Standing before Niu Wu Ba's order to retreat, the demon beasts reacted as if they had rehearsed it beforehand, responding very quickly.
The races and individuals with the strongest defensive capabilities — such as the Giao Clan, Turtle Clan, Rhinoceros, Giant Elephant, and others — advanced to the front and executed their defensive martial techniques to cover the retreat of the other races. They fought while withdrawing toward Heavenly Demon City. Meanwhile, the speed-oriented races like the Bat Clan and Eagle Clan, working together with the Seven Killings Sect, continuously harassed and launched sneak attacks on the enemy to slow down the Blood Imperial Clan's pursuit.
"Open all the city gates!" Niu Wu Ba roared sternly.
Heavenly Demon City's massive gates swung wide open. One after another, demon beasts withdrew inside. However, the races tasked with holding back the enemy suffered increasingly heavy losses.
The Blood Imperial Clan poured all their strength into the pursuit. Their offensive was nearly overwhelming. The demon beasts could only use their bodies — vastly larger than those of humans — as shields to protect the races behind them as they retreated.
Meanwhile, the members from the Multi-Treasure Pavilion exhausted almost all their means. They continuously threw out treasures to resist the countless Blood Pearls shooting through the air. After several clashes, they still suffered losses due to being outnumbered, sustaining both injuries and deaths.
"Chase them down! Kill as many as you can. Every drop is rich, nourishing blood essence!" The Blood Imperial Clan grew more and more excited as they fought. Seeing their opponents retreating like turtles into their shells, their attacks became even more brutal and insidious.
"Fuck your mothers!" Ba Li Jiao Huang and Ba Li Jiao Jun watched as the enormous bodies of Giao Clan members fell one after another. The scales on their own bodies were cracking violently… yet their attacks only grew fiercer.
Compared to the Giao Clan, the Turtle Clan was only an Eighth Grade force, so their strength was significantly weaker. Although they had superior defensive power from their turtle shells, facing the sky-covering offensive of the Blood Imperial Clan, many seemingly sturdy shells were smashed to pieces. The bodies of countless giant turtles turned into minced meat, melting into the ground.
Lan Po Lei moved like a slippery eel across the battlefield. Many people didn't notice that he was secretly absorbing energy from the piles of corpses — whether enemy or ally, it didn't matter.
No one knew how much time had passed. When the last of the demon beasts successfully withdrew into the city, the corpses on the battlefield had already piled up like mountains and blood flowed like rivers…
Puff!
Standing on the city wall, the Turtle Shell Old Man watched as the Turtle Clan was nearly wiped out, with only a few survivors left after the惨烈 battle. He couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
He had existed independently for many years. Although he was not a member of this generation's Turtle Clan, seeing so many of his own kind sacrificed still pierced his heart with pain.
"Quickly tally the casualties! All Pill Refiners of the Heavenly Demon Academy, focus on treatment. Prioritize the heavily injured first!" Niu Wu Ba suppressed the suffocating feeling in his chest. His eyes were blood-red, and tears appeared in his ox-like eyes…
"Could it be… that I was truly wrong?"
The question repeated endlessly in Niu Wu Ba's mind. His breathing was heavy, as if a mountain was pressing on his chest, ready to explode. Just because of an improper desire, just because of a moment of selfish gain… Niu Wu Ba had personally pushed the Kun Clan and Hu Clan away from the U Origin Continent.
Without these two powerful allies, although this battle had successfully ended in a retreat, the result was undeniable — U Origin had been defeated. A complete defeat. Was this the consequence of scheming against allies while facing an external enemy?
"Report! The Pill Valley has sent fifty bottles of Healing Pills to assist the demon beasts in resisting the Blood Imperial Clan!" At that moment, a Bat Clan member appeared in the sky, carrying a storage ring.
"Quickly distribute them to the injured demon beasts!" The Turtle Shell Old Man ordered without politeness.
Within the Blood Extermination Alliance Council, the Dan Clan and Pill Valley were tasked with refining pills to support the battlefield against the Blood Imperial Clan. If spiritual medicines were lacking, they could contact the Multi-Treasure Pavilion and Spirit Island for more.
Every major force usually had some Pill Refiners, though none could compare to the Dan Clan.
"Reporting to the Academy Head, the Turtle Clan lost 128 Fifth Grade, 4 Sixth Grade… The Giao Clan lost 54 Fifth Grade, 4 Sixth Grade, 1 Seventh Grade… The Wolf Clan and Marquis Clan lost over 200 Fifth Grade, 4 Sixth Grade. The Bat Clan suffered 96 Fifth Grade, 3 Sixth Grade… The Alligator Clan suffered…"
"Our Heavenly Demon Academy lost 64 instructors and 1 elder. The Multi-Treasure Pavilion lost 9 Void Refining experts… The Seven Killings Sect lost 14 Earth Killers!"
One Heavenly Demon Academy elder, his face ashen as dust, spoke with a trembling voice as he knelt before Niu Wu Ba to report the casualty figures.
Puff!
Hearing the extent of the losses, Niu Wu Ba could no longer hold it in. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face turning deathly pale.
Because the Blood Imperial Clan had far more Blood Guards and Blood Generals than the U Origin Continent, during the battle… the demon beasts had been forced to mobilize a large number of Fifth Grade demon beasts to join the fray and collectively hold back the Blood Guards.
The final result was a terrifying number of casualties. Among them, the Turtle Clan, Giao Clan, and Heavenly Demon Academy had suffered the heaviest blows, completely damaging their foundation. Without a thousand years of development and recovery, they could not hope to restore their vitality.
"You bunch of bastards! Seeing our demon beasts suffer such heavy losses, you still remain silent and do nothing?" Niu Wu Ba threw his head back and roared. His voice pierced into the void.
Hidden in the void, a group of high-ranking members of the Blood Extermination Alliance Council exchanged glances, all seeing the gravity in each other's eyes…
"How can Niu Wu Ba blame us? No one knew how much hidden strength the Blood Imperial Clan still possessed. If we had pulled all our powerhouses to support U Origin, what would happen if the Blood Imperial Clan took the opportunity to attack the other three continents? Who would defend them?" Sword Elder Xuan shook his head and sighed.
The others nodded. This was exactly what they feared. If the Blood Imperial Clan had also hidden a terrifying force on the Ice Heaven, Sea Continent, or Desolate Sand… how could they feel at ease sending full support to U Origin?
The Multi-Treasure Pavilion and Seven Killings Sect had already done their best by providing aid.
After all, because the Blood Extermination Alliance Council's intelligence and understanding of the Blood Imperial Clan was still far too limited, they had no better countermeasures and could only worry about gains and losses like this.
The ancient saying went: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. Unfortunately, the Blood Imperial Clan was like a bottomless abyss. The Cultivation World of Yuelong Star was not yet qualified to probe it.
Even if the Master of the Heavenly Secrets Hall personally performed divination, he still couldn't do it, because the Blood Imperial Clan had too many existences on par with him at the Tribulation Realm. With the strength of the Heavenly Secrets Hall Master alone, it was not enough to investigate.
"We also cannot sit idly by and watch U Origin suffer a tragic defeat. That would be no different from helping the Blood Imperial Clan achieve their goals!" The Holy Spirit Elder frowned and said.
"Rest assured. At the critical moment… even if we must risk the safety of the entire Sea Continent, this old man will not allow U Origin to be destroyed!" The Ai Ren Clan Leader took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.
The reason they had not rushed to take action was because they felt U Origin could still hold on… Although there were sacrifices, for the greater good, they could only clench their teeth and accept it.
Thinking of this, although the truth was disheartening, they felt fortunate that the Blood Imperial Clan's first target had been the U Origin Continent.
…
"Are the demon beasts all turtles who have withdrawn their heads into their shells and don't dare to come out and fight anymore? Weren't you all so aggressive before?"
Seeing that all the demon beasts had retreated into Heavenly Demon City, the Blood Imperial Clan's entire army grew smug. Although they had also suffered quite a few casualties, it was still far less than U Origin's.
"Demon beast brats, hurry up and come out of the city to accept death!"
Nearly a hundred Blood Guards had just used their Blood Pearls to collect blood essence from the battlefield. They amplified their voices with Spiritual Power and cursed noisily.
"Turtle Shell old bastard, isn't your mouth supposed to be very sharp? Hurry up and come out to accept death. An Eighth Grade demon beast is still trash!"
"Hmph, once we flatten Heavenly Demon City, we'll skin and tendon-pull all you demon beasts and put you on shelves to dry. Some will be used to make paste and soak in wine. The quality will be perfect!"
The Blood Imperial Clan cursed more and more viciously, provoking the demon beasts until their blood rushed to their brains. Endless furious roars echoed from within Heavenly Demon City. If not for Niu Wu Ba suppressing them, the demon beasts would have long since charged out in a suicidal frenzy.
After several days, at every moment, Blood Imperial Clan cultivators would come to Heavenly Demon City to curse and provoke, stirring up the anger in the demon beasts' hearts.
Until one day, a black-robed figure returned to Blood Imperial City. Suddenly, all the Blood Imperial Clan members became strangely quiet and stopped their vulgar cursing.
"Why aren't they cursing today?" The Turtle Shell Old Man stood on the city wall, full of confusion in his heart.
"They must be tired of it. We'll slowly recover our combat strength. Heavenly Demon City is easy to defend but hard to attack. Let's see if they dare to siege the city!" Ba Li Jiao Jun laughed coldly.
The group of elders nodded upon hearing this. Since they had already determined they couldn't defeat the Blood Imperial Clan, the next step was to see who had more patience.
"I've always felt that something is not right. If they were truly tired of cursing, it wouldn't have stopped so suddenly!" Niu Wu Ba had sharper intuition than anyone. His heart was filled with a growing sense of unease…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
At that moment, the entire Heavenly Demon City suddenly shook violently and without warning, causing the demon beasts' expressions to change drastically.
Heavenly Demon City was originally a True Grade superior treasure of the Heavenly Demon Academy. Who could shake it?
"Hahaha, this Blood General now wishes you would continue hiding your heads in the city like turtles. The scene that follows will be extremely interesting!"
Following a wild and arrogant laugh, ten Blood Generals and a black-robed figure suddenly appeared in the sky. They looked down at the Heavenly Demon Academy with mocking, teasing eyes.
"What do you mean? If you don't dare to attack the city, then scram. Don't bark nonsense in front of this old man!" The Turtle Shell Old Man roared curses.
"Khak khak, the Blood Envoys were right when they said demon beasts are courageous but brainless. I didn't expect you to fall into our trap so easily!" The only black-robed man among the Blood Generals laughed eerily, his eyes full of contempt as he looked down at Heavenly Demon City.
"What exactly do you want to say?!" Niu Wu Ba's anxiety grew even stronger. He roared furiously.
"Haha, Niu Wu Ba, oh Niu Wu Ba. Did you really think that if the Blood Imperial Clan poured all its strength into pursuit, you could truly retreat safely into Heavenly Demon City?"
"Did you really think that for the past few days we sent people to curse you just to provoke you?"
The group of Blood Generals laughed loudly. Without waiting for Niu Wu Ba and the U Origin Continent's side to react, the black-robed man in their ranks stepped forward. He smiled sinisterly and said:
"We let you retreat into the city to make it easier to catch you all in one net! And sending people to curse you was to distract you, giving me more time and making it easier to act!"
"You are like pitiful little beasts that have fallen into the hunter's trap. Khak khak khak!"
"More time? Fallen into a trap? What the hell are you talking about?" Ba Li Jiao Jun clenched his fists tightly. Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
"Haha, more time for this very moment!" The black-robed man threw his head back and laughed wildly. He suddenly spread his arms wide as if grasping the entire sky. With a frenzied face, he roared:
"My Blood Refining Grand Formation — activate!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In that instant, the sky trembled. Countless blood-red screens of light suddenly appeared around Heavenly Demon City, surrounding it on all sides like a perfect ambush.
A thick, nauseating stench of blood filled the noses of the demon beasts. Their expressions changed drastically as they saw the vast Heavenly Demon City completely trapped within the formation…
"Damn it! Damn it! When did they set up the formation?!" Niu Wu Ba took a deep breath. His heart pounded violently…
Although he didn't yet know what the so-called Blood Refining Grand Formation did, setting it up would definitely require a great deal of time and effort from a Battle Formation Master.
Yet during the time the enemy was setting up the formation, he hadn't sensed the slightest abnormality. How could he not blame himself and feel terrified?
"Playing god and ghost!" Ba Li Jiao Huang had a hot temper. He transformed into his true form. The Giao Clan, covered in bright red scales, viciously extended their sharp claws and slammed them with full force toward the blood-red light screen.
BOOM…
Following a rebounding sound, the blood-red screen rippled like waves but wasn't affected in the slightest. Meanwhile, Ba Li Jiao Huang was blasted backward like a broken kite, smashing into the ground and shaking a corner of Heavenly Demon City.
"Truly a stupid reptile. This old man spent a long time setting up this formation. Not to mention you… even if Niu Wu Ba himself took action, he couldn't break it!" The black-robed man mocked, full of contempt.
He was a renowned Eighth Grade Battle Formation Master in the Blood Realm. The Transcending Star Blood Formation connected to Yuelong Star had also been set up by him in collaboration with several other Battle Formation Masters of the Blood Imperial Clan.
This time, the Blood Emperor had trusted him with the mission of supporting the Blood Imperial forces in pacifying Yuelong, so he had personally come here to deploy troops and set up formations.
It had to be said that this man was talented and full of schemes… In the end, he had trapped the demon beasts like birds in a cage.
"Blood Refining Grand Formation… activate!"
The black-robed man laughed madly. Thousands of Blood Stones were taken out as materials and all poured into the Blood Refining Grand Formation.
In that instant, the blood-red light screens rotated at a terrifying speed, directly affecting blood. Following their master's command.
"AAAAAHH! My blood!"
"AAAAAHH! I feel like the blood in my body is no longer under my control. It wants to explode! It wants to escape!"
"Damn it, what the hell is happening? If all the blood in my body is lost, how am I supposed to live?"
Screams filled with resentment and agony covered Heavenly Demon City… Many low-level demon beasts who couldn't resist had their bodies explode. Their blood essence melted into the grand formation, further increasing its power.
ROOOAR!!!
Niu Wu Ba could no longer endure it. His Five-Colored Imperial Ox true form appeared in the world. A pair of ox horns condensed endless power…
He was about to unleash it outward…
Note:
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