lerbook Chapter 154: The Great Evacuation
Chapter 154: The Great Evacuation
The Demon Lord is Wang Tian, and Wang Tian is the Demon Lord?!
How is that possible?
Xu Rulin was filled with disbelief and abruptly turned his head to ask, "Master, is everything written in the letter true?"
He simply couldn't believe that the hero he had admired since childhood was now the demon lord who was unleashing demons to slaughter the human race!
Wen Gaoyang looked dejected, opened his mouth, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "It's true. I didn't go to the headquarters for the meeting when the demons attacked last time. This information was passed on by your uncle."
For a moment, both master and apprentice fell silent.
The noise in the Great Stone City was exceptionally loud. Martial artists, whose blood and energy were naturally abundant, were bound to clash when they gathered together, and there were quite a few loudmouths among them. All sorts of sounds drifted through the courtyard and lingered in the ears of the two, yet they only made the courtyard seem even quieter.
Xu Rulin was in a state of utter confusion, and looked at his master with a hint of helplessness: "Master, what should we do?"
The opponent is Grandmaster Wang Tian, can they really defeat him?
Wen Gaoyang noticed the confusion in his eyes, frowned, and shouted sternly, "Xu Rulin!"
"Master." Xu Rulin was startled by the sudden shout and quickly composed himself.
But then Wen Gaoyang suddenly stood up, his dejected demeanor vanishing, his eyes sharpening: "No matter who's on the other side, you only need to remember one thing! For the survival of humanity, this war must be won! Don't you understand?!"
Xu Rulin's face flushed red, and he awkwardly tried to explain, "Master, I understand! The way of the martial artist is to fight for the clan and for all living beings! I was just... just momentarily flustered."
"You must remember this well: there is no Wang Tian on the other side, only a demon lord who wants to slaughter my clan!" Wen Gaoyang's expression gradually softened, and he added earnestly,
"In your future actions, you must adhere to your principles and not be misled by external things."
"Yes!" Xu Rulin nodded emphatically, the confusion in his eyes fading somewhat.
"This is the map for leaving. Your martial uncle has already gone to investigate. If the map is genuine, he will send a message back immediately." Wen Gaoyang handed the map, which had been sent along with the letter, to Xu Rulin. After a moment of silence, he finally added, "..."
"If things truly reach a point where there's no way to change them, then walk away."
Upon hearing this, Xu Rulin abruptly looked up at his master, clenching his fists tightly, and said firmly, "Master, rest assured! I will never abandon the Great Wei human race and escape alone!"
......
News of the frontline warrior alliance suppressing the demons reached all the cities within the Great Wei.
Many families and forces located in the rear breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the front lines were stable, they could focus on doing business, acquiring demon materials to refine secret medicines, thereby rapidly increasing their strength.
Some even secretly hoped that the war could continue, as long as the demons could not break in, they could stay in the rear without facing danger and still enjoy the benefits of the war.
But not long after the news spread, on the last day of summer, as the first autumn wind swept across the land of Great Wei, a series of news unexpectedly swept across the entire territory.
Lanjiang Prefecture, Taiwu Prefecture, Nulong Prefecture... All the prefectures along the battle line suddenly began a large-scale retreat! The retreating troops, stretching for dozens of miles, were constantly pouring into the rear prefectures, and even the warriors fighting on the front lines were retreating in an orderly manner.
This sudden change shocked all factions. It wasn't until the warriors sent to the front lines sent back messages that everyone learned the retreat order had been personally issued by the Marrow Transformation Realm warrior guarding the front lines. As for the reason for the retreat, no one knew.
"How could this happen?"
Inside the Chu King's residence, Zhang Ping's expression was solemn, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the tabletop.
Chu Batian shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness: "I don't know either. I've already sent a message to the capital to inquire with Xiaowei, but we'll have to wait a few more days to receive any news."
"Where is Senior Chu Xiongshan?" Zhang Ping pressed.
Chu Xiongshan was the first King of Chu Nan. He did not serve in the Demon Extermination Bureau and spent most of his time cultivating in the Chu King's Palace. Zhang Ping had only visited him once and had never seen him again.
As a veteran martial artist who has lived since the founding of the nation, Chu Xiongshan should be able to know some information based on his connections, right?
"The old patriarch received a letter from a friend some time ago and left in a hurry," Chu Batian sighed.
"My ancestor never really cared about family affairs, he was completely absorbed in cultivation. It's really unfortunate that he left at this time."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping remained silent, lowering his head in deep thought. Based on the available information, the front lines had not suffered a rout; the retreat order was issued by the Marrow-Entry Realm martial artist stationed there, and even the Demon Extermination Bureau headquarters had not responded.
"A voluntary retreat... Could it be..." His face grew increasingly grim, and a guess popped into his mind: Could it be that the Demon Extermination Bureau had already discovered the Demon Lord's true identity to make those Marrow Marrow Realm warriors retreat voluntarily?
Even so, they shouldn't have retreated without a reason, right?
Demons devour humans; this is an endless racial war that will never change its nature because of one person's identity.
Even if the opponent really is Wang Tian, everyone is trapped in the Body Refinement Realm under the restriction of the Heaven and Earth Seal. In the end, they will have to fight to find out who is stronger.
Zhang Ping couldn't predict the overall situation, but from these clues, he had a general idea of what was going to happen. He silently reminded Chu Batian a few times, then hurriedly left the Chu Prince's residence and returned to his own mansion.
Upon returning, he happened to run into Lu Wanrou, who had just finished her cultivation. He asked Lu Wanrou to help him grind ink, and then he wrote a letter. In the letter, he boldly revealed his identity as the Demon Lord and analyzed the potential crises that might follow.
After finishing the letter, Zhang Ping put down his brush, strode into the secret room, and found a wooden box. Opening the box, he found several fiery red leaves lying quietly inside—the leaves of the Dragon Spirit Wood.
Lu Wanrou, who followed him in, looked at him curiously and asked softly, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
She hadn't gone over to read Zhang Ping's letter earlier, but seeing his serious expression now, she knew something important must have happened.
Zhang Ping didn't explain much, but simply handed the still-wet ink on the letter to Lu Wanrou.
After reading it, Lu Wanrou wasn't too surprised. Zhang Ping had told her before that the Demon Lord was Wang Tian, but the Demon Extermination Division's reaction this time was indeed beyond her expectations.
The two returned to the courtyard, and Zhang Ping placed a Dragon Spirit Wood leaf in his palm and clasped his hands together.
His internal energy circulated slowly, drawing a strange pattern in his palm: shaped like a human, with particularly prominent pointed ears. After the pattern took shape, it suddenly shrank and merged into the leaves.
Zhang Ping only released his grip and let out a soft sigh of relief when the leaves began to emit a faint red glow, which flickered for about ten breaths.
Dragon Spirit Wood is extremely unique; every part of it, from leaves to roots, has wonderful uses.
If the Dragon Spirit Tree Leaf is activated using the special method of the Banshee Clan, it can resonate with the Dragon Spirit Tree tens of thousands of miles away.
Although it cannot directly transmit information, as long as Zhang Ping activates this leaf, the corresponding branches and leaves on Muya's side will also emit light.
This was the method of communication he and Muya had agreed upon. Once Muya discovered the unusual activity, she would immediately send a strange beast to Chu King City to find him.
"Hopefully, it's not too late..."
Zhang Ping carefully put the letter away and gently shook his head. Although he knew that the Demon Lord was Wang Tian, and could roughly guess that this retreat might be related to the Demon Lord's identity being exposed, the specific attitude of the Demon Extermination Bureau could not be understood by guessing.
Was this retreat merely a temporary tactical adjustment, or had the Demon Extermination Bureau already collapsed?
Zhang Ping had no way of knowing. But in either case, he couldn't leave the Southern Prince's Mansion to personally deliver the message to the Western Poison Forest. He could only ask Mu Ya to send someone to take the message back.
"It's a headache. I don't even have anyone I can use. It's so inconvenient." He couldn't help but raise his hand and tap his forehead, his desire to cultivate his own manpower growing stronger.