Read Novel Full Chapter 2305 - 1621: Absurd
Chapter 2305 - 1621: Absurd
The Li family only suffered ’merely’ three to four thousand casualties, among which the injured family members made up sixty percent.
In other words, the actual deaths amounted to just over a thousand.
In a normal large-scale battle, this would be simply unimaginable, even considered a fantasy.
With fewer casualties and a number of cultivators already dead during the battle,
finding cultivators whose hands were stained with the blood of Li family members among these captives was not a vast number, less than two thousand.
Furthermore, the cultivators that needed to be killed were divided among six forces, making the number even smaller and almost insignificant.
...
On another note!
Qingxuan, Jiang Fengwu, and other Heavenly Immortals listened to the plan discussed by the Clan Leader and Elders regarding the ransom for cultivators at each realm and had no objections.
"This approach is very good," Qingxuan nodded in agreement.
It vented the anger in our family members’ hearts, maintained the dignity and prestige of the family, and left room for reconciliation with those forces.
Finally, through the hostage exchange, a considerable amount of resources was acquired from those six powers!
It truly achieves four objectives with one action!
Also, such compensation will be a significant amount, likely enough to directly replenish the resources consumed during the previous battle and make up for the fallen members, possibly even exceeding that.
Although this thought is rather cold and ruthless, treating family members as goods, it is the reality.
The Li family naturally wouldn’t send its own members to inform the Cave Abyss Sect, Baiyun Sect, and other forces about the ransom mechanism; if someone was infuriated and ambushed them, wouldn’t it be a needless waste of life?
Thus, each force selected two cultivators to return to their sects or clan territories, bringing back jade slips recording the required ransom at each realm and how many cultivators were still alive to see if their elders, clan leader, or sect leader were willing to ransom them.
"Rest assured, if they refuse to ransom you, we won’t just kill all of you without reason."
The clan leader smiled, but his tone was as cold as winter: "However, from then on, you’ll serve the family as slaves, working for the family for a lifetime!"
Though he didn’t want to provoke a conflict with each of the forces, he wasn’t soft-hearted; how could he possibly allow a tiger to return to the mountain?
Moreover, it was those forces that abandoned them first.
And those cultivators still trapped in the great array shuddered, praying fervently that they wouldn’t be abandoned.
The two Heavenly Immortals remained unfazed because they understood that their family or sect would never abandon them no matter what.
After all, Heavenly Immortal cultivators couldn’t be compensated or enhanced by resources.
...
Perhaps due to regaining freedom or to escape that dangerous place, the dozen cultivators released by the Li family flew back to their own mountain gates or clan territories at the fastest speed.
"How did you escape back?"
But what awaited them was not warmth and concern, but cold, ruthless questioning and suspicion!
Because before them, a Heavenly Immortal cultivator had returned and brought back extremely grave news.
Jiang Fengwu, the Li family’s Array Master, had suddenly returned. Her sudden appearance led to their entire joint operation’s failure.
They could escape through the starry sky with their strength, but other juniors and fellow sect members might not have that luck.
Most likely, they were captured by the Li family!
When the Heavenly Immortal had returned and spoken the words, within less than a day, two disciples returned.
This inevitably caused suspicion among them.
"Li family released us and also gave us a task..."
These two cultivators were merely Human Immortals, but now they faced interrogation by over a dozen Heavenly and Earth Immortals.
"What task!"
The cultivator, slightly afraid, took out the jade slip from their Storage Magical Treasure and said: "Li family killed only those cultivators with the blood of Li family members on their hands; the others are merely captives..."
"If you want your fellow sect members to safely return, you need to pay the corresponding ransom."
Afterward, they handed over the jade slip.
Bang!
At the next moment, a precious teacup was smashed heavily on the ground.
"Li family!"
The gnashing roar echoed in the hall.
These sect leaders and elders, usually high and mighty, now wore expressions of slight humiliation and profound defeat.
They couldn’t possibly have imagined that the six forces of Heavenly Immortals, with an army of a hundred thousand cultivators, couldn’t break through the Li family’s Mountain Protection Array, causing minimal casualties.
Moreover, they held out until Jiang Fengwu returned, and her appearance turned the situation upside down, leading them to lose instantly and capture many disciples.
How could they not rescue those captured disciples?!
If they dared to recklessly ignore these disciples, pretending they didn’t exist, what would the other disciples in the mountain gate think?
It would certainly lead a significant portion of disciples to lose their sense of belonging to the sect!
This sense of belonging isn’t normally visible or tangible; it doesn’t seem to play a role, but once a crisis descends, whether feeling a sense of belonging or cohesion will largely influence a force’s survival or demise.
So, even if the ransom demanded by Li family is high, they had to pinch their noses and find ways to gather this Spirit Stone amount and quickly dispatch an elder to ransom the disciples.
Not only Cave Abyss Sect, but many forces, after feeling anger, made the same decision.
As a result, in the following days, the number of cultivators trapped in the great array rapidly decreased.
And thus, the Li family obtained an extremely abundant and valuable amount of Spiritual Objects!
Without needing careful counting, it was clear this could entirely compensate for all the losses the Li family suffered due to this battle.
Several days passed, and outside Mount Wanxian, there were still over four thousand cultivators of varying cultivation levels in the great array.
"It seems you’ve been abandoned by your own sect," the clan leader looked at them with a hint of sympathy.
He couldn’t help but feel: ’The world is vast and full of wonders!’
There was indeed a sect so strange that it ignored those captured disciples, cared nothing for them, and had no intention of ransoming them, leaving them to Li family’s mercy.
And this group of cultivators, still holding on, hearing this was like the last straw breaking the camel’s back, instantly crushed their spirit.
"Why! Why!"
"I’ve risked my life for the sect, sacrificed so much, why abandon me!"
For a moment, this group of cultivators howled madly.
But gradually, they accepted this cold, harsh reality.
Now, they appeared as if their souls had been hollowed out, leaving only empty shells, either standing or sitting idly.
The Li family patriarch felt a twinge of pity but had no intention of releasing them. He quickly calmed down and said to the family members behind him: "Place restrictions on them."
Even though the Li family wasn’t organized like a master-servant Beast Taming Family, they still understood related Methods and Restrictions fairly well.
And humans are also a kind of ’beast,’ aren’t they?
This group of cultivators abandoned by their sect offered no resistance to Li family’s restrictions, accepting with hearts ashen.
As a result, the Li family instantly gained over four thousand controllable and servable slaves!
Not only did they all have cultivation but some possessed powerful Earth Immortal realm strength.
With these slaves, the Li family’s power instantly surged, becoming stronger by thirty percent compared to before the battle.
And the sect that abandoned these cultivators, the decision made by its sect leader, soon led him to deeply realize how absurd his decision was.