482: Chapter 482 The Situation

Vermilion Bird Empire, Minan Prefecture.

Honghua City, a dense forest.

"Quick!"

"Hold the line!"

"The Ox Clan's great demons are charging again."

A general wearing a dark red combat uniform shouted.

Deep within the dense forest.

High-pitched roars echoed as the earth trembled.

The sounds of continuous explosions and the screams of Vermilion Bird Army soldiers rang out.

Even so, the Vermilion Bird Army continued to surge forward one after another; not a single person retreated.

The battle lasted from dawn until dark.

Only then did the bugle call for retreat sound.

Having once again arduously repelled the Yao Race's offensive, all the surviving Vermilion Bird Army soldiers, covered in wounds, walked back toward the base.

"Lived through another day."

A Vermilion Bird Army general extended a trembling finger, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then exhaled the smoke, cursing, "Those bastards."

"I just don't know what it'll be like the day after tomorrow."

The general's tone was filled with worry.

"General Ruan, we will definitely be victorious. Palace Master Yun Shu will surely defeat the Demonic Race Demigod," a soldier said firmly.

"Hahaha... That's right. Palace Master Yun Shu will definitely slaughter those beasts. Go clean up the battlefield; bring them home. Don't let our brothers become lonely ghosts."

Hearing this, the soldier's mood immediately plummeted.

"Go on."

The general spoke again; he had seen too much death, so much that he had become somewhat accustomed to it.

"Yes, General."

The general surnamed Ruan finished his cigarette in two puffs and walked toward the base, his footsteps exceptionally heavy.

He was worried.

As a member of the Ruan Family, he knew certain things that ordinary soldiers and even high-ranking generals did not.

Currently, Palace Master Yun Shu's condition was very poor.

Three months ago.

The Demon Realm Entrance in Honghua City had expanded without any warning.

Four Demonic Race Demigods invaded.

Fortunately, the Empire reacted quickly. Despite suffering heavy losses in the first wave of the impact, they immediately formed a powerful defensive line, blocking the Yao Race within the Honghua Forest.

The four Demonic Race Demigods were held back by Palace Master Yun Shu and a robot; three of the Yao were heavily injured, and one Demonic Race Demigod was slain.

Such a military achievement greatly boosted the Vermilion Bird Empire's Aura.

However, the truth was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

The Demonic Race Demigods had clearly underestimated the enemy. Moreover, that robot had appeared too suddenly; the Demonic Race Demigod failed to react in time and was thus slain.

Over the next three months.

The Yao Race invaded once every ten days, but they were no longer eager for quick success. Instead, they used a massive number of minor demons to wear the defenders down.

The Demonic Race Demigods also stopped fighting to the death, instead testing the waters every time.

The robot's weakness had also been exposed.

It was said that it required a special type of energy to fight; additionally, Palace Master Yun Shu herself seemed to have developed issues and could not sustain a long battle.

Honglin Base.

Conference Hall.

"The Yao Race has retreated."

Ruan Zhen said.

"Are the casualty statistics out?" Yin Zong asked.

A clerk tapped a few times on their Wristband and replied, "For the Vermilion Bird Army, 52 Sixth Realm experts were killed in action, 2,276 Fifth Realm experts, and below the Fifth Realm..."

"Speak!"

"40,912 people."

The conference room fell into silence.

Yin Zong let out a deep sigh.

With five to six offensives every month, the Vermilion Bird Army lost tens of thousands of people each time, and this was only because the Yao Race at the Seventh Realm and above had not yet joined the battle.

If the fighting continued like this, the Vermilion Bird Army would be wiped out within a few years.

And this was only the battle situation at the Honglin Demon Realm Entrance.

The situation at other Demon Realm Entrances was also not optimistic. Although there were no Demonic Race Demigods, they were still led by Yao Race Sovereigns, wearing down the Empire's strength.

But now was not the time to think about those things, because a great battle was approaching.

A battle against Demonic Race Demigods.

If they couldn't hold out, the Honglin Base would fall.

"Palace Master Yun Shu, the Demonic Race Demigods should invade again the day after tomorrow. How much longer can the Nirvana Warriors fight?"

At the head of the conference table.

An exquisitely beautiful woman sat quietly, wearing fiery red battle armor, looking exceptionally heroic.

It was indeed Palace Master Yun Shu.

Palace Master Yun Shu's expression was cold, her face lacked a trace of color. She slowly opened her eyes, and a deep blue glint flashed through them.

Everyone in the conference room did not dare to look directly at her.

"431 minutes."

Activating a Ninth Realm Nirvana Warrior required First-Grade Divine Body treasures. Within the Vermilion Bird Divine Hall, all the First-Grade Divine Body treasures combined amounted to no more than a thousand portions.

After three months, more than half of the First-Grade Divine Body treasures had been consumed, with not many remaining.

Every time the Demonic Race Demigods invaded, they engaged in skirmishes, avoiding a direct confrontation with the Nirvana Warriors.

If this continued, the Vermilion Bird Empire would soon face an even more severe situation: Palace Master Yun Shu would have to face three Demonic Race Demigods alone.

"Palace Master Yun Shu, your body?"

"It is no matter."

Palace Master Yun Shu said indifferently.

Despite her words, everyone could see that something was wrong with Palace Master Yun Shu's health. Even though she deliberately restrained her Aura, everyone could still feel the bone-chilling cold within her body.

It was also evident that Palace Master Yun Shu entering the Ninth Realm had come at a price.

"You need not worry. My Divine Body has already been promoted to First-Grade; there will be no problems in the short term."

Perhaps fearing that Yin Zong and the others would worry, Palace Master Yun Shu spoke as gently as possible to reassure everyone.

"Palace Master Yun Shu, should we request reinforcements from Great Xia?"

An elder of the cabinet spoke up.

Palace Master Yun Shu shook her head. "Great Xia is having an even harder time than we are. They have to guard five entrances simultaneously, three of which are being invaded by Demonic Race Demigods."

Yin Zong also spoke up, "Requesting aid now is indeed inappropriate."

Great Xia currently had five anchored entrances, and Demonic Race Demigods could pass through three of those Demon Realm Entrances.

One of their bases had already been occupied.

It was only recently recaptured.

Their situation was even more dangerous than that of the Vermilion Bird Empire.

Ruan Zhen said, "Speaking of which, what happened with Great Xia's Changyi Demon Realm Entrance? There wasn't much movement before, so how did a Demonic Race Demigod suddenly invade and break through?"

Everyone in the conference room was somewhat puzzled; logically, given Great Xia's strength, this shouldn't have happened.

Great Xia now had three Ninth Realm experts: Dongfang Baichen, Ning Xing, and Xie Zhiyuan. Aside from the Nirvana Warriors supporting the other three nations, there should be five remaining.

It shouldn't have been like this.

Facing everyone's confusion, Yin Zong said softly, "A traitor appeared in Great Xia's Qingyu Prefecture."

"What!?"

"Elder Yin, is what you say true?"

Yin Zong nodded. "It is absolutely true."

"One month ago."

"The Wang Family of Qingyu suddenly revolted. All the Eighth Realm Experts in Qingyu Prefecture were murdered. Afterward, the Wang Family opened the Changyi Demon Realm Entrance. Two Fox Race Demigods entered Changyi City, and not one of the six hundred people survived."

"Why is that?"

"As far as I know, the Wang Family's status in Great Xia is second only to the Dongfang Family. In Qingyu Prefecture, they could even be considered local tyrants. What are they after?"

"Yes, what benefit is there for the Wang Family to betray Great Xia?"

"To Breakthrough to the Ninth Realm," Yin Zong explained. "The Wang Family had actually colluded with the Fox Race long ago. That old fogey of the Wang Family joined the Fox Race Demon God just to Breakthrough to the Ninth Realm."

"Wang Wei?"

"Mhm."

"Did he succeed?"

"He succeeded, but he also failed."