Chapter 1678: Cheese!
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
“Commander Heng Jiang?”
It was an unfamiliar name, but considering that the figure was looking right at him, it was obvious that the other party was addressing him.
So, the name of the Commander that he was disguised as was Heng Jiang! It was not a bad name.
Taking a closer look at the figure before him, he saw that the other party was wearing a helmet identical to his. His aura felt dense and expansive—he was actually a Great Sage 4-dan Sempiternal realm cultivator too!
Were there only seven Great Sages in this encampment?
Where did this one pop out from?
“The seal…” Zhang Xuan heart skipped a beat as realization struck him.
If he was not mistaken, the other party was the backup from beyond the breached seal!
Of all the times, the other party just had to arrive before he made a move… Was this not too much of a coincidence?
However, even if the other party was a Sempiternal realm cultivator, it would not be easy for him to see through his disguise.
With such a thought in mind, Zhang Xuan did not panic in the least. Instead, his eyebrows shot up coldly as he remarked, “Am I obligated to report my actions to you?”
“You!” Hearing those words, the black armored Otherworldly Demon harrumphed coldly. Flinging his hand back coldly, he took out a golden edict and said, “Under the orders of Overlord Chen Yong, you are to halt your attack and retreat immediately!”
“Retreat immediately?” Zhang Xuan was slightly taken aback.
The ‘Overlord Chen Yong’ whom the other party spoke of was likely to be one of the highest-ranked Otherworldly Demon Emperors… but this did not make any sense at all! After all of the sacrifices made to breach the spatial seal, he was being ordered to retreat?
“That’s right. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and reorganize your army to retreat!” the black armored Otherworldly Demon berated as he tossed the golden edict over.
Zhang Xuan caught the golden edict and read through it. The words were written in the language of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and it was indeed a command for his army to retreat.
“This…” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment as he placed the edict into his storage ring. “Before that, I have something to show you.”
“Hmm?” the eyebrows of the black armored Otherworldly Demon shot up.
“I have found another use for the artifacts of the human seers. Once activated, it wields incomparable prowess, such that even Half-Ancient Sages will be destroyed in an instant. There’s no better tool than this to deal with those humans!” Zhang Xuan spoke with unwavering confidence.
“Even Half-Ancient Sages will be destroyed in an instant?” the black armored Otherworldly Demon questioned with a skeptical tone.
Ordinary soldiers might not have been able to recognize these mirrors, but he did. They were the artifacts of the human seers, and they could only be used to conceal one’s aura. Furthermore, they had to be arranged in a specific position in order to do so. There was no way that these mirrors could wield the prowess to kill a Half-Ancient Sage cultivator!
“If you don’t believe my words, why don’t you can give it a try yourself? After that, I’ll get my soldiers to retreat!” Zhang Xuan nodded earnestly.
“Very well. Let me see what in the world are you up to!” The black armored Otherworldly Demon nodded doubtfully.
He was there to relay the orders, and as long as the other party was willing to abide by the commands, he did not mind playing along with him. If there was truly an extraordinary use for the mirrors, that would be even for the better.
Given that there were so many Otherworldly Demon soldiers around, and the fact that the person that he was facing was a Commander, it was unlikely that the other party would dare pull anything on him.
“It’s very simple. Pick any one of these mirrors and place your hand on it,” Zhang Xuan instructed affirmatively.
The black armored Otherworldly Demon gazed into Zhang Xuan’s eyes for a while, and seeing that the other party was not messing with him, he eventually nodded in agreement. He walked up to one of the mirrors and placed his hand on it.
It was not that he was a fool. It was just that he could not possibly have imagined that the person before him was not Heng Jiang but someone else.
Besides, seers were known not to be a battle-oriented occupation. Their artifacts mainly dealt with divination and anti-divination means. Even if it was a trap, he was confident that he would be able to deal with it with his strength.
“Since everyone is ready, let’s begin!”
Seeing that this newly-arrived expert had placed his hand on the mirror as well, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
But just as he was about to activate the Library of Heaven’s Path on the mirror, he heard the sharp whistle of a gale sounding above. Another figure was flying over.
“Heng Jiang, receive your orders! Sovereign Chen Ling has decreed that you shall launch an attack this instant!”
While in the air, the figure had already unrolled a golden edict and issued the order.
It was another Sempiternal realm cultivator!
“This…” Zhang Xuan blinked blankly.
It was just a moment that he received an order to retreat, and all of a sudden, he received another order to launch an a.s.sault right away… Are you all toying with me?
Wait a moment… The person who issued the order to retreat seemed to be Sovereign Chen Yong whereas the person asking me to attack is Sovereign Chen Ling. Their names sound similar, but they aren’t the same person… Could there be some discord among the Sovereigns?
If the Sovereigns were close with one another, there was no way that they would issue such contradicting orders. If there was truly disharmony among the Sovereigns, this could spell an opportunity for him…
“Mou Wu, what do you mean by this? Sovereign Chen Yong has already ordered for the troops here to retreat!” the black armored Otherworldly Demon remarked with an awful look on his face.
It was just a moment after he had issued his order when Mou Wu came here with a contradicting order. This was blatant disrespect toward him and Sovereign Chen Yong!
“I don’t mean anything at all. If you were a bit smarter, it should be apparent to you that I’m just following orders. Heng Jiang, what are waiting for? Hurry up and receive the edict!” the Otherworldly Demon named Mou Wu replied coldly as he tossed the golden edict over toward Zhang Xuan.
Catching the edict, Zhang Xuan swiftly read through its contents. Written in the language of the Otherworldly Demons as well, the edict contained a command for him to launch an attack against the Zhang Clan right away.
“This…” A look of dilemma surfaced on Zhang Xuan’s face as he stared the edict before him.
Seeing the conflicted look on Zhang Xuan’s face, the black armored Otherworldly Demon bellowed furiously, “Heng Jiang, ignore that fellow’s words and get your men to retreat. As the direct subordinate of the Spirit G.o.d, Sovereign Chen Yong is the highest Otherworldly Demon Emperor of our Otherworldly Demon Tribe. Unless you want to be beheaded, you should know what you must do!”
“Sovereign Chen Yong might be the highest Otherworldly Demon Emperor, but times are different now. The Temple of Confucius is on the verge of opening, and after all the effort we have put into breaking open the spatial seal, how can we retreat like this? Think of the men who have sacrificed themselves for this cause!” Mou Wu roared vehemently.
“Sovereign Chen Yong’s words are the very words of the Spirit G.o.d. Do you intend to oppose the will of the Spirit G.o.d?”
“I dare not oppose the will of the Spirit G.o.d, but this matter is of the utmost importance to our Otherworldly Demonic Tribe! There’s something amiss about the order issued by Sovereign Chen Yong, so I would rather listen to Sovereign Chen Ling’s words!”
The two envoys began bickering with one another.
“Alright, alright! There’s no need to bicker over this matter…” Seeing that the two Otherworldly Demons were on the verge of clas.h.i.+ng with one another, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and mediated the situation.
“If you may listen to my humble words, why don’t we not rush into executing the orders of Sovereign Chen Yong and Sovereign Chen Ling for the moment? Regardless of whose command it is, the wills of the Sovereigns are not something that we can simply disregard!
“Why don’t we do this instead? I won’t withdraw my soldiers, but I won’t rush into an attack either. Let’s clarify the situation before coming to a judgement. For the time being, why don’t I show you two the recent research breakthrough I have made?”
“Research breakthrough?” Mou Wu frowned doubtfully.
“Indeed. I have found a way to utilize the artifacts of the human seers that produces devastating power that is sufficient to destroy even an entire city! Brother Mou Wu, if you are interested, why don’t you place your hand on one of the mirrors, just like what my soldiers are doing? I’ll show you the results of my research!” Zhang Xuan said with a smile.
“You want me to touch the mirror?” Mou Wu asked with a doubtful frown.
He turned his gaze to the Otherworldly Demon soldiers around him, and only at that moment did he realize that they were holding hands tightly together with the person at the forefront of the file touching the mirror.
Even the black armored Otherworldly Demon was standing before a mirror with his hand resting lightly on its surface.
“Indeed! I believe that this could be a revolutionary discovery. If we could use this discovery to eradicate the humans once and for all, we’ll become heroes of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe! The Sovereigns will surely reward us handsomely for our immense contribution!” Zhang Xuan spoke with his voice quivering in excitement.
“Very well then!”
Seeing that everyone was already in position, Mou Wu swiftly nodded in agreement. He walked up to a mirror and placed his hand on it.
“Great! Is everyone ready? Put on a bright smile, alright? Three. Two. One…”
Zhang Xuan threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, “Cheese!”
Kacha!
Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!
In an instant, Mou Wu, the black armored Otherworldly Demon, and all of the soldiers were a.s.saulted by a barrage of lightning bolts. Their hair rose into the air, and white smoke drifted from their bodies.