Chapter 2035 - 2034: Questions

Chapter 2035: Chapter 2034: Questions

"The Shaking Mountain Camp will temporarily retreat to the rear for repairs."

Ouyang Tianshu’s gaze swept over the commanders in front of him, but facing his gaze, everyone hung their heads low, silent.

With the retreat of the Shaking Mountain Camp, a new camp was needed to fill the gap.

Previously, although the Demon Clan attacked daily for over ten days, the intensity was not high, and they sent small tribes as cannon fodder, so even without elite troops, the First Line Pass could be defended impressively.

After all, the First Line Pass occupied a strategic advantage, had ample military supplies, suffered minimal losses, and could kill many demons to earn merit.

So before, every camp was eager to take up defense lest they fall behind, but in these three days, although the Demon Clan didn’t send their entire forces, their approach was different, more determined, and fearless of death.

If that was all, it wouldn’t be a big deal, just as during the day when the elite Shaking Mountain Camp was dispatched, even if the demons were fearless, they couldn’t shake the defense of the First Line Pass and would still hit their heads against the wall below the pass.

But unexpectedly, a powerhouse from the enemy side made a move, breaking through the iron wall defense of the Shaking Mountain Camp with three strikes, and splitting the First Line Pass gate tower in two with another strike.

If the Shaking Mountain Camp couldn’t withstand it, the others wouldn’t be able to either.

Ouyang Tianshu looked at the silent commanders, "What, have you lost your courage, broken your backbone?"

"Hmph, this was just the appetizer before the great battle. The previous half month was merely probing attacks from the Demon Clan, and these past two days of attacks have only just begun to take shape, but they are far from fierce."

"The elites of the eight tribes of the Candle Dragon Demon Country have not been deployed. Today, the enemy simply came to send a greeting. The real main course is about to start."

"Let me be clear with you all, we are defending the First Line Pass with no retreat. Once the pass falls, there will be a plain stretching thousands of miles behind us."

"I might be able to escape, but do you think you can? So don’t hold onto any illusions. This is war, a war with foreign tribes, with not a shred of mercy. Either the enemy dies, or we die, those are the only choices."

Ouyang Tianshu coldly scanned the generals. These new generations from Ancestor Dragon City had almost never seen blood, let alone war. The Demon Clan had been accumulating strength for years, almost completely withdrawing their forces except for sending spies from the Ten Demon Hall to gather intelligence.

This also led to Ancestor Dragon City having few external conflicts.

Outer peace gives birth to internal troubles.

The long-standing peace naturally did not breed strong soldiers.

So the greatest possibility is to extend the war duration, giving them time to train and temper new soldiers, and as long as they withstand the initial strikes from the Demon Country, this battle won’t be lost.

"We are not afraid of death or battle, but the demon who made a move today possesses the same Vermilion Bird Bloodline as the Sikong Family."

"Commander, has the Vermilion Bird betrayed us? Or is there a remnant from the Sikong Family who betrayed Ancestor Dragon City to join the Candle Dragon Demon Country?"

Tang Lin stepped forward, asking a series of questions that were undoubtedly on the minds of all the other commanders as well.

Indeed, the Four Holy Beasts are allies with Ancestor Dragon City and crucial in counteracting the Demon Clan. If one of the Four Holy Beasts, the Vermilion Bird, turns traitor, the resulting chain reaction would be catastrophic, leaving the Southern region unrestrained.

The Candle Dragon Demon Country would be able to rally all its forces to war.

"Not only that, Commander, today I fought a demon clearly possessing the Xuanwu Bloodline, the descendant of the Xuanwu Holy Beast. Could it be the Xuanwu Clan is unreliable too?"

Wang Yanzhang also stepped forward, voicing his doubts.

After the last great war, cultivators who practiced the bloodline arts either were purged or voluntarily defected from Ancestor Dragon City, forming the current Ten Demon Hall and becoming tools of the Demon Clan.

Although Ancestor Dragon City classified bloodline arts as forbidden, they are not entirely banned, with the Four Holy Beasts’ bloodlines still existing.

For instance, the Sikong Family’s Vermilion Bird Bloodline, the Ji Family’s Xuanwu Bloodline among the Eight Royal Families.

Among the Four Holy Beast Bloodlines, the Vermilion Bird Bloodline has always been passed down by the Sikong Family, while the other three are not monopolized by one family.

The Holy Beasts periodically select outstanding young talents from Ancestor Dragon City to the four Holy Lands, where, if they pass the trials of the Holy Beasts, they receive bestowed blood.

However, whether one can integrate this bloodline depends on individual fortune.

There’s also the matter of compatibility. For example, the Vermilion Bird Bloodline can only be awakened by descendants of the Sikong Family for the past thousand years; others risk being burned to ashes by the Vermilion Bird Fire if they try.

The Xuanwu Bloodline is dominated by the Ji Family, which even designs its family crest as the Xuanwu mark.

The White Tiger Bloodline in Ancestor Dragon City is nearly extinct, while the Azure Dragon Bloodline is widespread, with many within the Eight Royal Families possessing it, and it’s passed down through generations, albeit weakening with each one.

Facing the doubts of his subordinates, Ouyang Tianshu knew he must provide explanations to ease their minds.

"Regarding the Vermilion Bird Bloodline on the other side, I have my suspicions, as it involves some secrets from a thousand years ago."

"The Vermilion Bird, a thousand years ago, was the clan leader of the Phoenix Clan. This clan is now a part of the Candle Dragon Demon Country, with branches like the Wind Phoenix Clan and the Ice Phoenix Clan, and the Vermilion Bird belonging to the Fire Phoenix lineage."

"Once, this Phoenix Clan was a rival to the Candle Dragon Demon Emperor, but later, the two clans reconciled and jointly established the Demon Country, and for some time, the Southern Demon Country was ruled by both Dragon and Phoenix, with the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress co-ruling."

"However, something happened later, leading the Candle Dragon Demon Emperor to seize control of the Demon Country, the Vermilion Bird departed, and the Phoenix Clan disbanded, with the Wind Phoenix and Ice Phoenix Clans aligning with the Candle Dragon Demon Emperor, becoming one of the Eight Tribes."

"As for the Fire Phoenix Clan of the Vermilion Bird, it disappeared from history. Although there are rumors they were forced into seclusion by the Vermilion Bird’s departure, no one knows for sure, and the Fire Phoenix Clan became legendary."

"For the past thousand years, the Fire Phoenix Clan rarely appeared, with the Vermilion Bird constantly siding with our Ancestor Dragon City against the Candle Dragon Demon Country."

Ouyang Tianshu did not disclose Li Feng’s actions, despite being infuriated by Li Feng’s actions today, he understood that labeling Li Feng as a traitor would eliminate any chance of his return.

Currently, Li Feng possesses significant strength and seems to have recruited many strong individuals. If there remains a concern for humanity in him, room for negotiation might still exist.

Thus, Ouyang Tianshu intended to separate Li Feng from the current Feng Yang.

"They say their name is Feng Yang; could they be from the vanished Fire Phoenix Tribe?"

"If the Fire Phoenix Tribe and the Vermilion Bird are one, they should oppose the Candle Dragon Demon Country. Why aid them against us?"

"Precisely."

Seeing the crowd’s confusion, Ouyang Tianshu took a deep breath, "There are things I didn’t intend to tell you."

"We’ve confirmed that the Vermilion Bird was severely damaged in the previous great battle, forcing them to choose rebirth by fire. However, the Demon Country sabotaged the Vermilion Bird’s rebirth plan, leaving the Vermilion Bird wounded again and unable to recover for the time being."