CHAPTER 442: CHAPTER 85

Oriel’s death was reported to Oben by his guard.

SMACK!

Oben slammed the document in his hand, crushing it to powder. He glared, "The young master is dead, and you’re still alive? What for?"

The guard kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy. Ao Wen pressed his hand into the void, and the guard disintegrated into a pile of dust.

"Why should you, elder brother, fuss over a mere servant?" Ao Wen said. "Oriel was just a waste; his death is inconsequential. What’s crucial is the information he brought back."

"Hmph, he was still a member of our Ao Clan," Oben retorted, his anger not fully dissipated.

"Alright, elder brother. If you’re still upset, I can arrange for some men to go and kill that fleeing Governor as well. Right now, the movements within the Star Sea Realm are what’s most important," Ao Wen continued. "According to the guard, they encountered unexpected reinforcements from the Zhen Clan during their attack; it was likely a coincidence. Young Oriel was simply unlucky."

"However, we are indeed in a bit of a bind now. This hunting ground is quite out of the ordinary!" Ao Wen remarked with concern.

"Hmph, a hunting ground containing a Supreme Treasure wouldn’t be simple. Let’s not worry too much; as long as we maintain an undefeated front on the main battlefield, that’s sufficient. The rest is Bodhi’s concern; it’s beyond our control," Oben reminded him.

"Alas, that’s true," Ao Wen conceded.

「...」

"Alas."

Moya’s sunken eyes revealed deep fatigue. These last few days had utterly drained him. He had been juggling concerns about retaliation from the Ao Clan and constantly pondering what to say to Wei Wu.

Fortunately, all this had finally, albeit barely, come to an end.

Wei Wu sat leisurely in a chair made of bones, sipping Blood Wine, and said to the figure emerging from behind him, "Strategist, do you think this Moya is trustworthy?"

Mia replied indifferently, "Trustworthy or not, we can simply send someone to check. If he’s lying, we kill him. If he’s telling the truth, then we spare his life."

Wei Wu showed a moment’s hesitation. "If he’s telling the truth, should we cooperate with the Cultivators of the Star Sea Realm?"

"Why not?" Mia said with a smile.

This terrifying visage, which horrified the Human Clan, was a beautiful sight to Wei Wu. He was momentarily lost in thought before saying, "Alright, alright, you arrange it."

"Don’t worry, my lord. The main general is Oben, and we are merely subordinate generals. Our focus should be on achieving results and earning military merit; the overall outcome of the campaign is not our concern," Mia explained.

"Oh, oh, oh," Wei Wu nodded, somewhat dazed.

Seeing her lord like this, a touch of affection appeared on Mia’s face as she embraced and comforted him, "My lord, after this campaign, we shall be wed."

Upon hearing this, Wei Wu’s eyes suddenly glowed red, and he panted, "Really?"

"Of course."

Dodging the large hands that immediately reached for her, Mia waved for the guards outside to bring in a group of captives and said with a light laugh, "Not now, my lord. These captives are for your amusement."

Stepping out of the tent and listening to the screams and excited roars from within, Mia wore a look of disdain. The heir of the Wei Clan is nothing but a beast, she thought mockingly.

Though Moya had managed to save his life by defecting to Wei Wu, his days were not easy. Once a Yaksha General, he was now a mere Colonel. Aside from the over one thousand veteran soldiers he had brought with him, Wei Wu assigned him no additional men, claiming the military roster was full.

"General, at this rate, we’ll be treated as cannon fodder," Rodan said with concern.

Moya knew this, of course, but at this point, it seemed there was no way out.

"Perhaps we should betray those we collaborated with before. They have at least twenty thousand people; that would be a significant accomplishment," Rodan advised.

"Do you really think these nobles lack military accomplishments?" Moya sighed.

Having served in the army for many years, Moya knew that so-called military accomplishments were often just for show. Individuals like Grand Marshal Bodhi were exceedingly rare.

"But this is our most hopeful path," Rodan persisted.

"Let me think about it," Moya said, his face lined with worry.

「...」

With Oriel dead and Moya’s whereabouts unknown, Oben naturally sought to reclaim some honor for his nephew. Such an incompetent general responsible for this failure should at least accompany Oriel in death. Thus, a new Yaksha General was dispatched with twenty thousand men back to the forest.

Chen Jiuge watched Little Black dance exuberantly, a thoughtful expression on his face. Moya is missing. This True Demon Clan army must be new.

Chen Jiuge had initially intended to observe, to see if they were Moya’s reinforcements. However, because of their prior cooperation, his Scouts had relaxed their vigilance and were unexpectedly captured by the True Demon Clan.

Standing at the highest point of the valley, Chen Jiuge gazed at the True Demon Clan banners fluttering in the wind, adorned with dozens of severed heads. His expression grew profound.

"Brother Chen, what do you make of this?" Yaksha Jing asked, appearing silently behind Chen Jiuge.

"And your thoughts, Brother Jing?" Chen Jiuge replied with a question.

With a cold laugh, Yaksha Jing said, "Whether it’s the same group we cooperated with before or not, they owe us an explanation for this."

"That makes sense. Let’s just eliminate them. After this battle, I plan to relocate our forces, preferably closer to the core of the battlefield."

"As it should be," Yaksha Jing responded with palpable excitement.

Compared to when they started, the valley’s military strength had multiplied many times over. Under the leadership of Chen Jiuge and his two companions, they launched an attack on the True Demon Clan army before it could establish a camp.

With the frustrated True Demon Yaksha General beheaded, victory was within easy reach.

Though the triumph was exhilarating and the spoils delightful, the losses were staggering—their numbers were reduced by nearly half in that single battle.

Chen Jiuge surveyed the battered remnants of his forces in the valley, a contemplative look in his eyes. Without fresh troops, if we remain here, we’ll eventually be worn down and annihilated.