Chen Tian appeared next to Shu Zi. The discussion among the three quickly reached a conclusion. Chen Tian asked Shu Zi, "Shu Zi, what are the levels of the Evil Spirit race gathered this time, and how many Evil Generals are there?"
"Chen Tian, according to reconnaissance, there are over thirty ordinary Evil Generals, followed by corrupted creatures, totaling more than a hundred thousand. The entire city is currently building defensive walls, which will take a day and a half to complete."
Shu Zi spoke with great seriousness. Chen Tian pondered, "Have you detected any High-level Evil Generals or anything similar?"
"No, Chen Tian. My reconnaissance is accurate. Perhaps they are not part of this group. I'm unsure of their whereabouts. What's wrong, Chen Tian?"
Shu Zi looked at Chen Tian, puzzled. Normally, without High-level Evil Generals, Shu Zi and the others should feel at ease. Chen Tian's expression seemed off. Chen Tian said indifferently, "I encountered an Ancient Evil General at the Northern Fortress. I suspect there's an Ancient Evil General operating at the Southern Fortress as well."
"Chen Tian, what is an Ancient Evil General?"
Shu Zi and Ge Zi both inquired, having never heard of such an existence before. Chen Tian recounted the events at the Northern Fortress to Shu Zi and Ge Zi. The two felt an overwhelming sense of crisis. If, as Chen Tian said, an Ancient Evil General was indeed involved at the Southern Fortress, how could they possibly resist such an attack? Ge Zi asked, "Chen Tian, is your current strength such that you wouldn't lose to them?"
"Rest assured, I can guarantee that. We're at least on even terms."
Chen Tian didn't guarantee victory, but he was confident of a draw. Chen Tian's strength was restricted, allowing him to use only one percent of his power. In the Divine Spirit Realm, Chen Tian could use two percent of his power. The main reason was that China's plane was inferior to the Divine Spirit Realm. The plane's tier, Heavenly Dao origin, and world origin were too weak. Chen Tian's power exceeded the world's capacity to withstand it, so Chen Tian had to ask the system to seal his strength.
Otherwise, the entire world would have exploded under the immense force of Chen Tian. The planet would have detonated and vanished from the universe. This was something Chen Tian did not want to see; this was his homeland, and he could not destroy it. Even when facing an Ancient Evil General, Chen Tian would strive to control his power.
Chen Tian's words were like a reassurance. Shu Zi and Ge Zi nodded. The matter of dealing with the Ancient Evil General would be left to Chen Tian. Their strength was no match for it. Without Chen Tian, they truly didn't know how they would hold on.
"Alright, Shu Zi, I have to attend a meeting. You and Chen Tian can discuss it. Our front lines are critical, and I cannot spare any reinforcements for you."
Ge Zi's expression was grave. The front lines absolutely could not collapse. If the front lines were breached, the Evil Spirit race could enter the world from beyond the stars, and the entire world would be plunged into darkness.
Ge Zi hung up the phone. Chen Tian looked at Shu Zi, who appeared calm, and asked, "Chen Tian, what should we do now?"
"Should we wait here for them to attack?"
"No, you and I will take the initiative. You mentioned their numbers were several times ours. Even with the city walls, you know the structural integrity of a hastily built fortress. It won't last more than a few days. It's better for us to act proactively, strike their advancing troops, and gradually increase their casualties through attrition. By the time they reach the fortress, their numbers will be significantly reduced."
Chen Tian spoke. Shu Zi hadn't expected Chen Tian to choose such a combat strategy. Indeed, given their numbers, the hastily constructed fortress walls wouldn't be able to withstand attacks as well as those of a regular fortress, and their durability would be limited.
Rather than holding their ground and waiting to die, it was better to take the initiative and inflict casualties on the enemy, reducing their numbers. Shu Zi hadn't even considered this plan because he dared not think in such a way. Only Chen Tian would have such a daring idea. That was over a hundred thousand enemies; it was questionable whether they could safely escape if they ventured in.
Chen Tian saw through Shu Zi's thoughts and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, my strength is such that those evil spirit creatures cannot keep me."
Chen Tian smiled confidently. With his current strength, facing an army of over a hundred thousand, as long as he was cautious, escaping would be easy. As for killing them all, that was too difficult.
Their numbers were too vast; many ants could still overwhelm an elephant. Chen Tian's power was not infinite; it required recovery. If his power were inexhaustible, Chen Tian would have already eradicated the Evil Spirit race. Chen Tian nodded to Shu Zi, their eyes meeting, and their figures disappeared from the room. As they left, Chen Tian cast a formation that sealed the entire room, preventing anyone from entering.
Chen Tian and Shu Zi's quiet departure had to be kept secret. They were doing this covertly because Chen Tian was primarily concerned about potential traitors, which could lead them into a trap. Both were close friends and trusted each other implicitly.
The extreme cold region was perpetually covered in ice and snow, with temperatures hovering around minus forty to fifty degrees Celsius. Chen Tian and Shu Zi walked on the snow, unaffected by the cold. A barrier around them isolated them from the frigid air. No normal person would dare walk in such extreme cold as they did; it was a miracle they weren't frozen into ice blocks.
Chen Tian sensed the surrounding aura and a smile touched his lips. He lifted his left foot and stomped it down. A massive formation appeared on the snowy ground, and then he descended into the snow. Chen Tian used his ability, "Energy Mastery," to control this snowy terrain. The formation was a deadly trap composed of snow. Now, they just had to wait for the Evil Spirit army to arrive; a grand gift awaited them.
Chen Tian didn't intend to directly confront the Evil Spirit army. Instead, he planned to lay down trap formations on their path of advance. These formations would be enough to give them a serious challenge. The corrupted creatures of the Evil Spirit race lacked reason; they were no different from puppets and would not detect the anomalies in the snow. Chen Tian had to admit that the abilities granted by the system were too powerful. Snow was a form of universal energy. Under Energy Mastery, Chen Tian could transform all the surrounding snow into whatever he desired.
This included altering the entire surrounding terrain of the snow-covered land. Chen Tian had just set up the snow formation and retreated. This was the first killing formation. Next, he would set up the second, the third, and so on. Chen Tian intended to deploy eighty-one killing formations to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy.
Chen Tian left his original position and reappeared elsewhere. He spread his palm, and countless ice blocks emerged from the snow and sank back into it. Chen Tian retreated again. This process repeated an unknown number of times until Chen Tian returned to the room.
"Chen Tian, are those traps you set really effective? You know that as long as the Evil Spirit energy doesn't dissipate, no matter how many they lose, they can infect other creatures to expand their army."
Shu Zi and the others were well aware of the Evil Spirit race's abilities and the potency of their energy. As long as the Evil Spirit energy remained, any creature it touched would be assimilated into an Evil Spirit creature. This was the reason for the vast numbers of the Evil Spirit army. If the Southern Fortress were to fall, both humans and creatures would be transformed into puppets.
"I know, but if their assimilation speed cannot match their casualty rate, then it is ineffective. My killing formations are enough to give them a severe challenge."
Chen Tian smiled confidently. The killing formations he had set up were a fusion of formation knowledge from both the Divine Spirit Realm and the Cultivation Realm, making their destructive power considerable. Chen Tian made a swipe with his arm, and a screen appeared above his head, displaying the snowy landscape of the extreme cold region. At this moment, a dense, dark mass of shadows was advancing, covering the sky as if night had fallen. Chen Tian and Shu Zi watched.
In the extreme cold region, the Evil Spirit army was led by three men. The three men looked strange, all bearing the appearance of the Evil Spirit race. They were all Evil Generals, the most powerful ones within the army, and they controlled the entire host.
"Stop!"
An Evil Spirit race man spoke, seemingly sensing something, and his expression was serious. The entire army halted its advance the moment his arm was raised. Xie Ru looked at the snowy ground before them, sensing a peculiar aura that also seemed to be non-existent.
"Xie Ru, what is it? Why have you stopped the advance?"
"I sense something strange ahead. You know my sense of aura is very strong, but it feels as if it's not there."
Xie Ru pondered, what exactly was happening ahead? The aura he had felt earlier had now vanished.
"Let's proceed. If we delay the Master's plan, neither of us will fare well."
A young Evil Spirit race boy next to Xie Ru spoke sternly, his eyes revealing fear and apprehension. Xie Ru didn't think further and chose to press on.
The army entered the snowy terrain, and explosions erupted one after another. Xie Ru and the others looked behind them. Damn it, there was an ambush!
"Be careful, there's an ambush! I knew that earlier sensation was wrong. It seems these humans have laid traps in our path, trying to inflict casualties."
Xie Ru's eyes glinted with intelligence. He quickly deduced Chen Tian's plan. As the strategist of this army, Xie Ru managed to minimize casualties, but even so, when they passed through the snowy formation, over five hundred individuals were lost.
"Damn humans! When we reach the city, I will turn everyone in all cities into puppets."
The young boy next to Xie Ru exclaimed in anger. Xie Ru looked ahead, wondering what dangers awaited them. This was the first trap, and Xie Ru's guess was correct: there were undoubtedly more traps ahead.
"This road is going to be difficult. I wonder who came up with this idea."
"That person? Impossible! The information from the Northern region said they were still at the Northern Fortress. How could they possibly appear in the south so quickly?"
Xie Ru listened to the words of the young Evil General beside him and was completely bewildered. Why was that person here? Was the Northern Fortress no longer important?
"Hurry up, increase the marching speed. We must complete the Master's mission. The Master is still waiting for us."
Xie Ru didn't dwell on other thoughts. He immediately issued orders. It was too late to ponder now. The only course of action was to proceed as planned.
Chen Tian watched on the screen as the killing formations and traps he had set up gradually eliminated the Evil Spirit creatures. He stroked his chin, observing Xie Ru on the screen. This fellow was intelligent. Perhaps the Evil Spirit race had indeed grown significantly after being sealed for thousands of years. Upon breaking the seal, they learned human languages, strategies, and more.
What intrigued Chen Tian was who this "Master" they referred to was. Chen Tian's screen provided real-time surveillance of the Evil Spirit army's location and audio. Chen Tian mentally simulated countless scenarios. What was their plan? Where was the Master?
These were all things Chen Tian had to consider. This battle was the decisive one. If Chen Tian and his allies were victorious, they would proceed directly to Ge Zi's location and clear out all the Evil Spirit race members. Then, the human world would return to its original state, leaving only the Cultivation Realm and the Divine Spirit Realm. Chen Tian planned to deal with the Divine Spirit Realm, the game world, last.
After all, the seal on the Chronological Era world had not been fully broken. Once Chen Tian resolved the Evil Spirit race in these two worlds, he would dedicate himself to completing the final sweep in the game.
"I wonder if that guy has sensed anything?"
Chen Tian looked up at the sky and waved his arm, making the screen disappear. Chen Tian said indifferently, "Shu Zi, have the guards maintain strict vigilance over the city. The enemy might make a significant move. Also, slow down the construction. According to the killing formations I've set, their progress will be delayed by one and a half days. In three days, the city walls will be stably built."
"Understood!"
A vortex appeared behind Chen Tian, and he vanished from the room, his destination unknown. Chen Tian could only do so much. Victory would depend on the unity of humanity, on hope, faith, and an unyielding will.
The decisive battle was imminent!