Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1044: Fourth Cultivation Pathʼs first born

Bzzzzt Bzzzzt Bzzzzt

At the mountainʼs peak, five new instant space portals opened. The portals quivered violently, expanding as the space within them crackled and churned chaotically. Finally, they revealed what they had in store.

Baam Baam

With earth-shaking steps and an oppressive aura that demanded submission from all who felt it, five golden giants emerged, capturing every gaze.

”Warlords! The Warlords have arrived!”

”Hoooraaay!!”

Even the demons, still pouring out from the other portals, paused and shouted in excitement at the sight of the Warlords- the symbol of the True Beginning Empireʼs might!

Ooooooh----

The five Warlords began rising slowly into the air, each one brandishing their massive weapons. Without awaiting orders, they launched themselves toward the City of Hope! ”Damn it, prepare for engagement! Major trouble incoming!” From a distance, the generals observed the scene. Even from 100 miles away, those radiant giants were unmistakable. ”Send to all Imperial Guards to drop everything in hand and prepare to stop the Warlords!” All the generals who had witnessed the Warlordsʼ prowess in the Battle of the Safe City felt a shiver run through their bodies. Each of those five could single-handedly fight a banner marshal!

As the Warlords neared the city walls, they ascended even higher into the air, then canceled their flight ability to plunge down in freefall, their heavy weapons in hand.

BOOOOM

All the defenses the generals of the Great Serpent Empire had been preparing for the past 35 minutes collapsed instantly.

”Long live the True Beginning Empire!”

”Long live the Lord!!”

Taking advantage of the massive momentum from the Warlordsʼ destruction of the central defenses, the demons surged forward with unparalleled fervor.

”Push them back!” the generals shouted, grabbing their weapons and stepping onto the battlefield themselves. The collapse of their defensive formations had allowed the demons to break through, and a wave of casualties was beginning-one that wouldnʼt end until the Warlords were dealt with and the defenses were restored.

From afar, Amon stood near the portals, watching silently with his arms crossed. ”...This wonʼt work.”

”King, what wonʼt work? Weʼre winning!” One of Amonʼs entourage declared with a laugh. The arrival of the Warlords had suddenly tipped the scales in their favor.

”No, this wonʼt work. Their numbers are growing abnormally. This wasnʼt in the original plan...” Amon began tapping on his arm as seven more warships landed, deploying another 30,000 soldiers. It seemed unlikely this would be the final wave of reinforcements.

So far, Amon had brought 110,000 demons and 200 demon emperors to the battlefield. In contrast, the Great Serpent Empire had landed 370,000 soldiers and nearly 400 martial emperors-better organized and far better equipped than the demons!

The arrival of the Warlords had broken through barriers and set the stage for an open-ground battle, a specialty of the demons. However, the Imperial Guards would eventually push back the Warlords, returning the battlefield to its prior state.

At that moment, Amon heard a familiar voice: (Amon, the Nihari Giants have retreated and the war in the northern region is over, and the Ashera Giantsʼ Clan canʼt stop them by themselves. Iʼm afraid the entire Great Serpent Empire army from the north is coming, and it wouldnʼt take long.)

”WHAT?!” Amon finally lost his composure and shouted. He immediately grasped the looming danger.

General Sakaar had designed a plan that linked the north and south, aiming to strike two birds with one stone and reduce the main armyʼs battle to a symbolic, weightless conflict. But the actions of the Niharai giants had disrupted everything. Now, the victor in the main armyʼs battle could intervene in the fights within the City of Hope, securing victory in the war. Under such immense pressure, Amon asked cautiously, ”...What are your orders now?” (Iʼll leave the decisions to you. The entire demon army is under your command.) Sakaarʼs swift response carried a weight that crushed Amonʼs heart.

Amon was not the strategic type. He could not stand in place and devise a plan to fend off an army several times his size, better equipped and better organized. Physically and mentally, this was impossible for him!

But Sakaar followed up with something that eased the burden slightly: (One hour. All you need to do is prevent them from besieging the city for one more hour. I am entirely confident I can kill these 400 high-level martial emperors surrounding me and come to your aid personally.)

”One hour?” Amon took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, clenching his fists tightly. ”...You can count on me.”

Robin laughed loudly. ”Hahaha, all this talk to circle back to martial arts and merged laws? I almost forgot what we were talking about!”

”I had to give you a solid foundation of information so you could understand the difference and answer me honestly,” Pythor shrugged, then rested his chin on his hand. ”And to grasp why I asked that question about you to sons...”

”Martial arts, simply put, are born from the Fourth Cultivation Path- a natural development after the emergence of the Fourth Cultivation Path. To put it simply, they are attacks that utilize a heavenly law without a prior understanding of it. Often, they involve multiple laws at once. The martial arts are the sole benefit and ultimate strength of the Fourth Cultivation Path practitioners. Itʼs also the only reason many new cultivators still choose this path, preventing it from fading into obscurity.”

Pythor continued, ”To understand better, letʼs assume someone has an affinity for the Laws of Fire and Wind at 70% and 50%, respectively. Even without prior knowledge of these paths, they could purchase a low-tier martial art called ʼEastern Phoenix.ʼ This technique unleashes a powerful attack in the form of a great bird, combining the two laws and reinforcing each other for greater destructive power. Or they could opt for an enhanced version, ʼJoyful Eastern Phoenix,ʼ allowing them to integrate a few soul units into the attack. The bird would then screech and appear somewhat conscious!”