C74 A Terrifying Battle a Spatial Node

When the secret realm was unveiled, the Demon Race felt its impact most profoundly. Throughout history, this realm had been accessed numerous times, yet aside from the one in Silverdeer, no other opening had ever drawn such a multitude of Demonic Beasts!

"Is this what you're basing your confidence on?" Zhou Guorong's gaze flickered briefly before settling into a serene calm. The three mighty Demon Kings also appeared assured, their earlier tension noticeably eased.

"A battle would indeed cost us dearly, but your Third Fleet..." The winged man glanced at the Third Fleet, a sly smile playing on his lips. "I suppose it would be erased from history!"

Indeed, this was no overstatement. Despite the Third Fleet's standing as the fourth most formidable fleet globally, facing off against five hundred elite Demons would result in a costly victory at best. Henceforth, the Third Fleet would cease to be what it once was.

"We are determined to claim this secret realm!" he declared. "Should you choose to stubbornly oppose us, then the consequences are on your head..."

Before the Demon King could even finish his sentence, Zhou Guorong's arm came down. In that instant, the sky was ablaze with light, and an overwhelming force surged...

Chu Yi and Lee Zi had turned ashen. They could hardly believe Zhou Guorong's audacity to initiate combat so abruptly! Clearly, it wasn't just Chu Yi, a human, who was caught off guard; the Demonic Beasts were equally taken by surprise. They had emerged with bluster, aiming to deter the Third Fleet through sheer intimidation. But who could have predicted Zhou Guorong's disregard for decorum, launching an attack before the opposition could even complete their challenge?

Instantly, over ten Great Demons, previously targeted, were reduced to dust. The gap between a Demon King and a Great Demon, akin to that between a Diamond and a War God, might seem slight, but it represented a profound qualitative difference. As it stood, over five hundred top-tier Great Demons were present, yet there were a mere three Demon Kings! Even within the Four Great Forbidden Areas, Demon Kings were exceedingly rare.

Even the most formidable Great Demons couldn't evade the onslaught of such intense firepower.

The sudden vanishing of over a dozen top-tier Great Demons sent the others into a frenzy.

Truth be told, these elite Great Demons had no desire to wage war against humans.

While the lower-tier Demonic Beasts might lack such foresight, the intelligence of these top-tier Great Demons was on par with that of humans.

They were acutely aware that a war with humans would lead to heavy human casualties, but ultimately, it would cost the demons their lives.

Yet, no one anticipated that Zhou Guorong would initiate combat so abruptly, without allowing any time for a reaction.

Now, reflecting on those who had fallen was pointless, as the battle had already been ignited.

In a flash, avian Great Demons took to the skies with a host of formidable beasts, charging into the void. At that moment, the Third Fleet unleashed an array of flying ships and chariots, sparking a battle of epic proportions.

Chu Yi and Lee Zi walked on, their complexions still ashen.

The spectacle unfolding overhead was breathtaking, with astonishing scenes unfolding one after another.

Many top-tier beasts revealed their true forms, transforming into colossal entities over five hundred meters tall, casting shadows as dark as storm clouds and exuding an overwhelming sense of dread. They clashed violently with the myriad of flying ships.

The sky for miles around was painted with these harrowing images.

Some formidable beasts cleaved hundred-meter-long ships in half with a single swipe, while others, even before they could draw near, were riddled with light, plummeting into the abyss.

The sight was both horrifying and awe-inspiring, with a myriad of intersecting lines continuously challenging Lee Zi's perception.

Chu Yi, however, quickly regained his composure after his initial shock.

After all, despite being confined to the Immortal Demon Temple for five thousand years, each opening of the temple drew countless supreme beings from the Immortal Demon World, vying for entry and sparking conflicts of legendary scale.

In comparison to the fearsome beings of the Immortal Demon World who could effortlessly alter the fabric of reality, the current events seemed trivial.

Chu Yi was taken aback, but his astonishment was reserved for the sci-fi-like spectacle before him—the exhilaration of lifeforms clashing with titanic steel beasts.

"Alright, enough daydreaming. Let's get moving."

It was fortunate that Zhou Guorong still retained some semblance of rationality; he hadn't made the secret realm beneath them a target of his attack.

After all, Zhou Guorong had arrived with the full might of the Third Fleet, and their mission wasn't to deal with the Demonic Beasts. The secret realm was the priority; in comparison, the Demonic Beasts were insignificant.

If their assault damaged the space housing the secret realm, resulting in any harm, it would render their entire operation a significant loss.

Thus, Chu Yi and Lee Zi found themselves in the safest position.

They made their way stealthily. Lee Zi and Chu Yi observed that the Bronze and even Silver Level Demonic Beasts within the dense forest were shivering, lacking even the courage to stir.

This was the fundamental distinction between lifeforms. The Demonic Beasts that had ascended to the stature of Great Demons, comparable to Gold Level Generals, could face the situation with relative composure. But the Commanders and elite Demonic Beasts couldn't cope. Overwhelmed by such formidable authority, their only recourse was to hope the conflict wouldn't reach them.

And so, they pressed on in silence.

The exact location of the secret realm's emergence was unknown to both Demonic Beasts and humans.

Humans, of course, were in the dark, but even the Demonic Beasts...

They could sense that the secret realm would materialize somewhere within this forest, but its precise location eluded them.

Chu Yi, however, was different.

Detecting subtle shifts in spiritual energy was challenging, but with careful attention, Chu Yi could pinpoint them.

Now, he was tracking down the spatial node, guided by his senses.

Typically, the unveiling of a secret realm would manifest from an alternate dimension.

A spatial node acted as the sole link between the secret realm's dimension and our world. If shattered, the secret realm would fail to materialize.

As the two dimensions converged, the spatial node would be utterly torn asunder, unleashing spatial turbulence.

The secret realm would then be drawn into our world by this maelstrom of spatial chaos.

Following his instincts, Chu Yi finally reached the vicinity of the spatial node.

There were only a few Demonic Beasts in the vicinity, all at the Bronze Level, without a single one reaching the Silver Level.

Chu Yi, however, was uncertain of the exact location of the node.

For Chu Yi, just pinpointing the approximate location of the node was quite a feat.

"Let's wait here for a bit."

"I can sense the spatial node beginning to rupture."

A glint of excitement shone in Chu Yi's eyes.

After much wandering, just as they were about to abandon the secret realm, they found themselves back here.

This time was different from before.

Previously, Chu Yi feared encountering the formidable demons upon exiting the secret realm.

But now, things had changed!

With the Third Fleet in play, the outcome was unpredictable.

Moreover, judging by Zhou Guorong's determination, it seemed he was set on claiming the secret realm!

Thus, they had no concerns about their departure.

Waiting was tedious, especially in such a setting.

Even though Zhou Guorong had ordered the Third Fleet not to attack this forest, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't be affected by the residual effects.

After all, the combatants above represented the planet's most fearsome forces.

Within nearly a thousand kilometers, the sky was ablaze with artillery fire, and the innate abilities of various demon races were displayed in full force. One by one, formidable demons perished, and spaceships plummeted to the earth in fiery descents!

The spectacle was far more astonishing than any science fiction blockbuster Chu Yi had seen in his past life.

Watching the dwindling numbers of demons and the Third Fleet, Chu Yi felt a pang of emotion.

The Third Fleet would likely be decimated after this battle, but the demons would suffer a devastating blow as well.

As Lee Zi had mentioned, the loss of five hundred elite demons was insurmountable, even for the demon race's forbidden zones.

It was probable that all the elite demons that could be mobilized from the three forbidden zones had been dispatched here, making the demons' losses this time beyond imagination.

"Maybe..."

"They had everything planned out before the war even started..."

Lee Zi was momentarily taken aback by Chu Yi's comment.

Chu Yi gazed deeply at the falling demons and spaceships in the sky, exhaling a profound sigh.

"Humanity has largely focused its energy outward, on the advancement of our civilization."

"This has given the demons a chance to breathe and even to start plotting against humans," Lee Zi remarked.

"But what of the demons after this battle? The Third Fleet may have been decimated, but what about them?"

The demons...

They won't be able to wreak havoc any longer!

The Third Fleet's duty was to protect the Adirang Region, to prevent the demons from causing chaos.

Now...

Forget causing chaos; these demons will probably end up sealing themselves away!

"Sacrificing the Third Fleet for internal peace among humans allows us to confidently pursue our civilization's upgrade..."

"And once the upgrade is successful..."

Lee Zi fell silent too.

Indeed, if humanity's civilization upgrade is successful, we will undoubtedly be blessed with the Origin Source Laws of the universe. The number of monsters and geniuses among us will grow, and our technological constraints will be broken!

Then, the demons on Earth will be insignificant. If humans choose to, we could easily wipe them out without any significant cost!

In that moment, Lee Zi seemed to grasp Chu Yi's perspective.

Yet...

She looked up at the countless warships plummeting from the sky.

"Is it truly worth it?"

Each ship of the Third Fleet carried thousands of humans, and the Fleet's soldiers alone numbered over ten million.

If the Third Fleet were to fall in this battle...

Tens of millions...

The thought made Lee Zi's heart quiver.

Chu Yi was at a loss for words.

He had witnessed the fall of billions in the Immortal Demon World, but those had no connection to him.

He had only felt the grandeur, without any real emotional impact.

But now...

Potentially tens of millions of humans could die—his own kind!

How could Chu Yi's heart remain still?

He inhaled deeply: "These aren't decisions we can make."

Chu Yi believed the sacrifice was justified, but he himself could never issue such an order, even knowing it might be the right choice. Perhaps there was too much compassion in his heart.

He scoffed at himself: "Maybe people like us are never meant to be commanders..."

Lee Zi gave a slight nod, and a hush fell over the room.

The battle had been raging for a while, and both the Third Fleet and the demonic forces had suffered staggering losses. In the span of just half an hour, more than a hundred elite demons had been eradicated from existence, and the death toll for the ordinary demons had surpassed a thousand! Such a victory was nothing short of spectacular. In fact, the number of demons slain by humanity in the last ten years didn't even come close to the count of this brief but brutal encounter.

Yet, the Third Fleet had paid a price beyond imagination. At least half of their small and medium-sized spacecraft were lost, and the casualty rate for the large warships exceeded thirty percent. Shockingly, one of the four Interstellar Command Ships had been lost forever. This level of devastation was unprecedented in the history of the Third Fleet.

Amidst the chaos, Zhou Guorong, locked in combat with the three mighty Demon Kings in the void, remained stoic. His expression was unchanging, suggesting that all of this may have been anticipated. Perhaps it was all indeed part of his grand strategy.

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