Chapter 1219 - 1244: Battle Storms (Part 1)
"There’s no news on that yet, but it’s very likely the case you mentioned. If not, then the Immortal Beast army is indeed too formidable, and the odds of winning this battle are worrying!" said a late-stage Immortal Emperor elder.
"How is the construction of the Teleportation Gate coming along? Perhaps you could go check out the situation at three locations. There shouldn’t be any problem here for the time being, and if a crisis does arise, I have ways to handle it.
This time in the Immortal Beast battle, I wish to minimize the casualties, but at present, it seems that won’t be possible. The Immortal Beast army is filled with experts; there are nearly ten thousand experts at the Immortal Monarch Realm, and several hundred at the Immortal Emperor Realm. Indeed, it’s surprising," said Chu Linfeng reluctantly.
The others were astonished at how Chu Linfeng could have such a clear understanding of the opponents’ realm and strength; it necessitates immensely strong vision and Divine Sense.
"Don’t worry, Palace Master, we will immediately go and check. Even without the Teleportation Gate, we can still return within half a day given our speed. The Palace Master can wait for our news!" an elder respectfully said to Chu Linfeng.
Soon after the group left, Chu Linfeng, along with the Golden Demon Vulture and his specially trained team, quietly observed the scene below the battlefield from the sky; there were countless casualties on both sides, both the Immortal Realm army and the Immortal Beasts suffered significant losses.
These cannon fodder of the Immortal Realm caused devastating losses to the soldiers, and Chu Linfeng felt a strong urge to personally go down and execute these insignificant ants.
However, in the end, he endured, as he was the commander-in-chief and the ultimate ruler of the army. Joining the battlefield from the start was not quite appropriate, especially dealing with these ant-like existences. With his Attack Power, a single Star Slash could kill hundreds of Immortal Beasts, perhaps even more.
Killing Immortal Beasts is a minor issue, but excessively causing slaughter could have a severe impact on Ascension to the Divine Realm and invite terrifying Celestial Punishment. If ascension is delayed for long, that would be problematic; some matters need to be endured.
The Flame Immortal Monarch and several other Immortal Emperors played major roles on the battlefield, dispatching the Immortal Beasts with single moves, and no Immortal Beast dared to approach them.
The Daluo Golden Immortals and Nine Heavens Profound Immortals they recruited acted like sharp swords piercing the heart of the Immortal Beast army, defeating the numerous Immortal Beasts chaotically, but this only halted a small portion of the attack.
With the Immortal Beast army numbering several times that of the Immortal Realm army, every member of the Immortal Realm army had to fight against two or even three, and under such circumstances where the realm gap isn’t huge, it’s extremely difficult, leading to massive casualties.
The Immortal Beasts boast strong Defense Power, which the Immortal Realm army can’t rival in this regard, putting them at a disadvantage. If this continues, in less than three days the Immortal Realm army will undoubtedly face defeat, and the arrival of even stronger Immortal Beast forces is unimaginable.
The battles here aren’t like those in the Lower Realm where there are fortifications to defend; here, cities don’t serve any purpose at all. Commanding is quite troublesome without a proper commander-in-chief or so-called strategists; everything relies on adapting to real-time battlefield changes.
𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
The battle has been going on for half a day, and the Immortal Realm army has suffered over thirty thousand casualties, while the Immortal Beast cannon fodder has died by around seventy to eighty thousand, over half of them slain by the Daluo Golden Immortals and several Immortal Emperors recruited by the Flame Immortal Monarch, naturally consuming plenty of their Immortal Spirit Power and leaving them tolerating no hassles.
On the battlefield, the cries of killing are thunderous, thick bloodthirsty qi fills the air, the yellow sands have been stained red with blood, and the harsh natural environment seems no longer to affect anyone here. No one fears the terrifying Astral Wind anymore; in their hearts, killing one more Immortal Beast feels worthwhile, killing another is a gain.
No one harbors a thought of fear. Witnessing such a vast number of Immortal Beasts, they only have one thought—fight for Immortal Realm’s peace. Even though this is just the beginning of the battle, everyone already realizes the possibility of defeat. Even if it means death, those Immortal Beasts wouldn’t have a cheap victory.
Many even contemplated self-detonation. A self-detonation could kill many Immortal Beasts, but it would also kill many Immortal Realm soldiers, which is their most helpless situation; they can only fight with Martial Skills against the Immortal Beasts.
Just as a few Immortal Emperors who went to other exit locations arrived at Chu Linfeng’s side, "Palace Master, as you said, there are no traces of Immortal Beasts at the other locations. It seems the Immortal Beast army has concentrated all their forces here. Should we recall them all?" an Immortal Emperor asked Chu Linfeng.
After pondering for a moment, Chu Linfeng said, "We don’t know the exact strength of the Immortal Beast army. If they are strong and deliberately use so many troops to draw our attention, compelling us to withdraw forces from the other entrances,
then if their other forces enter the Immortal Realm from different entrances, the Immortal Realm will truly be in danger. This is an issue of great anxiety, a matter determining success or failure.
If they truly are all concentrated here, then that’d be easier to manage; the real fear is the alternative scenario. I trust you all understand my point, right? Do you have any other strategies?"
"What the Palace Master said is correct. If there are no guards at other entrances, and the Immortal Beast army enters unimpeded, the Immortal Realm may indeed perish. However, the likelihood of such a situation occurring is very low at the moment. I believe we could withdraw half our forces back, leaving half to resist.
If what the Palace Master said should indeed happen, even with average forces, we could hold out for a while. By then, the Teleportation Gate will be ready, allowing us to directly dispatch the army to assist. What does the Palace Master think?" said a white-haired elder.
"Alright, let’s do that. How long until the Teleportation Gate is completed? How many can be teleported at once?" Chu Linfeng asked, as he wasn’t quite knowledgeable about the Teleportation Gate’s role in this battle.
"The construction needs another day, then it will be ready. It can teleport a thousand people at once. Our soldiers must hold out another day, but soon it will be nightfall, and the Immortal Beast army will retreat. It’s unfavorable for both sides to fight at night, and the Immortal Beast army’s commander-in-chief wouldn’t make such a foolish decision.
Previous Immortal Beast battles have always stopped when night fell, and I Trust this time will be no exception. Upon returning, both sides can recover their expended Immortal Spirit Power. We must work through the night to build, gaining half a day’s advantage," said the elder.
Chu Linfeng glanced at the army soldiers fighting below, and the endless Immortal Beasts, and said, "Go inform them to withdraw half their forces overnight and fly back directly. They can reach here by dawn and restore their Immortal Spirit Power."
Following this, the three left, while Chu Linfeng anxiously watched the continuously dying Immortal Realm soldiers and Immortal Beasts on the battlefield, internally contemplating his next move...