Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8678 655-dispatching troops (1)

Li Ruohai's expression was exceedingly grim. It was his first time enduring such a significant loss. Even during the conflict with the Giant Demon Sect and the subsequent division of the Corpse Demon Sect, he had never faced such a setback. At that time, though the sect had fractured, he had been surrounded by his people. Now, however, he found himself utterly alone. This isolation was a profoundly unpleasant sensation. Despite his displeasure, Li Ruohai swiftly retrieved a portable teleportation array. He then examined the coordinates thereon, confirmed their accuracy, and immediately activated the array. A flash of white light enveloped him, and he vanished from his location.

Upon reappearing, he was positioned not far from Demon Corpse Island. He immediately soared towards the island, which was under a state of high alert. Gaining entry, however, proved effortless for Li Ruohai, as the island's formidable mountain-protecting formation posed no obstacle to him.

As Li Ruohai set foot on Demon Corpse Island, the disciples of the Corpse Demon Sect quickly registered his presence. They promptly offered salutations, but Li Ruohai merely acknowledged them with a nod. He then dispatched an order for someone to summon the Great Elder to his study, offering no further explanation.

Shortly after Li Ruohai's arrival in his study, the Great Elder appeared. Upon entering, the Great Elder regarded Li Ruohai with a degree of bewilderment, uncertain of the reason for his sudden return. However, a glimpse of Li Ruohai's expression caused the Great Elder's demeanor to shift instantly. He inquired, "Sect Master, what has transpired?"

Li Ruohai met the Great Elder's gaze, a bitter smile touching his lips. He replied in a deep tone, "Great Elder, we have been defeated!" Without waiting for the Great Elder's reaction, he proceeded to recount the entire ordeal. Upon concluding his account, he instructed, "Great Elder, dispatch individuals to investigate the situation. Ascertain also how many members of other sects managed to escape. Concurrently, maintain vigilance over our Corpse Demon Sect personnel."

The Great Elder assented wordlessly. After absorbing Li Ruohai's account, he understood that Li Ruohai's defeat was not without reason. No one could have possibly foreseen a cultivator acting as a spy for the Shadow Realm, executing such a ruthless betrayal. Furthermore, the Rahu Sect had not issued any prior retreat orders, making their defeat understandable. Consequently, the Great Elder offered no further comment and proceeded to fulfill his assigned tasks. Yet, he was acutely aware that this news would inevitably disseminate throughout the entire Blood Sea Realm with unprecedented speed, and the subsequent ramifications remained unknown.

Indeed, precisely as the Great Elder had foreseen, the news of the allied forces' defeat spread like wildfire across the Blood Sea Realm. Initial disbelief among the inhabitants quickly gave way to widespread panic. In their eyes, the combined forces of the major sects represented the zenith of power within the Blood Sea Realm. Their defeat at the hands of the Shadow Realm, achieved through a singular decisive action, sent shockwaves through the populace. While the methods employed by the Shadow Realm might have been questionable, the outcome was undeniable. The loss of over half a million soldiers, with fewer than 300,000 reportedly escaping, constituted a devastating blow. These were, after all, the elite forces of the various sects, and such a significant attrition could cripple them severely.

The major sects' failure cast a pall of despair over the entire Blood Sea Realm. A wave of pessimism swept through many, leading to the bleak conclusion that victory against the Shadow Realm's forces was an impossibility. The notion that the Blood Sea Realm was doomed gained considerable traction, with a large segment of the population echoing this sentiment.

In the interim, the major sects imposed a strict silence upon themselves, sealing off their respective territories and ceasing all external communication. This enforced isolation only served to amplify the prevailing rumors, lending them an air of veracity. Within the Blood Sea Realm, a small number of cultivators even resolved to seek out the Shadow Realm's army and formally surrender. Such an unprecedented occurrence had never before been witnessed.

At this critical juncture, the Blood Slaughter Sect and the Giant Demon Sect jointly issued a declaration to the outside world. They proclaimed that in three days' time, they would advance to the sea region controlled by the Shadow Realm's Army and engage them in battle. This announcement brought the entire Blood Sea Realm to a state of hushed anticipation, followed swiftly by countless individuals expressing their dissent with shaking heads.

Previously, the Blood Kill Sect was the first to declare their intention to confront the Shadow Realm's Army and similarly, they were the first to propose setting aside animosity for a united front. However, they did not march alongside the Corpse Demon Sect. This action made it clear to everyone in the Blood Sea Realm that the Blood Kill Sect had not relinquished their deep-seated hatred for the Corpse Demon Sect. Furthermore, the Corpse Demon Sect had preemptively acted, tarnishing the Blood Kill Sect's reputation. This strategem caused people to forget the Blood Kill Sect's initial declaration to attack the Shadow Realm's Army within a month. And now, with three days remaining, precisely one month had elapsed.

At this very moment, all eyes in the Blood Sea Realm were fixed upon the Blood Slaughter Sect, keenly awaiting to see if they would indeed dispatch their forces in three days or if their words were mere bluster. After all, an army forged from the combined might of several major sects had been annihilated in a single, decisive blow by the enemy. What efficacy would a combined force of the Blood Slaughter Sect and two other sects possess? Consequently, the entire realm observed the Blood Slaughter Sect, uncertain if their commitment to battle would be realized.

Meanwhile, within the Blood Slaughter Sect's domain, final preparations were underway. Though the spatial containment of their smaller vessels remained unchanged, all essential elements had been consolidated onto Elder Array's person. Elder Array, in his original form, was akin to an island, extending over a vast expanse. Thus, everyone, along with an array of resources, boarded Elder Array's expansive being.

Three days later, the army was finally assembled and ready. This expeditionary force, led by Zhao Hai and his comrades, comprised 500,000 soldiers. Of these, 400,000 were disciples of the Blood Slaughter Sect, and the remaining 100,000 were conscripts from the Giant Demon Sect. Originally, the Giant Demon Sect did not possess such a large number of disciples; however, reinforcements were later incorporated. These new recruits, not having undergone complete training, were deemed suitable only for retreat duties.

The disciples of the Blood Slaughter Sect were furthermore categorized into two distinct groups: cavalry and standard infantry. The cavalry, in turn, was further divided into specialized units: the abnormal cavalry and the Necromancer cavalry. Similarly, the ordinary disciples were also bifurcated into standard infantry and Necromancer infantry. Unbeknownst to all, Zhao Hai and his inner circle had also brought a substantial contingent of puppets.

During the Blood Slaughter Sect's former prominence, puppets were a considerable asset. Other sects had also employed them for a period. However, subsequent to the Blood Slaughter Sect's downfall, the utility of puppets for other sects diminished significantly. As a result, puppets were rarely utilized as primary combat assets by most sects.

What the various sects failed to comprehend was that the decline in their puppets' effectiveness was, in fact, orchestrated by Zhao Hai and his associates. In the past, these very puppets had been created by Zhao Hai. Although Zhao Hai could not immediately exact vengeance upon those sects after the Blood Slaughter Sect's destruction, he ensured that the puppets they possessed would become rendered useless. He had furthermore sworn an oath that, henceforth, these puppets would be exclusively serviceable to the Blood Slaughter Sect, and inaccessible to any other entity.

The representatives of the other sects remained ignorant of Zhao Hai's subtle inclusion of a hidden backdoor within the puppet's programming. This backdoor lay dormant, its existence unknown to anyone. However, upon Zhao Hai's activation of a specific formation, the puppets would gradually lose their efficacy. This degradation was not instantaneous but rather a slow decline, cunningly designed to foster the illusion that the puppets had genuinely become obsolete, thereby discouraging their further use without suspicion.

On this present campaign, Zhao Hai deployed a considerable number of improved puppets. These were refined versions of their initial counterparts, boasting greater sophistication. Equipped with blades, shields, and armor, these puppets possessed a remarkable capability: they could transform into serpents. Each serpentine form was distinguished by a single horn adorning its head, leading Zhao Hai to christen these advanced constructs the 'Horned Snake Puppets'.

These formidable puppets were not intended for assignment to the rank-and-file disciples of the Blood Slaughter Sect. Zhao Hai had astutely concluded that equipping ordinary disciples with these advanced puppets offered no discernible advantage. Not only would they lack the crucial combat experience to effectively wield them, but the puppets would also be susceptible to enemy capture. Therefore, instead of distributing them to the general disciples, Zhao Hai entrusted these puppets to a select few of his 'Metal Servants'.

The 'Metal Servants' that Zhao Hai referred to were, in essence, sentient metallic lifeforms resembling humanoid bronze figures. Possessing both spirit and intellect, they exhibited unwavering loyalty to Zhao Hai. It was to these loyal Metal Servants that Zhao Hai delegated command of the puppets, ensuring their perpetual security from enemy seizure. Furthermore, any puppet sustaining damage beyond a certain threshold would initiate a programmed self-destruction sequence.

Possessing array technology and being purely mechanical constructs, these new puppets were equipped with formidable offensive capabilities. They could deploy poisonous fog and other hazardous agents, alongside ranged weaponry such as miniature energy cannons, arrows, and Flying Needles, making them a truly challenging adversary.

Though manufactured by the Divine Arms Battalion using an assembly line, their numbers were limited to 100,000. Despite this constraint, these constructs boasted exceptional combat prowess, exhibiting zero fear and an utter disregard for their own demise, thus solidifying their status as superior soldiers.

Nevertheless, Zhao Hai harbored minimal expectations for these puppets. The adversaries hailing from the Shadow Realm possessed an astonishing immunity to physical attacks, which constituted the puppets' primary offensive strategy. Consequently, Zhao Hai intended to leverage these puppets for performance evaluation and future enhancements, effectively deploying them as experimental cannon fodder.

Conversely, Zhao Hai placed considerable faith in his cavalry. However, his optimism was not directed at the cultivators mounted on them, but rather at their steeds: the aberrations and undead creatures. Aberrations, mirroring the Shadow Realm inhabitants' ability to transmute into mist, were anticipated to possess a superior grasp of their enemies' vulnerabilities. Zhao Hai held high hopes for these mounts. Similarly, the undead creatures, having been empowered by the death Qi from the Corpse Demon Ancestor, had achieved an elevated state. Their assaults, imbued with a sliver of death Qi, were theorized to be effective against the Shadow Realm denizens. Confirmation of their efficacy, however, awaited direct confrontation.