Chapter 2860 - Above the Ruins

The Ebonfiend returned to the final remaining stronghold of the ebons, Ebonopolis. Though it was the largest base of the ebons, it was submerged in an atmosphere of darkness and despair. On the way back, Shenxi Xingtian and Shenxi Tianxi had heard news about the Taixi Guard Formation's collapse. The elder’s face was completely pale at that moment, his golden irises and hands shuddering nonstop.

"Yi Daiyan, Lin Xiaodao, Lin Feng...." He grit his teeth as his wrath surged.

"Father, once the formation falls, there’ll be no way for them to hold up. Against three million astralships...." Even without Shenxi Tianxi bringing that up, everyone knew that evacuating Taixi City was the only way to survive.

"Have your mother and aunt return, but absolutely not on any divine astralships!"

"Yes!"

Not long after, news from Taixi City reported that Shenxi Xuanxi and Shenxi Ling'e had been intercepted by Yi Daiyan as they were trying to leave and were killed in action. Shenxi Xingtian spat out yet another mouthful of blood, while Shenxi Tianxi slumped to the ground, beginning to doubt his life. Those two weren’t just Shenxi Xingtian's sisters, but his wives as well. Their relationship had lasted thousands of years, only for them to suddenly vanish before they could meet one last time.

"Aaah! Aaaaaah Aaaaaaaah!" Shenxi Xingtian howled like a madman, slamming around within the secret chamber of the Ebonfiend. "Yi Daiyan! Lin Xiaodao! Lin Feng! I’ll never rest until I settle things with you!"

His hatred simmered to the very limit. He didn't know when it had started, but everything was messed up. How could a hegemon who had stood at the very top of everything suddenly suffer five horrid losses in a row, losing his two wives and half of all the ebons in the process?!

The fact that a great race that’d had more than four million astral gods could actually lose three million of them was completely unthinkable, yet that very thing had happened. Ever since Yi Daiyan's rise to power, Shenxi Xingtian, having been first rex mundi for a few thousand years, suddenly experienced a downward spiral from which he could never recover. His heart had been completely obliterated by the constant losses.

"Reporting! Less than a hundred thousand ships managed to flee Taixi City! At the same time, less than fifty thousand astral gods are still in contact with us." Every single bit of news was a nightmare that made Shenxi Xingtian's heart painfully bleed.

"Father, fortunately, we still have four infinitum-class warbeasts and the Ebonfiend. They’re our greatest assets. With them and the beast waves, we'll still be able to wage war! As for our precious kin that perished in the war, it’ll take a long time for us to recover. The loss of ships and legacy caeli is also a huge problem." Shenxi Tianxi had wanted to cheer his father up, but the facts made him realize that he was the one that needed emotional support. He audibly sighed at the fact that the ebons were facing the very real possibility of extinction.

"From this moment on, we can only have all the beast waves center around Ebonopolis to protect our final stronghold. Then we'll wait for Intrepidus, Myriadpath Valley, and the Skydome Mundus to help us," Shenxi Tianxi said.

It was Shenxi Xingtian's turn to sigh. But right after that, he let out a hearty laugh. "I've lost so many times that I've become a joke! I'm used to it already! Very well! Amazing! I refuse to believe that my luck can be so bad forever! They’d better not let me win even a single time, or they'll have an endless amount of suffering waiting for them."

The repeated losses had somehow managed to clear the grief from his mind and he’d become able to let go of everything. Earlier, he’d pretended to be the underdog to challenge Yi Daiyan and the Sun, but he actually thought deep down that his glory days had yet to pass. But now he actually considered himself a pathetic wretch that no longer had anything to lose! All he needed was a single chance to turn things around.

"Hehehehehe...." His eerie laughter rang out within the hollow halls of the Ebonfiend.

......

Taixi City had been reduced to ruins, ending the siege for good. Before the smoke and dust settled, countless nova source storms still ravaged the area. However, the area around the Gladean Ruins and Ninedragon Imperial Tomb was incredibly calm.

A white-haired woman appeared before the nine-headed dragon, seeming joyful and relaxed by their complete victory. "Lin Xiaodao, Lin Feng."

"How can we be of service, Rex Mundi?" Xiaodao asked. Many others, like Yushan Taifeng and Shuntian Bohan, were paying attention to their conversation. Would their alliance continue, or would the bridge be burned?

"Nearly two billion lives of the Yushan Clan and luxdaemons were saved from annihilation thanks to Lin Feng's timely rescue. Meanwhile, the Taixi Guard Formation wouldn’t have collapsed without the Gladean Ruins. For the siege of Taixi City and rescue of the populace of Ebonia, the two of you deserve at least six-tenths of the credit," Yi Daiyan loudly praised. It was no simple conversation between her and the two of them, but an announcement and recognition of their efforts. It wouldn't take long before all of Ebonia adopted her point of view.

The fact that the two Swordgod Lin Clan members had been credited with six-tenths of the total effort meant that they’d each done more than Yi Daiyan and three million astral gods combined. It was exceedingly high praise and recognition! But not a single person was dissatisfied by that characterization. The two infinitum-class astralships had completely reset the scales. Without them, Taixi City wouldn’t have fallen so easily, and the other regal clans would have suffered immense losses.

"Lin Xiaodao!"

"Lin Feng!"

The army began respectfully cheering their names all across the settlements and cities in Ebonia.

"With the rex mundi giving such high praise, the tension between her and the Swordgod Lin Clan should be resolved, right?"

"If only the Swordgod Lin Clan could be ruled by the rex mundi. Once the ebons are dealt with, there’ll no longer be any conflicts in the Infinitum Mundus."

"The battle was truly terrifying! More than four million ships were destroyed and the whole world suffered billions of casualties!"

Decades ago, astralships had been limited to use as transportation in Ebonia; ship battles were explicitly forbidden. But the inevitable war had entirely changed that. The ebons were so powerful that, without an actual war, there would be no way to wipe them out. Eventually, the influence of the Infinitum Bodhimanda would have been chipped away little by little until everyone had submitted to ebon rule.

But Xiaodao didn't let Yi Daiyan's praises get to his head. She was still a woman filled with mystery and uncertainty. There was no way she would change her tune so easily, and he wouldn't let himself be misled by her frank, direct, and just facade.