King of Creation Chapter 1738 - 1723: At a Loss?

"We welcome the Grand Marshal's triumphant return!"

The leaders of the three corps—Hei Er, Hei Qi, and Hei Jiu—hastened to meet Ye Zhen, prostrating themselves before him.

This turn of events left Ye Zhen perplexed!

He had, in fact, been making his way to the Demon Soul Hall, and had not yet deployed the Demon Marshal's Avatar.

Though summoning the Demon Marshal's Avatar was an instantaneous act for Ye Zhen, the crux of the matter was that he had previously always appeared before these corps leaders solely in his capacity as the Demon Marshal's Avatar.

In essence, the Grand Marshal they recognized and respected should have been the Demon Marshal's Avatar, not Ye Zhen in his true form.

Ye Zhen had consistently exercised extreme caution in this regard, perpetually wary of these corps leaders discerning his use of the Demon Marshal's Avatar.

Yet, on this day, Ye Zhen had no opportunity to alter his appearance, only to be met with this unexpected surprise from the trio.

Taken aback, Ye Zhen furrowed his brow, inquiring, "How did you recognize me as the Grand Marshal?"

Upon hearing this, Hei Er looked at Ye Zhen with evident surprise before replying with simple certainty, "Is not the bearer of the War Soul Blood Flag the Grand Marshal? Furthermore, the Grand Marshal's aura has remained unchanged."

A sudden realization dawned upon Ye Zhen; their loyalty stemmed from the War Soul Blood Flag. He then posed another question, "Should this War Soul Blood Flag be lost, would the command of the marshal change?"

Hei Qi's expression turned grave as he responded, "If the Grand Marshal were to tragically perish, yet a successor to the War Soul Blood Flag were immediately found, a new Grand Marshal would arise to lead us! Otherwise, even in death, we would uphold the Grand Marshal's will and fight on eternally!"

"Will..."

Ye Zhen let out a wry chuckle, shaking his head. Indeed... the sole advantage derived was that Ye Zhen would no longer need to constantly assume the guise of the Demon Marshal's Avatar whenever he returned to the Demon Soul Realm in the future.

"What is the current situation within the Demon Soul Realm?" Ye Zhen asked, his tone urgent.

Ye Zhen's inquiry prompted Hei Er, Hei Qi, and Hei Jiu to simultaneously fall to their knees, imploring forgiveness, "We have failed to execute the Grand Marshal's military decree; we beg for your punishment!"

Ye Zhen paused, then understood they were referring to the directives he had issued prior to his departure—he had wished for the complete unification of the Demon Soul Realm by his return.

A year had passed since Ye Zhen's last departure; theoretically, the remaining scattered forces within the Demon Soul Realm should have been easily consolidated.

The fact that unification had not yet occurred suggested the presence of some underlying peculiarity.

However, at this present juncture, Ye Zhen lacked both the time and the inclination to delve into the specifics. He quickly instructed, "Rise first. This matter is of little importance for now. Report on the current strength of our forces with all haste."

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, our three main corps currently consist of forty-one thousand, thirty-seven thousand, and thirty-five thousand soldiers respectively! Among these, we have sixty-one high-ranking officers at the Realm King Realm, over eight thousand at the Dark Palace Realm, and more than one hundred thousand officers at the Divine Communication Realm," Hei Er reported.

"Hmm, commendable!" Ye Zhen nodded, presenting his first hypothetical challenge, "If an expert at the mid-stage of the Dao Realm, possessing profound Cultivation, were to infiltrate the Demon Soul Realm, what would be your proposed strategy?"

The three, Hei Er, Hei Qi, and Hei Jiu, exchanged glances. Hei Qi then inquired, "May we ask, Grand Marshal, is this mid-stage Dao Realm expert capable of transforming their combat power? Are they human, demon, or a magical beast? Do we possess any intelligence regarding their martial affinities...?"

Hei Qi's barrage of over ten questions in rapid succession caused Ye Zhen to nod again; they were indeed quite dependable.

Had these three corps leaders bypassed such inquiries and immediately offered a battle plan, Ye Zhen might have seriously considered the need to train new corps leaders.

Following this, Ye Zhen proceeded to disclose the available intelligence concerning the Great Saint of Sky-Shaking, Feng Kui, on the spot.

Upon hearing the details, the expressions of Hei Er, Hei Qi, and Hei Jiu grew notably somber.

"Grand Marshal, a Dao Realm expert cannot be overcome merely by sheer numbers. While our army's might is currently at its zenith, against an ordinary Dao Realm expert, employing battle formation techniques might offer a chance to inflict significant damage. However, the Feng Kui described by the Grand Marshal is a Green Winged Wind Kite, a descendant of the Strong Wind, adept in wind and speed. In a single breath, they could circumvent our meticulously laid battle formations. Relying solely on the army, I fear..." Hei Er expressed his reservations.

"What if I were capable of briefly restraining it above the battle formation? Would there be any possibility of bringing it down?"

Empowered by the War Soul Blood Flag, Ye Zhen possessed the capability, should he choose to expend the necessary resources, to transport the Great Saint of the Tempest to any location within the Demon Soul Realm and exert an extremely brief influence over its actions.

"How long is this period?" Hei Qi inquired once more. "Grand Marshal, to my understanding, the Green Winged Wind Kite, with its verdant plumage, possesses the ability to pierce gold and shatter stone; it is exceedingly formidable.

Our Demon Soul Army's ordinary soldiers are incapable of harming it. Only officers at the Divine Communication Realm or higher, wielding military armaments, might pose a slight threat. If the Grand Marshal could control it for a mere fifteen minutes, we might inflict significant damage..."

Before Hei Qi could complete his statement, Ye Zhen's face contorted into a bitter smile. Controlling the creature for even a single breath was an immense challenge.

Nevertheless, Ye Zhen comprehended Hei Qi's predicament. Even on the Primordial Continent's Human-Demon Battlefield, common troops were powerless against Dao Realm experts. It was akin to a thousand Divine Communication Realm cultivators being unable to defeat a single Realm King Realm expert; when the cultivation disparity becomes too great, sheer numbers lose their efficacy.

Suddenly, several streaks of light converged into Corps Leader Hei Jiu's hand, causing a drastic shift in his expression.

"Sir, a formidable enemy has breached our lines! One of our ten-thousand-man marching units is nearly completely annihilated, with the Myriarch captured alive. Only a single Chiliarch narrowly escaped!" Hei Jiu paused his report. "The enemy appears to be..."

"That Green Winged Wind Kite, is it not?"

"How much time would be required to fully assemble elite forces at the Divine Communication Realm and above?" Ye Zhen interjected, cutting off Hei Jiu's report.

Hei Qi and the others deliberated and then reported, "Grand Marshal, within two hours, we can muster fifty percent of our elite forces. Within six hours, seventy percent can be assembled.

"To gather everyone completely would necessitate at least a day. However, with the Grand Marshal's assistance, it should take no more than two hours!"

"Then, dispatch the military orders swiftly for assembly. We are facing the Green Winged Wind Kite; you should know how to prepare, correct?"

The moment Hei Qi and the other two acknowledged his command, Ye Zhen's figure dissolved into nothingness. In the subsequent moment, Ye Zhen materialized in the void, hundreds of thousands of miles distant.

Below in the void, within the Iron Tree Forest, the Great Saint of the Tempest, Feng Kui, was confoundedly performing Soul Search on each of the Demon Soul Officers. His arrival here, before he could even react, resulted in him being transported by Ye Zhen to an exceedingly unfamiliar location a million miles away. This left the Great Saint of the Tempest quite unsettled.

Upon observing a contingent of troops, the Great Saint of the Tempest, Feng Kui, launched a decisive assault, hoping to glean some information. To his astonishment, these soldiers proved incredibly resilient and seemed to possess no physical form. This greatly perplexed Feng Kui; he had never encountered such a phenomenon before.

He resolutely proceeded with a Soul Search, yet the knowledge gained was pitifully scarce. Within the Divine Souls of those soldiers, nothing more than murderous intent and battle fervor resided. The bloodthirsty aura emanating from the Myriarch's Divine Soul, in particular, nearly drove him into a state of frenzy.

Despite the paucity of substantial gains, his seasoned experience enabled him to deduce certain possibilities. Suddenly, Feng Kui sensed something amiss. He raised his head as a green luminescence shot skyward.

"Ye Zhen?"

Screeeech!

Emitting a sharp, avian shriek, Feng Kui transformed into a streak of green light and ascended into the heavens. Ye Zhen observed the Great Saint of the Tempest with an impassive gaze. With a mere thought, he vanished into thin air. However, at that precise moment, Ye Zhen subtly amplified his aura's fluctuation.

Feng Kui, with his Cultivation level, would undoubtedly be able to faintly discern Ye Zhen's location."Gone again?"

Arriving at the point where Ye Zhen had vanished, the Great Saint of the Tempest was engulfed in bewilderment. His eyes suddenly unleashed a focused beam of light. This beam, traversing countless spatial dimensions, distantly revealed Ye Zhen seated serenely, eyes closed in deep contemplation.

This was one of the Bloodline Talents inherited from the Clan of Strong Wind—the Green Eye Heavenly Eye. By merely perceiving a trace of aura, he could vaguely ascertain Ye Zhen's position, even across a million miles.

"So swift? This realm...?"

Muttering to himself, the Great Saint of the Tempest reverted to his true form and, with a powerful beat of his colossal wings, disappeared in an instant.

In rapid succession, Ye Zhen and the Great Saint of the Tempest engaged in a game of cat and mouse. Each time the Great Saint of the Tempest was on the verge of closing in on Ye Zhen, Ye Zhen would dematerialize into thin air. This left Feng Kui profoundly frustrated and helpless, his confusion mounting.

The underlying reason for Ye Zhen's actions was, in fact, to procure precious time for the army's mobilization. However, relying solely on the Demon Soul Army was insufficient to vanquish the Great Saint of the Tempest.

Whether it was the inclusion of Ye Zhen, the Nine-Headed Beast, or the little cat, or even the Sky Wing Three Saints and Senior Sister Liao Feibai who were still cultivating within the Mirage Dragon Pearl, it wouldn't alter the outcome. The Great Saint of the Tempest possessed a cultivation level that was terrifyingly high and progressed with exceptional speed; even if Ye Zhen brought forth the Sky Wing Three Saints and Senior Sister Liao Feibai, their presence would prove insignificant. They would be overwhelmed before they could even muster a reaction. Furthermore, neither the Sky Wing Three Saints nor Liao Feibai's Cultivation, should they engage directly, could pose a threat to a Dao Realm Expert. They wouldn't be of much assistance. Even with the addition of Ye Zhen’s Purple Spirit Immortal Sword and the Demon Marshal’s Avatar, it would still fall short. As for deploying the Small Five Elements Mixed Yuan Divine Thunder as a decisive move, the predicament was that Ye Zhen required time for its preparation, and before he could complete it, the Great Saint of the Tempest could easily vanquish him. This situation is exasperating! By escaping into this Demon Soul Realm, Ye Zhen's personal safety was assured, but he could not permit the Green Winged Wind Kite to wreak havoc within the Demon Soul Realm. If this continued, the Demon Soul Realm faced complete annihilation. For the first time, Ye Zhen experienced the profound helplessness of being utterly stumped. While keeping Fengg Kui occupied to gain precious time, Ye Zhen also delved deep into his thoughts, desperately seeking any available powers. Suddenly, after a few breaths, Ye Zhen slapped his thigh with elation, exclaiming, "Oh, how could I have overlooked this! But now that I am deep within the Demon Soul Realm, who can say if this will even work!" In the subsequent moment, Ye Zhen conjured several avatars to divert Fengg Kui’s attention to various points within the Demon Soul Realm, while Ye Zhen, with a mere thought, directly retreated to the Demon Soul Hall.