241 Battle Between Transcendents (1/2)
A chilling breeze swept across the battlefield after the death of these several hundred-odd soldiers. The instinctive chill did not come from the cold winds of the night itself but their inborn fear of death.
Despite having the numerical advantage of tens of thousands of troops, and a Transcendent on their side, they did not feel like they could win at all.
The Grand Elder proceeded to stroll forward at his own leisure pace with the Blood Pool hung above his head. Each footstep was like a drum that banged on the hearts of the Durham soldiers and Valaran soldiers in his immediate vicinity.
The pressure that was exerted by the Grand Elder's presence made them think twice of surrendering to the enemy.
The quick-witted ones immediately threw away their helmets and armor. These steel pieces of defenses no longer assured them of protection but shackles like an invisible grip on their throats.
Without their armor and weapon though, they began to wonder how they should fight.
Step, step, step… The Grand Elder continues to stroll forward without pause.
When a certain distance was reached, the blood of the dead soldiers began to seep out of their bodies and congregate towards Blood Pool in a grisly manner like the veins in one's body.
The soldiers of Durham and Valaran all had sharp changes in expression. Even the blood of their own brothers was not spared.
This… is the person we are serving? This person simply does not view us as humans at all!
The soldiers of Durham and Valaran began to sway in their determination. Was it too late to surrender?
If they surrender, there was a chance that they would be killed on the spot while trying to free, but if they manage to survive, at least their future was guaranteed.
Whereas siding with this Fiend, even if they win the war, the future was bleak under the tyranny of these bloodsuckers.
”If you feel you are standing on the wrong side then step forward and join me. I will not pursue your act of transgression against my kingdom.”
The Queen's words resounded across the battlefield again. Ruling by oppression and fear could only get a person so far. It was a means but never the way.
The enemy soldiers no longer hesitated and began fleeing towards her like they had been pardoned.
Fortunately, their luck was good. When the entire army surrendered, neither the Grand Elder nor the sect members of both sects in the far back attempted to stop them.
No one dared to interfere as the two Transcendents were about to do battle.
The Grand Elder simply smiled coldly at the soldier's fleeing figures. These ants were just clearing the field for the imminent battle between Transcendents.
The amount of blood he collected was enough to make even his own Sect Master weary. He was confident and no longer cautious of the Queen.
Too much blood has already been shed and these soldiers stood no chance against the sect members of the Bloodfiend Sect and Illusory Butterfly Sect.
She understood their predicament and granted them another chance to choose. Perhaps, she had become softer after having her son and husband back.
The 2000 troops rushing over from the Grassland Region finally caught up to her, while the surviving soldiers of Crawford had also retreated safely and got joined up with the 2000 troops for reorganization.
Looking at how well prepared the enemy kingdom was to equip their entire army with steel armor for this war, even an idiot could guess that the two sects had been scheming for an exceptionally long time.
The annual tribute of alloys decreased until it stopped entirely was not due to the depletion of their mines like Crawford Kingdom's mines had, but because they had been secretly hoarding it for themselves!
The enemy was long prepared to drown the Crawford Kingdom in a sea of fire, but they had held themselves back until now.
Elizabeth's piercing gaze narrowed in on the Grand Elder in the distance.
Whatever motive they had for plunging the Crawford Kingdom into chaos no longer mattered at this point. Such an evil cultivation sect had to be destroyed.
Countless ownerless weapons and armors on the battlefield rose to the skies with a lifting gesture before she twisted and bent all the steel pieces into sharp pointy projectiles.
Without warning, she fired them all at the Grand Elder.
The battle between Transcendents had already begun. The Grand Elder waved his hand in response and summoned the Blood Pool in front of him.
The steel projectiles sank into Blood Wall like bullets plunging into the ocean, losing its momentum drastically but failed to stop due to the Queen's great power.
The Grand Elder's relaxed expression stiffened at the sight and immediately transformed his Blood Pool into a solidified Blood Iron Wall before the steel projectiles were finally halted in its tracks.
”Hmph! Attacking without notice, as expected of a Crawford Royalty. You're all a bunch of savage thieves.” The Grand Elder sneered with great hostility in his tone, but inwardly he had become more serious after that brief exchange.