……

However, upon reconsideration, Zhao Tingjian felt relieved.

Regardless of how she obtained these battle merits, her merit points were genuine and couldn't be faked. After all, humanity had been at war with the outer region demons for a very long time, and the merit system had matured without any loopholes to exploit.

This... this was like finding a treasure~

Zhao Tingjian felt as if he had been struck by an immortal artifact out of nowhere, feeling utterly delighted~

"Your name is Wang Yingxuan, right?"

Old Marshal Zhao Tingjian looked at Wang Yingxuan with a kind and gentle expression, finding her more pleasing to the eye the more he looked.

This girl exuded a cleverness at first glance, a talent worth nurturing. With proper training, she might become his right-hand in the future.

He smiled and said, "Honestly, if you want to work with me, that's fine, but you'll have to start as a battalion commander."

"A battalion? Just a few hundred people, what good is that?" Wang Yingxuan shook her head like a rattle drum, "No way, at least start as a regiment commander."

"Regiment commander?" Zhao Tingjian puffed his beard, "Our regiment commanders and vice-commanders are all Divine Realm cultivators. A little girl like you can't command respect."

Although Basalt cultivators generally look young, making it hard to judge their actual age, as someone who has lived for over three thousand years, he could roughly estimate that this girl was definitely not over two hundred years old, with cultivation only at the early Purple Mansion Realm, far from the Divine Realm.

In such a crucial defense zone of the Immortal Dynasty, even the regular army starts at the Lingtai Realm. Such standards, placed in a small place like East Qian, would make every regiment an elite force.

The eastern defense zone where Zhao Tingjian was stationed was an entire army group with ten regiments, totaling nearly sixty thousand people, a very strong force.

Yet even so, his eastern defense zone was struggling to hold.

"If I were already in the Divine Realm, why would I need to work with you?" Wang Yingxuan rolled her eyes at him, shaking her merit badge, "With the merits I've earned, where wouldn't people fight over me?"

"Well... may I ask, how did you earn these merits?" Zhao Tingjian finally couldn't resist his curiosity.

The merit points were indeed a bit outrageous.

He truly couldn't imagine how this little girl managed it.

"You're asking about that? Well, let me tell you."

Wang Yingxuan immediately became enthusiastic, boasting about her achievements, especially when she talked about her confrontation with the Yincha Demon God, her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Zhao Tingjian and his personal guard Jiang Qingwen exchanged bewildered glances.

"Little girl, so it was you who used a trick to lure the three fortress reinforcements meant for an ambush back to the eastern defense zone?" Zhao Tingjian's expression was somewhat peculiar.

"Yes, Marshal Grandpa." Wang Yingxuan blinked innocently.

Zhao Tingjian's cheeks twitched, his expression growing more bizarre: "Do you know that I am the marshal of the eastern defense zone?"

"Of course~" Wang Yingxuan smiled and flattered, "I heard in the base training camp that the commander of the eastern defense zone, Old Marshal Zhao, is very formidable, especially with a keen sense for danger and excellent at retreat tactics. I believe you'll be fine."

"Thank you so much for your trust~" Hearing this, Zhao Tingjian finally couldn't control his emotions, pointing at Wang Yingxuan with a dark face, gritting his teeth, "Get out, get as far away as possible!"

"You were the one who said I could follow you. You even said that as long as I had enough merit points, you could even give up the marshal position to me. How can you, a dignified marshal, not keep your word?" Wang Yingxuan's smile vanished instantly, her eyes turning resentful, "If not a regiment commander, at least a vice-commander?"

"I'll beat you, you black-hearted girl!"

Zhao Tingjian looked around, grabbed a stick, and swung it at Wang Yingxuan.

Wang Yingxuan dodged swiftly, running while shouting, "The cowardly escape king is hitting people, shameless Old Marshal Zhao is killing to silence me~~"

The two chased and fled, causing chaos in the deputy command, making it lively.

"Marshal, Wang Yingxuan..." Jiang Qingwen looked at the scene, speechless.

Back then, he was also from a prestigious Jiang Clan, but was coaxed by Zhao Tingjian into becoming a personal guard... He truly found his boss's character hard to describe.

But Wang Yingxuan made his eyelids twitch even more.

If such a person really joined the Immortal No. 3 eastern defense zone, there would be no end to the chaos in the future.

"Enough!"

Inside the deputy command, Princess Suiyun finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted through the door, "Marshal Zhao, how old are you? Still bickering with the younger generation, what kind of behavior is this?!"

"My dear princess~" Zhao Tingjian, hearing this, acted as if he had suffered a great grievance, throwing away the stick and rushing into the deputy command, crying and complaining, "You must stand up for this old minister, this time I was terribly tricked by that girl, almost couldn't come back... I don't ask for much, just give me a third of her merit points."

"You shameless old man!" Wang Yingxuan also rushed in, "Why should I share the merit points I earned with you?"

"Without me holding the pressure and luring away the three fortress reinforcements, could you have achieved your merits?"

"Hmph! Do you really think I know nothing?" Wang Yingxuan angrily pointed at Old Marshal Zhao, "When the reinforcements returned, you had already retreated, hiding defensively. I heard you even made a big profit before leaving. It's good enough I don't ask you to share your spoils with me."

"The spoils I seized with my own skills, why should I share with you?"

The old and the young started bickering fiercely in the deputy command, the scene was simply unbearable to watch.

Princess Suiyun suddenly had a headache.

The number of weirdos under her command was increasing, and it was becoming overwhelming~

……

Meanwhile.

Yincha Demon God Palace.

Main Hall.

As the core of the Demon God Palace, the main hall was not only where the Demon God met with subordinates but also the most luxurious and majestic place in the palace.

Inside the main hall, towering pillars were entwined with mysterious demonic patterns, exuding a sinister and eerie aura. The curved dome, inlaid with jewels, glowed, illuminating the vast hall in a dazzling array of colors.

Everything in the main hall seemed unchanged from the past.

However, at this moment, the atmosphere inside was suffocatingly oppressive.

On the high throne, the Yincha Demon God sat with a cold expression, glaring at the demon kings below the steps.

Gone was her usual laziness and composure; she now exuded a terrifying demonic aura that was suffocating, with demonic energy swirling around her, ready to devour at any moment.

"Useless, all of you are useless!"

"Redstone Demon King, Broken Horn Demon King, Dark Nether Demon King, didn't you return to defense? Yet you failed to seize the opportunity to take down Zhao Tingjian, utterly incompetent!"

Her voice was icy, filled with suppressed rage.

If her voice could kill, the demon kings below would have died a thousand times.

The three demon kings had retreated to defend, falling for Wang Yingxuan's scheme, but if they had pushed harder and devoured Zhao Tingjian's main force, then pushed forward to take the human's eastern defense zone, they could have turned the situation around, avoiding the current passive state.

Looking at the useless subordinates below, the Yincha Demon God grew angrier, wishing she could crush them all.

Why did the humans have geniuses like Suiyun and Wang Yingxuan emerging one after another, while she had no one capable of taking charge?

"Reporting to the Demon God." The three demon kings, Redstone and others, were scolded harshly, not daring to lift their heads, only able to explain bitterly while lying on the ground, "You know how cunning Zhao Tingjian is? As soon as we began to return, he sensed it from afar and swiftly retreated. By the time we returned to the fortress, we found the territories around Redstone Demon King Fortress had been ravaged by him."

"We gathered our elite forces to attack Zhao Tingjian, but he remained entrenched in defense, and we couldn't do anything to him in the short term."

The three of them appeared helpless, as if they had done their best, but in their hearts, they were full of complaints.

It was you who ordered us to mobilize, and you who ordered us to retreat. We were just a bit slow, failing to catch Zhao Tingjian, but it wasn't a major mistake.

If it weren't for you falling for the humans' scheme, would it have come to this?

Fortunately, the Yincha Demon God didn't know what they were thinking, or she would have exploded in anger.

After scolding them, the Yincha Demon God turned her gaze to the other demon kings, angrily saying, "Heavenly Demon King, Feathered Demon King, Evil Thunder Demon King, I ordered you to be on standby to support the Gluttonous Demon King and others. Why were your reinforcements delayed at the critical moment?! If reinforcements had arrived in time, how could the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress have fallen?!"

These demon king fortresses were on the other side of the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress, closer to the demon's core territory. If they had rushed to aid upon receiving orders, how could the humans have succeeded so easily? At the very least, they could have driven out the human cultivators and reclaimed the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress, avoiding the current passive situation.

"Your Majesty, we initiated rescue operations upon receiving your orders, but never expected the humans to act so swiftly..." The three demon kings, Heavenly Demon and others, also cried out in grievance, as if they had been wronged, "It's all the fault of the cowardly Blackwing Demon King! If it hadn't fled, if it had held on with Giant Strength a bit longer, we could have succeeded in the rescue."

"Heh~"

The Yincha Demon God sneered.

How could she not know what these demon kings were up to? The three territories were close, often clashing over territory, and their relations weren't great.

This time, they clearly didn't want to be the first to act, deliberately delaying, hoping other demon kings would clash with the humans first, allowing them to reap the benefits and gain great merit, but they miscalculated. By the time they leisurely reached the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress, it had already been completely occupied by Princess Suiyun.

All demon king fortresses and strategic fortresses were built in crucial, easily defensible locations. Once Princess Suiyun's forces occupied the fortress and formed a defensive stance, with continuous human reinforcements, retaking it would be difficult.

The Yincha Demon God was furious, wishing she could eliminate these incompetent subordinates!

But this was the nature of demons, each selfish and self-serving. Even under the same demon god, they harbored their own agendas, barely better than a loose coalition.

Among demon gods, backstabbing and undermining each other were common.

The Yincha Demon God had already lost two demon kings, significantly weakening her strength. If she killed more demon kings, it would not benefit her and might even attract the covetous eyes of other demon gods.

Reluctantly, she could only scold them harshly, reprimanding each demon king, confiscating some of their wealth as punishment, before letting them go.

Once all the demon kings had left, the anger boiling in the Yincha Demon God's heart finally eased a bit.

However, the frustration remained lodged in her heart, unable to dissipate.

In her view, the reason for the dire situation was the lack of a strong demon lord in the demon race.

Only an immensely powerful, wise, and valiant demon lord could suppress the various demon gods, uniting the scattered demon forces into a cohesive whole, rather than the endless internal strife they faced now.

Therefore, bringing back the demon lord was imperative!

"Pass down the order, from today onwards, our Yincha Demon God Palace will temporarily retract defenses, entering a period of recuperation." The Yincha Demon God's cold vertical pupils slightly contracted, a gleam flashing in her eyes.

Although this battle was disastrous, it wasn't a complete failure. At least, [Wu Mingyan] had been successfully rescued, infiltrating the human ranks.

With her there, the plan wasn't a failure.

What does suffering a small loss matter now? Once the demon lord is brought back, all losses will be repaid tenfold, a hundredfold!

……

Around the same time.

Changning Wang's Clan of the Great Qian.

In the Hidden Dragon Cottage, Wang Shouzhe and Prince An were staring at each other.

This time, Prince An didn't even bring Wang Shizhao, leaving him in Guilong City to oversee matters.

"I have a suggestion." Wang Shouzhe poured him tea.

"Shouzhe, feel free to speak your mind." Prince An appeared gentle and kind, "Our relationship as sovereign and subject is extraordinary, any idea you have, I will agree."

"I see Your Highness frequently visiting our Wang's Clan, why not move the capital to Changning, saving you the trouble of traveling back and forth." Wang Shouzhe said sarcastically, "This way, you can constantly exploit our Wang's Clan."

"Shouzhe, has our relationship as sovereign and subject become so distant?" Prince An looked innocent, "Can't I simply miss you, Shouzhe, and come to visit?"

"Your Highness never acts without benefit. Tell me, what do you want me to contribute to the country this time?" Wang Shouzhe said irritably, "Don't beat around the bush, just be honest."

"I heard you brought back a [Green Immortal Island], planning to develop it into a holy land~" Prince An sipped his tea, chuckling, "I don't ask for much, could you let our Great Qian's military have a share? Just ten percent, that's all."

"Are you asking on behalf of the Wu Clan or the military?" Wang Shouzhe asked leisurely.

"Naturally, it's for the military." Prince An said helplessly, "Our Great Qian's military is trying to catch up with the Immortal Dynasty. Ideally, in the future, every commandery governor should be a Divine Realm cultivator, but currently, our Divine Realm cultivators are either princes, military marshals, or real people from Lingyun Holy Land, or ancestors of clans, with no dedicated promotion path for county guards or commandery governors~"

"Fine, as long as the military provides the necessary funds and efforts, I'll allocate ten percent to the military." Wang Shouzhe sighed, "Everything will be according to contracts and regulations, and must be notarized by the Immortal Dynasty."

"Shouzhe, our relationship..." Prince An looked aggrieved.

"Please, our relationship is good, but even brothers settle accounts clearly, let alone we're not brothers." Wang Shouzhe said, "Contracts are the foundation of long-term stability. When we're both gone, this contract will ensure harmony between the Wu and Wang clans, and between the Wang clan and the military."

"Shouzhe's foresight is admirable." Prince An pretended to salute.

As they were talking.

A family guard came to report: "Master, Young Master Fugui requests your presence at the [Idle Residence], saying it's urgent."

The Idle Residence naturally referred to Wang Fugui's own estate.

"Oh~ That kid Fugui is quite bold." Prince An feigned anger, looking indignant, "Both ancestors of the two families are here, and he doesn't come to pay respects, instead daring to send someone to summon us, he's really grown bold~"

"Alright, Your Highness, don't seize every opportunity to act like an elder. Our Fugui has always been self-disciplined and courteous, he must be entangled in something urgent to resort to this." Wang Shouzhe was indifferent, standing up and gracefully flying towards Fugui's Idle Residence.

"Wait for me, let's go together."

Prince An, unable to contain his curiosity, took to the air and followed, ready to see the commotion.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the [Idle Residence].

A servant was already waiting at the gate. Seeing them approach, he immediately greeted them with a bow, then led them into the courtyard.

As they walked, he kept apologizing on behalf of Wang Fugui: "Master, the situation arose suddenly, my young master had no choice but to send for you, it wasn't intentional neglect."

Speaking, they reached the pavilion in the courtyard.

They saw Wang Fugui standing in the pavilion, not sitting, but respectfully bowing repeatedly to a crystal screen: "Yes, yes, Your Majesty is right, Fugui will remember."

The crystal screen was being held by a clone of Wang Lixian, clearly facilitating a video call.

Wang Shouzhe and Prince An, both quick-witted, exchanged a glance and immediately understood.

Who else could make Fugui act like this, other than the Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Dynasty?

Prince An's spirit lifted, eagerly bowing to the crystal screen: "Wu Mingyuan, Prince of East Qian, greets the Immortal Emperor."

Wang Shouzhe watched, unable to help but feel a myriad of emotions.

Poverty truly is a butcher's knife, look at how it has worn down the once heroic Wu Mingyuan.

After a moment of internal sighing, he straightened his clothes and stepped forward, respectfully saluting the Immortal Emperor, who was dressed in court attire and exuded an elegant aura on the crystal screen: "Shouzhe greets the Immortal Emperor."

"So you are Wang Shouzhe?" The Immortal Emperor directly ignored Prince An, looking at Wang Shouzhe with interest, "Master Shouzhe truly lives up to the reputation, with elegance and extraordinary demeanor, no wonder you have nurtured so many outstanding talents for humanity."

Hmm?

Wang Shouzhe's heart stirred, feeling the words sounded familiar.

Upon careful thought, he suddenly realized.

Didn't Prince An always start with flattery whenever he visited the Wang's Clan recently? The Immortal Emperor's words were just more refined and reserved, but essentially no different.

Could it be, the Immortal Emperor finally couldn't resist and wanted to exploit him too?

……