As Zong Shou and Shen Yuexuan sat observing the battlefield situation in the Tianfang World from within the Artifact Questioning Tower, outside the Tianfang Realm, several figures stood on the prow of an ancient wooden giant ship, frowning at the scene before them.

Though countless scattered sword energies whirled and slashed around them, and the chaotic spiritual power was enough to utterly shred any creature below the Spirit Realm, these torrents of sword energy and spiritual waves could not approach within ten breaths of Immortal-level evasion speed of these few individuals—

Within the radius that would require an Immortal Realm cultivator ten full breaths to traverse, all disturbances were suppressed; the entire void was locked down.

And at this very moment, Chaye stood among these four, though the arrogance he possessed in the Cloud Realm was entirely gone, replaced by a cold, hard expression.

The Night Demon clansmen all possessed skin as dark as night; most with any degree of composure would seldom betray their joy or anger. Yet, at this moment, anyone could perceive that the Second Heir of the Dark World Demonic Court was sunk into a mood of profound and utter gloom.

Looking from this vantage point, that Sword Force of All Beings, while ultimately prevented from sweeping across the Outer Domain—having been forcibly neutralized and scattered by the azure lightning emanating from sixty Heaven-Piercing Giant Ships—still saw the resulting dispersed sword energies obliterate vast swathes of the Night Demon armies in the Outer Domain, resembling a farmer’s scythe harvesting straw.

It was not just the border river of the Outer Domain; the situation within the Tianfang Realm had also taken a sharp downturn.

With the Sky-Severing Void and Earth-Ending Floating Spirit Sword Formations temporarily sealing the aerial domains, the Night Demon elites who had penetrated the Tianfang Realm were clearly running out of steam. Under the relentless assault of the Thirty Thousand Blood Cloud Cavalry, the Fifty Thousand Profound Fox Iron Cavalry, and nearly two hundred thousand Heavenly Stellar Sword Soldiers striking in rotation, they were successively broken, scattered, surrounded, and finally drowned in that boundless sea of conflict.

In less than three quarters of an hour, nearly a million elite Night Demon soldiers had perished in this fierce assault.

Although the Dark World Demonic Court's current expedition boasted twelve Commandery Courts and over fifty million seasoned troops,

At this moment, those present could not help but feel a sharp pang of agony.

Out in the Outer Domain, the soldiers and generals preparing to assault the Tianfang World could still retreat smoothly under the cover of the Heaven-Piercing Giant Ships. However, the Night Demon armies that had already charged into the Realm were slaughtered to the last man in the span of a single hour.

It was not that they were unwilling to rescue them, but they were utterly powerless. At the level of Saint-rank powerhouses, the Tianfang World was clearly only marginally inferior to the Dark World Demonic Court.

And with the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Statues suppressing the area, the Venerables of Great Qian, residing within the Realm, were practically positioned in an invincible state.

Any attack directed at the Tianfang World would have its power diminished by one full rank due to the Erratic Divine Art.

"Truly a master strategist!"

A voice of admiration rose from among the four: "They have demolished every structure within the Tianfang Realm, concentrating all personnel under strict control. The methods brother Chaye arranged to break the enemy are likely now useless. The key is that the Tianfang World can only accommodate five million troops in battle at most. With the Realm Barrier blocking them, our Dark World Demonic Court is forced to fight a battle of the few against the many. With the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Statues, we must fight strong with weak forces. However, what I regret most is not conquering this Tianfang World before Zong Shou and Kong Yao arrived. The current situation is somewhat troublesome. I fear we cannot take this world quickly!"

After speaking, this individual turned and managed a wry smile: "I recall brother sounding quite confident just a few days ago!"

Hearing this tone and these words, Chaye knew without turning around that this was one of his full-blooded brothers, 'Ranlong'.

The Dark Sun Great Emperor had ninety-nine sons; Ranlong ranked sixteenth. About three hundred years ago, he withdrew from the race for the heir apparent, but his status did not fall; instead, it rose, receiving the title 'Night Wheel King' and commanding three major Commandery Courts and tens of millions of troops.

He was the deputy commander of the Dark World Demonic Court's army campaigning in the Cloud Realm, one of Chaye's nominal 'left and right arms.'

Despite being a subordinate in name, he and this imperial brother had been mortal enemies for a millennium, and they were still engaged in constant, subtle struggle even now.

Those recent remarks were clearly an accusation toward Chaye for missing the best opportunity.

Chaye let out a cold laugh, unconcerned.

A few days prior, the Dark Night Demonic Court had also not been fully prepared. The main army was incomplete, and the powerful experts had not yet gathered. The enemy general, Lie Que, was also not an easy adversary.

Although they had suffered heavy casualties, they had not given their opponents any leverage over the past fortnight. Internal governance was also extremely strict.

Unlike Kong Yao's decisive sharpness, the constraints imposed by Zong Shou similarly prevented the use of many of Chaye's carefully laid traps.

In short, all of Chaye's countermeasures were flawless, meaning he could stand tall and answer directly even before the Dark Sun Emperor.

"So this young man values loyalty and righteousness, yet he is also a formidable figure of ambition—"

Ignoring Ranlong, Chaye’s expression turned icy: "It seems a single God-Stabbing Profound Heart Needle is far from sufficient to restrain him!"

Despite the warning, Zong Shou still dared to deploy the Bronze Statues. This was both outside Chaye's expectation and yet within the realm of reason.

A truly loyal and righteous person could not have established such a massive foundation in just a few short years.

However, Zong Shou had also left himself a way out: the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Statues only suppressed the Tianfang World and had not extended into the Outer Domain, which complicated Chaye's ability to strike aggressively.

The situation had now reached a stalemate. The Dark World Demonic Court could retaliate with the God-Stabbing Profound Heart Needle, but if they pushed Zong Shou to desperation, the final outcome would certainly be mutual destruction.

If the Tianfang Realm were the only concern of the Dark World Demonic Court, that would be one thing. But the reality was, the mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole waits behind.

Incurring too great a loss would lead to him being criticized and censured by his own clan members.

'Ranlong' sneered dismissively, about to speak, but was interrupted by another figure.

"Although this Great Qian has only existed for a few decades, its true rise began less than ten years ago. Yet, it shines like the rising sun! Though its army numbers only a few million, the strength of its Dao Soldiers is formidable. With the combined might of the Three Sects of the Cloud Realm, their strength at the Apex level even surpasses that of our Dark World Demonic Court. I have never seen a newly established minor power gather so many peerless generals. This war will be arduous, allowing no room for carelessness, nor allowing internal strife at this juncture. King Night Wheel, at this moment, we must unite our strength to capture this realm."

It was an aged voice, deep and steady, yet the speaker appeared to be no older than twenty. Clad in robes of purple-gold, he stood with his hands calmly clasped behind his back. Even by human aesthetic standards, he was exceptionally handsome.

Ranlong’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this, and he finally fell silent.

This person, though not an Apex Saint Venerable, commanded a reputation within the Dark World Demonic Court no less significant than that of the Saint Venerable Nation Lords.

His name was Momeng, the First Priest of the Dark World Demonic Court.

Even he dared not easily offend this man.

At this moment, Momeng’s eyes held a faint glimmer of worry: "Looking at this situation, it seems they intend to hold out, waiting for the Dark World Demonic Court to collapse from within—"

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