"Is that Black Wind?"

You descend to confirm.

It is indeed Black Wind.

He stands atop the ruins of a dilapidated small building, chewing on weeds growing from the rubble.

Compared to when you handed him over to Mei Sanniang, he has become much thinner.

"Black Wind?"

Hearing your voice, Black Wind looks up, dazed.

Upon confirming it is truly you, Black Wind chokes up and prostrates himself on the ground.

"Master! Black Wind has finally waited for you! All these years, Black Wind has strictly followed your instructions, never leaving this place for a single step!"

You quickly help Black Wind up, stroking his mane, which has become somewhat unkempt and messy from lack of care.

"I only asked the proprietress to look after you for a while, I never said you couldn't leave. Wasn't it boring staying here all this time?"

"Black Wind wanted to wait for Master! What if Master returned and needed Black Wind to ride, but couldn't find him!"

You sigh.

You hardly need Black Wind for transportation anymore.

But Black Wind's loyalty is touching. You take him into the cauldron's inner world and have Da Chun feed him a proper, hearty meal.

With Da Chun around, the cauldron's inner world is never short on food.

"And the proprietress..."

"Proprietress Mei passed away twenty years ago. Her grandson mismanaged the business, and the inn went bankrupt ten years ago."

Truly, a horse can outlive three generations of its owners.

Without further delay, you leap into the air and, under the astonished gazes of everyone in Baiyun County town, fly eastward.

Year sixty-three, age eighty-one.

The current Cangqiong Ridge frontlines have transformed into a brutal meat grinder between the demon tribes of the Great Wastes and the humans of the Five Regions.

Blood dyes the mountain ridges red.

Corpses clog the riverbeds.

Now, the number of Martial Saint Realm powerhouses who have descended to the frontlines to join the battle has reached as many as twenty.

There are even several hundred Martial King Realm figures.

For martial artists, Martial Kings and Martial Saints, who are usually rare sights capable of flight through the air, are now a common sight in the skies above Cangqiong Ridge.

The top-tier combat power on the demon side primarily consists of the Four Great Demon Ancestors, the Ten Great Demon Saints, and the Hundred Great Demon Kings.

Demon Ancestors are also at the Martial Saint Realm, but they possess pure bloodlines, allowing them to briefly wield power surpassing the peak of Martial Saint.

Whether it's top-tier combat power, mid-tier strength, or low-level cannon fodder.

In terms of numbers, the demon race's forces are fewer than those of the Five Regions.

However, most demons are innately physically powerful and can fight multiple humans of the same realm.

Demons have their advantages and disadvantages; their weakness lies in poor reproductive ability.

Their lifespans are several times that of humans, yet they often only lay a single egg every hundred years, and it's not guaranteed to hatch.

This is also the reason for their small numbers.

Currently, the demons cannot break through the Cangqiong Ridge defense line because humans have deployed mountain-covering, field-spanning Mountain-Protecting Grand Formations, heaven-and-earth nets, killing arrays, and illusion arrays here.

This is humanity's advantage: excelling at utilizing external tools.

Ten Golden Body Realm martial artists, facing a single Spirit Sea Realm demon head-on, would absolutely be crushed.

But if these ten martial artists could set up an array in advance, take some pills with slightly significant side effects, and have decent weapons, they could actually put up a fight.

In this unprecedented war between the two races, even Martial Kings and Martial Saints must follow the orders of the Central Army Grand Marshal.

Otherwise, they would be a scattered mess, picked off one by one by the demons.

The marshals in charge of command are mainly these few:

Northern Frontier Marshal Chen Jing, Southern Borderlands Marshal Li Lingyue, and Central Plains Marshal Li Chengqian.

And the supreme commander, Grand Marshal of the Three Armies, the Sword Lord of the Eastern Wastes!

At this moment, they are all gathered in the command tent of the Five Regions Allied Forces at Bachuan Peak.

The Sword Lord, not bothering to wipe the bloodstain from his face, looks at the topographic map of the Five Regions inside the tent and addresses the various faction leaders.

"The transportation of Spirit Crystals from all sides needs to be accelerated further. Some enemy-blocking formations are already failing to operate. If necessary, dispatch some Martial King Realm experts to personally retrieve them."

The entire Cangqiong Ridge is covered in formations, creating an iron curtain that prevents the demons from advancing.

But maintaining these formations requires consuming Spirit Crystals.

The consumption required to sustain formations of such vast scale is unimaginable.

Even more exaggerated than directly burning Spirit Crystals!

Spirit Crystal mining, transportation, storage, distribution...

This entire series of logistical support is of utmost importance; not a single mistake can be allowed.

Li Lingyue proposes.

"Sword Lord, our current strategy is still primarily defensive. While this minimizes casualties to the greatest extent, the demons have not retreated. Fighting like this consumes too much of the Five Regions' resources and is not a sustainable solution."

Li Chengqian wears a set of royal military attire and carries a golden bow taller than himself.

He now shows no trace of his former foolish ruler appearance, his entire demeanor exuding a deep, reserved aura, his cultivation restrained.

Before coming to Cangqiong Ridge, he had already reclaimed considerable power through his act with the Northern Frontier.

However, almost simultaneously with gaining partial military authority, he immediately embarked on a personal imperial expedition without pause to reinforce Cangqiong Ridge.

That he possesses Martial King Realm cultivation is no longer a secret.

Li Chengqian says.

"My cousin speaks wisely. Sword Lord, we should take the initiative, gather a group of Martial Saints and Martial Kings, and annihilate the Demon Ancestors, Demon Saints, and Demon Kings on the demon side in one fell swoop!"

The Sword Lord sighs.

"It's not that easy. Even if we could win, how many would survive in the end?"

Having learned of the existence of the Dragon-Man tribe from you, the Sword Lord also does not wish for a situation where "when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits."

He has repeatedly proposed a truce to the demon side to resolve the issue that sparked this war.

Unfortunately, the demons refuse to listen.

"Report—"

At that moment, a messenger soldier rushes in, holding a Jade Token.

This Jade Token is similar to a "cell phone"; messages can be sent between tokens, making it an indispensable tool on the battlefield.

"Reporting to the superiors! The enemy-blocking formations at Guiyan Peak, Jushen Peak, and Xia'an Peak have been breached! The Great Vanguard Demon Ape, the Four-Eyed Spiritual Monkey, along with several Demon Kings, are leading tens of thousands of demons advancing unimpeded and are about to enter Central Plains territory!"

Everyone in the tent changes expression.

The Sword Lord is greatly alarmed.

"How were the formations breached so quickly? A sect elder from my Sword Sect is stationed in that area. If in danger, he should at least be able to hold out until I could reinforce him!"

The messenger soldier reports back.

"Someone replaced High-grade Spirit Crystals with low-grade ones. The formations didn't reach sufficient strength and duration. Additionally, the Four Great Demon Ancestors launched a joint attack on Jialan Peak today, drawing away many Martial Saints and Martial Kings..."

Chen Jing is furious.

"Those parasites! Embezzling even at this critical juncture of life and death!"

Li Chengqian frowns and says.

"It might not have been done by our people. Some demon sorceries are difficult to guard against; some may have secretly infiltrated."

Li Lingyue sweeps her cloak and turns to exit the tent.

"Enough talk! We absolutely cannot allow the demons to enter the Five Regions and slaughter Zhen's people!"