Chapter 1826: Held In High Esteem
Bang! Mo Like pounded his table before issuing his command, “Withdraw the army!” Mo Like didn’t want to issue this order, but he has no other choice but to do so. It has already been seven hours since they began fighting the first army. In these seven hours, they had already lost 100 thousand people. Immortal experts were tied down, large artifacts couldn’t be used. Mo Like felt suffocated by the battlefield.
Most importantly, the long hours of battle have drained the energy of the Heavenly Demons. If they didn’t retreat, their rate of losses would only increase.
The reason Mo Like thought this way was because he found that there were still people who had energy among the 3 million people in the first army. He also observed their army arrangement for some time. The army formation of the first army allowed fluid movements for offense and defense. People could retreat and be supplemented by others, this would allow them to recover their energy. In long-drawn battles, this was an important property.
Additionally, cultivators have pills that make them recover sooner than normal. Seeing this, Mo Like ordered his troops to retreat.
Being selected as a commander of a 5 million troops army meant that Mo Like wasn’t simple. He also has his own experience in commanding troops. Mo Like thought that his commanding ability was very good. However, compared to Zhao Hai, he discovered that he was still quite far off.
Mo Like discovered early on that the cultivators were able to rest during battle. He also wanted to do the same for the Heavenly Demons, but he found that he couldn’t do that at all. Whenever he wanted the Heavenly Demons to rest, there would be cultivators targeting them. This blocked the Heavenly Demons from retreating to recover their energy. Mo Like knew that the reason for this was Zhao Hai’s superior ability to command.
Mo Like was also aware of why they only lose less than 200 thousand troops. It was because Heavenly Demons were innately stronger than cultivators. If the cultivators commanded by Zhao Hai had the same fighting strength as the Heavenly Demons, Mo Like’s army would have lost far more troops.
The Heavenly Demons have already reached their limit. If they didn’t retreat, then they might not be able to leave. Therefore, Mo Like ordered the retreat, even though he was very unwilling.
With his order, the Heavenly Demons began to retreat. The immortal Heavenly Demons also went back. The immortal Heavenly Demons that with Mo Like also flew out to s.h.i.+eld the retreating army.
Seeing this, Zhao Hai didn’t order his army to pursue. He also ordered his army to retreat. He knew that the cultivators were also feeling mental fatigue after 7 hours of battle. If he made them pursue the enemy, they might not be able to perform well. And to be honest, Zhao Hai was already satisfied with this result.
Both sides slowly retreated and returned to their camps. Generally speaking, the cultivators held the superior position in this battle while the Heavenly Demons ate some losses. However, the effect on both armies wasn’t big.
At the same time, the battle also convinced the cultivators in the first army that Zhao Hai had real commanding ability. They only paid the price of 12 thousand to kill nearly 200 thousand Heavenly Demons. No matter where, this was a dazzling result.
The cultivators who returned during the battle to recover their energy were also observing the fight. They couldn’t help but recognize Zhao Hai’s process of command. It was simply an art. An army of 3 million was able to lead an army of 5 million by its nose. The Heavenly Demons were running in circles without any chance to take a rest. Most importantly, the losses of the first army were minimized. n.o.body would object to having such a masterful commander.
Zhao Hai welcomed all of the immortal experts of the army into the h.e.l.l King’s s.h.i.+p. Looking at the immortal experts, Zhao Hai was silent for a while before he gave them a salute. Then he said, “Seniors, this junior offers his thanks to all of you for listening to my commands. It’s thanks to you that we were able to achieve good results in the battle. Please forgive me if I’ve been disrespectful to you before.”
Hearing Zhao Hai, the immortal experts actually stood up. Then one of them said, “Mister Zhao Hai is too polite. All of us here admire your commanding ability. Later on, you can give us orders with ease. We would certainly follow them.”
The other immortal experts echoed the first on. Today’s battle allowed them to see Zhao Hai’s ability. Naturally, they were convinced of his talent.
These immortal experts were open-minded, but their dignity cannot be stepped on. In the past, Zhao Hai was very rude to them, but for the sake of the alliance, they didn’t do anything. They wanted to see what kind of person Zhao Hai really was.
But after today’s battle, they understood why Zhao Ha insisted that everyone should obey his orders. With less than 20 thousand casualties, he was able to kill nearly 200 thousand Heavenly Demons. This record caused the immortal experts to look at Zhao Hai with admiration. Therefore, they let go of their grievances towards him.
Hearing the immortal experts, Zhao Hai relaxed. Then he smiled and said, “Thank you very much, seniors. This junior has prepared a few jars of spirit wine for you. Please have a proper rest.” After he said that, Zhao Hai took out several jars of spirit wine. At the same time, tables appeared in the room. The immortal experts sat down and then proceeded to enjoy the wine.
The immortal experts weren’t polite and partook in the wine and chatted. Zhao Hai gave them one final bow before leaving.
When Zhao Hai left the room, one of the immortal experts sighed and said, “What a genius. The Black Tiger Gang is really lucky. Who would have thought that a person from the lower realm would have such an ability. It’s truly rare.”
Another immortal expert said, “He does things in an orderly manner. He knows when to advance and when to retreat. A true rare talent. Most importantly, his personal strength is very good. He’s also proficient in formations. I heard that his status in the Black Tiger Gang isn’t any less than Zhang Feng, the current Gang Leader. When I heard the news, I didn’t believe it at first. But now, I believe it. If our sect had the same genius, we would also give him a very high status.”
Everyone nodded. But at this time, everyone realized that the Black Turtle Ancestor was among them. All of them turned to look at him.
The Black Turtle Ancestor looked at everyone and then said, “Everyone, it hasn’t been a long time since I joined the Black Tiger Gang. However, I have some idea about the Black Tiger Gang’s situation. The Black Tiger Gang is very strong. Moreover, they’re fully prepared to face the Heavenly Demon invasion. The reason they were able to prepare is because of Zhao Hai.”
“More than a year ago, Zhao Hai partic.i.p.ated in the Heavenly Demon Trial. When he came back, the Black Tiger Gang began to prepare. We can say that Zhao Hai already discovered the plans of the Heavenly Demons. Of all the cultivators who went to the Heavenly Demon Realm, only he was able to see this. This is why n.o.body can blame Zhao Hai for not convincing the other sects to believe him. Because even if he did, would anyone believe him? Even some people in the Black Tiger Gang were doubtful about the invasion, much less the other sects.”
The Black Turtle Ancestor let out a long sigh and then continued, “When the Heavenly Demons invaded, even if the Black Tiger didn’t ask for external help, they could still defend against the attack of the Heavenly Demons. If you don’t believe me, then I can’t do anything about that.”
The immortal experts were silent. Then one of the immortal experts looked at the Black Turtle Ancestor and said, “Old turtle, you’re already a Supreme Elder of your sect. Do you really intend to join the Black Tiger Gang?”
The Black Turtle Ancestor looked at the person and saw that it was the Supreme Elder of the Heavy Sand Sect. He could also understand what this person was thinking. He was asking for the Black Turtle Ancestor’s future plans while driving a wedge between him and the Black Tiger Gang.
The Black Turtle Ancestor smiled faintly and said, “You’re asking if I’ll leave the Black Tiger Gang? I’m the Supreme Elder of the Black Turtle Sect before and now I’m still a Supreme Elder of the Black Tiger Gang. And back in the Black Turtle Sect, I would always worry about the sect. But now I’m doing better. Being a Supreme Elder, my position in the Black Tiger Gang is very high. More importantly, I can accept disciples from the Black Tiger Gang to pa.s.s on my legacy. So why would I leave? Even if the Black Tiger Gang allows me to leave, I would still stay.”
As soon as they heard the Black Turtle Ancestor, the room became quiet. They all arrived at the immortal stage and have reached a very high status in the Great Realm of Cultivation. In their realm, they were always thinking about how to improve their strength further and how to increase their lifespan. Rather than going to battle and worrying about their sect, the immortal experts would rather have the same life as the Black Turtle Ancestor.
There are three things that are important to cultivators. The first was strength, second was lifespan, and third was legacy. There’s no need to mention how important strength is. Without strength, you wouldn’t be able to move much. Also, what was the purpose of cultivation? It was to go against the will of the Heavens. It was to gain more life than what the heavens gave you. As for inheritance, although there were plenty of ruthless cultivators, they would still attach great importance to their inheritance. Even immortal experts would want their dao to be pa.s.sed on.
The Black Turtle Ancestor has strength and longevity. As for his legacy, it was still a problem for him. If the Black Turtle knew how much hard work it requires to establish a sect when he was young, he wouldn’t have done it. With that time, he could cultivate more and increase his lifespan. Now, being a Supreme Elder of another sect was also very good. He can even accept disciples and pa.s.s on his dao. As what the Black Tiger Ancestor said, who wouldn’t want that?
The immortal experts in the room were old ghosts. How can they not see through the words of the Heavy Sand Sect’s Supreme Elder. The atmosphere of the room became strange. Therefore, n.o.body discussed the Black Tiger Gang anymore. They chatted about other topics and the warmth of the room returned once more.
The immortal experts happily drank wine and didn’t pay attention to what’s happening outside. The army has returned to their base. The base was a repurposed headquarters of an evacuated sect. The base wasn’t built halfheartedly. When the base was completed, the several halls of the sect could act as peripheral strongholds. Not only can they block the attacks of the Heavenly Demon Army, they can also use the transmission formations for supply transport and reinforcement.
Additionally, the location of the base was on a mountain. This allowed him to see the changes in the surroundings. This made it impossible for the Heavenly Demons to attack the Freedom Alliance’s territory without being spotted. It can be said that if the Heavenly Demons wanted to attack the territory of the Freedom Alliance, they would need to destroy the base of Zhao Hai’s army. If this nail wasn’t pulled out, the Heavenly Demons wouldn’t be able to invade.
Upon arriving at the base, Zhao Hai immediately ordered the injured to rest and be treated. Those who died had their corpses delivered to their respective sects to be buried with dignity. There were a lot of post-battle matters that needed to be taken care of.
As for the corpses of the Heavenly Demons, there was no need to worry about them. Their corpses were immediately turned into Undead by Zhao Hai. Because of this, there was no burial needed.
However, Zhao Hai didn’t plan to use the Undead to deal with the enemy anytime soon. This was because he knew that if he did, the Heavenly Demons would make adjustments to their army in order to eliminate him as fast as possible.
Zhao Hai was aware that using immortal-level Undead was too eye-catching. If he used the immortal-level Undead once more, then the Heavenly Demons would place him on the top of their hit list.
Zhao Hai also knew that people were thinking that there was a limit to the number of Undead that he could revive. After reaching a certain number, they thought that he could no longer gain more Undead. The existence of the s.p.a.ce being able to produce an unlimited number of Undead needed to be kept a secret. It was because of this that Zhao Hai limited his usage of Undead in the battle.
After handling these things, Zhao Hai immediately sent a jade sword message back to the gang. He also asked about the state of the second army. Of course, Zhao Hai was aware of the second army’s situation. By this point, all of the Black Tiger Gang’s large artifacts were remade by him. And while he was doing this, he left silver needles inside. Through these silver needles, he became clear about the surrounding situation. But he still needed to ask, otherwise people would be suspicious.