At the banquet, Secretary Huang even deliberately brought up what had just happened.
As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone began talking about the matter.
Due to the misappropriation of medicine, quite a bit of discontent had indeed arisen among some demonic cultivators.
Everyone had their own way of handling the situation.
There were those, like Secretary Huang, who intimidated others with their position.
There were also those who used deadly methods, killing on the spot.
And others preferred softer, more conciliatory methods.
But regardless of how it was handled, those low-ranking demonic cultivators, whether in the Golden Core Realm or even the Nascent Soul Realm, could only swallow their rage.
Because they had no way to report it.
That massive network of connections was so tightly knit that any information leaked upward would only become a source of humiliation.
As for trying to escalate the matter and report it to the high-ranking great demons…
One would first need the privilege of even being able to see them.
And even if they did manage to make enough noise to reach those great demons, weren't all of them members of the Ten Tribes in that same network? To them, such a trivial matter would be easily covered up.
That's why, to everyone present, these incidents were nothing more than a joke over drinks.
After failing to report the matter, the five demonic cultivators with amputated arms left the military camp completely demoralized.
They looked at that majestic and opulent camp with cold hearts, their eyes filled with indignation and confusion.
Their race not only didn't belong to the Ten Tribes, it barely even qualified to make it into the list of the Hundred Clans.
In order to earn merit that could get them cultivation resources and territory for their race…
More than ten of them had left their homeland to come to the battlefield. And now, only five remained alive—and still, this was the treatment they received.
"Maybe we never should've come here," one of the demonic cultivators said with a bitter expression.
The others opened their mouths, but didn't know what to say.
"Doesn't matter anymore, let's go back. At this point, we have no choice. If we desert on the battlefield, not only will we die, we'll drag our families down with us too."
The demonic cultivator sighed and called for his companions to withdraw.
Once they had silently exited the city, one of them muttered under his breath:
"If they won't be fair with us, why should we risk our lives for them? A few merits aren't worth it. In my opinion, from now on, we'll just do the bare minimum—no more risking our lives."
"That's how it should be."
"Hmph, let whoever wants to fight hard go ahead and do it."
The others completely agreed.
As long as they weren't forced into suicide missions, they'd find ways to stretch out the time as much as possible.
After coming to this agreement, they returned to the front line's rest area to heal their wounds.
Two days later, they were almost fully recovered, and were assigned a new mission at the front.
"Eliminate two Grade A mechanical beasts?"
Reading the order they'd received, the five wore grim expressions. The highest-ranking among them had only just reached the early stage of the Golden Core Realm.
Those mechanical beasts were one of the secret weapons human cultivators used against them.
Not only were they incredibly difficult to handle, but their strength was comparable to someone in the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Just facing one between the five of them was nearly impossible—let alone two.
"It must've been Secretary Huang who assigned us this mission on purpose. He wants us dead. That damned pig is despicable! Why doesn't he go fight those two Grade A mechanical beasts himself?!"
The one-armed demonic cultivator was trembling with rage. Wasn't this going too far? No—this was outright abuse.
"Disobeying is death, going means death too. Let's do what we said before: just get ourselves 'injured' enough to retreat," another said with a sneer, showing no respect at all for the military order.
After agreeing on it, they rested a bit before heading to the battlefield.
In their assigned zone, two mechanical beasts over thirty meters tall were wreaking havoc.
They looked like massive tigers, but had dozens of long arms. Demonic cultivators below the Golden Core Realm who encountered them died instantly.
Seeing them rampage unchecked across the battlefield…
The five looked at each other.
With great coordination, they launched an attack on one of the mechanical beasts.
After a battle that lasted about half an hour, they managed to escape with their lives—but at the cost of severe injuries.
Back at camp, the five, pale as paper, quickly sat down on the ground to heal their wounds.
They had barely sat down when a figure stood in front of them.
They didn't even have time to look up; a terrifying pressure was already crushing them to the point they couldn't lift their heads.
"On the battlefield, the five of you clearly could've taken down that mechanical beast if you'd worked together. Why did you hold back and deliberately let yourselves get hurt? If you're afraid to fight, I'll personally send you to the afterlife right now."
Standing before them was a young demonic cultivator.
He had a stern face. He couldn't be called handsome, but the coldness in his aura made him vaguely resemble that ancient "Phantom Shark."
In terms of status and power, the two were on the same level.
Upon recognizing the voice, the five turned deathly pale. The one-armed cultivator, who led the group, spoke with a trembling voice.
"It was due to our lack of coordination that we failed. Once we recover from our injuries, we will definitely eliminate that mechanical beast."
"You think this lord is an idiot?"
The young demonic cultivator spoke in a deep voice, and the oppressive pressure grew even heavier.
The five demonic cultivators were already bleeding from all seven orifices; their bodies were on the verge of collapse.
Just as they were about to die, one of them couldn't take it anymore and shouted furiously.
"Yes, we avoided the battle on purpose! Even the lifesaving medicine they gave us was faulty! Why should we risk our lives for this Domain?!"
The moment he finished speaking, the oppressive pressure around him disappeared completely.
The young demon raised an eyebrow and said, "What do you mean? Was there a problem with the medicine delivered?"
"Don't play dumb. You great demons are all in collusion. Don't you just want to kill us and silence us? Come on, do it!"
The one-armed demon cultivator also charged forward, stretching his neck as if inviting the other to kill him.
"This lord truly doesn't know who I'm supposedly colluding with. I'll give you three sentences to explain yourselves. Your life or death—decide for yourselves."
The young demon smoothed his robe with one hand. His originally white robe instantly turned scarlet red, adding an even more severe and murderous air to his presence.
The five demons looked at each other and finally explained the situation in detail.
"These are the Sea Flowers we received. They were already partially destroyed. This is what remains."
After explaining, the demons took out the remaining Sea Flowers.
"Understood. Secretary Huang, correct? I'll go talk to him about this. If what you say is true, I'll see that justice is done. If not, consider yourselves warned."
"There isn't a single false word in what we said. If we're lying in the slightest, may our souls never enter reincarnation after death."
The young demon did not reply, but his robe became even redder.
However, he didn't rush to find Secretary Huang, but instead went to interrogate other demon cultivators in the Golden Core Realm.
Most of these cultivators denied the facts, fearing it was a trap and that admitting anything would only lead to their ruin.
But there are always a few stubborn ones who dare to speak the truth.
After gathering enough evidence, the young demon—who never wanted to reveal his name and only used the alias "Wu Nian"—went to look for Secretary Huang.
At that moment, Secretary Huang held a brush in his right hand while his left hand quickly worked an abacus, estimating how much he could divert from the upcoming supplies to sell illegally.
After tasting the profits, he was eager to grow rich.
If only there could be a hundred-year war like this every now and then.
When Wu Nian arrived, Secretary Huang quickly set the brush down and stood up, saying:
"Commander Wu Nian! What an honor to have you here! Pardon me for not coming out to receive you."
"Spare me the human formalities."
Wu Nian frowned and said coldly, "Have you been secretly deducting rations, replacing the hundred-year-old Sea Flowers with fifty-year-old ones?"
Secretary Huang smiled kindly, his tone calm.
"Is Commander Wu Nian here about that matter? Recently, indeed, a few minor demons have been…"
"…spouting nonsense, blaming me, Huang."
"But I, Huang, have always been someone who owns up to my actions, never lied. I even proposed to personally take them before the military inspector to clear things up and prove my innocence."
"By the way, hundred-year-old Sea Flowers are not authorized for market circulation. All that meet the age requirement must be designated as war material."
"But lately, many hundred-year-old flowers have been showing up on the market. I suppose those minor demons, hoping for more spirit stones, sold them on their own and are now trying to blame me. Commander Wu Nian, don't be deceived by them."
Wu Nian listened to Secretary Huang's explanation with an expressionless face, then stared at him intently.
"Huang, are you sure you spoke with the military inspector, and that he confirmed this has nothing to do with you?"
"If Commander Wu Nian doesn't believe me, you may ask the military inspector directly."
"Better yet, come with me."
Wu Nian raised a hand and, using a remote technique, lifted Huang from the ground, intending to take him out of the military tent.
"Commander Wu Nian! This humble servant has important matters pending and cannot accompany you. Could you please let me go?"
Once in the air, Huang's face showed a touch of anger.
"What if I say no?"
Wu Nian looked at him coldly. He knew that those low-level cultivators in the Golden Core Realm wouldn't dare lie about something like this.
This matter certainly had to do with Huang.
"Commander Wu Nian, though we're both in the 'Earth' camp, you're in charge of the Slaughter Battalion, while I am not under your command. You have no authority to take me by force."
Huang responded firmly.
Wu Nian hadn't expected this coward to show such boldness before him.
He looked at him with a meaningful expression, then let him fall to the ground.
"If I find anything… prepare to have your soul extracted and refined."
With that, he flew off swiftly to find the military inspector and investigate the matter.
Huang remained where he was, his face dark. Once Wu Nian had flown away, he spat with contempt.
"Self-righteous bastard! Investigate me? We'll see who ends up worse."
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