The Corruption Dragon God: Lust System Chapter 961 - The Fury of a Black Dragon (02)

At the Central Orthodox Fortress.

Millions of projectiles tore through the night sky, streaking lines of fire across the darkness as they curved toward the gigantic fortress—a structure large enough to house tens of millions of people.

The roar of the thrusters followed immediately, a ceaseless thunder that shook the ground for kilometers around the walls.

Down below, the animals scattered throughout the surrounding forests and plains could only lift their heads and watch.

The countless trails of light gradually turned into clouds of black smoke as the capsules spun in midair, their thrusters pointing downward to slow their descent. The thunder grew deeper.

Entire herds bolted in panic. Flocks of birds abandoned the treetops all at once.

At the heart of the fortress, only twelve capsules came down, in perfect formation, forming an exact circle over the central courtyard.

The thirteenth capsule, the one that should have been right in the middle of that formation, was not there.

The doors opened with a hiss of steam, and twelve incomparable geniuses, each the future of their own sect or great family, stepped out.

Boots landed on the still-hot stone. They exchanged confused glances.

They activated their communication systems.

Hundreds of voices immediately overlapped, countless groups reporting a successful landing, with only a few requesting assistance.

Truth be told, they were still trying to figure out what the hell Qingyi had meant by those orders.

At this stage of the operation, they were supposed to prepare, organize their forces, and secure their borders.

They had to gather resources, set up production lines, and ready themselves for a long war. It was the basics.

This was a simulated military conflict, but in a way, it was real. Continental-level forces were about to clash, and millions could die.

Nobody could run something like that on impulse and convoluted orders.

"That bastard is probably planning to advance alone against the enemy's main fortress…" one of the young geniuses finally declared, his voice tense.

"There are forty million demon cultivators there, tens of thousands of Star Sovereigns—it's suicide! We have to hold our ground and prepare for the counterattack after he dies!"

"Counterattack? What counterattack?" another genius retorted immediately, stepping forward.

"He's the commander of our forces; if he dies, we lose! We have no choice—we have to break through the lines and try to get him out of there before he's killed! Then we can retreat and reorganize our ranks."

It didn't take long for the voices to lose their composure.

Auras leaked out uncontrollably, pressing down on the courtyard until the air itself felt heavy. Hands drifted toward sword hilts, and a fight nearly broke out right then and there...

Until they realized that one among them didn't seem the least bit interested in the argument.

Seated in a corner, his broad back resting against a stone column, the genius representative of the Beast People—a powerful humanoid bear—casually sipped from a jug of strong liquor while enjoying the brawl.

He was clearly bored and craving a real fight, but, well, for now, this spectacle would have to do.

He noticed the eyes turning toward him, naturally. A pair at a time, until the entire courtyard fell silent.

"What's the matter?" He turned his face slowly, wiping the liquor from his mouth with the back of his hairy hand.

"You're overthinking it, honestly. How many of you think it would take to defeat a Celestial General—even the weakest one at the same cultivation level? Hundreds? Thousands?"

No one answered.

He heaved himself to his feet, the stone slabs creaking under his weight.

His powerful body—over a metric ton of pure muscle covered in thick fur—rose until his shadow engulfed all those young people.

"Cowards… well, what can one expect from humans? Hahaha!" He snorted, hot air billowing from his nostrils.

"I will follow the command of a worthy and honorable dragon and bring death to our enemies. I will bathe in their blood and in the glory of victory."

His eyes swept over each of the eleven, slowly, filled with contempt.

"You cowards can stay here whining, arguing, begging. I don't care."

The bear gave no one time to respond.

His body became a flash of light slicing through the night sky, and the thunderclap of his departure rolled over the courtyard a moment later, rattling the empty capsules.

As he flew, he was already sending orders to all the troops under his command.

They would advance and bring death to their enemies.

The other eleven stood still for a brief moment, staring at the trail he'd left in the sky.

Then they gritted their teeth, one by one, and soared into the heavens as well, issuing orders to their subordinates.

That damned bear was right about one thing.

This was no time for cowardice.

***

Meanwhile, at the Demonic Fortress, everything was much calmer.

There was no conflict among the leadership. The troops were quietly falling into orderly ranks that stretched along the fortress's wide streets, the rhythm of marching boots echoing off the walls.

Elite troops, especially the specialized demonic races, were receiving instructions for sabotage and assassination operations, while the main force prepared to form defensive lines and attack groups.

Everything ran like a well-oiled machine.

The leader of the demonic army was named Xiu Fang, and his title was the Eternal Moonlight Demon.

A young man with white hair, blue eyes, and the power to cut through anything with his blade.

Although he was only at the peak of the Star Sovereign Realm, he was already capable of fighting against some low-tier Cosmic Emperors.

He was one of the most respected figures among the Demon Race, the son and heir of the fifth of the Seventy-Two Demon Lords.

Someone from such an honorable and wealthy family naturally had no trouble keeping his forces under control.

Right now, he sat elegantly in the shade of a pavilion in a spacious open courtyard, listening to his generals report on the status of his forces through the communication links.

Beautiful female disciples in silk robes knelt at his side, refilling his goblet with wine whenever it ran low.

While the Orthodox had landed in a region already shrouded in night, it was midday here.

The sun beat down hard, but a steady wind swept through the courtyard, tugging at the pavilion's curtains and keeping the heat pleasant.

But not for long.

Suddenly, the gentle smile on his face vanished.

The light on the courtyard stones grew dimmer, and the air turned cold. The disciples looked at one another anxiously, not understanding.

Xiu Fang stood up, the goblet still in his hand, sensing a shadow covering the sun.

"An eclipse?" he asked, but when he looked up, he saw that it was no eclipse at all.

A beast, black as night, covered the sun. And for those below, only darkness remained.