From Dugu Bachen’s account, Ye Jingyu gradually grasped the current state of the Celestial Realm: the war between the two great alliances was escalating, expanding its scope. What began as an invasion by a few million Heavenly Soldiers had swelled into a conflict involving tens of millions of soldiers and hundreds of millions of regular troops, carving out a vast, empty swath through the heart of the sprawling Savage Forest.

Of course, calling it empty was an overstatement; it merely meant the towering, thousand-zhang trees had been completely obliterated. The terrain remained undulating, and the various grand formations deployed by the Heaven Alliance had completely reshaped the landscape, digging colossal pits in many areas. Coupled with several torrential downpours, these pits had transformed into immense lakes.

The gorge where Ye Jingyu and his company were situated lay closer to the northern edge, where this part of the Savage Forest had not yet been destroyed. However, forces from both the Heaven Alliance and Earth Alliance had already reached this area. Ye Jingyu’s Blood Demon Legion had once been ambushed by a Heaven Alliance unit numbering over five hundred thousand. But under Ni Bo’s command, the legion managed to evade the bulk of the force, suffering only minor casualties.

Hearing this, Ye Jingyu made a firm decision: he had to return quickly and secretly meet with Liang Xiaoke to see if any inside information surfaced.

Furthermore, the fact that Xuanyuan Jing had wounded Xi Yang—nearly costing her life—had crossed his absolute boundary. He needed to accelerate his power growth immediately to settle this score with Xuanyuan Jing.

Dugu Bachen, naturally, issued no commands to Ye Jingyu; he was entirely focused on his own cultivation, striving only to break through that next realm as soon as possible.

Ye Jingyu’s initial intention was for Jiu Feng and the others to remain with Dugu Bachen. With such masters nearby, he had no worry that anyone could harm them. However, having only just reunited with Ye Jingyu, they flatly refused to comply. With no other choice, Ye Jingyu agreed to keep the two women by his side, entrusting them with the two ancient, plain tripods he had acquired from Xuanmiao and Immortal Daoist Qian Yun.

After all, these cauldrons were artifacts that offered both offense and defense, undoubtedly of Innate origin. Ye Jingyu was slightly curious how many more such tripods existed.

In addition, Ye Jingyu gave his Thunder Hammer to Jiu Feng, and the Dragon-Binding Ropes and Dragon Soul Whip to Xi Yang, significantly boosting their strength.

As for Taotie and Ni Bo, they had no need for magical artifacts or weapons.

Of course, little sister Xue Ling could not remain traveling with him. After much consideration, Ye Jingyu decided to entrust her to Dugu Bachen. With a master like him, her cultivation should improve rapidly. Moreover, since Jiu Feng and Xi Yang were leaving with him, who would look after his Shizun? Having Xue Ling nearby to keep him company would be beneficial, wouldn't it?

This, however, was the excuse Ye Jingyu offered when pressing Xue Ling upon Dugu Bachen, forgetting that Dugu Bachen had once sat motionless in a cave for hundreds of years and required no companionship.

As Ye Jingyu departed with his entourage, a clear look of reluctance crossed Xue Ling's eyes. Yet, she understood her own cultivation was too low; staying by Ye Jingyu’s side would only be a hindrance.

Though the current Blood Demon Legion numbered only tens of thousands, the addition of three Cosmos-level masters—Bing Ming, Xi Yang, and Jiu Feng—along with Ye Jingyu’s own increased strength, made their overall power formidable. They could now annihilate Heaven Alliance armies ten times their size.

When strength is lacking, schemes, cunning, and access to information are vital. But when strength reaches a certain apex, all tricks and machinations become futile.

The Blood Demon Legion was precisely such a force now. Ten masters at the Cosmos level, two of whom possessed peak Cosmos combat power—figures comparable to the Ten Heavenly Sovereigns—could not be withstood by ordinary armies.

The Blood Demon Legion carved a path forward. In just half a month, every Heaven Alliance army they encountered collapsed entirely; not a single large unit could halt their advance.

Over that fortnight, four separate armies exceeding two hundred thousand troops each were routed by the Blood Demon Legion, resulting in total casualties exceeding five hundred thousand. Initially, this situation did not draw sufficient alarm from the Heaven Alliance. After all, in a war involving hundreds of millions, daily fatalities often numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and half a million casualties were scarcely noted by the upper echelon.

However, as this number steadily climbed, as fleeing soldiers recounted tales of demons, and as one army after another disintegrated, the Heaven Alliance high command could no longer remain indifferent.

A mere force of a few tens of thousands had slain nearly a million combatants? Such destructive capability was astonishing. Could this be the Yuan Mie Battle Team accompanying the Earth Alliance Leader, Yuan?