Demon Cultivator in Abyssal Era

Although the atmosphere of the banquet was lively and the participants weren’t wearing sorrowful looks, instead chatting and laughing, there was a faint yet unshakeable sadness in the depths of everyone’s eyes.

This sadness stemmed from the grief of losing comrades and the doubt in their faith from being used as bait and cast aside.

It’s like a wave of passionate blood crashing against a cold stone wall.

But at this moment, heavy footsteps echoed from a distance, and everyone turned to see a tall figure slowly walking onto the stage.

At the sight of that figure, the air seemed to freeze; everyone held their breath involuntarily.

With hair like a lion’s mane, it was the King of Slaughter!

No one expected a Celestial King to arrive today!

The King of Slaughter, who commanded the army, held an unparalleled position in the military. He himself symbolized the God of War and was held in the highest regard by every soldier!

In the past, even these General Tier and King Tier high-ranking soldiers found it difficult to see the King of Slaughter in person! They could only hear tales of this Celestial King from the veterans.

No one expected such an esteemed Celestial King would personally come to visit these soldiers.

Then the King of Slaughter strode up to the podium, his lion-like, majestic gaze swept across the crowd in succession. He first bowed his head in silent tribute to the soldiers who died in battle. After a minute, he looked up and spoke calmly: "I am here to congratulate you on your triumphant return and to thank you for your service to the nation."

As his words fell, a round of applause instantly erupted below.

However, in the midst of the crowd, Zhang Qingshan felt as if this applause carried a hint of perfunctoriness.

In the past, let alone receiving personal gratitude from the King of Slaughter, even seeing him from afar was an event to boast about with comrades for three days and nights.

But now, after the battle in Peng City, many began to question their beliefs; in their hearts, the King of Slaughter seemed to have shed the halo of a God and become a man, a powerful man.

Even Zhang Qingshan found himself not as excited as he imagined he would be. Although he clapped hard, a faint sadness lingered in his heart.

But at this moment, the voice of the King of Slaughter rang out again: "Besides thanking you, I am also here to explain."

Explain?

The crowd was taken aback by the word.

The calm voice of the King of Slaughter continued: "I know that after this battle, many doubts have arisen in everyone’s hearts. Doubt whether the military is sending you to die, doubt whether, in the eyes of the nation, you are merely disposable chess pieces."

"Here, I will not explain the tragic casualties of this battle because soldiers must always be ready to sacrifice! They must face the most extreme and dangerous battles!"

"In the future, there will be battles a thousand times more brutal. Not only you, but even the Heroic Spirit, the Demigod, even myself could die!"

The words of the King of Slaughter weighed heavily on everyone’s faces.

The crowd had thought the King of Slaughter would say something to boost morale, but instead, he bluntly spoke the truth.

The truth everyone was avoiding.

No one wants to die; they only use patriotism to convince themselves not to fear death.

Seeing the expressions of the crowd, the King of Slaughter sighed lightly: "I know what I should say now. I should say your sacrifice is noble; I should say you are heroes defending the nation and say you are fighting for your families."

"These are all true, but I don’t want you to throw your lives away in a moment of passion."

"The path of a soldier is an extremely arduous one. Relying on passion to move forward, when faced with the difficulty of death, you will shrink back and become fearful! You must clearly understand what you are fighting for, whether the beliefs you have always held onto are worth staking your life on, to walk down this thorny path."

"And today, I am here to explain the reasons behind the government’s plans and to give you a choice!"

The words of the King of Slaughter made everyone look at him seriously.

Under the gaze of everyone, the King of Slaughter continued: "The government kept this operation secret from you because it must be executed with absolute secrecy. The Extreme Dao’s infiltration is too deep; any leakage could alert the Outer Realm Demon and cause the carefully prepared plan to collapse."

"But I can assure you, sending you into danger is not about using you as cannon fodder bait. This is a battle that cannot be avoided!"

"Whether we defend passively or take the offensive, the Outer Realm Demon will descend at an opportune time. Since this is the case, it is better to trigger this landmine early when we are prepared! The cost is lowest at this time!"

"If we wait for the Outer Realm Demon to act, more people will die, and a more painful price will be paid!"

"So, you were not deceived into entering a perilous situation, but you have bravely stepped onto a battlefield that must be faced eventually!"

The words of the King of Slaughter moved many.

Yes, this is a battlefield that must be faced sooner or later, although everyone knew nothing of the plan. Yet it was indeed under thorough preparation that they struck a hefty blow to the Outer Realm Demon!