"The Energy Shield technique works pretty well."

Li An cast a glance at the revolving lines with a grin. This was one of her successful creations during her secluded training in Crimson Demon City. It used her pure spiritual energy to continuously reinforce a magnetic field around her. This magnetic field repelled any metallic object from approaching her, and she could deactivate it at will to wield her scythe.

And this was only one of the many applications of the Energy Shield!

The enemy had to be shocked. How could a technique from a third-stage Spirit cultivator deflect the strikes of dozens of higher-stage Spirit cultivators?

But the secret was there; no one could use the Energy Shield technique efficiently except for Li An, because it demanded an exorbitant amount of spiritual energy! Even a Core Formation cultivator would exhaust their reserves in less than ten seconds.

Only Li An, with her vast pool of energy and her monstrous recovery, could keep it active at all times!

"However, moderation is key," Li An reminded herself. Constant activation would balance the recovery rate with the consumption rate, leaving her with just a full energy pool before depletion.

It was still a lot, but Li An always preferred to be cautious.

"And regardless of the battle's outcome, those four will not let me escape unscathed." She eyed the enemy Lieutenants glaring at her. Li An felt less wary of those practicing energy cultivation, but the one leading the group had the weak aura of a Foundation cultivator, revealing he was likely a body cultivator.

Body cultivators were gods at close range combat. Li An was unsure whether her Energy Shield could withstand his blade.

"Sergeant, we await your command," a familiar voice called from behind her.

Li An turned to find Lieutenant Fang and two other Core Formation cultivators, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

"This should do it." She grinned at them. "Not bad. You are not as spineless as the other lieutenants. Hold off the three at the back and buy me some time."

Their eyes brightened at the compliment, though Lieutenant Fang's worry was obvious. "Can you handle the one in front? Qiang has already slain two of our lieutenants in previous battles. He's a beast in human form."

The other two nodded with grim expressions. Despite their deep respect for Li An, they had a hard time believing she could fight him.

Li An chuckled nonchalantly. "All the better. I wonder how many merit points his head will earn me."

Before the lieutenants could protest, the enemy finally moved.

"Die!" Qiang flung his left wrist and a dagger flew out like a rocket.

Li An's eyes narrowed as the blade nearly touched her skin before spinning away. The magnetic field's effect against his strength was limited.

The lieutenants also engaged, fields of yellow and purple energy erupting around them, ensuring any soldier caught within would perish within seconds.

Qiang empowered his crimson sword with some spiritual energy. With red flames licking the blade, he pierced towards Li An!

The speed was on another level. Li An knew the energy shield would do nothing and turned it off. She could only parry with the scythe blade, but she immediately heard a cracking noise when the weapons clashed.

A scowl marred her face. She hadn't anticipated her scythe losing its edge so soon. "The flames on that sword must be the culprit." She cursed this situation; even she couldn't guess that the enemy would have a weapon with this specific ability. Besides, she lacked knowledge about the power of Core Formation cultivators.

Qiang smirked and lunged again, his sword doing a thrusting motion.

Li An knew her scythe couldn't withstand the strike.

"To hell with it."

She slightly tilted her body, not trying to dodge at all. As if she was so scared that she forgot to move, the sword went through her shoulder easily.

Li An was dead silent, her lifeless gaze fixed on Qiang.

The muscular man made a stunned expression, which quickly changed to fear. In the shadows behind the girl, he saw eyes filled with insanity.

These eyes represented death.

"Caught you."

Tiny droplets of moisture began to coalesce, drawn together by an unseen force. In an instant, the air around Li An started shimmering as the water molecules gathered and condensed.

A translucent barrier of water materialized, forming a protective shield that locked the sword into place. Li An's pure spiritual energy reinforced the water's surface tension, making it strong enough to halt the weapon's progress.

She wasn't done yet. Before Qiang could put his all into pulling out his sword from the water wall, Li An transferred the thermal energy from the water molecules into the surroundings, initiating a rapid cooling process.

The water barrier crystallized at a blink of an eye, starting at the point where the blade was embedded. Ice spreaded outward in fractal patterns, freezing the water molecules and forming a solid, glistening wall of ice.

"Do you think this can stop me?!" Qiang roared, veins bulging as he wrenched his sword free, shattering the ice barrier into fragments.

He knew this girl could not be allowed to live. She would surely continue to kill and kill until she was satisfied, causing high casualties to the righteous forces. Everyone else might escape with their lives, but not her!

However, as he lifted his gaze, a worn blade riddled with cracks was already poised before his face.

"What-"

The scythe bit into Qiang's throat.

His body itself was raised up. From his mouth came an unreal scream, and his bulky limbs convulsed back and forth.

The other Skyshadow lieutenants were paralyzed with terror. Just how much intense pain was he enduring?

Qiang couldn't even begin to describe it. He knew death had caught him in its trap, but he had no idea it would be this agonizing.

He glared at her.

"...D-Death... M-Maiden..."

Li An grinned, cheerfully waving him around to ensure the poison of fear spread wide among the enemy. After tearing Qiang's neck open for all to see, she ripped him off and licked her lips.

The Death Maiden was searching for its next prey, prowling, and pounced. She swung her scythe in all directions, and blood began to gush in tandem with her swings.

Sergeant Shiheng still tried to attack, but he was split from his head with a single blow. Flesh, armor, even the spear, was bisected vertically.

No one had the courage to face Li An anymore. Not the lieutenants, not the sergeants and especially not the soldiers.

Tooooot! Tooooot!

A series of deep sounding horns came from the enemies' base far away and soon spread across the battlefield.

The Skyshadow soldiers felt as if they had been pardoned. They moved back to their base like a tide receding from the shore.

"The enemies retreated!"

"Come back, righteous pigs! I haven't collected enough merit points yet!"

"How dare they give up so soon!"

The demons jeered with contempt, relishing the sight of the panic-stricken faces of their foes.

Li An turned to the soldiers who had braved hell alongside her.

She lifted her half-broken scythe high.

And roared.

"VICTORY!!!"

They all raised their bloodied blades, grins stretching across their faces.

"Victory!"

"Hail the Death Maiden!"

"Long live the Sergeant!"

They cared not about the outcome of the battle at the center or right flank of the army.

For the left flank had secured an overwhelming victory for the first time in this war!

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

The War Demon sat in his command tent, gazing down at the three Colonels kneeling before him with a steely glare.

"Why did the Skyshadow Sect retreat?"

He had been receiving reports that the righteous forces were on the brink of breaching the army center when the horns blared and the enemy abruptly withdrew. No word had come from the left flank, leading him to suspect that the Colonel there had been assassinated.

"But here he is, safe and sound, despite unsettling all our officers." The Major General's eyes bore into him. "I hope he has a good excuse."

Regardless of the situation, the fact was that they had managed to repel the righteous forces and avoid their direct access to Crimson Demon City. It was enough to satisfy the Great Elders of the cult for the moment.

However, he was currently under a lot of pressure. The Black Lotus Cult and the Skyshadow Sect were not contesting for any ordinary inheritance but one belonging to the Demon King of Secrets, an expert who had amassed over a thousand demonic and spiritual techniques in his lifetime. Not only that, but he also had a method of forcefully breaking through the realm above Nascent Soul.

There were three distinct fronts in this war, with his southern front being the smallest due to the less important piece of the inheritance they were fighting for.

He exhaled deeply. "Colonel Yong, deliver the report for the right flank."

Colonel Yong was a fat man whose eyes resembled tiny beads more than they did eyes. His appearance exuded a peculiar liveliness, accentuated by the jiggling of his belly with each step he took.

"I greet the Major General," he bowed down with a boot-licking expression. "This time, the right flank performed better than previously. We sustained only six hundred casualties and have twenty missing, compared to the enemy's four hundred casualties!"

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The Major General's glare could have cut stone. "Shameless pig! How dare you present such results with pride? As long as the enemy claims more of our soldiers than we do theirs, there is no improvement."

The flanks were crucial for enveloping the enemy forces. If they merely defended, how could they achieve this objective?

His temper flared as he looked at the fat pig. "Get the hell out of my sight."

He then turned to the lone woman among the three colonels, a striking dark-skinned lady draped in flowing black robes. He knew her skin had taken on that hue after she infused it with darkness qi through a demonic technique.

"I trust you bring better news, Colonel Lan. My patience wears thin with ineptitude today."

Colonel Lan stepped forward, her face as hard as a piece of rock. "The situation is dire. The righteous forces grow bolder, and our soldiers lack the fortitude and cohesion to fight effectively. We suffered approximately two thousand casualties, whereas the enemy sustained only one thousand two hundred."

The Major General massaged his temples in exasperation. He understood that Colonel Lan was a competent leader, but the center of the army bore the brunt of the fighting, housing as many soldiers as both flanks combined. The larger the scale of the battlefield, the more glaring the weaknesses of demonic cultivators became.

If not for the superior number of Nascent Soul cultivators within the Skyshadow Sect, the Black Lotus Cult would have already deployed their experts to decisively turn the tide.

He did not dare to look directly at the last colonel. The left flank had not sent any reports during the battle, a clear indication of great distress.

"Just say it, Colonel Jun." His voice sounded tired.

Colonel Jun stepped forward, his face betraying a hint of embarrassment.

"The left flank suffered one thousand one hundred casualties, and—"

"HAHAHAHAHA! Unbelievable, Jun Hao! How did you manage to get so many soldiers killed?" Colonel Yong burst into laughter. "I would have dug my own grave if I were such a failure."

Colonel Jun raised an eyebrow. "I didn't finish my report."

"There is no need," the Major General sighed deeply. "We all know how crappy the situation is."

"You are mistaken, Major General. The left flank soldiers killed nearly two thousand five hundred enemies, leaving only five hundred survivors. It was nearly a complete wipeout." Despite delivering good news, Colonel Jun's tone lacked any trace of joy.

However, the other colonels and the Major General stared at him with wide open eyes.

"D-Did I hear you correctly?" The Major General asked, his voice cracking at the beginning. "Did you just say your battalion nearly wiped out the enemy and encircled their main army?"

Colonel Jun nodded solemnly. Even he couldn't believe it when he received the news from his subordinate lieutenants.

The Major General slammed his fist on the desk and erupted into boisterous laughter. "You should have said that sooner! Haha, why didn't you send reports during the battle? I feared you were struggling against the righteous forces."

Colonel Jun shook his head. "I wasn't the one in control of our forces." Realizing the implications of his words, his cheeks flushed a bright red.

The Major General's laughter ceased abruptly, and his gaze turned icy.

"I hope you have a decent explanation for your words right now," he said coldly. "The hierarchy within an army is absolute."

"Please have mercy, Major General!"

Colonel Jun bowed deeply, his teeth clenched. "I tried to regain control of the battalion, but after Sergeant Li's rousing speech, a small number of officers and nearly ninety percent of the soldiers followed her into battle. No matter what I said, they refused to heed my commands!"

"Sergeant Li?" The Major General's eyes narrowed to slits. "The same one from the incident a few weeks ago?"

"Indeed, sir. She's a monster. Singlehandedly, she eliminated at least two hundred thirty soldiers, twenty sergeants, and one lieutenant," Colonel Jun lamented with a bitter smile. Even though he was a late Core Formation expert, he doubted he could replicate the feats of Sergeant Li.

The Major General's face contorted into a deep frown. His initial intent had been to mold Li An into a disciplined soldier who could follow orders and contribute to the cult's greater good. He had placed her under the strict supervision of higher-ranking officers to curb her demonic tendencies.

But her demonic nature was too great!

He realized he had been had by the little demon. By trying to control her through direct supervision and the guise of mentorship, he inadvertently pushed her to assert her dominance over the army, demonstrating her capability and threatening his authority.

It was a blatant challenge, yet he had no choice but to endure it. Li An hadn't coerced anyone; the soldiers followed her willingly into battle. The Major General couldn't punish nearly a quarter of his forces for disobedience, especially when their actions had led to a resounding victory he himself could not secure.

"This wretched girl is becoming a thorn in my side." The Major General's heart seethed with a nascent killing intent. Li An's brilliance and cunning were too great; she was clearly someone who would never submit willingly.

However, executing her now would devastate troop morale and provide his rivals within the Black Lotus Cult with a perfect pretext to remove him. He was well aware that spies surrounded him, ever vigilant of his actions. A demonic cult lacked the unity of a righteous sect, thriving instead on internal strife and competition.

"Very well. Do not fret, Colonel Jun, I will not hold you accountable this time. Announce a public ceremony to reward and bestow the Black Medal upon Sergeant Li. She will now share responsibility for the military strategy of the left flank alongside you," the Major General declared with a faint, calculating smile.

If Li An were appointed to military strategy, she would find herself stationed at the rear lines alongside Colonel Jun, away from the heat of battle. This way, she could use her military talent without amassing further influence within the army. As for the difference in rank between Sergeant and Colonel, the Major General couldn't care less.

Colonel Jun appeared resigned to his fate. "I shall follow your orders, Major General. Should the ceremony be held today or tomorrow morning?"

"Tomorrow," the Major General decided. "The hour grows late, and the soldiers are weary from battle."

"Understood, Sir!" Colonel Jun bowed deeply before departing with the other two colonels, ensuring the tent flap was securely closed behind them.

"Sergeant Li, you will be brought to heel, sooner or later," the Major General mused coldly. As a Nascent Soul cultivator who had lived nearly three centuries, he prided himself on his cunning. If he could not outmaneuver a fifteen-year-old girl, he might as well admit that his long years of life had been in vain.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

The faint morning light struggled to penetrate the narrow gap in the entrance of Li An's tent.

She opened her eyes and raised herself from a meditation pose. She had woken up two hours ago and raised her energy cultivation from the third stage to the sixth stage, effectively surpassing her body cultivation.

"I need to start finding methods to increase the strength of my body," Li An thought back to the previous battle. "I should have gathered enough merit points for a top-notch body cultivation technique."

She then recalled Colonel Jun's message from yesterday about the public ceremony and grinned. "So, what will you do now, War Demon?"

Li An left her private tent and was met with a dreary summer morning. The sky was a sullen gray canvas, weeping mournful tears as light rain fell in a somber rhythm.

She glanced at the horizon and saw a sodden expanse of mud and trampled red grass, where the scent of damp earth mingled with the lingering, metallic tang of blood. The tree branches, heavy with rain, seemed to bow in sorrow.

No matter where she went, the soldiers pointed at her with shining eyes and murmured amongst themselves. They quickly began following her, forming into a massive, quiet crowd.

The high-ranking officers had erected a wooden stage for Li An in front of the command tent. The Major General stood there waiting for her with a smile, accompanied by five colonels and his ten most trusted lieutenants.

His smile suddenly faltered. "I see you've grown stronger."

Li An tilted her head while staring at him.

"Isn't that delightful news?" she asked. However, they both knew that her words were more of a provocation than a question.

'If you don't want me growing, try to stop me,' was the unspoken challenge. Although they belonged to a demonic cult, a cult still had some rules for its members. As a high-ranking member of the organization, the War Demon was guaranteed to have some enemies within the leadership of the cult.

The Major General slowly nodded, his eyes narrowing as he assessed her. Li An ascended the stage, lifting her chin proudly before the entire left flank army.

The soldiers were reminded of her figure reaping the Skyshadow disciples' lives as if they were mere vegetables, and their gazes turned fiery.

"All hail the Death Maiden!"

The fervor erupted like a detonated bomb.

"Long live Sergeant Li!"

"Hail to the Death Maiden!"

"I will follow you to the Underworld, Death Maiden."

The fervent cries spread across the plains, alarming the colonels and lieutenants who were ignorant of the left flank's transformation. How could a sergeant command such authority within an entire section of the army?

The Major General grimaced. "Silence! Sergeant Li, step forward to receive your rewards."

Although the uproar was subdued, occasional cries of "Hail the Death Maiden!" still filled the air here and there.

Li An stepped in front of the Major General. "I am here, ready to serve."

"You all know that a promotion to lieutenant requires at least the cultivation realm of Core Formation, regardless of one's fighting prowess..." the Major General began, his brow twitching under the intense glares of nearly two thousand soldiers. "Therefore, instead of promoting her, we have decided to exchange all of Sergeant Li's accumulated merit points for the position of military strategist for the left flank alongside Colonel Jun!"

The soldiers erupted in cheers, their voices so loud they startled the crows away from the battlefield's fallen corpses. The role of military strategist held significant importance and typically began at the authority of Colonel, with potential for further elevation.

Little did they know that Li An's thoughts were anything but celebratory. She felt a burning desire to draw the scythe from her back and sever the War Demon's head.

"This treacherous bastard!" It had been a long time since she felt so enraged. "He dared to give away a position as crucial as a colonel just to curb my authority and stifle my growth."

Li An urgently needed those merit points, and now she was denied even the right to reclaim them. At stake were at least four thousand merit points!

Her face turned emotionless, and the colonels on the stage felt a chill crawl up their spines. "If this is how you wish to engage in this game, know that both can play."

With a savage grin, Li An seized her scythe from her back, slamming it onto the stage with such force that it created a hole and silenced the audience.

"I extend my gratitude to all the brave men and women who charged into enemy lines with me and decimated the righteous dogs. As your military strategist, I eagerly anticipate continuing to battle alongside you on the frontlines to secure our victories!" she declared heroically.

The soldiers were on the verge of celebrating the prospect of following the Death Maiden into future battles when a booming voice erupted from the stage.

"What do you think you are doing, Strategist Li?! As the one responsible for our war tactics, we cannot afford to risk you fighting on the frontlines! Please acknowledge the gravity of your new role and responsibility!" The Major General warned, amplifying his voice with his spiritual energy.

Li An inwardly sneered. "The substance of your words, not their volume, holds power. Watch and learn."

"I don't understand, Major General." She gazed at him with feigned innocence. "I am clearly embracing my responsibility. As the military strategist, I have determined that the optimal strategy for victory is to position myself at the forefront, ensuring the safety of our soldiers."

The Major General's eyes turned bloodshot as he realized Li An was confronting him indirectly before the soldiers.

"And who are you to decide what the best method is?" He hissed menacingly.

"The military strategist, of course. If I'm not, you can take back my role and return all my merit points." Li An laughed loudly before the crowd. "We all know the outcome of placing me on the frontlines, don't we? Compared to the previous 'excellent' results, I mean."

The Major General flushed red, and the soldiers glanced at him with amusement. They all understood the emphasis on the last part of her sentence, fully aware of the stark contrast between her victory and the previous 'excellent' results.

"You are right," the Major General regained his composure. "The reason for your appointment as military strategist is due to the results you have delivered. Therefore, I want you to continue devising tactics from the rear lines, ensuring victory in future battles while preserving as many lives as possible."

Li An felt a pang of disappointment. "If mentioning the soldiers' lives as a tool is the best you can do, I have overestimated you."

"Major General." Li An's voice was firm. "There are only two viable tactics I can offer: advance with the brave warriors of the demonic cult and safeguard them, thus saving numerous lives while achieving victory; or remain in the rear lines, winning through the sacrifices of almost the entire section under my command. If you expect anything else, you might as well return my 'meaningless' merit points."

The Major General had an extremely dark face.

He was cornered.

Allowing her to act as she wished would significantly bolster Li An's authority within the army.

Ordering her to stay in the rear lines would erode the soldiers' respect for him, revealing his disregard for their lives.

Returning her 'meaningless' merit points would attract the soldiers' displeasure and portray him as ungrateful for bestowing such a 'worthless' reward compared to the authority of a colonel.

The Major General had began to realize through the stoic gazes thrown at him from the crowd. He had shot himself on the foot!

Thus, the only viable path was to grant her permission to lead on the battlefield. But his pride and respect were at stake, and he was unwilling to yield!

Li An inwardly sighed. "It seems the line between demonic and righteous has blurred within the Black Lotus Cult. How tragic."

However, before the Major General could say anything, a young-looking man seemingly teleported onto the stage.

"I never imagined I'd witness the esteemed War Demon blushing in public, hahaha!"

As he laughed, his green braided hair swung wildly behind his back, almost as if it were alive.

"A strong expert." Li An couldn't detect any spiritual energy from him, which meant he was likely to be a Nascent Soul expert comparable to the War Demon.

The Major General scowled. "What brings you here, Healing Demon? I thought you were stationed at the central front with the cult leader."

"Your thoughts, I fear, are of little consequence to me," the Healing Demon replied, patting the Major General's shoulder with a patronizing kindness. "I carry a message from our leader, and it would be unwise to delay its delivery."

The Major General ignored the rudeness, his focus entirely on the mention of a message from the cult leader. He immediately kneeled on one knee, his expression solemn. "I am ready to receive the cult leader's edict."

The Healing Demon's smile broadened as he tossed a peculiar green jade in front of the War Demon. Though it appeared to be an ordinary piece of jade, Li An felt an overwhelming aura of spiritual energy emanating from it, causing her brow to furrow.

"How can someone's spiritual energy be so intense?" she thought, goosebumps prickling her skin. The power radiating from the jade seemed capable of tearing her apart should she come into direct contact with it.

Suddenly, a deep, majestic voice resonated from the jade. The sound was so ominous that crows ceased their cawing, soldiers froze in their tracks, and the corpses on the battlefield decomposed at an accelerated rate. It was as if their very lives were no longer their own.

"Bring me the one named Li."