Chapter 1026: Cheng Xiaotian and Cheng Zhanxian

“Be careful, these demonic beasts are being commanded; they are not like the mindless ones you’ve dealt with before.”

A strong male voice boomed from high above.

The disciples of Taiyi Immortal Sect looked up to see a blue cloud mass, over ten zhang in size, floating high in the sky. A tall man in a yellow robe and a young woman in a red dress stood atop the cloud.

“Thank you, Senior Cheng, for your assistance.”The Taiyi Immortal Sect disciples recognized the two Core Formation cultivators, Cheng Zhenyu and Zheng Nan. They had met Huang Fugui on the way, who conscripted them to transport supplies. Upon reaching the front lines, they were assigned to the command of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.

Lower-tier cultivators battled on the ground, while higher-tier cultivators fought in the sky.Neither the human nor the demon races seemed to want to prolong the conflict. Battles had been frequent recently, with Nascent Soul cultivators joining the fray, leading to heavy casualties on both sides.

In such a chaotic battle, Zheng Nan couldn’t unleash her full power. Fortunately, Cheng Zhenyu’s sword manipulation technique was formidable. United against their enemies, no half-demon could overcome them.

Opposite them stood a young woman in a green dress with blue bat wings, and a burly man in red with a long tail. Both were half-demons.

Zheng Nan’s slender fingers plucked the zither strings, sending forth streaks of blue wind blades that rapidly shot towards the two half-demons.

The young woman in green dismissed them casually. With a fierce flap of her bat wings, a powerful gust of wind erupted, and a hazy green hurricane flashed forth, scattering the incoming blue wind blades.

A vast expanse of yellow sword qi surged forward, appearing as if it would instantly pierce through the bodies of the two half-demons.

The burly man in red generated a large burst of crimson flames from his fists. He punched the empty space before him, unleashing a torrent of red fist-shadows wreathed in crimson flames.

Boom!The yellow sword qi was shattered by the dense red fist-shadows. Waves of air rolled, and flames scattered in all directions.

A blue sound wave, without warning, flew out from the flames, swiftly passing through the two half-demons’ bodies. They instantly froze, their eyes wide open as if they had witnessed something incredible.

A massive yellow disc shot forth, instantly appearing before them.

The burly man in red hastily conjured a red shield, which expanded to block before him.

Clang!The yellow disc struck the red shield, leaving only a shallow mark. The yellow disc was clearly formed from four yellow flying swords, with their tips facing inwards.

Cheng Zhenyu smiled slightly. With a change in his sword incantation, the four yellow flying swords flared with light, emitting a clear sword hum. They instantly merged into a single massive, hazy yellow greatsword, which cleaved down onto the red shield.

The red shield, like thin paper, was split in half by the yellow greatsword.

Two miserable screams echoed as the heads of the two half-demons were severed by the yellow greatsword, blood spurting several feet high.

Before Cheng Zhenyu could rejoice, a ripple spread through the void above him, and a hazy red wolf claw suddenly appeared, carrying an astonishing wave of heat as it slammed down fiercely.

A streak of red spiritual light shot forth, instantly reaching them.

Cheng Zhenyu flicked his sleeve, and with his right hand, he chopped at the void above, sending a yellow sword light flying out. Zheng Nan pulled on a zither string with two fingers, then released it, unleashing an invisible sound wave.

Boom!The yellow sword light shattered the red wolf claw and then dispersed itself. The invisible sound wave also disintegrated the red spiritual light.

“Quite a quick reaction. No wonder you could kill two of my companions,” a playful male voice remarked as a red light flew in from the distance.

A red-robed young man in his early thirties sat on the back of a giant red crane. He had a red tail, a broad face, large ears, and some red fur on his arms.

“Cheng Xiaotian! It’s you.” Cheng Zhenyu’s brows furrowed, and his expression turned solemn.

The red-robed young man was a half-demon, yet his name was a human one.

Speaking of which, Cheng Xiaotian and Cheng Zhenyu shared the same surname, but Cheng Zhenyu dared not acknowledge this kinship. Since Cheng Xiaotian joined the war, he had killed no fewer than ten Core Formation cultivators.

The demon race had established a “Four Flowers, Six Heroes” system for their key cultivation targets. Bai Ling’er was the head of the Four Flowers, and Cheng Xiaotian was the only half-demon among the Six Heroes. Besides his own considerable divine abilities, this was largely due to his grandfather, Cheng Zhanxian.

Cheng Zhanxian was said to be a descendant of Heavenly Wolf True Monarch. He was also a half-demon, with his mother’s surname being Cheng. For some unknown reason, he named himself Cheng Zhanxian, a human name. He harbored extreme hatred for humans and had killed three Nascent Soul cultivators.

A strangely eerie roar suddenly rang out, causing Cheng Xiaotian’s brow to furrow.

The half-demons commanded large numbers of demonic beasts to retreat in an orderly fashion, covering each other. Both half-demons and demons disengaged from the battle and flew towards the rear.

On the human side, a piercing gong sound rang out, and human cultivators began to retreat sequentially.

Cheng Xiaotian’s gaze darkened as he swept a glance over Cheng Zhenyu and his wife. The red giant crane beneath him circled once before pursuing its retreating kin from the battlefield.

Cheng Zhenyu and Zheng Nan breathed a long sigh of relief. If a fight had ensued, they weren’t confident of victory.

They exchanged glances and flew back into the city.

Outside a sprawling city stretching for thousands of miles, millions of demonic beasts lay sprawled. The city gate bore the three large characters: “Immortal Extermination City”.

Inside the Immortal Extermination Hall, twelve Nascent Soul stage demons gathered to discuss the war.

A young woman in a green dress, in her early thirties, sat emotionlessly in the main seat, while eleven other Nascent Soul stage demons sat on chairs arranged along both sides.

“Fellow Daoist Qing, why the sudden retreat? We clearly had the upper hand,” asked a ruddy-faced old man in red robes, somewhat bewildered.

“Two of our supply depots in the rear were attacked, and one was breached by humans. With instability in the rear, we cannot fight with peace of mind. Fellow Daoist Cheng, the Ancestor has commanded that you select a group of elites to remain behind and secure the supplies.”

As these words fell, their gazes collectively turned to a man in a golden robe.

The man in the golden robe had handsome features, a cold expression, and light golden eyebrows.

Cheng Zhanxian, a descendant of Heavenly Wolf True Monarch, was of half-demon origin. He was one of the few half-demons who had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, and an object of admiration for all half-demons.

“Remain in the rear? If humans can raid our rear, why haven’t we raided theirs? There’s no need to be led by the nose by humans,” Cheng Zhanxian said, frowning. He was determined to drive out the humans from the Eastern Wilderness, unify the demon race, and restore his ancestors’ glory. In this great war, he had garnered immense prestige, establishing strong authority, with a large number of half-demons gathering around him, ready to be dispatched.

“This is the Ancestor’s command. Do you intend to defy it?” the young woman in the green dress asked, her voice hardening, her brow furrowed.

Hearing the words “the Ancestor,” Cheng Zhanxian sighed inwardly and nodded in agreement.

Returning to his residence, Cheng Zhanxian summoned Cheng Xiaotian.

“Xiaotian, I’m being transferred back to the rear to guard supplies. You are to remain on the front lines and continue fighting. Kill a few more Core Formation cultivators; do not bring shame upon me,” Cheng Zhanxian instructed.

“Yes, Grandfather. Grandfather, you were doing so well at the front. Why are you being transferred to the rear? Wouldn’t staying at the front earn you more military merits?”There was also internal competition within the demon race, but with the Soul Transformation stage ancestors keeping them in check, they didn’t openly clash. On the surface, they maintained a harmonious facade.

Cheng Zhanxian sneered and scoffed, “Hmph, Ancestor Qinghua gave the order. How dare I defy it? In the end, isn’t she just afraid I’ll accumulate too many merits and overshadow the Azure Serpent clan? When Heavenly Wolf True Monarch was still around, the Azure Serpent clan was merely a vassal of our Heavenly Wolf clan. After Heavenly Wolf True Monarch disappeared, our Heavenly Wolf clan declined day by day, relying on us half-demons for support. Even the Azure Serpent clan produced a Soul Transformation cultivator. After she took power, she suppressed our Heavenly Wolf clan everywhere. If it weren’t for her apprehension of Heavenly Wolf True Monarch, our Heavenly Wolf clan might not even have a foothold in the Eastern Wilderness. Xiaotian, you must earn more military merits. One day, our Heavenly Wolf clan will unify the Eastern Wilderness and restore our ancestral glory.”

Cheng Xiaotian’s heart stiffened, and he nodded, saying, “Yes, Grandfather, your grandson understands.”

How glorious the Heavenly Wolf clan was when Heavenly Wolf True Monarch unified the Eastern Wilderness! Nowadays, the Heavenly Wolf clan is declining day by day, relying on half-demons for support.