The young captain of the demon forces fell unwillingly, regretting that he had so easily trusted the humans. Qin Feng shrugged and turned to Qingya, saying, "Chief, you really do have it in you to be ruthless." "What do you mean? Did I make a mistake?" The beautiful inspector gave him a withering look and said, "Isn't this exactly what you wanted? If I don't act, you'll certainly step in—and you'll accuse me of lacking harmony with you, won't you?" "Uh," he nodded straightforwardly, "Alright, you win." As he spoke, he mounted his flying sword and prepared to depart. "Wait," Qingya called out, asking, "Now that you know the precise location of the demon realm, won't you move in right away?" "Of course not," he exclaimed, eyes blazing, "To move in now would be suicide. Even if we don't succeed, we should at least prepare. This is a mission that requires nine lives to survive—our numbers shouldn't be too large, or we'll risk exposing our objectives. We'll have to carefully decide who goes and who stays." "... All three forward bases are progressing steadily toward completion. Not only are their locations well concealed, but they are also heavily protected by large numbers of magical beings, making it a significant undertaking for any cultivator to breach the defenses. Mai Li personally oversees the operations, having deliberately established three bases simultaneously to ensure greater security and to facilitate the transportation of more of her people. To date, she has fundamentally come to appreciate the exceptional capabilities of Earth-born humans—especially the Chinese—whose strength is amplified by the support of the Celestial Realm. They have now conquered most nations around the world, with many countries willingly surrendering. The only nation that has remained unscathed by serious attacks is China." Meanwhile, the magical forces' strength had been reduced to just over three-tenths of their original numbers. To ensure the security of their bases, they could no longer mount any substantial offensives. Yet this did not hinder Meili's continued campaign to conquer the world, as the nations that had surrendered had all contributed their own armies, forming a relentless tide of steel that launched multi-pronged assaults on the remaining resistant states. These troops were warmly referred to by the Chinese nation as "pseudarmies." Once the world's leading power, the United States, now faced a coalition of more than forty countries. Though they fought valiantly, they could not halt their steady retreat. Despite possessing the world's most advanced weaponry, they were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the enemy forces—whose combined military strength was over twenty times greater. Although modern warfare emphasizes technological prowess, the time-tested effectiveness of massed infantry tactics remains unmatched. Recall decades ago, when the coalition led by the United States consistently bullied weaker nations—now, the United States itself finds itself in the same predicament. It's simply a matter of time before what you owe comes due. The U.S. top leadership is now deeply regretting their decisions. Had they known back then that things would unfold this way, they would never have consistently opposed China, thus leaving their bilateral relationship merely superficial—more like that of bitter rivals. Today, only these two major powers remain capable of resisting the magical forces. The Americans now fully realize that, even against a coalition of multiple nations, they struggle to prevail—let alone the magical forces operating behind their adversaries. Today, they kneel on the ground, calling China their "grandfather." Yet, China may not even respond to their pleas—good luck dreaming of such assistance. The commander of the brave soldiers appeared at Mei Li's side with enthusiasm, saying, "Report to the general, I have contacted the emperor. He has assembled three hundred thousand troops, six noble clan leaders, and countless brave warriors. When the reinforcements arrive, that will be the day we fully conquer Earth." A faint, long-overdue smile appeared on the female demon's face as she replied, "Six noble clan leaders will be sufficient to handle the challenges from the cultivation realm and the occasional arrivals from the heavenly realm. You must immediately urge them to expedite the construction of the base—I am already eager to see it happen." "Understood." After the commander departed, she smiled to herself, saying, "Qin Feng, I'm going to see just how you can manage. Since the Chinese people have refused to surrender thus far, all the better—I shall deliver to you a blow more severe than any other nation has ever received." ... In Xijing, Qin Feng hurried over, having received a phone call from Hou Bao just half an hour ago, informing him of something important. When he saw Hou Bao, his first words were, "What's up? Couldn't you just tell me over the phone? Why did you have to make me come all the way?" Hou Bo smiled and handed him a sheet of paper, saying, "We've already figured out the second section of the classical text." "Really?" Qin Shao was pleased. The second section corresponded exactly to the second move of the Haotian Hammer Technique. The first move, One Hammer to Break the Sky, though powerful, could only travel in a straight line—once launched, it would return no result if the enemy wasn't directly in that line. Taking the paper, he quietly read the content aloud. As with the first section, it was quite obscure. Without the detailed annotations provided beside it, he would have struggled to understand it even if he'd thought about it all night. The second move: Revolving to Storm the Sky. After he finished reading, Hou Bao added, "The remaining four sections are also progressing rapidly. Thanks to our prior experience, everyone's efficiency has noticeably improved. We're confident we'll finish all of them within a short time." "Excellent." "Qin Feng said with a smile, "Thank you, Hou Bo, and thank you all for your efforts." "There's nothing particularly taxing about it," Hou Bo waved his hand. "I already know what you're thinking. Just now, I transferred three million from the Great Qin Group's accounts to award bonuses to the professors. With the money in hand, their enthusiasm has only grown stronger." "Ah, that's good indeed—indeed, they're all money-driven." He chuckled and shook his head. In his view, anything that money could settle was simply not a challenge at all. After bidding farewell to Hou Bo, he arrived at a stretch of desert and began practicing the second technique of hammering. Just as with the first technique, he needed to channel his spiritual energy into the hammer handle—this time, however, he had to guide the energy along a different pathway before launching the hammer. He settled into a calm, focused state, allowing the energy to circulate until it reached the required level. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, he opened his eyes and hurled the Haotian hammer, shouting as he did so, "Revolutionary Spin of the Sky." "Pffft... Hoo-hoo... The Hao Tian Chui transformed into a swirling jet of black light, flying forward and crashing into a stone wall one kilometer away. After piercing through the wall, it continued its flight, altering direction and shattering a natural stone pillar on the side." "Ah, that's how the Rotating Sky-Blow really works!" He jumped excitedly. Unlike the straight-line attack of a single hammer striking the sky, the Rotating Sky-Blow could follow an irregular path—capable of turning left, right, up, or down—and after attacking its first target, it could also strike additional targets along the way. "One more time!" He launched the hammer a second time. In no time, the environment underwent dramatic changes—every stone that had once stood firm on the plain now lay scattered as rubble.