145: Chapter 145 The Great Battle Begins, Jiang Ziya

[Three months later, the army set out.]

[Chu Sheng rode a pitch-black Demonic Beast, holding Chu Zhan in his arms.]

[Yu Rumeng insisted on bringing her son, saying, "The demon fetus absorbing killing intent on the battlefield is beneficial for Cultivation."]

[Chu Sheng disagreed, but she said, "Do you know better, or do I?"]

[Chu Sheng fell silent.]

[Chu Zhan snuggled in his arms, looking around excitedly, his small hands clutching the Demonic Beast's mane as he shouted, "Giddy-up, giddy-up!"]

[Chu Sheng said, "Behave yourself."]

[Chu Zhan kicked him in the stomach with considerable force, making Chu Sheng grimace.]

[Yu Rumeng rode the Demonic Beast beside them, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.]

[After marching for half a month, they arrived at the front lines.]

[The Tianfeng Kingdom's army was already arrayed on the opposite side, a dense black mass stretching as far as the eye could see.]

[The first thing Chu Sheng saw wasn't the formation or the military strength, but a single person.]

[A white-haired old man stood at the very front of the formation with his hands behind his back, his aura as deep as an abyss.]

[The Old Grandfather's voice exploded within the ring, filled with shock and disbelief: "Grandmaster Jiang! The Grand Former Emperor of Tianfeng Kingdom! That kid actually hasn't died yet!"]

[Chu Sheng was stunned.]

[The Old Grandfather's voice trembled: "The Palace Building Realm! He has broken through to the Palace Building Realm! When I roamed the world back then, he was the Emperor of the Tianfeng Kingdom! I thought he had died long ago!"]

[Chu Sheng swallowed hard, staring at the old man, feeling like an ant standing before an elephant.]

[Several familiar figures stood behind Grandmaster Jiang.]

[Xia Nihuang was in military attire, holding the five fires seven birds fan. Her aura was much stronger than their last meeting; she was at the Spirit Lake Peak, only one step away from Sea Opening.]

[Jiang Yuenü still had a cold expression, clad in silver armor and standing beside Xia Nihuang, her gaze scanning the Demon Race army.]

[The Third Prince stood beside Grandmaster Jiang with a smile, as composed as if he were attending a banquet.]

[Chu Sheng lowered his head, his heart pounding wildly.]

[Jiang Yuenü's gaze swept over him, pausing for a brief moment before moving on.]

[Chu Sheng's back was drenched in cold sweat.]

[She didn't recognize him.]

[His current appearance was completely different from the 'Nie Zhang' of the past, and his cultivation had changed from True Transformation Realm to the Spirit Lake Middle Stage.]

[She only gave him a few extra glances, thinking this demon cultivator looked a bit familiar, and that was all.]

[Chu Sheng noticed that Ye Wuhen was absent.]

[The Old Grandfather sent a voice transmission: "That kid probably has another mission."]

[Chu Sheng asked, "What mission?"]

[The Old Grandfather didn't answer.]

[Chu Zhan poked his head out from his arms and asked in a low voice, "Dad, are those people bad?"]

[Chu Sheng said, "No, they are enemies."]

[Chu Zhan nodded as if he half-understood and then retracted his head.]

[The two sides confronted each other for three days, and neither side made the first move.]

[A strange calmness permeated the air, like the silence before a storm.]

[Standing behind Yu Rumeng, Chu Sheng looked at the mountain-like old man opposite them and thought about the Palace Building Realm; Yu Rumeng was also in the Palace Building Realm.]

[The Old Grandfather said, "He is currently at the Palace Building Middle Stage, but he damaged his Foundation years ago, so his Realm is unstable."]

[Chu Sheng's heart sank.]

[On the night of the fourth day, the moonlight was faint and the wind was strong.]

[Grandmaster Jiang suddenly spoke; his voice wasn't loud, yet it carried for a hundred miles, sounding as if he were speaking directly into everyone's ears: "Devil King Rumeng, come out for a talk."]

[Yu Rumeng drew her sword and stepped out of the formation.]

[Her blood-red dress fluttered loudly in the night wind.]

[Grandmaster Jiang stood in mid-air, his hair white as snow, looking at her with his hands behind his back, his gaze as calm as if he were looking at a Junior.]

[The two of them locked eyes.]

[Grandmaster Jiang spoke in a flat voice, as if asking about the weather: "The hundred years of peace have not yet passed; is the Demon Race going to tear up the agreement?"]

[Yu Rumeng said indifferently, "You were the ones who tore it up first."]

[Grandmaster Jiang fell silent for a moment, didn't refute her, but simply nodded and turned back to his formation.]

[Yu Rumeng returned to the camp with her sword, and Chu Sheng went to meet her.]

[There was no expression on her face, but she gripped her sword very tightly.]

[Chu Sheng took her hand; she glanced at him but said nothing.]

[Chu Zhan had fallen asleep in the tent, his small hand clutching the corner of Chu Sheng's clothes, murmuring, "Giddy-up, giddy-up."]

[Chu Sheng looked at him and thought, this child is even riding a horse in his dreams.]

[Yu Rumeng sat nearby, her fingers lightly tapping the hilt of her sword, lost in thought.]

[The Old Grandfather suddenly spoke: "That old thing Grandmaster Jiang is even more formidable than he was back then."]

[Chu Sheng asked, "Can she beat him?"]

[The Old Grandfather fell silent for a moment: "Your wife might be able to fight him, but taking him down would cost her a tremendous price..."]

[Looking at Yu Rumeng's profile, Chu Sheng suddenly felt that he was too weak.]

[At the Spirit Lake Stage, he was nothing in the face of the Palace Building Realm.]

[He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.]

[Yu Rumeng suddenly turned to look at him: "What are you thinking about?"]

[Chu Sheng said, "Thinking about how to become stronger."]

[She smiled, a rare trace of softness in her expression: "You are already very strong."]

[Chu Sheng knew she was just comforting him.]

[The sound of a horn came from outside, dull and long, like the sigh of a giant beast.]

[Chu Zhan rolled over, his small hand letting go of Chu Sheng's clothes and grabbing Yu Rumeng's sleeve.]

[Yu Rumeng looked down at her son and reached out to gently pat his back.]

[Chu Sheng stood at the entrance of the tent, looking at the lights of the Tianfeng Kingdom's camp opposite them.]

[Grandmaster Jiang, Jiang Wuji, Xia Nihuang, Jiang Yuenü, the Third Prince. They were all old acquaintances.]

[He touched the mask on his face, wondering if he would still be alive to go back after this Chu Zhan was over.]

[Yu Rumeng walked over, stood beside him, and took his hand: "Don't be afraid."]

[Chu Sheng said, "I'm not."]

[In the distance, Grandmaster Jiang's figure disappeared into the camp tents.]

[The moonlight was faint, the wind was strong, and the great war was on the verge of breaking out.]

Chu Sheng watched this scene and lamented, "Grandmaster Jiang! The Palace Building Realm! The Tianfeng Kingdom is actually hiding such an old monster!"

He stared at the white-haired old man in the image, a chill running down his back: "Fortunately, my identity wasn't exposed. If Grandmaster Jiang found out he was the 'dead' Nie Zhang of the Tianfeng Kingdom, there would be big trouble."

He looked at the family of three in the image and suddenly smiled: "But now with a Devil King wife, Spirit Lake cultivation, and a little monster of a son, who would dare mess with him upon returning to the Tianfeng Kingdom? Unless..."

He paused and stared at Grandmaster Jiang's departing figure: "Unless that old monster personally takes action."