Chapter 1816: Flipping Moods With Ease
This battle was actually a test. Not the Freedom Alliance’s testing of the Heavenly Demons, but the other sects’ test towards the Black Tiger Gang. These sects wanted to see the strength of the Black Tiger Gang. At the same time, they wanted to see if the Black Tiger Gang could use this opportunity to attack their previous enemies.
Because of this, there weren’t a lot of experts in this alliance army. And the only immortal expert in the army was the Black Turtle Ancestor. There weren’t even core disciples among the troops sent by the other sects, just inner disciples.
And now, Zhao Hai’s performance was very good. Although the loss ratio was one to three, he defeated an army of 2 million Heavenly Demons with only a million or so troops. The enemy also had twice the amount of large artifacts compared to the alliance army. Such a victory could be considered as a great one.
This victory was more than winning the battle. The more important thing was that Zhao Hai gained the confidence of the other sects. These sects would be more confident in working with the Black Tiger Gang.
In the end, the Freedom Alliance was a very loose organization. If the Black Tiger Gang doesn’t show capabilities that could defeat the Heavenly Demon Army, then these sects might consider joining with the super sects. Although they would be schemed against, it was better than being destroyed.
Cultivators were selfish people. They would always consider their own benefits first, then the benefits of their sect. Any considerations after that were fake.
When Zhao Hai and the others set off, representatives of the sects went to the Black Tiger gang to wait for news. They were all afraid that their sects would suffer great losses, especially the small sects.
After the battle, Zhao Hai invited the commanders of the other sects to the h.e.l.l King’s s.h.i.+p once more. This time, these commanders were more behaved than before. Back then, they were unconvinced with Zhao Hai being the commander-in-chief. What they heard about Zhao Hai were all rumors. However, they didn’t believe these rumors. They all wanted to challenge Zhao Hai’s position.
However, after the battle, they all behaved themselves. Zhao Hai was more competent than what they thought. One person was able to hold off 50 immortal level Heavenly Demons. Although they didn’t know how Zhao Hai was able to repel the immortal Heavenly Demons, the mere fact that he did it was a testament to his capabilities. With such an expert in front of them, none of these commanders dared to be arrogant.
The commanders of the sect were very quiet as they entered the h.e.l.l King’s s.h.i.+p. Zhao Hai also understood why these people were like this. After all, strength spoke the loudest in the Great Realm of Cultivation. With him showcasing his strength, he naturally won the respect of these people.
Zhao Hai looked at the people in front of him and then said, “Everyone, this battle is our victory. Although we lost a lot of people, we were able to drive the Heavenly Demons Back. Against Heavenly Demons who had more people, we were able to triumph. This means that these Heavenly Demons could be killed and defeated. They aren’t a big deal. We can definitely win against them. In the future, we can even invade the Heavenly Demon Realm!”
The cultivators quietly listened to Zhao Hai’s words. If Zhao Hai said those words earlier, a lot of them would have sneered. But now, n.o.body would dare dismiss Zhao Hai’s words. Instead, they could feel their blood boil. They just won against the Heavenly Demons.
Seeing the people in front of him turning red with excitement, Zhao Hai continued, “I have to thank everyone. If not for your cooperation, it would be impossible for us to defeat the enemy. You’re all heroes of this battle. This Zhao Hai expresses his grat.i.tude to all of you.” After he said that, Zhao Hai cupped his fist towards the commanders.
The commanders quickly stood up and returned Zhao Hai’s salute. All of their faces showed an ashamed expression. Some of them even shouted, “Mister, we’re unworthy!”
Zhao Hai waved his hand towards these people. Once everyone sat down once more, Zhao Hai opened his mouth and said, “The reason we were able to defeat the Heavenly Demons was because we are united. As long as we work together as one united group, n.o.body would dare bully us whether it be the Heavenly Demons or the Nine Super Sects. So I hope that we can continue our unity like what we did today. It’s only in this way that we wouldn’t need to fear anyone!”
Everyone nodded at the same time. Then Zhao Hai added, “We weren’t able to gain a lot of loot in this battle. We only gained a few damaged large artifacts. But it doesn’t matter, we will get more in the future. These damaged large artifacts would be repaired once we head back. They will become our trophy, the best trophy there can be!”
The commanders laughed with glee. The atmosphere of the room immediately rose by a few points. Zhao Hai took out some spirit wine and said, “Today, we’ll drink to our victory. However, please don’t drink too much or else I will go bankrupt. If that happens, I’ll go to your places to steal food and drinks!”
Hearing Zhao Hai, those present roared with laughter once more. Their fear towards Zhao Hai’s strength melted and was replaced with intimacy. Everyone went over and got themselves some wine to drink.
All of this was seen by a person who stood on the side. This person was the Black Turtle Ancestor. This time, the Black Turtle Ancestor didn’t sit beside Zhao Hai like the last time. Instead, he went to a quiet corner and observed Zhao Hai. He saw firsthand how Zhao Hai was able to flip the mood of the room with the same ease as flipping pancakes. The dread that the commanders felt towards Zhao Hai’s strength was immediately transformed into intimacy.
Seeing the people in the room happily drinking wine, the Black Turtle Ancestor couldn’t help but sigh. He was truly shaken by Zhao Hai’s abilities. Not only was Zhao Hai a martial anomaly, he was also a cut above normal commanders. More importantly, his people skills were as terrifying as his fighting strength. No matter which sect he was placed in, he would eventually become an extraordinary existence.
The Black Turtle Ancestor now understood why the disciples of the Black Tiger Gang held great respect towards Zhao Hai. The Black Turtle Ancestor was even certain that the rise of the Black Tiger Gang had something to do with Zhao Hai.
After sharing a drink with everyone for some time, Zhao Hai had everyone return. At the same time, the fleet entered the territory controlled by the Great Realm of Cultivation. Zhao Hai was worried that the Heavenly Demons would retaliate, so he made sure that there was enough s.p.a.ce between the two. The sects close to the border were ready to retreat at any time. He also led 500 thousand people as well as 50 large artifacts to take guard while the rest would go back to have their large artifacts repaired. Also, reinforcements were being sent by the rear to supplement the strength of the alliance army.
Zhao Hai knew clearly that the war wouldn’t end with just one or two battles. This will be a long-term war. In addition to military strength, supplies and manpower would be critical to winning the war.
Zhao Hai had the small sects leave first to prevent them from suffering too many losses. After all, small sects were also a power of their own. If they evacuated, they would be taking their belongings with them. This would mean that the Heavenly Demons wouldn’t be able to gain a lot from looting the sects.
Reinforcing the walls while cleaning the wild. This was the strategy that Zhao Hai employed. This would prevent the Heavenly Demons from gaining resources too easily. Zhao Hai would defeat the Heavenly Demons through attrition. Once the Heavenly Demons run out of resources, they would have no choice but to retreat. And once they left, Zhao Hai and the others would win.
Zhao Hai didn’t only pay attention to his battle against the Heavenly Demons, he was also looking into the Hundred Flowers Valley’s battle as well as the battles of the Myriad Demons Sect.
But disappointingly, Zhao Hai saw that the Hundred Flowers Valley and the Myriad Demons Sect had yet to fight the Heavenly Demons. The Hundred Flowers Valley was still mobilizing troops, the Myriad Demons Sect was doing the same.
Zhao Hai and the others would have to face two Heavenly Demon armies with a total number of 7 million troops. There’s also another army not far away from the Freedom Alliance’s territory. However, this army only had 2 million Heavenly Demons and not a lot of immortal experts. They weren’t a threat for the time being. However, having such an army exist wasn’t good. As long as this small army existed, Zhao Hai and the others would have to allocate a part of their troops to defend against them. This means that Zhao Hai and the others wouldn’t be able to fight more important enemies with all of their strength.
The army that the Hundred Flowers Valley would have to face had about 5 million troops. It was a large army that didn’t divide itself. Both sides looked like they had no intentions of moving, which was a surprise to Zhao Hai.
As for the enemy that the Myriad Demons Sect would face, it was an army of about 15 million Heavenly Demons. Naturally, the Heavenly Demons did research before their invasion. They were aware of the strongest sect in the Northern Divergent Province.
In total, the Heavenly Demons allocated 30 million troops for the Northern Divergent Province. This number was terrifying. But at the same time, the number of people that the cultivators could mobilize wasn’t small. A head on collision between such powers would definitely be very intense.
The enemy that Zhao Hai has to face numbered 5 million. However, he only left 500 thousand people behind to guard against them. It was a 1 to 10 ratio. The defenses might look small, but Zhao Hai wasn’t worried. They were now in the alliance’s territory. The location of the defenders could be easily reinforced. Moreover, with their recent victory, the support towards the alliance should be at an all-time high. There were also the small sects that retreated to the backlines. Their transmission formations weren’t destroyed. This allowed quick reinforcements for the alliance army. Therefore, Zhao Hai wasn’t afraid of the enemy’s attack.
More importantly, Zhao Hai’s Undead population was enriched by the recently slain heavenly Demons. Although he was no longer afraid of the Heavenly Demons, this wasn’t the time for him to show his strength.
Zhao Hai could feel that something wasn’t right with the Great Realm of Cultivation. The sects of the Great Realm of Cultivation were shrews and crafty. How could they not be aware of the Heavenly Demon Realm’s threat? Since they were aware, how could they still think of seizing power? This matter was a bit strange. Was there something that Zhao Hai didn’t know?