The demon race retreated, along with the remnants of the three allied forces, all flying south.
The demon race suffered heavy losses in this battle, losing eleven demon marshals and over a hundred thousand elite troops, retreating in disarray.
"We won! We won!!!"
Deafening cheers erupted from the Thunder Emperor Hall army.
This was the first victory for the righteous plane since the Second Anti-Demon War.
The First Anti-Demon War started suddenly and ended just as quickly.
Pathetically, the demon race had only sent two small squads to scout ahead. They happened to encounter the liveliest festival in the Thunder Wind Realm, and were caught red-handed. As a result, the Thunder Wind Realm summoned nine tribulation-passing old monsters, and millions of people swarmed them, hacking the two squads to pieces.
Even the pitiable demon lord was swept away by spatial乱流 to an unknown location.
The Second Anti-Demon War.
The first campaign was the Desert War. The Thunder Wind Realm allied forces had a large number of troops, but their overall combat power was inferior to the combined forces of the demon race and the Liu family.
The demon race had also become smarter, first dispatching hundreds of thousands of troops to stabilize the situation, and then sending their demon lord.
This battle, in terms of casualty ratios and the overall situation, was actually a loss for the Thunder Wind Realm.
However, because Wan Lei desperately destroyed the teleportation channel at the end, the demon lord inside, like his predecessor, was carried away by spatial乱流 to an unknown place.
Therefore, Wan Lei had the audacity to shout, "We won, retreat."
In reality, they were simply defeated and had to retreat.
The people cheered for victory to boost morale. Everyone knew that they had lost that battle. If it weren't for Wan Lei, they might have been annihilated by the demon race, and the Thunder Wind Realm would have been occupied by them.
These survivors would likely have knelt before the demon race, surrendered, and willingly become slaves.
This battle was now called the "Thunder Emperor Hall War."
The casualty ratio in this campaign reached an astonishing proportion.
The Thunder Emperor Hall, by itself, withstood the combined forces of the demon race, the Liu family, the Huo family, and the Sky-Opening Sword Sect.
Master Wan, with his strategic brilliance, had laid out bait and traps beforehand, ensnaring the enemy. He used the blood of the demons to kill demons, while the Thunder Emperor Hall army systematically pressured the enemy formation in an orderly fashion.
Ultimately, the battle concluded with the Thunder Wind Realm's tribulation-passing cultivators suffering zero casualties, the demon race losing eleven demon marshals, the Thunder Emperor Hall army sustaining over twenty thousand casualties, the demon race suffering one hundred and twenty thousand losses, and the allied forces losing over fifty thousand.
The Thunder Emperor Hall achieved a great victory, while the demon race retreated in utter defeat.
The outcome of this battle and its combat footage quickly spread, shaking the entire Thunder Wind Continent.
This battle ignited the fighting spirit of the people of the Thunder Wind Realm, their backbone, and straightened the spines of the cultivators.
Those who had despaired at the demon race's formidable combat power after seeing the results of the first campaign, and had prepared to surrender, now gained a new understanding of their native world.
We are so powerful.
The demon race can be defeated.
We can win too,
And win so decisively.
Countless people raised their heads and spontaneously joined the anti-demon army, rushing towards the Thunder Emperor Hall from all over the Thunder Wind Continent, towards this place that was now the highest in their hearts.
They believed that there, the new Thunder Emperor would lead them to defeat the invaders and eliminate the traitors.
As the Hall Master had said, this was a people's war.
And the Hall Master, who had never known defeat since his debut and had repeatedly created miracles, severely damaging the demon race, was hailed as the contemporary savior of the Thunder Wind Realm.
And at this moment, the savior was haggling fiercely like a street vendor.
"Look at this much demon blood, so many demon corpses, these are all excellent materials for refining pills. If your Heavenly Pill Pavilion takes them, you can refine so many good pills.
And these weapons, they are all divine artifacts. If your Heavenly Soldier Pavilion takes them and cleans them up, removes the restrictions, and dissolves the demonic energy, you can use them directly.
What are you hesitating for? One price, one hundred billion spirit stones for each family, and all this will be yours."
Wan Lei spat enthusiastically as he peddled the piled-up corpses from the battlefield. Before him, the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Pill Pavilion and the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Soldier Pavilion could only smile wryly.
"Master Wan, although your Thunder Emperor Hall fought this entire battle, and the spoils of war rightfully belong to you, this is our first time handling demon corpses. Their medicinal value is still to be assessed, and you've raised the price so high, we can't afford it."
"Yes, Master Wan. These demon weapons have restrictions on them. Whether they can be broken or not requires the help of the Heavenly Formation Pavilion..."
"My two seniors, I understand your difficulties, but after all, we are an alliance. Our Thunder Emperor Hall has just been established, it's a clean slate, unlike your great powers that have accumulated for tens of thousands of years..."
"We are only a small force of a few thousand years..."
"It's all for the cause of resisting the demons, I understand, I understand."
Under Wan Lei's earnest persuasion and fierce haggling, the two families eventually agreed to pay eight billion spirit stones each to purchase these corpses and weapons.
Of course, no matter how much money the two families had, they couldn't come up with so much at once. Master Wan was very generous and agreed that they could pay back a portion of the money later with weapons and pills.
Someone was naturally arranged to clean up the battlefield. Wan Lei, along with the guests and the elders of the Thunder Emperor Hall, returned to the main hall of the Thunder Emperor Hall.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu had already taken off their armor, and the two appeared somewhat weary. After all, fighting intensely for a whole day had a significant toll on both cultivation and spirit.
Fang Xiaoyu was better off, having not sustained any serious injuries and being consistently protected by her armor, her overall appearance was still decent.
Wan Lei, on the other hand, looked disheveled. Even with the protection of his armor, he had sustained very severe injuries. The combat power of Marshal Qianniao was extraordinary.
Wan Lei's robes were torn in many places, and there were numerous wounds on his body. Blood had soaked through his black dragon robe, and his face bore some dried bloodstains. At first glance, despite his wounds, he exuded a fierce and oppressive aura.
Wan Lei had intentionally not washed his face or changed his clothes. These tattered clothes and his wounds were all merits.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu sat down in the front chairs, facing the crowd behind them.
A maidservant naturally served tea.
"This time, the demon race launched a surprise attack, and it is entirely thanks to all of your help that we repelled the strong enemy and achieved victory.
Your willingness to help us in our time of crisis, without fear of death, to fight alongside the Thunder Emperor Hall and resist the strong enemy together.
The Thunder Emperor Hall will forever remember the kindness of all you fellow Daoists. After the gathering disperses later, the Thunder Emperor Hall will also prepare generous gifts to express our gratitude for your assistance this time.
I, Wan Lei, thank you all here."