His plan was elegantly simple: ostensibly, he would dispatch two Heavenly Sovereigns to lay siege to the Blood Demon Legion. Given the Blood Demon Legion's immense contributions to the Earth Alliance lately, those fellows from the Earth Alliance simply could not stand by and do nothing. In fact, the Fiends of the Earth Alliance would likely try everything to swallow both armies led by the two Heavenly Sovereigns whole. However, they also had to guard against attacks on their own territories from other Heavenly Sovereigns, making a full mobilization impossible. At most, they could deploy two to four Fiends. Under such circumstances, with the Nine Heavenly Sovereigns appearing simultaneously, crushing the Earth Alliance reinforcements with overwhelming superiority would not be difficult.

Of course, while the plan appeared straightforward, executing it would be fraught with difficulty, especially concerning the two armies tasked with cornering the Blood Demon Legion. They not only had to stall the Legion but also needed the rest of the Earth Alliance to believe that only these two forces were involved. Simultaneously, the other Heavenly Sovereigns had to feign a massive offensive against the Earth Alliance territory to lull them into the trap.

Naturally, someone raised the concern: what if the devils of the Earth Alliance simply did not care about the human’s fate? In response, Liang Xiaoke scoffed back impolitely: if that were the case, the two Heavenly Sovereigns would be more than sufficient to destroy the Blood Demon Legion, eliminating a major threat in the process.

It could be called a foolproof plan. Unless the Seven Fiends of the Earth Alliance mobilized entirely, they would perish no matter how many arrived. After repeated revisions, the final decision was made: Liang Xiaoke would lead the first contingent to intercept the Blood Demon Legion. After all, he was the one who stirred up this mess originally, so it was only right that he served as the vanguard.

The other Heavenly Sovereign responsible for the ambush was Xuan Yuanjing’s senior brother, Daoist Xuan Yan, who would command another army to strike the Blood Demon Legion from the rear.

Then, the other Heavenly Sovereigns would adopt the guise of a feigned attack on the Earth Alliance; they absolutely could not let the Earth Alliance glimpse their true intentions.

With the plan finalized, Liang Xiaoke immediately mustered three hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers and marched forth with fiery haste along the Blood Demon Legion’s expected route, putting on a convincing show of intending to fight the Legion to the death.

This news naturally traveled back to the Earth Alliance with utmost speed. Even intelligence regarding the other Heavenly Alliance army, secretly mobilized under Daoist Xuan Yan, quietly reached the Earth Alliance and found its way into Yuan’s hands. The Heavenly Alliance, too, maintained its own spies.

The Earth Alliance’s main camp was nowhere near as luxurious or mobile as the Heavenly Alliance’s. The main camp of the Earth Alliance was currently situated in the central-western region of the former Savage Forest, built around a colossal mountain peak. Yuan had utilized his supreme demonic power to forge this place into a fortress city.

Inside this mountain, a massive palace had been excavated. Yuan sat within this palace, relaying the intelligence he had gathered to the assembled devils.

Only the highest echelon of the Earth Alliance could stand here. Besides Yuan, the Lords of the other eight great heroic cities were present, along with several City Lords whose power, while slightly lesser, was still considerable.

“My Lord, General Jing’s Blood Demon Legion is still tens of thousands of li away from the Heavenly Alliance’s main camp. If they truly intend to ambush General Jing, Mount Hualuo is the ideal location. If we seize this chance to eliminate those two armies, it will surely deal a heavy blow to the Heavenly Alliance…” After hearing Yuan’s report, Mu, the Lord of Tianman City, spoke up. He had a good rapport with Ye Jingyu and desperately did not want Ye Jingyu to be killed. Moreover, as the war progressed, how many Celestial Soldiers had Ye Jingyu’s Blood Demon Legion slain? How many merits had they earned for the Earth Alliance? Such a loyal servant could not simply be abandoned!

“Lord Mu speaks well, but the problem we see, the Heavenly Alliance fellows have surely considered it too. If they plan to annihilate the Blood Demon Legion at Mount Hualuo, do they think they will give us an opportunity to approach? Do not forget, the Blood Demon Legion is seventy thousand li from the Heavenly Alliance, but one hundred thirty thousand li from us, with millions of Heavenly Alliance troops in between. How can we possibly break through? Even if we did manage to breach the lines, the Heavenly Alliance would already know, and would they not dispatch forces then?” A man standing to Yuan’s left, over two zhang tall and covered entirely in black barbs, spoke. He was Ba, the Lord of Bantian City, one of the nine great heroic cities, and a top-tier expert ranked high among the Seven Fiends of the Earth Alliance.

“A regular army certainly could not arrive in such a short time, nor could they silently breach the Heavenly Alliance’s defenses. But what if it were the Yuanmie Legion?” Mu sneered. Truthfully, the Blood Demon Legion was deep in hostile territory. They might manage ordinary forces, but if two Heavenly Sovereigns intervened—one being the renowned Killing God, Heavenly Sovereign Liang, who held a deep enmity with Ye Jingyu—then in Mu’s estimation, the Blood Demon Legion stood little chance of resistance. If reinforcements were not sent immediately, they risked utter annihilation. He certainly didn't want Ye Jingyu to perish so easily.

Hearing Mu’s suggestion, the other City Lords were momentarily stunned. The Yuanmie Legion—that was Yuan’s most formidable personal army! Their numbers were small, but every single soldier was an elite. Would Yuan truly be willing to deploy the Yuanmie Legion? They all looked toward Yuan with surprise, hoping to ascertain the definitive answer from his lips.

Seeing their questioning gazes, Yuan gave a slight nod. Ye Jingyu had offered him too many pleasant surprises; how could he so easily discard such a talent? If he refused to rescue him, how would others view him? This individual had earned so much for the Earth Alliance; now that he was in trouble, would Yuan abandon him merely because he was human, treating him as expendable cannon fodder? If that happened, which other races would dare to pledge allegiance in the future?

Therefore, both morally and by duty, he had to intervene. If they could use this opportunity to eliminate those two Heavenly Sovereigns, all the better. Especially if they could assist General Jing in killing his nemesis, Heavenly Sovereign Liang, wouldn't that secure his loyalty even more firmly?

Once Yuan nodded, the other devils offered no further objections. Since it was the Yuanmie Legion, traversing the Heavenly Alliance defenses silently and covering one hundred thousand li in the shortest time was not an insurmountable task. Furthermore, the Yuanmie Legion was Yuan’s direct command; if they were mobilized, Yuan himself surely would march. With his personal intervention, the odds of victory would naturally increase dramatically. All the others needed to do was follow him and share in the glory.

“Yuan, why don’t you let me lead the Yuanzui Legion to accompany you on this venture? Our combined strength, plus General Jing’s Blood Demon Legion, should be enough to wipe out those two Celestial Armies!” At this moment, Jian, the Lord of Dark City, stepped forward and spoke.

Seeing Jian take the initiative, Yuan’s brows furrowed slightly. He was well aware that this fellow harbored some friction with Jing. It was Jian who had dispatched Ghost-Sees-Sorrow to attack General Jing with lethal force on the arena stage, after all!

(I suffered from insomnia last night and didn't fall asleep until past four. I woke up late today, apologies for making everyone wait. The update schedule lately has been incredibly tight, leaving absolutely no room to breathe. I only ask for your understanding; please don’t rush me. The daily updates might just arrive a bit later, but they will certainly not be skipped! Once I accumulate a few chapters in reserve, the late timing won't be an issue!)H