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Chapter 1469: Surrender and Live

For more than half a year, Ma Ling hadn't been idle, sleeping soundly on Half-Moon Island. Besides diligently studying formations, she had also, under Yang Haoran's direction, undertaken a monumental task: the construction of a grand island-protecting array for Half-Moon Island.

This grand island-protecting array was designed to envelop the entirety of Half-Moon Island. Consequently, its successful deployment demanded an immense investment of both time and resources. It was simply impossible to complete within a short span, even with an abundance of materials.

To date, this grand island-protecting array had yet to be fully deployed. Many of its functions remained inaccessible, though some could be utilized, albeit with an efficacy far inferior to what they would achieve once fully operational.

The spell-bound barrier of light currently enveloping Half-Moon Island was one of the grand array's capabilities. Its primary purpose was to repel external threats, for the barrier's defensive power was considerable; even with the array not yet fully constructed, its protective strength was not to be underestimated.

Naturally, the spell-bound barrier could also be used to entrap enemies, but only if they were already within its scope. Outside the barrier, it merely served to repel, not to confine.

Yang Haoran's decision to construct the grand island-protecting array on Half-Moon Island was, of course, primarily motivated by security concerns. After all, the Eastern Sunrise Ocean had always been the dominion of the sea demon race, and its very heart was fraught with peril. Without the grand array, Half-Moon Island would be entirely exposed to danger, a prospect far from favorable for its inhabitants.

In just half a year, Half-Moon Island had endured several sea demon attacks, each more formidable than the last. The grand island-protecting array indeed held a profound necessity for existence.

Earlier, Yang Haoran had instructed Tang Shi to protect Ma Ling during her departure, tasking Ma Ling with activating Half-Moon Island's grand island-protecting array. He had perceived the sea demon forces' plummeting morale and knew that many would inevitably attempt to flee. To prevent their successful escape, Yang Haoran had Ma Ling unleash the grand array, trapping them all within Half-Moon Island—a classic 'closing the door to beat the dog' maneuver.

With the grand island-protecting array successfully activated and the spell-bound barrier manifesting, the sea demons attempting to escape Half-Moon Island found their efforts futile. This sight not only panicked those secretly trying to flee, but also those who had not yet prepared to abandon Half-Moon Island. The former despaired of escape, and the latter, too, were seized by the hopelessness of flight. The difference between them lay only in the fact that the former were interrupted mid-escape, while the latter had not yet even begun.

The already disorganized sea demon forces, with the activation of the grand island-protecting array, saw their morale plummet to rock bottom. Panic seized every single one of them, for they were utterly unfamiliar with Half-Moon Island's grand array. Unaware that it was merely a half-finished product, they couldn't help but imagine its other capabilities, and the more they fantasized, the greater their terror, the deeper their panic, and the weaker their will to fight became.

Upon seeing this, the two Demon Saints felt their hearts turn to ash. They knew this operation had utterly failed. As things stood, it wouldn't be long before they were all buried on Half-Moon Island. This outcome, however, was truly difficult for them to accept. Not only had they personally led this endeavor, but they had also deployed their entire might, yet they still proved no match for Half-Moon Island. Furthermore, the battle had not even lasted long; for their side to be defeated in such a brief time—how could they possibly accept such a result?

“Our retreat has been sealed by Half-Moon Island! Don't even dream of escaping this place, for it's useless to think about it. Since you know death is inevitable, why not drag a few more down with you before you fall? That's the only way to show some mettle, to die with dignity! ”

The Demon Saint battling Bai Xue roared loudly at his subordinates. He saw that a large portion of them had fallen into despair, realizing they had lost all will to fight. Such a state would only lead to a faster and utterly worthless death, which was why he uttered those words.

Although this Demon Saint held the upper hand against Bai Xue, he knew that this alone could not turn the tide of the battle. Once Half-Moon Island's other forces were free, his death knell would sound. Even if his strength suppressed Bai Xue, it held no meaning; it would not alter his eventual demise.

Therefore, knowing he was destined to die today, he simply abandoned any thought of escape. He was determined to drag a few more down with him before his end, and he demanded that his subordinate sea demons do the same.

The other Demon Saint, facing the Demon Hunter Ye Zhiqiu alone, was struggling immensely. From their clash, it was clear he was no match for Ye Zhiqiu. If their brutal struggle continued, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would undoubtedly be the one to perish, not Ye Zhiqiu.

His predicament was far worse than that of the roaring Demon Saint. Yet, while the roaring Demon Saint had prepared for death, he had not. He had absolutely no desire to lose his life here. Thus, even as he desperately struggled to hold on, his mind raced, seeking a way to escape.

He harbored no naive notions of turning defeat into victory, for such a thought was utterly unattainable. His sole focus was how to escape this place and preserve his life. As long as he survived, avenging himself in the future was not an impossibility. But once he perished here, it would all be irrevocably over, and any chance of revenge would be gone forever.

However, how he might break through this impasse to save his own life, he currently had not the slightest clue.

The roaring Demon Saint's words indeed had a certain effect, particularly on his trusted subordinates. After hearing him speak, their faces almost universally showed expressions of sorrow and indignation. It seemed they were prepared to fight Half-Moon Island to the death, believing their Demon Saint's words to be logical: since there was no hope of survival, they might as well take a few more down with them. RaN0(BES

It was at this very moment, however, that Yang Haoran’s voice, amplified by his power, suddenly resonated across the entire Half-Moon Island.

“You no longer need to struggle. It will only make you die faster, and far more miserably. Presently, you have two choices: surrender to me, and you shall live, sharing honor and disgrace with me from this day forward. Refuse to surrender, and there is only death. This is not a difficult choice to make. How to choose, I believe you all should be very clear. ”

Yang Haoran had not offered these two choices at the outset, knowing that to do so then would have been meaningless. His opponents would surely have thought him mad and done nothing but mock him, never truly considering the options. But now, the situation was different. It was only a matter of time before the sea demon forces were defeated in this grand battle, and that time would not be long. At this moment, presenting these two choices to the sea demons yielded an entirely different effect.

In truth, Yang Haoran still wished to recruit more sea demons to bolster Half-Moon Island’s strength. However, unless these sea demons were thoroughly beaten into submission and fear, how could they possibly be willing to surrender? Yang Haoran now felt the timing was ripe, which was why he finally offered them these two choices.

Yang Haoran's words offered a glimmer of hope for survival to the despairing sea demons. Some dismissed it with disdain, others felt their resolve waver, and still others, ignoring the murderous gazes of their immediate superiors, immediately chose to surrender.

“Surrender and live; resist and die. I hope you do not choose poorly. ”

Yang Haoran's voice, amplified by his power, once again swept across Half-Moon Island. The reason for adding this supplementary statement was primarily to exert psychological pressure on the hesitant sea demons, to shatter their inner defenses, and to compel them to surrender.

This great battle had already claimed the lives of a vast number of sea demons. If the slaughter continued in this manner, the number of sea demons who could be subjugated would drastically decrease. This was not the outcome Yang Haoran desired. Therefore, he added that line, intending to subdue more sea demons through this method.

With Yang Haoran's command issued, the people of Half-Moon Island naturally dared not act recklessly. They did not strike down the surrendering sea demons, merely subdued them all to prevent any subtle maneuvers. As for those sea demons who did not choose to surrender immediately, Half-Moon Island's forces showed absolutely no mercy.

Seeing that Half-Moon Island's forces indeed did not slaughter the surrendering sea demons, while a few more of the continuously resisting sea demons were indeed cut down, the already surrendered sea demons covertly breathed a sigh of relief. Among those who had not yet surrendered, many immediately chose to yield to Yang Haoran, unwilling to stubbornly resist any longer, for they knew that further defiance might mean their own swift demise.

More and more sea demons chose to surrender to Yang Haoran, like a bursting flood that could no longer be contained. The constant sounds of battle that had filled the skies above Half-Moon Island gradually faded as an increasing number of sea demons opted for surrender.