Chapter 181 Spark of War

Thick black smoke billowed into the air.

A sea of inferno raged on, burning up whatever was left of the village.

From time to time, there would be the sound of a building collapsing on itself, no longer able to continue supporting its own weight.

Dead bodies were left in these burning houses, as though the houses were elaborate coffins specially prepared for their deaths.

This was a scene of utter devastastion.

Faced with such a sight, it would be difficult for anyone to imagine that just a few hours ago, this place had still been filled with the joyous laughters and playful banters of numerous villagers.

Juncheng stood in place, staring blankly through a small window and into a burning house.

Within the small house, the corpse of a young girl lay motionless in the arms of her mother, both of whom had blood smeared all over their bodies.

They were both dead.

A distance away, Lu Tianzi silently shook his head.

This deputy of his was efficient, had initiative, and even possessed pretty good combat capabilities for his cultivation level.

The only problem with him was that he was too sentimental.

Thankfully, he had been able to control his emotions during battle, thus not affecting the squad's combat effectiveness. Otherwise, Lu Tianzi would not have hesitated to switch him out.

Still, it was not like Lu Tianzi could not understand what was going through Juncheng's mind.

Even though demons cultivated the Slaughter Essence system, many of them had never killed any of their own kind, and Juncheng who had been carefully raised within the Nine Suns Sect counted among this group as well.

In this village, there were many villagers who were basically powerless against martial artists, yet they had all been sentenced to death.

It was no wonder that Juncheng felt conflicted at taking their lives.

However, during times of war, even the slightest bit of compassion for the enemy could prove fatal!

Lu Tianzi did not know if this was part of General Nanbai Zhaoyu's plans, but he was still glad that they had started with the villages that were basically easy prey. By doing so, people like Juncheng could at least take the chance to get used to such matters before the battles become much harsher.

This way, these people's chances of survival would increase sharply as well.

"Let's go, Juncheng," Lu Tianzi called out, unwilling to wait any longer.

"Y-Yes, Squad Leader Nanlu!" Juncheng snapped out of his daze to rejoin the group, slightly embarrassed for having zoned out earlier.

Lu Tianzi led his squad of fifty men and left towards an open area outside the village, which was also the rendezvous point that had been agreed on earlier.

"You are finally here!" Nanqing Haowen proudly remarked when he saw Lu Tianzi appear. "How slow!"

"Yeah, sorry for the delay," Lu Tianzi casually apologised.

"You haven't arrived for long either," Nanlan Qianxue commented from the side.

"No matter what, I am still faster than him!" Nanqing Haowen shrugged before turning back to stroke the Black Maned Shadow Lion that was sitting obediently by his side.

"All right, we are done here!" Elder Mingxin called out, drawing the attention of everyone in the area. "Let us move on to meet with the others!"

"Yes, Commander!" Lu Tianzi and the rest of the twenty squad leaders answered loudly and without hesitation.

Now, even those who were not from the Nine Suns Sect were starting to look at Elder Mingxin with reverence and respect.

Under her flawless leadership, their battalion had cleared out the village in an exceptionally systematic manner.

Caught in her intricate plans, not a single villager managed to escape.

This showed that Elder Mingxin was not just a powerful Origin Core realm expert, but also a skilled strategist.

The first trait was important, but the second trait was even more so to the people serving under her. As long as they remained in her battalion, the benefits for them should far outweigh the costs!

But despite their efficiency, their battalion had been assigned with one of the furthest villages, and thus they were still one of the last battalions to get into position.

It was no wonder that the order to advance came shortly after.

In this war, the Scarlet Moon Kingdom was aiming to catch their opponent by surprise.

Everything had to be done in one fell swoop so as to gain as much of an advantage as possible before the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom even had time to react!

***

Loud horns sounded out ceaselessly from the guard towers atop the town walls, alerting the town inhabitants of the imminent danger.

Before long, a man dressed in noble robes appeared on the town walls, standing right above the main gate as he looked down at the army beyond the walls.

He had deep wrinkles, greying hair, and even looked slightly plump. But the vitality in his eyes was unmistakable even as he narrowed them at the multiple flags fluttering in the wind.

He was, without a doubt, an Origin Core realm martial artist.

"I am Mingye Qianniao, Lord of Drakecrack Town!" he roared from where he stood, every word loudly resounding in everyone's ears. "This town is part of the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom. Even if you belong to the Scarlet Moon Kingdom, that will not save you from retaliation! Be warned that if you do not turn back now, the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom will regard this as a declaration of war, and will send forth our army to completely destroy you!"

Despite the confidence that he put behind each of his words, Mingye Qianniao was actually feeling especially nervous right now.

From where he stood, he could clearly see that there were multiple Origin Core realm martial artists in the army before him, and some of them had cultivation levels even higher than him!

At this moment, the Second Cycle Origin Core realm cultivation level that he had always been so proud of seemed ever so insignificant in comparison…

As if that was not enough, the guards at the other sides of the town walls had also sent a signal stating that the town had been completely surrounded in all directions.

In such a situation, he might have to go all out just to stand a chance of breaking out!

Mingye Qianniao could not help but curse in his heart.

Did these bastards from the Scarlet Moon Kingdom take the wrong medicine?

Just why would they suddenly attack his Drakecrack Town?!

At this moment, General Nanbai Zhaoyu flew up from within the ranks of the army, causing Mingye Qianniao to swallow his saliva in nervousness.

"Greetings, Lord Mingye," General Nanbai Zhaoyu started with a gentle tone, but he did little to hide the malice in his eyes. "My apologies for the sudden intrusion, but you just happened to be unlucky enough to be in our way. So right now, you have two options. If you surrender immediately, we might consider sparing your lives. Or alternatively, you could resist us and by doing so, face certain death. Now then, what would be your choice?"

His cold words rang out in the ears of the inhabitants of Drakecrack Town as well, sending a chill down their spines.

"You arrogant bastard!" Mingye Qianniao cursed out loud. "We of the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom have our pride, and are not to be trampled upon as you wish! If you want to take our lives, you can die trying!"

His words instantly reignited the morale of his soldiers as they raised their weapons and roared in agreement.

That's right!

If they want to take our lives, they can die trying!

On the other side, General Nanbai Zhaoyu merely let out a cold smirk upon seeing their response. "Send down my orders. All forces, advance. Show no mercy to anyone who resists!"

"Our Drakecrack Town shall not be captured this easily! Prepare yourselves!" Mingye Qianniao snorted in contempt. "If you want Drakecrack Town, we will make you pay a huge price for it!"

"Hahaha! I think you are misunderstanding something here!" General Nanbai Zhaoyu actually burst into laughter after hearing his words. "We have no need for your shitty town! By the end of this battle, all that will remain of your town will be nothing but ruins!"

"What?!" Mingye Qianniao was shocked.

They were not aiming to capture Drakecrack Town?

In that case, why were they even attacking?

No, that was no longer important at this point.

If the other party was saying the truth, then should the town really fall, even the defenceless people in the town would likely be massacred!

Just what kind of madness was this?!

***

Far away, in a grand and beautiful palace that was by no means lacking in comparison to the Scarlet Moon Palace.

A young demon hurried along the long corridors, his back covered in cold sweat.

Finally reaching the door at the end, he pushed it open without hesitation, much to the shock of the guard who had been standing by the door.

Usually, this would have been an unthinkable act of gross disrespect. But he could not care less today.

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The heavy doors swung open to reveal a grand chamber with a ceiling at least five storeys high. The marble floor was well polished, reflecting the beautiful sunlight that had been dyed a thousand different shades by the coloured window panes.

At the far end of the chamber, there was an elevated platform on which a huge bronze cauldron rested majestically, as though it was overlooking the entire chamber. Intricate carvings of a single dragon wound itself around the huge cauldron, adding to its imposingness.

Right in front of it was a grand chair, or rather, the throne of the palace.

As expected, the moment he pushed open the heavy doors, the person seated upon the throne knitted his brows in displeasure.

But even before the king had a chance to speak, the guard who had been standing by the door rushed forward to hold onto the newcomer, preventing him from proceeding any further.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty!" the guard tried to explain himself. "He just rushed in all of a sudd-"

"It's all right," the king spoke calmly and waved gently with one hand. The beautiful dancers who had been performing before him knowingly scuttled to one side. "So tell me, Wenqin. What is it that is so important, such that it even made you forget your basic manners?"

"Pardon me, Your Majesty!" Wenqin, who was being held onto by the guard, fell to his knees in repentence. "However, this matter is truly of utmost importance!"

"Is that so?" the king looked at Wenqin in curiosity. "Tell me then."

"Reporting to Your Majesty!" Wenqin switched to voice conveyance immediately, not wanting the other people present to hear what he was about to say next. "The eastern borders have been breached!"

The king frowned immediately, but chose not to interrupt his aide's report.

"I have received word that the Scarlet Moon Kingdom has sent a huge army, attacking us on multiple fronts. Taken by surprise, our forces have suffered great losses!" Wenqin continued. "In the north, we have lost Drakecrack Town. In the south, Wyvershack Town and Dracin Town have similarly fallen to the enemy. As for the central region, the enemy's attack is the fiercest, and they have already taken three different towns. In fact, we have received word that they are currently sieging Rexhog City! From the sound of it, chances are that Rexhog City will fall within these two days as well!"

"Interesting… sounds like that Scarlet Moon dog has finally decided to bite back!" the king remarked with a cold sneer. "Well then, let us see just who between the two of us will end up having the last laugh!"