Upon hearing the report from his subordinate, Chen Luoyang sighed inwardly. Given the current situation, he couldn't afford to stay outside any longer. He needed to return to the Demon Sect headquarters as soon as possible.
The combination of the Tenth Revolution Returning Yuan Pill and the Haotian Divine Sword Grinding Stone, in a sense, reduced his recovery time by about 40% compared to the initial estimate of one hundred days.
Originally, it would have taken over a hundred days.
After several days of turmoil before taking the medicine, it wouldn't actually take a hundred days anymore.
The complete recovery time after taking the medicine should be within forty days.
It wouldn't exceed forty days at most, but even thirty-plus days were detrimental considering the rapidly changing situation.
He hoped that heaven would be kind enough to let him pass these few dozen days smoothly outside.
Chen Luoyang felt somewhat helpless.
As fellow Emperors, there might indeed be differences in strength.
He just didn't know if the Elder of his own Demon Sect's Elder Pavilion and Grand Elder had truly been defeated by Emperor Xia, or if he had intentionally preserved his strength.
With the Grand Elder's defeat, the Vermilion Bird Hall's Chief couldn't hold on alone.
Even if the East Sea King didn't participate in the siege, the Demon Sect would still have concerns.
It was inevitable to shift the front lines backward in order to stabilize the situation.
"It seems that the Grand Elder is getting on in years," Chen Luoyang said indifferently.
Xiao Yuntian, enveloped in the flowing wind, spoke, "Sect Master, the headquarters still requires your presence. This time, there are not only the forces of the Left Virtuous King, but we must also beware that the leaders of the foreign races have already emerged."
Upon hearing this, Chen Luoyang's gaze fell on the old Shou beside them.
Old Shou nodded and said, "Reporting to the Sect Master, the person who will receive Xiu Zhe should undoubtedly be one of the Twelve Flying Generals."
To prevent the appearance of enemy reinforcements like Wang Qiyi and Nun Mingpeng, Xiao Yuntian went to receive Old Shou.
The two of them would return together.
At the same time, they would bring back the news that the Left Virtuous King Xiu Zhe had ultimately escaped and had been received by other powerful members of the foreign races.
The Twelve Flying Generals were mostly outstanding talents among the foreign races. They served directly under the command of the leaders of the foreign races and were more exceptional than the Ten Warlords under Left Virtuous King Xiu Zhe.
Previously, the foreign experts who had come south to participate in the joint war against the demons were all members of Left Virtuous King Xiu Zhe's forces.
However, the latest information indicated that there might be more foreign experts coming from the south.
"The Ten Warlords have already withered, and now we'll just add a few more to accompany them," Chen Luoyang said indifferently. "But the two of you were outnumbered at the time, so withdrawing is not considered a fault."
"Thank you, Sect Master," Old Shou and Xiao Yuntian both bowed.
At this moment, Zhang Tianheng spoke, "Sect Master, why don't we cut off the enemy's retreat and launch a pincer attack with the Grand Hall Chief's forces?"
Xiao Yuntian added, "The Demon Blood Tree in the headquarters must not be lost."
"No need to worry too much. I will wait for them at the headquarters. Let's see if Li Yuanlong and the others can make it to me," Chen Luoyang gave the order, and the experts of the Demon Sect under his command immediately took action.
The Six Dragon Imperial Sedan, which had been heading east along the northern route of Xiangzhou, changed direction and headed south again towards the Demon Sect headquarters.
Chen Luoyang continued to recuperate from his injuries while pondering his martial arts skills.
At the same time, he took the opportunity to consult more Demon Sect intelligence, books, and records to understand and grasp the current situation.
In just a few days, they had already approached the legendary Demon Sect headquarters, the Ancient God Peak.
The latest updates on the overall situation of the war also continued to flow to the Six Dragon Imperial Sedan.
According to the intelligence, although the Grand Elder was injured by Emperor Xia, he still possessed a certain level of strength.
After retreating a distance, the Demon Sect had regained its momentum and was now confronting the Southern Expedition Coalition Forces that aimed to eradicate the demons.
Overall, the Demon Sect had stabilized its defense line and had not been directly breached by the enemy, avoiding a complete collapse.
However, the enemy still had the upper hand, and the Demon Sect was slowly retreating under pressure.
As they got closer to the Ancient God Peak, the Demon Sect's counterattack became stronger, while the enemy's advance slowed down.
Nevertheless, the battlefield was expanding.
With Emperor Xia and the East Sea King restraining the main forces of the Demon Sect, other powerful individuals began to disperse, bypassing the main defensive line of the Demon Sect, launching raids from various directions, and gradually encircling the Ancient God Peak.
As news spread of the return of the Demon Sect's Sect Master, the enemy's arrogance diminished, and they were no longer as rampant.
The collapse of the Western Front of the Demon-Slaying Army made the main force of the Central Front also vigilant.
However, amidst the caution, they still displayed the courage and determination to fight.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, there seem to be traces of activity from the Taiyi Daoist Sect and the Qingliang Monastery in this area. We are currently investigating, but we haven't captured anyone alive yet," a subordinate reported.
On this day, while traveling on the road, in the main hall of the Six Dragon Imperial Sedan, Qinglong III came once again to report.
Chen Luoyang nodded slightly.
Taiyi Daoist Sect.
Qingliang Monastery.
One representing the Daoist sects, the other representing the Buddhist sects, both as the leaders of their respective religions in the vast land of Shenzhou.
Among them, the Taiyi Daoist Sect had always been at the forefront of resisting demons in the Central Lands.
To some extent, they were archenemies of the Demon Sect.
The previous generation Sect Master of the Taiyi Daoist Sect, Qingyunzi, died at the hands of the previous generation Demon Sect Master, "Demon Emperor" Chen Hanhai.
Five years ago, the landscape of Shenzhou was not dominated by the current Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns.
Instead, there were two Emperors in the north and south, reigning over the eight directions.
The Ten Great Masters were renowned in the world.
The Sword Emperor and the Blade Emperor, one in the south and one in the north, were considered the two extremes, needless to say.
Among the Emperors who reigned over the eight directions, the Demon Sect occupied three, namely the current Chief of Vermillion Bird Hall, the Grand Elder of the Elder Council, and the former Demon Sect Master, Chen Hanhai.
Hmm, that would be the current Sect Master's father...
The remaining five individuals were Li Yuanlong, the Emperor Xia; Xiu Zhe, the Left Wise King of the Otherworldly Tribe; Qingyunzi, the head of the Daoist sect; the Co-master of the Ethereal Cloud Palace; and the Abbot of the Great Vajra Temple.
Four years ago, a great battle broke out between the Blade Emperor and the Sword Emperor, resulting in both suffering heavy losses and having to retreat into seclusion for recovery.
During this period, the land of Shenzhou was far from calm; on the contrary, it was in turmoil.
The previous generation Demon Sect Master, Chen Hanhai, emerged victorious in a battle against Qingyunzi, the head of the Daoist sect, and killed him on the spot.
But Chen Hanhai himself was also injured and was eventually ambushed by the Co-master of the Ethereal Cloud Palace and the Abbot of the Great Vajra Temple, resulting in his death.
At that time, a grand army called the Demon-Slaying Coalition launched a massive southern expedition.
However, a previously unknown contemporary Demon Sect Master emerged.
At the age of sixteen, he became the youngest Martial Emperor in the history of Shenzhou.
After a great battle, the coalition forces were forced to retreat.
And within the Demon Sect, a power struggle gave rise to the youngest Demon Sect Master in history.
During the period when the Sect Master consolidated his power, his achievements became increasingly remarkable.
Within the sect, he defeated the Chief of Vermillion Bird Hall.
Outside the sect, he defeated Xiu Zhe, the Black Emperor.
Two years later, for the first time in his life, the Sect Master stepped out of the Demon Realm.
First, he killed the Abbot of the Great Vajra Temple on the Snowy Plateau, nearly wiping out the entire temple.
Then he immediately shifted his focus to Xiangzhou, where he killed the Co-master of the Ethereal Cloud Palace and confronted the arriving Blade Emperor.
To a certain extent, while subverting the landscape of Shenzhou, the Demon Emperor established his own reputation as one of the Three Emperors, alongside the Sword Emperor and the Blade Emperor.
The Demon Sect expanded its influence and incorporated the Snowy Plateau into the Demon Realm.
The Ethereal Cloud Palace in Xiangzhou collapsed, dividing Xiangzhou between the Xia Dynasty and the Demon Sect, thus becoming the frontline of the struggle between the two sides.
While the Xia Emperor annexed the northern part of Xiangzhou, he intended to take the opportunity to rectify the three major aristocratic families within his own domain.
Little did he know that the previously hidden Eastern Sea King finally revealed his Martial Emperor strength, astonishing everyone.
The Xia Emperor had no choice but to temporarily halt his plans and carefully consider his next move.
The top experts in the land of Shenzhou were officially established as the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns of today.
"Carefully investigate the whereabouts of the Taiyi and Qingliang factions." Chen Luoyang put down the jade slip in his hand and spoke calmly. "Since they have come, let them all stay."