Chapter 3022: Keep Fighting? Hide Away to Survive?

These human captives all bear some injuries, appearing rather miserable.

They wear magic shackles engraved with runes on their hands and feet, and dual-ring shackles on their heads—one ring sits on the forehead, the other around the neck, connected together. Any act of rebellion would enable the guardians to activate the runes on the shackles, instantly killing the captive.

The line of captives was long; Carson Flores waited for a long time before it finally ended.

Carson Flores roughly estimated that there were at least three thousand captives.

His heart grew increasingly heavy; such a large number of captives could only mean the battle lines have collapsed.

Has the War God Mansion fallen?

Have the demons invaded the Crimson Immortal Domain, marching straight inward, attacking the Immortal Realm?

This is truly bad news.

Carson instinctively thought of the companions left behind at the Majestic Sect, yet he wasn’t too worried. After all, the Majestic Sect isn’t close to the front lines. If they truly collapsed, they would definitely receive word and retreat in time.

Carson lingered no longer and discreetly retreated.

...

When Carson appeared in the Palace of Seven Beauties, almost everyone was sitting cross-legged, practicing cultivation.

"Sect Master!"

A startled cry shocked everyone awake.

Everyone’s eyes snapped open, their gazes locking onto Carson Flores, their spirits suddenly becoming excited.

"Captain!"

"Sect Master!"

Carson nodded, his eyes sweeping over everyone before landing on Jarett Roth and others: "What are the casualty figures?"

Jarett quickly replied: "Twelve dead, forty-six seriously injured, and two hundred and thirty lightly injured. After a month of recuperation, those lightly injured have mostly recovered, and most of the seriously injured are improving, everyone’s lives are safe."

Carson nodded; considering the ferocity of the clashes and battles, with only twelve deaths among fifteen hundred people, the casualty figures are indeed good, all thanks to the previous division and training—those with weaker abilities were mostly protected by the Great Land Prime Immortal, and though they may have suffered injuries, they weren’t fatal.

Shirley Miller stepped forward, asking softly: "How are things outside?"

She knows her husband well; if he managed to appear here, he must have gotten a clear picture of the situation outside.

Everyone perked up their ears, intensely focused, fearing they might miss any crucial information.

Carson spoke heavy-heartedly: "The formation enveloping a region of ten thousand miles has vanished; the entire land is barren now, pitch-black, at the entrance of the Immortal Demon Passage, there’s a Demon Clan Camp, covered by a barrier."

"I observed outside the Demon Clan Camp for a day, and saw groups of demons numbering in hundreds or thousands, converging into the camp; they are reorganized and then formed into army formations to enter the Immortal Realm through the Immortal Demon Passage."

"Within one day, around fifty thousand demons entered the Immortal Realm. Just as I was about to leave, I saw demons escorting about four thousand human cultivators as captives through the Immortal Demon Passage, back into the Demon Clan Camp..."

Everyone’s faces changed, their eyes filled with panic.

They all know very well what such a massive number of human captives signifies.

"The defensive lines have been breached?"

"Has the War God Mansion fallen?"

"Have we been defeated?"

Carson said grimly: "What I saw is indeed such; although I wanted to capture someone to inquire about the frontline situation, I dared not act. There are surely powerful beings stationed within the Demon Clan Camp, and with the slightest carelessness, one could invite disaster."

"The entrance to the Immortal Demon Passage is occupied by the Demon Army; relying on our mere thousand or so people, we simply cannot break through the defenses to return to the Immortal Realm. More so, considering the current situation, the other end of the passage in the Immortal Realm may have already fallen; even if we made it through, it wouldn’t be safe, we might be surrounded and pursued."

Floating Cloud’s face was heavy: "Which means, even if the Immortal Demon Passage is open, we have no way back; we can only continue deeper into the Demon Realm?"

Carson nodded: "Yes, this area is not safe; there are many demon armies coming and going, and slight carelessness could lead to our discovery. Only by distancing ourselves can we truly be safe."

He paused, his eyes sweeping over everyone: "Even if the Immortal Realm lost this battle, with the First Legion and Second Army suffering heavy losses, and numerous other legions and reserve units, the demons can’t possibly win in one stroke, considering they are still sending reinforcements; the battle must still be ongoing."

"In the twenty-seven Immortal Demon Wars, we have had instances where the defenses collapsed and the War God Mansion fell. Moreover, there must have been fail-safe plans before the war began; so you needn’t be overly worried."

"The Hall Master will naturally consider the matters of the Crimson Immortal Domain; even if we want to help, it would be futile. It is better for us to focus on our own affairs. Now we need to unify our purpose, that is, our future goal."

"With our fifteen hundred people, shall we find a secluded and safe place, hide and train, waiting for a result or opportunity, or shall we continue to fight, contributing our own power to this war?"

Everyone glanced at each other, eyes filled with hesitation.

Fifteen hundred people is not a small number, and there are numerous strong individuals among them, with substantial overall combat power. However, now we are in the Demon Realm, facing the entirety of the Demon Race. Once exposed, we would be pursued and hunted by the entire Demon Race!

The pursuers might be Quasi-Saints or even stronger beings from the Demon Race; could we withstand that?

"Us fifteen hundred, trying to fight against the entire Demon Race, isn’t that like using an egg to strike a stone? Isn’t it better to find a place to recuperate, waiting for an opportunity to return to the Immortal Realm? They can’t possibly block the Immortal Demon Passage forever, can they?"

"The defenses have collapsed, the War God Mansion has fallen; are we to do nothing, become deserters? Why not fight them desperately! We can draw their attention while fighting and fleeing, making some contribution to this war!"

"Isn’t that just sending ourselves to death?"

"Isn’t there the Palace of Seven Beauties? We can pinpoint our target, strike with full force, then hide within the Palace of Seven Beauties, they can’t find us, we change locations and hit again..."

"I think we should put these aside for now; the urgent matter is to clarify the environment we are in, the situation of the Demons, and then decide based on specific circumstances."

"I agree; deciding to either risk our lives or flee when we know nothing isn’t good."

The members debated animatedly, voicing their opinions.

Carson glanced at the high-level members of the three teams: "Everyone voice your opinions, don’t hold back; whether we fight or flee, neither is wrong. We are without military orders or tasked missions; we can act freely, as long as we ourselves agree on the approach, anything is acceptable."

Everyone expressed their opinions, much like the other disciples—about fighting, fleeing, and seeking intelligence first.

Carson considered for a moment, then made a decision: "Since opinions are not yet unified, let’s first retreat to a safe place, gather intelligence, and then decide."