Chapter 618: Evacuation (Part 1)

Two miles away, the gray-black earthen wall could already be seen.

Sun Que, the commander of a thousand men, walked at the very front, his gaze calmly sweeping across the area ahead.

Behind him were two hundred Qin soldiers, their ranks perfectly aligned, their armor plates silent.

Further behind were over two hundred outer disciples of the Blood Abyss Sect who had surrendered, leading more than one hundred large carts loaded with grain, medicine, and water.

The group didn't walk very fast, but their footsteps were in unison, making a dull sound as they trod on the hard, dry dirt road.

When they were still a mile away from the Blood Nest, Chen San approached Sun Que and pointed to the gray-black earthen wall.

"General Sun, look, that's Ding Seventy-Three's blood nest over there," Chen San said, bowing deeply and beaming.

"According to General Meng's route, we need to start from this blood nest and retreat towards the portal. Along the way, we will pass 32 Class D blood nests, 8 Class C blood nests, and 2 Class B blood nests. If things go smoothly, we should be able to return to the portal in about two months."

Sun Que hummed in agreement, but didn't say anything more.

Chen San didn't mind and continued to smile obsequiously, "General Sun, don't worry, these people in the Blood Nest have all been exploited and oppressed by the Blood Abyss Demon Sect."

Once we explain the consequences to them and let them know that the Blood Abyss Demon Sect is finished, they will naturally follow us.

Sun Que remained silent, only nodding slightly.

Chen San understood and stopped talking, quickly walking to the front of the group to lead the way.

The group slowly approached the Blood Nest gate.

The main gate consisted of two heavy iron and wooden doors covered with rusty iron sheets.

The door was tightly shut.

On the eight-meter-high gray-black earthen wall, dozens of men who looked like villagers were nervously lying behind the wall, holding bows and arrows, stones, and sharpened wooden [N O V E L I G H T] sticks.

One of them poked his head out and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Who are you? This is the Blood Nest, a subordinate territory of the Blood Abyss Sect! Get out of here! Otherwise, when the sect's army arrives, you will all be dead!"

Sun Que was about to speak.

Suddenly, a disciple from the outer sect who had surrendered rushed out.

This man had a face full of menacing features and a very loud voice; he would start cursing as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Bastards! You lowly commoners! Open the door now! Or I'll personally rip your heads off when I walk in!"

The villagers on the wall suddenly changed their expressions.

A young man gritted his teeth, raised his bow and arrow, and aimed it downwards.

"Bah! You're all going to be wiped out anyway! Today we'll fight to the bitter end! Since we're all going to die, I'll take one of you down with me!"

"Fight? You peasants?" The outer disciple sneered, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

He was about to make his move...

"Bang!"

A foot kicked him from the side, hitting him squarely in the lower back.

The outer disciple was sent flying, crashing to the ground and rolling several times, spitting out a mouthful of muddy water.

He was stunned. When he looked up, he saw that the person who kicked him was Chen San.

"Senior Brother Chen, what are you doing?"

"Ouch!"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen San kicked him in the back again.

"Get out of the way! You almost ruined General Sun's important plans!"

The outer disciple was kicked so hard he was dizzy and slunk back to the group, not daring to utter another sound.

Chen San turned around, first bowed to Sun Que with a smile, then walked to the earthen wall, raised his head, and shouted at the top of the wall in a different voice.

"Fellow villagers, don't be afraid! The Blood Abyss Demon Sect has been destroyed! We're not here to kill!"

No one answered from the wall.

Chen San shouted again, "We used to be disciples of the Demonic Sect too, but now we've followed the Nightmare Plane. Look, aren't we doing just fine?"

"Who believes you... The deacon said that no one from the Nightmare Plane will be spared." Someone on the wall muttered softly.

"They were lying to you!" Chen San slapped his thigh, his voice rising several decibels. "If they really left no one alive, would I still be standing here talking to you? I would have already rushed in with a knife!"

The villagers looked at each other, but no one moved.

Chen San sighed and suddenly softened his voice.

He pointed to his chest: "I'll ask you one question: how much blood has the Blood Abyss Demon Sect taken from you all these years? How many people have died? Have they ever cared about you?"

"I am Chen San, an outer disciple. My parents were also bled to death. Those beasts didn't even spare their own people."

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and his eyes even welled up with tears.

"In the Nightmare Realm, there's no bloodletting, no beatings, you get food for your work, you have a place to live, and you have clean water to drink."

Those who are willing can come with us; those who are unwilling can do so as well. Anyway, the Blood Abyss Demon Sect is gone, and no one will force you to bleed anymore.

There was a moment of silence on the earthen wall.

After a while, a voice came from behind the wall, trembling: "My father is dying... Can I go?"

Chen San quickly replied, "Yes! Look at these carts behind me, they have grain and medicine!"

Your dad will feel better after taking the medicine. We even brought the medicine with us so we could all travel together!

There was a moment of silence on the wall.

Then, a young figure peeked out from behind the wall, looked down, and then retreated back inside.

Before long, the gate in the earthen wall creaked open from the inside.

A few of the bolder villagers came out first, looked at the cart, and then at the former disciples of the Demonic Sect.

Chen Sanchao and the others smiled, then turned and pointed to the convoy: "See? It's all real medicine. Go back and tell the villagers to come outside and get their medicine. Don't crowd, everyone gets some."

The gate was opened wider, and several villagers took off running back, shouting as they ran.

"Open the door! Open the door! Come out and get your medicine!"

Sun Li stood still, watching Chen San persuade the group of villagers to come down and organize them into obedient groups, and finally said something.

"With your eloquence, it's a pity you're only fit to be an outer disciple."

Chen San chuckled, bending even lower: "Then I'll be General Sun's messenger from now on, serving him tea and water is fine too."