Sovereign of the Three Realms (WN)

The wood demons’ rank and file quickly gathered at the two forefathers’ summons.

“As the alliance leader of the ten sacred lands, Eternal is a tough opponent. However, victory will also award us the greatest merit among all the tribes in Myriad Abyss. We made no great contributions to the ancient war, so now’s our chance to make a name for ourselves!”

Forefather Kingspot marshaled the troops while Ghostbranch added, “After some discussion, we’ve decided to initiate the attack even if we are to pay some price for it. The gains will outweigh whatever losses we suffer. All of you are outstanding children of our tribe. Do you have the confidence and determination to wage a glorious battle for the sake of the wood demon tribe? To write a new chapter in demon history??”

Every demon tribe possessed an ingrained love for the bloodshed of war.

The wood demons were no exceptions. They thirsted for battles, not merely for mindless slaughter, but also for the many opportunities that conflict offered.

In particular, they were well aware of the potential gains to be seized from a sacred land. Many among them had reaped considerable benefits from Martial and Abyssal.

Some loot could be stuffed unseen into their own pockets, without the need to hand it over. No one wanted to miss out on such an opportunity.

“Forefathers, order the assault! We’ve long waited for this day to come!”

“That’s right, what’s so special about Eternal? Two sacred lands have already yielded before the might of our tribe. What’s one more?”

“With the two forefathers at the helm, a trivial Eternal will crumble at first blow.”

“Right, now is the time for them to experience the full power of wood demon parasites!”

“Even if they have the antidote, what can they do? There must be a limit to their supply. Don’t tell me every last of them is equipped with a vial of it?”

“True, there’s no way in hell they can resist us once swamped by a legion of parasites!”

Their eagerness was heartwarming for the forefathers to see. Their troops were primed and motivated, their battle spirits sky-high. Every sign pointed in the right direction.

Forefather Kingspot laughed delightedly. “Wonderful! I expect no less from the brave warriors of our tribe! Other than their main treasury, you can keep whatever you find. First come, first served!”

“Of course, if you run into pill recipes and the like, you can’t hoard it for yourselves,” Forefather Ghostbranch added.

All of the demigods nodded. “Forefathers, please be at ease. We don’t need recipes or formations, only resources that can be used directly for cultivation. The rest we’ll naturally hand over to you, for the sake of our clan’s future!”

“Good, let’s celebrate together after taking down Eternal!”

The wood demons’ majestic army rolled out.

The tribe’s all-out assault was a terribly imposing sight to witness. Though they numbered less than one-tenth compared to the human forces, they were either specialists in parasites, poisons, or the manipulation of spirit herbs...

All in all, their areas of expertise were all extremely hard to deal with for humans. The army currently stationed at Eternal had strength to spare in frontal combat, but defending against these unconventional methods was a much greater ordeal.

The sacred land had yet to witness the full strength of the wood demons. As a consequence, they couldn’t accurately assess the full extent of this enemy’s capabilities.

But they immediately felt an immense pressure once the demons initiated the offensive.

Strange sights surfaced in many sectors that very morning. Plants grew without restraint over large areas, shooting wildly from the earth and quickly growing to epic proportions.

In no more than half a day, the assorted greenery had fully taken over the territories and established a flora kingdom. But that wasn’t all.

These were no ordinary plants. Most possessed tremendous offensive potential. Even the most common willows evolved their branches into murderous weapons, as if demonized.

The most ordinary grass or flower had become alien, to say nothing of previously unheard-of species.

In a short half-day, the flora attacked too many cultivators to count, swallowing some and sucking dry others of their life essence.

Some species seemed rather harmless, but as soon as their victims lowered their guard, they secreted all kinds of poisons through every way imaginable. Some used liquid poison, some a toxic fog, and others coated their flowers and branches in venom.

These strange plants now ruled over an extended amount of Eternal’s outer territories. All of the inhabitants were either dead or fled. There was almost no other outcome.

Human cultivators were deprived of their entire living habitat. Survival was no longer possible where the eerie flora reigned supreme. Worse, the dreadful vegetal kingdom’s boundaries expanded ever further as it spread toward Eternal’s core areas.

Of course, this development didn’t remain obscured from the sacred land’s core leadership.

The weight on Ziju Min’s shoulders was tremendous. Divine Kasyapa had brought the parasite antidote at Jiang Chen’s behest, but there was no easy way to counter the flora invasion.

Only, every pair of eyes in Eternal was on him. No matter how enormous of a headache it was, he had no choice but to confront it by himself, without the support of the ten sacred lands’ main combatants, busy as they were elsewhere.

If the current force could resist, then all the better. But if they faltered, Eternal was doomed to fall.

“Daoist Kasyapa, the wood demons have shied away from a full-strength attack thus far, so what’s driven them so crazy today? It’s well worth mulling over this question.”

An Kasyapa was the picture of serenity. “They must have been wary of something previously, but an unknown cause has driven them over the edge today. They no longer seem bothered by the price to pay for storming us.”

“Alas, apart from their parasites, wood demons are also experts at manipulating plants and using poison. It seems the rumors are well-founded. Daoist Kasyapa, with your experience and insight, can you offer some wise counsel?”

The latter smiled wryly. “In this vast world, I’m afraid only young lord Chen can offer a sound plan. At a guess, he’ll be here soon.”

“I hope so. These old bones of mine have no confidence we can hold strong otherwise,” Ziju Min responded with a soft sigh.

Fresh news came in just then.

“Forefather Ziju, all of the sectors to the south are under a large-scale invasion from parasites. The executives of the various territories and factions all request large quantities of antidote from us!”