The Ghost King suddenly realized something was amiss.

"Qian Feng is known for his caution, how could he possibly act without complete assurance?" the Ghost King muttered to himself, pacing back and forth in the room with his hands clasped behind his back.

"He probably knows even better than I do how many troops I have left, so why would he strike along the entire front, risking his own safety just to force my troops to retreat? This is entirely inconsistent with his style of operation, there must be something fishy going on!"

After some contemplation, the Ghost King slowly walked to the door and said to the soldiers kneeling there, waiting for his orders, "Send the commands down: all troops on the eastern front are to fall back. Every camp must retreat within the vicinity of five hundred miles of Netherworld City by the end of the day, and without my command, no one is to launch an offensive!"

The soldier glanced up at the Ghost King with an incredulous expression on his face. Then, lowering his head again, he replied in a firm voice, "Yes! I will relay the order to them immediately!"

"Wait!" the Ghost King raised his hand, "Send a message to the Dark Law King, tell him they must breach Huiyin Mountains as quickly as possible, with no delays!"

As he spoke, deep worry shadowed the Ghost King's eyes, and a vague red silhouette appeared in his mind.

Nineteen years before, when the Gate of the Nether King had been suddenly pushed open and he escaped with the Eight Great Law Kings, Yuqiao, the Fourth Generation Nether King, arrived at the Eighteen Levels of Hell in no time.

At that time, with her power alone, she almost eliminated him and the Eight Law Kings. Had Yuqiao not been in a rush to seal the Gate of the Nether King to prevent three Primordial Demons of the Underworld from escaping, it's quite likely that the Ghost King and the Eight Law Kings would have died by her hand.

The hurried departure of Yuqiao at that time eternally lingered in the Ghost King's mind, an unshakable memory, which to this day still sent shivers down his spine.

Therefore, when the Ghost King heard that Yuqiao was among the allied forces of the Eight Great Clans, he knew he had to act without delay to eliminate her. Although the Ghost King didn't understand how Yuqiao was still alive, given that her Yin Soul was clearly nailed to the Gate of the Nether King, sealing that door hiding countless ghastly, hideous, and dreadful spirits.

Moreover, there was a rumor that Yuqiao was the same woman who recently destroyed Nether King Palace, inheriting the Netherworld Azure Bird's bloodline, which only intensified the Ghost King's yearning for her demise!

..

..

Two hours later, the order from the Ghost King was delivered by the Wujil bird from Netherworld City to the various camps on the east side of Netherworld City. Although every camp commander had complaints and did not understand this decision, they quickly carried out the Ghost King's command, leading their camps to fall back within five hundred miles of Netherworld City.

On the east bank of the Hong River, where the combined forces of tens of thousands from the Qian and Li families were ready to cross the river to attack the Ghost King's Alpha Battalion on the opposite side, the Alpha Battalion suddenly retreated quickly to the west.

This situation was entirely beyond Qian Feng's expectations; he had not anticipated that the Ghost King would make such a decision.

He had thought that the Ghost King would immediately send the soldiers of the King's Elite Battalion to fight fiercely with their grand army!

He looked to the north, seeing the "Legion of Ghosts", which he had bribed and put together not long ago, now setting out from the Valley of Myriad Ghosts. The original plan was for the two sides to confront each other head-on, and then the "Legion of Ghosts" would ambush from the flank, catching the Ghost King Battalion off guard. Once the eastern line of the Ghost King's forces collapsed, the army of a hundred thousand attacking Huiyin Mountains would have no choice but to return to support.

"Clan Leader Qian, what should we do now? Their Alpha Battalion is retreating, not daring to fight us!" Li Zuole, the Clan Leader of the Li Family, walked up behind Qian Feng and asked.

"In that case, all we can do is continue to press on and force them," Qian Feng said, disappointment evident in his voice.

If the Ghost King's forces in the eastern sector continued to fall back, the joint forces of the Qian and Li families would have a hard time making any significant breakthrough, posing a threat to Netherworld City, and thus failing to force the northern troops to withdraw.

..

..

The sky grew dark.

On the grasslands to the east of Huiyin Mountains, the cold wind was biting.

The four Law Kings, who had been planning to attack Huiyin Mountains at this time, canceled their original plan after learning of the sudden strike from the combined forces of the Qian and Li families, staying in place waiting for the orders from the Ghost King at Netherworld City.

The Dark Law King, King Wumeng, and King Qingyu were seated by the riverside, before them a string of fish that was gradually roasting to perfection.

Underneath the roasted fish, twigs blazed fiercely. The flames, growing brighter as dusk fell, danced more vivaciously with the increasingly brisk wind.

"What do you think Qian Feng's sudden deployment of troops is aimed at?" King Wumeng asked King Qingyu.

"It surely wouldn't be to take advantage of our attack on the five major clans to launch a surprise attack on Netherworld City," replied King Qingyu. "It is more likely an attempt to force us to withdraw our troops from the north and hurry back to support, in order to preserve the alliance of the five major clans."

"Why would Qian Feng want to save the alliance of the five major clans? Though they have all been part of the Eight Great Clans, they are far from united."

"If the alliance of the five major clans gets annihilated by us, they will be next in line."

"King Qingyu's analysis isn't wrong," interjected the Dark Law King. "They say Qian Feng is cunning and far-sighted, and it seems there's truth in that. I guess in the eyes of someone like him, nothing matters besides his own interests."

King Wumeng and King Qingyu both nodded, in full agreement with the statement of the Dark Law King.

At that moment, the piercing scream of the Netherworld Azure Bird rang out.

"It has finally arrived!" The Dark Law King immediately stood up and walked towards the direction of the scream.

After receiving the letter brought by the Netherworld Azure Bird, the Dark Law King, while unravelling the letter, walked back to King Wumeng and King Qingyu.

"What does the Ghost King want us to do next?" King Wumeng asked the Dark Law King.

Lifting his gaze from the letter to the murky night sky, the Dark Law King let out a heartfelt sigh before saying, "The Ghost King wants us to eradicate the five major clans as quickly as possible, especially that potential person."

Without the need for the Dark Law King to elaborate, both King Wumeng and King Qingyu knew that the individual he referred to was Ye Yuqiao of the Fourth Generation Nether King.

Having said this, the Dark Law King tossed the letter into the fire, turning it to ashes.

"I heard that there was heavy snowfall in the Huiyin Mountains a few days ago, and it has only melted these past few days, which has affected the surrounding areas with a cold spell," King Wumeng shared.

"And what do you suggest we do?"

"We shall rest here overnight and set off at dawn tomorrow. By noon, we will reach the Huiyin Mountains, with the aim of breaking through before night falls!"

..

..

Atop the Huiyin Mountains.

"Cough cough cough!"

After coughing a couple of times, Chen Hao slowly opened his eyes.

"You're awake!" Ye Yuqiao's familiar and melodious voice reached his ears.

Once his vision cleared, Ye Yuqiao's familiar face came into view, offering him a slight smile, her eyes seemingly glistening with tears.

A frown creased Chen Hao's brow!

For some reason, he felt that the Ye Yuqiao before him was somewhat unfamiliar...

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