"The demons are killing each other and even destroyed the Demon Source?" The Major Generalâs face was filled with delight, unable to suppress a low chuckle. Such a fortunate event of eliminating a major threat without losing a single soldier was a first for him; just thinking about it made him feel utterly comfortable. "This Magma Demon King really is a âgood comrade.â"
He paused and then asked, "What happened afterward? Did the Magma Demon King return to the Lava Sea?"
The adjutant shook his head. "Itâs still unclear for now; the scouting team didnât dare get too close."
"Forget it." The Major General waved his hand dismissively. "A destroyed Demon Source is already an unexpected joy. As for that Tier Seven Demon King, there will be a day to deal with it eventually."
His tone was full of ease, evidently not taking the Magma Demon King seriously.
"Sir, thereâs another matter to report." The adjutant suddenly pulled a document from the folder and handed it over, "Please take a look at this first."
The Major General quickly skimmed through the document, his previously relaxed face gradually becoming grave, eventually turning livid. "Itâs the Blood Demon Cult again, these mongrels! Theyâre like ghosts that never leave!"
The document unmistakably recorded that in the past ten days, more than fifty officers from various battlegroups had gone missing.
These missing individuals had a common traitâthey were all Spiritualists with bloodline levels above silver, including a few scions from the Golden Clan.
Clearly, this was the handiwork of the Blood Demon Cult.
"Relay my orders!" The Major General slammed the table. "All bloodline Spiritualists in the battlegroups must move in pairs, strictly forbidden to venture out alone! As soon as any trace of the Blood Demon Cult is discovered, report immediately. We cannot let them succeed again!"
"Yes, sir!" The adjutant replied in a deep voice, turning quickly to leave.
...
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
"Hey, have you guys noticed that there seem to be a lot fewer demons recently?" In the camp of the Broken Blade Line, a young warrior was polishing his military knife, his face full of puzzlement.
The surrounding comrades all nodded: "Now that you mention it, itâs true! Previously, we had to fight at least once or twice a day, and on busy days, we couldnât even stop at five or six battles. But now, itâs like this: even when we go out to clear the Demon Caves, we hardly see anything, and the camp hasnât had a demon assault for days, which was unthinkable before."
"I know the reason for this." A soldier with a crew cut suddenly spoke up, intriguing those around as they eagerly gathered.
"Quick, tell us, whatâs going on?"
The crew cut soldier didnât keep them in suspense, lowering his voice to say: "The Demon Source closest to us has been destroyed."
"What?!"
The warriors were collectively startled. The destruction of a Demon Source was a monumental event, yet they hadnât heard a word from the officers.
"Is that true? If such a thing happened, the Captain should have told us, right?" Someone couldnât help but question.
The crew cut soldier retorted: "Think about it, how long has it been since the Captain was last at the camp?"
Everyone was momentarily speechless. Itâs true that the Captain had been quite elusive recently, seldom seen in and around the camp. Fortunately, with the demon numbers drastically reduced, the battlegroup felt far less pressure. The Captainâs presence seemed inconsequential.
"Where did you hear this from?" someone asked.
"I overheard it by chance during a conversation between the leaders of the second and fifth battalions." The crew cut soldier explained, "But since the officers havenât formally announced it, I didnât dare say anything openly, until now that we brought it up."
"So, this news is likely true?"
The warriorsâ faces instantly broke into smiles. They finally understood why there were fewer demonsâthe destruction of the Demon Source meant the demons lost their "blood" foundation, and coupled with their ongoing internal strife, they quickly started showing signs of decline in just a few days.
"You all have quite the keen ears for information."
A slightly amused voice suddenly came from behind, causing the warriors to stiffen. Recognizing the voice, they immediately straightened up, shouting in unison, "Captain!"
Qin Tian walked slowly over, his gaze sweeping across the soldiers before finally settling on the crew cut soldier. He smiled and said, "Luo Ping, I recall youâre from the Gold Rat bloodline, no wonder your ears are so sharp."
Luo Ping instantly tensed up, hastily waving his hands to explain: "Captain, I didnât mean to eavesdrop; it just so happened..."
"Alright, no need to be nervous." Qin Tian laughed, patting his shoulder. "It wasnât a secret anyway. I was planning to announce it to everyone. Itâs no big deal that you mentioned it first."
Hearing this, Luo Ping finally breathed a sigh of relief, showing a simple smile on his face.
Back at the camp, Qin Tian immediately ordered a gathering of all personnel.
As hundreds of soldiers stood in formation on the training ground, he walked up onto the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the weathered faces as he loudly declared, "I have some good news to share with everyoneâthe Demon Source at Flame Mountain has been completely destroyed!"
No sooner had he spoken than the training ground first fell into brief silence, followed by deafening cheers.
"What? The Demon Source is really destroyed?!"
"Thatâs great! Now we can finally catch a breath!"
"We wonât have to be on edge every day, worrying about demon raids anymore!"
The warriors excitedly high-fived each other, some unable to resist swinging their weapons, the clashing armor and cheers mingling and soaring into the sky.
They of all people understood what the destruction of a Demon Source meantâdemons in the area would gradually dwindle, losing their ability to regenerate, and the pressure on the Broken Blade Line would drastically decrease, reversing the situation from defense to offense starting today.
Qin Tian watched the boiling crowd before him, and once the cheers subsided a bit, he raised his hand to signal for quiet: "Though the Demon Source is destroyed, everyone should not let down their guard. The task of mopping up the remaining enemies must still be done with full effort."
"Yes!"
The collective response was full of vigor.
Afterwards, Qin Tian gathered all the core officers for a meeting in the command tent.
"Iâm going to be leaving for a few days."
As these words left Qin Tianâs mouth, the atmosphere within the tent instantly froze.
Worry appeared on everyoneâs facesâCaptain Qin was the backbone of the Chijin Battlegroup; the group had managed to gain a foothold in the perilous Infernal Demon Sea and even achieved numerous feats, all thanks to his strategic masterminding.
His departure felt like losing a crucial pillar to lean on.
"No need to worry, everyone." Qin Tian noticed their concern, speaking lightly, "Recently, Iâve almost cleared all the Demon Caves around the camp, and the residual demons pose no threat to you guys."
Everyone came to realizeâthat the Captainâs frequent excursions lately were actually in preparation for his departure.
"Additionally, Iâve already informed the Tiebi and Xingyuan battlegroups. They will move closer to the Broken Blade Line and can be called upon if any difficult situations arise." Qin Tian added, showing that he had considered all contingencies thoroughly.
"Yes!" Everyone replied in unison.
Since the Captain had arranged everything meticulously, they naturally had no objections. Furthermore, if Qin Tian chose to leave at this time, it had to be for an important reason.
"Captain, if I may ask, where are you headed?" Li Wufeng, sharing a personal friendship with Qin Tian, couldnât contain his curiosity.
Qin Tian smiled candidly: "I plan to break through, but I need to find a place rich in dark energy."
As soon as he said this, everyone understood.
The Infernal Demon Sea is brimming with furious fire elements, but dark elements are extremely scarce. As a Spiritualist of both Thunder and Dark elements, Qin Tian needed to find a suitable place to break through.
Nonetheless, everyone couldnât help but ponderâthe Demon Suppression Abyss is filled with demonic qi, and any slight misstep during the breakthrough process could lead to foundation damage at best, or deep mental peril at worst.
But since Qin Tian had made the decision, he must have a countermeasure in place, and everyone refrained from questioning further, silently praying in their hearts for his success.
"Captain, we wish you all the best." Li Wufeng was the first to bow.
"We look forward to your successful return!"
The other officers echoed, their eyes full of trust and anticipation.
Qin Tian nodded with a smile: "The battlegroup is in your hands while Iâm gone."
Leaving the tent, Qin Tian stood atop the mountain peak, gazing into the distance.
In truth, his departure wasnât just for breaking through, but for fortifying his talent.
Over time, his Evolution Points had surpassed the 30 million milestone; everything was prepared, so the next step was the crucial one.
To evolve into the Night Demon Kingâs bloodlineâ
Holy Blood