Zhū Qu Five-One Outpost.

A cold and handsome young man walked down the main road of the outpost.

Wherever he passed, every Demon Suppression Guard saluted him.

After he walked some distance away, a young Demon Suppression Guard quietly asked in a low voice,

“Hey, who was that? Why did you all salute him?”

“He looks so young—about the same age as me.”

Beside him, an older Demon Suppression Guard shook his head. “You don’t know him? You must be new here.”

The young guard gave an embarrassed smile. “Yeah, I just transferred to the fortress from Zhū Qu Four City two months ago.”

“Haven’t been in the fortress long, and here I am on the fifth level of the Demon Suppression Sea.”

The older guard lowered his voice. “That young man is Ye Yan. During the last great battle, he took on a Zenith True Demon Lord one-on-one and killed it—his record is impressive.”

“General Zhū Xuánjī values him highly. He’s already been promoted to Deputy Commander.”

The young guard sucked in a breath. “Deputy Commander? Does he have the rank for it?”

The older guard shook his head. “Deputy Commander used to require the rank of Earth-tier Demon Suppression Guard—that was before.”

“Now that General Zhū is back, who gets to be Deputy Commander is up to her alone.”

“As long as your cultivation meets the requirements, you can take the matching post.”

“If your spiritual power cultivation reaches the peak of the Divine Palace Realm, and your blood and qi cultivation reaches the Golden Apex Lord Realm, you could too.”

The young guard drew in another sharp breath. “Damn! Divine Palace peak, Golden Apex Lord Realm? How old is he? He’s actually reached such heights in both spiritual power and blood and qi cultivation?”

“No wonder General Zhū values him so much—she treats him almost like her confidant.”

The older guard sighed, “I think Ye Yan might become the next Shen Mo!”

All the Demon Suppression Guards nearby nodded in agreement.

Recently, Shen Mo’s illustrious feats had spread throughout the ten Demon Suppression Fortresses.

Some might not know the names of the ten Great Demon Lords,

but no one was unfamiliar with the name “Shen Mo!”

Nowadays, Shen Mo even had a fanatical following, calling themselves the Shen Clan Army.

They believed Shen Mo would inevitably become the mightiest of all Demon Suppression Generals.

He would lead the Demon Suppression Guards to forever suppress the Demon Clan.

And one day, set all Demon Suppression Guards free.

The young guard nodded vigorously. “I think Commander Ye will definitely become the second expert after General Shen to reach the Manifestation Realm.”

“General Shen, Commander Ye—they’re my role models!”

The surrounding guards all burst out laughing.

“With your talent, being a centurion would already be impressive. Don’t set your sights too high.”

“Yeah, with General Shen’s talent and strength, you couldn’t match even a hundredth of him.”

“I think Ye Yan is still nowhere near Shen Mo. If you want a role model, make it Shen Mo!”

“That’s right! I agree!”

After that came another round of cheerful laughter from the guards.

In the distance—

Ye Yan clenched his fists.

Veins bulged on his forehead.

He heard every word.

Clear as day.

Why bring up Shen Mo when they talk about him?

Just thinking of that man made his heart turn cold.

He loathed himself for it.

Back then, at the banks of the Cang River, their first meeting—why hadn’t he acted, and killed Shen Mo right then and there?

If only he’d gone all out, things wouldn’t be so stifling now.

All his glory was overshadowed by Shen Mo.

Like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

Utterly insignificant.

“At least Zhū Xuánjī trusts me, appreciates me.”

“She’s entrusted me with protecting Zhū Qu Five-One Outpost. I must do it well.”

“In the future, Zhū Xuánjī will be my greatest support!”

“And maybe, one day, I’ll bring such a beauty into my own household.”

Ye Yan took a deep breath and let a faint smile show.

From the very first time he met Zhū Xuánjī, he’d been captivated by her beauty.

It was just that his preferences had started to shift a little lately—thanks to Lin Dongtian’s influence.

“Damn it, why does Lin Dongtian like both men and women? He’s made me start feeling weird too.”

Ye Yan cursed inwardly a few times, shook off those strange thoughts, and strode toward the outpost exit.

Ever since arriving at the fifth layer of the Demon Suppression Sea, he had worked tirelessly, fulfilling his duties as best as he could.

Within five hundred li of Zhū Qu Five-One Outpost, he had cleared out all the seventh-rank demonized beasts.

These seventh-rank demon beasts were as powerful as Divine Palace or Venerable Realm cultivators.

Tainted by demonic energy, they were even more bloodthirsty and savage.

If it came to a one-on-one fight, ordinary Demon Suppression Guards wouldn’t be their match at all.

But he was a peerless genius, and had two souls—Lin Dongtian and Lin Hu—inside him.

Dealing with these seventh-rank demon beasts was not difficult.

With those beasts wiped out, building Zhū Qu Five-One Outpost became much easier.

Few demon beasts could threaten the Demon Suppression Guards anymore.

Just then, a shout came from the guards on the city wall.

“Demon beast! A demon beast is attacking! It’s over three hundred zhang long!”

“Heavens… a beast tide! Even more demon beasts are coming!”

Ye Yan’s heart pounded wildly.

A beast three hundred zhang long?

That was probably an eighth-rank demon beast!

An eighth-rank demon beast was equivalent to a Manifestation Realm powerhouse!

How could he possibly handle that?

Besides, he had already cleared out all the demon beasts within five hundred li.

How could there still be so many demon beasts gathering here?

“Commander Ye, what should we do?”

Panic swept through the Demon Suppression Guards.

Ye Yan was the strongest in the outpost.

Instinctively, they all gathered around him, hoping he would have an answer.

Ye Yan took a deep breath. “Activate the formation immediately!”

“The White Tiger Fortress and Azure Dragon Fortress outposts are nearby—send requests for reinforcements at once.”

Ye Yan was not only powerful, but highly respected. His authority was the highest.

His words were treated as commands.

As soon as he spoke, people rushed to carry out the orders.

A centurion hurried to Ye Yan’s side and couldn’t help but say, “Commander Ye, General Ling from Xuanwu Fortress is also on the fifth layer—he’s closest to us.”

“That beast over three hundred zhang is extremely powerful, most likely an eighth-rank demon beast. General Ling is a Manifestation Realm expert. We should request his help.”

Ye Yan took a deep breath. “General Ling… is busy with his own matters. Let’s not trouble him unless we have to.”

He was a hundred times unwilling in his heart.

Why should they call Shen Mo every time there was trouble?

Why couldn’t they call someone else?

Aren’t there Demon Suppression Generals at Blood God Fortress and Panlong Fortress also on the fifth layer?

As long as they could hold on long enough for those generals to arrive, wouldn’t that be enough?

Boom!

A deafening noise shook the sky.

Buildings within Zhū Qu Five-One Outpost trembled violently.

Large chunks of rock tumbled to the ground.

Frightened Demon Suppression Guards screamed.

Some unlucky ones were struck by the falling rocks, their fate unknown.

“The formation… the formation…”

The centurion looked up at the protective barrier’s light, his face instantly turning ashen.

Ye Yan glanced up as well, his heart turning cold.

The formation’s glow was completely shrouded in pitch-black demonic energy.

Ye Yan’s heart shook violently.

A moment ago, he still had a sliver of hope.

Now, not anymore.

This three-hundred-zhang giant beast was truly an eighth-rank demon beast!

Without a Manifestation Realm expert, it was impossible to handle!

Boom!

The wolf-like giant beast raised its massive claw and smashed down.

The outpost shook violently once more.

The protective barrier groaned under the pressure, barely holding.

“Commander Ye! Request help from General Ling now! If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late!” the centurion shouted desperately.

Ye Yan gritted his teeth. “Re… request reinforcements!”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel