Chapter 1651: Devastating Losses (V)

“You’ll have to pay a steep toll to kill us!” Li Hao’s voice echoed in the four directions. “We kill two fifth ranks today to let you know that I am not someone you can come after! Fellow Daoist Death God and I have no intention of targeting you guys. We have come to Orchid Forest simply to earn some cultivation resources. Why come after us like this?”

“......” All was quiet in the surroundings.

Screw you! Are you guys really here to earn money?? Complete bullshit! Would you kill so many Red Moon exalted emperors if you were just here to increase personal wealth??

Who the hell knew where a nameless sixth rank had sprung from? Only major worlds would have this kind of foundation!

......

The two sixth ranks that’d made their way outside the barrier crack had exceedingly unpleasant expressions on their faces.

“The two of us together cannot kill them...” Soul Eclipse sighed with dejection and helplessness. This was bad!

“You really deserve death!” snarled a brooding Sorrowless.

“It’s your intelligence reports that were inaccurate!” Soul Eclipse snapped back. “The reports you sent back mentioned only one newly risen fourth rank! Do you think you can pin this on me?!

“A sixth rank of life and death appeared out of thin air!! Strictly speaking, Sorrowless, I may not be the one most at fault here!”

You want to make me the scapegoat? Dream on!

Sorrowless was infuriated by the response, but equally resigned since it was the truth. Inaccurate intelligence reports was a massive hassle.

Damn it!

“There’s no point in the two of us fighting each other.” He took a deep breath. “The only way we redeem ourselves is if we kill them all! A sixth rank of life and death, a fourth rank of the five elements, and a domain from an imperial weapon...

“You and I will be hard pressed to manage him! And with Orchid Forest preventing other exalted emperors from interfering... The Orchid Forest world master is blatantly just watching the two of us make fools out of ourselves! We can only request reinforcement now!”

The two looked helplessly at each other. They were in big trouble this time. Their world master would certainly think that both of them were useless. Reaching seventh rank was most likely not in their future!

“Make the call!” Soul Eclipse shook his head. There was nothing else they could do.

I don’t want to do this either!

“Who... do you think will come this time?” Sorrowless asked with a muffled voice after a while.

“With the world master’s personality and the repeated failures here...” Soul Eclipse sneered. “I think a lot of colleagues might come. They may not just focus on those two!”

Orchid Forest might be targeted as well. Yan Fang and his ilk had dared stick their nose into Red Moon affairs! That had thoroughly infuriated the Red Moon master. Even if he didn’t come in person, he’d send anywhere from three to five sixth ranks to thank Orchid Forest for its temerity.

Sorrowless nodded as well. The possibility was very high. They would wait and see! However, he and Soul Eclipse were done. They’d have to wait for their next opportunity to ascend to seventh rank.

......

At the same time.

When detailed information traveled back to Red Moon, the world master’s presence chilled. Another two fifth ranks had died. Two fourth ranks had died before this and the Silver Moon king had killed a fourth rank, then New Martial executed three seventh ranks...

Red Moon had lost five mid ranks and three high ranks in a very short period of time. Casualties hadn’t been this high when he previously devoured a major world. Things hadn’t been going well for Red Moon lately.

“The sixth rank of life and death and fourth rank of the five elements...” he said after a long period of silence. “Where do you guys think they come from?”

No one made a sound. That was difficult to determine.

“New Martial?” someone mumbled.

“We are aware of all New Martial heavyweights!” snapped the Red Moon master. “With that civilization’s personality, the entire chaos knows of their powerhouses! Not to mention, they find it difficult to cultivate the daos of life and death. Their world once shattered. The yin and yang daos rule it, suppressing life and death...”

It was almost impossible for New Martial to produce exalted emperors of life and death. Therefore, the sixth rank should not come from New Martial. Not even Li Hao and the rest were aware of this, but the Red Moon master knew it deeply.

Yin and Yang possessed a large sum of exalted emperors with imbalanced life and death. If they could produce an exalted emperor of life and death under such circumstances, that meant that the world had fully balanced these two daos. It would outright be an eighth rank major world then!

Therefore, it was almost impossible to be an exalted emperor from New Martial.

“In addition, the integration of life and death did not trigger a chaos tribulation. That means that the exalted emperor’s combination of life and death isn’t worth much. It’s just for show!” The Red Moon master was more at ease when he analyzed the situation. “Who is willing to go and execute them to demonstrate Red Moon might?”

He frowned when no one immediately volunteered. “You, you, and you... The four of you will go together!” He pointed, lacking the patience to wait any longer.

Four sixth ranks had been singled out; the choice shocked other exalted emperors. When combined with the two already at Orchid Forest, that made for six sixth ranks dispatched to that world. Red Moon only had nine sixth ranks on the surface. While there were some in the shadows, they were currently focused on ascending to seventh rank and not at liberty to take action.

The four that’d been called upon accepted their orders, not daring to say anything else.

“Remember, if there are any Orchid Forest exalted emperors who dare interfere... kill them all!” A flinty stare shone out of the Red Moon master’s eyes.

The group’s hearts skipped a beat. Were they going to force the acquisition of Orchid Forest now?

“Understood, milord!” The exalted emperors marched out with their orders.

“Follow them, but don’t enter Orchid Forest,” the Red Moon master suddenly transmitted when they were gone. “Stay on the outskirts and observe from the shadows. Take action if the unexpected happens!”

“Understood!” A ripple in the air indicated the departure of Red Moon’s other sole remaining seventh rank.

The Red Moon master gave a long exhale. He could not easily leave and it was best if that seventh rank didn’t leave as well. But he’d been well and truly provoked beyond the limits of his tolerance this time!

The Orchid Forest master was far too arrogant and needed to be taught a lesson!

In that case, he would wait for the right timing to conquer Orchid Forest. A seventh rank aided by a sixth rank was enough.

“Where is New Martial...?” murmured the Red Moon master. He was trapped if those bastards didn’t show themselves.

Or should I leave this region with my world?

However, it would not be a good development by far if the overlord of Red Moon Region left with their major world.

“Where

are

they? Why haven’t they shown themselves?” A deep frown furrowed his brows. Those bastards were highly cocky to have killed three seventh ranks. Logically speaking, he’d believe it if their army showed up at the world gates. But... this continued absence made him uneasy.

Or... have they gone to Skyward?

Was Skyward’s dao universe going to open or not? He didn’t even dare take a look despite the prolonged period of time it’d been since all of the commotion. It was the fault of all those bastards!

The Red Moon master kept his irritation in check. He’d be much less worried if another seventh rank appeared in Red Moon, or the Orchid Forest master could set foot into seventh rank after they took that world.

With two seventh ranks in residence, he wouldn’t be afraid of New Martial attacking his home world.

Thus, the conquest of Orchid Forest had grown tied to his own personal freedom. That made this a very important matter. If that wasn’t the case, it would be very dangerous for that seventh rank to leave the world at present.

The Red Moon master set aside all of his other concerns. He had no other choices at this point in time. He’d invested everything he could into this venture. With the exception of himself since he had to stay and guard the world, he’d sent out all of the powerhouses under his banner. One seventh rank and six sixth ranks had gone to Orchid Forest. This was the sum total of Red Moon’s reserve troops.

Red Moon was very strong!

But no one had ever fathomed that it would lose three seventh ranks in one day. This was the greatest blow to Red Moon. If Fog Mountain hadn’t taken action that day, if the Sword Sovereign hadn’t killed Clarity, if the Human King hadn’t had a chance to launch an ambush...

Everything had changed that day.

Red Moon hadn’t even needed a sixth rank major world then. That kind of world was too weak and it was difficult to assimilate them into the Red Moon forces. Devouring it wouldn’t strengthen Red Moon by much either, so the Red Moon master hadn’t wanted a sixth rank world.

The times then were not the times now.

The Red Moon master wanted to laugh at himself. He was a lofty eighth rank, but now had his eyes set on a sixth rank dao universe and couldn’t even successfully make it his!

What was that, if not laughable?

Perhaps I should make like the New Martial Human King and ignore Red Moon, ignore its territory, and ignore its status... If an eighth rank could become a wandering cultivator...

Could eighth ranks become wandering cultivators?

They could!

He could just devour the world if worst came to worst. The dao universe would follow him in the absence of a world. But... was he willing to do that?

It would be very hard to strengthen a great dao by himself without a world full of wandering cultivators, a cultivation population, and billions of souls under the great dao.

Why did premier powerhouses wish to be masters of the world instead of wandering cultivators?

That was because there was no future ahead for wandering cultivators. The joint cultivation of billions to strengthen one’s dao and world was the path suitable for apex powerhouses.

The master of an eighth rank world was suddenly entertaining ludicrous notions because life had been too stifling and humiliating as of late.

He wanted to be a wandering cultivator!