Total War (Continued)
"Phew~ You're certainly good at hindsight. I wonder who was it that kept saying the person who got the Profound Armor would definitely escape alone."
"Hey, hey, hey, even if we're close, I'll still sue you for defamation if you keep talking nonsense like this! Young Master Si is perfectly capable of leaving on his own; he wouldn't need the Profound Armor to leave. How could I possibly doubt him?"
"That's not what you said back then."
Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Si Ming asked, "Where are the others? I mean, those players who didn't join us?"
Hou Fei said with a gloating tone, "The casualties were heavy. Although I didn't count them precisely, I estimate that about a third of them died. Those who were so high and mighty must be regretting it now."
"That shouldn't be the case. In terms of the number of experts, they are no less than us, and they don't need to be distracted by taking care of others."
Si Ming was referring to the staff on the island, whom he believed could easily become a burden during the breakout.
Gaoyang Wuji said, "No matter how many experts there are, they still need to be able to unite as one and work together towards a common goal. Although they tried to choose a leader, no one was willing to submit to anyone else. In the end, they each formed several small teams with people they knew, and some even went it alone. As a result, they couldn't withstand the pressure when the demon tide was at its most intense... As far as I know, Fu Feng was swallowed by a giant centipede that was a hundred feet long, and even Gu Xinglie lost an arm because he was ambushed by Demon General."
Si Ming was stunned for a moment. He knew both of them. Fu Feng was a different story. He had repeatedly acted as a troublemaker, and although he had always ended up benefiting Si Ming, he never showed any mercy to such clowns. He had just been too busy to deal with them before, so he thought he would find an opportunity to teach them a lesson after he got through this ordeal. He didn't expect that the other party would kick the bucket like that, without even giving him a chance to slap him in the face.
Si Ming harbored no ill will towards Gu Xinglie, but he never expected that someone with the physical prowess of Spirit Transformation level like Gu Xinglie would be forced to "cut off his tail to survive." Losing an arm is a huge blow to a martial artist. This is the difference between Spirit Transformation and a non- Spirit Transformation master. Spirit Transformation Grandmaster loses an arm, he can recover in a few years and grow it back, becoming a hero again. Even if a non- Spirit Transformation Soul master possesses the same level of martial arts, he still has no right to regret it. Losing an arm truly makes one disabled. At most, one can get a prosthetic limb, but it will never be as skillful as the original.
"Hopefully he'll encounter a divine eagle..."
Si Ming sighed, but offered no further sympathy. Everyone chooses their own path, and even if you twist your ankle, you have to keep going with tears in your eyes.
Besides, he had given them chances, but they didn't seize them. Whether it was out of pride, personal feelings, or other reasons, everyone must be responsible for their own choices.
"Si Ming, what instructions do you have for the next steps?" Gaoyang Wuji asked very politely.
"What other instructions could there be? We've already successfully broken through, so of course everyone should go home and find their own mothers," Si Ming thought for a moment and then added, "When I was fighting that Demon Marshal, I learned from him that the demon tide wasn't just happening on our side. Judging from his tone, it seemed to be a full-scale war, with demon tides everywhere. I don't know if it's true or not, but anyway, you should hurry back. In case any Demon Beast do enter the city, you'll be able to take care of your families."
Gaoyang Wuji had thought that Si Ming would take this opportunity to expand his network and make everyone acknowledge this favor, but he did not expect that the other party would let it go so lightly and not take it to heart at all. While puzzled, he could not help but feel a little admiration: As expected of Mohist, he has the world in his heart and does not expect anything in return for his kindness.
He possesses wisdom, courage, and virtue; if he hadn't died young, he would surely have become a great figure in the future. My decision to make peace with him was indeed the wisest one.
As Gaoyang Wuji raised the evaluation again, the person involved urged inwardly: Why aren't you leaving yet? How am I supposed to embezzle this Lightning Zaku if you don't leave?
That's right. Before coming here, Si Ming had already taken off the Profound Armor and hidden it in a secluded place. He was afraid that others would mention the ownership of the Profound Armor. It was one thing for people from other countries, but if the Nation of Valor contestants asked him to return the Profound Armor, then he wouldn't be able to take it for granted. If no one mentioned it, he could pretend he didn't know anything and take the Profound Armor back with him.
Fortunately, everyone seemed to be extremely nervous about the news he released, worried about their families, and no longer cared about Profound Armor, so they all said goodbye and left.
The contestants from other countries didn't seem too worried. Some of them did notice the problem with the Profound Armor, but since it wasn't something from their country, they didn't bother to point it out. Plus, they were indebted to Si Ming, so they simply pretended not to know.
In a short while, most of the people had left, leaving only Yu Shuying and the senior and junior disciples Yuan Liang and Lü Mo.
Lü Mo asked Si Ming, "Young Master Si, do you know where Ying Zhou and the others went? He suddenly rushed out to save people on the way, and I haven't seen him come back since. I wonder if he encountered some danger?"
Si Ming gave the other person an Anomalies look and said, "Don't worry, the person has been rescued and he didn't encounter any danger. He's probably already on shore, just at a different landing point than us."
"I see, that's great!" Lü Mo breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Does Young Hero Si know which direction they landed in?"
Holy crap, what's going on? Ying Zhou, you've really struck gold this time! You managed to get a woman throwing herself at you, and even stealing someone else's girlfriend! Are you planning to usurp the throne and become the male lead?
Before Si Ming could answer, Yuan Liang said hurriedly, "Junior Sister, we must hurry and find Master, lest he worry."
"But... Young Hero Ying Zhou saved me, and I didn't have a chance to properly thank him. If I go back now, I might be criticized for being ungrateful."
Yuan Liang couldn't let Lü Mo meet Ying Zhou, so he quickly stepped forward and grabbed her hand, saying, "No, didn't you hear Young Hero Si say he's safe? We'll have plenty of opportunities to visit and thank him in the future, there's no need to rush."
Lü Mo hesitated for a moment, then compromised, "That's true. I can't go to see him dressed like this, it would be too impolite. Let's do it next time then." As she spoke, she subtly withdrew her hand.
After watching the two leave, Si Ming hurriedly said to Yu Shuying, "Does the Mohist Knight Guard have any hidden strongholds in this area? We need to find someone to transport the Lightning Zaku back as soon as possible, and send it back after we've thoroughly studied it. The organizers have probably all been moved away by the white light earlier, so no one will notice the Lightning Zaku for a while."
Yu Shuying asked in confusion, "Didn't you look down on this Profound Armor before? How come you've discovered its merits now?"
"Hmm, surprisingly good. On the battlefield, it's enough to unleash the combat power of a Nascent Spirit Transformation expert."
Yu Shuying wasn't very interested in this matter. After giving a soft "hmm," she changed the subject and asked, "Was what you just said true?"
Which sentence are you referring to?
"Did that Demon Race commander really tell you that he was launching a full-scale war?"
"Yes, that's what he said before he died. He probably wasn't lying. There's no point in lying something that's so easily exposed. Is there a problem?"
"This is a huge problem!" Yu Shuying sighed, her face grave. "If I'm not mistaken, it's not just Nation of Valor that's been attacked by the demon tide."
Yu Shuying's guess was soon confirmed. As soon as Si Ming and his group returned to the city, they heard shocking news—the entire Northern Continent had been attacked by Demon Beast.
Every country with a coastline has been hit by a monster tide, and the outbreaks have occurred in multiple locations across the country, not just one. Nation of Valor, with its strong military, managed to stabilize its defenses in the first place, but other countries were unlucky. They were caught off guard and, coupled with insufficient troops, some human cities have already been massacred.
It is said that an Earth Rank Demon King has appeared. This is the highest-level Demon Race expert known, with strength equivalent to the Peak Spirit Transformation, and such an expert has not appeared for a hundred years.
"This is truly an unexpected development. I never imagined that a full-scale war would actually break out, not just in one country, but across an entire continent."
Si Ming was deeply moved; such a grand scene had completely exceeded his expectations.
Although he had the experience of saving the Barbarian Continent twice, both times ended in a battle between powerful individuals and were not large-scale. Ordinary people probably didn't even notice it, especially the time with the Beast King Anye, where he was all alone, unlike the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King who had an army.
The number of Monster Race is far less than that of Demon Race. A single demon tide can have 100,000 Demon Beast, while the total Monster Race in the Barbarian Continent might not even reach 100,000.
In a war involving millions of troops on both sides, the outcome obviously cannot be decided by a duel between the strongest. Even if decapitation tactics are still effective, finding the commander among millions of Demon Beast is not an easy task.
Si Ming asked Yu Shuying, "How do you think things will develop next?"
"Unless we can find and kill the Demon King, it will inevitably be a long and drawn-out war. However, the Demon Race has been preparing for this battle for a long time and is unlikely to make such a basic mistake."