Chapter 858 - 857: Why Defend? Just Kill!

Gu Yuexi was certain of one thing. The next wave of enemies charging at her would be nothing more than cannon fodder—mere Sea Demons at the Divinity Transformation and Void Refinement Realms. There probably wouldn’t even be many at the Integration Realm. Against attacks of this caliber, she could still hold out for a very long time.

Just as she was preparing to rest and meditate for a moment to recover some Divine Power, a familiar BUZZ approached from a distance, growing louder as it neared. Without even turning her head, Gu Yuexi knew exactly who it was.

"You’re back," Gu Yuexi said, her tone exceptionally calm. It was as natural as an ordinary wife hearing the sound of the front door opening and shoes being changed, casually asking her husband if he had eaten yet.

"Yup!" Chu Sheng replied as he flapped his wings and flew to Gu Yuexi’s side. He circled her once before speaking in surprise. "Not bad, Little Empress.

"In just this short amount of time, you’ve directly advanced from the Divinity Transformation Realm First Layer to the Divinity Transformation Realm Third Layer!

"This leveling speed is faster than riding a rocket!"

The corners of Gu Yuexi’s mouth turned up in an irrepressible smile. "The Cultivation Technique left behind by Immortal Venerable Shi Xi is indeed highly suitable for me.

"The speed at which it improves my Cultivation during battle is truly fast.

"I just killed over a hundred Sea Demons in succession, which allowed me to break through two levels consecutively.

"However, if I continue slaughtering them, the efficiency of my advancement won’t be as high. The marginal effect will become increasingly obvious."

"It’s already extremely impressive!" Chu Sheng waved his front legs, offering genuine praise. Then, changing the subject, his tone grew a bit more serious. "By the way, do you know why the City Guard Army defenders on the Southwest Defense Line suddenly withdrew completely?"

Gu Yuexi paused for a moment before shaking her head. "I don’t know. I didn’t pay attention to them."

Flapping his wings, Chu Sheng glanced toward the Sea Demon Army. "I was doing perfectly fine blending in with the Sea Demon Army, picking up corpses everywhere to upgrade the Soul-Collecting Butterflies.

"Suddenly, I noticed the Human Race’s City Guard Army rapidly retreating toward the northeast in small squads.

"I found it a bit strange—why would they abandon a perfectly good defense line?

"So, I quietly followed them.

"Guess what I discovered?"

Gu Yuexi played along and asked, "What did you discover?"

"Hehe, it’s quite interesting." Chu Sheng sneered, a hint of mockery in his tone. "A lot of Divine Power detection devices were set up along their retreat route."

Gu Yuexi frowned in confusion. "Isn’t that normal? Deploying Divine Power detection devices should be to prevent Sea Demons from infiltrating the retreating Human Race squads, right?"

Chu Sheng nodded. "That’s what I thought at first, too.

"I even assumed the City Guard Army’s retreat had some other strategic purpose.

"But after observing carefully for a while, I suddenly realized something wasn’t right.

"Guess what?" Chu Sheng paused for dramatic effect before speaking mysteriously. "The Cultivators operating the Divine Power detection devices were extremely targeted in their scrutiny.

"They specifically checked for three traits: female, young and beautiful, and Beast Tamer.

"If someone didn’t meet those criteria, they couldn’t even be bothered to spare them a glance."

Gu Yuexi was stunned. Female, young and beautiful, Beast Tamer... This was far too specific! Across the entire City Guard Army on the Southwest Front, there were hardly a few people who met all those conditions. It was practically obvious that they were looking for her!

"Are you saying..." she murmured, "that someone is playing dirty tricks behind our backs, specifically targeting us?"

Chu Sheng nodded again, a glint of coldness flashing through his compound eyes. "That was my exact thought.

"So, I stealthily slipped over and scouted ahead along their route.

"As it turns out, a squad of Death Warrior Assassins was ambushing a gorge that serves as a mandatory chokepoint on the path.

"Every single one of them had a Cultivation at or above the Void Refinement Realm, and they were led by two Integration Realm experts.

"I knocked out one of the leaders and searched his soul.

"Care to guess what I found?"

Gu Yuexi pondered for a mere two seconds before quickly arriving at the answer. "The Eight Great Clans."

"Spot on! It’s those bastards!" Chu Sheng’s voice turned even colder. "Many of the crucial generals in the City Guard Army are scions of the Eight Great Clans.

"The command authority over the third defense line just so happens to be in their hands this time.

"Upon hearing the news of our arrival at the Southwest Front, they set up this trap.

"First, they ordered all the City Guard Army forces on the Southwest Front to withdraw, abandoning the defense line.

"These scions of the Eight Great Clans were absolutely certain that we would retreat toward the Northeast Defense Line along with the main force.

"After all, nobody would be stupid enough to face hundreds of thousands of Sea Demons alone.

"Then, along our retreat route, we would be intercepted and slaughtered by hordes of Sea Demons.

"There was a high probability we would die directly at the hands of the Sea Demons, vanishing without a trace.

"Even if we were lucky enough to avoid being killed by the Sea Demons, they prepared a backup plan.

"The Death Warrior Assassins.

"The moment we escaped the Sea Demons’ pursuit, the Death Warrior Assassins would immediately strike, intending to take us down with them in mutual destruction.

"In the end, our deaths would simply be blamed on the Sea Demons.

"It’s just that despite all their meticulous scheming, they never calculated that not only would we refuse to retreat, but we would actually hold the Southwest Defense Line."

Pausing for a moment, Chu Sheng’s tone grew even frostier. "And here’s the most disgusting part.

"The scions of the Eight Great Clans proactively delivered our intel to the Sea Demon Commander.

"The Sea Demon Commander probably received the news not too long ago.

"Going forward, they will definitely try to find ways to target us.

"However..."

Chu Sheng swept a glance over the densely packed Sea Demon Army charging in the distance, his voice filled with utter indifference. "The Sea Demon Army’s targeting is completely useless against us.

"As long as they don’t dispatch experts at the True God Realm Level, we will absolutely hold this section of the Southwest Defense Line!!!"

The main reason Chu Sheng was willing to stay here and defend the Southwest Defense Line to the death was that the sheer number of Sea Demons was massive enough. Once the battle truly commenced, the mountains and plains would be littered with Sea Demon corpses, providing him with an abundant supply of the Essence of Origin. It was an absolutely perfect, natural Holy Land for farming monsters!

Gu Yuexi nodded, her expression tranquil. She also needed an endless stream of battles to rapidly improve her Cultivation. Having the Sea Demons deliver themselves right to her doorstep suited her intentions perfectly.

"We can slowly settle the score with the Eight Great Clans later," she said. "For now, let’s figure out how to defend against the next wave of the Sea Demon Army’s offensive."

"Defend? Why should we defend?!" Chu Sheng rolled his compound eyes.

Without waiting for Gu Yuexi to respond, he stirred his Divine Thought, instantly summoning all of his Outer Body Avatars. Following that, he summoned all of his Half-Step True God Realm Soul-Collecting Butterflies.

After half a day of accumulation, relying on the Essence of Origin gained from continuously recycling corpses, the number of Half-Step True God Realm Soul-Collecting Butterflies had increased to over seven hundred. They formed a massive, dense swarm that blotted out the sky and covered the sun.

Fifty Outer Body Avatars, each over two meters long, lined up neatly. Joined by the more than seven hundred Half-Step True God Realm Soul-Collecting Butterflies, they hovered in midair above the city wall. The previously empty space above the wall instantly became bustling with activity.

Chu Sheng extended his front legs and gave a forceful wave toward the Sea Demon Army, his aura commanding and fierce. "We don’t need to passively defend!

"We will take the initiative and attack directly!!!

"We’re going to slaughter every single one of these Sea Demons and collect plenty of corpses!"

Gu Yuexi paused in surprise for a moment before nodding gently, a flash of battle intent gleaming in her eyes. Tightening her grip on the Godslaying Ruins Sword, she pointed its blade straight at the Sea Demon Army.

"Exactly what I had in mind!!!"