The battle on the ground grew even more intense. Although the Sacred Billow Tribe had come with a ferocious momentum, the armies retreated in an orderly fashion with the support of the golden net and the rumbling of countless artifacts.
There were also numerous war puppets that were fused with the bodies of a large number of cultivators that rushed out to provide support.
The puppets came in different sizes, ranging from a thousand meters to a hundred meters. Each one contained multiple formations, and the number of cultivators gathered within them varied.
The largest had thousands, while the smallest had close to a hundred.
For example, it was these war puppets that had slain the reapers.
The cultivators within them had combined their cultivations and erupted with battle prowess comparable to Spirit Treasures at different stages. At a glance, there were tens of thousands of puppets of various sizes.
Hence, the human legions on the battlefield quickly approached the golden net and retreated into it as they continued to retreat.
At the same time, the Red Spirit Emperor looked at the palace lord from the sky and spoke with heavenly might.
"Kong Liangxiu, the Black Sky Clan and the human race are also at war right now. The scale of the war between realms is far greater than here, so the human imperial capital is unable to provide reinforcements. You don't need to wait, you have no reinforcements.
"
"As for the war between the human imperial capital, the great clans of the Ancient Gazing Continent are all watching. If the human race shows even the slightest sign of weakness, the other clans will rise up and destroy you.
"
"Do you know why this is happening?"
The Red Spirit Emperor asked calmly.
"Because the Blazing Moon Mystic Sky Dynasty of the Ancient Gazing Continent is about to hold its grand hunting ceremony four hundred thousand years after its founding. The ancient agreement is about to expire, and no clan wants to become its prey. Therefore, humans without war realm treasures are naturally the best sacrifices. If we send you up, the other clans will be able to live in peace for another hundred thousand years.
"
"Therefore, Kong Liangxiu, the situation is hopeless. You don't have much time left. I can give you one last chance. Submit to the Sacred Billow Tribe. This is the only way you can protect Seaward County.
"
The Red Spirit Emperor's words weren't just directed at the palace lord, but spread across the entire battlefield. They even penetrated the golden net and landed in the ears of all the human cultivators present.
Clearly, this was a deliberate move.
In an instant, everyone who heard the Red Spirit Emperor's words were shocked. The Red Spirit Emperor's words contained a mysterious power that made people feel desperate.
"In order to destroy Sea Sealing County's will to resist, you said such ridiculous words as an emperor. Red Spirit Emperor, you are too anxious.
"
The Palace Lord's voice was as calm as ever, without any ripples. He was like a boulder. No matter how strong the waves were, he still had the ability to calm the sea.
At this moment, the shock caused by Red Spirit Emperor's words was quickly calmed down.
In the next instant, the Palace Lord stepped out from the sky. He raised his right hand, and the Emperor's Sword beside him shone with a dazzling light. Its shape changed, and it turned into a long spear. Once he grabbed it, he charged at Red Spirit Emperor.
As they clashed with each other, the sky changed colors. They directly charged into the sky. Although the battlefield below quickly lost sight of their figures, the fluctuations coming from the sky were incomparably intense.
The slaughter on the battlefield continued.
After all the human armies returned, the Forbidden Light of the County Capital shone brightly. Forbidden Dharma treasures from all the sects in Sea Sealing County transformed into weapon spirits on the large net. They all exploded and whizzed toward the outside world in an attempt to stop the momentum.
However, Sea Sealing County was only a county after all. It was far inferior to the Holy Wave Tribe's territory.
Therefore, from the beginning to the end, the Holy Wave Tribe's tempo was on the Holy Wave Tribe's side.
Although they were only facing Red Spirit Nation, it was still difficult for them to resist. They could only barely hold on and delay the collapse until reinforcements from the Imperial Capital arrived.
Time passed slowly just like that.
Soon, seven days passed.
This regular battle had continued until now. Regardless of whether it was night or day, the roars echoed and the slaughter continued.
Although the Palace Lord had not returned, everything was still in order under the arrangements of the Deputy Palace Lord and the Sword-Bearing Court Grand Elders. After experiencing several near-collapses, the defense line finally held on.
The fifth defense line 10,000 miles behind them was more than half built.
As for Xu Qing, he had entered the battlefield more than once. He had adapted to the tempo of the war and familiarized himself with the various armies.
He could transform himself and kill many enemies, but injuries were inevitable.
Although he had the Purple Crystal to recover, the mental exhaustion couldn't be dispelled. It only accumulated in his heart and blocked his throat, causing him to become silent.
He also encountered Spirit Cang cultivators from the Holy Wave Tribe on the battlefield several times.
Fortunately, he didn't go too deep and barely managed to survive.
However, he was also seriously injured and on the verge of death once.
In the end, he met Kong Xianglong and joined Kong Xianglong's team. Along with Shanhezi and hundreds of others, he rode a war puppet and participated in the battle even more deeply.
Under the Holy Wave Tribe's frenzied attacks, Sea Sealing County's army didn't have time to rest for seven days. Everyone's nerves were stretched taut in such an intense battle.
There was only a short period of rest when the armies alternated. Every time, Kong Xianglong would lie on the ground and stare blankly at the sky without saying a word.
Shanhezi was the same. He usually didn't like to drink, but at this time, he leaned against a giant war puppet covered in scars and drank wine with his face covered in stubble.
He was clearly in his youth, but his face was full of vicissitudes.
Xu Qing heard that Wang Chen … had died in battle half a month ago, on the third day after Night Spirit's death.
He'd gone to support Shanhezi.
His corpse wasn't found when both sides cleaned up the battlefield during a break in the battle. It was mixed with countless pieces of flesh and blood, and he died without a complete corpse. Xu Qing silently looked up into the distance. The sky was dusky, and red light flickered from time to time, filling up everything as far as his eyes could see.
In that direction was another front line in the western war zone, where the main army of Emperor Welcoming State was stationed.
The captain and Patriarch Xue Lianzi were there.
"Hope they're fine."
Xu Qing muttered in his heart.
He couldn't send voice transmissions through jade slips. This was restricted on the battlefield. Only battle reports could be sent.
Stifling silence. Everything was the rhythm of the battlefield.
The rest time was very short.
The order to move out was given.
Kong Xianglong crawled to his feet, and without a word, headed straight for the war golem, which was covered in blood and flesh and covered in countless wounds.
It had already been seven days.
They'd switched out the seventh war puppet.
Shanhezi carefully put away the wine jar and walked over.
Xu Qing silently got up and boarded the war puppet with the hundreds of cultivators gathered around. He sat down cross-legged inside.
As its cultivation base spread out, the puppet's entire body trembled, and it slowly exuded a mighty pressure. Then it walked toward the battlefield, causing the ground to tremble.
As they moved, chunks of flesh fell from the joints of the puppets. Some of them were from the Cutters, but most of them were from the peak warriors of the Holy Billow Tribe. When the blood fell to the ground, it was trampled to pieces by the war puppets behind them.
Xu Qing was in charge of the war puppet's left hand, which controlled the power of destruction.
Sitting cross-legged inside, Xu Qing looked through the light screen protecting the surface.
Looking at the battlefield getting closer and closer, his expression unknowingly became the same as the others.
There was more numbness.
When he passed by the abandoned puppet mountain, Xu Qing saw that there were no living people there.
The crippled old man who'd told him to come back alive was lying on an abandoned puppet mountain. It was purplish-black.
It was a sign of being drowned by foreign matter.
Xu Qing had seen too many corpses like this in the Southern Phoenix Continent.
In a battlefield with tens of millions of people, it was difficult for others to notice a person's death except for his comrades and the scribe.
He'd died without a sound.
Xu Qing was silent.
In the next instant, the war puppet he was in rushed out of the golden net. Together with tens of thousands of identical war puppets, they formed an army and charged forward.
Time passed.
On the evening of the tenth day, the Palace Lord returned.
His appearance greatly boosted the morale of the humans in Fenghai County.
Everyone's eyes seemed to have a glimmer of light.
Following the return of the Palace Lord, the Holy Billow Race chose to rest and reorganize. There was a break in the war.
During this period, both sides.
They would send small teams to retrieve the corpses that belonged to their side as much as possible. Although they would fight each other when they encountered each other, they would instinctively choose to avoid each other.
Xu Qing also left Kong Xianglong's team. He was summoned back to the main tent by the Palace Lord.
When he saw the Palace Lord again, he didn't see any injuries on him. In fact, the Palace Lord's eyes were filled with the flames of life, and the murderous aura on his body was thicker.
This didn't make sense.
The battle between the Palace Lord and the Red Spirit Emperor had lasted for so long. It was impossible for the Palace Lord to not have any injuries.
Xu Qing looked at the Palace Lord and hesitated for a moment. Then, he softly informed him of the information he had found in the Dawn State. At the same time, he took out the Palace Lord's token and handed it over with both hands.
The Palace Lord took it, looked at it, and threw it to Xu Qing.
"There are a total of two of these tokens. Take this one. Perhaps it will provide you with the power to protect yourself in the future. Even if a new county governor comes and all the authority of this token is revoked, I have given this token the power to activate a Forbidden Enchanted Treasure once, and it cannot be revoked.
"Yes."
"Palace Lord."
Xu Qing looked at the old man in front of him. His heart was in turmoil.
"Xu Qing, you have grasped the situation on the battlefield in the past few days, right?"
The Palace Lord interrupted Xu Qing's words. He looked up with a solemn expression and sighed in his heart.
He had high hopes for Xu Qing. Originally, he was prepared to pay attention to Xu Qing for a long time and nurture him well so that he could eventually become one of the successors. However, the arrival of the war changed everything.
There was not enough time.
"I have some understanding."
Xu Qing lowered his head and said softly.
"Then next.
Continue to be the accompanying order. Record it now! "
The Palace Lord looked outside the tent and said calmly.
Xu Qing immediately agreed and took out the recording jade slip.
"Order the Sixth and Seventh Legions to retreat 10,000 miles and station at the Fifth Defense Line."
"Yes."
"Order the two legions of the Emperor State and Qu Zhao State to retreat 38,000 miles and station at the Yuheng Mountain Range."
"Yes."
"Order the Fourth and Fifth Legions to retreat 70,000 miles."
"Station at the border of the Yutian State."
"Yes."
"Order the Penal Division to disperse the entire Linlan State. Clear out all the remaining Blackguards and clear the route to the Yutian State."
"Yes."
"Order the Yutian State to open the large-scale teleportation array at all times from this moment onwards!"
"Yes."
"Order the First Legion to head to the Yutian State and the earth veins of the Awakening State to check the situation of the earth fire and speed up the evacuation of the mortals of the two states."
"Yes."
When Xu Qing heard this, he looked up at the Palace Lord.
"Palace Lord, in this way, only the Sword Holding Palace and the Second and Third Legions are left here."
"Yes."
The Palace Lord closed his eyes and said calmly.
"Go and send the order!"
"Yes."
Xu Qing lowered his head and retreated. Just as he was about to walk out of the tent, he could not help but speak softly.
"Palace Lord, Brother Kong's mood has been a little low recently."
The Palace Lord did not speak.
Xu Qing waited for a moment and left silently.
After he left, the Palace Lord opened his eyes. The exuberant flames of life in his eyes dimmed rapidly, but they were quickly reignited. The price was blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Outside the tent, Xu Qing saw Kong Xianglong standing there.
Kong Xianglong looked at Xu Qing and nodded. As the sound of a summons came from the tent, Kong Xianglong walked in.
Looking at the lonely Kong Xianglong, Xu Qing sighed softly in his heart. However, he had no choice but to gather his thoughts and gather the Secretariat to send the order.
Just like that, the time on the battlefield passed day by day.
The war continued and became more and more intense. At the same time, the casualties increased sharply every day. As the legions were transferred away, the military camp was much emptier than usual.
Only corpses were piled up there one by one, and there were more and more of them.
Xu Qing walked in the military camp silently. It had been 23 days since he came to the battlefield.
In these 23 days, he had seen far too many deaths, countless miserable deaths, and hell on earth. He had long since become accustomed to the rumbling in his ears.
Today was another gap in the war between the two sides. He planned to come here to find some people to join him.
The Secretariat.
This was because the Secretariat still had the duty of accompanying the army into battle.
So far, hundreds had died.
Now, there was not enough left.
Thinking of the death toll he saw every day, Xu Qing's footsteps became heavy. The Palace Lord appeared in his mind. There was clearly something wrong with him.
No one could have such an intense flame of life in their eyes. Moreover, the baleful aura they emitted was gradually being covered by the flame of life.
Xu Qing's eyes were filled with sorrow.
As a cultivator, even if he didn't see it at the start, he naturally understood after such a long time.
The Palace Lord was burning his own potential.
He was burning it at all costs, and the terrifying strength that came from burning it was not released by the Palace Lord. Instead, it was stored in his body, as if it were accumulating strength.
"Will the reinforcements from the Imperial Capital really not come?"
Xu Qing muttered in his heart. This question was also the common desire of all the people of Sea Sealing County on the battlefield.
Even if Xu Qing was the Secretariat and knew a lot of information about the battlefield, he still … knew nothing about this.
After a long while, Xu Qing sighed in his heart. As he walked past the corpses, he suddenly stopped and turned his head to look not far away.
There were two corpses there. Before they died, they hugged each other. There were many wounds on their bodies, and there was a thick foreign substance. At this moment, even though they had sacrificed themselves, they did not let go of each other.
Even though only their upper bodies were left.
Xu Qing silently walked over and stood there, looking at the two corpses for a long, long time.
"Senior Apprentice Brother Chen …"
The two corpses hugging each other were Chen Tinghao and his Dao companion.
More than 20 days ago, when Xu Qing came to the front lines, he saw them. At that time, Chen Tinghao was injured, and his Dao companion was bandaging his wounds. When they saw Xu Qing, they smiled at him.
But now, they were separated forever.
Xu Qing waved his hand and took off the cloak on his Dao robe, covering the two corpses. After more than 10 breaths of time, he softly muttered.
"Rest in peace.
"
Xu Qing closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he had left this place. And at this moment, the horn of a new round of war came from the battlefield. The war had begun once more.
The rhythm and frequency had clearly increased.
"Fully activate the forbidden magic treasures and release 70% of the forbidden power of the various sects!
"
"Order the war puppets to throw the discarded weapons into the battlefield!
"
"Inform the sword wielder to prepare the Emperor's Sword!
"
"Send out rank 3 assassins from the defensive line. Divide them into five groups and send them into the battlefield.
"
"Inform the entire army to prepare to retreat to the fifth line of defense.
Outside the tent, the Palace Master stood there in his armor and gave out orders. In this moment of battle, his divine sense could cause the world to change colors. There was no need for the Secretariat to send out decrees one by one. All the arrangements could be made with a single thought.
"
But what he saw was the overall situation. Because of his limited energy, it was impossible for him to see the details.
At this time, Xu Qing needed to arrange for suitable disciples of the Secretariat to immediately go to the battlefield to supervise the battle and gather information so that the Palace Master could verify and judge the situation.
Soon, the two sides on the battlefield continued to fight. This time, it was more difficult than before. On one hand, he had seen it with his own eyes. On the other hand, he had gathered information from the various regions of the battlefield. It gave Xu Qing a feeling that a great building was about to collapse.
"Palace Master, the Holy Billow Tribe cultivators are not exhausted!
The amount of black snow is also not right. It is 50% thicker than before!
"
"According to the battle losses, the operation of their magic treasures, and the difference in their formation … the Secretariat has analyzed that the Holy Billow Tribe has secretly sent reinforcements!"
"
Almost at the same time that Xu Qing spoke, in the sky, in the far northern region, a storm swept through the sky and connected the earth, howling towards the battlefield.
In an instant, the storm swept the sky and the earth and fell on the battlefield.
This rain was a rain of blood.
It came from the far north.
At the same time, Xu Qing's command sword emitted a rapid buzzing sound. A battle report from the northern warzone was transmitted to this place with unprecedented urgency.
Xu Qing's breathing quickened. After reading it, his mind instantly buzzed.
Even his mental fortitude changed drastically at that moment. He instinctively clutched the command sword tightly.
Outside the tent, besides the Palace Master, there were also the Vice Palace Master, two deacons, and the Grand Elders of the Second and Third Legions.
They also sensed that something was wrong and looked towards Xu Qing and the Palace Master.
The Palace Master's body trembled slightly. Clearly, he had also sensed the news that Xu Qing had received through the authority of the Dharma treasure in the county capital.
The Palace Master of the Sword Wielding Palace, who had always been like a boulder and had been the stabilizing force of the entire Sea Sealing County, revealed a sorrowful expression for the first time in front of everyone.
Amidst this sorrow, he looked towards the distant north.
However, regardless of whether it was the trembling of his forehead or the sorrow, it only lasted for an instant. In the next moment, all these fragile emotions were completely wiped away by the Palace Master of the Sword Wielding Palace.
His body was still straight, his spine was still straight, his expression was still solemn, and his gaze was still resolute.
"Palace Master …" The Grand Elders of the Second and Third Legions hesitated at this moment.
"Xu Qing, read it!"
The Palace Lord spoke calmly. Even now, he was still the stabilizing force.
Xu Qing lowered his head and took a deep breath.
"The forbidden magic treasure net in the north has collapsed, and it is unable to gather the various races again. The alliance army has suffered a great defeat, and there have been countless casualties.
"
"The Holy Crest Tribe's Tianfeng Dynasty and Earth Dynasty have invaded Taihe State!
"
"The Palace Lord of the Palace of Law has died in battle!
"
[The Palace Lord of Zhuanggong died in battle!]
"
"As for the Yao Family … all of the members of the Yao Family who were advancing in the north died in battle. Marquis Yao himself went missing on the battlefield, and it is unknown whether he is dead or alive.
"
Xu Qing's words were like a clap of thunder in the ears of the Vice Palace Master and the others. Everyone held their breath and looked at the Palace Master.
The Palace Master smiled.
"Today, I finally understand. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid.
The Palace Lord looked up at the battlefield and spoke softly.
"The final battle is coming.
"
Almost as soon as the Palace Lord spoke, there was a huge change on the battlefield. All the Holy Crest Tribe cultivators seemed to have received a unified order and cheered loudly. The army behind the latrine retreated together.
Soon, they retreated from the battlefield to the Tianlan Mountain Range. All the rhombus-shaped Dharma artifacts in the sky retreated with them.
Their departure caused the clouds in the sky to thin, revealing the huge vortex high up in the sky.
Black snowflakes poured down from the vortex. Countless broken hands on the ground were grabbing onto the chains. At this moment, they were pulling wildly, and the breath of death filled the air from the vortex in the sky.
Just a trace of it caused the sky to be filled with the color of spring and smoke to rise from the dark ground.
The chains that extended into the vortex were visibly covered in frost and turned into ice chains.
Then, two earth-shattering figures stood on the left and right of the Tianlan Mountain Range after the Holy Crest Tribe retreated from the battlefield.
The one on the left was the Red Spirit Emperor.
The one on the right was also dressed in imperial robes and wore an imperial crown. They were clearly the emperors of the Holy Crest Tribe's four dynasties!
They stood between heaven and earth. Li Da's figure seemed to be able to support the sky as he stared at the Palace Lord's tent.
"Kong Liangxiu, the northern war zone has collapsed. Our tribe's army has entered Fenghai County, and the Dark Sky War Domain Treasure is descending. Everything is about to end."
"Alright.
You know what the War Domain Treasure is, so you can try to stop it. We won't interfere, but in reality … you can't stop it. "
"Alright."
The vast voice reverberated between heaven and earth. All the swordsmen outside the tent had resolute expressions on their faces. When their killing intent filled the sky, the Palace Lord raised his head and looked at the two emperors standing on the Tianlan Mountain Range. His calm voice spread in all directions.
"Yes, everything is about to end."
"Alright."
After he finished speaking, the Palace Lord looked back at Fenghai County and spoke softly.
"Pass down my order. The Second and Third Legions are to immediately withdraw from the defensive line and retreat 5,000 kilometers. They are not to engage in battle."
"Alright."
"Pass down my order. All the cultivators in Fenghai County are not to engage in battle."
"Alright."
"Pass down my order. All the other eight legions that have retreated to their respective positions are to stay put and are not to engage in battle."
"Alright."
"Alright."
"Pass down my order. All the swordsmen here … retreat 5,000 kilometers and are not to engage in battle!"
"Alright."
As soon as the Palace Lord spoke, everyone's expressions changed. Xu Qing suddenly looked up at the Palace Lord.
The Vice Palace Lord took a step forward. His ancient face was filled with the color of dusk, and he spoke in a low voice.
"None of them are allowed to engage in battle. Are you the only one left, Palace Lord? I'm old, so I'll go with you."
"Yes."
"Palace Lord, Sima Nan's cultivation base isn't high enough, but his blood is still warm. We can't waste it. I think the coldness coming from the War Domain Treasure is good, so I want to cool off a bit."
Deacon Sima's eyes were filled with the desire to die, but he smiled and stepped forward.
"Of the four Deacons, Old Zhou and Old Song have left. It's just me and Sima. Palace Lord, you can't be partial to Sima.
"Yes."
During Xu Qing's first visit to the Sword Palace, Deacon Sun, who had presided over the oath of the swordsmen, smiled and stepped forward.
One by one, the others spoke up. At the same time, the coldness in the vortex in the sky grew even more intense.
The sky was completely dyed in a dark color. As the whirlpool spun, waves of soul-stirring cold air spun and spread out. The green smoke that shrouded the world and obscured everything was also frozen between the heavens and the earth, turning into irregularly shaped pillars. It was a ghastly sight!
Seeing this, the Palace Lord spoke indifferently.
"Am I still the Palace Lord?"
"Silence."
Everyone was silent.
"Don't you want the Sword Palace anymore?"
"Silence."
"Did those human warriors die in vain?" Ye Qingtang asked.
"Silence."
"All of you, carry it out immediately!"
"Silence."
The Palace Lord's cold voice rang out as he walked toward the battlefield. He waved his right hand, causing a massive windstorm to rise up and sweep through the area. The countless cultivators in the defensive perimeter trembled and were forced to retreat until they were tens of thousands of feet away.
In the dusky sky, the only person left on the fourth line of defense was a lone figure who had never taken off his armor.
Yellow sand flew up in the wind, and frost rose from the ground. Everything was hazy.
Only the figure walked further and further away. His aura grew stronger and stronger. He waved his hand, and the Dao Bell in the sky let out a sharp ring. It broke away from the coffins and flew toward the vortex on its own to suppress it.
Then the Palace Lord's hoarse voice echoed in all directions.
"Hong Ling, Yue Wu, do you two dare to fight me?!
"
Wherever it passed, the clouds turned to ice and the earth rose.
"Battle report from the northern front line!"
"