Novels online

Chapter 1229: Two Choices

The protracted war had left the New Beginning Realm riddled with wounds, and millions upon millions of lives had become its sacrifices. Among them were those who had dug their own graves, and of course, the innocent, with the latter's death toll far exceeding the former. The largest number of casualties, without a doubt, came from the vast populace of ordinary people.

The number of non-ordinary people who met tragic ends was likewise incalculable; though fewer in comparison to ordinary folk, this was only relative and did not imply their numbers were small. Particularly for the major powers involved in this great war—such as the Yin Division, Spirit Masters, Talisman Order, and Demon Hunter Association—their immense losses could only be described as astonishing.

Naturally, there were also factions that suffered minimal losses, such for instance, the Holy Mother Cult. Although this great war also affected them, altering their original trajectory, their losses were negligible due to their complete non-participation throughout the conflict. However, forces like theirs, which preserved their strength intact, were few and far between, a mere handful.

Although the Yin Division suffered heavily, they were ultimately among the victors of this great war, and thus reaped immense benefits from their triumph. These advantages naturally encompassed a wide array of resources, such as territory, materials, and followers.

With the fall of the Spirit Master False God and the tragic deaths of numerous experts, the Spirit Masters simply lacked the power to defend their former territories. Consequently, all their lands were cleanly partitioned by the Yin Division.

Before the world descended into chaos, the Spirit Masters possessed no territories of their own. After the great upheaval, the Spirit Master False God emerged. His appearance not only brought the Spirit Masters from the shadows into the light but also led them to an unprecedented glory, securing a considerable amount of territory.

Yet, this so-called glory was but a fleeting moment. With the war's conclusion, the Spirit Masters, as the defeated faction, not only lost all their territories but also retreated from the open back into the shadows, shrinking into themselves as they once had.

Among the Spirit Master faction, the Spirit Masters themselves bore the heaviest losses. However, the other forces also suffered significantly, though markedly less severe than the Spirit Masters. The Talisman Order, as the Spirit Masters' largest and most powerful ally, incurred losses second only to them, and accordingly, the territory they ceded was also second only to the Spirit Masters.

As for the other forces beyond the Talisman Order within the Spirit Master faction, while their losses could not compare to those of the Talisman Order and the Spirit Masters, this did not mean their own losses were small. Rather, it was because the resources they commanded were inherently inferior to those of the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order, these two major powers. Thus, superficially, their losses seemed less than those of the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order. However, if one were to look past these two super-factions and consider the matter from their individual perspectives, it would become clear that their losses were no less significant than those of the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order, and for them, these losses were indeed fatal.

After all, the Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order were rare super-factions in this world. Despite their immense losses in this great war, powerful experts still remained within their ranks. Particularly for the Talisman Order, while their Talisman Ancestor was indeed gravely wounded, he was, after all, not dead. Setting aside the True God Talisman Ancestor, there were still some formidable individuals within the Talisman Order capable of holding up their corner of the sky. Thus, given sufficient time for recovery, it was not impossible for them to gradually recuperate their losses.

However, it would be extremely difficult for other small and medium-sized forces to achieve this. The fall of their top experts was a fatal blow, making it challenging for them to continue surviving in the New Beginning Realm. They might even ultimately disintegrate due to their defeat in this war, withdrawing from the stage of the New Beginning Realm forever, becoming mere history.

As the ultimate and greatest victor of this war, the Yin Division naturally reaped the most benefits among all factions. And Guardians like Yang Haoran, who had rendered meritorious service and were still alive, were naturally not overlooked for rewards.

It was not just Guardians like Yang Haoran; even ordinary Emissaries of Death, as long as they had made significant contributions in this war, received their due rewards.

As this great war had lasted for a considerable period, very few within the entire Yin Division, whether Underworld Officials in the mortal realm or Ghost Officials in the Underworld, had failed to make contributions. Apart from a select few, everyone else had, to varying degrees, rendered service and received corresponding rewards.

To this end, the Yin Division even specially organized a grand commendation assembly, serving as both recognition and motivation.

Attending the commendation assembly were not only the living Underworld Officials from the mortal realm and the Ghost Officials from the Underworld, but also a third category of individuals: the souls of Underworld Officials who had fallen in battle in the mortal realm.

From the outbreak to the conclusion of the great war, countless Underworld Officials in the mortal realm had perished. Some of their souls vanished without a trace after death, while others were scattered by enemies on the spot. A portion, however, were relatively much luckier: after their deaths in battle, their souls fell into the hands of their comrades and were perfectly preserved.

The Yin Division high command did not forget these Underworld Officials whose souls had been perfectly preserved; their numbers were simply too vast to be ignored. Therefore, like other Underworld Officials and Ghost Officials, they participated in this commendation assembly and received rewards according to the magnitude of their contributions.

In addition to their deserved rewards, the Yin Division high command also offered these fallen Underworld Officials two special choices: the first was to become a Ghost Official in the Underworld, and the second was to enter the reincarnation platform to be reborn.

These Underworld Officials had all sacrificed themselves in this great war. If they were merely given certain rewards without a proper arrangement for their future, it would certainly be unacceptable. Not only would it cause their dissatisfaction, but it would also dishearten the living Underworld Officials. In the future, if such events occurred again, who would be foolish enough to risk their lives for the Yin Division?

To prevent such a situation and to set an example for the living Underworld Officials, the Yin Division undoubtedly needed to properly settle the souls of the fallen Underworld Officials.

Although the Yin Division offered two choices to the fallen Underworld Officials, almost all of them chose the first option, with only a very small number of fallen Underworld Officials opting for reincarnation.

This situation is easy to explain: choosing to remain and become a Ghost Official, though it meant starting cultivation from scratch, still meant being part of the Yin Division. Not only would they receive the Yin Division's protection, but they would also have a stable income, which would greatly aid their cultivation. Once they cultivated to the Ghost King realm, they could even reshape their physical bodies. This process was indeed long, but at least there was still hope.

Conversely, if they chose reincarnation, they would no longer be part of the Yin Division, would not receive its protection, and would have no stable income. They would even have to rely on destiny and luck to re-embark on the path of cultivation. With good fortune, they might step onto this path with limitless prospects; with bad luck, they might remain ordinary people their entire lives, or even worse, lose their lives for various reasons before they even had a chance to properly see the world after birth.

Although the war had now concluded, in the eyes of many, this end was merely temporary; no one knew when conflict might erupt again. If war were to break out shortly after their reincarnation, they, being utterly helpless, would find it incredibly difficult to survive the turmoil.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, the vast majority of Underworld Officials decided to remain and become Ghost Officials, because in their view, this choice was the most correct one.

As for the very few Underworld Officials who chose reincarnation, what they were thinking when they made such a decision is probably known only to themselves. Perhaps they had grown weary of the Yin Division's endless battles and wished to live a simple, peaceful life as ordinary people. Of course, it is also possible that there were other unknown reasons.

Although the Yin Division was greatly perplexed by their decision, they neither tried to dissuade nor oppose it. Since the Yin Division had offered two options, they supported whichever choice was made; otherwise, the Yin Division would not have provided two options for all the fallen Underworld Officials to choose from.

However, considering that these very few Underworld Officials might lead better lives after reincarnation, or perhaps to set an example for others, the Yin Division promised to select a good family for those who chose to reincarnate, guaranteeing them a life of immense wealth and luxury.

As for how many people believed this promise and how many did not, that remained unknown.