Chapter 1220: Rivers of Blood
Ever since the interior of the black hole became distorted, everyone had lost sight of the three great figures of the Death God and the Apotheosis Platform. Neither the three great deities nor the Apotheosis Platform had reappeared since vanishing from their view.
Now, the massive black hole overhead suddenly underwent a strange transformation. The intense distortion within it, far from growing more severe with the passage of time, showed signs of gradually stabilizing. This change instantly captured the attention of many.
Few among the outermost combatants on either side noticed this. Their limited strength, coupled with the immense distance from the black hole, made it difficult for them to perceive its subtle internal shifts. Only a select few, either those who had consistently hidden their true power or those possessing extraordinary sight, had somewhat detected the changes within the black hole. But such individuals were, after all, a tiny minority; apart from them, everyone else remained utterly oblivious to the black hole's internal transformations.
Yang Haoran was considerably closer to the black hole than the outermost combatants on either side. Furthermore, he had been constantly monitoring the black hole's changes, never overlooking it even amidst fierce combat with his opponents. Thus, when the strange transformation occurred within the black hole, he immediately detected it.
He was not alone. In both his immediate vicinity and the area occupied by the Underworld Emperors, the highest-tier experts beneath the true gods, almost everyone—save for a few who were either less observant or utterly overwhelmed by their opponents—had noticed the subtle changes within the black hole.
Their intense focus on the black hole stemmed from their clear understanding that the ultimate victory of this grand battle hinged on the gods within it. Whichever side's deities emerged victorious would naturally claim the final triumph of this war. Conversely, they would become the vanquished, and the tragic fate awaiting the losers was easy enough to imagine.
Neither side wished to be the one that lost, yet this was a matter entirely beyond their control; they couldn't even intervene. Therefore, they could only watch with mounting apprehension, constantly monitoring the changes within the black hole, so that if any shift occurred, they would at least know immediately.
It was precisely because they held this shared conviction that they continuously kept an eye on the black hole's internal transformations. When they noticed the anomaly, most of them, though they didn't cease their attacks on their opponents, shifted the majority of their attention to the black hole. Their offense and defense, at this point, became somewhat perfunctory.
The anomaly within the black hole persisted for a full three days. Throughout this period, the distortion inside the black hole cycled from intense to stable, then from stable to intense, and back again, endlessly repeating without resolution. Yang Haoran and the others, who had been constantly observing the black hole's internal changes, found their emotions fluctuating in tandem with this phenomenon.
From their initial apprehension, their feelings evolved into confusion, and eventually, after a prolonged period, even numbness. While their attention on the black hole remained, it was no longer as focused as when the anomaly first appeared.
This was just one aspect—the internal state of the black hole and the changing emotions of the observers. Many other events unfolded during these three days, most notably the escalating casualties on both sides. In just three days, more than half of the combatants from both factions had perished in the Snow Fox Mountain Range. The entire Snow Fox Mountain Range saw rivers of blood flow and corpses strewn everywhere; the earth was dyed crimson, and the very air was thick with the potent stench of gore.
The greatest casualties were suffered by the lowest-tier combatants on both sides. Their sheer numbers meant that the death toll among them was also the highest, a horrifying figure that could only be described as terrifying. Not only did the lowest ranks suffer grievously, but a considerable number of high-ranking figures from both sides also perished during these three days.
The Underworld Division alone lost six Guardians, two of whom had already been in the Life Soul realm for a significant period. They were considered top-tier experts below the Great Emperors, the most formidable and representative figures among the forty-five Guardians.
Yet, even such powerful and emblematic existences still lost their lives in this great war, becoming its sacrifices.
The number of Earth Soul experts who were not Guardians but had achieved the Earth Soul realm was far greater than the number of fallen Guardians. While the Underworld Division had a considerable number of Underworld Officials who had successfully entered the Earth Soul realm but were not Guardians, half of them perished within these three days. This was a tremendous blow to the Underworld Division.
Aside from the heavy losses suffered by the Underworld Division itself, its numerous allies also incurred devastating casualties. Not to mention the other small and medium-sized factions, whose losses were unimaginable; by the second day, seven or eight tenths of their forces had been wiped out. Those who remained alive were nothing short of a miracle.
Setting them aside, if we speak only of the Demon Hunter Association, the Underworld Division's greatest ally in this war, their losses were equally astonishing. Whether it was the three-star Demon Hunters or the even stronger four-star Demon Hunters, very few now remained alive and combat-capable. The rest were either dead or severely injured, rendered incapable of further significant contribution in this great war.
Naturally, the Spiritualist side fared no better than the Underworld Division; their losses were just as staggering. This held true for both the Spiritualists themselves and their allies.
Although Yang Haoran had consistently hidden his true strength, and his chosen tactic was primarily focused on delaying, he still sustained considerable injuries.
Such an outcome was perfectly normal. After all, this grand battle had already raged for three days. No matter how cautious he was, injuries were inevitable. His strength simply wasn't enough to emerge completely unscathed from such an engagement. If he hadn't hidden his strength and seized the initiative from the very beginning, his injuries would undoubtedly have been far more severe!
Yang Haoran was not surprised by his injuries; he had mentally prepared for this long ago, so his emotions were unaffected by the matter. However, one thing did make his mood considerably grim: the heavy casualties suffered by his trusted subordinates over these three days. Many were tragically killed, others severely wounded—losses far exceeding his expectations.
This was despite the fact that his subordinates were not far from him. Their close proximity allowed him to intervene and assist them when they faced danger, yet even so, the losses were devastating. Naturally, his mood was far from pleasant.
Of course, without his repeated interventions, nine times out of ten, all of his subordinates would have perished, and the casualties would have been even greater than they were now!
Though Yang Haoran felt deeply uncomfortable about this, such was reality, and he had no choice but to accept it.
Where there is war, there is death—this is an immutable truth. Those who die might be close to oneself, or they might be inconsequential strangers, but inevitably, some will perish in battle. This is a certainty no one can change.
Watching his trusted subordinates fall one after another was a significant blow to Yang Haoran's psyche. Fortunately, his inner resolve was strong enough, and he promptly extracted and collected the souls of his fallen subordinates, which prevented him from succumbing to a killing frenzy due to their tragic deaths.
If circumstances had allowed, Yang Haoran would not have extracted the souls of his deceased subordinates from their bodies on the spot, as doing so might cause harm to their souls.
However, this was not his Guardian District; it was a battlefield where Spiritualists and the Underworld Division were fighting to the death. In such a situation, every moment of delay could result in souls being seized by the enemy, or even worse, being brutally dispersed from their bodies by opposing forces. Therefore, to prevent such fates from befalling his subordinates, Yang Haoran disregarded all other concerns and immediately extracted their souls.
As the slaughter continued, neither side retained their initial momentum. Some individuals had even conceived the idea of fleeing the Snow Fox Mountain Range, no longer wishing to continue the battle. However, the vast majority of them merely harbored such thoughts, utterly daring not to act upon them, for in their view, doing so would lead to an utterly tragic end. Hence, they only dared to think it, not do it.
Another crucial reason they did not choose to flee was that the gods of both sides had yet to determine a victor. If their faction emerged as the ultimate winner, the benefits reaped by them, the meritorious veterans, would undoubtedly be astounding. Fleeing prematurely would not only mean missing out on these rewards but also facing lifelong pursuit from their own forces—a consequence they definitely did not desire.
Regardless of whether individuals harbored thoughts of escape or not, this great battle had instilled in them a profound sense of exhaustion, not merely physical, but psychological as well. The sole reason they had not yet collapsed was that the true gods they each believed in had yet to emerge from the black hole.
Although the true gods they worshipped still supported them, preventing their collapse, their profound physical and mental exhaustion made it difficult for them to persevere much longer. If the battle continued like this, with their revered true gods still not emerging from the black hole, it was likely that very few living souls would remain on either side.
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