After this series of battles, the Human Race's defensive phase against the Demon Race had officially concluded. The time had come to launch a strategic counteroffensive.
As Jiang Chen moved onward, his dharma body had already transformed into the likeness of the Fifth Heavenly Demon Ancestor.
Mid-flight, Jiang Chen suddenly halted in his tracks. A streak of escaping light was shooting toward him at tremendous speed from not far away — it was yet another Heavenly Demon Ancestor rushing over.
"Fifth, what are you doing here? Weren't you with the Fourth?" The newcomer was none other than the Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor, the youngest among the Heavenly Demon ancestors.
A flicker of panic crossed Jiang Chen's face. "Seventh, that Blood Pu Ancestor has defected to the Human Race. He's already betrayed our Heavenly Demon line's secrets. We need to get back immediately and report to the First Ancestor — let him decide what to do. The Fourth went after the Blood Pu Ancestor but was ambushed by the Human Race. He's fallen!"
"What?" The Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor was stunned. "You... the Fourth was ambushed, and you ran off alone? You..."
A note of anger crept into his voice. Clearly, he thought the Fifth had been rather disloyal.
Jiang Chen put on a miserable expression. "What was I supposed to do, die alongside the Fourth? Seventh — is that the Third coming over there?"
The Seventh instinctively turned to look, but saw nothing.
In that instant, a terrible premonition flashed through his mind. The next moment, a devastating wave of power crashed over him from behind, engulfing him entirely.
Jiang Chen's Golden Bell descended, trapping the Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor inside in one sweep.
The Seventh had been completely unprepared. His own Divine Abilities were already inferior to Jiang Chen's — caught like that, there was no possibility of escape.
With virtually no struggle, Jiang Chen had captured another one alive.
He employed the same method as before — crippling the Seventh's cultivation first. With two cripples left alive, their Life-bound Soul Lamps would remain intact. That way, the First Heavenly Demon Ancestor and the others would not sense their deaths.
Jiang Chen did not want to alert the enemy prematurely.
Having dispatched three Heavenly Demon ancestors in succession, Jiang Chen was far from satisfied. "There are still the First Heavenly Demon Ancestor, the Second, and the Third — the three of them are the most troublesome among the Heavenly Demon line."
He decided to target the Second Heavenly Demon Ancestor first. According to the Blood Pu Ancestor's intelligence, the Second's strength was roughly comparable to the Third's, but the Third was far more cunning.
So — strike the Second first, eliminate the easier target, then move on to the harder nut to crack.
At this point, with only three Heavenly Demon ancestors remaining, the Demon Race had no hope of turning the tide. Even if they were given decades to cultivate, so what?
In a few decades, Jiang Chen would have more than enough time to break through to the High Stage of the Divine Path. The Four True Spirits might similarly advance to the High Stage.
Under those circumstances, the three remaining Demon ancestors would stand no chance.
The Second Heavenly Demon Ancestor had also been chasing the Blood Pu Ancestor on the periphery, but he had misjudged the direction and was currently making his way back.
On his return, he sensed the moment the Fourth Heavenly Demon Ancestor perished. Horror jolted through his heart, and he immediately veered toward the site of the death.
Before long, he spotted the Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor approaching from another direction.
"Second Brother." According to the intelligence, the Seventh addressed the Second as "Second Brother" rather than by the number alone. This was a detail Jiang Chen had made sure to get right.
"Seventh, did you feel it too?" The Second Heavenly Demon Ancestor's voice was tight with urgency.
"Was it the Fourth?" the Seventh asked in a low voice.