I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Before the Demon Suppression Formation loosened, the Abyss was a war-torn expanse. When they discovered an opportunity, the Demon Race swiftly united with a single goal: to break out of the Abyss.

Although they charged out of the Abyss together, the Demon Race was not internally unified. The Three Sects put forth five new Demon Kings, with the Ten Great Demon Generals under them to command the armies. A continuous stream of the Demon Race and Demons poured out from within the Abyss.

These five new Demon Kings were not on harmonious terms either. They all vied to become the next Demon Lord, and the condition to do so was simple: whoever broke out of the Slaughter Space first would become the new Demon Lord.

For a Cultivator, war was merely the process; survival was the goal.

The Burning Castle had endured several major battles. Though it had been repaired and rebuilt, it remained scarred and battered, with cracks left by Demons visible everywhere.

Inside the castle, it was far from desolate. On the contrary, it was fully equipped and even livelier than before. One couldn’t say that life stopped for the Cultivators just because there was a war. The first year had been miserable, but later on, the Five Great Castles received concentrated support from the various Small Thousand Realms. Even a fortress like the Burning Castle, which had been destroyed once, was quickly rebuilt. Although the fighting was brutal, that was simply the nature of the Slaughter Space, and everyone adapted quickly. Skirmishes with the Demon Race occurred every ten days, and a major battle was guaranteed within a few months. Combat had become a part of daily life; the only difference from before was that it was crueler and more frequent.

At the start of the war, the Burning Castle had indeed suffered the greatest loss. No one had expected the Demon Race’s intelligence to be so good; they launched a fierce assault on the Burning Castle, the weakest of the five formation eyes. Yuu Kunlun, Yang Jian, and the others fought for their lives but were unable to hold it. However, the five formation eyes were one. To counter, the Cultivators employed the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao": the other four legions launched an all-out attack on the Demon Race’s Demon City, which was also the entrance to the Abyss. This was the Demon Race’s soft underbelly. They feared losing control of the entrance and truly hadn’t expected the Cultivation Realm to react so swiftly and strategically.

In reality, both sides had simply landed a blow on the other. A back-and-forth of offense and defense followed. It had to be admitted that, in terms of raw power, the Demon Race was considerably stronger. Unfortunately for them, the cultivators’ formation eyes were their vital point, so they couldn’t act without restraint. Furthermore, mobilizing armies from the Abyss also took time.

The attrition of the first year made the Demon Race wary of being careless. The Cultivation Realm, on the other hand, had no choice. They couldn’t repair the seal anytime soon and feared the Demon Race’s army would grow too large, making a war of attrition necessary. The following two years were not easy for either side.

However, the initiative remained in the hands of the Demon Race.

After Yuu Kunlun and the others were forced to retreat to recuperate, Wang Meng and his Holy Hall Disciples formally took over the defense of the Burning Castle. The few remaining Sect Leaders were also willing to support him; after all, the lower-level Sect Leaders lacked Wang Meng’s influence.

During the terrifying battles of the first year, Wang Meng and his Holy Hall Beings displayed an unimaginable degree of tenacity and ruthlessness.

Fighting the Demon Race was undoubtedly cruel and terrifying. Captives with no value were torn to shreds and fed to the Demons, as the flesh and blood of Cultivators seemed to be a great supplement for them. Those deemed valuable were captured and refined into Half-Demons, becoming puppets of the Demon Race.

Sometimes, death was not the most frightening thing; there was only fear in living. But none of this affected the Holy Hall Beings in the slightest.

Zhang Xiaojiang, Hu Jing, Suo Ming, Li Tianyi, Zhou Qian, and Yang Ying became known as the Six Holy Generals of the Holy Hall. Ma Tian’Er, however, was the most popular; her Life Tree Holy Statue had saved many lives.

Under Wang Meng’s command were also Yue Shan of the Treasure Artifact Sect, Zou Chuang and Xie Tianhua of the Taiyin Sect, and of course, Fan Hong and others. However, some of the stronger Sects still chose to side with the likes of Lin Jinghao and Jii Wanli, as their factions were more powerful and a safer bet.

Forged in the blood and fire of these past three years, the most outstanding members of the younger generation had become the backbone of the Small Thousand Worlds, reaching the Great Perfection stage one after another. The older generation had weathered the most difficult first year; the rest of the fight was now theirs.

After taking command of the Burning Castle, Wang Meng was not in a hurry to prove himself, nor did he launch any attacks. Stability was his top priority. He established the Burning Castle Formation centered around Snow Moon City, with four surrounding cities as outposts in a layered defense. The outpost cities could be abandoned, but Snow Moon City could never be lost. The Demon Race were no fools, either. After reserving enough forces to keep the other four castles in check, they sent a massive army to deal with the Burning Castle. However, the result was that they faced layer after layer of desperate defense. Cities that couldn’t be held were abandoned. After being constantly worn down, by the time they reached Snow Moon City, both their momentum and strength had been significantly weakened. After several brutal battles, they could only retreat in failure. And the moment the Demon Race retreated, Wang Meng would immediately begin rebuilding the cities, sparing absolutely no expense.

Build, destroy. Destroy, build. Thus, Wang Meng’s days were not easy. Among the five great battlefields, the Burning Castle’s record wasn’t exactly glorious, but no matter what, it had managed to stand tall.

One shouldn’t assume that the place that suffered the most would be the most desolate. In fact, if one were to compare, the fighting spirit at the Burning Castle was actually the highest.

This was because the Cultivators here had all experienced the most brutal battles. They had nothing left to lose.

"Zhang Xiaopang, you bastard! Asking for money again? What do you think I am, made of money?!"

Whenever Wang Meng saw Zhang Xiaopang’s chubby face now, he got a headache. ’This guy is definitely about to ask for money again.’

Zhang Xiaopang’s small, beady eyes immediately welled up. "Boss, you can’t be like this! I can’t help it. Those demon whelps launched another sneak attack last night. We suffered heavy losses, we have to make repairs!"

"Get lost! How come I heard you didn’t have any major losses?" Wang Meng retorted. ’This guy is just trying to hoard resources for his own garrison.’ Still, the Ironblood City where Zhang Xiaojiang was stationed was the first line of defense, the very outpost of the war. The Holy Hall Disciples there underwent the most brutal tempering. This was also why everyone in the Burning Castle wholeheartedly admired the Holy Hall; they always took the lead. This wasn’t something that had happened for a day or two—they had persevered for three years.

But even after experiencing such bloody carnage, Zhang Xiaopang was still just as chubby, without a single sharp edge to his features. Wang Meng felt he was truly a one-of-a-kind character.

Seeing that his ploy had been exposed, Zhang Xiaopang didn’t blush or skip a beat. He just laughed it off. "Ah, look at my memory. It must be because that old injury hasn’t healed yet. My mind’s not working right."

After laughing, the two shared a big hug.

The fighting would never stop, but life had to go on. There was life and death, new friends joining and old friends leaving. They had seen too much of it over the years, and so they faced it all with a smile.

"How is Ling Xuan doing?" Wang Meng asked. Zhao Lingxuan had arrived at the front lines a month ago, leading a group of Holy Hall Disciples. Just training in an academy wasn’t enough; during lulls in the fighting, the various Sects would send their disciples to the front to get a taste of battle.

"Haha, quite a few people came in this batch, but our Holy Hall Disciples were the toughest. None of them fainted, though a few did throw up," Zhang Xiaopang said.

Even if you were mentally prepared, the scenes of war against the Demon Race were truly nauseating. Cleaning up the battlefield afterward wasn’t physically tiring, but it was a test of willpower. This was because the Demons ate everything, whether friend or foe, leaving behind at most a few scattered, mangled parts.

The main personnel responsible for the city defenses and outpost battles in the Burning Castle region would all come to attend strategy meetings. Of course, these were absolutely secret; the times were generally decided at random to give the enemy no opportunities. Ever since the Half-Demons appeared, maintaining the secrecy of their intelligence had become especially important.

"Zhang Xiaopang, when are you ever going to lose some weight?" A laugh rang out. It was Fan Ru’s voice.

Fan Xiaoniao was quite a figure now, though he wasn’t yet strong enough to hold a front on his own. He was partnered with Suo Ming. Suo Ming had more than enough courage but lacked flexibility, making his pairing with Fan Xiaoniao a perfect match.

The Suo Ming of today was calmer and more composed than before, with a few new scars on his face. He was a notoriously fierce figure in the Burning Castle, charging into battle fearlessly and always at the very front.

"Boss, I’m back."

The greeting was always the same. Only the Holy Hall Beings understood its true meaning: ’I’m back’ meant ’I’m back alive.’

Hu Jing and the others arrived one by one. Hu Jing carried herself with more poise than before. Her name was extremely well-known, as she was the one who formulated most of the Burning Castle’s strategies.

The partnership between Zou Chuang and Xie Tianhua was also a perfect match. The Taiyin Sect was, after all, a deeply rooted and formidable power that couldn’t be underestimated. If the Taiyin Sect hadn’t voluntarily come to the Burning Castle, the situation here would have been unimaginable. After all, three years ago, the Holy Hall Disciples were not yet mature enough; mere passion and firm belief weren’t enough on the battlefield.

"Martial Uncle." Xie Tianhua still couldn’t bring himself to change the address. After experiencing major battles, the Taiyin Sect had also gone through its share of twists and turns. The severe injuries to Yuu Kunlun, Mo Chen, and others had been a huge blow to the Sect, but the rapid rise of Xie Tianhua and Zou Chuang had compensated for it.

Wang Meng nodded. The Holy Hall and the Taiyin Sect had truly shared weal and woe. At the critical moments, they had held their ground.

Zou Chuang remained as quiet as ever. The elites of the Burning Castle quickly gathered. It was at this moment that one would startlingly discover that they were almost all outstanding members of the younger generation. Of course, some of the older generation had survived, but their combat strength was not necessarily a match for these young talents. Wang Meng had assigned those Cultivators to preside over Sect affairs in the Small Thousand Realms. After all, a continuous supply of reinforcements was fundamental. Even so, they would occasionally take time to return to their Small Thousand Realms.

Once all the generals were present, Wang Meng revealed the reason he had summoned everyone.

"After two years of stalemate, we have basically found our footing. To better prepare for the battles to come, I plan to establish the Burning Knight Order!"

Among the Five Great Castles, the Saint Demon Castle had the Demon Race’s Pure Land Knight Order. The Pure Land Knight Order had been responsible for slaughter since the founding of the Star Alliance, and their combat prowess was astounding. They were an elite force single-handedly forged by Liao Qingqiu, riding Qilins—truly the pride of the Demon Race. After Mingren inherited command, he used their elite nature and superior mobility to showcase the might of the Cultivation Realm.

At their current strength, the Cultivation Realm could not confront the Demon Race head-on. However, a purely defensive strategy was clearly not viable. The role of elite Cultivator Groups in launching surprise attacks had become crucial. Mingren had already proven this with his battle record. When others might worry about using an "empty fort" strategy, Mingren never did. It was as if he had no fear; he never even considered the consequences of the Demon Race seeing through his bluff.

But facts proved that he was right.

Following this, Jii Wanli established the Lightning Knight Order, the elites of the Extreme Dao Alliance. Led by him personally, it was composed entirely of Bow Cultivators. Their purpose was clear: high-speed sneak attacks followed by high-speed retreats.

The Ten Thousand Spirits Sect was undoubtedly number one in the Star Alliance when it came to controlling Exotic Beasts. They equipped the Lightning Knight Order with Eight-legged Dragon Horses, enabling them to snipe with lightning-fast speed, coming and going like the wind.

(The New Year holiday is over, and I, Skull, in my enlightenment, am starting to write like mad. It’s just in time for the main feature recommendation. I’m asking all my senior brothers and sisters for all kinds of support—monthly tickets, recommendation votes, donations, comments, clicks, anything is fine. Thank you ^_^) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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