Chapter 847 : Retreat and the Unyielding Vow

"Senior!"

Eldrin Chen's eyes were bloodshot, his heart yearning to lend another hand, yet he was held back by Sage Lord Dorian.

Sea-Calmer Path Master also grasped his arm, his expression grave as he said, "We cannot perish here. How else shall we defend the Eastern Region Great Wasteland?"

"Preserve our strength first. We shall plan our counterattack another day."

Eldrin Chen's heart ached with a wrenching pain. Leading the others, he turned back with every third step, his gaze lingering, yet his resolve hardened. With murderous intent, he finally charged determinedly towards the periphery of the battlefield.

At the moment of parting, he witnessed the Black Dragon soaring into the sky. He saw one Path Lord after another stepping forward to hold the line, embracing death as their rearguard duty. He beheld the mighty figures who had once shaken the world, one by one, finding their final rest in that very soil.

Only after a long while, having fought their way through chaos for millions of Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], did they finally break free from the tumultuous fray. They caught up with the Human Race fleet of Treasure Ship [enchanted vessels used for long-distance travel and warfare], which had withdrawn from the Cosmic Stellar Islands.

Several days later, Primordial Spirit Path Lord [cultivators who have condensed their spiritual essence into a Primordial Spirit] began to return one after another, each bearing significant injuries.

Finally, three days thereafter, Master of the Horizon Pavilion summoned everyone aboard the Primordial Solar Treasure Ship named 'Sea Pavilion World-Suppressing Ship'.

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Upon the Treasure Ship at this moment, all present gazed at the Master of the Horizon Pavilion seated at the head, awaiting his address.

The Master of the Horizon Pavilion swept his gaze over the assembled cultivators, noting that barely thirty Primordial Spirit Path Lord [cultivators who have mastered their Primordial Spirit and established their own Path] remained seated.

Even counting Eldrin Chen and others who possessed combat power rivaling a Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] despite being at the Half-Step Primordial Spirit [a transitional stage just below the Primordial Spirit realm], the total force barely numbered forty combatants of Primordial Spirit caliber. A shadow of gloom passed through his eyes.

The battle had been fought with devastating ferocity. The combined forces of the human, demon, and fiend races within the Purple Seal Realm had originally mustered little more than one hundred and fifty Primordial Spirit cultivators.

For this engagement, the Human Race had committed over eighty Primordial Spirit Path Lord, joined by over thirty from the demon and fiend races, bringing the total to roughly one hundred and twenty Path Lords who took the field. It had been a near-total mobilization of their highest-tier strength.

Yet, in the aftermath, more than three in ten of those Path Lords had fallen in battle. Another three in ten had their physical bodies utterly destroyed. Of those who remained with any fighting capacity, only these thirty or forty were left.

And even among those whose bodies remained intact, most bore grievous wounds. Their faces were pale, their vitality dimmed. What fraction of their true power they could still muster was anyone's guess.

Contemplating this, the Master of Horizon Pavilion could not suppress a wave of bitter sorrow.

He let out a heavy sigh before speaking. "Our Fellow Daoist Great Abyss [a respectful term for a fellow cultivator named Great Abyss] fell in battle within the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm [a chasm of concentrated demonic energy], covering our retreat."

"Boom—"

Though he had anticipated it, hearing it confirmed directly from the Master of Horizon Pavilion still felt like a great bell tolling against Eldrin Chen's soul, leaving his mind reeling and senses dulled.

The battle had been fought with devastating ferocity. The nine supreme powerhouses of the Purple Seal Realm were trapped within a Formation [a complex arrangement of energy used for defense, attack, or confinement], locked in a stalemate against the Eastern Sovereign's Physical Body [the preserved corporeal form of the ancient Eastern Sovereign].

Among the supreme powerhouses at the Primordial Spirit 9th Tier [the ninth and highest level of the Primordial Spirit cultivation stage] who had not entered the formation, the Master of Great Mystery Hall and the Primordial Flame Demon [a primordial demon lord of fire and chaos] had perished together. The Master of Solar Fire Hall had his physical body utterly destroyed and would be incapable of battle for centuries.

The Sword Saint Heaven Abandoned Lin and the Nine Nether Abyssal Demon Venerable had fought to a mutual standstill, their clash carrying them to the very edges of the boundless firmament. Both had sustained wounds of unprecedented severity and would likely require several hundred years to fully recover.

Now, with Path Master Great Abyss fallen in battle, the only one who could still muster significant combat strength was the Master of Horizon Pavilion alone.

Contemplating this, Eldrin Chen suppressed the turmoil in his heart, drew a deep breath, and asked, "Dare I ask, Senior, what path lies before us now?"

"Indeed, what are we to do?"

Upon hearing this, solemn expressions settled upon the faces of all present.

With the loss of the Cosmic Stellar Formation [a grand formation harnessing the power of stars and cosmos], the Human Race could only retreat in defeat, yet this conflict was far from over.

Fresh from this setback, with the great Immortal Clan [powerful clans with immortal heritage] and even the Primordial Spirit Path Lord [cultivators who have reached the Path Lord realm from a Primordial Spirit foundation] severely wounded, this was the perfect opportunity for the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon [demonic beings from realms beyond this world] to press their advantage and give chase.

If nothing unexpected occurs, the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon will undoubtedly launch another assault after a brief respite. Seizing the moment before the Human Race can recover its strength, they will aim to breach both the Eastern Sea Cultivation World and the Eastern Region Great Wasteland in one decisive strike.

At this thought, profound anxiety etched itself upon the faces of all present.

This battle has already been a bitter defeat for the Human Race, yet the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon also suffered grievous losses. Should both sides regroup and clash anew, the final victor remains uncertain.

After a millennium, some of the fallen Primordial Spirit Path Lord would return through Reincarnation [the cycle of death and rebirth], and once the survivors healed their wounds, they might even gradually suppress the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon once more.

However, if the Outer Realm Demon God were to seize the Eastern Region Great Wasteland and the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, the living space for the Human Race would shrink drastically, while the strength of the Outer Realm Demon God would recover with terrifying speed.

With one side waning and the other waxing, the Human Race would find it nigh impossible to expel the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon thereafter. They would be forced to watch helplessly as the Fiend Race continuously established more demonic Forbidden Land [regions corrupted by demonic energy and sealed off from the normal world]. This chapter is provided by audio . novel . com. Support the original.

Once the number of these demonic Forbidden Land surpassed a certain threshold, the Outer Realm Demon God could deploy the World-Refining Grand Formation [a grand demonic array designed to corrupt and consume an entire world], gradually eroding the very heavens and earth of the Purple Seal Realm and refining it into a Demonic Abyss Filthy Land [a realm utterly corrupted and saturated with demonic filth].

In this manner, within an estimated three thousand years, the Purple Seal Realm would be polluted beyond half, allowing the Outer Realm Demon God to completely refine and subjugate the will of this world's heavens and earth, transforming the entire Purple Seal Realm into mere sustenance for its cultivation.

By that time, the myriad living beings of the Purple Seal Realm would have nowhere to flee. Whether a common mortal or a Demigod Patriarch who once shook the world, all would become mere blood offerings for the Outer Realm Demon God.

Faced with such a dire and desperate situation, even the Master of Horizon Pavilion dared not show the slightest negligence.

He drew a deep breath, then spoke, "Our only course now is to rest and recuperate, then rely on the few sacred grounds within the Eastern Sea Cultivation World to face the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon horde in another battle."

"Only by repelling their assault can we blunt their momentum and win a precious respite for the myriad beings of our Purple Seal Realm."

"Another battle?"

The expressions of those present shifted, each face clouding with worry and hardship.

Every person here now bore significant injuries. Even with the support of the grand defensive formations of sacred lands like Dorian Immortal Island and the End of the World Sea Pavilion, victory was far from assured.

And to fight on would surely mean further casualties.

Seeing their troubled countenances, the Master of the Horizon Pavilion spoke again, his voice resolute. "Esteemed colleagues, this battle is our foundation, our stand."

"If we do not fight, the entire Eastern Sea Cultivation World will likely be surrendered. The Eastern Region Great Wasteland will most likely fall as well. What hangs in the balance are your kin, your disciples, and the very lands where you cultivate."

Hearing this, the several Path Lord from the Eastern Region Great Wasteland and the Eastern Sea nodded in agreement.

This concerned their most vital interests. To abandon the fight would be akin to carving flesh from their own bones. Naturally, they were in favor of standing their ground once more.

Sage Lord Dorian's gaze swept over the assembly, and he spoke decisively, "Do not fear him, everyone. Though our losses in this battle were grievous, the losses suffered by the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon [demonic beings from beyond this world] were even greater."

"If we stand united and summon fellow cultivators from the various holy lands still under our guard, the chance for victory is not yet lost."

Hearing his words, the others could only nod in somber agreement.

While the casualties for the Purple Seal Realm [a specific cultivation realm] were indeed severe, the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon had also paid a heavy price in blood.

Their numbers had been close to two hundred, yet Eldrin Chen and his companions had already slain over twenty of these demons during their initial skirmishes on the periphery.

In the brutal, full-scale battle that followed, the great powers of the Human Race fought with desperate fury. Path Master Great Abyss alone clashed with and ultimately felled seventeen Primordial Spirit Heavenly Demon [Heavenly Demons at the Primordial Spirit stage], a tally that included two at the Primordial Spirit Late Stage [the final phase of the Primordial Spirit realm]. Read the full novel exclusively on audio-novel`com.