Chapter 593: Order from the War Marshal

It had been a week since Maximilian became the Commander of the fifth battalion. During this time, he gathered a few basic but important pieces of information.

The human army had a total of four legions: the Northern Legion, Eastern Legion, Southern Legion, and Western Legion. Each one was commanded by a General of the Eternal Sage Realm.

The Generals further divided their armies among the commanders. The Southern Legion used to have five commanders. However, one of them was slain in the last battle, greatly reducing the strength of the Southern Legion. It was the very reason that General Mu immediately appointed Maximilian as the new commander without even probing much into his past.

Above the Generals, there were three War Marshals as well, each one at the Early Stage of the Demi-God Realm.

Before the war, each of them ruled the Righteous, Demonic, or Unorthodox Path. But now, they stood as one against the beast army as the Great Heavenly Alliance.

The Beasts were not weak either. They also had their fair share of Greater Spirit Beasts and Mythic Beasts that could easily go head-to-head against the commanders and generals of the human army.

They used to have four beasts at the Sacred Beast Realm and were at a clear advantage against the humans. From the cultivators in Maximilian’s army, he learned that the humans were at such a disadvantage that some of them were even deserting the battle, while the rogue cultivators kept refusing to join the war of the Great Heavenly Alliance.

However, when Battle God Aruma, one of the four Sacred Beasts, fell, the humans finally gained an advantage in the war. The Sacred Beast from the Deer Clan wasn’t a combative type, reducing the number of Sacred Beasts that could fight to only two.

Nevertheless, even though humans had a slight advantage right now, it wasn’t to the point that they could easily crush the beast army as Mu Jin claimed.

The higher-ups were spreading false rumours that the humans were on the verge of victory to lure rogue cultivators into the war. It was a cruel but effective strategy. If humans were not at an advantage until now, they surely would be after so many cultivators joined in.

As for the actual reason for the war, from what Maximilian managed to find out, they were fighting over the rights to the Lingtian Mountains, the area with the densest Spiritual Energy in the Western Continent, allowing cultivators to advance much faster.

Maximilian heard rumours claiming that the purity of Soulforce in Lingtian Mountain was comparable to that of the Upper Realm.

---

"Brother Max, I’m dying of boredom here," Wukong whined, lying on the floor with his limbs spread. "Every day is just sleep, meditate, train, and repeat. When could we leave and visit the other places?"

Beside him, Maximilian was sitting on a futon on the floor, slowly sipping the tea that he had just poured from the kettle, which was placed on the short-legged table before him.

"Have some patience," Maximilian replied, his tone calm.

Wukong crawled towards Maximilian, reaching his back, where he began massaging his shoulders. "Brother, I haven’t eaten anything for so long. Could I hunt a few humans? Only five—No, only ten is enough."

Maximilian calmly placed his cup on the table. "If you senselessly kill people, there will be consequences."

He took a brief pause before continuing, "And by consequences, I didn’t mean the wrath of the humans. I know no one in this legion is your match. Killing innocents accumulates negative karma, which destroys your mental state. If that happens, you will return to the mindless death demon you were before. If you wish to return to whom you used to be, go ahead. Kill as much as you wish."

Wukong flinched at his words, his limbs trembling. "On second thought, I’m not hungry anymore."

He muttered, lying back on the floor defeatedly.

"Don’t worry," Maximilian said, the corner of his lips slightly rising, his gaze shifting upward, beyond the roof of the pavilion. "The fun is about to start."

The moment he said those words, an old, deep voice rang out.

"All the commanders come to the inner training hall."

"This is the voice of that old man," Wukong scoffed, rising to a sitting position. "What does he want now?"

"It will be something that’s going to make you happy," Maximilian replied, slowly rising to his feet. "Wait here."

He suddenly vanished from the pavilion, leaving the doors of the pavilion swaying in and out from how fast he moved outside.

When he reached the training hall, the other four commanders were also present there.

"Long time no see, Commander Arthur," Jiang greeted him with a friendly smile.

"A week isn’t long, Commander Jiang," Maximilian chuckled, accepting his greeting.

"So he is the new commander of the fifth battalion. He looks younger than I thought," a striking woman from the group spoke up, scanning Maximilian with her curious auburn eyes. She had ear-length cyan hair, and her body, just like the other commanders, was covered in heavy battle armor with golden plating.

At the chest plate, the number two was engraved.

She moved closer to Maximilian, her face reaching parallel to his. "I’m Bai Qingxian, the Commander of the second battalion. Say, how old are you, Commander Arthur?"

’She is tall,’ Maximilian murmured inwardly. He was around 6’6", and this woman was barely an inch shorter than him. Her height was uncommon for a woman, even by dragon standards.

"I’m seventy-six," Maximilian replied, taking a step back.

"A seventy-six-year-old Early Stage True Sage," Bai Qingxian released a low gasp, her eyes widening. "How come such a talent remained hidden for so long?"

"Ahh... I spent most of my time in the mountains in closed-door cultivation," Maximilian replied calmly. "I don’t have much combat experience, so I will be depending on you and the other fellow commanders’ guidance."

He greeted the remaining two commanders. He had already learned the names of the commanders from the cultivators in his army. One was a black-haired man with a few strands of white mixed into his hair. He seemed to be around the same age as Jiang. In his armor, the number three was engraved. He was Lin Feng, the Commander of the third battalion.

Lin Feng blinked with a faint smile at Maximilian, as if accepting his request.

The last one among them was also the eldest. He had long grey hair, tied in a high ponytail. His face carried multiple small scars, boasting of his experience in life-and-death combat. He was Gu Chen, the Commander of the first battalion. He also seemed to be the most intimidating and reserved among them.

"In the war, every commander is on their own," he said, glancing at Maximilian before turning his sharp glare forward. "If you think you cannot handle this position, you should leave it to someone more deserving. A strong subordinate is better than a foolish leader."

’Hmm, Peak Stage True Sage Realm,’ Maximilian murmured inwardly, sensing his realm. "I will keep your words in mind, Commander Gu."

Now that everyone was here, a voice came from the high palace before them.

"The Southern Legion has received the order from the War Marshal. We shall destroy the Baihu Stronghold of the Tiger Clan. Order the army and prepare to move out within two hours."

"We heard your command, General Mo," the commanders replied in unison before quickly moving out.

Maximilian was also about to leave when the old voice continued, "This will be your first battle, Commander Arthur. I hope you provide justification for the rank you hold."

’Oh... this old man,’ Maximilian murmured inwardly in amusement. ’He’s indirectly warning me not to run away from the battlefield. The battle ahead must be a challenging one.’

"I will give my all in this battle and bring glory to the Southern Legion," Maximilian declared in a firm tone. "No beast will escape the judgment for coveting something they aren’t worthy of."

"Good... very good," the general replied in amusement. "Take your leave."

"Yes, General Mo," Maximilian replied before moving out.