"The three thousand combat forces belonging to the Eagle Clan, ascend immediately! The Bear Clan will ride, acting as the first volley, rushing towards Tianzhu Mountain at full speed! Confirm the situation and arrive as quickly as possible! If the absolute worst-case scenario indeed occurs, you must, regardless of cost or sacrifice, initiate the first wave of interception immediately!"
Jun Moxie commanded coldly.
Speed was paramount in warfare!
The Eagle Clan members possessed the fastest flight speed!
The Bear Clan, among all beasts, had the strongest sustained combat ability!
The Eagle Clan’s mission this battle required full-speed flight, meaning that upon arrival, the flying Xuan Beasts with shallower cultivation might be unable to exert much combat power; the only outcome would be tragic sacrifice, yet this sacrifice was essential.
Because it was they who delivered the three thousand warriors of the Bear Clan in the initial moments!
"Yes!" The Eagle King's iron-black face remained expressionless, his voice like steel!
"The eight of us must go along with this first wave!" Saint Venerable Deer strode forward, the eight old brothers standing simultaneously within the ranks of the already assembled Eagle and Bear Clans!
The former Beast Kings, who had once been shamelessly betrayed by the people of the Three Great Sacred Lands, did not hesitate at this moment, stepping forward resolutely, even though they already understood that the result of this first wave of interception could only be annihilation—to go meant certain death!
Yet they went without reservation!
"Good! Bring the wine!" Jun Moxie roared out, the sound vibrating the entire world until it trembled: "The finest spirits! To toast our heroes! To see them off!"
In the Xie Jun Residence, the servants swiftly brought out countless potent liquors. Huge sea bowls, filled with wine as red as blood, were presented. The six thousand warriors raised their bowls simultaneously!
Jun Moxie was the first to lift a bowl, his eyebrows raised as he shouted: "This bowl of wine is dedicated to all heroes safeguarding the living beings of the Continent! In this battle... countless brothers will not return! Here, I, Jun Moxie, bid my brothers farewell!"
Jun Moxie spoke plainly, yet it was brutal.
The outbreak of this matter was too sudden; there was simply no time for systematic deployment! The six thousand personnel of the Eagle and Bear Clans heading out in this first wave, besides their mission of initial interception, carried another function: to serve as cannon fodder heading towards certain doom!
The hope of survival was believed to be less than one in a hundred—and this included the eight Beast Emperors whose cultivation had reached the Saint Venerable realm!
But only by using their lives to create space could they provide time for the subsequent forces to strategize and deploy!
This was war; war was always cruel and merciless!
There had never been a war where no one died, or where only the enemy perished!
"You are truly critical in this endeavor. Let me be clearer: you must use your lives to buy the entire Continent some time! I have only one requirement for you! No matter how you fight, even if you die, you must drag as many members of the other race down with you as possible! That is all! Nothing more!"
Jun Moxie’s voice was cold and pitiless, like a sword, slicing chillingly through the air.
The entire gathering fell into silence. The six thousand formidable men of the Eagle and Bear Clans stared with burning, steadfast, and honest eyes!
Hesitation, retreat, cowardice... not a single trace of any negative emotion surfaced among them!
"Drink this cup! Regardless of life or death! Through all lifetimes! You are all heroes! You are all my brothers!" Jun Moxie roared: "Brothers, let us use our hot blood to bloom the most brilliant colors on this Continent! Let us use this victory... to forge eternal history! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The sounds of impact blended into one continuous roar. All six thousand sea bowls landed simultaneously, shattering into pieces!
"May all our brothers and sisters have a safe journey! Everyone, depart!" Mei Xueyan lifted her hand, and a banner as red as blood flew into the Eagle King’s hand.
"Brothers, let us take the first step and fight to the fullest!" The Eagle King let out a long cry, reaching out to grasp the banner, leaping into the air—in mid-flight, he spun once, transforming into a giant eagle entirely black.
Its body was like iron, its feathers like arrows!
The blood-red banner unfurled violently in the rushing wind above, emblazoned with five large characters: "Heaven's Punishment Death Squad!"
Blood-red! It fluttered against the wind!
Xiong Kaishan laughed heartily, his robust body leaping into the air. In mid-sky, he clenched his fists fiercely: "Brothers, Old Xiong leads the way! I have been anticipating this day for hundreds of years! Heaven's Punishment is mighty!"
Xiong Kaishan roared, landing on the Eagle King’s back.
The Eagle King’s fierce eyes flashed with lethal determination. He spread his iron wings, seven fathoms wide, raised his head, and let out a long shriek—the sound like metal striking stone, echoing through the firmament. Carrying Xiong Kaishan, they shot up like a black arrow aimed straight at the heavens, ascending amidst the swirling dust!
The Eagle soared through the nine heavens, chasing the wind, parting the clouds, piercing the air like lightning!
Without any hesitation, without any lingering attachment, they broke through the sky first, leaving the sky of their homeland behind!
With a thunderous sound, all the Xuan Eagles on the ground soared into the air, each transforming into a streak of black lightning. Three thousand streaks of lightning converged into a steel-like black torrent, following the Eagle King, carrying their comrades, flying straight towards the southwest!
The six thousand warriors set off! Like an arrow poised to pierce the firmament!
The arrow left the bowstring!
They would use their lives to inscribe the eternity of history!
The entire group shrunk into a tiny black dot in the sky, yet not a single member looked back, even once, towards the Heaven's Punishment Forest! Not towards the homeland that nurtured them, filled with countless attachments!
Only firm resolve!
Magnificent, the Eagle King! Magnificent, the Bear King! Magnificent, the Six Thousand Warriors!
Mei Xueyan’s eyes turned red, tears streaming down her face! Sending six thousand brothers and sisters onto the expedition, onto the path of death, by her own hand—how could she not feel heartbroken, how could she not weep!
Jun Moxie’s face was as cold and deep as iron, solemn as a mountain, showing no expression.
For the second group, he dispatched his personal guard!
"Ying Bokong! Feng Yun! You two are to lead the three hundred members of the Remnant Heaven Soul Devourers, along with three hundred warriors from the Crane Clan, and depart immediately! As the second echelon! Provide urgent support to the Eagle King and Bear King! Intercept the enemy with full force, fight without retreat!"
"We receive the order!"
Ying Bokong and Feng Yun stepped forward simultaneously, bowing to accept the command.
Crane King He Chongxiao waved his hand, and three hundred Xuan Crane masters, all reaching the Saint level, immediately stepped out.
In the blink of an eye, the pairing of humans and Xuan Cranes was complete.
This team took flight even faster. Following the command of Ying Bokong and Feng Yun, a total of three hundred high-level Xuan Cranes formed a rolling white cloud in the sky with their snow-white feathers, dense enough to blot out the sun and sky!
They departed only half an hour after the Eagle King and his party.
However, Jun Moxie and the others knew that it would take at least five hours, perhaps more, for Ying Bokong’s party to reach the destination after the Eagle King's group arrived!
The speed and endurance of Cranes compared to Eagles were in no way comparable; even possessing Saint-level strength could not compensate for this innate disparity.
This gap of five hours would be an unimaginably cruel test for the party of the Eagle King and Bear King! Facing an enemy race advancing with its entire clan—could the six thousand experts of the two clans hold them off for five hours...?
No one dared to claim certainty regarding this matter!
Moreover, even if they managed to hold out until Ying Bokong's group arrived, the outcome of death in battle might still not be avoided, as they were facing an opposing force whose numbers, manpower, and strength far exceeded theirs by ten, a hundred, or even more times!
Of course, if they could hold until Ying Bokong’s group arrived, the situation would ease somewhat. After all, these were experts among experts!
The best steel must be used on the sharpest edge!
"Tiger King, Crane King!" Jun Moxie's voice was like iron: "Let your two clans form the third echelon! Depart immediately to offer reinforcement!"
Tiger King Hu Liedi and Crane King He Chongxiao stepped out together, followed instantly by a swirling gale—the six thousand brothers under the command of the two Kings took to the air, pursuing closely behind.
"Baili Luoyun! Leng Ao!" Jun Moxie continued issuing orders: "You two will take the Disabled Heaven and Withered Earth duo and the thirty-six Assassins, along with fifty brothers from the Roc Clan, as the fourth echelon." Jun Moxie stated grimly: "Never forget your duty as Assassins! Your mission this time... is not assistance, but assassination! Maximize the ability of assassins to snipe and kill the monsters of the other race, understood?"
"Yes!" Baili Luoyun and Leng Ao stepped forward proudly.
"Depart!"
More flying sand and rolling stones erupted—the courtyard was significantly emptier now!
"Lion King, Monkey King, Roc King, Eagle King, Wolf King! The five of you, totaling twenty-five thousand people, will form the fifth echelon! The entire army advances! Bring sufficient strategic supplies like medicine and grain!" Jun Moxie waved his hand.
These five clans had the largest base population, but their combat strength was relatively weaker.
However, the might of these Xuan Beast crowds should not be underestimated! While serving as a logistics team, they could also transform into a vanguard to kill the enemy at critical moments!
"The remaining personnel—including the Snake King, Leopard King, and everyone else—are all placed under the command of Jun Wuyi. Advance gradually in a fan shape from the entire southwestern region, searching meticulously. If any experts from the other race have already entered the Continent, eliminate them all, leaving no one alive! This mission has no time limit; proceed until you reach Tianzhu Mountain! We want no survivors, not a single one!"
Jun Moxie had never forgotten disgusting entities like Jiang Junji. If any seeds were left behind after the other race entered the Continent... the consequences would be endless.
And this threat might be the most significant lingering danger of the alien invasion!
And such a task truly required no one other than Jun Wuyi, this Blood-Robed General, to possess such commanding ability and analytical prowess. Only the former Blood-Robed General could handle a mission this complex and execute it flawlessly and systematically!
"We receive the order!" Jun Wuyi and the Snake King and others stepped forward to accept the command.
"All others remain in Heaven's Punishment and await orders! Unless you receive my command, no one, from this moment forward, is permitted to step beyond the boundaries of the Heaven's Punishment Forest! Otherwise, punishment will be severe! Even if outsiders arrive, if they cannot recite the local secret passphrase, do not activate the Protective Residence Formation under any circumstances!"
Jun Moxie emphasized this point with solemn gravity.
The sudden emergency at Tianzhu Mountain had occurred, but the crisis concerning the Zhan Family had not truly dissolved.
If Zhan Lunhui and the others took advantage of this opportunity to attack the Xie Jun Residence, it would be a massive problem. The living combat strength of Heaven's Punishment was essentially deployed entirely; although the home front was not reduced to only the old and the weak, it did not possess significant power either!
But as long as the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths Demon Slaying Formation, which Jun Moxie had arranged during this period, remained intact, even if Zhan Lunhui himself dared to come, he could only wander within the formation, unable to enter!
《One chapter update today.》