act freely, no need to hold back."

For the past two years, Panlong's warfare has been conducted with meticulous calculation.

Tonight, finally, there is no need to nitpick anymore.

Both men clearly understand that this is very likely the final battle of the Panlong War.

If we win, what use is that little bit of reserve?

If we lose, what use is that little bit of reserve?

"This is truly timely rain." He Lingchuan laughed, "Indeed rare—Ling Mountain has finally come through."