Chapter 377: Chapter 377

"Damn, this thing is really intense!" Wen Tianming exclaimed in surprise as he bit into the "Super Invincible Supreme Ice Cream" in his hand.

"Master, it’s meant to be licked," Li He said, her small tongue daintily licking her ice cream.

After many Red Dust Heart Refining experiences, Li He had become much more normal and was no longer as cold and aloof as before.

Following behind them, Chen Jiuge wore a gentle smile and remarked, "Li He has changed so much. And when did she become so close to Master?"

Wen Ruo shook his head. "I don’t know either. They’ve only really spent time together in the few years since we returned. I’m not sure why, but they seem to hit it off quite well and have a lot to talk about."

「Qilin Snack Shop, private room on the second floor」

The four of them were munching on skewers and drinking beer. Wen Tianming felt that his disciple truly had many clever ideas; these little snacks indeed possessed a unique flavor.

Clearing his throat lightly to draw everyone’s attention, Wen Tianming put down the grilled snake he was holding and said, "Jiuge, I’ve come this time not just to bring you things, but also to discuss important matters with you."

"Master, do Junior Sister and I need to step out?" Wen Ruo asked, starting to rise.

"Sit down, sit down. We’re all family here; what’s there to avoid?" Wen Tianming feigned annoyance.

Once several protective Arrays were laid out, Wen Tianming’s expression turned serious. "The second purpose of my visit concerns the Sect’s decision on when to initiate the war and the chosen territory."

He spread out a map and pointed to a location. "This Beast Territory is the target chosen by the Sect."

"The Beastman Clan in that territory is formidable, and its resources are abundant. The Sect is primarily interested in the Beastmen’s unique structure. Their characteristic of being neither fully human nor beast presents a promising avenue for development."

Chen Jiuge shuddered internally as he listened. Is the Sect about to start experimenting with mutations? Isn’t this a bit perverse?

"Detailed reports on the Beastman Clan’s strength distribution, resource distribution, and other such matters will be delivered later."

"Jiuge, you can also dispatch your own people to scout the area. The time for the attack is now confirmed: roughly after sixty years."

"I heard that members of the Netherworld King Clan are also here with you; I will notify them later as well."

"Sixty years?" Chen Jiuge frowned slightly. That was rather soon.

"Yes. I heard it’s because many Elders voiced opposition, so the Sect Master decided to advance the operation. After this, the Myriad Beasts Sect will be split into two branches," Wen Tianming said with a wry smile.

Chen Jiuge found this hard to understand. The Myriad Beasts Sect was considered a top-tier Sect in the Heavenly Realm. Why did they insist on relocating to the Star Sea Realm?

When in doubt, ask. Chen Jiuge was still straightforward in this regard.

Wen Tianming shook his head. "The Heavenly Realm offers no hope of achieving Dao Yi. This place does."

Seeing his Master offer only a hint and say no more, Chen Jiuge understood. So, it’s still about cultivation, about the Great Dao.

At Chen Jiuge’s introduction, Wen Tianming also relayed this information to Ming Huayu and Ming Yijie. Both seemed indifferent, merely nodding nonchalantly.

Wen Tianming didn’t mind; it was unlikely the Netherworld King Clan would suddenly renege on their agreement.

Three days later, Wen Tianming left Wen Ruo and the others in Horn Shadow City, even providing several hundred Green Wood Guards as support.

Watching his departing Master, Chen Jiuge’s expression was heavy. Just moments ago, Wen Tianming had quietly sent him a message: "Jiuge, take good care of your Senior Sister and Junior Sister. I have a feeling that the Sect establishing itself in the Star Sea Realm this time has other underlying reasons."

Master, you really think highly of me! Chen Jiuge laughed bitterly to himself.

There was no time for further contemplation; the war was to commence in sixty years, and Chen Jiuge needed to expedite his preparations.

The Asura Clan was easy to manage; they were perpetually fervent about war and began their preparations without needing much prompting.

The Horn Shadow Clan was somewhat weaker. Currently, they only had seven True Immortals, and that was only because Chen Jiuge had supported them with a great deal of resources. Otherwise, who knew how many years it would take for True Immortals to emerge naturally. In any case, they would be of no use in this battle.

The Gray Elephant Clan’s attitude, on the other hand, was quite indifferent. These thick-skinned, good-natured fellows were content to do anything as long as they had food. They were living well in Horn Shadow City and were highly enthusiastic about joining the battle.

Once the war mobilization order was issued, Xiang Long led his entire clan, old and young, to volunteer. After Mo Yu’s calming assurances, only half their number were chosen for the workforce, yet almost all adult Gray Elephants enlisted, leaving only four or five young ones behind.

As for the Infinite Snake Clan, their attitude was somewhat ambiguous.

She Wanbang, having just emerged from seclusion, was shocked by the reports from his trusted aides and immediately convened a clan meeting.

She Wanbang looked at the complacent-looking Elders and roared, "Who took it upon themselves to dismiss the conscription personnel sent by the City Lord?"

The old snake-man in the first seat to his left, a hint of dissatisfaction on his face, said, "It was I, Clan Leader. Do you have an objection?"

"Great Elder?" She Wanbang stared at the old snake-man in disbelief.

"Don’t look at me like that. Although my strength isn’t what it used to be, my insight remains. This Divine Son of Asura wants to develop Horn Shadow City into a truly grand city. He won’t do anything to us."

"In Horn Shadow City, our Infinite Snake Clan constitutes nearly half the population. Unless he wants it to revert to its early desolate state," the Great Elder stated proudly.

She Wanbang was stunned. Has the Great Elder gone senile?

"Exactly! There’s no way he’ll drive us out. Without the Spiritual Snakes we provide, how could the Divine Son’s Horn Shadow City be so prosperous?" other Elders chimed in agreement.

"It seems you’re all quite confident!" A sudden voice brought the proceedings to a halt.

She Wanbang’s expression changed as he saw Luo Wencheng appear alongside Chen Jiuge. He was about to kneel but was stopped by Luo Wencheng.

Watching Luo Wencheng reveal a bloodthirsty smile, She Wanbang’s heart skipped a beat. It’s over, he thought. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novęlfire.net

"Divine Son, I bear no disrespect towards you. It’s just that we of the Infinite Snake Clan have grown weary of fighting and killing. Now, we only wish to raise our Spiritual Snakes in the city and live a peaceful life," the Great Elder said, his wrinkled face easing into a smile.

Chen Jiuge was so angry he laughed. "You say you want a peaceful life and are weary of fighting and killing?"

"Absolutely, Divine Son! You have countless powerful experts under your command, not to mention invincible troops like the Asura Clan. Our Infinite Snake Clan would only be a burden if we went."

"Hah. If you weren’t going to the battlefield, why did I bother offering you amnesty in the first place? How ridiculous," Chen Jiuge said, shaking his head.

"Divine Son, could you give me another chance?" She Wanbang pleaded, his face a mask of humility.

Chen Jiuge shook his head. "I’ve heard your Infinite Snake Clan is oviparous. I’ll allow your lineage to continue."

She Wanbang managed a bitter smile. "Thank you."

The Great Elder, sensing something amiss, exclaimed in fear, "Divine Son, what do you mean by that? Half the prosperity of Horn Shadow City is due to the contributions of my Infinite Snake Clan! Are you planning to discard us after we’ve served our purpose? If you do this, will any other clans dare to pledge allegiance to the Inner Sect?"

Luo Wencheng crushed the incessantly babbling old fool into a blood mist and said with disgust, "Why bother with so many words? Just wipe them out, and it’ll be settled."

"You really think you can be so arrogant just because you had an impressive ancestor."

"Notify the Asuras outside to take action," Chen Jiuge ordered nonchalantly with a wave of his hand.

An invisible ripple emanated from Luo Wencheng’s hand, followed by the sounds of battle and then by screams.

She Wanbang closed his eyes, his face contorted in pain. Other Snake Clan Elders who attempted to flee or fight back were all crushed to pieces by Luo Wencheng. Their only Golden Immortal ancestor had just appeared when he was blown to bits by a single punch from Titan Yun. The disparity in strength was simply too vast.

Looking at She Wanbang, who had slumped into his chair, Chen Jiuge shook his head. "Why?"

"I was in seclusion, Divine Son. Believe it or not, I truly was in seclusion and knew nothing of this matter," She Wanbang said miserably.

"Then that is due to your incompetence. Rest assured, the remaining members of the Infinite Snake Clan will live well."

At these words, Luo Wencheng crushed She Wanbang to death.

"Actually, this She Wanbang fellow could have been useful. At least, right up until his death, I didn’t sense any resentment from him towards you," Luo Wencheng remarked, somewhat puzzled.

"Snakes are skilled at pretense. I couldn’t be absolutely certain of his true thoughts. Besides, I’m not lacking the power the Infinite Snake Clan could offer. Moreover, isn’t it better to cultivate a new Infinite Snake Clan loyal to me from scratch?" Chen Jiuge said, a hint of coldness in his voice.

「In the endless void」

A python of unimaginable size slowly writhed its colossal body. Its eyes, like twin stars, opened, and it murmured softly, "A branch of my descendants is gone."

The Infinite Snake wasn’t concerned about the disappearance of its descendants; rather, it was furious at being disturbed from its slumber. Didn’t everyone know how severe its temper was upon waking?

With a slight twitch of its tail, countless stars instantly exploded, all life upon them perishing in an instant. The star-like eyes of the snake emitted a radiant light, shooting towards the Star Sea Realm.

A blood-colored phantom appeared, achieving the annihilation of the radiance.

An exceedingly arrogant voice boomed, "Hahaha, old snake, you’re becoming more senile with age! They were just a few insignificant whelps. Their deaths mean nothing. But attacking the younger generation? That’s not acceptable, you know."

As the two confronted each other, countless stars exploded, and billions of lives perished unjustly.

Just as they were about to clash, a pair of majestic eyes materialized. Both Great Powers froze instantly.

The Infinite Snake fell back into slumber, and the Asura returned to his own territory.

Chen Jiuge, of course, was unaware of the events transpiring in the void.

Three days after the eradication of the Infinite Snake Clan, Chen Jiuge gazed up at the calm sky and muttered to himself, Seems like the Infinite Snake doesn’t really care much about its offspring, eh?

Had I known this, I would have acted sooner. Eden Garden has arrived; why would I fear a shortage of Spiritual Snakes?

The direct extermination of the Infinite Snake Clan was partly due to their disloyalty, but more significantly, Chen Jiuge was motivated by the idea of making an example of them to warn others.

This way, he could eliminate a disobedient clan, intimidate other newcomers, and also reclaim the supply of Spiritual Snakes. It was truly killing three birds with one stone!

With the example of the Infinite Snake Clan, the subsequent war mobilization became much simpler.

After a year spent selecting combatants, Chen Jiuge designated an area within Eden Garden, originally part of the Heavenly Bull Realm, for their training. With Luo Kuisan overseeing them, he believed this group would improve significantly after sixty years of training.

With a large number of Immortals gone, the streets of Horn Shadow City now felt somewhat deserted.

Sitting at a roadside eatery, Chen Jiuge watched the sparse passersby and remarked with some emotion, "I never realized that True Immortals were the primary spenders on a typical day. It truly feels strange seeing it so empty now."

"What else could it be? But you’re really going overboard, aren’t you? It’s just a fight against the Beastman Clan. Is specialized training really necessary? Is it worth it?" Ming Yijie voiced his confusion.

"It’s always better if fewer people die. After all, we’re very short-handed right now," Chen Jiuge said nonchalantly.

Ming Yijie seemed surprised by Chen Jiuge’s response. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "You are the most merciful Asura I’ve ever met, even though you’re not exactly a pure-blooded Asura."

Although Horn Shadow City seemed much quieter for the time being, this was temporary. As the wealth-focused clans continuously transported various races, Horn Shadow City quickly regained its bustling atmosphere.