Chapter 441 – War Approaches: Strategy Comes First!

Knowing that Mu Lin could achieve Earth Immortal status at any time, Sheng Cang felt slightly relieved and ceased his persuasion.

Moreover, he believed that Mu Lin must have had his reasons for stirring up such a commotion just before his advancement.

And indeed… that was the case.

A mundane advancement to Earth Immortal was not what Mu Lin desired. During his Mortal Shedding breakthrough, he had refined three hundred and sixty-five portions of Gang and Sha Qi during the Gang Condensation and Sha Refinement stage. This forged an almost invincible foundation for him and even awakened great supernatural powers such as the Netherworld and the Cycle of Despair.

Now, Mu Lin wanted to replicate that feat, pushing his foundation once again to an unprecedented and unparalleled level.

However, Mortal Shedding did not require refining Gang or condensing Sha; instead, it emphasized the comprehension of rules and understanding of heaven and earth.

Thus, after some contemplation, Mu Lin set his sights on Heavenly Dao Empowerment and the comprehension of the Rules of Life and Death.

At this very moment, the Northern Wastelands were being corrupted by endless evil aberrations. Nothing could earn the favor of heaven and earth more than cleansing this pollution.

Similarly, the Rules of Life and Death were the foundation of King Yama.

Personally initiating a grand campaign and slaughtering countless demonic monsters—the endless deaths would serve as the finest stepping stone for King Yama’s advancement.

Mu Lin’s statement, “I shall achieve Earth Immortal status upon the bones of countless demonic fiends and become the true King Yama!” was no jest.

…

Meanwhile, as Mu Lin made his final preparations to advance to Earth Immortal and become the true King Yama, Mo Feng and Jingzhe returned to their respective legions and revealed Mu Lin’s intentions.

Just as they had anticipated, both the Celestial Master and the other generals harbored deep-seated hatred for demonic fiends and had long desired their eradication.

Previously, they lacked the capability, but Mu Lin’s presence gave them hope. Consequently, both the Black Fiend Legion and the Thunderclap Legion immediately responded to Mu Lin’s plan, preparing to jointly launch a grand campaign.

With their agreement, the three war machines—the Agricultural Militia, the Black Wraith Army, and the Thunderclap Legion—sprang into action.

Troops were recalled, provisions were gathered, and Mu Lin’s clones were dispatched to various locations to conduct drills with the legions.

However, as too many were aware of the plan and their actions were too massive to conceal, news of their preparations for the grand campaign inevitably leaked out, despite Mu Lin’s earlier purge of traitors.

This development stirred up endless clamor and debate among the demonic fiends and other legions.

…

Tianwu City, the heart of the Northern Wastelands, was where resources from the Great Spirit Imperial Family and the Southern Province were first delivered. As a result, all major legions maintained a presence here.

News of the Agricultural Militia, Thunderclap Legion, and Black Fiend Legion preparing to launch a grand campaign also reached this city, causing an uproar.

“A grand campaign? Three legions joining forces to cleanse everything within the region? Hiss… Are the Black Fiend Legion and the Agricultural Militia really going this far?”

Some were stunned by the boldness of the Black Fiend Legion’s actions, while others worried about their chances of success.

“Such a campaign shouldn’t be launched lightly, should it?”

“Exactly, the reason our Northern Lands can maintain the status quo isn’t solely due to our human strength. The discord among those demonic fiends is also a crucial factor in preserving the current situation. But once this grand campaign begins, unless they’re utterly foolish, those demonic fiends will unite. When that happens, their troubles will be immense… and so will ours.”

“Who could argue with that? Sigh, I wonder if the Heavenly Martial True Lord will intervene in this matter.”

In his previous life, authority flowed from the bottom up, transmitted layer by layer. Those in high positions weren’t much different from ordinary people; they could only maintain their power by commanding those beneath them.

Thus, high-ranking officials deeply despised actions taken independently by lower or mid-level legions—such behavior would greatly diminish their authority and even risk their overthrow.

But this world was different. Great power resided primarily within the bodies of the strong themselves.

Consequently, the powerful in this world generally placed little importance on authority and certainly didn’t demand constant reports from their subordinates.

They would rather spend that time cultivating. After all, no matter how cunning the schemes, the strong could rely on overwhelming force to subdue all techniques.

This was also why the Heavenly Martial True Lord had never sent trusted aides to oversee the thirteen legions of the Northern Wastelands.

Of course, if the Heavenly Martial True Lord wished to stop something, he certainly could.

He was the Pillar Stabilizing Heaven of the Northern Wastelands. With him present, many demonic fiends in the Northern Wastelands dared not act recklessly.

It could be said that the entire Northern Wastelands rested upon his shoulders. With such stature, if he wanted to halt the grand campaign, he could easily do so.

However, having guarded the Northern Wastelands as Grand Marshal for many years, he harbored deep blood feuds with the extraterritorial demonic fiends—he himself was unharmed, but many of his descendants and disciples had perished.

Therefore, when Mu Lin initiated the grand campaign to purge the demonic monsters, he would only offer support, with no intention of obstructing.

Nevertheless, to prevent the situation from collapsing or other unforeseen events, he still issued an order downward, inquiring about the specific circumstances.

“Investigate what’s going on with the Black Fiend Legion and the Thunderclap Legion. I recall they could only maintain the local situation before, with no capacity for counterattacks… I need to know whether they truly have the confidence to cleanse the demonic fiends or if this is merely a final flare-up.”

“Yes, Marshal. I will inquire immediately.”

The Heavenly Martial Grand Marshal was curious about why the Black Fiend Legion and the Thunderclap Legion dared to counterattack, and the cultivators of other legions… were equally curious.

Thus, various spies were dispatched to the Black Wraith Army and the Thunderclap Army to investigate the situation.

These spies carried many jade scrolls, allowing their messages to swiftly return to Tianwu City and the other legions.

Then, these people learned that the one who proposed launching the grand campaign was not the commanders of the Black Fiend Legion or the Thunderclap Legion, but rather Mu Lin.

This news stunned many.

“Mu Lin, that number one prodigy under heaven?”

“I know he’s strong, and I know his talent is peerless, but he hasn’t fully matured yet, has he? What’s going on with the Black Wraith Army Commander and the Thunderclap Army Commander? Even if they want to curry favor with Mu Lin, they don’t need to make such a grand move, do they?”

“Exactly! This is gambling with the lives of the entire army. Moreover, if their front collapses, it will affect us as well… No, I must request an audience with the Heavenly Martial Grand Marshal and ask him to intervene in this matter.”

Some were skeptical about Mu Lin’s proposed grand battle, fearing it would destabilize the Northern Lands, and thus hoped the Heavenly Martial Grand Marshal would intervene to stop it.

Others, however, brought up the developments within the Agricultural Militia’s territory, believing there was a chance of success.

“Mu Lin is truly formidable. He has created many useful things—the Soul-Binding Chains, the Avenging Attendants, and most crucially, the Holy Salt, which has endless marvelous applications… With these tools at his disposal, I believe Mu Lin’s proposed battle has a certain probability of success.”

There were voices that believed Mu Lin could win, but such opinions were exceedingly rare.

Even among those who believed in Mu Lin’s victory, most thought his chances… were slim.

This wasn’t because they looked down on Mu Lin, but rather the result of reasoning based on common sense.

In the Northern Lands, it was generally true that the demonic monsters held the stronger position when united.

In Tianwu City and among the cultivators of the various legions, worry was widespread.

And it wasn’t just the Human Race cultivators who doubted Mu Lin’s chances.

Upon hearing the news, the Demonic Fiends were initially alarmed, but as they gathered more information, their expressions grew increasingly relaxed.

In the end, many Demonic Fiends burst into laughter, dismissing Mu Lin’s plan as wildly unrealistic and utterly foolish.

“Hahaha… If you hadn’t provoked trouble, we might have had no way to deal with you. But by initiating a grand battle, you’re forcing us to unite and crush you.”

“With such a leader, your Agricultural Militia is courting death… But the world is cruel. Since you seek your own demise, your Blessed Land shall belong to us!”

“Heaven’s gifts, if not accepted, bring calamity. This is our chance for the advancement of our kind!”

…

As news of the grand battle spread, numerous demons, monsters, Evil Spirits, and Aberrant Alien Races eagerly prepared, their excitement palpable.

Even the Insect Apostle, who was leading his people in retreat, heard of the matter.

Upon first hearing the news, the Insect Mothers were briefly exhilarated.

They too saw it as an opportunity and urged the Insect Apostle to return to the Agricultural Militia, join forces with other Foreign Races, and wipe out humanity.

“Apostle, our chance has come. We need not migrate after all.”

The speaking Insect Mother was ecstatic, only to be harshly reprimanded by the Insect Apostle.

“Foolish! Precisely because the battle is beginning, we must evacuate immediately!”

“But why? Everyone else says the Human Race has little chance of winning. By devouring them, we could reclaim our territory and even expand further?”

The Insect Mother who came to report was utterly perplexed.

The Insect Apostle, however, affirmed her statement.

“By rashly initiating this battle, the Human Race indeed has little chance of victory.”

Yet as he spoke, the Insect Apostle’s expression grew increasingly cold.

“Then let me ask you: knowing the Human Race is unlikely to win, would you go to the aid of other Foreign Races when they call for help in the early stages?”

“Of course not!”

Faced with the Insect Apostle’s question, the Insect Mother refused without a moment’s hesitation, as if it were the most natural response.

“Humans are our enemies, and the other Demonic Fiends deserve to die. Since the humans cannot win, let those who rashly started the war fight the other Foreign Races to mutual exhaustion. We’ll enter last…”

Before she could finish, the Insect Mother understood her leader’s meaning.

It was clearly aiming to let the Human Race and the Foreign Races exhaust each other, so it could reap the benefits.

It must be said that not only humans have inherent flaws—Demons and Monsters do as well.

Moreover, due to the belief that “those not of our kind must have different hearts,” the discord and distrust among them are far greater than among humans.

If, from the beginning, human forces had overwhelmed them, the threat of life and death might have forced them to unite and fight humans to the death.

But upon learning that humans were no match for them, they lost the will to unite.

In fact, many cunning Demonic Monsters and Alien Races were even thinking about how to betray their “allies” to eliminate the greatest threat and secure more resources after the war.

And this matter was also known to the Black Fiend Legion, the Thunderclap Legion, and even the Agricultural Militia…

In fact, a significant portion of the rumors outside—such as “Mu Lin acts recklessly” and “humans are bound to lose this battle”—were spread intentionally by the wise strategists and advisors of the Black Wraith Army and the Thunderclap Army. This was a tactic of feigning weakness to deceive the enemy.

(End of Chapter)