Chapter 2289: Forced onto the Battlefield
The blood demon tribe was without a doubt, the current subject of the most attention and expectation.
Other than the celestial demons, no demonic tribe could rival the blood demons at the moment. In fact, the blood demons had always been the closest to threatening celestial demon authority. Even the celestial demons had to be wary of them.
Celestial demons had their heritage brands, while blood demons possessed the power of faith.
The latter’s bloodline was effective in demonizing and brainwashing enemies, turning them into the tribe’s followers and loyal servants.
The other tribes could do similar things. Monster, yin, and wood demons all had ways to turn enemies into demonic puppets. Celestial demons possessed the same power too.
What set the blood demons apart was that their manipulation worked not only on the body, but also the soul.
In other words, their thralls didn’t lose autonomy. They knew full well what they were doing, but were willing slaves to the blood demons nonetheless.
Controlling the body made the thralls fight mechanically as puppets. Mastery of the soul turned them into ardent worshippers. The Resplendent Emerald Veranda master all those years ago was one such example. He’d been under the manipulation of Demon Emperor Bloodmalva.
Bloodmalva had been but a demon emperor; Forefather Bloodreed was the supreme forefather of the tribe. Once he assimilated a human cultivator, they’d never be able to break free of the manipulation.
In addition, the blood demon art was highly potent. They could demonize their enemies’ bloodline during battles, with their enemies none the wiser.
Many regular divine cultivators had fallen victim to the blood demon tribe in the ancient times. Only the most powerful human powerhouses had been spared. Humans had been forced to kill close companions whom had been assimilated.
Such tragedies happened all the time in the ancient war.
To some degree, if the blood demons tried hard enough, they could surpass even the celestial demons in terms of destructive and ruling power.
Everyone’s attention remained on the blood tribe.
Forefather Bloodreed smiled and responded casually, “Everyone knows what we are capable of. If anyone can send us into Winterdraw or break the defensive formations, I guarantee you that we will turn every cultivator on the island into our thralls. However, frontal attack isn’t our forte.”
That was the naked truth. Charging into battle wasn’t a blood demon strength at all.
The most powerful attackers among demons were the golden, titan, and winged demons.
At the moment, the golden tribe had little enough strength to matter. The titan demons retained some strength, but not much.
This meant that the two best groups of frontliners had little to offer. The winged demons had suffered a serious blow to their fighting power as well.
“We all know how powerful your demonic mist is, Forefather Bloodreed. If you surround Winterdraw with it, the island’s formations and restrictions will be corrupted and lose effect naturally.”
“That’s right. Your mist is the most potent corrosive agent. As long as you envelope the island with it, the human race is doomed to fall.”
Forefather Celestial perked up and smiled. “Only a few of the ten demon tribes have yet to suffer a defeat against the humans, Brother Bloodreed. Your tribe is one. The celestial tribe counts as well, given that we’ve suffered some casualties, but our foundation remains strong. If you cover the island with your corrupting mist and we launch an all-out attack with our celestial soundwaves, Winterdraw’s defenses will fall sooner or later!”
The celestial demons hadn’t become royalty of the demonic race without their own strengths.
Most of the other nine tribes had one specific strength, while the celestial demons were skilled in every aspect.
They had powerful offensive and defensive techniques, such as the celestial brand and the celestial method. They were remarkably resilient; they could recreate bodies and souls and come back to life as long as a single strand of their spirit remained.
They were formidable foe in more ways than one.
A forefather from the yin demon tribe smiled. “If Brother Bloodreed is willing to take on the mission, my tribe volunteers to attack Winterdraw with millions of spirits.”
They took their stand as well. These three tribes had the most well-preserved forces among the demons.
Attention sharpened on the blood tribe.
Bloodreed scowled inwardly. He knew what his fellow demons were doing. They were forcing the blood demons to take on the mission by weaponizing the greater good.
He scoffed. “Are you trying to force this on us?”
A demon chuckled. “Our very future is under an existential threat. If the blood tribe does nothing, we won’t be able to take over Winterdraw, and our grand conquest will be nothing but an empty dream.”
“Agreed. No other tribes can launch an attack on Winterdraw other than yours, dao brother.”
Losing the bulk of the golden and titan demons had significant repercussions. They had no choice but to utilize alternative plans in order to take Winterdraw.
The blood demon forefathers were displeased. The knew the other tribes were determined to force their hand.
The sheer amount of demonic mist that would be required to cover the entire Winterdraw Island was too great. The four forefathers would have to strain themselves to even try to reach the goal. They also had to order their army to contribute to the cause.
This would take a heavy toll on the tribe.
More importantly, members of their tribe would be on the frontlines while their demonic mist surrounded the island. They would take the brunt of Winterdraw’s retaliation.
In theory, their mist should be able to corrupt any treasure, but that was just in theory. Given Jiang Chen’s monstrous track record, it was a possibility that their mist wouldn’t work on him.
Therefore, Bloodreed was extremely reluctant.
Under the emotional blackmail from the crowd, however, the blood demons had no other choice available to them. They had to take on the mission no matter what.