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Chapter 884: Chapter 890: Exhaustion
"How is that problem going to be solved by those in power who are stationed in the rear?" Ao Yun asked after a long silence.
The Great Devil that had returned from the battlefield at the Crystal Palace remained silent, not uttering a word.
Clearly, those in power had no good solutions.
Were there still low-level water demons in the Boundless Sea? Of course, there were!
But the problem was that these low-level water demons were either too weak or needed to guard their territories.
The former would be useless even if recruited, simply sent to die, while the latter would not be agreed upon by the various races for recruitment.
Before they could discuss any strategy, bad news followed closely!
The Nascent Soul Cultivator who had self-detonated had boosted the morale of the cultivators in the surrounding battlefield. Added to the original group of cultivators, with their morale surging like a torrent, the Sea Clan was defeated and fled, causing the battle lines to collapse, affecting even more battlefields.
Hearing this urgently delivered news, the countenances of the Great Devils present subtly changed, and they couldn’t help but think: this time, the grand battle to subdue the nearby seas would likely end in defeat.
Not only that, but the Sea Clan had suffered a great loss and was significantly weakened!
The only piece of good news was that not too many fifth-order Great Devils were lost; safeguarding the Distant Sea from being expanded into by cultivators should not be a problem.
Inside the temporary grand hall, silence reigned.
——
At the same time that Ao Yun and other water demons received the news, Li Zhirui and others also learned about the feat of that Nascent Soul Cultivator.
"Shen Chihuah!"
Once the message reached the main island, they summoned all Nascent Soul Cultivators to come.
And that name would spread to the ears of every cultivator in the Profound Origin Realm.
If it weren’t for his voluntary sacrifice, holding the line, the Sea Clan would have taken advantage of the breakthrough to swarm in and force the cultivators back to land.
It was also because of his sacrifice that the Sea Clan suffered countless losses, allowing the cultivators to take the upper hand thoroughly.
Of course, the island chain defensive line played a part in this as well.
It had inspired countless cultivators to defeat the Sea Clan on various battlefields.
"We no longer need to arrange so many cultivators to defend here; we can dispatch some to the surrounding battlefields to help them defeat the army of water demons and expand our advantage!"
Apart from propagating the great deeds of Shen Chihuah, it was also to notify the cultivators to prepare for support and participation in the war, with the intent to reassign fully half of the cultivators.
"Everyone is welcome to volunteer for participation. If the numbers are insufficient, we will fairly draft according to the strength of each power."
After the leading Nascent Soul said this, everyone dispersed.
"If nothing unexpected happens, the great war will soon be over!" Li Zhirui announced something heartening to his kinsfolk upon returning to Li Family Island.
"Dad, does that mean the Sea Clan has surrendered and admitted defeat?" Li Chengshuo asked excitedly.
Li Zhirui shook his head, relayed Shen Chihuah’s story and the subsequent situation, and then continued, "Half a month has passed, and the Sea Clan still hasn’t reformed a large army. It’s not hard to guess that they can’t recruit many from among the low-level water demons anymore."
"But don’t celebrate too early. The Sea Clan has had exclusive control of the Boundless Sea, so it’s impossible to say they have no trump card at all. So now the focus is to strike at them further while they are weak, and to diminish their power."
He paused and continued, "Now we need quite a few cultivators to support the surrounding battlefields. Is anyone willing to volunteer?"
"I want to sign up!"
The clan members were highly proactive and eager for the opportunity.
Li Zhirui could only select enough personnel based on the order of registration, "The remaining clan members will stay on the island to defend the garrison."
The Divine Transformation kept both Jiang Fengwu and Da Qing, one skilled in controlling formations, and the other proficient in defense—no better fit than them.
"Everyone rest for the night, and we’ll set off early tomorrow!"
The next day, Li Zhirui led a group of clan members to support a battlefield in the southern part of the island chain.
In addition to them, there were also many cultivators.
With their participation, the situation changed drastically in an instant, the Water Devils were slaughtered and fled in complete disarray, utterly defeated.
Carrying the momentum from Shen Chihuah’s death, the cultivators’ side surged like an unstoppable, mighty torrent, shattering everything in their path.
What’s more, a new batch of reinforcements from the central region had also arrived on the battlefield!
The Water Devils had no power to fight back and could only continue to retreat, eventually escaping back to the Distant Sea.
The cultivators, too, tacitly stopped the war right there, not advancing any further.
Li Zhirui and his clan members had been running around outside for months, until the surroundings were free of Water Devils, and then they finally returned to the Li Family Island.
This time they went out to support, many Li family members unfortunately sacrificed themselves.
Even Li Chengsheng was severely injured by the Water Devils; had it not been for Li Zhirui’s care, perhaps he would have perished as well.
After all, the Water Devils were driven to desperation, fighting ferociously for their survival.
It was also because of this that the impassioned cultivators eventually cooled down and were not so aggressive anymore.
"It won’t be long before we can go back." Having been on the move for so long, whether it was in battle or on the way to battle, even Li Zhirui was somewhat exhausted.
The other clan members were even more tired, their entire beings listless as if all their energy had been drained.
"Sheng has suffered a severe injury; you spend some energy taking care of him," Li Zhirui instructed listlessly.
"I know," Jiang Fengwu said with some distress, "You go and rest right away."
Li Zhirui nodded and left with heavy steps.
It took several days of rest before Li Zhirui recovered.
Before long, Jiang Fengwu and the others, having received the news, all rushed over.
"I went to inquire, and the great powers are currently negotiating with the Sea Clan, the end of the war is not far off," Jiang Fengwu said toward the end, her tone involuntarily carrying a trace of joy.
However, Li Zhirui was not as optimistic as Jiang Fengwu, saying, "I don’t think the Sea Clan will just let it go so easily."
"Given the current situation, the Sea Clan has suffered a complete defeat; what else can they do?"
Not only Jiang Fengwu, but Da Qing and the others also didn’t quite believe Li Zhirui’s judgment.
Li Zhirui shook his head, "The Sea Clan has been waiting for thousands of years to reclaim the coastal waters; how could they give up so easily?"
Even though they had suffered heavy losses now, even though they could no longer summon enough Low-Level Water Demons to join the battle.
However, the backbone of the Sea Clan, the Fifth-order Great Devils, had not suffered many deaths.
That is to say, the Sea Clan still had the power to fight one more battle!
And it would be a great battle amongst those who had undergone Divine Transformation!
If such a great battle truly broke out, its intensity would far surpass all previous fights.
"Of course, the Sea Clan might also consider the losses and retreat because of that."
It has been said before, the Sea Clan is an alliance formed by multiple races.
For a family with a huge business and a deep foundation like the Flood Dragon Tribe, they might not care about the previous losses.
But within the Sea Clan, how many can have the confidence of the Flood Dragon Tribe?
Perhaps some smaller races have already fallen into a situation where their population is sparse, or even without successors.
And these races are definitely opposed to the resurgence of a great war.
If they can occupy the majority and gain the right to speak, the great war might indeed end there!
