Chapter 65 No Hope of Victory

Chapter 65: 65 No Hope of Victory

No Hope of Victory

She paused briefly.

"Five cultivators from our sect have already died defending the Medusa territory. I believe our access to the mausoleum has already been paid for with the blood of our comrades."

The mention of the dead immediately changed the atmosphere. Chen Ruyue lowered her eyes. ℴ

Zhao Ming clenched his teeth, while Lian Yue remained motionless.

Luo Xin was not there to hear that. Su Meilin continued:

"We cannot ignore these deaths. Nor can we demand that our cultivators continue fighting without considering the risks."

Vaelra stood up, causing the stone chair to scrape against the floor.

"So you intend to leave? Is that what you are trying to say?"

Su Meilin met her gaze as the serpents hissed aggressively at her.

"I didn’t say that."

"You didn’t say it, but you thought it, didn’t you? I can see it on your cowardly, opportunistic faces. Humans. Hmph."

Vaelra’s voice became colder.

"You received our hospitality. You were given access to the mausoleum. You made an agreement with us, our sisters lay with your men, and now, when faced with the first real danger, you begin calculating how much each person’s life is worth."

Zhao Ming immediately stood up.

"Don’t speak as if we haven’t been fighting alongside you."

Vaelra turned her face toward him.

"Five of yours have died, we know that. So what? Do you know how many of ours are being buried while we speak? How many more will die?"

"We don’t know, but it’s not as if it’s our responsibility. After all, the decision for us to sleep with you was yours. Not that I’m complaining, because it was very good."

Zhao Ming’s answer came without hesitation.

"And you think that means nothing to us?"

He struck his own chest with his hand.

"Our companions are dying."

Vaelra fell silent.

Zhao Ming continued:

"But I won’t pretend that I want to send another ten, twenty, or fifty people to their deaths simply because you desperately need soldiers."

Vaelra’s expression hardened.

"And what are we supposed to do?"

Her voice trembled for the first time.

"Send our own daughters to die while you watch?"

The hall fell silent. Vaelra took a deep breath.

"These mountains are our home."

She pointed toward the destroyed walls.

"Every stone here was built by someone who lived before us. Every cave shelters families. Every destroyed field supported people."

Her voice became lower.

"If we lose this territory, we won’t merely be losing a battle."

Mirevra looked at her.

"We will be losing our people."

Vaelra closed her eyes.

For several seconds, no one said anything.

Lian Yue observed both sides. She understood the cultivators, but she also understood the Medusas.

That was precisely why the argument was so difficult to resolve. Even though she was the strongest person on her side, there was no side that was completely right.

Ariselle finally raised her hand.

"Enough. That is enough."

Everyone fell silent.

The queen looked at the cultivators.

"I will not demand that you die for us or that you fight our battle."

Then she looked at the four elders.

"And I will not allow anyone to treat the lives of my warriors as disposable."

Her voice remained firm.

"But we need a solution to escape the crisis we are facing."

Nysara took a deep breath.

"Perhaps there is still a way."

Everyone looked at her.

"The Earth Elementals."

Thesira frowned.

"Them?"

Nysara nodded.

"Their mausoleum was conquered, and since then, they have become the greatest force among the five races. If they provide assistance, we may still be able to deal with this crisis."

"That is true, but they are peaceful. They avoid territorial conflicts and normally do not interfere in the wars of other races."

Zhao Ming asked:

"Then why would they help you?"

"That is the problem."

Nysara placed her fingers on the table.

"They will not fight for us simply because we are Medusas."

Lian Yue asked:

"What if their territory is also threatened?"

Nysara looked at her.

"Then we have a possibility."

Mirevra added:

"But we cannot rely solely on them."

Ariselle turned her gaze toward Thesira.

"And the Fire Elementals? Can we ask them for help as well?"

The elder gave a small humorless laugh.

"Those arrogant bastards."

Zhao Ming raised an eyebrow.

"Does that mean they won’t help?"

"It means we will have to offer them a very good reason to consider doing so."

Guo Han asked:

"And is there any reason?"

Thesira fell silent.

Mirevra answered:

"Perhaps."

Everyone looked at her.

"But we don’t know what it is yet."

The room once again sank into silence. Ariselle looked at everyone present.

"Then does anyone have a better alternative?"

No one answered, not even Vaelra, who always had something to say.

Nysara did not either.

Nor did the cultivators of the Profound Flower Sect.

Lian Yue also remained silent. Nothing came to her mind. Finally, the queen’s eyes settled on Yun Che.

He had not spoken a single word during almost the entire meeting. The white mask concealed his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

Ariselle waited. Yun Che did not speak. He did not need to.

Inside his mind, however, the numbers were already being organized.

Thirty thousand enemies.

Seven thousand combatants.

Fifteen cultivators at the tenth stage.

Six on the Medusas’ side.

Ten days.

The territory being threatened was rightfully his, according to the inheritance of the Great Alchemist Rafael. The entire surrounding mountain range belonged to the mausoleum, and the mountain range itself was a massive formation.

This meant that the territory the Medusas claimed as their own actually belonged to the mausoleum. And since Yun Che was its owner, the land belonged to him.

And if the Medusas’ territory were taken by another force, they would probably damage some of the formations in the mountains that supplied the mausoleum.

Not to mention the imminent war. There was a more urgent problem he had to resolve. A system window continued blinking.

[The user’s core is in a critical state.]

[Deep Cultivation Stage: Tempered Body — Level 2.]

[If the host’s cultivation regresses by another two levels, the core will collapse and the host will die.]

Yun Che decided to ignore his imminent death, since he would die before the ten days the Medusas had to prepare for the war were even over.

Ariselle finally closed her eyes.

"Then it is decided."

She opened them again.

"Send messengers to the Earth Elementals."

Then she looked at Thesira.

"And to the Fire Elementals as well."

Thesira nodded.

"We will begin immediately."

Ariselle looked at everyone.

"We have ten days to prepare for the war."

No one answered.

Outside, the wind swept through the partially destroyed mountains, while the flames of the torches flickered in the breeze.

Somewhere in the distance, a warrior began to cry as the bodies of the dead were prepared for burial.

Yun Che listened in silence but did not turn his head.

Ten days were too little for the Medusas, but he did not even have half that time. Well, time was relative in the end.

He discreetly touched the white mask covering his face. The Medusas’ war had not yet begun.

But that night, everyone in that room understood that the next battle would not be like the previous one. This time, there would be no easy retreat.

There would be no room for mistakes.

And when the tenth day arrived, someone would have to fall.

Perhaps the Medusas or, if a miracle occurred, their enemies.