Chapter 589: A Victory? More Like Mutual Destruction

The sky gradually dimmed, the afterglow of the sunset painting its last, dark brushstroke across the horizon.

Chen Che stood on a hilltop, watching the crowd search everywhere for their comrades. The moment Mist Rain Tower retreated, some cultivators had simply collapsed, never to get up again. The cultivators of Jinyun Valley carried these physically and mentally exhausted companions back to their temporary camp.

The beast tide, now out of control, had mostly fled, but a small portion refused to leave. There were even many beasts that had yet to develop spiritual intelligence, gnawing on the corpses on the ground. As they ate, a glint of cunning suddenly flashed through their muddled eyes.

They were demonifying.

A few nearby cultivators glanced over. Seeing the newly demonified wolf cowering with its tail between its legs, looking utterly terrified, they couldn’t even be bothered to act.

Meng Changtu stood atop the Mudskipper Shrimp, his gaze sweeping gravely across the entire battlefield.

His father-in-law’s expression was incredibly complex. He was a far cry from the high-spirited man he had been upon his Core Formation. In the centuries before reaching Core Formation, he had seen occasional battles, but never anything on this scale.

Perhaps.

Centuries from now, the tales told by both mortals and cultivators would surely express their awe at this day’s battle.

“Mr. Che, we still won! We beat back Mist Rain Tower!” Meng Qingxuan had also deployed with the army. With her level of strength, she was originally only responsible for coordinating military supplies for Jinyun Valley, but today, she had been forced to join the fray.

Her lovely face was covered in glistening beads of sweat. She held up a large cloak and draped it over Chen Che’s shoulders.

“Yes, we won!”

Chen Che forced a faint smile.

‘Is this what victory looks like?’

Nearly two hundred Spiritual Boats had set out with the army. How many were left? Seventy percent. And this was only the first battle. After the initial joy, an endless sense of complexity washed over Chen Che’s heart.

‘For those of us on the chessboard, there are no winners. The victors are always the ones playing the game.’

“Victory and defeat are a common part of war…” The old man didn’t know what else to say. The matter of the “players” behind the scenes was a taboo they couldn’t touch—at least, not with their current strength.

A melodious zither-like sound drifted from some unknown mountaintop.

It then began to echo across Chu State. The True Essence imbued in the music wasn’t immense, but the melody was gentle and moving. Under its influence, everyone’s state of mind seemed to grow calm.

“The Soul-Calming Spell.”

Chen Che immediately recognized the piece from its melody.

It was a piece used everywhere, from the Mortal World to the Cultivator World. Besides soothing the heart, it also had the effect of pacifying the souls of the dead. The cultivator playing it clearly didn’t have a high cultivation, so it had little effect on most cultivators.

At least, not on Chen Che.

“Have the casualties been tallied? Have the surrounding Demon Beasts been cleared? Is the camp set up yet?”

The war had just begun. This was no time for sentimental brooding.

Chen Che’s voice snapped many of the silently weeping cultivators back to their senses. Immediately, a cacophony of shouts, reports from other cultivators, and the sound of Meng Qianxun’s Horn erupted.

By the time everyone had retreated to the temporary camp, the sky had grown completely dark.

However, torches were immediately lit, one after another, bathing the ravaged Chu State in a crimson glow.

The two sects and their various Halls separated into their own areas.

Besides the torches, bonfires were also burning. Although the Thirteen Water Light Array that Mist Rain Tower had set up as they left prevented the two major sects from pursuing, it also gave them time to rest and recuperate.

The bodies of the fallen cultivators were placed one by one onto the bonfires. Their ashes would be collected in urns and sent back to their home territories with their respective quartermasters. As for the members of Mist Rain Tower, they received no such courtesy. After being burned to ash, they would most likely be scattered across this land.

Other cultivators were busy collecting the spoils of war.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much.

In a massive, grueling battle like this, not many Weapons survived intact. Even those that could be repaired for a second use were few and far between; most had already lost their Spiritual Qi. This included the Weapons and Magical Artifacts belonging to Wen Chaocan and Wen Tianhong, the former and next Hall Masters of the Azure Dragon Hall.

The Sword Pill was too powerful.

Very few Spiritual Artifacts could even maintain their original shape after being struck by the Sword Pill.

However, there was an exception.

Wen Chaocan’s Profound Turtle.

Chen Che had struck this Profound Turtle with his Gourd, causing the mountain on its back to collapse by half. With its master dead, and Wen Yangxi having failed to take it when he fled, it was now hiding in its Turtle Shell.

Xiao Chan discovered it while leading a team to clear out the surrounding Demon Beasts. He immediately called over several Golden Core cultivators, who brandished chains and tried to drag the Profound Turtle back to camp. But it was, after all, the Spirit Pet of the Azure Dragon Hall’s Hall Master; for a time, they were unable to subdue it.

Seeing them struggling, many Foundation Establishment cultivators spontaneously joined in. Over a thousand people heaved on the Profound Turtle, carving a deep trench into the hard, rocky ground before they finally managed to drag the roaring, struggling beast back to the camp.

Chen Che walked over to the Profound Turtle. With a wave of his hand, he swept away the remnants of the mountain from its Turtle Shell.

“A Profound Turtle. In the Black Tortoise Calm Sea, it’s the only type of turtle that can go head-to-head with a Dragon Turtle.” The old man stood beside Chen Che, stroking the turtle’s back. “However, its lifespan isn’t as long as a Dragon Turtle’s, and its potential isn’t as high either.”

“Can we tame it?”

That was all Chen Che cared about. He could tell this Profound Turtle was strong. If they could tame it, it would surely be a great asset in their counterattack against Mist Rain Tower.

“It’s unlikely. A Demon Beast of this level of power is not likely to switch its allegiance, even if its master has died.” Meng Qianxun’s answer disappointed Chen Che. “The odds are against it.”

“That’s right. I heard that after Wen Chaocan reached Core Formation, he came across this Profound Turtle by chance in the Black Tortoise Calm Sea. He stayed by its side for a full seventeen years, and it was only after it was injured by another Demon Beast and he nursed it for several more years that it finally agreed to an equal contract with him.”

His father-in-law also came to Chen Che’s side and patted the mountain-sized old turtle.

“Have our people take turns trying. If someone succeeds, it will serve Jinyun Valley for thirty years. If not, so be it. We’ll slaughter this Profound Turtle and make it into soup… After such a grueling battle, everyone needs to replenish their strength, and I don’t have the energy for Alchemy right now.”

Chen Che glanced at the giant turtle.

From within its shell, the Profound Turtle’s eyes were secretly watching him.

“Alright. Let our own people try first, then the vassal families. Have them go in order from highest cultivation to lowest.”

Meng Qianxun agreed with Chen Che’s proposal. The Thirteen Water Light Array’s Sealing would only last for three days. They would likely rest for a few more days before setting out, and no one wanted to waste time on a Spirit Pet that was unlikely to submit.

“I remember there was a giant python. Did it escape?”

The mention of the Profound Turtle reminded Chen Che of the unknown giant python that had blocked the Mudskipper Shrimp earlier. Its size had been nearly on par with the late Wangxian Monarch, so it too must have been a Demon Beast with an ancient bloodline.

“Zhao Shifeng and Chen Xi have taken some people to pursue it,” his father-in-law said in a low voice.

“Try to tame it if you can. If not, slaughter it. Don’t let it escape under any circumstances.” Chen Che glanced at the Profound Turtle before him again and let out a long sigh. “No wonder Mist Rain Tower is called a top-tier Golden Core Influence. Their strength truly cannot be underestimated.”

This statement resonated with everyone present.

They were the elites of the two major sects, having set out with the goal of wiping out Mist Rain Tower completely. Yet, a single ambush had cost them thirty percent of their forces. If he hadn’t been holding the line, their side would have likely been crushed by the Azure Dragon Hall long ago.

Strictly speaking, any one of the enemy’s Four Great Halls was equivalent in strength to the combined total of two Halls from powers like the Primordial Sect or the Star-Picking Sect.

“I don’t know how the war will unfold from here. This battle has cost us dearly,” the old man sighed as well.

Chen Che nodded and was about to speak when a sudden commotion arose in the distance.

‘It couldn’t be Duobao, could it?’

Meng Qingxuan stood on her tiptoes.

Hearing her words, everyone simultaneously drew their Weapons and spun around. SWISH! It was clear that Duobao’s sudden betrayal at the end of the previous battle had left the people of Jinyun Valley with significant psychological trauma.

Chen Che looked up and saw that the cultivators outside the camp had formed ranks, creating a human wall to block several Golden Core cultivators, the leader of whom was none other than Yu Yunko. Not knowing Yu Yunko’s relationship with Jinyun Valley, everyone was on high alert, ready in case they had come to cause trouble.

Chen Che held up his hands to placate them.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go take a look.”