Chapter 99: All Are Forced into Poverty

This way, all of his cultivation methods used in the Eight Extremes Array settled in the Dao Seed stage, the peak of Dao Initiation realm. He checked his own danger value, 625. Adding to that the King Slayer Aura, he reckons they would be evenly matched, thus making the fight meaningless.

Oh well, time to split.

Chen Ming flew on his cloud, with Silver Wing in hot pursuit behind him, for a full day no less. Silver Wing only now seemed to have figured that despite being faster than Chen Ming, his array was a turtle shell. He had no way of reaching him.

If he wanted to kill Chen Ming, he would need the help of another Divine Palace. Silver Wing thus ended the chase and went about looking for his troops.

Chen Ming saw how Silver Wing drifted in the distance, so he took out Black Python’s map, checking the routes of the other three Divine Palace’s forces. He had a creepy grin as he went for Madam Spider’s camp. It was time to go ahead of their trail and mess them up a bit.

After all four Divine Palace Archfiend suffered at Chen Ming’s harassment, they regrouped their forces and marched together. This was also the first time the four saw eye to eye since the start of their march on Yan Mountain.

Silver Wing began, “From how I see it, we can send a team ahead, led by an Archfiend, with us hiding among them. When Chen Ming attacks we will kill him in one swoop!”

Forest Ogre chuckled, “Who’s the fool here, Chen Ming or you? Letting a single Archfiend leave will make it look suspicious. Will Chen Ming even attack?”

Mountain Grizzly was furious, “This guy’s annoying as a housefly. Nothing less of crushing Yan Mountain will release me of this hatred!”

Madam Spider laughed darkly, as the bone fan in her hand shook slightly, “All Chen Ming is doing is stalling us. But if we are to give a chase the next time around, we will need at least two Divine Palace to kill him. With Chen Ming’s cunning nature, it will be easier said than done. Chen Ming might be slippery as an eel, but Yan Mountain can’t budge. If we surround it, Chen Ming will surely come to its rescue!”

A bone fell from behind the rows of teeth in Forest Ogre’s mouth, “Good plan. With Yan Mountain surrounded, he will have no room to wiggle!”

Chen Ming also noticed how his plan was seen through. They began marching towards Yan Mountain, without sparing him any attention.

He did his best to stall for these eight days but seemed enough to have another three thousand Great Fiends finish their change. Even if they attacked Yan Mountain now, the outcome might be different from their expectations. He could no longer act outside and had to return to Yan Mountain.

Three days later found Chen Ming on Black Tiger Mountain, looking at the enemy camp. They were here since last night but didn’t attack, leaving Chen Ming mystified.

The four Divine Palace Archfiends were clear on one thing. If they attacked together, who would take the credit for Yan Mountain’s destruction, who was the one to enter Moon King Hall?

And if they took turns in attacking, then who was first to go to their deaths?

The Divine Palace Archfiends have reached a silent agreement. Each of them used various reasons to stop their advance, just short of Black Tiger Mountain, where they set up camp.

Chen Ming was overjoyed at this turn of events, as it would earn him precious time. Then Black Tiger came to report three days later, “Mountain Lord, with war knocking on our door, the fiend army worked day and night and just yesterday finished changing to the new cultivation method. Our Yan Mountain has now eight thousand Blood Regalia and Warding Sword Art troops!”

Then ended with a question, “Mountain Lord, should we make preparation for a counterattack?”

“There’s no doubt we’ll counterattack, but a plain victory won’t suffice. We need to strike hard and fast, thoroughly crushing the opposition. This is the only way we can deter Moon King Hall, giving them the illusion I am a Grand Archfiend. If not, then Yan Mountain will be on equal footing with Moon King Hall in power. Only this will tie Moon King Hall’s hands and feet, cowering him from making a decision to attacking us easily. And based on Yan Mountain’s speedy growth, in a year or so, we will have enough strength to deal with them.”

Black Tiger was glum, “But, Mountain Lord, our spirit stones reserves have dwindled to a mere hundred thousand. We won’t have enough to supply the Blood Regalia and Warding Sword Art troops for the next month.”

Chen Ming was used to using big steps when spending, and now realized he was broke. He took a while for this to sink in, Have my steps been a tad too big?

There were too many things eating at his money. If he stopped raising his disciples, then no merits for him. If he didn’t raise the new army, then no one would be there to defend Yan Mountain’s chives.

His expenses stacked to seven-eight hundred thousand spirit stones a month. The problem lays with Astral Immortal Sect’s ingredients. I can’t just give them to the army or the Archfiends.

And so, he was left with one last option, to wipe the floor with those four outside, then plunder their old home and taking their riches as spoils of war.

Chen Ming thought it through and this was the only viable course of action.

Chen Ming ordered the army to assemble, then went with Black Tiger and Fire Swallow on the balcony. Chen Ming’s eyes roamed over the overbearing Regalia Legion, and bellowed, “The enemy invaded Blazing Mulberry Nest, we retreated. The enemy invaded Black Tiger Mountain, we retreated again. But we can retreat no longer since behind us lays Yan Mountain!”

“Everyone minded their own territory, even Yan Mountain. But there are always some who covet what we have. We will use our blood and lives to tell them Yan Mountain isn’t their prey. Any who dares wave their armies at Yan Mountain will have a fate worse than death!”

“In the morrow, the Regalia Legion will unleash an all-out attack!”

News of Yan Mountain’s war preparation spread across its entire land. The disciples knew that danger descended upon Yan Mountain and sent what recovery pills they finished refining. They didn’t have any risk of getting injuries for now, while the ones who were almost certain to get hurt were the Regalia Legion troops.

Chen Ming also hinted his legacy disciples to deliver hundreds of bottles with recovery pills to the Regalia Legion, each holding ten pills.

Other disciples capable of refining, driven by legacy disciples’ example, started to give the Regalia Legion recovery pills. For Yan Mountain’s disciples, these toys called pills held little value anyway.

This was only right, as this Regalia Legion was the one protecting them from harm.

Almost all troops had a recovery pill bottle on them, that was eighty thousand recovery pills. Because of this, Chen Ming didn’t find it odd how Astral Immortal Sect bought pills in bulk. His teeny-tiny Yan Mountain only used eighty thousand in one go, not to mention how much would those ancient immortal sects used.