The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 24: Nine Void Battlefield | Chapter 458: The Wave Ends

As more great demons were slain, the oppressive feeling diminished, creating both advantages and disadvantages. At the same time, the low-level and mid-level demons, previously driven away by the overwhelming force, swarmed back in large groups.

In an instant, the battlefield became overcrowded. The cultivators of the Gathering Origin Stage were busy dealing with the high-level demons, and due to the earlier casualties, they were stretched thin.

Whenever the low- and mid-level demons killed a cultivator, they would transform into the appearance of that cultivator, blending into the chaos and taking the opportunity to counterattack others. More waves of demon armies surged forward like a relentless tide, destroying countless forces!

This was the climax of the battle. The situation could either turn again, or the cultivators could hold on and claim victory — everything hinged on this moment!

In such a tense and heated atmosphere, with the overwhelming stench of blood, many Gathering Source Stage cultivators began to lose their reason.

They focused solely on pulling their bows, shooting arrows, or releasing their Yang Spirit to fight fiercely, painting everything around them in vibrant shades of red. They forgot about everything else, sparing no regard for their own lives, charging forward one after another, unstoppable!

In the sky, the Tribulation Transformation Stage cultivators, though gravely injured, continued to slay one great demon after another. Their divine power was vast, constantly healing their bodies, but it also drained their strength and almost shook their mental state! But this was the price they had to pay, to block the demons outside at all costs!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

The cultivators held on desperately, filling the gaps with their lives, continuously slaying all the demons surrounding them. Later, they even condensed their divine power into countless sharp weapons for close combat with the demons, fighting without regard for life or death.

There were indeed many demons, but the cultivators were even more courageous and fierce!

Remarkably, they managed to hold the line!

Xu Ziqing also fought with excitement, surrounding himself with piles of corpses. Almost every body had a chest shattered by his punches, from which he extracted the space-time crystals. At first, he targeted high-level demons to hone his divine ability, but by the end, he could no longer distinguish between demons of different ranks. He simply punched and killed them all, leaving none alive!

Yet, perhaps because the demons varied in strength, he gradually learned how to control his divine ability more precisely. If he used the same amount of force, a low-level demon would explode with one punch, while a mid-level demon would be shattered, their blood and flesh splattering. After several attempts, the force of his punch unknowingly adjusted itself, with not a single bit wasted.

If someone were to inspect the aftermath, they would find that without exception, all the demons had a hole punched in their chests, each hole precisely the same size, with no variation whatsoever!

Meanwhile, Yun Lie, while restraining the great demons, was also accumulating valuable experience in battling those at the Great Ascension Stage.

Though the techniques of demons differed from Great Ascension cultivators, by continuously striking his sword under the pressure of the great demons, the fear he once held for the Great Ascension Stage gradually faded. His sword strikes became faster, and his Life Killing Sword and Death Killing Sword grew more fluid, without the slightest hesitation.

The Sword Intent of his four-refined Sword Soul was exceptionally sharp, seemingly able to pierce anything. It could tear through the flesh of the great demons with tremendous force. Yet, this force could be tempered to become even more powerful and razor-sharp. Each sword strike seemed more refined, as if it absorbed even more killing intent, concentrating into the two sword moves he had created, amplifying their power and adding to their complexity.

Day and night, this fierce battle continued for a full five days.

By now, the distinctions between the vanguard, supply teams, and repair teams had blurred. No Gathering Origin Stage cultivator had the energy to continue refining ointments; they all joined the battle, driven by the desire to slay more demons.

Piles of ashes, heaps of flesh and bodies, the stench overwhelming, and the smell of blood filled the air. The entire ground had turned a reddish-brown… This was the result of blood flowing and then drying up, layering upon itself to create a hard shell. The blood seemed to have seeped deep into the ground, creating a battlefield that resembled a sea of blood, a hellish sight that was utterly terrifying!

A bitter struggle, a bitter struggle!

The cultivators gathered an immense amount of momentum, slaying endless demons!

Finally, when the last great demon was killed by a Tribulation Transformation Stage cultivator, who sacrificed an arm in the process, the heavens returned to a state of calm… The demons on the ground were no longer as densely packed.

At the same time, a more terrifying aura emanated from the rift in the heavens.

This aura far surpassed that of the great demons, and even a whiff of it froze the blood of everyone present!

What… what is this?

Could it be that an even more powerful demon was arriving—

In an instant, a hint of despair arose in the hearts of many cultivators, who had once fearlessly driven back the tide of demons.

Demons above Xing level should not be able to land here… so what was going on?

At that moment, another scorching force swept in from the same direction, completely dispelling the terrifying aura.

It was the divine power of an Enlightenment stage cultivator!

The two auras seemed to intertwine briefly outside the heavens before retreating in opposite directions.

Then, the heavens naturally mended, as if nothing had ever happened…

The cultivators finally let out a sigh of relief.

It appeared that things were not as they had feared; demons above Xing level would not truly descend.

And in this mad fight… they had emerged victorious!

With the battle over, it was time to clean up the battlefield.

Many remaining low- and mid-level demons on the ground were shot dead by Gathering Origin Stage cultivators using long arrows, while others pursued the fleeing demons for miles, clearing out the various routes converging around this hub.

Three more days passed, during which all remaining cultivators were thoroughly examined with secret methods to ensure they were not transformed demons. They also collected and buried the bodies of fallen cultivators, and dealt with the bodies of demons, either collecting or incinerating them…

Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie sat to the side, not participating in the cleanup with the other cultivators.

It wasn’t that they were disdainful or unwilling to give their all, but despite fighting together, they couldn’t fully consider each other as “their own.” After this battle, it was still best to avoid suspicion.

Moreover, both of them had gained a lot and were planning to take this opportunity to consolidate their gains.

The two brothers hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and now that they had reunited after several days of fierce combat, there was no time to share their innermost thoughts. After resting, they reflected on the life-and-death crises faced during the battle and felt quite a bit of emotion.

At that moment, although they hadn’t engaged in dual cultivation, they still pressed their palms together to communicate what they had gained from this experience.

Time passed, and after the other cultivators finished their tasks, Li Xiuzhu entered their tent, followed by several other Tribulation Transformation Stage cultivators.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqing stood up to greet him.

Li Xiuzhu had come to express his gratitude. Xu Ziqing had saved his life during the battle at the cost of damaging a puppet, and he hadn’t forgotten it. As soon as he had some free time, he came over. The Tribulation Transformation cultivators behind him were mostly there to thank Yun Lie, as Yun Lie had borrowed the power of a giant puppet to fight the great demons, significantly reducing their casualties.

Yun Lie was taciturn but nodded in acknowledgment to the other cultivators.

Xu Ziqing smiled slightly and exchanged a few pleasantries with them, quickly fostering a sense of camaraderie.

Naturally, they all understood the current situation to some extent.

This wave of demon tides had been much larger than many previous occurrences.

In past battles, the cultivators from the military corps participated, and while they often achieved victory, the loss of outstanding cultivators was painful. The surviving cultivators mostly became elites, especially the Gathering Origin Stage cultivators, with nearly half of them likely facing Tribulation Transformation due to the brutal conflict.

However, despite their growth in realm, the death of comrades made it hard to easily resolve their tribulations, deepening their hatred for the demons.

For instance, in this battle, over five thousand Gathering Origin Stage cultivators had participated, and more than half of them had died, with nearly every survivor sustaining injuries. If this had been a normal-scale demon tide, the casualties would have been manageable, but this time, the scale was evidently larger. It was easy to imagine that if not for Yun Lie and Xu Ziqing deploying the giant puppets, slaying many great demons and allowing more Tribulation Transformation cultivators to survive, the casualties would have been even higher.

Everything was interconnected; one event led to another… it was a precarious situation, teetering on the brink of annihilation.

When Li Xiuzhu and the others brought this up, they also shared news about other pivotal locations.

There were many weak spots similar to this one, where the surviving soldiers numbered only a few hundred. Not only had the Tribulation Transformation cultivators suffered great losses, but several of the Entering Tribulation Realm cultivators had also perished. Many low- and mid-level demons escaped, and even after killing all the great demons and high-level demons, the consequences were extremely severe.

Fortunately, despite the heavy casualties among the cultivators, the battlefield had not truly been breached by the demons, and many demons that had fortuitously fled were swept away by the soldiers stationed in large encampments…

However, over the past few days, as the various military corps calculated their losses, they discovered that each of the five major corps had lost at least seventy percent of their Gathering Origin Stage soldiers, fifty percent of their Entering Tribulation soldiers, and twenty percent of their Tribulation Transformation Realm leaders. With another nine years until the next demon tide, they were uncertain whether they could gather enough soldiers during those years or if the cultivators sent from the Nine Void Realm would be sufficient.

If the numbers were insufficient, the requirements for conscription would inevitably have to be lowered. Yet, if the requirements were lowered, it was uncertain whether the new soldiers would possess the same bravery as those before. If they were not as brave, how could they defend the Nine Void Battlefield in nine years? Even if they managed to hold it, there would certainly be even more casualties… If this continued, it would lead to a vicious cycle.

Hearing this, Xu Ziqing sighed slightly.

He and his brother were not natives of this realm, but their participation in the battle had fostered some bond with this place. However, although they were Nascent Soul cultivators with good potential, their realms were still a bit low, making it difficult for them to influence the overall battle situation, leaving them feeling helpless.

Now that the three-year deadline of the Battle God Order had not yet passed, they would continue to slay demons here, but once the three years were over, they would have to leave.

His brother would first go to the Sword Pagoda to focus on cultivation, while he himself planned to meditate in seclusion for several years, consolidating what he had learned and striving to advance further.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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