At the Celestial Palace, Queen Mother of the West smiled and instructed the attendants who were busy about their duties, "All of you, pay close attention—this time, the Emperor has teamed up with the Imperial Sovereign of the Purple Palace and the Sovereign of the Azure Heaven to jointly resist the demonic forces." She had said this several times already. Though the immortals had grown accustomed to hearing it—so many times that their ears were nearly worn thin—none dared to express any complaint. A variety of fine wines and fruits were prepared, and no less than thirty graceful immortals, each skilled in elegant dance, had specially rehearsed a new performance to be presented upon the Emperor and the celestial hosts' triumphant return. As the banquet began to take shape, the Queen Mother murmured to herself, "This is truly excellent. The Emperor and his court will surely be delighted. The demonic forces are truly blind—they have launched an invasion of the heavenly realm, as if they were deliberately seeking their own demise." Just as she finished speaking, Yang Jian's voice came through, "Auntie… are you there, Auntie?" The Queen Mother stiffened. To be honest, she did not particularly like this nephew, believing that his mother But thinking that this young man might have come to deliver good news, the Queen managed a smile and said, "Yang Jian, you've returned—has the Emperor also been on his way back to victory?" He arrived, his armor tattered, and replied, "We've been defeated." "What? Impossible!" the Queen exclaimed, astonished. "The Emperor himself led the charge—how could he possibly have been defeated? You're deceiving me, aren't you? Tell me where the Emperor is, and I'll tell you—your behavior is growing more and more unbecoming. I'll have the Emperor punish you." Yang Jian frowned, his face solemn, and said, "Aunt, do you really think I'd deceive you? The Emperor and the Heavenly Emperor were lured into a trap by the enemy's stratagem and are now trapped within the Blood Sacrifice Array." The Queen's face instantly turned pale. She was well aware of the Blood Sacrifice Array's power—those trapped within it would turn into a pool of putrid fluid if not rescued within forty-nine hours, no different from being completely consumed by smoke and ash. "How could this have happened?" "The Queen Mother gasped, and the attendants around her were startled, dropping several dishes and scattering fruits to the ground. Yang Jian turned his eyes thoughtfully and said, 'Auntie, my nephew has come specifically to deliver the message—please think of something we can do.' 'What can I possibly do?' the Queen Mother replied. 'If neither the Emperor of the Azure Sky nor the Emperor of the Purple Willow were trapped, then together with our three forces, we might have a chance to break through the Blood Sacrifice Array. But now, we're short on manpower.' 'And me, Auntie,' Yang Jian said, eager to contribute. 'You,' she replied, casting a look of disdain at her nephew, 'your rank still remains at the level of Supreme Immortal—how useful can you be? Is heaven truly destined to lose the Celestial Palace? The Demon Clan has employed the Blood Sacrifice Array—a move that defies the very laws of heaven. Yet, no celestial punishment has come upon them.' Yang Jian also looked at his aunt with disdain, thinking, How could it be a heavenly punishment? Is the sky so busy, constantly watching over the heavenly realm? You and Uncle have done countless things that offend the heavens—have you truly been punished? Why must the demonic race suffer? He gave a dismissive shrug and said, "Aunt, no matter what, you must make a decision. Don't you have any ideas? Why not entrust this matter to me, your nephew? I promise it will be handled flawlessly." He had long coveted his uncle's position, and this was certainly a golden opportunity he wouldn't miss. "Can you really do it?" The Queen Mother still harbored some doubts, but several senior figures in the heavenly court were now trapped. Aside from her nephew, no one else seemed truly suitable. "My nephew is certain to succeed," she said. "If you entrust me with command of the heavenly army and heavenly generals, I will surely rescue my uncle and the others, and defeat the demonic race." He was full of promises, yet in his heart he only intended to immediately negotiate with Léxès as soon as he secured power—either by giving up the Celestial Palace and rebuilding it elsewhere, or by establishing a new one where he would become the supreme ruler of the heavens, the new Jade Emperor. As for rescuing the Jade Emperor, he simply didn’t possess the necessary skill, nor did he truly intend to do so. Even if he succeeded, the Celestial Palace would still be run by the Jade Emperor, and he would gain nothing. When his aunt remained hesitant, he said, "Aunt, you're not just a relative who's being taken care of—what other person in the current Celestial Realm, besides me, could command the heavenly armies? Shouldn't you personally step in? As a woman, do you truly understand how to lead a force of tens of thousands in battle?" This was precisely what the Queen Mother found most frustrating—she possessed formidable strength, yet lacked the ability to command armies. The result of her determined efforts might well be that one general's incompetence would lead to the downfall of an entire army. At that moment, a lazy voice spoke up, "Yang Jian, your face is truly thick. You're saying that without you, the heavenly court wouldn't rotate at all, aren't you? That's quite arrogant. As for you, the one who abandoned his post at the last minute—have you lost all sense of dignity?" "Who are you to be making such cold remarks? Get out of here!" he growled, furious. "I'm coming out—bite me!" A flash of light in the sky, and Qin Dashi sat cross-legged on the Stellar Shuttle, drifting steadily toward them. Yang Jian immediately wilted. He simply wasn't up to Qin Dashi's level; once they started fighting, he could only endure relentless pressure. He couldn't understand how he had managed to escape the Blood Sacrifice Array, especially since all five of them had been trapped—how he had escaped unharmed. Seeing him, the Queen Mother was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Thank goodness! I thought we were truly down to just one of the two gods, Yang Jian. Your arrival brings me immense joy. By the way, how come you weren't caught?" "Qin didn't believe in his own promises at first, saying, "The Blood Sacrifice Array was already fully formed when I managed to escape. The Jade Emperor, the two Emperors, and General Li fought desperately to create a small opening for me to get out. The Jade Emperor also instructed you to hand over all the heavenly forces to me, and emphasized that you must not let Lord Erwang have any share of them." "Why?" Erwang snapped. "You claimed I violated the imperial decree." "Did you actually stay inside the Blood Sacrifice Array?" Qin shot back, eyes blazing. "You were the first one to flee, abandoning everyone—now you come here to the Lady's court demanding official recognition? Your face is truly thick. How can you be unsatisfied? Then let's fight. Whoever wins, wins the argument." Yang Jian was nearly crying. "Can I possibly defeat you? I've endured so many years of patience in the heavenly court—how hard it has been to finally get a chance to rise to prominence—and now you've come in to disrupt everything!" Qin Feng had no idea about the scheme brewing in that man's mind, only feeling that assigning the army to him was a serious misstep—this person was too arrogant and unsuited to be a commander. The Queen Mother, on the other hand, thought more carefully. Honestly, she wasn't confident in fully entrusting the army to Yang Jian. In contrast, Qin Feng was a solid choice—he had no roots in the heavenly court, so there was no risk of him harboring ambitions. Moreover, his master, the Emperor Huangtian, was currently trapped, and both in duty and personal obligation, Qin Feng would have to devote himself to rescuing him. Once the Emperor was freed, whether or not the army would remain under his command would be a matter of just one decision. Yang Jian looked steadily at his aunt, thinking that even now, he didn't really hope to become the overall commander of the three armies, but at least he should be given a position such as Commander of the Vanguard. "The Queen Mother has appointed Qin Feng as the acting commander of the three armies of the heavenly court, effective immediately, to lead all heavenly troops," the Queen Mother declared solemnly. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust. I will Yang Jian, seeing his aunt had no intention of bestowing him an official post, couldn't stay idle and asked, "Then what about me?" "Of course, you'll report directly to General Qin Feng. You're now under his command." With just one sentence, the queen shattered the last remnants of his hopes. General Qin smiled pleasantly and said, "Yang Jian, aren't you the foremost warrior of the heavenly court? Then, under my orders, you'll lead your own troops as the vanguard and charge directly into the blood sacrifice array—how does that sound?" "Ah!" Yang Jian's eyes widened. "You're settling your personal grudge against me—this is sending me to my death!" "Then, are you going to disobey my command?" He straightened his face and asked with a sniff. Yang Jian stiffened his neck. "Exactly. This is a poor move—of course, I'm going to oppose it." "Qin Shao had been waiting for exactly this statement: "You dare to openly defy my orders? I'm known to be a very open-minded commander—feel free to voice your concerns, and as long as the suggestions are reasonable, I will certainly adopt them. But I cannot tolerate such arbitrary defiance without cause. Therefore, I hereby announce that from this moment on, you are relieved of your position as general and demoted to the rank of a common soldier. You are to immediately proceed to the front lines." Yang Jian was furious, about to firmly refuse when Qin Shao added, "For anyone who dares to disobey my orders twice, there will be no mercy. As Your Majesty sees it—do you support me, the newly appointed commander, or do you stand by your own nephew?" The Queen Mother replied without hesitation, "Of course, I support Qin the Commander. Who would dare to disregard his orders and go unpunished?" Yang Jian was so heartbroken that he felt he might have to resign. After years of diligently serving this couple, he had never expected to be outperformed by a newcomer so completely. Was it a flaw in his character? Or perhaps, had his past actions been fundamentally flawed? The news of the Heavens' great defeat and the four powerful warriors being trapped spread swiftly throughout the celestial court. At the same time, the newly appointed Marshal issued his first command: All men capable of wielding weapons—go to the front lines immediately. Any who disregard this order shall be treated as traitors, facing the same fate as Mu Zhu. Within just two hours of this seemingly unreasonable decree, over ten million soldiers had gathered. Armed with a variety of weapons, many of them strikingly unusual in appearance, the sheer volume was exhilarating to Qin Shao. Yet, disappointment remained—he could not help but see his own troops as scattered remnants, their formations disorganized and unsteady. Could they possibly defeat the disciplined, well-arranged army of the demons? Matters of the moment aside, the only strength he could rely on now was the sheer mass of troops. His immediate objective: drive the demons back and secure the Blood Sacrifice Formation. How to break through the formation would have to wait for another day. He boosted his own morale in his heart, then waved his hand and declared loudly, "Brothers, we are now in the midst of a crisis—our nation and homes shattered. To have the fortune to fight side by side with you all is truly heartening. Everyone knows that the Jade Emperor, the two Great Emperors, and General Li Jing are trapped. Our mission is clear: to rescue them. I know some of you are afraid of dying, but if we fail to accomplish this mission, we will surely fall to the demonic forces as well. So, why not make a final, desperate stand? What do you say?" "Fight to the death! Fight to the death!" Everyone shouted with great intensity. Qin felt a sense of relief. At least, these people were not afraid of dying.