Cultivation: Being Immortal-Chapter 476:

Zhong State, Shenmu City

Shenmu City hasn’t fallen yet because Zhong State has mobilized. As the essence of the human race, Zhong State’s strength is undeniable. Shenmu City has bravely withstood the attacks from the demon tribe.

"Seven Tao Achieving cultivators from the human race, and seven Demon Emperors from the demons, actually fought to a draw."

Outside Shenmu City, Feng Jiu received news of the demons’ defeat in the He State and sighed.

In less than a year, seven Tao Achieving cultivators from the human race have fallen, as well as seven Demon Emperors from the demons. Three of them fell into the hands of the Yun State, making Feng Jiu pay more attention to the Yun State.

"It’s not seven, it’s eight. The Demon Queen has emerged, and there is news of the Purple Cloud Sect’s destruction."

At that moment, the old Phoenix Demon Emperor said he had just received news that Demon Queen Lin Fanghua had captured Purple Cloud Sect and taken control of the eastern part of Zhong State.

"Very good, that makes it fifteen. Ancestor, we are one step closer to our plan."

"Don’t be complacent. The situation in Yun State is strange. The Little Divine Ape may not be powerful, but the Snake Dragon Demon Emperor is a strong member of our demon clan. His bloodline is only one step away from a true dragon. We still don’t know how he died. There are unknown factors in Yun State."

"Ancestor, do you suspect that the human race has more experts?"

"Yes, the Lin family of Yun State are descendants of the Fourth Disciple of Green Emperor, with a deep heritage. We must not underestimate them."

"Ancestor, rest assured. I have already reached the peak of the seventh rank. With a few more Tao Achieving, I can advance to the eighth rank. Even if the Green Emperor is reborn, I am confident in facing him in battle."

"Eighth rank, Feng Jiu, you must still be cautious. The previous Demon Emperor was also of the eighth rank, yet he died. The demon clan has been investigating his death for years without finding answers. There are many mysteries in this world."

"Ancestor…"

"Never mind. Let’s not say more. Don’t let Demon Queen head south. Have her shift the battle to the heartland of Zhong State. The Human Emperor of the human race may appear in Yun State. Quickly resolve the human race in Zhong State."

Old Phoenix said that he instinctively felt that the challenge in this battle with the demon tribe would be in the area around Yun State, so they should quickly resolve the issue with the human tribe in Zhong State and head south.

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The demons from Liu State actually came from the west of the cultivation world. The demons here are only in name at the Demon God Temple and are not under its command because they are separated by the human tribe, and the Demon God Temple has no real power here.

After Cao Ying defeated the demons of He State, she selected thirty thousand elites and two skilled warriors from two provinces to ride a flying boat and swiftly arrived at Liu State. They launched a surprise attack on the demons, won the battle, and the demons were defeated, retreating into the Wilderness.

The swift retreat of the demons caught everyone by surprise. Cao Ying had to redirect the troops of the two provinces northwards to march towards Qing State. The leaders of the two provinces began persuading the cultivators of Liu State to join the battle together.

However, this time it was not as easy because the demonic army of Liu State was not very strong, and the losses of the cultivators in Liu State were not as severe as in He State. The rescue from the people of Yun State didn’t seem as crucial, as they could still hold their ground with their strength.

Instead, if they followed Cao Ying north, they would be facing the real main force of the demons, including the Demon Emperor, which was very dangerous. They were naturally unwilling, especially since Liu State was remote and it would take some time for the demons to arrive.

"Little Ying, the latest news from Zhong State is that Purple Cloud Sect has been destroyed, the Demon Queen has not headed south but instead moved east. The majority of Zhong State cultivators are at Shenmu Sect. If our retreat route is cut off, it will cause unrest among the troops. We cannot linger here."

Lin Jiang received news from Zhong State and immediately came to inform Cao Ying. There was no time to waste. If the Danxia Sect and other sects realized that their stronghold might be taken by the demons, they would definitely react, and the humans might suffer a major defeat.

"What should we do about Liu State? These people are unyielding."

"We can’t manage it all now. If top-down approach doesn’t work, then we’ll try from the bottom up. I’ll split the task force in two, leaving half to spread the word in Liu State. We’ll head to Qing State first, gather forces there, and then move on to attack Bing State. We’ll also cut off the monsters’ escape route, and see who gives up first."

Lin Jiang immediately said. During the propaganda in the two states, we trained a group of talented propagandists. They are very persuasive and skilled with words, a great asset for rallying people.

"Would that work?"

"Doesn’t matter, convince as many people as we can. No time to argue with them."

"Alright, we’ll set off tomorrow, heading to Qing State first to stabilize the situation there."

Cao Ying said. The situation in Qing State is also not good.

The battle in Qing State many years ago depleted the essence of the entire state. For centuries after, they were plagued by civil wars, further weakening the state. It was only after a meteor shower that Qing State finally stabilized, but the time given to them was too short to regain their peak.

Now with a large army of monsters invading Qing State, they are unable to resist. However, the invading monster army is not too large, and Qing State has chosen guerrilla tactics, trading space for time. They keep falling back, using their vast territory to outmaneuver the monsters, attacking from behind when they least expect it.

The situation now is that the monster army cannot completely destroy the cultivators from Qing State due to their insufficient numbers. The cultivators from Qing State are unable to resist and have to let the monster army roam freely, turning Qing State into a wasteland where no one can do anything to stop each other.

"Alright, you guys go ahead. I will finish things up in Liu State and catch up with you later."

"Be careful."

"You too, don’t die. We still have to live together forever."

"Okay."

After a simple conversation, Lin Jiang quickly left and gathered his core propaganda team to change their focus. Unable to deceive the higher-ups, they decided to target the lower ranks, encouraging them to join the army.

Early the next day, Cao Ying led her small group ahead, being highly mobile they arrived at Qing State faster than the large army from He State.

Upon Cao Ying’s arrival, forces from Qing State approached them. News of the events in He State had already reached Qing State, and Lin Ying had sent members of the Lin family to Qing State ahead of them.

They contacted members of the four major clans from the past. After the battle in Qing State, the four major clans declined significantly and lost their position of power in Qing State. They first took time to recover in Yun State for a hundred years, then, aside from the Lin family of Qing State, the other three clans re-entered Qing State.

But they couldn’t restore the glory of the four major families, instead they kept declining. It was only after the situation in Qing State stabilized that they began to develop. The three families no longer existed in the form of families, but changed to sects, called the Four Sages Sect.

The Four Sages Sect was not very strong, only a second-rate sect in Qing State. However, they had a good location in the southwest part of Qing State, farthest from the frontlines of the demon army, which resulted in minimal losses.

"Ancestor Cao, the current situation in Qing State is like this: the demon army is unstoppable, sweeping through Qing State. But the cultivators in Qing State are not directly confronting the demons. They are implementing a scorched earth strategy, retreating as the demons advance, destroying all spiritual resources and not allowing them to replenish."

"The demons won’t surprise attack you."

"They might, but we have discussed it. Cultivators of Nascent Soul stage and above will not gather. If the demons do attack suddenly, we will strike their rear, harassing them. This tactic is quite effective."

"This tactic sounds familiar."

Cao Ying said, making the Four Sages Sect feel a bit embarrassed. Was this tactic indeed familiar to them?

Of course it was familiar, because back in the day Lin Batian used this tactic against Qing State. How many times did the four major families engage in guerrilla warfare battles? It’s the same strategy.

"What were the losses in Qing State?"

"I don’t know how to say it, but most ordinary people are gone, and many low-level cultivators are lost. However, the main forces of each sect are still intact. What we lack now is a leader. If Ancestor Cao is willing to lead us, we will surely follow him wholeheartedly."

"I can help Qing State repel the demon tribes, but the various sects of Qing State must listen to me. After dealing with Qing State, they have to join me in heading north to fight against the demon tribes."

Cao Ying expressed her unhappiness about the situation in Liu State. She went a long way to help Liu State, but none of them were willing to come forward.

"Our Four Sages Sect is definitely willing, but we need to discuss with the other sects."

A cultivator from Four Sages Sect mentioned that they have never forgotten their ancestors’ glory. War is the best chance for a power to rise, and they will not refuse it.

"Quickly contact the leaders of each sect. Once the troops from Yunhe and Liangzhou arrive, we will immediately launch an attack on the demon tribes."

Cao Ying revealed that she currently has the strength to attack the demon tribes. According to her sources, there is only one Demon Emperor in Qing State’s demon tribes. She is confident in defeating it even by herself.

However, Cao Ying didn’t want to act entirely selflessly. Her current image as the Human Emperor was designed by Lin Jiang to prevent a repeat of the situation in Liu State. She must also involve Qing State.

The members of Four Sages Sect quickly agreed and sent people to contact the leaders of Qing State. Cao Ying kept sending out small teams to probe the demon tribes’ strength, with skirmishes happening frequently.

After another two weeks passed, people and horses from Yunhe and Liuzhou continued to arrive. Lin Jiang also set off from Liu State, and in half a month, he brought tens of thousands of people from Liu State. The battle in Qing State was about to begin.