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Chapter 871: Chapter 877: Between Battles
You should know that this was only the first day of the war launched by the Sea Clan, and they were the most powerful of all, the Dragon Tribe!
As a result, they were defeated and driven back by the cultivators, finding themselves in a dire and disorganized retreat.
Enduring the disgrace, the Flood Dragons issued the order to retreat and then plunged into the deep sea without hesitation, swimming towards the distance.
When the cultivators saw the fleeing Water Devils, they naturally seized the opportunity to "kick them while they were down" and unleashed all their power, aiming to kill as many Water Devils as possible.
For all cultivators knew that the retreat of the Water Devils was only temporary; the battle hadn’t crushed them, so why would they surrender now?
Moreover, it was anticipated that the next time the Water Devils attacked, they would be stronger and not as reckless.
That time might mark the true eruption of the war.
In the cultivators’ pursuit, the flustered escaping Water Devils suffered heavy losses, but fortunately, the cultivators hadn’t lost their reason and didn’t chase them relentlessly.
"Oooooh!" When the cultivators returned to the archipelago, a wave of excitement erupted like a tidal wave.
What came later didn’t dampen the cheers and excitement of the moment or diminish their remarkable achievement of driving away the Water Devils on the first day!
And Li Zhirui had made a name for himself in this battle, becoming a role model for all low-rank cultivators.
In this battle, many had died, but the only fifth-order Water Devils that were killed were the two killed by Li Zhirui!
Although some tricks were used, the massive bodies of those two Flood Dragons were real.
And indeed, it was the death of these two Flood Dragons that had crushed the morale of the Water Devil army and triggered their retreat.
From this perspective, Li Zhirui was the chief contributor and the greatest hero of them all!
Some cultivators who knew he was the founder of the Essence Pill were exceedingly surprised; they had previously thought Li Zhirui was just a genius Alchemy Master, which was impressive enough.
But after this battle, they were astonished to find that his combat power was very strong, and he had even raised three fifth-order Spirit Beasts!
His strength was among the top in the presence of all Nascent Soul Cultivators.
Among the cultivators who came to support from the central territories, there were none from the Late Nascent Soul Stage or Divine Transformation Completion Stage directly engaging in combat; their role was more to deter and deal with Water Devils of the same realm.
Unless it was a last resort, like being unable to hold their positions, they wouldn’t take action.
After all, they were only one step away from Ascension, and naturally, they would try to minimize any possible karmic entanglements.
Similarly, on the side of the Water Devils, the Great Devils in the late or perfection stages of the fifth order were not arranged to battle.
After the great battle ended, rest couldn’t come immediately; the battlefield had to be cleared, the corpses tidied, and casualties counted. Only after all this could most cultivators rest.
"This Senior Li is really amazing!"
"Yes, being able to kill two fifth-order Flood Dragons and determining the course and outcome of the entire battlefield with a single action."
"Pfft, it was just through surprise attacks and stealth; you all praise him too much. Any other Nascent Soul ancestor could do the same; he just had better luck."
While some liked him, naturally, there were others who didn’t, which was quite normal.
However, those who revered Li Zhirui were more numerous, and together, they drove out the critical cultivator.
The widely discussed and revered Li Zhirui didn’t do anything to stir things up or boost his own fame because there was no need for it; he found those things useless.
After all, everyone was just passing acquaintances, and regardless of the outcome of the war, they were unlikely to meet again in the future, so it was naturally unnecessary to waste time on strangers.
"May I know what brings Fellow Daoists here?" Li Zhirui looked at the Nascent Soul cultivators before him, his face showing a hint of puzzlement.
If one were to reveal their identities, one would find that they were all first-rate Nascent Soul cultivators from the central territories, who knew that Li Zhirui was the founder ofApp the Essence Pill.
"As a Fellow Daoist, you are extremely skilled at manufacturing Precious Pills; perhaps you should focus on crafting them in the rear rather than participating in such dangerous battles," one Nascent Soul blurted out their purpose.
They wanted Li Zhirui to go back and make pills for them, the Nascent Soul cultivators, instead of actively fighting against the Water Devils.
"Thank you for the kind words, but fighting is about defending our homes, which is even more important," Li Zhirui said with a smile, declining their offer - he did not want to become their alchemy servant.
These people really had good intentions, actually wanting Li Zhirui to step back from the frontlines and work behind the scenes, all the while pretending it was for his best.
Li Zhirui’s refusal was very straightforward, leaving no room for negotiation.
"If Fellow Daoists lack any kind of Precious Pill, you may tell me, and if my family has it, I will sell them to you at market prices."
Giving things away for free was an impossibility; with so many Nascent Soul cultivators, if you give to one, should the others get too? If so, the Li family would be at a loss.
And he also offered these at market prices, without taking advantage of the war situation to inflate the price of the pills, making Li Zhirui truly conscientious!
But those Nascent Soul cultivators felt greatly dissatisfied, coming from noble origins, how could a Nascent Soul from a remote territory not curry favor with them?
Li Zhirui acted as if he hadn’t noticed their discontent, but even if they were unsatisfied, they wouldn’t dare to play tricks during such a critical war!
This was an issue of the cultivators’ face and status!
At most, they might hold some grudges against the Li family cultivators, using some underhanded methods in the background, but since the Li family cultivators were all in one place, they could well defend against such schemes.
Thus, Li Zhirui didn’t treat them seriously, just maintaining a decent face on both sides was enough for him.
Having such confidence, of course, stemmed from his own powerful strength!
In situations where those in the late and completion stages of Divine Transformation did not act, Li Zhirui, who was in the middle stage, was considered the highest in realm, even though he had just broken through recently.
Coupled with Da Qing, Xiaoqing, and Cang, the three fifth-order Spirit Beasts, none of the Nascent Soul cultivators present could match Li Zhirui in strength.
"Cang, what did those Nascent Soul cultivators come here for? They didn’t look very happy when they left," Cang, who had just come to find Li Zhirui, saw that group of departing Nascent Soul cultivators, and casually asked.
"They wanted me to become their supplier."
Li Zhirui scoffed disdainfully, but did not dwell on the matter, asking instead, "What’s up?"
"I would like to ask Jiu for those two Flood Dragons." Cang stated his purpose.
Even though he was now a sixth-rank Flood Dragon, the blood of those two dragons would still be somewhat beneficial to him; although the enhancement wouldn’t be substantial, it was better than slowly refining his bloodline with Mana over days.
Besides Cang, other Spirit Beasts contracted by Li Zhirui did not require the blood of the Dragon Tribe.
As his spoils of war, Li Zhirui had absolute authority over their disposal.
