The Prince Can Do Divination

Chapter 379 - 239: Arrivals From All Directions, A Suspicious Defeat, Fighting the Blood Race Duke, Avenging His Father-in-Law

Lu Mingyuan asked, "The force that killed Mr. Qi—wasn’t it the one led by the Great Nether Empress?"

Li Exi shook her head. "No, the Great Nether Empress has been on the main front the entire time. The other passes along the Great Wall are defended by the Court’s other Great Wall Guards. Yu Yang Pass, where the Blood Race broke through, is a minor, less significant pass that was lightly defended. That flank was under the control of a Blood Race tribe from the Underworld."

"Your Highness, you may not be aware, but while the Holy Netherworld appears to be led by the Great Nether Court, it’s actually dominated by the Cultivators of the Ten Underworld Races. The Ten Races each fight for themselves and have their own command structures."

Lu Mingyuan was well aware of this.

He had participated in the great war between the two worlds during his second life.

The Great Nether Court is merely the figurehead. The actual outcome of any battle depends entirely on whether the Princes of the Ten Races are willing to commit their forces.

Even the Monarch of the Great Netherworld is incapable of directly commanding the armies of the Ten Races to cooperate fully.

The Demon Country has its own army, but to control the forces subordinate to the Ten Races, one can only go through their Princes; it’s impossible to command all the races directly.

This structure often leads to military delays. It’s always been this way within the Great Netherworld, with numerous figures akin to Dukes and Kings who wield considerable military power but have their own agendas, always looking to secure advantages for their own people.

Li Exi went on to explain how Qi Xingyan, after marching out, had divided his forces to construct a solid defensive line. His goal was to hold out for as long as possible and probe for the true route of the Demon Country’s main army.

Since the Ten Races each fought their own battles, the situation along every section of the Great Wall differed, and Great Yan had to distribute its forces accordingly.

Despite some setbacks, they achieved their objective. They located the Great Nether Empress’s main army and lay in wait, holding the heavily fortified Celestial Profound Mansion City and buying a crucial amount of time.

Her story continued up to the arrival of reinforcements from the Dao Alliance.

The Origin Lady Monarch and the Five-Thunder Upper Immortal, two Fourteenth Realm Great Powers, made their move.

They fought the Demon Country’s Divine Venerable to a standstill.

This freed up enough troops to reinforce other fronts. But during the retreat, they were ambushed by the Blood Race from the western front and trapped in a city. Qi Xingyan fought to the death to protect the city’s people as they evacuated, ultimately falling at the hands of a Duke from the Blood Race’s Burial Clan...

’The Blood Race... it’s the Blood Race again...’

Lu Mingyuan’s expression was dark and unsettled.

His opponent was a Blood Race Duke, which meant he was at the Twelfth Realm at a minimum.

The Middle Fifth Grade corresponds to the ranks of Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron.

The Twelfth Realm corresponds to the title of Duke.

As his vengeful emotions gradually subsided, Lu Mingyuan re-examined the battle and realized that, just as Li Exi had said, something was amiss.

’It’s truly strange that the Blood Race knew Qi Xingyan’s route of retreat.’

’Could there really be a traitor among the Human Race?’

’And what exactly was this contingency my father-in-law mentioned in the hairpin?’

As his thoughts churned, Lu Mingyuan took a deep breath. "Why hasn’t Mr. Qi’s coffin reached the Capital City yet?"

Li Exi’s gaze grew distant. She glanced at the demoralized army and said slowly, "The Blood Race proclaimed that the corpse of one of the Saints and Sages is priceless, so they intercepted Mr. Qi’s coffin en route. It is now in Celestial Water City."

"They’ve gone too far!"

Fury ignited within Lu Mingyuan. He slammed his fist on the armrest of his sedan, which let out a loud THUD.

’A blood debt must be paid in blood. It doesn’t matter what kind of backing this Blood Race Duke has, or how many Cultivators he brought along. This time, he *will* die.’

"In that case, we’re heading directly to Celestial Water City!"

At Lu Mingyuan’s command, the vast army surged forward, making for Celestial Water City.

Along the way, more Cultivators came to join their cause, including Martial Artists, Qi Cultivators, Confucian Scholars, and Monks.

Most of them, like Li Exi, had heard that Lu Mingyuan was heading to Celestial Water City to reclaim Qi Xingyan’s body, and they came one after another to offer their aid.

In terms of strength, however, they were a considerable step down, with few Cultivators above the Eleventh Realm among them.

Departing from the military garrisons along their route, the army moved at full speed and soon arrived in the vicinity of Celestial Water City.

Celestial Water City was situated near a body of water, the site of Great Yan’s largest lake, Celestial Water Lake.

The lake was immense, like an ancient ocean. Its waters, seemingly fallen from the heavens, were vast, boundless, and shrouded in their usual mystery. The spatial structure within it was so complex that even stars floating inside appeared minuscule.

White mist drifted over the water’s surface in overlapping layers, obscuring the view. Even with the most powerful eyesight, it was difficult to see the scene deep within the water.

As the army arrived, two more Cultivators came to pledge their allegiance.

"Yu Linglong, Sect Master of the Linglong Blessed Land."

"Yao Guang, a Sword-carrying Disciple of the Fuyao Sword Palace."

Lu Mingyuan’s gaze fell on the first of the two, a woman in simple robes wearing a white, veiled conical hat. He felt a sense of familiarity from her.

He shook his head and asked, "You’ve been waiting here for some time. Do you have any intelligence on the Blood Race?"

The cold-faced man holding a verdant scabbard nodded slightly. "We also want to retrieve Mr. Qi’s coffin, but we have been unable to break the Ten Directions Blood Prison Array laid by the Blood Race. We could only wait outside the city for the Court’s army."

"Crown Prince of Great Yan, are you looking for this Duke?"

Then, quite suddenly, a light, airy voice drifted from between heaven and earth.

Lu Mingyuan’s focus snapped toward the top of the city wall, which bordered the vast, misty lake.

A tall figure slowly emerged from the dense white fog, a savage smile on its face as it met Lu Mingyuan’s gaze.

"Crown Prince of Great Yan, I hear you’re looking for me?"

This person stood nearly three meters tall. He carried himself with a noble air, yet on his back grew a pair of enormous, jade-like blood wings. His eyes were huge, like two great lanterns, his nose was collapsed like a gorilla’s, and his mouth was full of jagged fangs. He was utterly hideous.