Chapter 260 - 266: Casualties

Words : 1384 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

The most critical issue was that Li Zhixuan had exhausted her vigor and spirit after deploying that Sword Intent. Now, not to mention battling a Counterfeit Pill Demon Cultivator, even a Qi Cultivation Cultivator could defeat her! "Very good, very good, you should rest well now!" Li Zhirui thought and appeared in front of Li Zhixuan, speaking very casually and without taking the Demon Cultivator seriously at all. That Demon Cultivator hadn't expected Li Zhirui to intervene. His motion, initially poised to take advantage of the situation to kill Li Zhixuan, halted abruptly, and without another word, he retreated explosively backwards. He was acutely aware of the vast gulf between himself and a true Golden Core, not to mention that he had just witnessed Li Zhirui effortlessly repel another Demon Cultivator of the same realm! "Thinking of fleeing now? Isn't it a bit too late?!" Li Zhirui's voice was as cold as Profound Ice, and with a casual flick of his finger, the Water-Wood Divine Light transformed into a rope that whistled through the air towards the fleeing figure. The Demon Cultivator, hearing the relentless sounds drawing nearer behind him, didn't dare look back and simply buried his head in a desperate sprint. Burning his own essence blood to survive, his speed surged to new heights, thoroughly shaking off the Divine Light. "Ah! If you ask me, the most annoying thing about Demon Cultivators is this kind of burst ability!" Li Zhirui sighed helplessly. Then he turned around and said to Li Zhixuan, "You go back to the Spirit Boat and rest properly; join the battle again when you've recovered." "Thank you, Jiu!" Li Zhixuan did not refuse and thanked him before leaving. After all, staying on the battlefield now not only served no purpose but was also a burden. After watching her safely enter the Spirit Boat, Li Zhirui began looking after the other members of the Li family, rescuing them from the hands of Demon Cultivators whenever danger arose. Because of his earlier two battles, many Demon Cultivators had seen him in action and did not dare engage him lightly; thus, they fled without a word as soon as he approached. Among all the Li family members, apart from Li Zhixuan's exceptional performance, Li Chenghuo also brought him quite a surprise. This family prodigy, who had initially been focused solely on Artifact Refining, also possessed a natural talent for combat, mastering Fire Element Spells with consummate skill and preventing ordinary Demon Cultivators from getting close. Furthermore, his cultivation was slightly higher than Li Zhixuan's, and after this battle, it was very likely he would smoothly break through to the late phase of Foundation Establishment. With Li Zhirui's protection, the clan members initially suffered few injuries and fatalities, but as time dragged on, many unexpected accidents still occurred. After all, Li Zhirui was only one man and could not be everywhere at once, unable to attend to so many clan members simultaneously. Sometimes he had to face attacks from Demon Cultivators himself and could not intervene to protect his people, only to watch more and more of them fall in battle. As for the blood pool, it indeed grew just as True Lord Cang Shan had described— as the number of casualties on the battlefield increased, and more and more blood was absorbed, the blood pool's area kept expanding, and the blood became thicker and more crimson. A faint layer of blood mist began to emerge, forcing the cultivators to retreat; no one dared be tainted by it, as the painful lessons of the past were still fresh. They wouldn't dare to gamble with their lives. Half a month after the great battle began, since Shen Leishan couldn't break through the Demon Cultivators' defenses, they had to temporarily halt their offensive and start setting up camps in Original Erosion Wind Province, preparing to recuperate and gather strength for the next fight. ---- On the Li family's Spirit Boat, Li Zhirui, Li Shiqing, and Li Shiren, along with other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, gathered to discuss the next steps for the Li family. "In just ten short days, more than thirty of our clan members have fallen, including one at the Foundation Establishment level," Li Shiren reported solemnly. "All clan members have been wounded, with seven in life-threatening condition and twenty severely injured..." These numbers did not bode well; the casualty rate seemed too high and, in fact, this did not even include the Loose Cultivators. Compared to the Li family cultivators, these loose cultivators were even more dangerous, and the number of casualties was even more shocking. Originally there were dozens of loose cultivators, but now only twelve are still alive, and only five of them are in good condition! But if you compare their situation to all the other groups, Li Zhirui and his group are doing extremely well. Some groups now only have two or three cultivators left, or even just a few people! The severity of the situation gives a glimpse of how dangerous this war is. "If nothing unexpected happens, let's stick to the previous plan," said a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage. The Li family's principle in participating in this war was: be cautious, preserve life, don't get greedy, and retreat at the first sign of danger, in short, don't take risks. No one objected because everyone didn't want to fight desperately; they just wanted to safely survive this calamity and then safely return home. Not quite, apart from Li Zhixuan, the sword cultivator, she didn't want to be safe, she even planned to temper herself in this war and break through the late stage of Foundation Establishment as soon as possible. "Mrs. Ting, how much of the spiritual objects brought from our family are left? How much longer can we last?" Li Zhirui turned and asked. "We have less than a third left. If we calculate according to the current number of people, we should be able to hold on for a month." Li Shiting frowned and added, "But if Shen Leishan reinforces the loose cultivators and consecutive large battles break out, I'm afraid we won't last even half a month before we run out of spiritual objects." "Among them, the spirit pills for healing and recovering mana, as well as various talismans, are in the smallest quantity..." Li Shiting went on to detail the amount of various spiritual objects and how long they could last. "According to the previous agreement with the family, spiritual objects will be sent here in a few days, and then there will be no shortage of spiritual objects." When Li Zhirui and others left, they said they would send spiritual objects after half a month. As for the subsequent timing, it would be carefully discussed at that time. And now, there are only a day or two left until the agreed time. As for the possibility of someone intercepting them on the way, the Li family specifically dispatched several Foundation Establishment cultivators for this, and considering they were riding a third-grade spirit boat, it should ensure the safety of those family members. "Speaking of which, it's odd. Why hasn't Cloud Thunder True Lord taken action?" Li Shiren suddenly spoke up, confused, "If he were willing to make a move, that blood pool would have been destroyed long ago. Yet he just watches us fight desperately against the demon cultivators. Could Shen Leishan have some other motive?" "Shiren, be careful, watch your words," Li Shiqing quickly spoke up to remind him. After all, this was Shen Leishan's territory, and no one knew where Cloud Thunder True Lord was. If he heard them or if it got out, it would be disastrous for the Li family. Li Zhirui also spoke up to shift the topic, saying, "It seems that this war will not be over anytime soon." It's uncertain how many forces will decline or even be extinguished after the war is over. After all arrangements had been discussed, Li Shiqing stood up and said, "Everyone has worked hard during this time. Since there won't be a battle now, you should all go back and rest."

Chapter 260 - 266: Casualties

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