This was the fundamental requirement for refining the Tuwu Sword. A human must die completely to collect their life essence. Merely drawing blood from billions of humans would not suffice for the sword's forging.
To forge the Tuwu Sword – it had to be collected on-site, fresh, and the human must be utterly slain from primordial spirit to physical body for the forging method to be effective.
Therefore, utilizing the Demon Court's human blood bank, blood preserved for too long was invalid. Primitive, on-site slaughter was absolutely necessary.
With the conditions clarified, Zhu Yan was confident, believing he had grasped the method and key points for forging the Tuwu Sword.
With the forging method mastered, dealing with the human race was a mere trifle.
At this thought, Zhu Yan declared, "My lords, let us order our subordinate races, over a hundred in number, to muster ten billion demon soldiers and slaughter the human race."
"Dispatch the troops,"
Qiongqi and Bashe echoed in unison, "Agreed!"
The Demon Court had over three hundred and sixty Great Luo Demon Gods.
Each Great Luo Demon God had dozens, even hundreds, of subordinate races.
Zhu Yan and Bashe, being only at the early stage of Great Luo, commanded fewer than a hundred subordinate races, merely in the double digits.
Qiongqi, as a late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal Demon God, controlled a hundred subordinate races.
The forces commanded by these three Demon Gods comprised approximately one hundred and sixty subordinate races.
Within this legion, there were over four hundred demon cultivators at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level.
To crush a weak human race, in the eyes of these three Demon Gods, posed no significant problem.
The deployment of so many demons was merely a precaution, coupled with the complete annihilation of the human race.
After all, defeating the human race and annihilating them were two different matters. If the humans attempted to flee, a tenfold force would be required to achieve a complete massacre.
Intelligence indicated that the human race had three Taiyi Golden Immortals, possibly four.
To achieve complete annihilation, forty Taiyi Golden Immortals would be needed.
The deployment of four hundred Taiyi Golden Immortals was purely a measure of extreme caution taken by the three Great Luo Demon Gods.
With a hundredfold force, there was absolutely no room for error!
"Issue the imperial decree to the clan leaders of the one hundred and sixty races..."
The three Demon Gods formally issued their decrees to their subordinate forces.
...
At this time.
Near the coast of the East Sea.
Among the myriad races of the Demon Court – the Deer Clan – the Ice Light Deer branch.
The clan leader of the Ice Light Deer, also a Taiyi Golden Immortal, received the joint decree from the three Demon Gods, his face turning ashen.
"Imperial Decree from the Demon Gods... ordering the entire Ice Light Deer clan, along with over a hundred other races, to form a legion of ten billion demon soldiers to slaughter the human race..."
"Breach the human ancestral land and annihilate all human tribes throughout the Four Seas and Eight Desolations..."
"Ensure the extermination of ninety-nine percent of the human population to forge the Tuwu Sword and complete the Demon Court's grand plan..."
After reciting the contents of the decree.
The clan leader of the Ice Light Deer was so enraged he felt he was about to die.
Among the myriad races of the Demon Court were tens of thousands of species, including bears, bees, cattle, insects, horses, cats, dogs...
And within these clans, there were branches, such as the Ice Light Deer and Fire Light Deer, which were also counted as individual races, thus forming the myriad races of the Demon Court.
The Ice Light Deer clan leader was precisely the leader of one of the myriad races of the Demon Court, a subordinate force of the Great Luo Demon God Qiongqi.
Now, his superior – Qiongqi, a Great Luo realm Demon God – had issued a decree ordering him to immediately dispatch troops to form a legion with other races of the Demon Court and attack the human race!
They were to breach the human ancestral land, slaughter all human tribes in the Primordial World, and exterminate ninety-nine percent of the human population to forge the Tuwu Sword with their essence and blood!
The content of this decree almost made the Ice Light Deer clan leader laugh himself to death.
Forming a ten-billion-strong demon soldier legion to slaughter the human race? That sounded easy, but let them try it themselves!
Outside the human ancestral land, the protective grand formation had increased its power tenfold, even a hundredfold, in the last thousand years. Even cultivators at the peak of Great Luo would find it nearly impossible to break through it.
Even if ten thousand Taiyi Golden Immortals attacked together, they would be unable to harm that formation.
With the forces of merely one hundred and sixty races, they expected to breach that formation?
It was obvious it would fail! Ten billion demon soldiers would not last even half an incense stick's time before being torn apart by the chaotic Xuanhuang Qi!
As for the three Great Luo realm Demon Gods overseeing the battle?
What use would that be!
Eight thousand years ago, over twenty Great Luo Golden Immortals of the Dragon Clan were defeated, and Zhulong, a Hunyuan Golden Immortal, became the Human Emperor's mount.
The human race today was more than ten times stronger than they were eight thousand years ago.
Let alone three Great Luo realm Demon Gods, even if all three hundred-plus Great Luo Demon Gods of the Demon Court were present, the Ice Light Deer clan leader would not feel safe! Nor did he believe the human race could be breached by three hundred Great Luo Golden Immortals!
"Hateful! Hateful!"
"These Great Luo realm Demon Gods, dwelling in the heavenly Demon Court, high above, have no idea of the tremendous changes occurring on the ground, nor do they understand the true current situation of the human race!"
"They all believe the human race only has three, at most four, Taiyi Golden Immortals..."
"But I have clearly seen that the number of Taiyi Golden Immortals among the human race has reached the order of a hundred thousand, several times more than all the Taiyi Golden Immortals in the myriad races of the Demon Court combined!"
The Ice Light Deer clan leader's inner grief and indignation were beyond words.
The Demon Gods of the Demon Court, the innate divine beings, were so aloof, residing in the Demon Court amidst the Star Dou of the heavens.
They had no idea of the human race's current capabilities.
But he, as the leader of one of the myriad races of the Demon Court near the East Sea, was close to the human race and naturally knew how monstrous their strength had become!
The three Demon Gods still believed the Ice Light Deer clan was superior to the human race, considering humans the most lowly race in the Primordial World?
Heh heh heh!
The Ice Light Deer clan leader knew that if he informed the elders, subordinates, and soldiers of his clan that they were to invade the human race, slaughter ninety-nine percent of their population, and forge the Tuwu Sword.
All the elders, demon generals, and demon soldiers within the Ice Light Deer clan who knew the human race's true strength would refuse to obey him and go to their deaths!
If he told them, and still expected them to invade the human race? It would be considered merciful if they didn't immediately revolt and kill him, their clan leader!
The Ice Light Deer clan resided near the East Sea, and all its members knew how monstrous the human race's strength was. Asking them to slaughter humans? Let alone him, their clan leader, even if the Demon Emperor himself issued a decree, it would be useless!
In a war with such a completely asymmetrical disparity in strength, who would go to their deaths?
Did they really treat the demon soldiers and demon generals as robots? Demon soldiers also had self-awareness and emotions!
They also feared death, and most of all, feared dying for the mindless orders issued by their brainless superiors!