269: The war is about to begin

Chongquan Continent, Ghost Spring Prefecture, Wu Gui City!

West of Wu Gui City, a city exuding an invisible aura of power stood tall, stretching for ten thousand miles.

After E'feng's Third Army conquered the original Wu Gui City, its native inhabitants were either killed or driven out; those who remained became subordinate forces of the Yin Court, with necessary Soul control, of course.

This grand city was a thousand zhang tall and a hundred zhang wide, and within its walls, every hundred zhang in height had a passageway; some were resting places for soldiers, others were used to store military equipment, and some were positions for cannons.

And every thousand miles, there was a bunker-like structure on the city wall, which served as a hub connecting the interior of the wall and the city's protective grand array; the minimum requirement for a strong Cultivator guarding these positions was the Saint Monarch Realm.

This city was a divine war weapon, bestowed by Xu Qing for the Heavenly Army's campaigns, capable of withstanding attacks from Great Emperors; although Heavenly Soldiers could be continuously created, Xu Qing did not treat them as slaves.

At this moment, on the city walls, one could clearly see Ghost Realm Cultivators belonging to the Yin Court patrolling; these individuals came from the reserve corps under the Heavenly Army, each one battle-hardened, having participated in various battles to conquer the Five Turbid Ghost Realm over the past decade.

Accompanying them this time were three reserve corps under E'feng's Third Army, each corps numbering thirty billion; those who performed exceptionally well had a chance to join the Heavenly Army.

For the sake of an immortal body, these Ghost Cultivators' eyes were filled with fervor, and with Soul control, betrayal was essentially nonexistent.

At this moment, these individuals scanned their surroundings with cold expressions, vigilant for any movement outside the city; should there be any activity, the war weapons on the city wall would launch an attack immediately.

Within the city, numerous palaces and residences were scattered; the outer areas housed the reserve corps, while the inner areas were the residences of the Third Army and various important material storage points.

The central cluster of palaces served as the high-level residences.

At this moment, inside a grand hall!

"Efeng, you're holding your troops back; are you waiting for Da Chong's people to come knocking?"

"Exactly!" Lord Efeng nodded, "The Ghoul Clan Domain is too vast; it's better to let them attack us themselves, achieving success in one decisive battle. Even if we can't completely crush all of Da Chong's forces in one go, we can severely cripple them, allowing us to conquer several continents, or even an entire domain, afterwards."

"I wonder if Da Chong will fall for it!" Lord Zhuo Yong frowned.

"They will! I've studied Da Chong and I know King Ghoul; he's an ambitious monarch, and he would never stand by and watch another force emerge in his territory!"

"We've already conquered thirteen cities; he will never tolerate us continuing!" Lord Efeng said with great confidence.

Lord Efeng's previous incarnation was a marshal of an Imperial Dynasty, so he had a knack for warfare; the other military lords also came from similar backgrounds, otherwise they wouldn't be able to hold their positions.

"Report!"

Just then, a hurried footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

A divine general entered!

"Reporting to the Military Lord, scouts from Chongquan Continent report that large armies from Chonghuo Continent, Chonghan Continent, and Chongyou Continent are coming to reinforce; they have already passed through the teleportation arrays and are continuously gathering in Chongquan Continent, with troop numbers at least around thirty billion!"

Lord Efeng smiled upon hearing this, looking at Lord Zhuo Yong and the other, saying, "See? Aren't they here?"

"Efeng's brilliant strategy!"

The two smiled.

Lord Efeng's expression brightened, then he looked at the divine general, his expression stern, "Beat the drums, summon the generals!"

"Yes!"

The divine general took the order and left.

"Boom boom boom!"

As drumbeats resounded, Divine Marshal-level Heavenly Kings began to converge on the main hall, among them many Ghost Realm beings exuding chilling Ghost Qi or shimmering with blood-red light; these were the Advanced commanding officers from the subordinate corps.

In a short while, hundreds of generals of various ranks gathered!

Lord Efeng looked at the assembled generals and said with stirring passion, "Everyone, this expansion is imperative! Our Netherworld's territory is boundless, yet why are we not like other races? It is because we are fragmented, each governing ourselves."

"Now, the Master has emerged, intending to unify the Netherworld, to re-coalesce the entire Netherworld, and establish a supreme Yin Court; and these petty nations seek to obstruct the grand momentum of our Yin Court. What do you say we should do?"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Hundreds of Peerless Quasi-Emperors shouted in unison, their terrifying killing intent soaring to the heavens, shaking hundreds of millions of miles of sky, startling the distant scouts from all sides.

"Very good!" Lord Efeng nodded with satisfaction, "In this battle, all who achieve merit will be heavily rewarded. The one with the greatest merit, I will petition the Master to bestow a Great Emperor Opportunity!"

The Heavenly Kings were fine, but the eyes of those Advanced officers of the corps turned red; they had no doubt about this, because the Military Lord standing before them now was not a Great Emperor a few years ago, but is now a Great Emperor, and all of this was reportedly due to a reward bestowed by the Master.

The facts were laid bare, leaving them no choice but to be moved, especially those high-ranking generals, such as legion commanders and above, whose cultivation was at least that of Eternal Giants; the six corps commanders and deputy corps commanders, for example, were all Peerless Quasi-Emperor level existences.

They were closest to becoming Great Emperors, so naturally, they desired to achieve it.

Efeng surveyed the generals and added, "Next, I will assign tasks!"

The generals' expressions became solemn, each listening intently, afraid of missing anything.

And as Lord Efeng issued command after command, the generals, each with their respective tasks, hurriedly departed.

At this moment, in the center of Chongquan Continent, a massive ancient city stood, and above the ancient city, a palace was erected; of course, outsiders could not see this palace.

Inside the palace at this moment, numerous Ghoul Clan powerhouses gathered, each exuding an extremely chilling and terrifying aura.

Seated at the head was a tall figure shrouded in a black robe, with a stern look between his brows, showing no emotional fluctuations.

This person was precisely the guardian of Chongquan Continent, Ghost Lord Chongquan, a Peerless Quasi-Emperor powerhouse.

"Everyone, reports from the front indicate that the Yin Court army is holding its ground in Wu Gui City, clearly intending to lure us there. What are your thoughts?" Ghost Lord Chongquan asked.

"Revered Lord Chongquan, the King's intention is clear: to crush the Yin Court army. This is the King's command, and we can only execute it resolutely, otherwise, we both know the King's methods!"

A powerhouse, shrouded in eerie Ghost Fire, spoke from below; this person was the guardian of Chonghuo Continent.

"Revered Lord Chongquan is merely worried about that Yin Court Ghost Lord, but before we set out, the King has already entered the Forbidden Ground, with the Old Ancestor overseeing things. What is there to fear from the Yin Court?"

The guardian of Chonghan Continent said with a sinister laugh, his brows full of ferocity.

Da Chong had an Emperor, otherwise how could it occupy a domain.

"Indeed! I agree to dispatch troops!"

The guardian of Chongyou Continent seconded!

"Then let's depart! I have already mobilized ten billion troops; this time, our combined forces number forty billion. No matter how you look at it, in a decisive battle, forty billion against ten billion, the advantage is with us!"

Ghost Lord Chongquan's eyes turned cold, his killing intent soaring to the heavens.

The next day, the Da Chong army marched out of Chongquan Continent City, advancing eastward.

A great war involving tens of billions of beings was about to erupt...