Chapter 144: Loss

Author: I Eat Tomatoes

Word Count: 3062

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Below the inner city gate, Senior Sister Yang Xingwu's 'Azure Silk Domain' expanded, countless azure silk threads danced in the void, silently penetrating the bodies of ordinary demon forces. Meng Chuan's body transformed into lightning, instantly traversing parts of the area. As he moved, black demonic energy also spread, and although it was too dispersed to be at full power, it still froze all the ordinary demon forces into ice sculptures, killing them instantly.

Whoosh.

With a single stride, Meng Chuan ascended like a bolt of lightning, reaching the top of the 80-zhang-high inner city wall.

"A-Chuan," Liu Qiyue said, her flames receding as she came to meet him.

"Are you alright?" Meng Chuan had noticed earlier that many of the Second-Heaven Demon Kings who charged onto the city wall had targeted Qiyue.

"They were just some Second-Heaven Demon Kings, and Senior Brother Fan was here," Liu Qiyue chuckled. "With Senior Brother Fan standing guard, they couldn't even get close to me."

"Haha, you flatter me, you flatter me." The plump Fan Cheng, with his large shield strapped to his back and a great hammer in hand, chuckled. "Even a few Third-Heaven Demon Kings aren't my match. As for a group of Second-Heaven Demon Kings... what's there to brag about bullying them? Junior Brother Meng is the truly impressive one this time; he instantly slew five Third-Heaven Demon Kings during his battle against a group of them."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Zhang Yunhu, Yang Xingwu, Yu Chiyan, Shi Xiu, and Mu Qing, all five of them, slowly descended onto the city wall, supported by the Azure Silk Domain.

"Among us at Northriver Pass, only Junior Brother Meng can leap straight onto the inner city wall like that, right?" Zhang Yunhu said with a smile.

"Junior Brother Meng just shot onto the wall earlier! If all the demon kings could ascend like that, we'd be in serious trouble," Shi Xiu added with a relaxed smile.

"Among human Godfiends, only those who cultivate the 'Thunderbolt World-Annihilating Demonic Body' can be this powerful, and it's quite rare even among the demon race," Zhang Yunhu said with a cheerful laugh. "Everyone did well this time. All right, you can all go back and rest now."

"Alright, time for a bath," Fan Cheng said with a laugh, shouldering his great hammer and turning to leave.

"I'm going back for some drinks, then a good sleep," Shi Xiu said, also smiling as he departed. The others similarly left.

The mop-up operations were sufficient for the ordinary Godfiends; there was no need for these senior figures to stay.

However, Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue were not in a hurry to leave, as this was their first time on a battlefield, and their emotions hadn't truly settled yet.

"General."

"General."

As Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue walked along the connecting passage between the inner and outer city gates, many soldiers, filled with admiration, respectfully saluted them.

These ordinary soldiers referred to all nine deputy generals as 'General'.

"This is the battlefield," Liu Qiyue said, looking at the open ground between the inner and outer city gates. It had already turned into a sea of fire, with Godfiends slaughtering the demon forces within.

"If we hadn't held them back, the demon race would be slaughtering humanity," Meng Chuan stated.

"Yes, in Dongning Prefecture, the demon race massacred humans indiscriminately back then," Liu Qiyue replied. That day's invasion had changed her significantly.

The two walked on, observing their surroundings.

When they reached the outer city wall, both of their expressions subtly changed.

Some soldiers groaned in pain, clutching their legs, one of which was broken. Others held their abdomens, where bloody holes were visible... There were many wounded soldiers, with comrades helping to perform basic first aid, while awaiting doctors to provide treatment.

Many other soldiers lay motionless; they were dead, and other soldiers were moving their bodies.

"General," a Core Condensation Realm officer respectfully said.

"What were the losses this time?" Meng Chuan asked, seemingly calm.

"They haven't been fully tallied yet," the officer replied respectfully. "Preliminary estimates suggest about eight hundred soldiers died on the spot, and over two thousand were wounded. Of those two thousand wounded, a small portion cannot be saved, some will be permanently disabled, and only a minority will fully recover."

"That many?" Liu Qiyue asked. "There shouldn't have been more than a thousand demon forces that charged onto the outer city wall."

She had observed the surroundings and understood the situation on the battlefield.

The officer respectfully explained, "Yes, there were indeed fewer than a thousand, but almost all those who reached the outer city wall possessed Great Demon strength. Over seventy percent of our soldiers are at the Marrow Cleansing Realm, twenty percent at the Mortal Transformation Realm, and only half a percent at the Seamless Realm. No matter how thoroughly prepared we are, there will still be casualties in chaotic battles."

Zhang Yunhu walked over, saw the scene, and waved his hand, instructing, "You may go attend to your duties."

"Yes, General," the officer respectfully retreated.

Zhang Yunhu looked at the bodies being moved on the outer city wall, and the many severely wounded, and calmly asked, "Finding it a bit overwhelming?"

"The dead and disabled must be close to two thousand," Meng Chuan asked. "We should count this as a great victory, yet the losses are still so heavy?"

Zhang Yunhu nodded. "The demon race fights with a reckless disregard for their lives; what can we do? We have done our utmost to block all demon kings, and only a very small number of ordinary demon forces escaped to the outer city gate, with even fewer making it onto the city wall. Out of over a hundred thousand demon forces, fewer than a thousand managed to climb onto the outer city wall. This time, we truly achieved a great victory, because our losses were very small."

"Very small losses?" Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue were both stunned.

"They are indeed considered small losses. Last year, Northriver Pass experienced two demon assaults, and a total of eleven thousand people were either killed in battle or disabled and unfit to fight again," Zhang Yunhu explained. "By the end of last year, Northriver Pass also replenished its ranks with eleven thousand new recruits."

Meng Chuan was startled.

Two assaults last year meant an average loss of over five thousand soldiers per assault, many of whom were disabled and unfit for further combat, of course. But even so, it was astonishing.

"Ordinary conscription lasts five years," Zhang Yunhu said. "In reality, over half die, and most of the remainder are disabled. Only twenty percent truly survive three years safely! They either possess high cultivation, reaching the Seamless Realm, or they are highly experienced veterans. Many old soldiers voluntarily request extensions to their service, staying here for ten or even twenty years. Aside from a very few who are honing their strength, most just want to ensure fewer new recruits die."

Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue fell silent.

"Our duty as Godfiends is to block all Demon Kings, including those Third-Heaven Demon Kings," Zhang Yunhu stated. "If we hold firm, then only some soldiers will be killed or disabled. But if we fail and collapse, Northriver Pass will not only be reduced to ruins, and hundreds of thousands will perish, but these demon forces will also rampage in all directions, harming millions more."

"We must hold them back every time."

"With repeated engagements, the demon race isn't foolish. Your strength caught them off guard this time, Meng Chuan, which allowed us to achieve a great victory, but they also retreated immediately. When they return next time, they'll likely have methods specifically to counter you," Zhang Yunhu said. "Attacks are battles of wits and courage! Although we are very cautious, in year after year of fighting, just one moment of carelessness can cost a Godfiend their life."

"For instance, this time, a large group of Second-Heaven Demon Kings assaulted the city wall. Although Fan Cheng was present, he couldn't be everywhere at once, and the other ordinary Godfiends desperately tried to block the demon kings. Three Godfiends were severely wounded this time, not to mention the lightly injured," Zhang Yunhu said. "Fortunately, Godfiends have strong vitality and can all recover. If the demon assault had been more intense or prolonged, Godfiends could have died in battle."

Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue nodded, their expressions growing more solemn.

"Too many Godfiends have been lost over the years. For example, last year alone, twenty-seven Godfiends from Yuanchu Mountain died in battle," Zhang Yunhu stated.

"Huishan Pass was breached last year," Meng Chuan commented.

"In the future, other passes might also be breached," Zhang Yunhu said. "Haven't you noticed? Year after year, the number of Godfiends from our Yuanchu Mountain who die in battle has been almost steadily increasing."

Meng Chuan nodded. "The situation is indeed getting worse."

"I'm afraid it won't be long before Yuanchu Mountain increases its annual disciple recruitment quota," Zhang Yunhu said. "It's possible they'll recruit thirty or even forty disciples each year."

Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue both looked thoughtful.

The quota of twenty disciples per year had been Yuanchu Mountain's long-standing rule. This quota allowed for a balance between the accumulation and consumption of resources within the mountain. If there were too many disciples, the consumption would be too great, and eventually, the resources would run out entirely. For example, the Godfiend Blood Pool could be completely depleted.

"Although our losses were not small, our achievements are even more significant," Zhang Yunhu stated. "For instance, this time we killed ten Third-Heaven Demon Kings and sixty-three Second-Heaven Demon Kings! The number of ordinary demon forces was even greater! While the demon race as a whole is much stronger than us, they retreated immediately after losing ten Third-Heaven Demon Kings. They feel the pain of those losses too."

"Ultimately, they are not limitless. If we kill enough of them, they'll feel the pain, they'll get scared and retreat," Zhang Yunhu said with a smile. "Of course, the greatest credit this time isn't for slaying demon kings, but for defending Northriver Pass and protecting the people on this land."

"As long as we hold the line, people can multiply and live. As long as we persevere, we are bound to win," Zhang Yunhu said, his eyes filled with anticipation. "For example, one day, humanity might give birth to an incredibly powerful Godfiend. Or, perhaps one day the world entrance might suddenly disappear again; since they can appear suddenly, they can naturally disappear suddenly too. There are too many other possibilities."

"As long as we hold on, there is hope," Zhang Yunhu said, looking at Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue with a smile. "All right, I'll go rest too. These old bones need proper recuperation if they're to last a few more years." He then turned and left.