Outside the territory of Dayu, at Majing Slope Pass.
This location possessed treacherous terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it one of the five crucial passes for repelling the enemy at the nation's gate.
Most Human Martial Artists and demons, like the Human Race, were incapable of flight.
If the Demon Army of the Myriad Demon Nation were to invade, they would inevitably have to pass through these five checkpoints!
According to the pre-war plan, the Martial Army units responsible for defending this location included forces from Pei Prefecture, as well as Yu Prefecture—or rather, a joint army of Martial Artists from Tianxuan and Qingluan.
The Pei Prefecture Martial Army, led by Si Yiwu, arrived first and began setting up camp.
They dug trenches, erected cheval de frise, and constructed basic defensive fortifications.
Martial Artists from the Martial Training Hall began conducting temporary pre-battle training for many conscripted Martial Artists who were not part of the Demon Slaying Division.
Dayu had rarely experienced such large-scale legion warfare before, so a lot of new knowledge needed to be imparted.
This hall was normally responsible for training Demon Slaying Division Martial Artists, and during wartime, it maintained that responsibility for training.
The Flying Eagle Hall was the same; normally they were diligent 'delivery boys,' capable of everything from scouting intelligence to relaying messages.
In wartime, they transformed into the best candidates for scouts.
Si Yiwu dispatched fifteen scouts to probe the enemy situation.
It had been exactly three months since Li Xuanxiao reported the information that Dayu was being targeted by the Myriad Demon Nation.
This meant the Demon Army could arrive at any moment!
The moment Si Yiwu arrived, he sent a message to Li Xuanxiao, summoning him to rendezvous.
Calculating the time, Li Xuanxiao should be arriving soon.
Just as he was thinking this, a cluster of black dots appeared in the sky—it was Li Xuanxiao and the troops under his command, arriving.
A group of about a hundred people landed in the center of the camp. Li Xuanxiao walked up to Si Yiwu and cupped his fist in salute.
"Commander, I have not failed my mission."
Si Yiwu nodded: "I have already sent out scouts. You should rest well these next few days, conserve your energy, and wait for the enemy."
Li Xuanxiao naturally had no objections; he was just waiting for the Demon Army to arrive and deliver Demon value Points.
While the two were conversing, another group of people appeared in the sky. Judging by their attire, it must be the joint army from Tianxuan and Qingluan.
The leading figure swooped down and came before Si Yiwu, cupping his fist in salute:
"Commander Si, our ground troops will arrive in half a day."
Si Yiwu nodded, saying they had worked hard, and arranged for them to rest.
With nothing pressing to do, Li Xuanxiao also went to the deputy general's tent assigned to him.
He was just about to lie down when his waist vibrated again.
Li Xuanxiao was slightly surprised. Who would be sending him a message at this hour?
He took it out and saw it was a message-transmitting jade talisman from the Southern Demon.
Southern Demon?
Li Xuanxiao raised an eyebrow slightly and infused True Essence into it.
"Sir, our Demon Race's Eagle Demon scouts have discovered traces of the Myriad Demon Nation's army on the move..."
Li Xuanxiao sat bolt upright!
...
In the dense forest hundreds of miles away from Majing Slope Pass.
A Martial Artist wearing the uniform of the Demon Slaying Division was hiding atop a tall tree, holding a spyglass.
As a veteran member of the Flying Eagle Hall, his breath-concealing technique and movement skills had long since reached Perfection.
It was thanks to these two abilities that he was able to infiltrate this deep without being obstructed by the demons along the way.
But now, his face was filled with shock and terror.
In the distance, countless demons were moving slowly, formed into rows upon rows of formations.
It was the Demon Army of the Myriad Demon Nation!
They had truly come!
At the very front of the Demon Army were dozens of giant Elephant Demons atop tall steeds.
They advanced in their true forms, with numerous demons riding on their backs.
Below the Elephant Demons was a dense mass of various other demons.
Due to their Realm, these demons could not all transform into human shapes.
Thus, one could see Pig Demons with pig heads and human bodies, Tiger Demons with tiger heads, and Beast Demons running on all fours in their true forms.
There were also various beings of different sizes, resembling half-beasts, wielding stone hammers or crude serrated blades.
As the army advanced, dust billowed up, and the ground shook continuously, carrying a powerful oppressive force.
This Flying Eagle Hall scout broke out in a cold sweat. He clung tightly to the tree trunk, his heart pounding with lingering fear.
Fortunately, he had stopped in time; otherwise, had the demons discovered him, he would surely have been utterly destroyed!
He took out a small flying eagle token from his Huai (bosom/pocket) and was about to transmit what he saw and heard back to the front-line camp.
However, he failed to notice that above the tree, a woman's face exuding a seductive charm had appeared at some unknown time!
On the woman's face, a pair of triangular eyes glittered with a chilling cold light.
It silently observed the Flying Eagle Hall scout. As its mouth opened and closed, the tongue that extended was actually like a snake's!
The next second, this human-like face suddenly dropped, revealing the snake body behind it.
It was a brightly colored Snake Demon!
The Snake Demon was extremely fast. The moment the Flying Eagle Hall scout detected it, it had already lunged before him.
The Flying Eagle Hall scout was greatly alarmed, instinctively jumped away, and drew his saber!
The blade struck the Snake Demon's teeth with a clang, and the scout used the force to retreat.
However, a strange noise came from behind him. Since he was in mid-air, he had no point of leverage and could not change direction.
He gritted his teeth and turned his head to look, only to see a dense mass of limbs moving frantically in alternation.
It was another Centipede Demon!
The scout immediately showed despair.
The Centipede Demon opened its mouthparts, revealing the layered, complex serrations within, which carried a strong, foul odor.
It immediately pounced on the Flying Eagle Hall scout, its mouthparts aimed directly at his neck!
"Ah—"
A shrill scream echoed through the area. Blood poured wildly from his neck, like a faucet had been opened.
But the scream quickly stopped, and the blood dyed the ground red.
A grating chewing sound followed; the scout's head had already been torn off and swallowed...
"Tsk, look at how impatient you are. Once we reach Dayu, there will be plenty of humans for you to devour."
The beautiful-faced Snake Demon spoke human words, expressing disdain for the Centipede Demon's actions.
In just a moment, the scout's body was torn apart, leaving only bone attached to bits of flesh.
As the Centipede's mouthparts writhed, it seemed somewhat unsatisfied: "I'm hungry. All I ate along the way were other demons; the taste is too poor compared to humans. This fellow must be a scout sent by Dayu. Tsk, to think he could infiltrate this far. It seems Dayu has received the news and is prepared."
The beautiful-faced Snake Demon snorted lightly, coiling its body: "So what if they are prepared? It's nothing more than a death throe struggle. Our vanguard alone has deployed ten Origin Realm Demon Venerables this time! And as far as I know, the entire nation of Dayu has less than twenty Origin Realm experts combined, and most of them are Pseudo-Origin!"
"Even if we need to split into five routes and advance through five different passes, each pass can still be assigned two Demon Venerables! When the main force arrives, let alone Dayu, even nearby Tianxuan and Qingluan will all become rations for our Myriad Demon Nation!"