In less than half a day, the warship arrived outside the Demon Suppression Abyss.

The scene outside the porthole instantly became menacing—countless warships formed three concentric protective nets in space, enveloping the entire area tightly.

The main cannon of the warship was aimed at the chaos ahead, ready to tear apart any darkness that tried to rush out. Patrol ships shuttled through the gaps in the net, and the beams of the searchlights pierced through the void, yet they couldn't fully illuminate the edge of the Demon Suppression Abyss.

And in the center of the protective net, that space rift spanning the sky was exuding a heart-pounding aura.

It was like a wound in the cosmos cleaved open by a giant axe, with black demonic qi continuously gushing from the rift's edge, twisting and whirling in the air, sometimes forming grotesque demonic faces, other times condensing into claw shapes, as if countless eyes were peering through the depths of the rift, and the surrounding starry sky was a bizarre dark purple.

"That is the Demon Suppression Abyss."

Qin Tian's gaze was fixed on the rift, feeling the Celestial Punishment Divine Thunder within him trembling slightly, as if instinctively opposing the dark demonic qi from the rift.

At this moment, Wang Hai's voice came through the communicator, with a noticeable electric noise: "Colonel Qin Tian, a reminder, the concentration of demonic qi inside the Demon Suppression Abyss is extremely high, the magnetic field is chaotic, all electronic components will malfunction once inside, the warship can't go deeper, you'll need to transfer to the 'Star Feather Beasts' to proceed."

Qin Tian understood, no wonder he hadn't seen any warships approaching the core area of the rift earlier.

He turned to look out the porthole, seeing a dozen gigantic creatures hovering beside the fleet of warships—those were the Star Feather Beasts.

These spirit beasts were incredibly large, nearly a hundred meters long, their spread wings like clouds plated in silver armor, their backs wide enough to accommodate a thousand people with ease, like flying fortresses in the sky.

"All units, transfer." Qin Tian ordered in a deep voice, and was the first to head towards the hatch.

The group stepped out of the warship, cold wind mixed with demonic qi hit their faces.

The Star Feather Beasts were guided by the beast tamers to the edge of the platform, gently lowering their necks. The alloy saddles on their backs were arranged in a grid pattern, each seat equipped with reinforced safety locks, clearly designed as military equipment for large-scale transport.

Terreda took big strides onto the back of a Star Feather Beast, his footfall on the alloy plates echoing with a dull thud. He walked a couple of steps between the seats, clicking his tongue in amazement: "These big guys, can they really be tamed?"

Qin Tian flipped into the command seat near the head, with Poisonous Widow and Li Qi seated on either side. Around them, the Spiritualists were boarding the beasts in an orderly manner, with tens of thousands of warriors spreading across the backs of the dozen Star Feather Beasts, without appearing crowded at all.

Some warriors were checking their weapons, others calibrating their purification masks, while some leaned against the saddles with their eyes closed, each face bearing the gravity of heading into battle.

As the last Spiritualist fastened their safety lock, the beast tamers simultaneously blew the horns. The dozen Star Feather Beasts spread their wings in unison, their silvery wing surfaces unfurling in the dark starry sky, their bodies instantly emitting a faint blue energy shield, isolating the chaotic starry sky magnetic field outside, the shield like a massive bowl covering the entire Star Feather Beast and the warriors on its back.

"Hold on tight!" The beast tamer's shout came through the energy shield.

Qin Tian felt the safety lock around his waist tighten sharply, and the Star Feather Beasts simultaneously dipped their heads, diving towards the space rift spanning the sky.

The wind howled past their ears, the energy shield clashed with the demonic qi, emitting a fine sizzling sound, the darkness in the rift like an open giant mouth, swallowing the view in an instant.

The Star Feather Beasts let out an ear-shattering screech, the blue shield flaring violently, forcefully carving a path through the twisted demonic qi.

Qin Tian looked down, below was a churning dark purple cloud layer, faintly visible were jagged obsidian peaks and ravines flowing with ink-green magma—that was the purgatory landscape inside the Demon Suppression Abyss.

"The battle is about to begin finally!" Terreda's eyes were filled with fiery determination and battle intent, as the Zhanshou saber within the shield radiated a scorching golden light.

The dozen Star Feather Beasts darted into the space rift like a stream of silver meteors, a brief moment of weightlessness followed, and the surrounding light disappeared completely, leaving only the dull thud of demonic qi against the shield and the thunderous flapping of the Star Feather Beasts' wings.

Qin Tian grasped the Black Frost at his waist tightly, feeling the increasingly clear turmoil of the Celestial Punishment Divine Thunder within him, fiercely opposing the demonic qi outside.

He looked up at his companions beside him, Terreda was staring fixedly into the darkness ahead, Xiong's hand resting on the handle of the giant axe, Poisonous Widow's fingertips' Spider Silk trembling slightly, Li Qi's gaze warily scanning the shield's edge—everyone was preparing for the impending bloody battle.

"Officer, may I ask, where is your assigned location?" The beast tamer looked at Qin Tian.

Qin Tian: "Chijin Battlegroup, Third Battalion."

"Chijin Battlegroup."

The Beastmaster nodded, then asked the others behind him for their assignments and immediately mapped out the shortest route, clearly very familiar with each battlegroup's location.

"First destination, Chijin Battlegroup."

The Beastmaster shouted, and the Star Feather Beast beneath him suddenly accelerated.

......

In the camp, the atmosphere was oppressively tense, and everyone's breath was weighed down with a heavy oppression.

Outside the temporary medical tent, the bandaged wounded leaned against a broken wall, the smell of blood mixing with the stench of Demonic Qi, forming a nauseating odor in the air.

"Commander Shen, it's been ten days now, and still no reinforcements."​

A burly man with a buzz cut thrust his wide Great Saber heavily into the ground, the hilt vibrating with a hum. At this moment, he looked at his comrades around him with broken arms and legs, and at the light in more people's eyes that was about to extinguish. His voice involuntarily rose, filled with fiery anger:

"I just want to know, how long do we have to hold here? Does Director Yan's guarantee of support mean anything at all!"

"Old Lu, don't get anxious just yet."

Shen Juan raised a hand to press against his brow, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. The epaulet on his military uniform was half torn off, a mark from when he fought a Demon in close combat a few days ago: "You should have heard that the Military Department has already issued a call to arms; reinforcements are definitely on the way. As for when they'll arrive... I believe it won't be long."​

"Not long?"

Lu Sheng clenched his fists abruptly, his knuckles cracking, his chest heaving like a bellows, "Then why don't we wait for reinforcements before advancing? That Yan fellow had us hold this stronghold to the death, and brothers are now over half dead or wounded, even the former battalion commander sacrificed himself. And then what? His promised support was nothing but hot air! A dignified Colonel Officer, and his word doesn't even hold up to us mercenaries!"​

He kicked over the ammunition crate beside him, and Spiritual Energy grenades rolled all over the floor: "My brothers can't be sent in vain like this anymore! You tell him for me, if reinforcements don't arrive soon, I'll immediately withdraw with my men! I want to see if the enforcement team really dares to hang my head at the camp gate!"

"Old Lu!"

Shen Juan's voice dropped, his face helpless yet resolute and indisputable.

He knew Lu Sheng was speaking the truth—Director Yan indeed did not fulfill his promise, causing the third battalion to suffer heavy casualties.

But he touched the military badge on his chest, the words "Chijin Battlegroup" still glimmering coldly: "Wearing this uniform means abiding by military rules. Retreating without orders is no different from desertion."

Just as Lu Sheng was about to argue, suddenly, a sharp wail came from the front of the camp, a sound unlike any known creature's roar, like rusty iron scraping harshly across glass, piercing the eardrums painfully.

In an instant, Shen Juan, Lu Sheng, and all the warriors were like cats whose tails had been stepped on, their bodies tensing instantly, readying their weapons.

"It's… it's Horned Demons!" The lookout's voice came from the watchtower, "So many… a vast swarm!"​

Shen Juan kicked off with both feet, leaping up the watchtower, only to see under the dark purple sky outside the camp, hundreds of twisted black shadows crossing the obsidian ridge.

They were unusually tall and robust, covered in slick black scales, their heads adorned with crescent-shaped horns glistening with a cold light. Reeking saliva dripped from their fangs, corroding the ground into little pits that sizzled with smoke.

"Thud, thud, thud"​

Heavy footsteps resonated from the ground, shaking the makeshift defensive fortifications.

"It's over… there are too many this time…" A young warrior's voice quivered, his hand on his rifle trembling uncontrollably.

Lu Sheng's face turned pale instantly, but he still gritted his teeth and roared, "Fear nothing! My blade hasn't drunk enough Demon blood yet!"

Despite his words, his hand holding the saber trembled slightly—he knew very well that with the current strength of the third battalion, they absolutely couldn't withstand this horde of Horned Demons.

Shen Juan drew his Longsword from his waist, the blade glimmering coldly in the dim light. He looked at the Demon army drawing ever closer, listened to the labored breathing of the warriors behind him, and felt his heart gripped by an icy hand.

If reinforcements don't arrive soon, the third battalion will be completely annihilated here.

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