Eliminating Ghostbranch wasn’t the be all and end all of the young lord’s plan. He had much greater ambitions concerning the wood demon tribe.
Like the other tribes, this one counted two forefathers among its ranks, according to his previous inquiries.
Compared to Ghostbranch, the other forefather possessed a higher cultivation and specialized in parasites and poisons. Named Kingspot, he might prove an even thornier opponent.
The young lord was fully ready to tackle this challenge. Now that he’d reached mid divine realm, he was confident he could entrap all but the most powerful demon forefathers.
Bluntly put, it was a contest between brawns and brains.
A demon forefather, no matter his tribe, was a wall for other humans, but the young lord was the exception to the rule. He had too many cards up his sleeves, and enough strength to gain the upper hand in straight combat if need be.
But more crucially, he’d studied every tribe in great detail and was intimately familiar with all of their unique traits. He was never caught unawares and always had a plan at the ready.
As the saying went: know thyself and know thy enemy. Information was key in war, but the demons possessed mere outdated intelligence about him. They had no idea about the full extent of his power.
Therefore, while all the demon forefathers acknowledged him as a thorn in their side, almost no one took him seriously.
He was simply too young, after all. The demon powerhouses saw him as nothing but raw potential at most. He didn’t have the tangible fighting prowess to match his talents yet.
Unfortunately for them, their assessment was far off the mark.
“Kingspot is our next target.” Jiang Chen disclosed his plan to An Kasyapa, declaring solemnly, “We don’t have much time left. We have to kill him within a few days, then try to annihilate the wood demon tribe to clip another wing off the demon race.”
“What do you mean, there isn’t much time left?” An Kasyapa wondered.
The young lord immediately told him about the main demon army soon landing in full force on Myriad Abyss.
Unsettled by the news, the older man’s expression flickered and his chest heaved.
“Wasn’t the demon outbreak supposed to be in its initial stage? Shouldn’t they still need time to recover? How can they be back to full strength in such a few short years? Also, are they determined to make Myriad Abyss the stage of the decisive battle?”
“Back to full strength? They need a few more centuries, to say nothing of the resources required.” Jiang Chen smiled indifferently. “But it’s too late now for them to ever regain their past strength.”
An Kasyapa was intrigued by the firm conviction in his voice. The young lord he knew wasn’t one to swagger about in boasting, so there was surely a reason for his assurance.
“Why so, young lord? Is it because the casualties they’ve suffered in the ancient war were too heavy?”
“They were sealed for a long time in the ancient times and barely managed to make a comeback. Their substantial decline goes without saying. Though free again, they haven’t spent nearly enough time to mitigate their losses, since, as you’ve pointed out, they did suffer considerably in the previous war.
“Top-tier demons are hard to kill, hence they were sealed instead. But they did lose many mid and lower tier fighters. Furthermore, far away from their native lands, it isn’t easy for them to replenish their numbers other than enslaving new lackeys.”
Every argument was sound and impartial, but the young lord wasn’t done yet. An uncanny smile crept across his face.
“Moreover, I’ve been clobbering them left and right of late. Other than one forefather, I’ve destroyed almost the entire golden demon army. I then played the monster and titan demons against each other to eradicate their main force. I also lured the two fire demon forefathers away from their lair and killed them, then slayed two winged forefathers by the same method. Ghostbranch is only the latest in a long line of victims. Even the celestial demons should be feeling the heat by now.”
This was the most crucial part.
Misfortune had befallen the various demon tribes in Myriad Abyss. One by one, the losses they’d suffered added up to a ridiculous tally.
He didn’t know the exact number of troops at the enemy’s disposal, but the deaths of so many forefathers was a definite blow. There was a limit to the number of demon gods. Each of them was precious. Every death was an irreparable loss.
An Kasyapa stared dumbly, as if listening to a story from the legends. He was stunned speechless by the young lord’s string of victories.
Five to six battles fought consecutively, every single one of them a victory? Jiang Chen was simply the demons’ greatest nemesis.
“Young lord, there’s no time to lose. Let’s go and deal with this Kingspot. It’s entirely possible he might be more of a pain than Ghostbranch, isn’t it?” An Kasyapa also chomped at the bit.
“Yes, Kingspot’s cultivation is a little higher. But he doesn’t have Ghostbranch’s stealth abilities. As long as he doesn’t avoid us, I naturally have ways to handle him.”
It might have sounded full of hot air, but against Ghostbranch, the young lord hadn’t even called upon the four sacred beasts, the trump card he most relied on.
Parasites were the most annoying part against Kingspot. But in this vast world, Jiang Chen was the only one entirely undaunted by the prospect.
Meanwhile, Kingspot was in a smug mood while preparing for the offensive against Eternal. As planned, Ghostbranch’s demonic plants had occupied the enemy defenders and greatly lessened the resistance in his parasite legion’s way.
He could almost taste the sweetness of Eternal’s heritage. But he didn’t lose himself for too long inside this daydream. All of a sudden, his consciousness spasmed for no apparent reason.
An extremely dire premonition interrupted his thoughts. Where did it come from? He earnestly examined his surroundings.
