With a force of over seven million, they besieged an enemy force of over two million, ultimately losing over one and a half million, while only managing to kill two hundred thousand enemy soldiers. This casualty ratio, less than seven to one, was undoubtedly a major defeat for the Chen Kingdom.
However, Chen Mu remained calm and composed in the command center.
Instead, while the enemy was resting, he closed his eyes and rested as well.
In the brief battle just now, Chen Mu seemed to have only been sitting in the command room issuing a few orders, but in reality, he had been using the combat command system to assist the senior generals at the front in commanding the battlefield. He also had to collect battlefield data, which consumed a great deal of mental energy.
Although the Chen Kingdom army was formidable in appearance, the difference in the quality of its soldiers compared to the enemy was indeed too great.
This is similar to a battle between Ninth-Duan Martial Artist and Third-Stage Martial Artist among human cultivators. Normally, let alone five or six Third-Stage Martial Artist, even a dozen or so Third-Stage Martial Artist might not be a match for Ninth-Duan Martial Artist.
Moreover, among cultivators, the higher their realm, the greater the difference in strength. Fortunately, both sides exercised restraint in this battle and did not deploy a large number of experts; otherwise, the human casualties might have been even greater.
This is why Ahriman's people were so confident that they dared to send an army of over two million deep into the heart of the Chen Kingdom to directly attack No. 1 Base.
"Hmph! They ran away so easily. If I weren't afraid of aerial bombs, I would have loved to send several legions to hunt them down."
Ahriman saw the Chen Kingdom army scatter and flee, and after chasing them for two or three kilometers, he had no choice but to retreat.
"Forget it! Our target this time is the camp ahead."
"Once we conquer that area, won't it be easy to manipulate them however we want in the future?"
Katelin remained calm and issued orders in advance, instructing her men to rest and, two hours later, to continue the attack on Military Base No. 1.
Military Base No. 1 has a detection shield array. Katelin can only vaguely see that it is a huge building covering tens of square kilometers, but he doesn't know the specific situation inside. In order to ensure that everything goes smoothly, he must keep the army in the best condition before launching an attack there.
"That's right! You should go and rest too. You must have expended a lot of energy just from using the Domain of Ten Thousand Demons."
Ahriman nodded.
"Um!"
Katelin didn't stand on ceremony; she leaped back to her tent and sat down to rest.
At this time, the Chen Kingdom's army, which had besieged the Black Demon Emperor's army, returned to their respective cities, and the surrounding cities began to bustle with activity.
The most bustling of them all is undoubtedly the Demon-Defending City. Although the Demon-Defending City was only established four or five years ago, with the strong support of the Chen Kingdom in recent years, its current scale is no smaller than some of the capitals of the Central Land.
After the gates of the Demon-Defending City opened, a massive army of seven or eight hundred thousand people entered the Demon-Defending City in an orderly fashion.
Although their campaign was not successful, the people still welcomed them warmly, and their morale did not decline due to the defeat. With determined eyes, they followed the main road into the military area south of the city.
Medical personnel quickly took the wounded soldiers from the army for treatment, while more soldiers went to the military training area.
This battle against the Black Demon Emperor's army was an unforgettable experience for every soldier. Most of them were deeply moved by the battle, and if they could receive proper guidance at this time, they could easily achieve a crucial breakthrough.
After all, a person's potential is often most easily unleashed in life-or-death situations.
An hour later, people began to emerge from the military training area. Most of them were in high spirits, while only a very few looked somber.
" The Spirit Energy Cultivation Pod of the Nation-Protecting Sect is so useful! I broke through in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. I wish I could stay longer."
A man in military uniform with a pointed face and monkey-like features walked along, talking to his companion with a reluctant tone.
His steps were steady, his eyes gleamed, and his movements were accompanied by the resounding crack of his muscles, clearly a sign that his physical cultivation had reached its peak.
The name "Rune Research Institute " was too difficult for the Chen Kingdom to pronounce, and because the Rune Research Institute was the Nation-Protecting Sect of the Chen Kingdom, the people of the Chen Kingdom usually called it the " Nation-Protecting Sect Rune Research Institute."
"Haha, you're just being smug after getting a good deal. How expensive is it to get into the cultivation chamber normally?"
Now, by His Majesty's grace, all soldiers who participated in the battle during this period and have reached a bottleneck can enter once for free. You should be grateful!
The man in military uniform's companion was very tall, but his gait was somewhat strange; upon closer inspection, one could see that parts of his body were metallic.
The Spirit Energy Cultivation Pod is a composite Rune Artifacts the Rune Research Institute promoted four or five years ago to assist low-level cultivators in their cultivation.
Its effect is similar to that of Spirit Gathering Array, but because it is small in size and sealed, it can better preserve Spiritual Power, so the concentration of Spiritual Power inside can even exceed that outside by dozens of times.
Of course, its Spiritual Power does not come from nowhere; if an extremely high concentration of Spiritual Power is desired, Spirit Stone must be consumed.
Fortunately, Chen Kingdom is now building "artificial Spirit Stone machines" on a large scale. While high-quality Spirit Stone cannot be produced, those below the fourth grade can be mass-produced.
This is why the Chen Kingdom's military is willing to deploy a large number of Spirit Energy Cultivation Pod.
However, for most soldiers, the Spirit Energy Cultivation Pod is not something to be squandered. Normally, they will only use it when they are stuck in a bottleneck, since using the cultivation pod for a long time would be very expensive.
"Hehe, you guys are pretty good too! A free upgrade and modification. If we're talking about the cost of military merit, yours would be much more expensive."
The man in military uniform glanced at his companion's metal arm and clicked his tongue in admiration.
Semi-Mechanical Modification is a technology that was only introduced to the military about a year ago. Initially, it was intended as a preferential benefit for disabled soldiers, but after it was widely adopted, it has now gained popularity among many able-bodied soldiers as well.
Some warriors have limited talent and, no matter how hard they train, they cannot become high-level martial artists. However, Semi-Mechanical Modification can help them break through this bottleneck, which directly changes their fate.
Although the Rune Research Institute also produces gene talent modification potions, the price is so high that even many Core Formation Realm can't afford them, so these ordinary soldiers naturally wouldn't even dare to dream of buying them.
Although the cyborgs may lose some of their human senses of touch and feeling after Semi-Mechanical Modification, in the Pan Emperor Continent where the strong are respected, the vast majority of people are willing to do so.
However, Semi-Mechanical Modification is expensive, and currently, such soldiers make up a small percentage of the Chen Kingdom army. Only those with outstanding military achievements can receive the best conversion.
"Sigh, the maintenance costs have increased after the upgrade."
I still envy you guys! You're so talented, you don't have the same problems I do.
The tall man sighed.
"Stop talking! My talent for cultivation is indeed better than yours, but my talent for combat is far inferior to yours."
"Look at this battle, your military achievements are more than double mine, so who can I complain to?"
The man in military uniform pursed his lips, not wanting to talk about it anymore, and changed the subject.
"Let's not talk about that. I'm going to the military merit exchange area to exchange for some life-saving items. Do you want to come with me?"