Chapter 161 A Successful Ambush

Fire is a form born at the very dawn of creation. Like water, it was not initially endowed with an overly formidable image.

It was only after all living things came into existence that these elemental forms revealed their wondrous and mystical uses. Water could sustain the lives of living creatures, yet it could also submerge and drown them.

As for fire, an entity that appeared somewhat restless by nature, it was not truly so malevolent at its core. When the very first spark of fire was brought into the world, it served merely as a tool to provide warmth.

Gradually, as species born of the fiery element came into being—whether it was the sun suspended in the vastness of the nine heavens or the unearthly flames of heavenly tribulations—they were all manifestations of fire.

Legend had it that the first flame originated from a heavenly tribulation, and this tribulation fire was the primordial ancestor of all fire. Yet such a claim was far-fetched; back when immortals and demons waged war against the heavenly tribulations, the power of those tribulation flames could not shake even a fraction of an immortal or demon.

From this, one might deduce that the flames of immortals and demons were the most primitive fires in existence.

Yet another question arose: Where did the fire of immortals and demons come from? None could explain. But it was safe to say that the first being who learned to use fire was the true ancestor of flames.

Deep within the memories of immortals and demons explored by Su Fan, there existed accounts of immortals and demons coming into being alongside fire.

Thus, it could be concluded that the ancestors of fire were the immortals and demons. It was they who bestowed upon the mortal world the right to use fire—whether it was mortals keeping warm and cooking their daily meals, or cultivators practicing fire-attribute arts, all these were rights granted by immortals and demons.

If the immortals and demons wished to reclaim this right, they would take it back; if they did not wish to reclaim it, they allowed it to be used.

Earlier, when countless bolts of fire descended, a strange utterance from the deepest recesses of Su Fan's memory had suddenly surfaced, escaping his lips almost subconsciously.

To his astonishment, the fiercely approaching flames vanished instantly. Even more bizarrely, that demon general had adopted an attitude that bore an uncanny resemblance to a servant kneeling before his master.

Because he had not yet fully fused with the physical body of an immortal or demon, his memories remained somewhat fragmented. He vaguely sensed that this demon general was behaving rather strangely, yet he could find no explanation as to why.

Blacksmith Liu was nearly dumbfounded, and even the immensely arrogant Mo Nan revealed a trace of astonishment.

Taking advantage of this brief pause, Su Fan hurriedly pulled Blacksmith Liu and Mo Nan along as they fled swiftly. Lacking its previous intimidating momentum and with the enigmatic incantation having lost its effect, the demon general quickly returned to normal.

Recalling his own previous posture, the demon general could not help but feel a lingering sense of apprehension. That earlier situation had been exceedingly bizarre; the person before him had felt like the most formidable entity in Heavenly Demon City—like the Heavenly Demon Lord himself—compelling him to bend his knees in worship.

Yet his expression quickly returned to normal. He cast a cold glance at the three retreating figures and softly commanded, "Fall back."

Heavenly Demon City had never retreated in battle; they invariably pressed forward until the enemy was utterly annihilated. If he were a raw recruit, it might be easily explained, but the previous situation had indeed been far too uncanny. The demon soldiers excelled at using fire, yet a single incantation from the opponent had caused the inherent flames of everyone present to vanish entirely.

This was truly a terrifying matter. However, compared to the honor of Heavenly Demon City, mere death was insignificant. The honor of Heavenly Demon City must be upheld above all else, for honor surpassed the heavens themselves.

Consequently, many demon soldiers were utterly baffled by the experienced demon general's order, shouting declarations that they would rather die than retreat. Driven by necessity, the demon general had no choice but to halt their advance temporarily and pause to observe the situation.

The flight speed of the three was by no means slow. In a mere moment, they arrived within the array previously set up by the fisherman. Protected by the formation, they were safe.

From beginning to end, the fisherman gazed at Su Fan with a deeply perplexed expression, though this time he asked no questions. Sighing softly, he looked toward Blacksmith Liu and joked with a smile, "Looks like old ruffian Liu has finally met his match this time."

Blacksmith Liu let out a cold snort and replied disdainfully, "If you've got such ability, why didn't you go? That little bastard could take three of you by himself."

Mo Nan sat quietly to one side with a frigid expression, saying nothing. Yet the way he looked at Su Fan carried a strange nuance, tinged with a persistent trace of fear.

Su Fan paid no heed to this. After a brief rest, he said, "Activate the array now. Annihilate them all, leaving none alive."

His tone was utterly calm, as if wiping out twenty thousand demon soldiers was no different from slaughtering a chicken—casual to the extreme, which caused the fisherman to shudder once more.

Without further delay, the fisherman pointed lightly into the void and unleashed several hand seals. Instantly, the rocks and mountains within the valley trembled, as though the earth were about to split apart.

Suddenly, dark clouds blotted out the sky, plunging the surroundings back into pitch darkness.

Amidst the darkness, nothing could be heard save for countless shrieks and screams. Without pausing to watch the spectacle, the four of them swept their sleeves and departed swiftly, heading rapidly toward the small village.

The village seemed to have received word of this event long ago. Those individuals who had been unwilling to participate yesterday now came forward one after another to seek out Su Fan. At a glance, their cultivation levels were terrifyingly high, and through Fan Ruoyu's introductions, most of them possessed extraordinary and unique skills.

This was precisely the outcome Su Fan desired. After a few polite pleasantries, he incorporated them all into his forces, conducted a quick headcount, and considered the matter settled.

"Fox Widow," Su Fan suddenly said in a deep voice, "Your movement speed is exceptional, and you excel at interacting with people. Therefore, you must spread the news of today's event far and wide immediately."

The carpenter, who had witnessed the earlier events, stepped forward immediately and protested in confusion, "At a time like this, we should maintain absolute secrecy so that Heavenly Demon City remains unaware, lest we invite a catastrophic disaster. How can you send her out to spread the news?"

"Even if she doesn't spread it, do you really think Heavenly Demon City won't find out?" A cold voice echoed from amidst the crowd.

The carpenter glared unhappily in the direction of the voice. Upon identifying the speaker, he let out a cold snort and said, "So it's you. Since you're so capable, why don't you explain why we should spread it?"

Mo Nan walked slowly forward and glanced at Su Fan. Su Fan smiled at him, gesturing that he should speak freely. Mo Nan was relatively young, and his height was among the shortest in the group, making him appear rather slender and frail.

"The goal right now is to let everyone throughout the Outlands know that there is a group of people daring to oppose Heavenly Demon City. Sending Elder Ku to lobby various factions earlier was entirely unrealistic; no faction would abandon their current peaceful existence to undertake such a perilous venture."

As he spoke, Mo Nan cast a cold glare at the carpenter.

"As everyone knows, the Outlands once harbored many factions besides Heavenly Demon City. Back then, when those factions united, even Heavenly Demon City dared not suppress them rashly. However, through a series of divisions, all those alliances disintegrated. Only then did Heavenly Demon City begin picking them off one by one, leading to the current state of affairs."

Saying this, Mo Nan walked slowly up to the fisherman and said in a heavy voice, "The fisherman was once a member of the Southern Alliance. He must certainly know the fate of the various factions after the alliance fell apart."

The fisherman's expression froze slightly, but he immediately replied with calm indifference, "Presumably, Your Excellency is the young master of the Mo family from the Southern Alliance. It turns out the rumors that descendants of the Mo family escaped with their lives after the clan was wiped out are indeed true."

"This Outlands was originally our world. What internal or external territories? This place was identical to the world outside, until those two individuals entered this realm and brought about today's changes," Mo Nan said with fury.

Suddenly, Blacksmith Liu hurried forward, pulled Mo Nan back, and said softly, "No matter, no matter. After today, we shall join forces once more and rebuild the alliance."

Su Fan lingered on the previous statements—the world here versus the outside world, those two individuals, and other such questions—but since Blacksmith Liu had intentionally diverted the topic, he had no choice but to let it drop.

"What Mo Nan means is that while many scattered factions have not been annihilated by Heavenly Demon City over the years, they have suffered endless plundering. They have simply harbored silent resentment, daring not to speak out."

"Today's eradication of twenty thousand demon soldiers demonstrates that we dare to defy Heavenly Demon City and further showcases our extraordinary strength. Without a doubt, many factions will be willing to join forces with us."

Blacksmith Liu's expression was filled with pleasant surprise, and his voice even trembled slightly as he spoke. He said in a deep voice, "This means that one day, we will replace the position of Heavenly Demon City."

This was a thought shared by everyone in their hearts, yet none had dared to voice it aloud. Perhaps it was because Heavenly Demon City was too formidable, creating a deep-seated mental resistance against uttering such words, or perhaps because the idea felt too distant and untouchable.

Now that Blacksmith Liu had spoken it aloud, it inevitably stirred a fanatical fervor in the eyes of many, and even someone as calm as Mo Nan could no longer conceal his joy.

Su Fan, however, was not overly excited. This action had been triggered out of sheer necessity. His mind was occupied far more with Yu Ming, who was still lingering in Clear Vision Valley, and the Thirty-Six Counties Trials five years hence.

If he participated in the future, he might even encounter the two individuals, Xiao Lin and Qin Yu.

After a brief moment of contemplation, his thoughts returned to the present. Heavenly Demon City was a colossal force, comparable within the inner territories to an entity like the Great Song.

Although he had not witnessed the true power of the Great Song, for a place located so far away from it to bear such a formidable reputation, it could hardly be weak.

In truth, the Great Song was the most powerful entity in existence. Whether it was Heavenly Demon City or the Martial Clan, both had once been defeated by the Great Song. Heavenly Demon City had been driven into the Outlands to establish its domain, while the Martial Clan had been beaten back to the Extreme Western Lands.

It was hardly surprising that people born in the Outlands knew nothing of this. The territory of the Great Song's Thirty-Six Counties was unfathomably vast, and since minor counties like the Yongle Sect in Tianyuan County were not particularly powerful, their understanding was correspondingly limited.

Trying to defeat a force comparable to the Great Song at present was practically a fantasy, yet they were driven by circumstances with no other choice. Moreover, with so many people offering their support, Su Fan actually found himself developing a sliver of confidence.

He even began to truly believe that once things were set in motion, putting up a fight and perhaps even defeating Heavenly Demon City might not be entirely out of the question.

As for the others, most harbored the hope that if Heavenly Demon City were defeated, not only would their former glory be restored, but their future status and standing would far surpass what they were today.

An undertaking that seemed utterly absurd was thus set into motion according to plan. Even when recalling this matter many years later, Su Fan could not help but sigh with emotion at the reckless arrogance of youth.

While everyone was reveling in the excitement, a sudden shout rang out.

"That demon general broke through all the restrictions in the valley and escaped with severe injuries!"

The one who brought the news was the artist. He had been assigned to keep watch in the valley, so no one doubted his words. Instantly, the heavy atmosphere descended upon them once more.

"There is a vast difference between letting one escape and annihilating them all," Su Fan said grimly.

Mo Nan stepped forward once again and lowered his voice, "I am willing to pursue and kill him." With that, Mo Nan cast his gaze toward the Fox Widow.

The Fox Widow curled her lips in displeasure and said coldly, "People remember a single mistake for a lifetime, yet no one ever remembers my contributions."

Su Fan coughed lightly, ignoring the Fox Widow, and instead gave a few quiet instructions to Mo Nan.