Chapter 673 Great Victory and Great Defeat

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A resounding and magnificent victory, arriving with both suddenness and delightful surprise, painted the faces of all present with ecstatic joy.

After clearing the battlefield, Eldrin led the troops back to Starfire Island.

Along the way, the group showered Eldrin with flattery. The Heaven's Abode Sect Leader even cupped his hands toward Eldrin and said, "This great victory was entirely due to Brother Guixu's masterful planning."

"If not for Elder Brother's foresight in deploying the 2 Forms Earthfire Sword Formation, we would likely have been locked in a bitter struggle."

Eldrin shook his head with a faint smile. "Brother Tianlu flatters me. Without your Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to set up this formation either."

"You flatter me, Eldrin."

The Lord of Tianhuang Sect also smiled, then complimented, "Fellow Daoist's Celestial Fire magic power is truly astonishing. The defensive capabilities of that fifth-tier treasure ship are well known to us all, and the 6-Winged Demon Lord was a peak Great Perfection Golden Core cultivator—yet neither could withstand a single strike from your sword."

"Such astonishing power is likely beyond even a Half-Step Primordial Spirit (Cultivation Realm) elder."

Amidst a chorus of praise, the group returned to Starfire Island.

Upon arriving at Starfire Island, Eldrin discovered countless cultivators collapsed across the ground. Their faces were deathly pale, and many resembled withered trees—having exhausted their spiritual energy to the point of death.

Witnessing this scene, Eldrin felt a tremor in his heart. These cultivators were the ones channeling spiritual energy into the 2 Polarities Earthfire Sword Formation. Moments earlier, to swiftly defeat the powerful foe, he had forcibly drained their cultivation base to activate the sword array.

The outcome was exceptionally brutal. The millions of cultivators who had channeled their spiritual power were left severely drained, with over 30 percent of Qi Refining practitioners suffering such fundamental depletion of vitality that their chances of breaking through to Foundation Establishment were likely extinguished. Countless others perished on the spot.

Yet if he hadn't forcibly drawn upon his spiritual power moments ago, he wouldn't have been able to consecutively activate all 9 swords, likely missing the crucial moment to slay the demon.

Had it not been for the Twofold Yin-Yang Earthfire Sword Formation shattering the demons’ morale and crushing their will to fight, they would have retained most of their strength. In that case, this battle would likely have descended into an even more grueling and brutal confrontation.

Yet regardless of the circumstances, the fact that these individuals had fallen because of Eldrin left him profoundly moved.

Lyra noticed Eldrin's expression and spoke reassuringly, "In every great war throughout history, casualties are inevitable. This decisive victory actually saw the fewest losses we've ever had."

"In this battle, even you and I cannot guarantee we will return alive. For these low-level cultivators, it would be fortunate if most of them survive."

"I understand."

Eldrin nodded, his eyes gleaming with a trace of resolve.

Though a sliver of compassion and mercy lingered in his heart, he was by no means a rigid moralist. He understood the necessity of decisive action—had he not, he would never have unleashed those 9 swift, resolute sword strikes without hesitation.

Suppressing his stray thoughts, Eldrin instructed Ethan Chen, "The cultivators who presided over the formation in this battle shall first receive their full merit rewards, and medical resources shall also be prioritized for them."

"I will make the arrangements immediately."

Lior said, then set off to handle the matter.

After settling these matters, the True Monarchs returned to the great hall.

After a brief calculation, Daoist Tianhuang exclaimed with ecstatic delight, "In this battle, we have slain over 30 true monarchs of the 6-Winged Demon Race (Demon Beast), and their demonic vessels along with all lower-ranking cultivators have been completely annihilated. This triumph should be proclaimed across all domains to bolster our forces’ morale."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions brightened with joy. Slaying over 30 True Monarchs and crushing a demonic army of 10 million was no small victory for the Vermilion Bird Star Archipelago.

After relaying the message, everyone immediately began taking stock of their gains and discovered they had acquired considerable resources from this battle.

Unfortunately, most of the demonic cultivators' supplies consisted of blood crystals, shadow stones, and demonic treasures—items aligned with the demonic path that were largely useless to humans.

Only a few items proved somewhat useful, such as that fifth-grade demonic ship and some fifth-grade demonic treasures, which could at least be melted down for material use.

Eldrin took charge of incinerating the useless demonic creatures and restored the Star Sun Island's defensive formations. Only after 3 busy days did he reconvene the True Lord Council.

At the assembly, Eldrin spoke up, "Now that the 6-Winged Demon Race has been crushed by us, it is time to dispatch people to reclaim the subsidiary spirit islands."

"So it shall be."

Kael nodded and said, "The 6-Winged Demon Race now has only 7 Eldrin Demons left. They must have been utterly terrified after the slaughter, and without the aid of a Fifth-Realm Demon Vessel, they no longer pose any threat."

Everyone nodded in unison upon hearing this, agreeing to the proposal of reclaiming the formation core once more.

Seeing their agreement, Eldrin smiled faintly, but just as he was about to speak, the entire Starfire Island suddenly trembled violently, and the glow enveloping the grand formation dimmed abruptly.

At the boundless ends of the world, where the Northern Xuanwu Star Palace stood, the spiritual radiance of the entire formation dimmed completely.

"Impossible!"

The sect master of Heavenly Abode turned deathly pale, his face contorting with an expression of utter disbelief and terror.

The destruction of the distant Black Tortoise Star Palace’s formation could only mean 1 thing: the archipelago serving as the formation’s keystone had completely dimmed.

However, within the Archipelago of the Black Tortoise Star Palace, there were 7 major constellation spirit islands and 60-7 fifth-rank primary star spirit islands. For so many formation cores to fall completely in such a short time was an extremely rare occurrence in thousands of years.

The Heaven Desolate Sect Master’s expression was flustered, his gaze filled with utter terror as he exclaimed, “The Archipelago of the Black Tortoise Star Palace is governed by the Primordial Immortal Clan Wang of the Extreme Northern Ice Plains, with over a 100 True Monarchs standing guard. How could it have been crushed in such a short span of time?”

Eldrin’s expression also shifted dramatically. He glanced at the surrounding True Monarchs and noticed that most of them had turned pale, their faces etched with a mix of trepidation and the urge to retreat.

No wonder everyone was seized with terror. Even the powerful islands of the Black Tortoise Star Palace had been shattered. Without a single Primal Chaos Dao Lord guarding them, how could the Vermilion Bird Islands possibly withstand such an assault?

At this critical moment, Eldrin steadied his mind and promptly spoke, "Everyone, do not panic. The most urgent matter now is to first understand what has occurred in the Black Tortoise Star Palace."

"Yes, yes, yes."

The Daoist of Celestial Desolation hastily spoke up, taking a deep breath before saying, "Within the White Tiger Star Archipelago, the 9 Abysses Dao Lord (Cultivator) also stands guard. Let us send a message to inquire about the situation."

"Yes, yes, send the message quickly."

Everyone chimed in agreement and immediately contacted the White Tiger Star Palace Archipelago.

Not long after, news from the White Tiger Star Archipelago reached Eldrin's hands.

After reading it, Eldrin quickly grasped the full context. He took a deep breath and declared, "Everyone, Wang Daojun of the Far North Ice Plains has been ambushed by 4 Extraplanetary Demonic Souls. The celestial demons have destroyed his physical form."

Now that his primordial spirit had fled the Astral Turtle Palace, the extraterrestrial demons seized the opportunity to breach the Astral Turtle Palace archipelago.

Hearing this, the crowd hastily glanced at the letter, and 1 by 1, expressions of dismay crept across their faces.

The Third Elder of the Heavenly Abode Sect flushed crimson with rage, unable to restrain his outburst. "How could Elder Lord Wang be so reckless? He didn’t even bother to assess our opponent’s strength before charging into battle?"