I Pick up a Lost Godhood

The Demons had now laid siege, and the main city, personally guarded by Wang Meng, naturally bore the brunt of their largest force.

The Demons had assembled with surprising speed, and the battle reached a fever pitch from the very start.

Hu Jing gazed into the distance, unable to keep her brow from furrowing. Zhang Xiaojiang just smiled. "Jingjing, the Demon Race’s fierce offensive this time is actually a good thing. A battle of this scale is tough, but it’s nothing our Burning Castle can’t handle. After we wear them down, the balance of power won’t be so unfavorable for us."

Hu Jing shook her head slightly. ’Something feels off. In the past, a Demon horde of this size would have just swarmed us all at once, but today is different. Their attacks are far too methodical.’

"We’ll handle whatever they throw at us. I’ll go out and cut down a wave, see what tricks they’re trying to pull," Zhang Xiaojiang said with a laugh.

Hu Jing nodded. "Be careful."

"Don’t worry! The big boss specifically sent you to oversee the battle. How could I dare to let my guard down?"

Zhang Xiaojiang let out a great laugh and charged forward. The moment he appeared on the city wall, his body erupted in silver light, instantly making him the primary target of the Demons’ frenzied attacks. But Zhang Xiaojiang was completely fearless. With a furious roar, the Blast Bow in his hand surged, absorbing the Elemental Power from the world around it.

KILL!~~~~~~~~~

VMMMM~~~~~

The sky filled with silver light, each ray like a scythe from Death itself, scything into the Demon horde. In an instant, the heads of several hundred Demons in the front ranks were pierced through.

This was the skill of the Star Alliance’s number one Bow Cultivator, Zhang Xiaojiang—every arrow pierced its target’s heart!

Even on a battlefield of this scale, his attack sowed chaos, but its most important effect was on morale.

After so many years of battle, Zhang Xiaojiang had become the leader of all Bow Cultivators, their idol.

The Bow Cultivators on the wall unleashed their Elemental Power one after another. Under this shared resonance, not only did their attacks grow stronger, but their Arrow Technique became far more precise.

Demons possessed incredibly tough bodies, so dealing effective damage was crucial. The Bow Cultivators formed the city’s first line of defense.

Hu Jing smiled faintly. ’That guy will never grow out of his need to show off.’ But Wang Meng had been right to worry. Led by Zhang Xiaojiang, the Bow Cultivators’ suppressive volley had inflicted massive casualties on the Demons. Then, something strange happened. Normally, losses on this scale would do nothing to deter the Demons; if anything, they would have attacked even more frantically. This time, however, they gradually fell back. It wasn’t a complete retreat; the Demon army simply surrounded the city without attacking, as if they were observing something.

The greatest disadvantage in this war wasn’t the disparity in forces, but the disparity in intelligence. The Demon Race already understood a great deal about humanity, and the emergence of Half-Demons who betrayed crucial information only made it worse. As a result, the Demon Race had learned the weaknesses of certain Cultivation Cities, which often became the focus of their attacks. Conversely, while the Star Alliance had captured members of the Demon Race, the information they managed to extract was minimal.

The Demon Race’s society was a rigid hierarchy based on bloodline. They only knew how to follow orders. Most importantly, even if the Alliance managed to extract some information, they could never get anything further.

And who was to say whether there were spies from the Demon Race within the Star Alliance itself.

The intelligence gap was a major problem. Fortunately, they had the defensive advantage and remained on high alert. Otherwise, the situation would be dire.

As the Demons retreated, Li Tianyi led several thousand Cultivators out on a sortie to kill as many as possible. With covering fire from the Bow Cultivators, they could advance to attack or retreat to defend. But once the main Demon army had withdrawn to a safe distance, the sortie team didn’t dare press the fight.

"We just received word—the situation at the outposts is grim. The Teleportation Arrays at several locations have been severed."

Hu Jing said. Zhang Xiaojiang froze. "Don’t tell me..."

"Zhao Lingxuan and her team are trapped."

"That girl is just too stubborn. I warned her just a couple of days ago," said Zhang Xiaojiang.

Hu Jing shook her head. "An attack of this scale only happens a few times a year."

Zhao Lingxuan must have wanted to hold out a little longer, but opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting. She had intended to hold her position to serve as an extra set of eyes for the fortress, but in missing her window to teleport, she and her team were now trapped like rats in a cage.

Holy Shield City. If Ironblood City was balanced in both offense and defense, then Holy Shield City was Iron Blood Castle’s impenetrable shield. Yang Ying managed the overall strategy, Suo Ming was a valiant and expert fighter, and Zhou Qian was a master of defensive tactics. Together, they ensured Holy Shield City could often tie down a substantial number of Demons.

The Holy Hall Beings had all been alerted. Though the Demon attack was sudden, Holy Shield City was holding firm. Their main concern was for the Cultivators at the outposts, many of whom hadn’t made it back inside the city in time.

But it would be a grave mistake to think Holy Shield City was only capable of defense, because it had Suo Ming. He commanded a squad composed entirely of Body Cultivators. The city’s Grand Defense Array was fully active, repelling wave after wave of Demon attacks. The Bow Cultivators, of course, weren’t holding back either, but there were simply too many Demons.

But right in the middle of this stalemate, the city gates actually opened???

A gap appeared in the Defense Array, instantly drawing in a massive number of Demons. Though cunning, the Demons’ intelligence was ultimately limited. As they saw it, this was an opportunity not to be missed, and they immediately surged forward. It was then that a group of Body Cultivators shrouded in black armor shot out from the opening like a piercing blade.

Leading the charge was Suo Ming. The first Demon to reach him was instantly smashed into a bloody pulp. He slammed the pair of Forbidden Hammers in his hands together, producing an earth-shattering roar. The Body Cultivators behind him poured out like madmen, looking even more ferocious than the Demons themselves, all of them wielding massive hammers.

A spray of blood filled the air as countless hammers flew. Suo Ming’s hammer squad was devastating. Body Cultivators were undoubtedly the most ferocious of all Cultivators, and this was especially true for the team Suo Ming led. Every survivor among them was a veteran of innumerable battles. The squad included Holy Hall Disciples as well as Body Cultivators from other Sects, but there was no question that these were the strongest of their kind.

In the frenzy of battle, Suo Ming’s hammer became lodged in a Demon’s corpse. Recalling his Life Artifact, he plunged his bare hands into the body of another giant Demon, ripped it clean in two, and began swinging the halves like clubs, clearing a wide swathe around him.

"For the glory of the Holy Hall!"

This was undoubtedly the phrase Suo Ming had shouted most in his life. It was his very purpose.

At his cry, the Body Cultivators seemed to truly go berserk, and in their frenzy, they completely annihilated the Demon squadron that had far outnumbered them.

Suddenly, a black shadow appeared, a claw swiping for Suo Ming’s neck. It was one of the Demon Race!

Without even looking, Suo Ming threw a punch straight at the Demon’s heart. Both attacks landed at almost the same instant.

Suo Ming staggered, but the chest of the Demon Race warrior had been completely shattered.

After a few more moments of carnage, the Bow Cultivators unleashed a powerful volley, and Suo Ming led his squad in a swift retreat back into the city. Their morale soaring, Holy Shield City’s defense felt more impenetrable than ever.

Meanwhile, at Flame City, guarded by Xie Tianhua and his people, their forces might have been the strongest of all, despite not being from the Holy Hall. The deep foundations of the Taiyin Sect were undeniable. Xie Tianhua himself was a quick study, and his growth over the past three years had been explosive. What’s more, he had Zou Chuang by his side—an absolutely ruthless man.

While the battles on the three other fronts raged like wildfire, the fight at Wang Meng’s main city remained oddly tepid.

「In the heart of the Demon Race army」 From within a massive Demon Cauldron, a column of purple flame shot toward the sky. Curled up on a large throne, Chi Ying quietly watched the battles unfold within a magical Demon Shadow.

Tu Xin and Tu Gu stood respectfully to the side, though both were clearly itching for a fight.

Finally, Chi Ying stood up and smiled. "Let’s go. It’s time we introduced ourselves to the humans."

The two Demon Generals were taken aback. They didn’t really understand. Their master had orchestrated this massive assault and sacrificed a large number of Demons. Even if such fodder was plentiful, why not just conquer the city in one fell swoop? That would have been a true display of power.

Chi Ying knew what her two Demon Generals were thinking. She smiled. "We haven’t used our full strength, but neither have they. Still, we’ve managed to get a glimpse of their tactics. Human Cultivators may be weak individually, but they compensate for it with strategy and by complementing each other’s abilities. They’re very different from the Dragon Race."

Fighting the Dragon Race was another matter entirely. Both the Dragon Race and the Giant Dragons were difficult foes to deal with—each one a versatile combatant with terrifying power. When they gathered in groups, no amount of Demons was enough to serve as fodder.

The Heaven and Earth Five Elements Dragon Burst Curse of the Five Elements Giant Dragons was a truly terrifying spectacle.

It would be a miracle if the Dragon Race were easy to deal with. There was a good reason the Demon Lord had assigned her to handle them.

If the Dragon Race weren’t facing issues with their dwindling numbers, which made them reluctant to commit their full strength, the Demon Race would have been forced to change its strategy, despite having superior forces.

Chi Ying had seized upon this weakness. In her clashes with Linglong, her objective had never been to attack the fortresses, but to inflict casualties on the Dragon Race. It didn’t matter how many ordinary Demons or even Demon Race warriors died, as long as they could kill members of the Dragon Race.

Every death for the Dragon Race was an irreplaceable loss. If they were all wiped out, what good would it do them even if the Demon Race was ultimately defeated?

Therefore, over the past three years of battle, Chi Ying’s forces had suffered heavy losses, but she had achieved her strategic objective. The Dragon Race, despite their immense power, had begun to grow hesitant.

This applied not only to the Dragon Race, but to the Giant Dragons as well. Nearly a hundred of the Five Elemental Giant Dragons had been killed or wounded. What Linglong found most intolerable was that over half of these casualties were Fire Elemental Giant Dragons. She hadn’t noticed it at first, but later realized it was a sinister tactic by the Demon Race to deliberately disrupt the balance of the Five Elements among the Giant Dragons. This, in turn, had a massive impact on the Giant Dragons’ ability to reproduce.

The move was insidious. In a way, it was also a major strategic blunder on Linglong’s part, which created the passive situation the Dragon Race now found themselves in and allowed Chi Ying to extricate her forces so easily.

The Dragon Race was far too mobile. If they hadn’t been made to feel the pain of their losses, they could have flown to the aid of any other fortress in danger. And a gathering of the Five Elements Giant Dragons casting a Dragon Curse was an absolute death trap for Demons.

Up to this point in the war, Chi Ying had, in fact, already made the greatest contribution.

Of course, the other Demon Kings didn’t see it that way. Each believed their own accomplishments were the greatest. Besides, Chi Ying’s forces had suffered heavy casualties. They only saw the result—the Dragon Race’s newfound hesitation—but didn’t understand how she had achieved it.

But as Chi Ying’s Demon Generals, the two of them understood how formidable their master was. She certainly had her reasons for doing things this way.

"This Wang Meng is a man of both courage and strategy," Chi Ying continued. "He has some capable people under his command as well."

"Master, compared to Mingren or Lin Jinghao, what do his forces amount to? He’s not even on par with Jii Wanli."

Chi Ying smiled. "War isn’t a series of one-on-one duels. It’s something else entirely. Of the five major battlefronts, this one is the weakest in terms of raw power, yet their morale is the most well-coordinated. Once I discover the reason for that, this will all be much easier to resolve. Besides, haven’t you noticed? The combat strength of the three ’arrowhead’ cities is by no means weak. And knowing the human tendency to keep their best cards hidden, the forces at Snow Moon City must be even stronger than those three. We cannot afford to be careless."

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