novelraw Chapter 141 - 139: Our Army Has 10 Victories
Chapter 141 - 139: Our Army Has 10 Victories
Shamuel had originally come to gaze upon the legendary flame that nourished the Feast Fire Holy Spirit, expecting to see a most sacred object. To the people of the Shadow Flame Clan, fire was a symbol of absolute sanctity, inextricably linked to their Holy Spirit Ancestor.
It was just like the moonlight for the Qinghui Clan, or the lake water for the Yuanxi Clan—all were manifestations of their source of power.
Thus, Shamuel was interested in all forms of Extraordinary flames, let alone the legendary Shadow-Born Flame, said to have directly given birth to the Feast Fire Holy Spirit.
However, as Shamuel stepped onto the scorched earth ravaged by the Shadow-Born Fire with the reverence of a pilgrim, she keenly sensed that something was wrong.
An overwhelming residual heat permeated the scorched earth, seeming to evaporate the very soul, yet standing there, Shamuel felt surprisingly at ease.
She immediately realized why—the Chaos Corruption had been purified.
After another careful inspection, Shamuel confirmed it and immediately reported to Westheid.
"This flame can purify Chaos Corruption? That’s absurd. I can’t accept it."
Westheid stated they shouldn’t celebrate too soon. Adopting a cautious, investigative attitude, he moved to several different locations, infused Magic Power into Shadow-Born, and unleashed slashes of light in the same manner.
RUMBLE—
After the surging waves of flame rolled past, every member of the exploration team was deployed to conduct repeated surveys.
The final result was that in the land scorched by the Shadow-Born Flame, the Chaos Corruption had indeed dropped significantly. This wasn’t an exception, but an unmistakably clear reaction.
Once Westheid confirmed this, he fell into a long silence. He drew Shadow-Born to look at it, sheathed it for a moment, then drew it again to study it closely.
’He’s... he’s got a cheat!’
’No, what cheat? This is an Artifact Spirit!’
’Since Shadow-Born is a Great Demon’s Soul Ring weapon, it’s perfectly normal for its Artifact Spirit to have some functions, right?’
Westheid desperately tried to suppress his elation, but he couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.
’Purifying Chaos Corruption... this effect is even more important than having special effectiveness against Chaos.’
One had to understand that when retaking a Domain submerged by the Chaos Tide, the most difficult part wasn’t expelling the entrenched Chaos Demons, but restoring the contaminated land.
Due to the unique nature of a Chaos Domain, restoring a Land of Order to its original habitable state after it had been tainted by Chaos was an arduous process. It required persistent cleansing and purification, taking anywhere from a few months to several decades depending on the level of contamination.
And in the campaign against a Chaos Domain, the speed of purification was even more crucial.
This was because not even the most powerful Transcendent could remain in a state of Chaos Erosion for long.
Not even Legendary Powerhouses were an exception, unless every single one of them was equipped with a T0-tier Heaven-Extending Talent like Withered Glory Sun.
"Well, well, well. If it’s not off, it must be on, eh?"
Westheid clapped his hands in delight and said to those around him,
"It seems our reclamation plan will need a slight, last-minute change."
In the original plan, the ones responsible for purifying the Chaos Corruption were Shamuel and other professionals from the Shadow Flame Territory. They were very experienced in managing Chaos, and their method could be summed up in one word: burn!
They would use the flames bestowed by the Feast Fire Holy Spirit—flames filled with the Power of Order—to incinerate all materials tainted by Chaos Contamination, thereby purifying the Chaos.
This was already considered a highly efficient method, yet it still required several weeks to clear out an area for a base.
But with Shadow-Born, Westheid could achieve the same level of purification in just over ten minutes.
"So, as I was saying, perhaps the Purity Forest should have been burned long ago."
Westheid looked at Yolanda. When she had learned of the Shadow Flame Territory’s purification method, she had been staunchly against it.
She had said that rather than desecrating the Purity Forest like that, they should follow the ancestral methods to purify the Chaos. It wasn’t much slower than the Shadow Flame Territory’s way and would preserve the forest’s beauty and integrity.
But now, faced with Westheid’s flame purification, even Yolanda couldn’t voice any objection.
Such an efficient and convenient method of purification had completely rewritten the rules of war.
"In that case, Brother, we should indeed make some changes."
Yolanda sighed softly, uncertain whether she was happy or sad.
"What if we open a direct path to the heart of the Purity Forest? Since our primary objective is to rescue our Holy Spirit Ancestor, concentrating our superior forces to break the Chaos Demons’ blockade of the forest’s center should be a good idea."
"A good plan! But I’d like to make a small change."
Westheid added,
"The Transcendent forces, like the Guard and the engineers, will of course act as the tip of the spear, plunging into the enemy’s belly. But the Purity People don’t need to stay in the rear anymore. They can set foot on their homeland ahead of schedule, rebuild our homes on the purified land, and construct defensive bases... On purified land, even ordinary people will be of use."
Now, not only Yolanda, but even Shamuel, Mivana, and the others were speechless with surprise.
"Let mortals enter a Chaos Domain that hasn’t been fully liberated?"
"How is that any different from deliberate slaughter?"
’You’re bordering on extremism.’
Only Yolanda, who was of one mind with her brother, immediately understood the Patriarch’s thinking. Her elegant brows furrowed slightly as she said,
"Are you planning a full-scale mobilization? To fight a decisive battle against the Chaos entrenched in the Purity Forest at top speed? Brother, forgive my bluntness, but if this were the end of the reclamation war, I would think going all-out is normal. But this is just the beginning... Our chances of victory aren’t high enough yet."
Westheid smiled and said,
"On the contrary. Even if we go to war now, our army has ten victories, while Chaos has ten defeats!"
Yolanda exclaimed, "We have such a great advantage?"
"Of course!"
With a grand wave of his hand, Westheid began to list their advantages:
"We, the Purity People, are united against a common foe, and our morale is high. The Chaos Hundred Forms, no matter their rank, are nothing but beasts without discipline. This is the first victory!"
"The Purity Forest has not yet been completely corrupted. Within the Qinghui Territory, we are fighting on home ground. The Pure Holy Spirit will restrain the power of Chaos and grant its descendants blessings and protection. Chaos, however, is fighting an away game. During the lulls in the Chaos Tide, no matter how terrifyingly numerous the Demons are, they cannot be replenished. We grow stronger as they grow weaker. This is the second victory!"
"A just cause attracts much support; an unjust one finds little. The Purity People do not fight alone. Behind us stands the mighty Imperial! We have the generous contributions from our Friend of the Oath, and the possible aid of the Ring of Clear Skies. This is the third victory!"
"I wield the Shadow-Born Flame which can purify Chaos, eliminating the need for tedious and lengthy purification methods. Yet, the corruption of Chaos cannot be accomplished in a single stroke. This is the fourth victory!"
Listening to the Patriarch’s confident speech, Yolanda became more and more convinced. Her beautiful eyes began to sparkle, and she couldn’t help but ask,
"Brother, what else? Aren’t there ten victories?"
Westheid paused. After a long silence, he raised a finger and continued,
"Our army already has four victories, while Chaos still has zero. This is the fifth victory!"
"Our army already has five victories, while Chaos still has zero. This is the sixth victory!"
".........."
"Our army already has nine victories, while Chaos still has zero. This is the tenth victory!"
"With these ten victories against their ten defeats, why should we worry that we cannot sweep away Chaos, reclaim our homeland, and bring order to the world?"
’So you’re just gonna force it to make ten, huh?’
The people around him really wanted to use this moment to advise Duke Qinghui against it, but seeing as he did have a point, they held their tongues.
Besides, Duke Qinghui’s authority was absolute. Once he made up his mind, no voice of opposition would be tolerated in the Qinghui Territory.
And this time, although Westheid’s attitude seemed gentle, the look in his eyes was indisputable.
"Everyone, the more time we can buy, the better. Every single day we save now will yield returns a hundred, even a thousand times over in the future."
Westheid said meaningfully.