Chapter 183: Olive Branch

The retreat of the Beast Tide and the cheers of the warriors sent hot warmth coursing through Wang Baole. The mountains of corpses and sea of blood, and the countless dead strewn across the battlefield, soon turned his excitement into sorrow and there was a heavy weight on his heart.

They returned to the stronghold, and big-bearded commander-in-charge ordered a clean up of the battlefield. The bodies of warriors and cultivators were carried back to the stronghold; some had been mutilated beyond recognition. The bloody sight left many silent.

The clean up took three days, and normalcy returned after. The military preserved the beasts’ corpses; they would be used as resources and materials. The bodies of their comrades were placed together, their names recorded in the military’s Martyrs’ Scroll, and the ashes and compensation would be sent to their families. Special remuneration would also be provided for the cultivators killed in battle.

As everything came to an end, the people in the stronghold, including Wang Baole, started to hear more and more about the horrendous battles that had taken place in the seventh primary stronghold and across the entire seventh line of defense.

The Beast Tide reached its finale at the seventh primary stronghold, with the death of the Beast King at the hands of General Zhou. Countless beasts had perished, but the stronghold paid a terrible price and suffered heavy losses.

The scale of the Beast Tide had been greater than the Federation had anticipated. Nearly a third of the minor strongholds along the seventh line of defense had been successfully invaded. Few from those strongholds—warriors and cultivators alike—managed to survive. Most had died in battle.

Out of the remaining two thirds, almost half held strong and prevailed until rescue arrived. However, the casualties suffered were equally great.

The remaining strongholds held on stubbornly despite delayed rescue, using sheer force and determination to wear down the onslaught of the Beast Tide. The scale of those strongholds surpassed that of the minor stronghold where Wang Baole was stationed; they had an abundance of warriors and cultivators.

As for the smaller minor strongholds, Wang Baole’s stronghold wasn’t the only one that managed to overcome the attacks. However, such strongholds remained in the rare few. As a result, Wang Baole’s stronghold became the focus of much attention in the entire seventh line of defense.

While the rescue forces had arrived in the end, even if they hadn’t appeared, the outcome of the battle had already been determined with Big Beard’s ambush, as well as the sacrifice of the two Foundation Establishment realm cultivators and Wang Baole’s cannon blast!

With such accomplishments achieved in battle, the names of Wang Baole and many others were soon repeated throughout the entire stronghold, spreading further across the entire seventh line of defense with big-bearded commander-in-chief’s dissemination.

Everyone who heard of what had happened was blown away. They had gone through that Beast Tide themselves and knew all too well how difficult it would have been to accomplish such great feats in the battle.

As a result, Wang Baole enjoyed a hero’s treatment for the next few days.

There was nearly no one who didn’t know his name. When he stepped outside, the warriors who saw him greeted him with a salute and eyes filled with enthusiasm and zeal.

The military commanders were the same. Their gratitude wasn’t a mere appearance out of formality, but straight from the heart. They were thankful for what Wang Baole had done for them!

When Wang Baole and Chen Yutong had come face to face with danger, they could have retreated and abandoned the Fire God Cannon, but they had chosen to remain. When the news of that spread, Wang Baole’s reputation grew further.

Chen Yutong and the others who had protected Wang Baole received an unprecedented warm and enthusiastic treatment from the entire stronghold as well.

However, the excitement paled against the heaviness weighing against Wang Baole’s heart. He couldn’t forget the slain warriors and the scenes of the massacre. It could even be said that the battle had made a deep impact on his life.

It was hard to come to terms with what he was feeling within a short period of time and return to his earlier cheerful disposition.

At the same time, many had found out that Wang Baole was into collecting beasts’ teeth. As a result, over the next few days, he received countless beasts’ teeth. They were presents from the heart. The warriors were grateful to Wang Baole; they liked him but didn’t know how to express their feelings. The gifting of beasts’ teeth became their only way of showing how they felt.

The storage bracelet was filled to the brim and could carry no more additional items. Wang Baole was moved beyond words, and couldn’t bring himself to turn down any gifts. Finally, Chen Yutong handed two storage bracelets to him silently; he finally managed to pack all the gifts.

The disciples from the four Dao Colleges had experienced the same deadly battle as well. Their feelings towards the stronghold, towards Wang Baole, and towards their fellow Daoists from the four Dao Colleges grew. There was a greater sense of familiarity and camaraderie and they mingled more frequently and befriended one another. How they interacted with the warriors, whom they had become comrades with, was no longer the same as when they had first arrived.

As the Beast Tide receded and the entire stronghold recovered from the attack, and as Wang Baole bustled about receiving an endless horde of guests, an Honor Roll—delivered from big-bearded commander-in-charge—reached General Zhou of the seventh primary stronghold.

In the Honor Roll were listed the names of almost all of the disciples from Dao Colleges as well as the names of a great many brave warriors. One might even say that the list contained the names of nearly everyone who had survived.

The names of Wang Baole, the two surviving Foundation Establishment realm cultivators and Big Beard himself were listed at the top, in the lead for the military’s recognition and reward.

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In the general’s tent, General Zhou looked through the Honor Roll. He smiled wryly, lifted his head, and looked at Big Beard.

Zhou Lu stood behind General Zhou. She seemed to be injured, and her face was pale. But the glint in her eyes, which spoke of her experience having been forged from the crucible of blood and slaughter, had grown sharper. Her eyes paused on Wang Baole’s name on the Honor Roll.

Big Beard remained calm under General Zhou’s calculating look. He secretly and intentionally exerted force and forced fresh blood to seep through the bandaged wounds on his body. He didn’t say a word, but his intentions were loud and clear… I’m not leaving until you agree to the sizable rewards for my men.

“Stop sneaking around and hiding. Just lay everything out.” General Zhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He pointed at Big Beard and scolded.

Big Beard blinked, then pulled out another Honor Roll which looked heavy beyond words. His face was somber. He approached with the Honor Roll in both hands and did not place it on the table but presented it to General Zhou.

General Zhou’s eyes fell unblinkingly on the roll. He seemed to have arrived at a certain understanding, and a shadow fell across his face. He stood and received the Honor Roll with both hands, unscrolled it and read through the names belonging to every single person who had died in battle. Silence fell over him.

The leading names placed at the top of that Honor Roll were the names of the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators who had perished!

“General, I understand the difficulties of the army and the Federation’s current situation. It’s alright even if we cut the number of accolades by half, but the reparations must be given in multiple folds. This battle… was a complete massacre…” Big Beard lowered his head and uttered softly.

General Zhou was silent. After a long while, he looked towards Big Beard and spoke in a low, calm voice, “How could we reduce the number of accolades by half. All accolades will receive three times the reward. As for reparations… they’ll be threefold as well!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Big Beard’s body shook. He didn’t speak further, and instead cupped his fists and saluted General Zhou. Then, he gave a deep bow and left.

General Zhou watched Big Beard leave. He stood in front of the table and was silent for a long time. Then he spoke softly, “Zhou Lu, make arrangements. In three days’ time, I’ll travel personally to all the strongholds and… visit the Armament Soldiers.”

Zhou Lu hurriedly shifted her eyes from Wang Baole’s name on the Honor Roll, lowered her head and replied with a “Yes, Sir”.

Three days passed swiftly. With the Beast Tide ended, the disciples from the four Dao Colleges started to leave and return to their respective Dao College. Wang Baole, Chen Yutong, and their friends, too, bade farewell to the Armament Soldiers and were prepared to depart. Before they could be on their way, Wang Baole received a message from Big Beard.

General Zhou wants to see me? Wang Baole blinked. He had gotten a clear grasp of General Zhou of the seventh primary stronghold. He was the man whom he had caught a glance of in the college, a general in the upper echelons of the army named Zhou Dexi, who had wiped out an entire species of beasts and attained a monumental accomplishment!

When Wang Baole hadn’t known of the other man’s identity, he hadn’t been nervous. Knowing exactly who the man was, though, the thought of Zhou Lu’s constant shadow behind General Zhou gave Wang Baole slight pause.

Could it be that Zhou Lu is this General Zhou’s concubine? At the thought of that, Wang Baole was struck with a headache.

However, he considered the accomplishments he had made and quietly exhaled a sigh of relief. He remained alert though, as he approached Big Beard’s tent. As he arrived outside the tent, he saw Zhou Lu standing outside. Their eyes met, and a hint of perplexity was clear in Zhou Lu’s eyes. She cast a glance at Wang Baole, shifted her eyes away, and spoke coolly, “The general is waiting for you.”

Wang Baole noticed the perplexed look in her eyes, and a glimmer flickered in his eyes. He stared at the tent and marched wordlessly forward, straight inside. He saw General Zhou, dressed in black uniform, standing before a map with his back towards him.

It was a figure that towered like a mountain. When Wang Baole’s eyes fell on the general, he was assailed with the sudden feeling akin to standing before a huge Fire God Cannon. His breath quickened, and he lowered his head, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply.

“Greetings, General Zhou. I’m Wang Baole!”

“Wang Baole, come.” General Zhou didn’t turn towards him. He stood staring at the map before him and spoke coolly.

Wang Baole raised his head and stared at General Zhou. He deliberated, briefly, before taking a few steps forward. He stood next to the general and gazed at the map. The map had caught his attention earlier; it was the topographic map of the seventh line of defense. Beyond the seventh line of defense was the vast primordial lands. Even further beyond that, was the expansive ocean.

“It might seem like that seventh line of defense was partially breached in this battle, but in reality… we won a great strategic victory!” General Zhou spoke slowly. His right hand rose and pointed at the vast area of sea.

“The four Dao colleges, the senate, and the other political forces staged an ambush on the Sea of Beasts. We suffered great casualties, but also managed to kill nine Beast Kings and secure at least twenty years of stability at the borders!”

“But there are pros and cons to everything… the internal conflicts in the Federation, having been suppressed for more than a decade, will inevitably surface in an explosive clash sometime in the next twenty years. The four Dao Colleges will not escape unscathed from the political storm when it happens. Only the military remains untouchable. So…” General Zhou, having said all that, turned around suddenly, his eyes shining brightly, and looked at Wang Baole.

“Wang Baole, are you willing to join the military?”