Socially anxious people transmigrate to another world; living in seclusion is too difficult.

Before long, the scout was brought into the council chamber. After dismissing everyone else, Li Yu closed the door tightly, and Zhang Huangning lowered his voice and asked, "Why was the mountain shout signal activated? What happened?"

The scout replied in a low voice, "General, our spies in the Demon Kingdom report that five days ago, a group of unidentified people entered the Demon Kingdom's Deliberation Court. On the same day, the Deliberation Court issued a Demon Gathering Order, summoning the Demon King and many high-ranking nobles to the Deliberation Court for a meeting. The day before yesterday, three Demon Kingdom armies began to gather in the City of Dry Bones, their purpose unknown."

"Li Yu, bring me the map."

Li Yu quickly found a map and laid it out on the table. Zhang Huangning examined it carefully, asking as he looked, "Besides this, is there any news of other demonic armies gathering?"

"Not yet."

Zhang Huangning tapped his fingers on the map, marking the locations of Dry Bone Ridge and Dry Bone City, without saying a word, his brows furrowed. Seeing this, Li Yu said to the scout, "Alright, you've worked hard. Go and rest now, and don't let the news leak out."

After the scouts left, and a long time passed, Li Yu finally spoke up and asked, "General, should we report this to the military headquarters?"

Zhang Huangning shook his head and said, "No rush. Send someone to invite Commandant Lü Yi here."

Before long, Lü Yi arrived at the camp in a carriage and entered the council chamber without any hindrance. Zhang Huangning rose to greet him and greeted him warmly. After the door was closed, he changed his expression and whispered, "The Demon Kingdom's army has assembled at Kugu Ridge. Does Lord Lü have any relevant information?"

"When did this happen?" Lü Yi was clearly very surprised. Zhang Huangning then truthfully recounted the scout's report and asked Lü Yi for his opinion.

"Unidentified people? In my opinion, although the Demon Kingdom has not shown any signs of attacking yet, since they have gathered at the Bone Ridge on the border, their aim must be towards us. We should prepare for battle first, and at the same time report to the military headquarters so that they are aware of the situation. Then we can investigate the identity and purpose of this group, and make the next plan after we have found out." Lu Yi suggested.

"I have the same thought, but the Demon Kingdom's sudden action may indicate that something big is about to happen. I propose that the Demon City be placed under semi-martial law. What do you think, Lord Lü?"

“No, I know General Zhang’s concerns, but this move is risky and could alert the enemy. It might even worsen the situation. If we’re not prepared and the Demon Kingdom attacks, neither of us can bear the responsibility.”

"What Lord Lü said makes sense, but the Demon-Suppressing City is a crucial place in the Western Territory, and we must be on guard."

"How about this: rotate the city defense soldiers outside the city, the barbican, and the inner city in turn, and then gradually transfer the county magistrate's troops to the military camp all at once, so that the soldiers of the Third Army can take over the Demon-Suppressing City."

"Thank you, Lord Lü! If this is done, the Demon-Controlling City will be safe and sound."

Zhang Huangning's concern was that demon spies might infiltrate the Demon City, not only to gather military intelligence, but also to potentially coordinate with the Demon Kingdom's army from within when the great war broke out. In that case, he would not only have to relieve the crisis of the Demon City, but also fight the Demon Kingdom's army on the front lines, making it difficult to attend to both ends. He was an extremely cautious person, and it was precisely because of his thorough consideration that the military placed him in the western border to be specifically responsible for defending against the Demon Kingdom.

The two made a decision on the spot and began the rotation of soldiers outside the city that same day. At the same time, a military report was sent to the Huaijing military headquarters by fast horse. After receiving and reading it, the military headquarters did not dare to delay. Wei Bin took the military report to the palace and presented it to Emperor Chu Jingwu's desk.

After Chu Jingwu circulated the report to Yang Chaoxiu and Nangong Xiangwen, he asked, "What are your thoughts on this matter, my three esteemed ministers?"

After examining the situation closely, Yang Chaoxiu said, "Although the purpose of the Demon Kingdom is not yet clear, Zhang Huangning and Lü Yi's actions are commendable. They gradually rotated the defenses, so as not to disturb the Demon Kingdom."

"I wonder if the Demon Kingdom's army gathering this time is related to the previous friction between our border troops and the border troops of the Kingdom of Delin?" Nangong Xiangwen brought up another equally puzzling matter, which puzzled Wei Bin greatly.

"Lord Nangong, we are discussing matters concerning the Demon Kingdom. Why did you bring up the previous border conflict?"

“Lord Wei, I think these two puzzling events happened one after the other, and there may be some connection between them. Although the Demon Kingdom has always acted without any rules, the unidentified people mentioned in this incident make me feel that there is some conspiracy involved,” Nangong Xiangwen said worriedly.

“Lord Nangong, speculation is no longer of any practical use, Your Majesty. I suggest sending envoys to the Holy Beast Kingdom to exchange information. I have heard that there have been unusual movements of the army within the Beast Kingdom, and that they have been moved in the north, northwest and west directions. It is very likely that these unidentified people entered the Demon Kingdom through the Beast Kingdom. The Beast Kingdom must have relevant information.” Yang Chaoxiu suggested.

"Hmm, that makes sense. Here's what we'll do: Issue the decree. Wei Bin, order the military to prepare for the deployment of other troops. The northern garrison will be gradually moved to the west, while the other garrisons will remain stationary for the time being. At the same time, prepare provisions. Nangong Xiangwen, immediately assemble a delegation to go to the Beast Kingdom for intelligence exchange. Order Zhang Huangning and Lü Yi to cooperate fully and report any situation immediately."

The three men accepted their orders and departed. Chu Jingwu sat upright in the main hall, his mind racing with thoughts: Were these unidentified people human or demons? What were they doing in the Demon Kingdom? And what was the purpose of the Demon Kingdom's sudden mobilization of its army?

The story goes back to when the Principality of Paison first dispatched a special task force. News of the Elemental Stone spread like wildfire. In addition to various countries, the Insulators, having thoroughly infiltrated the Principality of Paison, also received the news. Peng Shaoshi brought this important information back to the headquarters and handed it over to Shen Yao. After reporting to the Chief of the Headquarters, Shen Yao received direct instructions from the Chief of the Headquarters within a day, ordering them to devise a feasible plan to completely disrupt the world situation and create conditions for finding and seizing the Elemental Stone.

Shen Yao and his companions racked their brains, looking at the map from left to right, and finally came up with a plan. In short, it was to unite with the Demon Kingdom and reap the benefits.

Logically speaking, apart from the Heavenly Fortune Empire, the human and demon races have irreconcilable conflicts. However, in Shen Yao's view as an insulator, not everything is impossible. He recalled that in order to better develop elemental equipment, the organization once sent one person into the Heavenly Fortune Empire to marry a demon woman and have a daughter. However, the plan was later exposed, and he escaped back to the organization.

"From this perspective, it's not impossible for the Demon Kingdom to unite. In the end, the demons of the Heavenly Fortune Empire and the demons of the Western Demon Kingdom are no different."

Thinking of this, Shen Yao immediately summoned someone and asked, "Where is Lin Ji now?"

"Reporting to the Guardian, Lin Ji is currently working at the Earthly Martial Arts Division, but his exact location is unknown."

"Send word to Di Jue, ordering Lin Ji to return to the headquarters to see me within three days."