Chapter 847 - 846: Total Evacuation! What is the Human Race Up To?

"Captain Shi, orders from above!"

A soldier clutching a Sound Transmission Talisman jogged up the city wall and shouted at Captain Shi, whose face was smeared with blood and grime.

Captain Shi had just hacked down a charging Sea Demon. Foul, dark green blood still dripped from his blade. He wiped away the blood spattered across his face and frowned at the Sound Transmission Talisman.

"What do the higher-ups say? How much longer do they need us to hold out?" he asked.

The soldier looked troubled and replied in a low voice, "The higher-ups ordered us to abandon the Southwest Defense Line and evacuate to the Northeast Defense Line immediately. No delays."

"What?!" Captain Shi’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. "The Southwest Defense Line barely has any defenders left as it is. It’s only holding because our squads are making a stand! If we evacuate, this place will fall instantly. Once the Sea Demons break through here, they’ll flank the Northeast Defense Line from behind. When that happens, the third defensive line will collapse entirely, and the Sea Demon Army will march straight in and assault the fourth line!"

Captain Shi grew more agitated as he spoke, his fists clenching until his knuckles popped. Taking a deep breath, he asked in confusion, "Have the Loose Cultivator reinforcement teams finished assembling?"

The soldier shook his head helplessly. "It’ll take at least another half an hour to assemble the Loose Cultivators. By the time they finish deploying at the fourth defensive line, it will take over an hour."

Captain Shi’s frown deepened, his face filled with bewilderment. "If the Loose Cultivators haven’t finished assembling, why are they in such a rush to make us retreat to the Northeast Defense Line? That’s where the main forces are stationed; it should be the most secure. Are they failing to hold the line over there? That shouldn’t be possible!"

The soldier hesitated before leaning close to Captain Shi’s ear, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Captain, the orders were issued by the commanding descendants of the Eight Great Clans. As for the exact reason, I don’t know, and I wouldn’t dare ask."

Captain Shi instantly understood. He slammed his palm fiercely against a nearby boulder. With a loud CRACK, the solid rock shattered to pieces.

"What the hell kind of stunt are those bastards trying to pull now?!"

Captain Shi had started out as a Loose Cultivator. He had only reached the position of Squad Leader by risking his life time and time again on the battlefield, slowly accumulating merits. Yet those scions of the Eight Great Clans were instantly given general-level ranks the moment they entered the military camp. Without a single contribution to their name, they held positions several ranks above his.

He wasn’t the only one. All the lower-ranking Loose Cultivator officers were incredibly disgruntled by this and had cursed them privately more times than they could count.

But what could they do about it? Defy military orders? Even if he managed to hold the defense line and achieve the strategic objective, he would undoubtedly face severe punishment afterward. At best, he’d be stripped of his uniform and kicked out of the City Guard Army; at worst, he’d be framed for colluding with the enemy and lose his life.

"Damn it! Bastards!" After a long string of curses, Captain Shi could only sigh in defeat. "Pass down the order! Evacuate to the Northeast Defense Line!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted, turned, and ran off to relay the command.

Meanwhile, all the Human Race squads stationed along the entire Southwest Defense Line received the exact same retreat order.

The soldiers were thoroughly confused and dissatisfied with the command, but military orders were absolute. They had no choice but to follow instructions and fall back to the Northeast Defense Line.

It didn’t take long for the Human Race defenders of the Southwest Defense Line to pull out completely. All that remained before the Sea Demons was a massive, thick city wall standing hundreds of meters tall.

In a mortal war, a wall of such height would be enough to instill despair in any invading army and force them to retreat. But for Sea Demons who had achieved success in Cultivation... this wall was no different from a few oversized rocks! It was virtually useless!

The only slight annoyance was the Defense Barrier covering the wall.

However, the Sea Demon Race had come prepared. Over a dozen female Sea Demons with human upper halves and fish-like lower halves sauntered out from the ranks. Their dripping, dark green hair perfectly concealed their bare chests. The fish tails below their waists were covered in silver-blue scales that sparkled in the sunlight. They were Mermaids.

Their individual combat strength was lacking—they couldn’t defeat a Human Race Cultivator of the same Realm in a head-on fight. However, they possessed innate sonic Talents, flawless bodies, and enchanting voices. They specialized in using sound waves to dismantle all kinds of barriers and Arrays.

The Mermaids lined up, turned toward the city wall, and opened their mouths in unison. A beautiful yet eerily captivating song rang out. Invisible sound waves rippled outward, spreading toward the wall.

The Defense Barrier on the wall continuously vibrated under the assault of the song. The barrier’s light flickered, dimming rapidly at a visible Speed.

Less than three minutes later, a crisp CRACK echoed through the air. The barrier covering the entire Southwest Defense Line shattered, dissipating into the air like a shower of glowing rain.

With the barrier gone, the Sea Demons instantly let out excited roars and swarmed forward, charging madly toward the city wall.

Leading the charge were three exceptionally massive Sea Demons, each towering over a hundred meters tall like three small mountains. They looked like monstrous octopuses magnified countless times over. Each held a massive black reef rock native to the ocean floor. The rocks were larger than the city gates and absurdly heavy, yet in the grasp of the three giant Sea Demons, they looked as light as peas, carried without the slightest effort.

The giant Sea Demons sprinted at the very front with heavy strides, each step shaking the earth and mountains. In just a dozen steps, they crossed a distance of several kilometers and arrived at the base of the wall.

Standing up straight, the giant Sea Demons were a full head taller than the hundred-meter wall. They looked down at the empty battlements. Wielding their massive reef rocks, they readied themselves to smash the wall to pieces with all their might.

Suddenly, a cold, sharp gleam of light flashed across the city wall, moving so fast it left only an afterimage.

The three giant Sea Demons froze mid-swing. They stood rooted to the spot, their eyes glazed over.

Several seconds passed.

SHLICK!

Blood sprayed outward. The three massive, hundred-meter-tall bodies simultaneously split perfectly in half down the middle.

BOOM!!!

Their heavy corpses crashed to the ground, kicking up a sky-high cloud of dust and debris.

The Sea Demons charging behind them immediately faltered and skidded to a halt in unison. They widened their eyes, staring at the corpses of the giant Sea Demons in utter disbelief.

They thought, "Those were three massive Sea Demons at the Void Refinement Realm! Even if an Integration Realm Human Race Cultivator had struck, it shouldn’t be possible to instantly kill them like that! Could it be... there’s an ambush on the wall? No wonder the Human Race Cultivator squads suddenly retreated in the middle of the battle. It was all a ploy to lower our guard! Hmph! You Human Race Cultivators sure love playing these boring little tricks!"

The intelligence of the Sea Demon Race was generally low, with most fighting purely on instinct. However, not all Sea Demons were dull-witted. The Sea Demon Commander in charge of directing the southwestern assault was no less intelligent than any Human Race general. Its height and appearance were almost entirely indistinguishable from a human’s, possessing a slender build. Only its dark green skin and the fins behind its ears betrayed its identity as a member of the Sea Demon Race.

The Sea Demon Commander gazed at the city wall, its eyes freezing cold. It didn’t immediately order the Sea Demons to launch an all-out assault; instead, it waved a hand, ordering the horde to stand by and wait for the dust to settle. It wanted to see exactly what kind of expert the Human Race had lying in ambush, daring to play cheap tricks here.