Chapter 1004 - 647: Stele Demon, The First Battle
As soon as the Beastman camp landed, they were directly transmitted to the very center of the Celestial Stele Secret Realm, which was the area where Stele Demons bred most densely and was the most perilous death zone.
No one present would believe this was a coincidence.
The landing points of the Nine Great Holy Blood Clans were clearly marked on the map, which was enough to prove that the teleportation array fully possessed the ability for pinpoint placement and precise landing.
Recalling before entering the Secret Realm, the Emperor still sternly advised all parties to uphold rules and behave, yet he turned and bundled the entire Beastman camp straight into the most dangerous Purgatory Land of the Secret Realm.
Many people sighed inwardly, not expecting our high and mighty, imposing Holy Martial Emperor to have such a cunning side.
But it must be said, His Majesty’s maneuver was done beautifully!
Dongfang Chen smiled faintly, soon restrained his expression, and said solemnly, "Whether the Beastmen live or die is none of our concern. Our only goal in this Nine Stars Martial Arts Competition is to slaughter the Stele Demons to the fullest and cleanse the demonic qi from the Secret Realm."
Qin Tian smacked his lips. He did not care about the fate of the other Beastmen, but Kesler of the Eternal Ice Silkworm absolutely could not be harmed. If Kesler were to perish, the only clue he held regarding Space-Time Amber would be completely severed.
"However, I must remind everyone, although we’ve gathered top elites from all corners of the Empire this time, based on past competitions, the Celestial Stele Secret Realm brims with endless Stele Demons, exceedingly menacing. In terms of overall combat power, we are still at a disadvantage."
"To thoroughly eliminate the demonic qi and bathe in the Celestial Stele’s glory is no easy feat. Any carelessness will lead to severe losses for major forces, and there’s even a risk of complete annihilation."
Hearing this, everyone present felt their hearts sink.
Many prominent families participated in past Nine Stars competitions and understood the peril and ferocity of this Secret Realm.
If their elite forces suffer too many losses, not only would the family’s vitality be greatly damaged, but their foundation shaken, possibly leading to a decline from which they might never recover.
"To enhance clearance efficiency and coordinate the deployment of forces, Zhuge Yunlan will now lay out tactics and decide on deployments for us."
As Dongfang Chen finished speaking, a middle-aged man in a blue robe stepped forward from the crowd, with an elegant and gentle demeanor, and a calm air of strategic foresight between his brows.
He was Zhuge Yunlan, the powerful leader of the Zhuge Family team, a bona fide Tier Eight powerhouse.
The Zhuge Family has always produced top advisors, excelling at military deployment, strategic planning, array studies, and celestial calculations.
Zhuge Yunlan, tasked with leadership, has wisdom, vision, and organizing ability beyond doubt.
Zhuge Yunlan gently cupped his hands in greeting, then raised his hand lightly. A thick stream of Spiritual Energy surged forth from his palm, weaving and swirling in mid-air, eventually forming a grand, three-dimensional terrain model of the Secret Realm.
Details of the Secret Realm’s mountain ranges, critical passes, demon qi convergence zones, all were clearly outlined.
Zhuge Yunlan glanced at all the leaders present and said slowly, "Ladies and gentlemen, please look at the terrain model. This is our preliminary battle plan."
"The Dongfang Family headquarters will act as the central core base, overseeing the overall situation and supporting all factions as needed."
"The Gold Clans will proceed to key passes and strategic points. ... Other forces, Mercenary Corps, and large commercial guilds will form multiple guerrilla teams, patrolling between strategic points, aiding Gold Families in clearing overlooked Stele Demons, filling gaps in defenses, signaling for support when encountering strong enemies, and not recklessly engaging alone."
"All squads must maintain smooth Spiritual Energy communication, keep distance between each other within reasonable range, advance steadily, clear layer by layer, secure points first, then sweep outward, step by step, encircle towards the Celestial Stele. Below are detailed arrangements for each force, please listen..."
Zhuge Yunlan detailed key points for each force’s defense, patrol areas, assembly signals, and other crucial information.
Everyone present focused on memorizing, embedding it in their minds.
Qin Tian carefully observed the map and noticed that the number of participants from Ice Extreme Pass was far greater than those from many Gold Clans. Therefore, the Dongfang Family had assigned substantial tasks to Ice Extreme Pass, requiring them not only to cleanse a separate area but, due to his and the Moluo Race’s excellent spatial abilities, they also needed to dispatch a squad as a mobile support group.
Despite the heavy tasks, Qin Tian had no complaints.
After all, the Dongfang Family was offering a substantial reward.
Though participating in the Nine Stars Martial Arts Competition is a voluntary act by each force, even competing for Secret Realm slots and the final Celestial Stele glory, they exist in rivalry.
The reason why the event is called "Nine Stars Martial Arts Competition" rather than simply "Celestial Stele Demon’s Purge" lies primarily in that, after the Nine Stars Martial Arts Competition ends, the Celestial Stele spirit will fairly evaluate the contribution ranking of the Nine Great Holy Blood Camps.
The Royal Council will base rewards policy, financial support, personnel promotion, and rare treasure grants to Holy Blood Clans according to contribution ranking.
This incentive policy prompts the Nine Great Holy Blood Clans to exert utmost effort selecting elite participants, and all Holy Blood Clans provide generous rewards, encouraging their forces to hunt more Stele Demons and boost overall camp contribution.
Being a top-ranked participant in numbers and possessing high mobility and support capability within the Eastern Camp, Ice Extreme Pass received a clear promise from the Dongfang Family before entering the Secret Realm.
As long as they strictly follow the Dongfang Family’s deployment plan, and if the Eastern Camp ranks within the top four of the Nine Great Holy Blood Clans, Ice Extreme Pass will receive a gift package of ten "Celestial Human Three Tribulations" elixirs.