âComrades, the remnants of the ancient warshipsâ will continue to fight! Our pioneers shed their blood in the rear, holding the line for us!â
Bai Li Zonghu ascended into the air, his voice reverberating across a thousand miles, roaring with determination. âThe corrupted armies ahead seek retreat. We stand firm. Fight to the death⊠No retreat!â
âKill!!â
âKill!!â
âKill!!â
One by one, cultivators rose from the crimson sea of battle, their bodies and spirits battered but unbroken. They roared back with unwavering resolve. For the first time, they saw a glimmer of hopeâthe corrupted beings were retreating!
The unyielding spirit spread across the battlefield, infecting all who fought. Though both sides were exhausted, they screamed their defiance at each otherâhowls of hatred and steel echoed through the darkened skies.
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, from the rear of the Celestial River, a deafening roar shattered the heavens. Enormous battle vessels, their banners bearing the sigils of ancient clans and sects, pierced the oppressive darkness.
The major cultivation families, merchant guilds, and ancient sects all arrived, their presence a shock to the battlefield.
âFriends of the realm,â came a thunderous voice from the rear, âThe calamity of the Sea of Oblivion has been quelled!â
Tens of thousands of massive warships surged into the battlefield, their combined might electrifying the atmosphere. âWe are also part of this realm. Corrupted beings⊠come face us in battle!â
The sheer force of their arrival sent waves of fighting spirit across the battlefield. Even the Bai Li clan and their allied forces were stunned. For countless years, these powers had refrained from engaging directly. Today, for the first time, they joined the fray.
YĂș ChĂ©nâs pupils contracted sharply as he spotted the YĂș familyâs banner among the newcomers. Two of his clanâs ancestors stood at the helm. Without hesitation, he turned into a streak of light and flew toward them.
Landing aboard one of the warships, YĂș ChĂ©nâs aura emanated a palpable shift. He had the air of a cultivator who had survived the battlefield, indifferent to life and death. âYĂș ChĂ©n greets the ancestors.â
The two elders regarded him coolly. Their divine sense brushed over him as one spoke telepathically: âIf the path forward is opened, remember to hide your name when you journey to the other side. Never admit to being of the YĂș family.â
âAncestors?!â YĂș ChĂ©n looked up in shock, confusion etched across his face. He couldnât fathom their meaning.
âSilence,â the elder snapped. âThis is a battlefield. Focus on the fight.â
The two ancestorsâ gazes shifted toward the corrupted soil, their robes billowing in an unseen wind. Their voices boomed:
âComrades, clear the way for our realm!â
Fierce gales tore through the Celestial River and the corrupted lands, carrying an overwhelming killing intent. The elders had received intelligence that fewer late-stage Deity Transformation corrupted beings had appeared recently. The Bai Li clanâs warning rang true: a monumental disturbance was unfolding in the rear lines.
âLiving beings,â came a guttural snarl from the corrupted forces. âYour insolence will be your end. Slay these vermin!â
âThe sacred grounds are imperiled. Hold the line!â
âFall back to regroup. We will stand firm here!â
Roar!!!
The corrupted beingsâ enraged cries reverberated across the battlefield, their voices melding with the deafening cracks of the earth splitting apart. Their crimson eyes burned with fervor, as did those of the cultivators opposing them. Both sides stood unyielding.
âKill!!!â
âRoar!!!â
The heavens, the land, and the skies erupted into chaos as all-out war consumed the realm. The deafening cacophony of battle resounded for miles.
Clad in his commanderâs armor, Bai Li Zonghu led the charge, his thunderous roar shaking the corrupted lands. His soldiers stormed ahead, intercepting the retreating corrupted beings.
The battlefield churned with despair and determination. Blood dyed the earth as endless ranks clashed in the shadow of titanic forces. Legendary cultivators, long thought hidden, joined the fray, unleashing devastating techniques to suppress the late-stage Deity Transformation corrupted beings.
An elderly woman shrouded in starlight appeared amidst the chaos. With a wave of her hand, streaks of celestial brilliance tore through the battlefield like a meteor shower, each strike shaking the heavens.
In the midst of the carnage, powerful cultivators self-detonated, their life force erupting in brilliant bursts of energy that devastated the corrupted forces. Their sacrifice inspired awe and sorrow in equal measure, leaving an indelible mark on the battlefield.
The realmâs cultivators fought with abandon. The corrupted beings, equally relentless, unleashed waves of tainted blood and vile techniques, turning the battlefield into a maelstrom of chaos and despair.
Far away in the 360 provinces of Da Li, the ordinary folk remained oblivious to the horrors of the frontlines. They carried on with their lives, trading goods, seeking opportunities, and sparing only passing thoughts for the warriors who might never return.
<hr>
Years blurred into each other like the flow of the Celestial River. Seven more years passed.
The battlefield grew eerily quiet. The once-pure waters of the Celestial River were now stained crimson, its flow burdened by the weight of countless sacrifices. Yet, it surged onward, relentless.
Behind the corrupted forces, a seismic shift rocked the blackened earth. Tremors spread for thousands of miles as the corrupted legions withdrew under increasing pressure from the cultivatorsâ relentless pursuit. Both sides were locked in a frenzy of bloodlust, their eyes red with unyielding resolve.
At the forefront of the battle stood Bai Li Zonghu, his black armor gleaming ominously. He embodied the indomitable spirit of the War Realmâa pillar of strength far beyond the mere measure of cultivation power. His crimson blade cleaved through a Deity Transformation corrupted being, splitting it apart and sending shards of its tainted form flying through the air.
The shockwave of his attack rippled through the battlefield, toppling a corrupted mountain behind his foe. Its surface fractured like a spiderâs web before collapsing with a deafening roar.
Exhausted yet resolute, Bai Li Zonghu planted his bloodied blade into the ground. His breath was ragged, his vitality waning, but his gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
âGeneral!â
âGeneral!â
âBai Li, hold fast!â
âBrother!!!â
Cries echoed from every direction. Bai Li Zonghu had surpassed his limits long ago, but he stood tall, his presence an anchor in the storm.
âEnough!â Bai Li Zonghuâs voice thundered, quelling the rising panic. âDo not concern yourselves with me. The next generation waits behind us. The pioneers of our realm hold the line in the rear.â
His voice steadied, carrying the weight of generations. âThere is a path ahead. The sacrifices of our ancestors will not be in vain. Cultivators of the realm, march forward. Seize your destiny!â
Straightening, he roared with all his might, âStep over my body if you must, but charge!â
A hush fell over the battlefield as his words reverberated through the realm. Then, like an unstoppable tide, the cultivators surged forward, their resolve rekindled by their commanderâs unyielding spirit.
âKill!!!â
âKill!!!â
âKill!!!â
The sound of their battle cry rose to a crescendo as they plunged into the heart of the corrupted forces. The War Realm resounded with the clamor of war, a symphony of despair and hope. Warships cleaved through the skies, their soldiers charging with unrelenting determination, ready to face the abyssâunyielding, courageous, and resolute.