Chapter 356 - 167: The Jiangbei Defense Line Has Taken Shape

Chapter 356: Chapter 167: The Jiangbei Defense Line Has Taken Shape

"Right here."

"When faith crumbles, it’s a terrifying thing. It makes death several times more painful."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man had already reached the top of the City Wall.

The top of the No. 7 Defense Line’s wall was extremely wide. Carriages pulled by Skeleton Horses rushed back and forth, transporting supplies, while several nearby Architects inspected and repaired the turrets mounted on the ramparts.

The middle-aged man led Shao Qiu and his party to the coastal parapet. He gazed into the distance, his eyes fixed on the dark, deep blue waves, and murmured.

"There’s a power in the Guanxi Plain called the Heaven-Hating Sect."

"It’s one of the top powers in Guanxi."

"The other powers might not have offered help, but at least they just ignored us. The Heaven-Hating Sect was the only one that sent aid... but it was just a single Ghost Stone."

"The cost of sending someone here was more than that single stone was worth."

"It felt like a mockery, a taunt disguised as aid. It honestly made everyone rather angry."

"But..."

"In the end, that Ghost Stone was still turned into a cannonball and fired at the Ghost Tide. So I guess it was some help after all."

"I don’t know if the No. 7 Defense Line can survive the rainy season at the end of the year. The situation on the Eternal Night Frontline is so critical they can barely pull away even when it’s not the rainy season. There’s been no time to build up the Jiangbei Defense Line either. Perhaps..."

"The fate of the Eternal Night Continent is truly sealed."

"..."

Shao Qiu stood silently on the City Wall, his gaze fixed on the coast. The sea here was blacker than in Jiangbei. Beyond the defense line, the waters along the shore were stained a deep, purplish-black with Ghost Blood, flecked with multicolored lights.

Like ants, countless people were swarming over the corpses of Ghost Objects, carving out Ghost Stones and stuffing them into sacks.

This was clearly a defense line that had just recently endured a great battle.

He finally understood. The Mortal Realm Defense Line was already far stronger than the defenses of the Four Areas Jiangbei—stronger even than the originally envisioned Jiangbei Defense Line. And yet, the Domain Lord was still not satisfied.

The Domain Lord wasn’t just looking at Jiangbei.

His sights were set much further.

He was considering what the Mortal Realm would do if the Eternal Night Frontline ever fell.

...

「Guanxi Plain.」

Within the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land, the Grand Elder heaved a long sigh. He looked at the Saint Master, who was seated at a tea table and fiddling with something, and spoke in a raspy voice.

"Do you ever feel like you’ve made a mistake?"

"Eight years ago, if you had killed Shao Qiu directly instead of just taking a piece of his soul, then perhaps the Shao Qiu of today, the Mortal Realm Dark Pavilion Master, wouldn’t exist? Wouldn’t we have one less threat to worry about?"

"And even if the Mortal Realm is a rising power from Jiangbei whose strength can’t be underestimated, why did we have to send them Ghost Stones on three separate occasions? Our Ghost Stones don’t just grow on trees, you know."

"And that’s not all."

"Before the rainy season, when the No. 7 Defense Line in the Guandong Plain requested aid, you gave them a huge batch of Ghost Stones as well, Saint Master."

"Saint Master, don’t you feel like you’re just giving away our fortune? Anyone who asks seems to get something from you."

The Saint Master of the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land looked up at the Grand Elder, his expression serious. "I took my position as Saint Master nine years ago. In these nine years, has the number of Ghost Stones in our Warehouse not steadily increased?"

"It has..."

The Grand Elder’s voice suddenly lost its conviction. It was true that while the Saint Master was constantly giving away their wealth, the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land had indeed been developing better and better since he took charge nine years ago.

The Saint Master sighed, rising to walk to the window. "I didn’t kill Shao Qiu back then for two reasons. One, I recognized his talent. Two, for a seventeen-year-old to have founded the Godslaying Hall and reached such a high level of Cultivation... I suspected he had a powerful backer. I didn’t want to kill him and invite a future crisis upon us."

"As for sending compensation to the Mortal Realm, I thought it through. There was no real grudge between us to begin with."

"If we had gone to war, even if we won, we would have had to expend Ghost Stones. The amount we would have used would be far more than what I sent them."

"And as for aiding the No. 7 Defense Line, if it were to fall, do you really think the Guanxi Plain could remain unscathed?"

"Besides—"

"The No. 7 Defense Line is backed by the Eternal Night Hall. Offending the Eternal Night Hall is not a good idea."

"Then what about your scheme for Nameless Mountain? Weren’t you afraid of offending *that* person?" the Grand Elder couldn’t help but ask.

"How could that be considered an offense? I’ve already worked through the logic." The Saint Master’s face was dead serious. "That person has been gone for ages. That makes the Snow Lotus an ownerless treasure, finder’s keepers. Besides, it’s not like I actually got it, is it?"

"..."

The corner of the Grand Elder’s mouth twitched, but he remained silent. Ever since this Saint Master took charge, the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land’s list of enemies had grown shorter and shorter. In a place like the Guanxi Plain, which was in a constant state of turmoil, that was no easy feat.

Whenever a conflict brewed, the Saint Master would "work through the logic," inevitably concluding that there was no real grudge. He would then send a letter of apology along with compensation, and a war on the brink of erupting would fizzle out.

Before this Saint Master’s ascension, the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land sent out declarations of war.

After his ascension, they sent out letters of apology.

And you couldn’t argue with the results. While the other powers in the Guanxi Plain were mired in constant, draining warfare, the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land kept to itself and prospered in comfort. Their reserves of Ghost Stones had been growing ever since.

The only downside was losing a bit of face whenever they went out.

But they were far safer than before; backstabbings were now a rarity.

"And another thing—"

The Saint Master of the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land spoke, his face once again serious. "I’ve just worked through the logic again. The reason the Mortal Realm hasn’t replied is most likely because their correspondence is still in transit. After all, the Guanxi Plain is plagued by constant warfare. Our people can travel unhindered by raising the Banner of the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land, but it would surely be more troublesome for someone from the Mortal Realm to reach us."