"No, we absolutely cannot let even one of them escape the encirclement. If they all break through and flee into the universe, we'll be searching for them across the cosmos for years to come.
Furthermore, if those demons escape and land on various planets, they will undoubtedly cause immense slaughter, turning the entire universe into a sea of corpses and rivers of blood, with countless casualties."
Wan Qianxin refuted Wan Lei's viewpoint but offered no effective suggestions.
"Sigh, why think so much? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. The most important thing right now is to figure out how to defeat the demons. All that other stuff is based on the premise of defeating them. With our current forces, it's still uncertain whether we can defeat the demons."
Despite his words, Wan Lei's furrowed brow did not ease even a little.
Soon, the spaceship fleet arrived at the spatial jump point and then entered it in succession.
Kunxu Realm, Kunyang Star.
This was an ancient planet, and also the most prosperous place in the entire Kunxu Realm.
Kunxu Realm was a plane between the Intermediate and High Spirit realms. The strongest beings in its universe were only at the Tai Xu realm.
However, it was slightly stronger than ordinary Intermediate Spirit planes in that there were more Tai Xu realm cultivators. Unlike the feeble Lei Feng Realm, which could only have one Immortal realm cultivator.
At this moment, this ancient planet, bearing a long history, was suffering its greatest calamity in history.
A grand formation that enveloped the entire capital city was stubbornly resisting the enemy's assault.
Its enemy was the countless demon armies densely packed outside the city.
On the city walls and within the city, there were tens of millions of cultivators and troops, desperately attacking outwards. However, they were too weak to inflict any effective damage on the terrifying demon forces outside.
A general, clad in half-plate armor, gazed outwards with a troubled expression.
Beside him stood soldiers in Five Elements Hall armor, an emperor in yellow robes, and cultivators with immortal-like demeanor.
"General Feng, how long... can we hold out? When will the reinforcements arrive?"
The middle-aged emperor anxiously asked the general.
The old man with the immortal demeanor also looked troubled and anxious. Hearing the emperor's question, he immediately spoke,
"Yes, these demons came too suddenly. Although I have sent messages to fellow cultivators in other star domains for aid, they cannot arrive in a short period.
Moreover, some fellow cultivators previously informed me that their star domains have also suffered devastating blows from the demons and are struggling to cope. It is almost impossible for them to come to our aid."
Upon hearing this, Feng An, a general from the Five Elements Hall branch, coldly said,
"There's no need for them to hurry now. Since the demons cannot breach our city's protective formation, they have gathered all their forces to attack the capital city."
"Oh dear, what... what can be done? In the previous battles, our losses were heavy. The disciples and elders of the various sects on Kunyang Star, along with the royal army, have lost as much as sixty percent. We are powerless against the demons.
Now, we can only huddle within the formation, barely surviving. If reinforcements do not arrive soon and the formation is broken, we will all perish without a burial place."
The middle-aged emperor showed no imperial composure whatsoever. He was already in a panic and didn't know what to do.
Not far from them, a young cultivator leaning against the city wall overheard the emperor's words and couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
Heh, death? It would be good if we all die together. Me, Liu Tao, a mere Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator, dying alongside you, the high and mighty emperor, and so many powerful figures, wouldn't be a loss.
My life, Liu Tao's life, is cheap. Your lives are so precious. No matter how you calculate it, it's not a loss.
The young cultivator was not old, wore plain clothes, and possessed few decent magical artifacts.
He was an orphan from the capital, having grown up with beggars and hooligans. He was proficient in everything from struggling to survive to cheating and deceiving. As a child, he begged; as he grew older, he stole. In the capital, he was considered to have the cheapest life, looked down upon by everyone.
Being beaten and scolded by beggars and hooligans, being looked down upon by the common folk of the capital, and being disdained by nobles and royalty had long made him forget what dignity was.
Later, a major sect outside the capital was recruiting disciples. Any young person with potential could become a disciple and cultivate in the sect.
Liu Tao saw this as an opportunity to leap from a carp to a dragon, so he secretly slipped out of the city when the hooligans were not paying attention.
He queued up for a qualification test. His aptitude was mediocre, barely passing. He followed a group of youths into the sect.
The new disciples were all wealthy and noble, dressed in fine robes, living in luxury. As a thief and beggar, he was shifty-eyed, wearing a patched garment, and reeking of foul odor. Naturally, they ostracized him and wouldn't even let him eat in the mess hall.
Beggars should squat by the door and eat leftovers, right?
But Liu Tao didn't care. He cherished this opportunity exceptionally. He wanted to cut ties with his past self, he wanted to cultivate immortality, he wanted to become superior to others, he wanted to make those who had looked down on him grovel at his feet.
While other disciples went out to play in groups, he cultivated. While other disciples pursued their beloved women, he cultivated. While other disciples fought and brawled, he still cultivated.
He was more diligent than anyone else, yet he improved slower than anyone else.
Others either had outstanding aptitude or wealthy backgrounds, their families could provide them with cultivation resources.
But what about him? He was merely a pauper. He only had one cultivation technique.
Everyone knew he was a beggar, a thief, and they mocked him. But he didn't care. He had reformed himself, he had strived for success. He thought he could soar to the heavens with his diligence.
Until one day, he was beaten senselessly by a group of disciples,
The reason was that a disciple from a wealthy family had lost a jade pendant.
There was no evidence, nor was any investigation conducted. Everyone directly and certainly believed that Liu Tao had stolen it.
Why?
Because you were a thief before,
Therefore, you must still be a thief now.
Liu Tao was beaten into a bloody mess, covered in blood, with broken bones and damaged meridians. If the sect had not forbidden killing people, he would have been beaten to death.
Liu Tao lay in the sect's healing room for a full three months before he could barely get out of bed.
A sect elder came to inquire about the matter. Liu Tao said he was innocent. The elder, without differentiating right from wrong, reprimanded him and almost expelled him from the sect.
During that time, he came to a realization.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't clear his name. In the eyes of others, he would always be a beggar, a thief, a parasite, a piece of scum.
No matter what he did, he couldn't integrate with those people. The preconceptions in people's minds were an insurmountable mountain.
They were high and mighty cultivators, he was just a hooligan.
Their lives were all precious, his was just a cheap one.
If that was the case, so be it. It was merely the fate of a small person.
He lived like his former self again.