Looking at these fellows—already so detached from life that they no longer fear death—Qin Feng felt a sense of relief. On his way to the Heavenly Palace, he had taken a moment to observe what the demonic forces were doing. He had expected that, given their intelligence no greater than that of single-celled organisms, they would seize this opportunity to launch a fierce assault on the Heavenly Palace. Instead, they had formed a highly organized and tightly structured formation, centered around the Blood Sacrifice Array. They had clearly chosen to focus their efforts on this array. Rex’s intelligence was exceptional—should he order an attack on the Heavenly Palace, most of his troops would be committed to the battle, leaving the Blood Sacrifice Array vulnerable. In that case, the Heavenly Palace would have a better chance of rescuing the Jade Emperor and his court. The demonic forces were numerically overwhelming, and to approach the array, they would need ample expendable forces—troops whose primary role would be to absorb the enemy’s attacks. Clearly, the ones now standing before Qin Shao were the very embodiment of those expendable forces. The morale was excellent. He drew out the Hao Tian Hammer, performed a series of dynamic swings, and declared, "Our objective: the Demon Clan's Blood Sacrifice Array. We must rescue the Jade Emperor, save the Great Emperors Hao Tian and Zi Wei, and above all, save lives." "Save lives! Save lives!" Everyone shouted in unison. Only one person remained silent—Yang Jian, whose military authority had been stripped away. A conical formation composed of hundreds of thousands, even millions of people, surged forward toward the Demon Clan. To boost morale, Qin Shao led from the front, placing himself at the very forefront of the formation. As someone who always enjoyed being the one to take the backseat, he naturally wanted to keep Yang Jian close—after all, he was the Jade Emperor's nephew; standing behind would simply not be appropriate. When Rex saw the dense wave of troops charging toward him, like a massive arrowhead, he immediately issued the order: "All units, prepare for battle. No retreat—maintain the defensive line at all costs." Several mid-to-high-ranking Demon officers were dispatched to the front lines as a supervisory force, tasked with ensuring discipline; any soldier found retreating would face the hars When the enemy was still two kilometers away, Qin Shao suddenly launched the Haotian Hammer. The hammer, enlarged several times, struck like a wedge, creating a vacuum in the enemy's tightly formed ranks and allowing the conical formation to advance smoothly. Due to the large number of enemy troops and their dense formations, soldiers only needed to mechanically swing their weapons, resulting in a high hit rate. The heavenly forces, adopting a strategy of remaining still and acting only when necessary, initially suffered heavy losses—corpses fell like rain—but as the heavenly army's pace slowed, significant casualties began to mount as well. Qin Shao, wielding the Haotian Hammer, could kill dozens of demonic troops with each strike, and under his leadership, the conical formation maintained a solid structure and continued advancing toward the blood-sacrifice array. Yang Jian, thinking ahead, remarked, "General Qin, this approach won't work in the long run. Although our forces can penetrate deep into the enemy ranks, we will eventually be encircled and completely consumed." "Qin delivered a single blow, sending the carelessly positioned enemy flying, then scoffed, "What would you like to say?" "I believe it's essential to dispatch a special force—either from the rear or from the flank—to launch a sudden assault. The magical race is fully focused on the front lines, so such a surprise attack will surely achieve remarkable results," Yang Jian began to showcase his military acumen. "He confidently employed the tactic of flattery: 'If General Qin agrees to lend me a hundred thousand troops, I'm certain I can launch a surprise attack from the side and rescue the Jade Emperor. Won't you be afraid, then? Do you really fear I'll take the credit for myself?' Qin, with a look of disdain, replied, 'How could I possibly compete with you for recognition? I barely notice those minor achievements of yours. If you're unwilling to go, then fine—just keep being a humble soldier.' Yang Jian remained unconvinced: 'My strategy has proven effective, yet you've dismissed it simply because of your personal grudge against me. Isn't this the very measure of a true commander? If you're unable to lead, why not step down and hand over your command right now, so as not to jeopardize the entire campaign and ultimately fail to rescue the Emperor and his court?' At this point, Qin Feng deeply realized Yang Jian's passionate pursuit of power. To claim that this man lacked any personal ambition would truly be a far-fetched notion." He looked at Erlang Shen with a deeply thoughtful gaze and said, "Let me tell you the truth—your strategy I've already anticipated, and I've acted on it long before. I've concealed a highly elite force of eighty thousand troops on the flanks, ready to strike directly at the blood-sacrifice formation the moment I give the order. Don't think you're the only one with sharp thinking—remove the光环 of being the Jade Emperor's nephew, and I'll tell you, anyone else would outshine you." "You... you've already deployed your forces," Yang Jian simply didn't believe it. "Of course," Qin Shao smiled, with a clear sense of superiority in his eyes—Yang Jian was nothing but a minor player. "Just wait and see—I'm far smarter than you imagine." Yang Jian's face drooped completely, and the last remnants of his pride were shattered. He had originally thought Qin Feng was a greenhorn, someone who would be easy to manipulate—once he secured a force of no fewer than a million troops from him, he would have the leverage to negotiate with the demonic king. As the demonic forces were gradually eliminated, he could then use this force as a foundation to bargain with the Demon Emperor and achieve his own objectives. Yet in reality, Qin Feng proved far more difficult to handle than he had anticipated. In fact, Qin Feng even showed considerable courtesy by issuing an explicit order: "Keep close to Yang Jian. He has a history of abandoning his post under pressure—this shouldn't happen again. After all, he's the Demon Emperor's nephew, and the face of the heavenly court depends on it." As pressure from the direct enemy intensified and began to overwhelm him, Rex ordered the reserve force on the right wing to come forward for reinforcements. Meanwhile, Qin Feng's unexpected maneuver deployed his forces to ambush the enemy's left wing—meaning the battle would have to continue until the left wing's reserve units withdrew from the battlefield. He raised the Haotian Hammer high and shouted, "Brothers, the Jade Emperor and the two Great Emperors are within the blood sacrifice array not far away. For the future of the Heavenly Palace, we charge!" Under his inspiration, the previously slowed attack surged again, tearing open a gap in the enemy's third defensive line. Seeing the situation growing dire, Rex ordered, "Send the left flank reserve to reinforce, and dispatch two additional army corps—make sure they hold off the enemy's advance." Qin Feng deliberately angled the conical formation toward the right wing, thereby exposing that wing to attack, compelling the enemy commander to deploy his left wing forces. Indeed, Rex fell for the ruse. The reserve and two army corps launched an assault against over three million enemy troops, who immediately broke from their original positions and surged forward. Once these three million men were deeply entrenched in the battle, Qin Shao raised the Haotian Hammer and cried, "Now is the time—let's go, and kill!" "The roar echoed across heaven and earth, and the hidden forces leapt to their feet, wielding their weapons and charging toward the enemy's left flank. Most of the eighty thousand troops were well-trained heavenly soldiers, supplemented by the two lively, talkative generals—Chao Tao and Xi Xi—whose energetic presence made the situation even more pressing. Before the enemy left-wing garrison could recover from the sudden assault, they were already under heavy attack. Rex, furious, slammed his hand against the armrest of his chair and exclaimed, "How dare Qin Feng deceive me! This is utterly unacceptable!" His anger stemmed from the fact that he had no reserve forces left—clearly, the left-wing garrison was likely to be defeated, yet he could send no reinforcements. With a firm bite of his teeth, he issued his command: "Magical Emperor's Guard, advance to reinforce the left flank." A senior magical general at his side quickly interjected, "Your Majesty, we cannot risk it—sending out the Guard puts your safety at risk. How about this: let just a few of us lead our main force to reinforce them?" "Reks wasn't pleased. He said, 'With just your three or four thousand troops, how can you possibly hold off a million heavenly generals? When I sent out my guard, couldn't I have ensured my own safety? Now, the only one who can fight me is Qin Feng. What could I possibly fear? Guard units, take position and reinforce the left flank.' Several high-ranking magical generals were dissatisfied, yet they carried out the orders without complaint. The entire contingent of twenty thousand guards was deployed, leaving a circular vacuum around Rex. He himself showed no concern for his safety. Qin, who was engaged in the battle, observed this with great satisfaction. Honestly, he had never fully relied on the surprise forces—he had always intended a strategy of alternating between deception and reality, with flexibility in their interplay. If the surprise forces proved effective, everyone would be delighted; but if they failed, the main force would still need to advance and complete the mission." The sudden appearance of the unexpected force threw Rex off balance; otherwise, he would have waited and observed first, assessing whether the left wing truly could no longer hold before dispatching his guards. With the final strength now committed to the left wing, the strength on the main front was significantly weakened. Qin Shao stepped back into the forefront of the conical formation and declared, "Brothers, let's make one more push. Do you have the confidence to follow me all the way to the Blood Sacrifice Array?" "Yes! Yes!" The conical formation pushed forward again—though under these circumstances, each advance covered only a short distance—yet Qin Feng's repeated leadership in driving the troops forward yielded commendable results. Inside the Blood Sacrifice Array, the four senior figures listened to the relentless cries of battle outside, deeply moved. Especially the Jade Emperor, who saw the heavenly court now leaderless. Even if a coordinated offensive force could be assembled, it would take at least half a day. He had never imagined such a swift arrival. Moreover, from the dynamics of the attack, it's evident that the offensive has been highly effective and the advance has been swift. Li Jing listened intently for a while, then said, "I'm certain the commander of the heavenly army is definitely not Jiang Jian." The Jade Emperor waved his hand and replied, "I also know it's not him. Besides being boastful and arrogant, that young man lacks any other merits; so, not appointing her as commander is indeed correct. But who exactly is the commander?"