Chapter 921: Shock Across the Human Race, Hopes Entrusted (II)
Once everyone had more or less recovered, Heavenly King Zhenwu finally explained, "Just before the final battle broke out, Chen Chu broke through to the heavenly king level. His strength now rivals a supreme powerhouse. At the critical moment of the battle, he entered a limit-breaking state and killed a beginning-stage demon god alone. In addition, from what he later told us, during the battle he slew around ten demon kings, two great demon kings, and one pinnacle great demon king."
"Fuck!" One of the kings from North Lin couldn't help cursing aloud.
Qingqiu Tianyao burst out laughing. "Incredible! Truly worthy of being our once-in-ten-thousand-generations genius. He just stepped into the heavenly king level and already sacrificed a demon god to mark the occasion. If this news gets out, it'll do wonders for our morale."
Gabriel nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Chen Chu's combat strength has always been absurd. Back when he was only at the mythical level, he killed great demon kings who were a major realm above him like they were nothing. Now that he's broken through to the heavenly king level, killing a demon god actually seems kind of normal."
Normal? What the hell is normal about that? The other kings shook their heads, but their expressions quickly shifted into smiles. Spirits rose across the board. This meant the human race had gained another supreme-level combatant. Counting up their forces now, the human race was already strong enough to go toe-to-toe, or even overpower two of the Purgatory Empires in a head-on confrontation.
Just as everyone's mood was finally lifting, Zhenwu said, "Chen Chu is expected to return in about half a month, leading the remnants of the Heavenly Feathered Race. At that time, together with their three divine kings, twelve chief gods, and adding in three chief gods from the Alliance of Gods, plus Divine King Tarodell, we'll have more than enough strength to crush the remaining two Purgatory Empires. This is the reason I returned ahead of schedule. But..."
At that point, his expression grew grave. "On the way back, I received word from one of our hidden agents in the Purgatory Empire. Two days ago, the Dark Demonic Morkaya Empire was visited by envoys: two demon gods."
On the central throne, Qian Tian, who had remained still all this time, suddenly sat upright. His expression turned solemn. "These two are from a different battlefield, aren't they? One where another Purgatory Empire has been fighting a separate civilization?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone carried certainty. He had immediately connected the dots.
Zhenwu nodded gravely. "Correct. Since the elites of the three empires that had been fighting the Heavenly Feathered Race are all trapped in the Dark-Red World, these envoys could only have come from the other frontline."
"So... that means the war on that front has ended too." The Primordial King's voice was low and heavy.
The other kings reached the same conclusion. The optimism from Chen Chu's breakthrough and the fall of the three empires quickly faded. Even for these mythical-level experts, the emotional rollercoaster today was almost too much.
The First Councilor finally said, "There's no need to panic. Compared to twenty-odd years ago, we're in a much better position now. We made it through that crisis. This one is no different. Even though that other war is over, it doesn't necessarily mean we'll face the pressure of five Purgatory Empires at once. These empires... don't exactly get along. Some are outright enemies. So even if those three empires are freed up, at most one might intervene in the war between us and the Morkaya Empire. Besides, the other empires destroyed the Faeries in pursuit of racial legacy and resources. It will take time for them to digest and absorb all that, and that will be our window of opportunity."
Qian Tian's gaze turned icy. "We must gather all our forces and wipe out the Morkaya and Greeta Empires in one decisive battle."
Zhenwu nodded solemnly. "Exactly. That is the purpose of this summit. Before the Purgatory Clan can regroup and mobilize its full power, we will launch a reverse extinction war, and strike first to annihilate demon gods like Deorus and destroy their empires. We'll push the frontlines forward by two million kilometers. Once that's done, we'll hold our ground using the natural defenses of the surrounding forbidden zones. Even if the remaining six Purgatory Empires join forces, we'll still have room to maneuver."
The region surrounding the human race formed a massive gourd shape. The humans controlled a stretch of just over twenty thousand kilometers at the neck of the gourd, and just beyond them was the Alliance of Gods. The broader "belly" area at the back had long been occupied by the two Purgatory Empires, serving as their rear base for the frontline war. The territory was not only riddled with internal danger zones, but also surrounded by death zones so perilous that even demon gods dared not enter lightly, forming a giant natural ring.
This geographical advantage was the main reason humanity had survived for so long. Had these forbidden zones not blocked three of their flanks, and had the Purgatory Empires been able to open up multiple frontlines beyond the Abyssal and Sky Battlefields, the human race wouldn't have had it so easy even if they had managed to hold out.
Currently, the Abyssal Battlefield had been cut off by the tail of that gargantuan creature that fell from the sky, leaving only the Sky Battlefield as a viable passage.
If the human race could now consolidate all its power and destroy the elite forces of the two empires in a single sweep, and drive the war front all the way to the far end of the gourd-shaped forbidden zone to hold that chokepoint, they would gain a tremendous advantage in battlefield depth.
From there, using the surrounding dangerous zones, they could construct war bases, deploy restrictive barriers, and hold their ground even against enemy forces twice as strong in demon-god-level power, so long as they were willing to bleed.
At that point, if Chen Chu could ascend quickly to the supreme level, the alliance would still have hope. Even Qian Tian, a supreme powerhouse himself, found himself placing his highest hopes on Chen Chu.
He had no choice; Chen Chu's performance was simply too overwhelming. Whether it was his ability to fight across major realms or his ever-accelerating cultivation speed after breaking into the mythical level, Chen Chu had repeatedly shattered all expectations.
"Send word to the Blue Planet. All Celestial Annihilation Satellites and Deathline Satellites are to enter reactivation mode and prepare for interdimensional strikes at a moment's notice. Also, have Logistics open every warehouse in both the mythical world and the Blue Planet. Begin mass production of crystalline hydrogen bombs, quad-phase crystal-energy bombs, and other large-scale weapons. Activate the experimental gravitational collapse bombs, and prepare all prototype antimatter annihilation inscription weapons..."
With one command after another, the entire human alliance was shaken to its core. All factories—military, materials, or otherwise—went into overdrive, operating at full capacity to produce everything needed for the upcoming war of extinction. This included not just weapons, ammunition, and energy-bombers, but also recovery resources, medical supplies, and emergency field medicine.
At the same time, the Primordial King left the meeting and headed straight to the Alliance of Gods, initiating formal war discussions. This time, the Alliance could no longer remain on the sidelines.
Now, all that remained was to wait for Chen Chu and his group to return, then the final battle would begin. For a war of this scale, even just gathering resources and preparing deployments would take at least ten to fifteen days, much like that epic battle at the Abyssal Battlefield long ago.
The mounting tension rippled throughout the entire human race. Although the details remained confidential, and were known only to those of king level and above, many mistakenly assumed the urgency was tied to deteriorating conditions on the Sky Battlefield.
Even the traitors hiding within the alliance, spies from the Purgatory Empires, only picked up fragments of information, such as the humans mobilizing large quantities of supplies in preparation for "a new round of frontline warfare."
Opposite the Sky Battlefield, in the dark world tens of thousands of kilometers overhead, the demon god Belitir gazed indifferently toward the human base. Its eyes fell across the void, landing squarely on the Celestial King, who stood locked in silent confrontation from across tens of thousands of kilometers.
"Keep struggling. When reinforcements arrive on our side...That will be the moment the human race perishes."