The most rapidly advancing was the Haotian Hammer. Qin Feng transmitted one-third of his spiritual energy into the hammer's handle, transforming it into a small mountain. As it surged through the neatly aligned ranks of the demonic forces, every creature struck—whether the massive dragon-shark, the unattractive giant cockroach, the swift six-legged leopard, or any other—ended up reduced to a pulp of shattered bones and pulp. The Xuanyuan Sword of the Jade Emperor radiated a flowing band of white light, leaving behind scattered limbs and broken arms wherever it went. Li Jing employed the Sanwei Zhenhuo, with its high-temperature purple flames continuously erupting from the Seven-precious Linger-pearl Tower, incinerating the demonic forces into ash. Both the Haotian and Zuiwei Emperors also achieved significant victories, causing the demons to vanish completely before them, with only the higher-ranked ones managing to survive and fight back beyond the first round. The Erlang God, suddenly losing his composure, threw his weapon aside. Though he managed to dispatch seven or eight demonic warriors like skewering candied hawthorns, compared to the five ahead of him, he had utterly failed. His face flushed crimson as he muttered, "My primary duty is to support the troops and keep the battlefield alive—everyone can't charge forward at once. Someone has to hold the rear." The heavenly forces were now full of spirit, waving their weapons and gathering in greater numbers, yet still fell short in strength against the overwhelming enemy force. Emperor Rex of the Demon Realm smiled gently, saying, "Those five—must be the very best of the heavenly realm." A royal subordinate at his side bowed, "Indeed. Emperors Yu, Haotian, Zuiwei, and Tota are universally recognized as the Four Great Masters. Yang Jian used to be considered the fifth, but now it seems his position has been overtaken." "It's Qin Feng." "Lexus's brows slightly furrowed, he said, 'Thanks to him, I've reached this point. By the way, isn't there another master in the Heavenly Realm?' His royal general was momentarily taken aback, quickly responding, 'You mean the Queen Mother, right? What could a woman possibly achieve, as long as we secure these five half-human figures, the Heavenly Court will be firmly in our grasp.' 'Five half-humans,' the魔皇 expressed some confusion. 'Well,' the general chuckled, 'Yang Jian only counts as half.' The魔皇 smiled, 'Indeed. Under my hand, he couldn't even withstand three attacks—considering him a half-human is already quite generous.' If Yang Jian heard such treatment, he would surely be furious, feeling both disrespected by his own allies and belittled by his enemies, making it impossible to maintain any dignity. These five half-humans grew stronger with each passing moment, now deeply entrenched within the enemy lines for several kilometers, with the enemy forces pouring in from all directions to meet their demise. Gradually, Qin grew weary, each time he swung the Haotian Hammer, he had to expend a portion of his spiritual energy. Even though he was already a person of strong spiritual reserves, he could not endure such continuous consumption. The demonic forces seemed indifferent to the current losses—after all, they had already lost nearly one million soldiers to just five of them. "Master, how come these people are so unmoved?" he asked during a lull in the action. The Haotian Emperor looked up and replied, "I don't know. Perhaps they believe they can't conceal their strength when facing us one-on-one, so they've been relying on a sea of troops all this time—likely hoping to drain our spiritual energy." Qin Feng felt it wasn't that simple; he kept a sharp eye on the situation. They continued to advance, but still had a long way to go before reaching the location of the Demon Emperor. After two hours, a royal-level subordinate bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the timing has now matured." "Rex's face broke into a rare smile: 'The number of our kin who have perished at the hands of these five has surpassed one and a half million. Having tasted the sweet rewards, it's now time for us to truly shine—let's begin.' The attendants' expressions grew unusually solemn. After a respectful bow, they turned and shouted loudly, 'Blood Sacrifice Array—activate!' A thousand dragon sharks, each bearing a blood pool, soared from behind. The pools were thick, bubbling blood plasma, emitting a sharp, briny odor. Rex gently stroked his chin with his right hand, murmuring, 'Uncle, we could have easily defeated the heavenly realm using the Blood Sacrifice Array. Yet you've consistently chosen not to. Therefore, the magical race still finds it more suitable to have me as their leader. You must die.' As the blood pools arrived, a group of the magical beings shifted from their spiraling flight to a diving motion, plunging fully into the pools, and then emerging, their bodies now coated in thick, glistening blood plasma. Both eyes blazing red, their combat prowess greatly enhanced, these red-furred demons surged forward in a mass, charging at the five figures. More red demons joined the assault, and the Jade Emperor wielded his Xuanyuan Sword, cleaving dozens of the frontmost ones in two. Yet the severed limbs and fragments instantly reassembled, giving rise to fresh demons—unkillable. "Er, it sounds just like one of the treasures mentioned in *Journey to the West*," he said. "That's the Jade Golden Pot—it works similarly to a blood sacrifice ritual. The blood sacrifice is even more deadly, especially designed to defeat absolute master-level warriors." The Jade Emperor said, "We have to retreat quickly; otherwise, we'll be trapped. If we fall, the heavenly realm will follow." "Retreat," said the Emperor Huangtian. Among the five, Yang Jian had always stayed on the periphery. Since the demonic forces didn't take him seriously, he easily escaped the danger zone. As for the Jade Emperor and his companions, they kept running into obstacles and were suddenly unable to break free. "Unfortunate—the demonic blood sacrifice has now secured both time and terrain advantage," said the Purple Emperor. "I suggest we act separately. One escape is one victory; otherwise, we'll all be caught in one pot." "Act separately," the Jade Emperor said, and he flew off in a different direction. Qin Feng raised his head and found nearly the entire scene filled with red—only a few patches of open space, and even those were vanishing rapidly. Damn it, that's why the enemy hadn't been in a rush before. Their strategy had always been to lure the forces deeper in—just as the Jade Emperor had said—once these five were trapped, the heavenly realm would be unable to withstand the magian army's advance. Ah, the Star-Loft. With a thought, he was already inside the Star-Loft the next moment, transforming into a streak of black light and vanishing instantly. The artifact truly proved reliable—just in time, before the final gap closed, he escaped the danger zone. But the remaining four elders were far less fortunate—they were now trapped. "Ha ha ha!" Rex laughed heartily. "Within just seventy-seven days, they'll turn to pus. By then, our magian forces will have taken over the heavenly realm." He didn't realize Qin Feng had already escaped the danger—he still believed all five had been sealed inside. Of course, once the Star-Spindle takes off, it will have to span several star domains. As for whether Qin Shao can quickly find his way back, even he himself isn't certain. It's a commendable achievement that they haven't been trapped from the start. One of his subordinates stepped forward and said, "Sire, I propose we move directly toward the Heavenly Palace. Once we occupy the heavens, the Jade Emperor and his court will naturally be turned into putrid fluids—winning both objectives at once." Rex shook his head and replied, "This Emperor has ordered us to halt all attacks and establish our camp right here. We've captured the five most powerful figures from the heavenly realm. They will surely keep sending reinforcements. We must ensure the Blood Sacrifice Array endures for exactly forty-nine hours; otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain." He didn't want to fight on two fronts, for fear the array would be broken. "Sire, your strategy is indeed brilliant!" the various members of the demonic realm shouted, their voices raised in unison. On the heavenly defense line, everyone is in a state of panic. The morale was already high, but with five powerful warriors trapped by the demonic forces, only Yang Jian had managed to return—now, how can they possibly continue the fight? "Lord Er Lang, shouldn't we move immediately to rescue the Emperor and the rest of the royal court?" one heavenly general asked anxiously, with several others eager to follow. In their eyes, even if they sacrificed themselves completely, they had to save the Jade Emperor—otherwise, with the heavenly court leaderless, defeat was inevitable. Yang Jian raised an eyebrow. "How can we possibly rescue them? With just us? Bravery is a virtue, but simply dying without making a difference would be foolish. Can we really save the Emperor by charging straight in?" "What then?" the general pressed, growing increasingly urgent. "Can we just leave the Emperor, the Huangtian Emperor, the Zuiwei Emperor, and our Marshal—without them, we'll have no leadership at all!" "I fully understand," Yang Jian replied, with a sigh. "It's precisely because this rescue mission is so crucial that we're taking a more strategic, patient approach." The heavenly general said firmly, "How can we take it step by step? Do we have time to plan carefully, Yang? What is your real intention? Are you not determined to rescue the Emperor?" Most of the defenders remained to guard the frontline, while the others gathered around Erlang Shen, all of them flying together toward the heavenly palace. The Queen Mother of the West had no idea what had happened. In her view, with her husband and the two great emperors jointly stepping forward to handle the demonic forces, securing victory was nothing short of a breeze—she had even instructed the palace maids to prepare a celebration banquet.