Chapter 1403: Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes

"What? Is it that serious?"

Zuo Feiqing, Hall Master of Tempest Wind Hall, stiffened. Two days ago, the distress signal from the Land of War had shown that the Hall of War suffered heavy losses, yet it should not have been enough to shake the confidence of a seasoned expert like Xu Zhengfeng. For him to lose faith in holding the Land of War meant the situation had worsened far beyond expectations.

Xu Zhengfeng let out a weary sigh. "The situation is extremely dire. The northern barbarians are launching fierce frontal assaults, and they have the demon race assisting them. We have been pushed back again and again. In just a few engagements, we have already lost more than ten Great Emperor experts!"

"What?" Zuo Feiqing's eyelids twitched violently. "When the message came through the Void Fire Jade, only three Great Emperors had fallen. In just two days, we've lost that many more?"

Dongling Immortal Pool had stood for ten thousand years and had nurtured no shortage of Great Emperors, but losing ten at once was a devastating blow no matter how deep their foundation ran.

Xu Zhengfeng's voice turned heavy. "It's all because of those three barbarian squads that slipped into our territory."

"They infiltrated the Land of War and have been operating behind our lines. They use a method we have never seen before to monitor our every move. They know when we deploy, how strong our forces are, how many troops we send, and which routes we take. The northern barbarians are fully informed, so our forces on the front lines keep walking into ambushes. Several Great Emperors have already died because of this!"

As he spoke, anger flared in his eyes. He slammed his palm onto the table, and the bluestone surface shattered into powder.

"What kind of method is this? Among our Great Emperors, we have masters of Soul Dao. Can none of them figure out how the enemy is spying on us?" Zuo Feiqing frowned.

"It is not a Soul Dao secret art," Xu Zhengfeng replied through clenched fists. "It is beast taming!"

"The northern barbarians are already skilled in controlling insects and raising gu. They were troublesome enough before, but this time they can command snakes, insects, rats, and ants alike. Every creature has become their eyes and ears. Even a single ant or a tiny bedbug may be under their control. After learning this, we had no choice but to exterminate every living thing within a ten-mile radius of our stronghold to prevent further surveillance."

He paused, then sighed deeply. "Even so, the results have been minimal."

"Ants are easy to crush, but they can never be wiped out entirely. Beneath the earth there are countless insects. No matter how much effort we spend, can we really dig ten feet down and kill every last one?"

"

Uh

..."

Zuo Feiqing fell silent. Ants posed no threat to humans, yet they were endless and impossible to eradicate.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"That is why I dispatched several elite squads to hunt down those barbarian squads and eliminate the problem at its source," Xu Zhengfeng continued. "Over the past few days we achieved some success and destroyed two of them. But the final squad is the key. The barbarian who excels at beast taming is among them!"

"I sent out six elite squads for this operation. Three were wiped out. In the end we forced the enemy into a dangerous area, but after several clashes they turned the tables and killed us instead. All six elite squads have now fallen!"

His voice trembled with pain. Any squad he called elite was led by a Great Emperor expert!

Zuo Feiqing drew in a sharp breath. The demon race and barbarian coalition pressed hard at the front. Enemy scouts lurked in the rear. Every movement of their army was exposed. To advance meant certain death. Yet to keep retreating would crush morale. Sooner or later, the mighty fortress of the Hall of War would fall.

After a long silence, Zuo Feiqing spoke. "In that case, why not request the Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes to take action? With their strength, they are unrivaled among those of the same tier. Surely they can deal with a single barbarian squad?"

The Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes were the ten experts of the Hall of War who had slain the most enemies and earned the greatest merit. It was a title contested by successive Young Emperors after they left Dongling Immortal Pool and came to the Land of War. Young Emperors were already top figures, and the ten strongest among them were monsters among monsters. After advancing to Great Emperor, their strength rivaled even the core elders of the Eight Halls.

Xu Zhengfeng let out another long sigh. "You do not know. In this operation, one of the Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes has already fallen. He was ranked tenth."

"What?" Zuo Feiqing's pupils shrank. "Even one of the Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes has died?"

"Yes." Xu Zhengfeng's fists tightened. "Do you know where the barbarian squad was ultimately driven?"

"Where?"

"The Dead Soul Devil Abyss!"

Zuo Feiqing's eyelids twitched. In his youth he had trained in the Land of War, so he knew exactly what kind of place the Dead Soul Devil Abyss was.

Any martial expert who entered that abyss would have their elemental force suppressed. The deeper they went, the stronger the suppression became. Once their elemental force was sealed, even a powerful cultivator would be reduced to an ordinary mortal. A single wild beast could become a fatal threat.

Worse still, the higher one's cultivation, the stronger the suppression. Those with lower realms were affected less.

"So it was the Dead Soul Devil Abyss. No wonder even a member of the Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes perished there."

Zuo Feiqing pondered for a moment before speaking again. "The barbarian squad hiding in the Dead Soul Devil Abyss is like a dagger pressed against our heart. It must be removed as soon as possible. Otherwise every move we make will be restrained. If war fully breaks out, we will have no chance of victory."

"Exactly." Xu Zhengfeng nodded and looked at him. "Hall Master Zuo, what are your thoughts?"

"We cannot delay. Aside from the three thousand regular reinforcements, I have also brought fifteen elite teams in accordance with the sect master's orders. They are here for training. Their cultivation is not particularly high, which makes them suitable for entering the Dead Soul Devil Abyss to eliminate that barbarian squad."

"That is absolutely unacceptable!"

Xu Zhengfeng shook his head immediately. "The disciples of the Hall of War have survived countless battles and possess strong survival skills. Even they could not return alive from the Dead Soul Devil Abyss. How can inexperienced disciples fare any better? Sending them would only increase casualties."

"These youths are the future pillars of the sect. We cannot let them fall so easily. Let them remain in Mountain City and handle logistics instead. As for who will enter the Dead Soul Devil Abyss, I will reconsider."

"Logistics?" Zuo Feiqing smiled bitterly. "Without hardship, how can they become pillars of the sect? Do not underestimate these young people. They came here filled with fighting spirit. If they end up handling supplies in the Land of War, it will crush their morale."

"

Uh

..."

Xu Zhengfeng considered his words and slowly nodded. There was a reason for what he said.

"Very well. But they must be tested first to see whether they have the ability to survive in the Dead Soul Devil Abyss."

He rose to his feet. "Recently, a group of barbarian scouts has been lingering a thousand miles away, probing our movements. There are around thirty to forty of them. Let these youngsters test their strength against that group. I will have people observe and record their performance. Only the teams that excel will qualify to enter the Dead Soul Devil Abyss. Otherwise, going there would be suicide."

"Agreed!"

Zuo Feiqing nodded. In the Land of War, strength was the only law of survival.

...