Chapter 589: 虚虚实实

The sudden army of a million gods and devils clashed with the swarms of Youdu demonic beasts pouring from everywhere. For a time, flesh and blood flew, and the battlefield was horrific. The Youdu demonic beasts knew only slaughter; they had no formations or ranks, fighting purely by instinct and unable to coordinate with their companions, resulting in countless casualties.

Dozens of miles in front of Wuwang City became a bloody killing ground. Countless gods and devils from the Deaf’s painted world were also slain. After their demise, these divine and demonic warriors would disintegrate into rock fragments and fall to the ground, leaving no corpses.

Yet, an endless stream of gods and devils continued to emerge from the painting. They pressed forward, one after another, fighting relentlessly, seemingly inexhaustible!

In the sky, there appeared to be the Earl of Wind controlling gales, the Master of Rain commanding downpours, the Duke of Thunder wielding lightning, and the Mother of Lightning directing bolts. They harnessed wind, rain, thunder, and lightning to aid the battle, strangling the Youdu demonic beast army.

The demon race’s vanguard was blocked. Ancestors of the demon race, whose colossal bodies resembled mountains, roared. They strode forcefully, rushing towards the vanguard battlefield. Wherever their footsteps passed, both allies and enemies were sent flying into the air, utterly shattered, by their immensely thick legs.

The demon ancestors charged into the battlefield. They swept aside and shattered everything in their path, friend or foe, in mid-air.

A hum—

The gazes of these demon ancestors transformed into surging demonic flames, sweeping across the army of gods and devils. Black pillars of fire spun wildly, tearing and melting everything in their path. Even the gods and devils drawn by the Deaf could not escape the terrifying power of their demonic eyes!

They wielded enormous weapons, clearing all obstacles with mere physical strength. They were veritable killing machines, unbeatable in single combat!

“The gods and devils from the Deaf's painting simply cannot withstand these demon ancestors!”

The Butcher, brimming with fighting spirit, gripped his great saber, his gaze sharp as lightning, and said in a deep voice: “It's our turn! Ba Shan, as my disciple, let me see if you've improved over the years!”

Ba Shan burst into laughter, summoned a green ox, leaped onto its back, and exclaimed: “Master, I'll go with you and show you how much I've improved over the years!”

Behind the Blind, the Dragon-Expanding Divine Spear transformed into a black dragon and coiled. The Blind reached out, grasped the divine spear, and shook it forcefully; the Black Dragon Spear straightened, emitting an excited hum.

A Grand Cosmos Star appeared behind Grandma Si, and flames from a blacksmith's furnace shot into the sky behind the Mute. The Cripple hesitated, looking troubled: “I don't have a suitable divine weapon, so I'd better not go...”

The Apothecary leaped onto the Cripple's back, laughing: “I am your divine weapon! Let's go turn this world upside down!”

The Cripple's old face darkened, and he grumbled: “You peddler of medicine, aren't you afraid your lady friends will become widows?”

“Bah! No offense from old men, good luck and great fortune!”

From the medicine basket on the Apothecary's back, countless insects crawled out, swelling rapidly with the wind, transforming into enormous creatures. Some galloped across the ground, others flew through the air; their potent venom formed clouds of mist in the sky.

“Let's go hunt the demon ancestors!”

The Butcher was the first to charge into the battlefield, shouting loudly: “Mu'er, keep an eye on the Deaf. If things go south, just take the Deaf and run!”

Qin Mu acknowledged, then looked towards Ba Shan, the Libationer. He saw Ba Shan, riding a colossal green ox, charge roaring into the painted world, heading straight for the demon ancestors who had invaded it, alongside Grandma Si, the Mute, the Blind, and others.

The green ox leaped like a flying creature; despite its massive size, it was incredibly agile. It trampled giant demonic beasts, its hooves crushing their heads, and deftly evaded their attacks. Clearly, with its speed and cleverness, it still had reserves in this situation and could adapt to changing circumstances.

Qin Mu glanced at the Dragon Qilin beside him, strongly tempted to ride it into battle and fight the demonic beasts. But after a moment's thought, he restrained himself.

“Fatty Dragon's speed is sufficient, but its stamina is lacking, and its reaction time isn't as fast as the green ox. If I charged in, I'd die quickly. Fatty Dragon still needs more training...”

He took out a set of teleportation banners and, with a wave, planted them around the Deaf. He had the Dragon Qilin and Hu Ling'er enter the perimeter formed by the banners, ready to depart at any moment.

Behind the Youdu demonic beast army, demon gods led the demon race's armies, their formations orderly. Clearly, their discipline was strict, unlike the disorganized rabble of Youdu demonic beasts. They relied on the Youdu demonic beasts to serve as a vanguard, first scattering the defenses of Li City. Then, amidst the chaos, their main forces would assault to capture Li City in one fell swoop and crush the Grand Emperor Heaven's resistance.

However, they hadn't anticipated that Wuwang City, a place long since destroyed and incorporated into the demon race's territory as ruins, would suddenly produce an army of millions of gods and devils that managed to halt the Youdu demonic beasts!

Compared to the speed of the Youdu demonic beasts, the demon army's march was much slower. Their long marching columns made it difficult to reinforce the front line quickly.

The central army was even further from the front line. Furi Luo gazed at the battlefield, frowning slightly. His three faces looked left and right in surprise, asking, "Who knows where this army of gods and devils at the front line came from?"

The demon gods around him all shook their heads. The Youdu demonic beasts and demon ancestors primarily relied on instinct for slaughter and consumption. The demon race, however, possessed high intelligence, like humans, otherwise they wouldn't have developed such advanced civilization and cultivation systems. Even with their superior intelligence, they could not discern where this million-strong army of gods and devils came from, or why they had joined the battle.

While Yankang Nation was powerful, it was still somewhat weaker than the Grand Emperor Heaven. The Grand Emperor Heaven's army was primarily composed of its own forces, supplemented by Yankang divine arts practitioners. The Yankang Imperial Preceptor was unaware of this surprise attack. Furthermore, he couldn't possibly field such a large army to resist the Youdu demonic beast forces. So, where did this army of gods and devils come from?

Furi Luo looked at Lu Li; the stunning beauty was also puzzled. She shook her head and said, “Your Majesty, I also don't know where they came from. Yankang Nation doesn't have many top experts, but the Great Ruins are full of them. Could they be from there...?”

Furi Luo's heart tightened, and he commanded: “Issue orders! The army is to set up camp, build a city, establish defenses, and strictly guard against enemy attacks! Send scouts to the front line to ascertain the origin of this army of gods and devils!”

His orders were relayed. The first demon army, led by its commanding demon god, had already reached the front of Wuwang City's ruins. Still over 400 *li* from the battlefield, upon receiving the command, they immediately set up camp and did not join the fight.

Numerous demon soldiers and strongmen moved mountains and erected stones, swiftly constructing city walls. They also slaughtered giant beasts, using their blood to cover the stone city walls with demonic script and various patterns, reinforcing the city's defenses. Within the city, the demon race busily constructed watchtowers and arrow towers.

The commanding demon god gave a shout, leading several great generals out of the city and to the front line. Their purpose was to observe the origins of the Grand Emperor Heaven army currently engaged in battle. Upon reaching the hilltop overlooking the battlefield, this demon god erected a large mirror, over ten *zhang* tall, on the mountain to reflect the battlefield situation.

A moment later, Furi Luo took out a mirror and examined it. Seeing the battlefield conditions reflected in the mirror, he showed a look of doubt. His gaze was sharp, enabling him to spot the peculiarity. This suddenly appearing army of gods and devils was not composed of true living beings; though powerful, they seemed to be gods and devils manifested through creation techniques.

However, he immediately noticed that the battlefield contained not only these created divine and demonic armies. There were also several extremely powerful individuals ambushing the demon ancestors amidst the chaos! They were experts at the god-demon level. One was a burly pig-butcher, another an old blacksmith, and a third a short man wielding a black dragon bone spear. These three were the most formidable; together, they could assassinate even a demon god ancestor amidst the chaotic battle!

Besides them, there was a stunning woman, a strong man riding a green ox, and an old man in a green robe carrying a bronze-masked man, moving through the battlefield. Countless gigantic poisonous creatures were spreading venom everywhere, incapacitating and felling Youdu demonic beasts in swathes.

The most terrifying was the bronze-masked man; wherever he went, he spread poison that incapacitated large numbers of demonic beasts. He caused more casualties than other powerful figures; many demonic beasts were directly poisoned to death, or their bodies corroded into blood, a method even more dreadful than those of gods and devils! The Youdu demonic beast army summoned by the demon race from Youdu simply couldn't withstand this person's potent venom!

“Where did these people come from? And where did that created army of gods and devils originate?”

Furi Luo couldn't gauge their true strength and said in a deep voice: “Lu Li, the enemy's divine and demonic army is a mix of illusion and reality, containing true gods and devils. We don't know how many true gods and devils are hidden within. Please recall your demonic beast army, and let us devise a long-term plan!”

Lu Li, with her graceful figure and lightly furrowed brows, looked very beautiful. Yet, her voice was rough and deep as she said: “Furi Luo, you are truly incompetent to have allowed that little thing to live! That little thing is right there in the enemy camp! Little thing, you want to seize my control? Dream on!”

Her voice turned shrill, demonic sounds thundering and exploding over the battlefield. It drowned out Qin Mu's voice, preventing him from speaking!

Qin Mu grunted, opened his mouth to speak the Youdu demonic language, but his voice could not be transmitted. The demon ancestors looked bewildered, rose, and restrained the Youdu demonic beasts, causing them to retreat.