Human activity had ceased, roars and screams had disappeared, and the sparse and spacious battlefield was now filled with smoke. Hot steam was rising from the charred craters on the ground. Everywhere was covered with such craters. If one looked down from the sky, they could see the gigantic footprints of An Muda were covered with thousands of craters at this point of time.
However, at this point of time, no one cared about these things anymore.
Everyone was sitting on the ground paralyzed, gasping for air desperately. Even the smoky scent in the air smelled as if it was the best fragrance in the entire world now.
Severed limbs and grounded pieces of flesh were all around them.
It felt so good to be able to survive.
With a dazed look on their faces, all they could think of was this line.
Silver Soldier walked around the battlefield and patted the survivors on their shoulders to boost their morales.
The battles were far more intense they they’d expected. Even though they were able to successfully ambush the enemy forces, the enemy forces were much more stubborn than anticipated. This was somewhat ironic. In the past, these enemy soldiers were just ordinary soldiers in the Avalon of Five Elements. They could not even be considered veterans. They were weak and weak-willed then. However, all of them had become elites now.
Even Silver Soldier, who was their enemy, was filled with admiration towards them.
He was at a loss.
He simply could not understand, why would a bunch of weaklings from Avalon of Five Elements become such an elite unit that refused to give up, and retaliated with all their might even in dire straits after they had joined Blood of God?
Why?
Was Avalon of Five Elements really that bad? So bad that no one was willing to sacrifice his or her life for it?
Instead of feeling happy about obtaining a victory, Silver Soldier was feeling gloomy. When he thought of Madam Ye and the open strife and veiled struggles among the cities, he felt vexed all of a sudden.
Alright, actually what do all these things have to do with him?
He was just a division leader of the Infantry Division and he did not have much power. Even if he had power, would he be able to overturn the situation? No.
Silver Soldier raised his head and looked at the sky. His silvery mask gave off the reflection of the smoke-covered sky.
"Silver."
Karakorum Polaris’s voice woke Silver Soldier up. He withdrew his gaze and saw Shi Xueman and her counterparts walking towards him.
He readjusted his emotions and threw those distracting thoughts to the back of his head. Then, he cupped his metallic hands and said solemnly, "I am Silver Soldier. If it wasn’t for all of you, we would’ve been in danger."
These were not words of courtesy, but rather, fact.
Spear of Heavy Cloud had played a very important role in this victory.
If it was not for the fact that Spear of Heavy Cloud’s defensive formations withstood waves of attacks from the enemy forces and entangled them, Sky Edge Division and Infantry Division would not have had the chance to flank the enemy forces.
When the enemy forces were making their last-ditch effort to retaliate, Shi Xueman was the one who led the charge to clamp down on the retaliation, completely crushing their morales.
Without her, Sky Edge Division and Infantry Division would have had to suffer heavier casualties.
Even though Spear of Heavy Cloud was just a regional combat division, it still undertook the most dangerous and difficult task. Silver Soldier held them in high esteem. The strength of Spear of Heavy Cloud clearly surpassed Infantry Division and Sky Edge Division. Shi Xueman deserved to be praised for her effort. Like father, like daughter.
Shi Xueman held up her Cirrus and greeted Silver Soldier and Karakorum Polaris, "Hello, I am Shi Xueman. Sir, you’re being too courteous. Your strategy and everyone’s concerted effort were the keys to this victory."
Karakorum Polaris looked curiously at Shi Xueman and raised her sword to return the greeting, "I’m Heng Kunlun."
The two division leaders had a good impression of each other at first sight. Kunlun was the first master swordsman. She was invincible and matchless on the battlefield.
Shi Xueman was from a prestigious aristocratic family. Her strength far surpassed an ordinary Master’s.
Nowadays, there were plenty of combat divisions, but very few female division leaders. They were the only two female division leaders who were so young.
Both of them had different temperaments. Shi Xeman was fair and grave, while Heng Kunlun was cold and sharp.
"How’s Ai Hui?"
Silver Soldier’s question shocked Shi Xueman. Silver Soldier actually knew Ai Hui?
"He’s injured. He had yet to recover at the time we left," Shi Xueman replied.
Silver Soldier was startled. He quickly asked with great concern, "He’s injured? Is his injury severe or not?"
Shi Xueman cast a glance at Silver Soldier. From his tone, she could tell that he wasn’t faking his concern. Following which, she bluntly asked him, "Sir, are you very close with Ai Hui?"
"I stayed in Central Pine City for a period of time," Silver Soldier replied.
Upon hearing these words, Shi Xueman suddenly understood why Silver Soldier was so concerned. She explained, "He was struck by the poison of Night Moth Fruit. Even though the poison has been removed, his body is still gravely injured."
Upon hearing the term "Night Moth Fruit", fear flashed across Silver Soldier’s eyes. He only felt at ease when he heard that the poison had been removed. He shook his head and said, "He was always injured in the past. His body was always covered with cuts and bruises. Even when he trained, he would not care about injuring himself."
When he thought of the day where he’d rescued Ai Hui and Duanmu Huanghun outside of Suspending Golden Pagoda, a smile unwittingly appeared on his face behind the silvery mask.
The image of a beautiful and sweet-looking figure emerged from his memory at the same time.
The smile behind the ice-cold mask froze. An indescribable grief filled his heart, causing him to forget to breathe for a moment. His smile disappeared bitterly. After so many years, he still could not forget her, despite trying so hard to do so.
No oath of eternal love was made, no magnificent love story was created. There was only warm sunshine and a gentle smile, beautiful like a dream. Even though it lasted only for a short period of time, it was real, and it was cruel. Like the deadliest poison in the world, it hid in the innermost part of his heart.
He must bear the responsibility for everything.
He told himself in his heart.
"Silver."
He was startled by Kunlun’s voice. When he saw the worried look on Kunlun’s face, he returned to his senses. The grief he felt earlier withdrew like a receding tide into the innermost part of his heart.
How could an ignoble person, such as he, be so emotional?
He was fortunate to have once had such a beautiful dream in his lifetime.
A solemn look reappeared in his eyes, resembling a river that flowed calmly and silently. He said, "I just thought of Central Pine City."
Shi Xueman thought that Silver Soldier had recalled the bloody battles in Central Pine City. The gazes of Jiang Wei, Sang Zhijun and the rest softened.
Without any hesitation, Shi Xueman asked bluntly, "What’s our next move?"
The rest looked at Silver Soldier. Because of this victory, Silver Soldier had gained everyone’s approval as leader.
Silver Soldier did not say anything as his gaze swept across the battlefield. When he saw those dazed and fatigued faces, he sighed softly. At this point of time, the most important thing for him to do was to give the soldiers rest and reorganize them. Most of the soldiers in the three combat divisions were rookies. It was not easy for them to fight such a tough battle without collapsing. Even if they obtained a victory, their energies were spent.
At this point of time, time was crucial to their survival.
In a direct confrontation, Blood of God would definitely be in an advantageous position. The troops from Avalon of Five Elements had to depend on their defensive formations to withstand Blood of God’s offense.
The loss of this battle would leave a huge impression on Blood of God.
Blood of God would definitely carry out a counter-attack. They were stationed at the Wall of North Sea. This little bit of damage was not enough to deal a huge blow to Blood of God military-wise. It would only enrage them.
An enraged beast might be more dangerous, but it would reveal more of its weaknesses as well.
Sometimes, a chance came only once. Once it was lost, it wouldn’t come back again.
A lot of things in life followed the same logic.
At this point of time, it was meaningless for him to feel pity for his life. He was marble-hearted and his gaze was stone-cold.
"I have an idea."
…..
Central Pine Valley.
Wearing the demonic god armor, Ai Hui did not dare to waste any time. He was observing his body with great attention. In Ai Hui’s eyes, the demonic god armor was still extremely mysterious. When it came to combat or training, Ai Hui’s observation skills were extraordinary.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Power couldn’t be created out of thin air. The ancient artifacts consumed spiritual force, while the current Heaven-grade weapons consumed elemental energy.
What did the demonic god armor consume then?
Ai Hui suspected that the demonic god armor consumed life force.
The fatigue caused by the demonic god armor made Ai Hui feel as if he was breathing his last. This was coupled with the fact that he was already using the blood bandage. If it were not for the blood bandage, Ai Hui suspected that he might be sucked dry by the demonic god armor. In order to replenish his energy, he had to eat a leaf from the Northern Underworld King Tree every time he took off the armor.
Of course, this was just Ai Hui’s speculation. He had yet to reach the level where he could comprehend the meaning of life force.
However, Ai Hui was absolutely certain with regards to his theory. How could a demonic god who sought to resurrect himself be a friendly entity? If that was the case, he wouldn’t be called a demonic god.
When Ai Hui thought about this, he felt pessimistic.
As long as the demonic god had a chance to overturn the situation, he would definitely grab it. After all, why would a prideful demonic god allow a human to control his body?
All of these were Ai Hui’s conjectures. However, even if they were facts, Ai Hui could only brace himself to accept them at this moment. He simply did not have any solutions.
The leaves from the Northern Underworld King Tree, that could relieve and stabilize his condition, were limited in number. This meant he couldn’t use the demonic god armor indefinitely.
Therefore, once he started using it, he had to commit to it.
He had tried a few plans. Until now, he still had not found the solution. Ai Hui realized there might be some problems with his current train of thought.
Perhap he should change his tactics?
Encountering setbacks during training sessions was nothing out of the ordinary for Ai Hui. After encountering countless setbacks, he gradually found some tricks to resolving his problems. Sometimes, the trick of changing his train of thought and looking at a problem from a different perspective would produce a better result.
He did not put on the demonic god armor immediately. He pondered over it, came up with an idea of what he was going to do and determined his goals.
After thinking it through, he put on the demonic god armor once again.
In his eyes, the world became different once more.
Ai Hui was already very familiar with this kind of feeling. This time around, he did not try using any other powers. He placed all his attention on his body.
His flesh was dried up and his life force was diminishing. Streaks of lightning were travelling through his flesh.
These fine lightning streaks were the remnants of the lightning bolts that had struck him last time. They were the ones that destroyed the life force in his body. His flesh could not grow in an environment that was filled with streaks of lightning. This logic was easily understandable.
Lightning was the bane for almost all living things.
Wait!
Logically speaking, with so many streaks of lightning travelling through his body, his flesh would dry up gradually until he disintegrated into ashes. However, this did not happen to him. He was severely injured, but his life would not be in danger as long as he did not use any powers.
Ai Hui noticed that his flesh was quite different from before.
A bold idea appeared in Ai Hui’s mind.
Was it possible that his flesh had already become a brand-new, extraordinary type of flesh?
Human activity had ceased, roars and screams had disappeared, and the sparse and spacious battlefield was now filled with smoke. Hot steam was rising from the charred craters on the ground. Everywhere was covered with such craters. If one looked down from the sky, they could see the gigantic footprints of An Muda were covered with thousands of craters at this point of time.
However, at this point of time, no one cared about these things anymore.
Everyone was sitting on the ground paralyzed, gasping for air desperately. Even the smoky scent in the air smelled as if it was the best fragrance in the entire world now.
Severed limbs and grounded pieces of flesh were all around them.
It felt so good to be able to survive.
With a dazed look on their faces, all they could think of was this line.
Silver Soldier walked around the battlefield and patted the survivors on their shoulders to boost their morales.
The battles were far more intense they they’d expected. Even though they were able to successfully ambush the enemy forces, the enemy forces were much more stubborn than anticipated. This was somewhat ironic. In the past, these enemy soldiers were just ordinary soldiers in the Avalon of Five Elements. They could not even be considered veterans. They were weak and weak-willed then. However, all of them had become elites now.
Even Silver Soldier, who was their enemy, was filled with admiration towards them.
He was at a loss.
He simply could not understand, why would a bunch of weaklings from Avalon of Five Elements become such an elite unit that refused to give up, and retaliated with all their might even in dire straits after they had joined Blood of God?
Why?
Was Avalon of Five Elements really that bad? So bad that no one was willing to sacrifice his or her life for it?
Instead of feeling happy about obtaining a victory, Silver Soldier was feeling gloomy. When he thought of Madam Ye and the open strife and veiled struggles among the cities, he felt vexed all of a sudden.
Alright, actually what do all these things have to do with him?
He was just a division leader of the Infantry Division and he did not have much power. Even if he had power, would he be able to overturn the situation? No.
Silver Soldier raised his head and looked at the sky. His silvery mask gave off the reflection of the smoke-covered sky.
"Silver."
Karakorum Polaris’s voice woke Silver Soldier up. He withdrew his gaze and saw Shi Xueman and her counterparts walking towards him.
He readjusted his emotions and threw those distracting thoughts to the back of his head. Then, he cupped his metallic hands and said solemnly, "I am Silver Soldier. If it wasn’t for all of you, we would’ve been in danger."
These were not words of courtesy, but rather, fact.
Spear of Heavy Cloud had played a very important role in this victory.
If it was not for the fact that Spear of Heavy Cloud’s defensive formations withstood waves of attacks from the enemy forces and entangled them, Sky Edge Division and Infantry Division would not have had the chance to flank the enemy forces.
When the enemy forces were making their last-ditch effort to retaliate, Shi Xueman was the one who led the charge to clamp down on the retaliation, completely crushing their morales.
Without her, Sky Edge Division and Infantry Division would have had to suffer heavier casualties.
Even though Spear of Heavy Cloud was just a regional combat division, it still undertook the most dangerous and difficult task. Silver Soldier held them in high esteem. The strength of Spear of Heavy Cloud clearly surpassed Infantry Division and Sky Edge Division. Shi Xueman deserved to be praised for her effort. Like father, like daughter.
Shi Xueman held up her Cirrus and greeted Silver Soldier and Karakorum Polaris, "Hello, I am Shi Xueman. Sir, you’re being too courteous. Your strategy and everyone’s concerted effort were the keys to this victory."
Karakorum Polaris looked curiously at Shi Xueman and raised her sword to return the greeting, "I’m Heng Kunlun."
The two division leaders had a good impression of each other at first sight. Kunlun was the first master swordsman. She was invincible and matchless on the battlefield.
Shi Xueman was from a prestigious aristocratic family. Her strength far surpassed an ordinary Master’s.
Nowadays, there were plenty of combat divisions, but very few female division leaders. They were the only two female division leaders who were so young.
Both of them had different temperaments. Shi Xeman was fair and grave, while Heng Kunlun was cold and sharp.
"How’s Ai Hui?"
Silver Soldier’s question shocked Shi Xueman. Silver Soldier actually knew Ai Hui?
"He’s injured. He had yet to recover at the time we left," Shi Xueman replied.
Silver Soldier was startled. He quickly asked with great concern, "He’s injured? Is his injury severe or not?"
Shi Xueman cast a glance at Silver Soldier. From his tone, she could tell that he wasn’t faking his concern. Following which, she bluntly asked him, "Sir, are you very close with Ai Hui?"
"I stayed in Central Pine City for a period of time," Silver Soldier replied.
Upon hearing these words, Shi Xueman suddenly understood why Silver Soldier was so concerned. She explained, "He was struck by the poison of Night Moth Fruit. Even though the poison has been removed, his body is still gravely injured."
Upon hearing the term "Night Moth Fruit", fear flashed across Silver Soldier’s eyes. He only felt at ease when he heard that the poison had been removed. He shook his head and said, "He was always injured in the past. His body was always covered with cuts and bruises. Even when he trained, he would not care about injuring himself."
When he thought of the day where he’d rescued Ai Hui and Duanmu Huanghun outside of Suspending Golden Pagoda, a smile unwittingly appeared on his face behind the silvery mask.
The image of a beautiful and sweet-looking figure emerged from his memory at the same time.
The smile behind the ice-cold mask froze. An indescribable grief filled his heart, causing him to forget to breathe for a moment. His smile disappeared bitterly. After so many years, he still could not forget her, despite trying so hard to do so.
No oath of eternal love was made, no magnificent love story was created. There was only warm sunshine and a gentle smile, beautiful like a dream. Even though it lasted only for a short period of time, it was real, and it was cruel. Like the deadliest poison in the world, it hid in the innermost part of his heart.
He must bear the responsibility for everything.
He told himself in his heart.
"Silver."
He was startled by Kunlun’s voice. When he saw the worried look on Kunlun’s face, he returned to his senses. The grief he felt earlier withdrew like a receding tide into the innermost part of his heart.
How could an ignoble person, such as he, be so emotional?
He was fortunate to have once had such a beautiful dream in his lifetime.
A solemn look reappeared in his eyes, resembling a river that flowed calmly and silently. He said, "I just thought of Central Pine City."
Shi Xueman thought that Silver Soldier had recalled the bloody battles in Central Pine City. The gazes of Jiang Wei, Sang Zhijun and the rest softened.
Without any hesitation, Shi Xueman asked bluntly, "What’s our next move?"
The rest looked at Silver Soldier. Because of this victory, Silver Soldier had gained everyone’s approval as leader.
Silver Soldier did not say anything as his gaze swept across the battlefield. When he saw those dazed and fatigued faces, he sighed softly. At this point of time, the most important thing for him to do was to give the soldiers rest and reorganize them. Most of the soldiers in the three combat divisions were rookies. It was not easy for them to fight such a tough battle without collapsing. Even if they obtained a victory, their energies were spent.
At this point of time, time was crucial to their survival.
In a direct confrontation, Blood of God would definitely be in an advantageous position. The troops from Avalon of Five Elements had to depend on their defensive formations to withstand Blood of God’s offense.
The loss of this battle would leave a huge impression on Blood of God.
Blood of God would definitely carry out a counter-attack. They were stationed at the Wall of North Sea. This little bit of damage was not enough to deal a huge blow to Blood of God military-wise. It would only enrage them.
An enraged beast might be more dangerous, but it would reveal more of its weaknesses as well.
Sometimes, a chance came only once. Once it was lost, it wouldn’t come back again.
A lot of things in life followed the same logic.
At this point of time, it was meaningless for him to feel pity for his life. He was marble-hearted and his gaze was stone-cold.
"I have an idea."
…..
Central Pine Valley.
Wearing the demonic god armor, Ai Hui did not dare to waste any time. He was observing his body with great attention. In Ai Hui’s eyes, the demonic god armor was still extremely mysterious. When it came to combat or training, Ai Hui’s observation skills were extraordinary.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Power couldn’t be created out of thin air. The ancient artifacts consumed spiritual force, while the current Heaven-grade weapons consumed elemental energy.
What did the demonic god armor consume then?
Ai Hui suspected that the demonic god armor consumed life force.
The fatigue caused by the demonic god armor made Ai Hui feel as if he was breathing his last. This was coupled with the fact that he was already using the blood bandage. If it were not for the blood bandage, Ai Hui suspected that he might be sucked dry by the demonic god armor. In order to replenish his energy, he had to eat a leaf from the Northern Underworld King Tree every time he took off the armor.
Of course, this was just Ai Hui’s speculation. He had yet to reach the level where he could comprehend the meaning of life force.
However, Ai Hui was absolutely certain with regards to his theory. How could a demonic god who sought to resurrect himself be a friendly entity? If that was the case, he wouldn’t be called a demonic god.
When Ai Hui thought about this, he felt pessimistic.
As long as the demonic god had a chance to overturn the situation, he would definitely grab it. After all, why would a prideful demonic god allow a human to control his body?
All of these were Ai Hui’s conjectures. However, even if they were facts, Ai Hui could only brace himself to accept them at this moment. He simply did not have any solutions.
The leaves from the Northern Underworld King Tree, that could relieve and stabilize his condition, were limited in number. This meant he couldn’t use the demonic god armor indefinitely.
Therefore, once he started using it, he had to commit to it.
He had tried a few plans. Until now, he still had not found the solution. Ai Hui realized there might be some problems with his current train of thought.
Perhap he should change his tactics?
Encountering setbacks during training sessions was nothing out of the ordinary for Ai Hui. After encountering countless setbacks, he gradually found some tricks to resolving his problems. Sometimes, the trick of changing his train of thought and looking at a problem from a different perspective would produce a better result.
He did not put on the demonic god armor immediately. He pondered over it, came up with an idea of what he was going to do and determined his goals.
After thinking it through, he put on the demonic god armor once again.
In his eyes, the world became different once more.
Ai Hui was already very familiar with this kind of feeling. This time around, he did not try using any other powers. He placed all his attention on his body.
His flesh was dried up and his life force was diminishing. Streaks of lightning were travelling through his flesh.
These fine lightning streaks were the remnants of the lightning bolts that had struck him last time. They were the ones that destroyed the life force in his body. His flesh could not grow in an environment that was filled with streaks of lightning. This logic was easily understandable.
Lightning was the bane for almost all living things.
Wait!
Logically speaking, with so many streaks of lightning travelling through his body, his flesh would dry up gradually until he disintegrated into ashes. However, this did not happen to him. He was severely injured, but his life would not be in danger as long as he did not use any powers.
Ai Hui noticed that his flesh was quite different from before.
A bold idea appeared in Ai Hui’s mind.
Was it possible that his flesh had already become a brand-new, extraordinary type of flesh?
