[In the third year of the ancient dynasty, while patrolling the outskirts of the "Exorcism Forest" and on guard against an attack from the ancient demon kingdom, you discover a strange squad of soldiers.]
They were about the same height and build as normal men, but their skin had purplish-red markings, and their eyes were unlike those of normal people; they held no other emotion, only a fierce, sinister look.
[You've never seen soldiers like these before. Before you realize the problem, you ask them where they came from, only to be attacked without a word. Their fine iron spears, like dragons crossing a river, thrust out, churning blood and gore.]
[You drew your sword to meet the attack, your deep blue energy surging like a vast sea, instantly deflecting the three spears thrusting out simultaneously. You then retreated several dozen paces, your face showing surprise and disbelief.]
These soldiers were all comparable in strength to second-rate martial artists who were also geniuses, and they were even using internal energy. However, despite such martial arts prowess, their movements were rigid and inflexible, not much better than ordinary people, lacking the agility expected of a typical second-rate martial artist.
However, with their formidable stats, these strange soldiers can still handle ordinary second-rate martial artists, and they'll easily crush third-rate or ordinary people.
[But you are a top-tier expert. This group of seven soldiers gradually crumbled after you realized they couldn't communicate. You killed six of them, and broke the bones of one of them, carrying him back to your village, "Windstorm Village".]
In the "Exorcism Forest," the remaining forces of the Three Kingdoms formed the "Demon-Hate Alliance." To prevent being wiped out, the Alliance divided itself into many villages, each with a population of no more than three thousand, most having just over one thousand, and each village having at least one Grandmaster in charge.
[Some might find this ratio outrageous: if a city with a population of over 100,000 has only one martial arts master, what if there are too many villages? Would there be enough grandmasters?]
[Of course it's enough. Unless ordinary people live near the south, they wouldn't have the strength to escape here. Moreover, a large number of ordinary people died in the forest environment. Things have only recently stabilized. Now, the entire Demon-Hating Alliance has no more than twenty subordinate villages, scattered across dozens to hundreds of miles of deep forest.]
I've heard that three grandmasters, leading thousands of people, have already ventured thousands of miles into this primeval forest, all to preserve the last spark of life for the people of the Three Kingdoms.
[In Fenglan Village, the village's grandmaster is Xu Yinkong, a member of the Fenglan Sect. When you arrived with the strange soldier, many martial artists gathered around. Based on recent rumors and other information, they came to a grim conclusion.]
The demon's transformation ability has been reduced and spread; it has even begun to mass-produce these "demonic soldiers." No wonder no new brethren have escaped into the Demon Exorcism Forest in the last two or three months. A vast network of rank-and-file demonic soldiers has now been laid out throughout the demon kingdom.
Over the next six months, demonized soldiers began to appear frequently, including demonized generals comparable to martial arts masters. Villages on the outskirts of the Demon Exorcism Forest began to migrate deeper into the forest.
[In the fourth year of the ancient dynasty, you are 54 years old. Your foundation has reached 168%, the limit of first-class. The next step is to circulate your internal energy and become a martial artist.]
Fortunately, "Heavenly River Circulation" is perfect for this step, since the bonuses provided by each level of this martial art are almost entirely related to internal energy. You expect to break through to the Martial Master level within ten years.
[You remarked with a touch of self-reflection; the older you get, the faster you improve, and you're getting into the later stages of development.]
In the fifth year of the ancient dynasty, a group of scattered compatriots fled into the Demon Exorcism Forest. They were taken in by some villages, and according to their descriptions, the former Three Kingdoms region was now nothing short of a living hell.
[In various places, they even built wonders: blood lakes, bone forests, and mountains of flesh. The otherworldly demon called itself a holy king, and its brutality was beyond the imagination of any living being.]
[In that dark dynasty, a stark pyramid-like hierarchy was established, with the Holy King, that otherworldly demon, at the very top.]
Below this are three classes: Human-Demon (Holy Son), Demon Bloodline (Holy Envoy), and Demonized Warrior.
[The superiors are human demons, who call themselves holy sons. They are mostly transformed from those who submit to grandmasters, and possibly even great grandmasters. These human demons are all transformed by other demons themselves, injected with ancient blood and modified. It is equivalent to nobles seeing them, and others must prostrate themselves in worship.]
There are only a few dozen human-demons in total.
[The intermediate level consists of those with demonic blood, who call themselves holy envoys. They are managerial talents, mostly transformed from former merchants, princes, and nobles. They are much cruder than human demons, having only drunk a small amount of ancient blood bestowed by other demons.]
[The number of Demon Blood People is considerable, estimated to be close to a thousand. They manage human slaves in various cities, as well as breeding farms in various locations.]
The lower ranks are demonized warriors, mass-produced through a ritual. Based on the number of transformations and the rank of the ritual, they can be roughly divided into soldiers, captains, and generals. These three ranks are purely based on strength, with generals possessing strength surpassing many demon-blooded individuals.
Demonized warriors are devoid of intelligence, personality, and emotions. Even those who reach the general level are no different, merely following the commands to kill like machines. Armies composed of demonized warriors are generally commanded and controlled by those with demonic blood.
[As for the next stage, it involves the slave laborers in the cities and the animals raised on farms.]
[Are you out of your mind? You've discovered that, based on the descriptions of those who escaped, that martial artist's combat strength is only equivalent to a captain among the demonized martial artists?]
[And there are at least ten thousand such captains in the Demon Kingdom, and the number of demonized soldiers with second-rate combat power is in the millions...]
Yun Shou: "...What the hell are you talking about!"
"There is absolutely no hope of resistance. This alien demon's cross-dimensional attack is too devastating. There are more than 10,000 Martial Master level combatants alone. Could the entire Qing, Wu, and Ning kingdoms have a total of 1,000 Martial Masters?"
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