Yu Zhen felt a surge of excitement. If the Xuanming Domain front had truly achieved a great victory, that would be excellent news—something bound to boost morale.
Wei Junyang shook his head with a bitter smile. "A pyrrhic victory at best."
If not for the deaths of those two Eighth-Order Masters, it could indeed be called a great victory. But with two Eighth-Order Masters fallen, the victory was hardly cause for celebration.
Hearing this, Yu Zhen's face turned pale. "An Eighth-Order Master fell?"
Wei Junyang nodded heavily. "Two of them."
Yu Zhen swayed slightly.
Ever since the human army had opened up the Xuanming Domain and over a dozen other battlefronts, Eighth-Order Masters had not been without casualties. But the numbers had been small—in all that time, only ten had fallen.
Decades of war. Ten in total.
And yet this single battle had cost two Eighth-Order Masters.
Regardless of the battle's outcome, that was nothing but a pyrrhic victory.
Cultivating to the Eighth Order was no easy feat. Even the most exceptional human genius required a minimum of several thousand years to advance from having no foundation whatsoever to the Eighth Order. Across the many years of war, who knew how many Eighth-Order Masters of the human race had perished. Every one who remained alive today was a pillar of human civilization.
And now, this battle in the Xuanming Domain had claimed two more.
Yu Zhen lowered his head, fists clenched tight, his voice trembling. "Those two Lords… they shouldn't have had to die. If we had arrived sooner…"
Seeing him consumed by guilt, Ouyang Lie stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "Our two Senior Brothers died with honor. There's no need to dwell on it. This wasn't your fault."
Those two Eighth-Order Masters had indeed fallen on the battlefield, but before they died, they had severely wounded their opponents. To be wrapped in horsehide and carried home from war—there was no better end for a warrior.
Yu Zhen slowly shook his head, then suddenly looked up and fixed his bloodshot gaze on the group of Sacred Spirits who had come to reinforce them. "Regarding this reinforcement mission—you all deliberately delayed your journey midway, missing the critical window of battle and causing the deaths of two Eighth-Order Garrison Commanders of the Xuanming Army. I will report this matter to the General Office, and I expect each of you to provide a satisfactory explanation."
"What?" Ouyang Lie and the others changed expressions dramatically.
Wei Junyang's face darkened. "Deliberately delayed their journey? What happened?"
When Yu Zhen had spoken earlier, everyone had assumed he was simply blaming himself. But now it seemed there was more to the story.
In an instant, several Eighth-Order Masters turned cold, hard gazes upon the Sacred Spirits.
Deliberately delaying a military march was no idle accusation. As the human overseer of this Sacred Spirit contingent, Yu Zhen's words carried enormous weight.
If what he said was true, then this group of Sacred Spirits had truly squandered a critical military opportunity. This was no small matter.
Wei Junyang and the others believed Yu Zhen almost without question. Why? Because this group of Sacred Spirits from the Great Ruins had done something like this before.
That had been during their first reinforcement mission. They had dawdled along the way, and by the time they arrived at the battlefield, the battle was nearly over.
Of course, on that occasion there had been no human overseer present, so it had been impossible to determine whether the Sacred Spirits had acted intentionally or not.
It was precisely because of that incident that every time the Sacred Spirits from the Great Ruins sortied from now on, a human powerhouse accompanied them as an overseer.
Under the piercing gazes of several Eighth-Order Masters, the Sacred Spirits appeared utterly unfazed. They had their own Eighth-Order Sacred Spirits and had nothing to fear from Wei Junyang and his companions. Moreover, they were indispensable allies to the human race at this point. Even if something were uncovered, no one would dare do anything to them.
The middle-aged man at their head let out a chuckle, his Sacred Spirit aura spreading outward without the slightest restraint. Wei Junyang and the others were already heavily injured, and their faces turned white under the pressure.
He regarded Yu Zhen and said coolly, "Human brat, watch your words. From the moment we received the order, we rushed here as fast as we could and have only just arrived. When exactly did we delay?"
The Eighth-Order Sacred Spirit's aura bore down on Yu Zhen like a mountain. In that instant, Yu Zhen found himself so overwhelmed he could barely stand, let alone speak.
The strength of a Sacred Spirit was inherently superior to that of a human of the same rank, and the gap in cultivation between the middle-aged man and Yu Zhen was a full order.
"What do you think you're doing?" Wei Junyang erupted with his own aura and shot a cold glare at the middle-aged man. "Pressuring troops before battle? Do you want to rebel? Believe me and I'll cut you down!"
The middle-aged man glanced at Wei Junyang and let out a cold snort. "You don't have the ability!"
Their eyes locked and their auras collided. Wei Junyang was clearly running out of steam, his face growing ever paler.
The middle-aged man surveyed the surroundings and said flatly, "That we Sacred Spirits have come to help is your privilege. Rather than showing gratitude, you dare spout such nonsense. You simply don't know your place! You suffered losses on this battlefield—what does that have to do with us? You brought it on yourselves with your own incompetence! Even if we had arrived earlier, so what? Incompetent people are incompetent. The sooner they die, the sooner they're reborn. At least that way they stop embarrassing themselves."
The moment these words left his mouth, everyone was furious.
Ouyang Lie was on the verge of launching an attack, but given his current condition, he knew he was no match. He held himself back, though the humiliation burned like fire. Through gritted teeth, he roared, "The entire Thirty Thousand World has been invaded by the Ink Clan. Humans and Sacred Spirits alike must fight side by side if we are to survive! If the human race falls, what good ending do you Sacred Spirits think awaits you?"
The middle-aged man smiled faintly. "That's exactly why we're here, isn't it?"
Just a little late, that was all. It wasn't as if it mattered—the Xuanming Domain hadn't fallen yet. A bunch of ants making noise. If not for certain reservations, he would have struck already.
Behind Wei Junyang, Yu Zhen spoke in a firm voice. "Regardless, I will report this matter to the General Office. Everything will be judged there!"