Just as Xu Fang commanded the Heavenly Soldiers to surround and annihilate the tens of thousands of demons, and while the Bull Demon King and his allies were retreating in disarray, a resounding dragon roar suddenly erupted from the sea!

  “Roar—”

  In an instant, a massive golden dragon soared into the sky, trailed by countless shrimp soldiers and crab generals. “I, the North Sea Dragon King Ao Run, have arrived! Hearing that the Heavenly Army is here to vanquish the demons, I’ve brought my forces to assist!”

  Xu Fang looked at the old dragon king and couldn’t help but snicker inwardly.

  This dragon king’s two sons had been trapped by the Serpent Demon King for quite some time, and now, in desperation, he had come to the Heavenly Court for help, which led to the Jade Emperor sending him to subdue the demons.

  He hadn’t shown himself during Xu Fang’s previous standoff with the demon forces, but now that the situation was settled, he decided to make an appearance. It was clear what the old dragon king was after!

  However, Xu Fang paid him no mind and shouted, “Heavenly Strategy Camp soldiers, listen up! Immediately slay the demons present!”

  With the command given, the Heavenly Soldiers charged forward, howling as they attacked the lesser demon kings.

  But just then, a fierce wind swept through!

  Whoosh—

  A shadow so vast it blotted out the sun descended upon the land!

  In an instant, the Heavenly Soldiers and Ao Run’s shrimp and crab soldiers were blown haphazardly, tumbling into the sea.

  Only Xu Fang and a few others with formidable strength managed to maintain their footing.

  Feeling a heaviness in his heart, Xu Fang looked up at the massive shadow and was horrified to discover it was an enormous bird, its body spanning thousands of miles!

  “North of the sea, there is a fish, its name is Kun…”

  A passage of text flashed in Xu Fang's mind!

  “Who dares to obstruct the Heavenly Army from slaying demons? Declare your name at once!”

  The Lord of the Martial Star bellowed, furious.

  The colossal bird flapped its wings, generating gales and monstrous waves in the North Sea, its might palpable!

  “Little ones, you are not worthy to know my name! Tell Haotian that the demon race is not to be trifled with; we old bones are not dead yet!”

  As the voice echoed, the gigantic bird flapped its wings again, taking the remaining surviving demon kings away!

  In the blink of an eye, it had flown far from this place, and the darkened sky was illuminated once more.

  “Kunpeng!”

  Xu Fang’s expression soured at the name; he was all too familiar with it.

  The Kunpeng was one of the primordial beings, residing in the North Sea for eons, and had even attended lectures by Hongjun, the Ancestor of Dao, at the Purple Cloud Palace.

  This was a powerful demon that existed in the same era as the Three Pure Ones and the two Western Saints!

  In fact, it had once contested the control of the demon race against the Heavenly Emperor Dijun, earning the title of Demon Master!

  Its cultivation had already reached the level of a quasi-saint!

  “Since the Kunpeng has intervened, this matter is settled!”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Erlang Shen’s expression was equally grim. Although he was one of the strongest beings in the three realms, he was not invincible.

  At the very least, he knew he was no match for the Kunpeng!

  Thus, he could only watch as the Kunpeng carried away the remaining demon kings.

  “Master, what should we do now?”

  The Lord of the Martial Star leaned toward Xu Fang, his voice lowered.

  Xu Fang shook his head and replied, “Very well, since the Kunpeng has personally stepped in, we shall let this battle end here. However, the Bull Demon King and his ilk remain our targets for pursuit. Martial Star, assess the casualties from this battle!”

  The Lord of the Martial Star nodded and immediately began to tally the losses, while Xu Fang clasped his hands toward Erlang Shen, saying, “I must thank the True Immortal for your assistance in this battle.”

  “It’s nothing,” Erlang Shen waved his hand. “Now that this battle is concluded, it’s time for me to return. If you have time, do visit me at Guanjiangkou.”

  “Thank you for your kind invitation, True Immortal. I will certainly pay a visit.”

  Xu Fang cupped his hands in gratitude, and Erlang Shen nodded before leading the Six Sages of Meishan and the Grass-Headed Deity away on the winds.

  “Master, the battle damage has been assessed. We annihilated over thirteen thousand demon kings, while three hundred twenty-two of our Heavenly Soldiers perished, including one commander. Twelve were severely injured, and one hundred eighty sustained minor injuries.”

  The Lord of the Martial Star returned after completing the tally.

  Xu Fang nodded and said, “Report this victory to His Majesty and request rewards, as we have won the battle!”

  “Understood.”

  The Lord of the Martial Star acknowledged, and Xu Fang contemplated for a moment before stating, “Alright, you shall personally make this report. When you return, you can resume your position as deputy commander.”

  The old fellow had contributed significantly in this battle, and Xu Fang felt it was only right to restore him to his previous rank.

  “Thank you, Master!”

  The Lord of the Martial Star exclaimed in delight, bowing deeply in gratitude.

  Following this, Xu Fang instructed the Lord of the Martial Star to report back to the heavens while he led the Heavenly Soldiers toward the Northern Julu Continent.

  As everyone knew, among the four great continents, Jambudvipa was primarily populated by humans, Purvavideha was home to many cultivators, Aparagodaniya belonged to the Buddhist sect, and only Uttarakuru was filled with countless demons!

  By leading his Heavenly Soldiers to Uttarakuru, he could provide them with ample opportunities for training.

  Moreover, he would have time to sign in daily and stack his attributes!

  Time flew by, and a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye!

  During this century, Xu Fang nearly wiped out all the demons in Northern Julu!

  Despite the Heavenly Soldiers having been somewhat lax over the years, their foundation remained solid. With Xu Fang personally overseeing operations, rewarding and punishing as necessary, the soldiers of the Heavenly Strategy Camp had become fierce as wolves!

  Xu Fang's prestige within the Heavenly Strategy Camp reached unprecedented heights!

  ……

  Inside the Heavenly Court.

  In the Hall of Divine Mists.

  “Reporting to the Emperor, the newly appointed Stable Keeper, Bima Wen, has left his post without permission, feeling that his position is too insignificant. He departed the Heavenly Court yesterday!”

  The Vice Supervisor of the Horse Administration, battered and bruised, knelt in the Hall of Divine Mists, crying, “He believes we deceived him, and beat up this little fairy!”

  “What a brazen demon monkey!”

  The Jade Emperor’s face twisted with fury upon hearing this!

  “How dare an ignorant mountain demon monkey so openly disrespect the authority of the Heavenly Court? My ministers, who among you is willing to descend to the mortal realm to subdue this monkey?”

  At this point, the Jade Emperor was still playing his part.

  As expected, Li Jing immediately stepped forward, volunteering to subdue the demon monkey!

  In less than an hour, Li Jing returned to the Hall of Divine Mists, bruised and battered.

  He had been defeated!

  Moreover, he brought back news!

  The demon monkey Sun Wukong had raised a flag in Flower-Fruit Mountain, proclaiming himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!

  His five sworn brothers had each proclaimed themselves as great sages as well, officially rebelling against the Heavenly Court!

  The Jade Emperor was enraged and wished to send more troops to quell the rebellion. At that moment, the Gold Star of Venus, who had received his gaze, immediately volunteered to descend to negotiate.

  The Jade Emperor, lost in his role, eagerly agreed.

  ……

  In Flower-Fruit Mountain.

  The flag of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven waved proudly in the wind.

  “Great King, Great King! The old man who invited you to the heavens is back!”

  Sun Wukong was drinking with the Bull Demon King and the others when a monkey messenger rushed in to report.

  “Ha ha ha! It seems the Heavenly Court is about to concede!”

  The Bull Demon King slammed his cup onto the stone table, roaring with laughter.

  After they had escaped from Xu Fang's grasp years ago, they had been hiding and fleeing until recently when Sun Wukong revolted against the Heavenly Court. They had come to join him, encouraging Sun Wukong to take on the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven!

  Their purpose was clear: to leverage Sun Wukong’s reputation to intimidate Xu Fang!

  After all, Xu Fang had gained quite a reputation for his demon-slaying exploits in Northern Julu over the years, and the Bull Demon King was genuinely worried about Xu Fang tracking them down!

  With Sun Wukong’s vast powers and abilities, he was undoubtedly a formidable shield!