I Pick up a Lost Godhood

The Dragon Race made no major moves. They had no weaklings, and their front was the least contested. The other factions understood the dragons’ reservations—with their low numbers, every loss was a heavy blow. That they had contributed this much was already commendable.

Lin Jinghao, for his part, had carefully selected Sword Cultivators from among the Demon Cultivators to form the Demon Sword Knight Order, which he would lead personally.

"Boss, what will be our main focus?" Zhou Qian asked.

Wang Meng smiled. "The so-called Burning Knight Order is basically a suicide squad. It doesn’t matter if they are Saint Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, or Evil Cultivators. There are no restrictions on their path of cultivation. The only requirement is that they aren’t afraid to die."

A motley crew?

Everyone was stunned.

An elite unit like this was best formed from cultivators with a unified path. The Beast Race and the Dragon Race were different from humans, so their cases were understandable.

But it only took a moment for everyone to understand. This wasn’t a performance. Any move that could annihilate the enemy was a good one. And from the look in Wang Meng’s eyes, the nature of this Knight Order was easy to imagine.

In the main encampment of the Demon Race, they had not been without gains over the past three years. They had already established a firm foothold in the Slaughter Space, and a magnificent Demon Capital had been built. A massive number of demons surged forth from the Abyss.

The entire Demon Capital was built from materials from the Abyss, perfectly matching the nature of the Demon Race. Furthermore, vast quantities of Demon Flame gushed from the Abyss, making the city worthy of its name. For ten thousand years, ever since they were last sealed, every generation of the Demon Race had thought of nothing but breaking out. It was easy to imagine how high their morale was.

Within the Demon Hall stood five thrones, occupied by five Demon Kings who radiated vigor. Were it not for the horrifying cruelty of their methods, one would never guess how bloodthirsty they truly were.

Chi Zhu, Chi Zhe, Chi Huang, Chi Qing, and Chi Ying—the Five Great Demon Kings. The future Demon Lord was to be born from among them, and all five were heirs to the Demon Emperor’s bloodline.

Three males and two females. Chi Zhu, the eldest, commanded the largest force, but he also had the most violent temper. He took pleasure in eating humans and had crowned himself the Bloodthirsty Demon King. He should have directly inherited the title of Demon Lord, but now he was forced to compete for it.

Chi Zhe, the second eldest, was the most cunning of the Five Demon Kings. On the surface, he showed little interest in becoming the Demon Lord and maintained a close relationship with Chi Zhu. He was known as the Wisdom Demon—though the Cultivation Realm, of course, called him the Deceitful Demon.

Chi Huang, the third eldest, was the Demon Race’s foremost expert. Possessing both wisdom and courage, he was favored by many of the Demon Race’s Elders and was considered the most likely candidate to break with tradition and become the new Demon Lord.

Chi Qing, the fourth, was a Demon Princess and Chi Huang’s sister. She was a Black Demon. Though her skin was dark, it held a bewitching luster. Her flimsy clothing did little to conceal her stunningly seductive figure. The single horn on her head shimmered with a crystalline black light. A prolific killer, she was fond of bathing in human blood.

Chi Ying, the fifth, was the youngest princess and had a somewhat eccentric personality.

From their appearance, the Demon Race looked even more refined than the Beast Race.

"It’s been three years! Our emperor father is still in the Abyss, holding back the Demon Suppression Formation for us, yet what have we accomplished? Third Brother, you claim to be our greatest expert. Can’t you even deal with a single Lin Jinghao?!"

Chi Zhu spoke. Chi Huang put the most pressure on him. Without Chi Huang, he would have become the Demon Lord by right long ago. He was the nominal leader of the five, and in the Demon Race, strength was the ultimate authority. This was especially true after the flaw in the Sealing Demon Array was discovered, which led to a new method for determining the succession of the Demon Lord.

Chi Huang smiled faintly. "Lin Jinghao commands the most powerful force of the Human Cultivators. They have already suffered heavy losses under my assault. Eldest Brother, our Demon Race has waited for generations; we must be patient. In fact, it is you, Eldest Brother, who should be striving to set an example for us all."

Chi Zhu was facing Mingren’s Saint Demon Castle, and his own reckless advance had led to a defeat at Mingren’s hands. The material losses were negligible to the Demon Race, but the loss of face had been immense. It remained a sore spot for Chi Zhu.

Seeing Chi Zhu’s face darken, Chi Zhe laughed. "Third Brother, how can you speak to Eldest Brother that way? Mingren is hailed as the greatest expert in the Cultivation Realm. Only Eldest Brother is capable of holding him off. As his younger siblings, we should be sharing his burden, not shirking our duties."

Chi Zhu’s expression brightened considerably. "Fifth Sister, you will need to reallocate your forces soon. After three years, the strategic situation is clear. The Dragon Race has very few members left. If we don’t attack them, they are unlikely to make any aggressive moves."

"I agree with Eldest Brother’s assessment," Chi Huang said. "We only need to leave half our forces in a stalemate with the Dragon Race and secretly transfer the army. We just have to pick a target and concentrate our strength for a breakthrough." Chi Ying was the one facing the Dragon Race, so her front had suffered the least attrition.

It was no surprise that Chi Huang was supportive, but the question remained: where to attack?

Chi Ying simply nodded, as she rarely spoke. She was a White Demon, yet she lacked their typical pallor. Instead, her entire being seemed to glow with a pearlescent luster. It was obvious, however, that Chi Qing deeply resented this younger sister who had shown up and stolen her thunder.

"I will follow Eldest Brother’s commands," Chi Ying said, showing her respect for tradition.

Chi Zhu nodded in satisfaction. ’If not for my youngest sister’s support, that upstart Chi Huang would be completely out of control.’

"In that case, we’ll attack the Saint Demon Castle!" Chi Zhu declared at once.

Chi Huang smiled. "Not so fast, Eldest Brother. As you yourself have said, the Saint Demon Castle is the strongest of the five enemy strongholds. For this plan, we must choose the most surefire option."

"Are you suggesting we attack the Demon Dragon Castle?!" Chi Zhu’s voice boomed.

Chi Huang shook his head. "Eldest Brother, Lin Jinghao has concentrated humanity’s strongest forces on his front, so he won’t be an easy target. The same likely goes for Jii Wanli, who Second Brother is facing. Since we’ve decided not to provoke the Dragon Race, the only remaining opening is Wang Meng’s Burning Castle. I hear Little Qing has been giving them an easy time lately, and now the man is arrogant enough to be forming some ’Burning Knight Order.’ He’s getting overconfident fast. His force is the weakest, and he loves to crudely imitate others, making him the perfect target."

Chi Zhu’s face darkened again. ’Damn that bastard Chi Huang,’ he thought. ’If that slut Chi Qing captures the castle, it’ll be the same as him capturing it.’

He glanced at Chi Zhe. ’He definitely won’t agree to this.’

Just as Chi Zhe was about to speak, Chi Ying, from the last throne, suddenly spoke up. "It would be best not to choose the Burning Castle."

Chi Zhu laughed at once. "Fifth Sister! What are your thoughts? Speak!"

"I feel that both the Beast Race and the Dragon Race are unsuitable targets. Of the three remaining locations, if it were up to me, I would rather choose to attack Lin Jinghao or Jii Wanli over Wang Meng."

"And why is that?" Chi Zhe asked.

"It’s simple. They are the weakest force, yet they have managed to hold out for this long."

"Oh, little sister," Chi Qing said, "are you blaming me for my ineffective attacks? For being unable to take down even the weakest of them?"

Chi Ying shook her head. "No. We have quite a few Half-Demons under our control now, but have you noticed something? How many Half-Demons have we created from the Burning Castle’s forces?"

Chi Qing snorted. "They’re all stubborn fools. I killed every last one of them. What use do I have for such things?"

Chi Ying ignored her. "On the surface, the force garrisoned at the Burning Castle may be the weakest, but they are also the most tenacious. I’ve analyzed the fighting styles of all five fronts. If I had a force like that at my disposal, I would choose to break through at Jii Wanli’s or Lin Jinghao’s position. Furthermore, according to my own investigations, this Wang Meng is the true number one expert."

Chi Zhe smiled. "Youngest Sister makes a valid point, but I don’t believe we have many options. The best target is still the Burning Castle. Fourth Sister has been lax with them for some time, so they have surely grown careless. My investigations also show that the Human Cultivators have funneled most of their strength to Lin Jinghao and Jii Wanli. And most critically, if we were to attack Lin Jinghao or Jii Wanli, Wang Meng would certainly send reinforcements. But if we attack Wang Meng... hehe, it’s questionable whether Lin Jinghao and Jii Wanli would lift a finger."

"Second Brother!"

"Eldest Brother, I know you agree," Chi Zhe said. "However, I believe we younger siblings should respect our eldest. If we open a path through the Burning Castle, you, Eldest Brother, should be the one to lead the charge out of the Slaughter Space. After all, executing this plan will require us to apply maximum pressure to the other four strongholds simultaneously."

Chi Zhe smiled. He knew exactly what Chi Zhu was thinking.

Chi Huang and Chi Qing also had to understand that if they didn’t agree, the plan would go nowhere.

"Heh, of course. We are all doing this for the Demon Race," Chi Huang agreed readily. He had no desire for a direct confrontation with Chi Zhu over this matter. There was, after all, a hierarchy of seniority to consider—unless he could find a way to annihilate Lin Jinghao on his own.

"Excellent. Then I’ll leave this matter to you, Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister. When the time comes, we will provide our full cooperation!" Chi Zhu laughed.

Chi Ying began to mobilize the Demon Shadow Race. A ghostly clan, they could transfer forces in utter silence. ’Since the decision has been made, there’s no point in arguing,’ she thought. ’On the surface, the Burning Castle is the weakest link. But three years of assaults have given me a bad feeling about it.’ She didn’t underestimate Chi Qing in the slightest. On the contrary, her sister was as ruthless as their eldest brother and as intelligent as their second, with a meticulous mind. Yet, she had never been able to take the Burning Castle. In fact, the more they fought, the more resolute the defenders became. That kind of resilience was terrifying.

’If it were up to me, I’d rather pick an enemy that was stronger but less tenacious.’

’In a battle between armies, a force will typically break after suffering thirty to forty percent casualties, turning the rest of the fight into a slaughter. But the defenders of the Burning Castle have held on because even with seventy or eighty percent dead, the survivors don’t break. In a grueling war of attrition, that’s the kind of thing that can turn the tide.’

’As the leader of the Demon Shadow Race, intelligence gathering is one of my primary duties. I’ve heard reports that some of the besieged cultivators would often go mad, screaming about the glory of the Holy Hall as they charged to their deaths. Of those captured, not a single one has been willing to undergo Demonization.’

’Demonization is a useful tool, but it requires the target to submit first. That has proven extremely difficult with the people from Burning Castle. They aren’t necessarily that much stronger, but every single one of them fights like a madman.’

And yet, plenty of Half-Demons had emerged from the fronts at the Demon Dragon Castle and the Extreme Dao Castle.

Shaking off her stray thoughts, Chi Ying didn’t have strong feelings about the war itself. She understood her people’s unwillingness to remain in the Abyss, but she wasn’t optimistic about this method of returning to the surface world. She could only keep such thoughts buried in her heart. After all, she was one of the Demon Race.

「At the Burning Castle」

Word of recruitment for the Burning Knight Order was spreading like wildfire. It was considered an immense honor. Despite being the most dangerous assignment, countless cultivators were clamoring to join.

Wang Meng was very open about the recruitment, placing no restrictions on cultivation paths. All he wanted were those who dared to fight, dared to risk everything, and did not fear death.

After three years at the Burning Castle, there was no shortage of such experts. Army-to-army combat was not a series of one-on-one duels between cultivators. An individual’s relative strength meant little when they were instantly engulfed by a sky full of magic. The key was daring and teamwork.

However, Wang Meng wasn’t afraid of the Demon Race finding out. In fact, it seemed intended to put pressure on them. The same news also spread to the other major strongholds in the Cultivation Realm.

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