Chapter 152: The Fall of the Northern Continent

Soon, Xu Zhe and the others followed behind Chu Xiaotong and entered her room.

Chu Xiaotong had already retrieved a Myriad Phenomenon Jade Talisman from beneath her pillow and quickly began to check it.

Moments later, her expression grew even more solemn as she turned to look at Xu Zhe and the others.

"The Eastern Qian Continent has held its ground, the Western Kun Continent has lost a defensive line, and the Northern Terrain Continent has fallen completely. This situation is extremely abnormal. Given the strength of the Northern Terrain Continent and the Jackdaw Army, it is utterly impossible for the demon race to have breached their borders overnight," Chu Xiaotong said in a deep voice.

"How many defensive lines does the Northern Terrain Continent have on the border battlefield?" Xu Zhe asked.

"Just like us, they have three defensive lines," Chu Xiaotong replied.

The implication was self-evident. The Southern Sky Continent also had three defensive lines, and even when the main demon army deployed a mid-tier battle array, it had taken them several days to breach just a single line.

Furthermore, it had taken the demon army nearly an entire month to fight their way from the first defensive line to the third.

The vast majority of that time was spent on marching, traveling, and regrouping their forces.

Therefore, what did it mean if the demon army was able to breach all three defensive lines of the Northern Terrain Continent in a single night and charge straight into the continental interior?

It meant that the three defensive lines of the Northern Terrain Continent were practically undefended. The demon army must have rushed through completely unopposed and traveled at absolute maximum speed to penetrate the continental interior within a single night; otherwise, such a feat would have been utterly impossible.

Thus, this situation was absurdly abnormal!

"What is the strength of the demon forces over in the Northern Terrain Continent?" Xu Zhe asked again.

After all, the four major continents each had their own respective sectors on the border battlefield and faced different demon factions. In the unlikely event that the demons over in the Northern Terrain Continent were much stronger, it might actually be possible for them to push all the way through to the high ground.

"Their strength is comparable to the demon army we are facing. Generally speaking, the overall strength of the Northern Terrain Continent is quite similar to that of the Southern Sky Continent. The Eastern Qian Continent is not weak either, and only the Western Kun Continent is slightly weaker. That is why I feel their situation is so abnormal," Chu Xiaotong said, frowning.

"It is indeed highly abnormal. Even the Western Kun Continent managed to withstand the offensive of the demon army; how could the Northern Terrain Continent possibly be breached overnight?" Qu Hongxiu asked, her face full of puzzlement.

"The answer is obvious," Gu Jiaer said at this moment, spreading her hands. "The Northern Terrain Continent did it on purpose."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiaotong's brows furrowed even more tightly.

Qu Hongxiu, in astonishment, asked, "No way, they did it on purpose? What possible benefit could that bring them?"

"That question of yours holds little meaning for us," Xu Zhe shook his head. "Just as you cannot fathom why Lan Zhen would choose to betray us, it is obvious that the demons must have reached some kind of agreement with them, allowing them to reap massive benefits in return."

"What?" Qu Hongxiu finally turned pale with fright, realizing it only after the fact. "Uncle Xu, do you mean to say that the Northern Terrain Continent has betrayed the human race, just like Lan Zhen?"

"The possibility is very high," Xu Zhe nodded.

"No way, that is an entire continent we are talking about! They are just handing it over to the demons on a silver platter?" Qu Hongxiu felt as though she were living in a dream, her face filled with shock and disbelief.

Both Chu Xiaotong and Gu Jiaer remained silent.

Xu Zhe, on the other hand, was quite calm. There was nothing particularly surprising about such a turn of events.

The Northern Terrain Continent was controlled by the Bai family, and tens of millions of soldiers in the Jackdaw Army were under their direct command. As long as the demons promised enough rewards and sufficient stakes, what was there that the Bai family wouldn't dare to do?

However, Xu Zhe vaguely guessed that there was an even deeper underlying factor at play.

This matter might be related to the people from the Azure Firmament Realm. To be precise, it should be connected to those masterminds behind the scenes who had cast the mid-tier battle array for the demon race.

"It is a pity that Lan Zhen is dead; otherwise, we might have been able to squeeze some clues out of him," Xu Zhe sighed, feeling a sense of regret.

During the previous battle between Lan Zhen and Deputy Commander Liu, the outcome had been entirely unsurprising. Lan Zhen seemed fully aware that being captured alive would bring him no good end, so he chose to fight to the death, attempting to carve out a sliver of hope for escape. However, fortune did not favor him, and Lan Zhen ultimately perished at the hands of Deputy Commander Liu.

Xu Zhe had witnessed the entire scene back then, but believing he had the capability to approach the stone house and locate the person who had deployed the battle array, he had never considered capturing Lan Zhen alive. He certainly had not expected that he would end up empty-handed in every respect.

"The Four Continents Council has convened an emergency session, but there is no time to wait for their results. You wait here for me; I will first send people to garrison the continental borders," Chu Xiaotong glanced at the jade talisman, and after speaking, she hurried away.

Xu Zhe and the others nodded.

Right now, they indeed had to consider sealing off parts of the continental borders of the Southern Sky Continent.

After all, the four major continents were interconnected as one entity, with the Heaven's Pride Valley nestled in the center. Aside from the Immortal Burying Valley of the Western Kun Continent on the periphery, the rest consisted of desolate regions that served as active hunting grounds for the demon race.

Now that the continental borders of the Northern Terrain Continent had been breached, the demons could easily enter through the Northern Terrain Continent, bypass the Heaven's Pride Valley, and strike directly at the other three major continents.

One had to understand that the border defenses established between these four major continents were essentially symbolic, with security relying primarily on the regulatory constraints enforced by the Council. Therefore, the garrisoned forces there fell far short of matching those on the border battlefield.

Once the demon army launched an offensive, there would truly be nothing to stop them.

"It is a fortunate thing that we received word in time; otherwise, it would have been too late by the time the demon army charged over from the Northern Terrain Continent," Qu Hongxiu said.

"In truth, it was already too late the moment the demons broke through the borders of the Northern Terrain Continent."

Xu Zhe shook his head. "Even if some troops are dispatched from here right now, the ensuing situation will still place us in a heavily passive position."

"Ah? Why?" Qu Hongxiu was startled.

"Duh, because our military strength will be spread thin," Gu Jiaer retorted impishly before Xu Zhe could speak.

She, too, fully grasped the crucial point of the matter.

Under the current circumstances, the importance of the continental borders could essentially be elevated to the same level as the border battlefield.

So, how many troops should be dispatched there?

If too many were sent, the border battlefield might fail to hold.

If too few were sent, the continental borders would become perilous and vulnerable to being breached at any moment.

Yet, looking at the big picture overall, if half the forces were deployed to garrison the continental borders, it would effectively mean having only half a Vermilion Bird Army stationed on each side.

Normally, a single Vermilion Bird Army could fight the demon army to a standstill; if only half an army remained, then being overrun by the demons would simply be a matter of time.

Thus, the present situation was far from optimistic.

"Although the situation looks grim, there is no need to be overly pessimistic. At the very least, the border battlefield of the Southern Sky Continent is temporarily secure, giving us time to make further preparations," Xu Zhe smiled faintly.

Following the battle a few days prior, although the demon army had retreated, they were essentially crippled, and leaving just half a Vermilion Bird Army on the border side would certainly be enough to hold the line.

As for the continental borders, the Northern Terrain Continent should not be completely overrun too quickly. After all, besides the Bai family, there were numerous other factions residing within the Northern Terrain Continent, and they would undoubtedly mount a resistance.

Capitalizing on this window of time, the Southern Sky Continent had the opportunity to make certain arrangements, such as pre-deploying high-tier battle arrays along the continental border regions.

Such preparations were necessary not only for the Southern Sky Continent but also for the Eastern Qian and Western Kun Continents; otherwise, if those two continents were also overrun, the Southern Sky Continent would find itself defending against multiple border lines simultaneously, truly leaving it besieged on all sides.

"Uncle Xu, just tell us what preparations need to be made, and we will go together right now," Qu Hongxiu said with great enthusiasm, volunteering herself.

"This matter cannot be rushed; I must gather the materials first," Xu Zhe shook his head.

Although a high-tier battle array was merely one rank higher than a mid-tier one, such items were genuinely difficult to forge. Particularly given that his own cultivation was still at the Nascent Soul stage, refining a high-tier battle array would consume both immense energy and a great deal of time.

By his estimation, even with a constant replenishment of spiritual energy, it would take at least a month or two to successfully craft the array disk.

"Bang!"

At that moment, the door was violently blown open by a burst of raw force.

Chu Xiaotong strode into the room, her face filled with fury and radiating murderous intent.

"Master, what is wrong?" Qu Hongxiu realized something was amiss and hurriedly asked.

"Those shameless scoundrels from the Northern Terrain Continent... see for yourselves. This lady is so angry she doesn't even want to speak," Chu Xiaotong said, tossing over a Myriad Phenomenon Jade Talisman.

Inside the jade talisman, several moving images were being projected.

One showed the fierce battle between the Vermilion Bird Army and the demons from a few days ago, wherein Xu Zhe's figure stood out brilliantly as he deployed several mid-tier battle arrays that instantly reversed the tide of battle.

Such battlefield recordings were routinely captured by designated personnel, which was a perfectly normal occurrence.

However, the other images displayed scenes of the Northern Terrain Continent's Jackdaw Army being ruthlessly crushed by the demons.

The demon army had likewise deployed mid-tier battle arrays, their cultivation levels and combat prowess soaring as they went on a frenzied slaughter of the Jackdaw Army.

Successive appearances were made by Jackdaw Army generals, the Bai family's young master Bai Yefeng, and figures of high authority from various factions, each taking turns to make public statements.

"The Jackdaw Army has fallen, and I am filled with unwillingness!"

"Xu Zhe has betrayed the human race! He actually transmitted secret techniques to the demon army, causing the slaughter of my Jackdaw Army. This blood debt is irreconcilable!"

"The demon invasion and conquest of our Northern Terrain Continent is entirely because of Xu Zhe!"

"Xu Zhe is a despicable villain, unworthy of being human! To refuse to impart such secret methods to humanity while instead helping the demons massacre our human race..."

...

A theatrical play of shifting blame was performed with exquisite artistry by these individuals.

Xu Zhe marveled in wonder. So this... was the birth of actors?