Chapter 957: Imperial Defense Force

"B‑boss…"

Yi Geng finally came to his senses, pointing at the Star Destroyer in the sky, then glancing at the Thundercast Celestial Soldier behind Lei En that had transformed into a Demon, he whispered trembling, "Is that your Fu Kong Cheng? And these Demons…"

"That's a Star Destroyer; it's not wrong to think of it as a Fu Kong Cheng," Lei En said without much explanation. "As for these people, they're my subordinates; they're not real Demons, just shape‑shifted disguises. They're the helpers I sent you; you'd be better off becoming a kind of Demon yourself, for convenience."

"I understand."

Yi Geng was suddenly enlightened, yet still utterly shocked.

The aura of these fake Demons was immensely strong; each equated to a legendary superhuman among humans, and there were a full three hundred of them—truly astonishing!

And those Extreme Warriors!

Yi Geng was far out in the deep mud swamp, yet had heard of the Extreme Warriors' renown, and now saw them with his own eyes. Those towering warriors clad in blue armor exuded a pressure that left him breathless; with a casual shove they pushed piles of Demon corpses off the Star Destroyer, clatter— crashing into the swamp, the bodies quickly piling up as high as a mountain.

"There are still many Demon corpses; it will take three trips to transport them all," Lei En said. "Yi Geng, how to deal with these corpses is up to you; they'll obey your command."

He pointed at a Thundercast Celestial Soldier.

"Alright."

Yi Geng took a deep breath to calm himself, his body shifting swiftly into a vampire count. He possessed a Great Druidic Talisman and was already adept at shape‑shifting and disguise, making it very easy for him.

After pondering for a few seconds, Yi Geng said, "I need to sort the Demon corpses by type, allocate a zone for each kind, bury them in the swamp's silt, and record the placement times."

"The burial depth also matters; based on their type, size, and rank, those with more blood‑flesh essence are buried deeper, and they must be spaced apart from other corpses."

"Some identical low‑rank Demons can be buried together, piecing together incomplete bodies."

"When burying, you must assess the soil conditions…"

Yi Geng listed the requirements one by one.

These were his words of experience, precisely the independent technique for artificially cultivating Black Soul Mushrooms, and at this moment he shared them without any reservation. From just this information, Lei En could easily kick Yi Geng aside and quickly master the technique himself.

But Lei En didn't intend to do that; one must have a bottom line.

Yi Geng ordered, "Everyone, get to work."

He took the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers into the swamp, quickly mapped out burial zones for each Demon type, and then moved the corpses.

The Thundercast Celestial Soldiers swiftly cast "Floating Technique" onto each Demon corpse, then condensed a single "Mage's Hand", allowing one person to drag a dozen‑plus Demon corpses, trailing behind them, flying to the designated swamp area while keeping detailed records.

Yi Geng stared in amazement, finally realizing that these fake Demons were actually spellcasters!

And their spellcasting skill was extraordinarily advanced!

He couldn't help glancing at Lei En, curious where Lei En had recruited so many spellcasters—whether from elsewhere or trained them himself—only to see Lei En open a portal, return to the Star Destroyer, adopting a completely hands‑off demeanor.

In the Star Destroyer's magical testing lab, Lei En stood before the operating table.

Earlier, during the fusion with the ancient Black Iron Dragon, the battle at Wang Long Fortress was still ongoing; it had absorbed tens of thousands of energy units, most of which were used to strengthen the fully‑formed Dark Angel, leaving nearly ten thousand units, and the soul energy pool remains full.

All that energy must be devoted to creating Thundercast Celestial Soldiers; it is his top priority at present.

After confirming that Black Soul Elixir could be mass‑produced, the number of Thundercast Celestial Soldiers became even more critical, with other energy allocations taking a back seat.

Soon, Thundercast Celestial Soldiers were born one after another.

After a little over five hours.

Lei En expended over nine thousand energy units in one go, leaving only a few hundred units for combat needs, and the Star Destroyer gained more than two hundred Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

He opened his phone interface for a glance.

"Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, clones, Dark Angels, total over 2,800 now."

"Exactly one thousand Dark Angels, about thirty various mage clones and substitutes, the rest all Thundercast Celestial Soldiers."

"Over 1,700 Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, that's far insufficient."

"I need more!"

Lei En opened the "Core of the Main Brain" icon; the level‑11 Core of the Main Brain can generate 8,092 sub‑brain chips. He had previously thought that was more than enough, but now realized it was still lacking. The Star Destroyer, power armor, and Electric Light Cannon also consume many sub‑brain chip slots.

And his newly drafted army‑building plan requires at least ten thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers for support, along with an equal number of sub‑brain chips.

"The Core of the Main Brain needs to be upgraded again; raising it two levels would be better."

"However, after the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers exceed five thousand, manpower will be temporarily sufficient, then we can upgrade the Core of the Main Brain."

Lei En closed the phone interface and left the magical laboratory.

The Star Destroyer was unloading cargo.

This was already the Star Destroyer's third round trip between Black Soul Valley and Wang Long Fortress, delivering two hundred thousand Demon corpses.

Yi Geng and the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers were still busy sorting corpses, burying each one beneath the swamp.

In the forest on the western edge of Black Soul Valley, a standard alchemy factory had been completed, featuring dozens of alchemy rooms and storage chambers, material warehouses, dormitories, and an internal teleportation hall leading directly to the Obsidian Tower in the Dark Realm.

Guard posts and invisible magical traps were erected atop the factory's high walls, and the perimeter was fitted with concealment sigils that could mask the factory and its aura.

Lei En walked a circuit around the alchemy factory, checking for any errors or omissions.

He also tallied the required alchemy tools, equipment, and materials, drafting a list for Franjasika to prepare in Gotham City, awaiting the Star Destroyer's one‑time delivery.

"Yi Geng."

Lei En opened a portal, the landing point precisely appearing beside the Black Dragon; hearing the summons, he hurriedly set aside his work and stepped through, calling warmly, "Boss, you called for me."

"You don't need to do it yourself; just guide them," Lei En said, noticing Yi Geng's hands covered in mud, offering a tip, then asked, "Take a look and tell me what's still missing; I'll have people prepare it quickly and deliver it to Black Soul Valley at once."

Yi Geng only then noticed that the alchemy factory had already been completed.

"So fast!"

His eyes bulged, astonished then quickly shaking his head, "Boss, it's still early to brew the Black Soul Elixir! I need to study and determine the sowing times for each type of Demon corpse—some as fast as a dozen days, others over thirty. The Black Soul Mushrooms take time to grow; after they mature, it's another month plus, at least forty days before the first batch can be harvested."

"Forty days..." Lei En thought for a moment, "Then it's indeed not urgent."

He was considering his own schedule.

"Then I'll leave this to you," Lei En said without lingering. "If anything happens in Black Soul Valley, I'll know immediately. The helpers I gave you are powerful enough to handle the vast majority of Demons; you needn't worry."

Three hundred legendary Mid‑stage Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, even if they're not fully‑formed Dark Angels, if the nearest Satyr Demon leads a demon army to attack, they'd be courting death.

"If you need anything, just let me know," Lei En concluded with a reminder.

"Alright, boss."

Yi Geng watched Lei En board the Star Destroyer, the massive warship rose into the sky, vanished in the mist, and after a booming roar it was completely gone.

"Huh…"

The black dragon let out a sigh of relief; Lei En's pressure on him was now too great.

Although Lei En's demeanor was easygoing and unpretentious, the authority that showed in his gestures, the various bits of information hinted at in the conversation, the displayed Star Destroyer and powerful legion, all made Yi Geng tremble as if walking on thin ice, fearing that a single misstep would bring tragic consequences.

He stepped out of the alchemy workshop, looked toward the busy Thundercast Celestial Soldiers in the mist, and his spirit was uplifted again.

Lei En's promise filled him with vigor.

A moment later.

The Star Destroyer leapt to the Gamma Lan Plain, hovering over the Dragon‑watch Fortress; Lei En invited Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya onto the bridge, took her report, and confirmed the matter of receiving Ba La Za Kun's territory.

The next day, Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya led five hundred Dark Angels and a newly subjugated army of one hundred thousand demons, marching grandly out of the Dragon‑watch Fortress.

Ba La Za Kun's domain was vast, covering more than seventy percent of the north shore of Gamma Lan Plain, comparable to Lei En's Duke of Osi An's fief. The territory contained dozens of demon lairs, each housing tens of thousands of demons—some as few as ten to twenty thousand, others up to forty or fifty thousand—each overseen by a Legendary High-rank great demon loyal to Ba La Za Kun and obeying the Dragon‑watch Fortress.

But after Ba La Za Kun's death, some demon leaders began to stir.

They were unaware of the exact situation inside the Dragon‑watch Fortress, or perhaps were secretly incited by other demon lords, and started to fidget.

Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya's task was to suppress these disturbances, reassert the Fortress's rule, and make those demon leaders swear loyalty to her.

Any who dare harbor dissent shall be killed without mercy!

For the evil, brutal Abyss demons, slaughter is the strongest and only means of rule.

Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya acted the same way, showing no mercy. On the first day she ordered the destruction of two demon lairs, slaughtering over fifty thousand demons. Some demon leaders tried to resist, but soon turned into corpses.

Thereafter, killing continued for ten consecutive days.

The demon leaders in the territory, having learned the lesson, descended en masse, honestly swearing allegiance to the new master.

In the later days, no demon dared to rebel.

Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya successfully took over the entire domain, becoming the genuine demon lord, commanding nearly seven hundred thousand demons. Her name spread across Gamma Lan Plain; a few demon lords on the south shore sent congratulatory letters, two of which hinted at a desire to form an alliance.

Lei En watched coldly from the Star Destroyer the whole time.

During those ten‑plus days, the only thing he did was devote all the absorbed energy to creating Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, pushing their numbers past three thousand!

Of course, those demon corpses were secretly sent to Black Soul Valley and buried beneath the swamp.

Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya led her forces back to the Dragon‑watch Fortress, and the war came to a pause.

Next, she will rest for a while, fully consolidate her demon army, and gather source crystal ore. The next step is to defeat the two demon lords and forces on the north shore of Gamma Lan Plain and unify the northern plain, which will require two to three months of planning.

Lei En did not interfere; the whole authority was left to Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya.

He piloted the Star Destroyer to bring the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers and Extreme Warriors back to the Prime Material Plane, then set the Star Destroyer to auto‑return, leaving several clones and a squad of Thundercast Celestial Soldiers hovering over the Dragon‑watch Fortress as Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya's secret base.

Late night in Gotham City.

Lei En sat alone in his study, writing feverishly; while concentrating, he heard Fa Lan Jia Si Ka's voice from outside the door, "Master, I have prepared a midnight snack for you."

"Bring it in." Lei En replied without looking up.

The study door was pushed open, and the stunning chief maid entered, carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of meat soup, placing it on the small table in the room and asking concernedly, "Master, you have been working nonstop for three days since returning from the Abyss; please take care of yourself."

Lei En responded casually, "Hmm…."

But he kept writing and pausing on the paper, occasionally showing a thoughtful expression.

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka did not disturb him, standing quietly by the table, casting a heating spell on the soup every ten minutes.

Finally, after half an hour, Lei En tossed aside his pen, his face full of smile and triumph, as if he had completed a very important task.

"Thank you for your effort."

He telekinetically took the snack into his hand, ate a few bites, and praised, "Your cooking has improved; it's delicious."

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka's eyes lit with joy, and she curiously asked, "Master, are you writing a plan document?"

Although she stood beside him and could see Lei En's writing by looking down, she steadfastly kept to her duty and would not glance at it without Lei En's permission.

"Yes."

Lei En pushed the thick stack of papers on the table toward her, smiling, "Take a look; this plan also has a part that needs your participation."

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka picked it up and saw "Imperial Defense Army" on the first page, her heart fluttered with surprise; from the name it was clearly a brand‑new army. She kept turning the pages, and the later content shocked her more and more, causing her breathing to quicken involuntarily.

It was a military‑building plan!

The name is "Imperial Defense Army," and the most astonishing aspect of this force is its size: the initial plan already reaches one hundred thousand troops, and once the later plan is fully implemented, the total will exceed one million!

A genuine million‑strong army!

It should be noted that the four legions and three knight corps of the Oriense Empire together total only about two hundred and fifty thousand people.

The Imperial Defense Army not only has four times the personnel, all its members are super‑humans, with high‑rank super‑humans making up one‑tenth and mid‑stage super‑humans one‑quarter, a composition ratio similar to the Empire's GriffinLegion.

However, the Imperial Defense Army's weapons and equipment are far superior to those of the GriffinLegion.

Lei En's plan included many speculative weapons and gear, illustrated, many of which Fa Lan Jia Si Ka had never seen: a short‑barreled black soul gun labeled "Explosion Gun"; also a standard white armor, extremely lightweight and simple, featuring a prominent large helmet and a T‑shaped visor with multiple functions.

There were also various vehicles, such as a single‑person flying motorcycle; a floating airship capable of carrying hundreds of soldiers; humanoid mechanical armor several meters tall, equipped with cannons and heavy machine guns, and so on.

The most complex among these vehicles was a flyer shaped like a dragonfly, its four iron wings arranged in an X pattern.

The annotation spanned over a dozen pages, written in some indecipherable strange script, blocky and dense, containing mysterious information.

The organization of the Imperial Defense Army was also entirely different.

This army would revolve around the Star Destroyer as its core, supplementing the Extreme Warriors and Holy Spear Knight Corps, employing advanced weapons and gear, undergoing specialized training, and becoming a massive legion that leads the world in philosophy, technology, and strength!

Of course, the funds poured into building the Imperial Defense Army were astronomical; the initial plan alone required two hundred million Gold Shields.

That does not even include the construction cost of the Star Destroyer.

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka skimmed through the plan quickly, so shocked she was speechless.

She had no doubt Lei En could realize the plan.

But after successfully forming the army, what will this massive force be used for? Who are their enemies? Why is it called the Imperial Defense Army?

The chief maid vaguely guessed the truth, her delicate body and spirit couldn't stop trembling, she called out in a quivering voice: "My lord..."

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Happy New Year!

(End of chapter)