Chapter 945: Tu Shan

“What do you mean… what do you mean…”

Xi Ping’an planted his sword in the ground, silent and low.

Anger burned within him—he wanted to roar and rebuke, to sneer and mock—but in the end, all fury vanished, unseen; his gaze turned cold.

Within the Divine Court, an icy silence fell.

“Can’t your grace see?”

“Tu Shan is a pack of wolves with ambitions—they won’t stop at the Western Desert alone, and they won’t halt their advance.”

The expected reply never came; the Ice Plain Heavenly Lord felt a flicker of unease and regret, and turned to urge: “Once the Western Desert falls, Tu Shan will march upon the Eastern Seas and the Southern Frontier, just as the ancient Shuoyang Heavenly Lord did—determined to rule all under heaven.”

“Then you will all be left with no grave to bury your bones!”

Humans and demons are such complex, twisted beings.

When others eagerly offered help, they felt it improper and refused—but when disaster truly struck, they came knocking themselves, only then realizing the truth.

The Western Desert is the one truly facing the northern plains’ blades!

No matter how dangerous other regions may be, they come after the Western Desert; the Western Desert’s demonic clans have no right to hold high postures or refuse aid.

Now, it is too late to regret.

Yet the Ice Plain Heavenly Lord still believed she was not wrong.

Three mutually distrustful Heavenly Lords launching a joint assault against a Nascent Soul force protected by a fifth-rank superior array—this was pure fantasy.

No matter how strong the theoretical strength or how great the advantage, under mutual suspicion, how much could they truly unleash? It was far from optimistic.

If they could truly unite with sincerity, the world would not be this way!

Such a loose alliance could only form under immense external pressure—launching an offensive was pure fantasy.

Ten thousand years of experience told her that attempting such a thing among such suspicious cultivators was suicide.

“Your grace… are you abandoning the Western Desert?”

Receiving no reply, the Ice Plain Heavenly Lord felt a flicker of regret, but it vanished instantly, leaving no impact; she spoke coldly: “The demonic clans of the Western Desert are not weak or easily bullied. If Tu Shan comes, I will make him return with a shattered head and bleeding face.”

Even if disaster strikes, I simply abandon my foundation to avoid the sharp edge.

“In the age of the ancient Shuoyang Heavenly Lord, even though he was invincible, he could not touch my Bing Feng clan.”

“Let us see in a few thousand or ten thousand years—what will Tu Shan do then?”

“Since ancient times, phoenixes have always been able to be reborn from fire. Though my Bing Feng clan lacks such profundity, we do possess a certain talent for longevity.”

The Ice Plain Heavenly Lord was full of confidence, unafraid; she sneered.

“I wonder… does your grace possess the lifespan to freeze yourself in slumber for ten thousand years, as my Bing Feng clan can?”

This was her true strength.

The Bing Feng clan’s innate gift allows them to advance or retreat—unlike the short-lived humans, who recklessly burn themselves out.

“Hahaha…”

“A few thousand or ten thousand years… Hahaha…”

Xi Ping’an on the Divine Throne was amused; he laughed heartily, bending over, tears streaming: “A few thousand years… ten thousand years…”

“…A few thousand years…”

“Oh?”

“Have you made your decision?”

The Ice Plain Heavenly Lord’s face darkened.

Of noble blood, she had always stood above all, the supreme ruler among demons, proud and haughty; save for her defeat at the hands of Shuoyang Heavenly Lord, she had known no defeat, never once tasted humiliation.

In her heart, humans and the Southern Frontier’s Bai Zu Heavenly Lord had always been tools to be used—not pillars to rely upon.

Though the situation was dire now, she had long prepared herself and was not panicked.

“Yes. I have made my decision.”

Xi Ping’an’s laughter slowly faded; he said calmly: “I will send troops—my divine body, refined over thousands of years, will lead ninety percent of the Divine Court’s Golden Armor Sword Guards to support the Western Desert.”

“This divine body will not return.”

“Unless Tu Shan is destroyed, he will not return. The hundreds of thousands of Golden Armor Sword Guards will not return. Even if Tu Shan falls, they will self-destruct, leaving not a single trace.”

He spoke these words with calmness.

It was the opposite extreme of the Ice Plain Heavenly Lord’s threats and intimidation.

Yet his voice carried even greater power.

“Your grace…”

The Ice Plain Heavenly Lord trembled inside, overwhelmed with unexpected joy.

“Your grace’s great righteousness!”

She bowed deeply, moved and ashamed: “Your grace overlooks past grievances, upholds great justice—while I, Ice Plain, acted like a petty villain. The future is long; perhaps you and I may yet become Dao companions, a divine couple…”

The Ice Plain Heavenly Lord hardened her heart and made a great wager.

The Bing Feng clan had always been the most coveted consort for human and demon cultivators alike; dual-cultivation could greatly accelerate cultivation, though it damaged the Bing Feng body.

Now, under an inexplicable threat, she made her choice.

As she knew, the Lord of the Eastern Seas’ Divine Court had long coveted her, seeking dual-cultivation to purify and ease the poison of incense worship.

“Let’s speak of that after victory.”

Xi Ping’an spoke with listless indifference: “Your grace should focus on convincing Bai Zu Heavenly Lord. That old demon has a strange temperament, hard to reason with. If you can secure his full support, there may yet be a chance to kill Tu Shan and destroy the Six Paths Sect.”

“I repeat: I want only Tu Shan’s life, his legacy, and his heavenly treasures—I take nothing else.”

“I have another plan.”

The Ice Plain Heavenly Lord’s heart settled; she smiled faintly.

The Ice Plain True Lord felt greatly reassured and smiled faintly.

Six Paths Sect.

Jiang Ding stood in the sky, gazing downward.

Military aura surged into the heavens, icy killing intent spreading in all directions; the immortal Dao-regulated army, trained relentlessly for centuries, now revealed its ferocious fangs, its immense pressure radiating far and wide.

The Tu Shan Maidens’ Corps, one hundred and eight thousand strong, commanded the Nine Elephants Sword Clouds, their myriad complex sword qi filling the air;

The Great Sun Dharma Heaven Capital, one million cultivation sect disciples, commanded a thousand Huan Yuan Light Palaces, like the divine temples of the Great Sun Star Lord, their pressure stretching for thousands of li;

The Great Sun Great Sword Corps, one hundred thousand sword cultivators, unleashed one hundred thousand Great Sun Sword Sunlight Wheels, illuminating thousands of li; each swordsman’s sword intent was sharp and fierce, sword cries never ceasing, exuding the aura of becoming the foremost army of Tu Shan’s Central Court.

For two hundred years, the three armies trained relentlessly; with universal basic education, talented youths from the Northern Plains continuously joined the ranks, steadily improving the efficiency of the military formations.

Talent in military formations emerged constantly; anyone with ability was immediately promoted to squad leader.

With the addition of these Northern Plains human heroes, the power of the formations broke through barrier after barrier.

With the addition of these northern plains human heroes, the military formation’s power surged again and again.

the three great army formations had been refined into Primordial Spirit treasures!

The formations’ power had shattered the threshold of quasi-Nascent Soul, truly entering the ranks of Nascent Soul armies; as their banners unfurled, they stirred the great forces of heaven and earth, howling winds and clouds across ten thousand li.

These three armies now possessed claws and fangs—they were no longer mere cultivator armies confined to low-tier battlefields.

“March forth! Destroy the Western Desert demonic clans! Destroy the Eastern Seas Divine Court! Destroy the Southern Frontier’s demonic claws!”

“To carve out a bright, clear world for all living beings.”

“If we do not win, we do not return!”

Jiang Ding commanded.

“Yes, Heavenly Lord!”

“No victory, no return!”

“No victory, no return!”

Heavenly Lord Tianyang, Heavenly Lord Xu Fang, and Hei Lou Xi roared in triumph, leading their subordinates, commanding the army treasures as they surged toward the horizon.

True Person Tianyang, True Person Xu Fang, and Hei Louxi cheered loudly, roaring as they led their subordinates and unleashed the army’s heavy artifacts toward the distance.