Chapter 377 - 170: "Uncle Liu! It’s me, Shao Qiu, I’m fucking back!

Chapter 377: Chapter 170: "Uncle Liu! It’s me, Shao Qiu, I’m fucking back!

"Both the Ghost Race and the Eternal Night Hall have learned that the Jiangbei Defense Line is undermanned. The Ghost Race is constantly trying to find out when the Eternal Night Hall will deploy forces to Jiangbei."

"They’re preparing to use the same old trick."

"They plan to let the Ghost Tide from Jiangbei land, travel south into the Guanxi Plain, and then, with forces coordinating from both inside and out, take the No. 7 Defense Line. From there, they’ll push eastward into the heartland of the Eternal Night Continent."

"..."

Chen Fan was silent for a long time. He knew the situation at the Eternal Night Frontline was critical, but he hadn’t realized it had become this dire. It seemed the frontline could still hold, but in contrast, the Jiangbei Defense Line and the No. 7 Defense Line had become the most crucial points of concern.

If these two defense lines were to be breached, the entire Eternal Night Continent—this behemoth—could very well disintegrate in an instant.

A crab doesn’t start to rot only at the moment of its death.

The same was true for the Eternal Night Continent.

Even if they were forced to cut their losses and sacrifice a vast territory to survive, defending the remaining area would undoubtedly be even more difficult.

"So, the main reason the No. 7 Defense Line nearly fell during the rainy season was an insufficient supply of Ghost Stones?"

"Yes."

Shao Qiu let out a long sigh. "Last year, the No. 7 Defense Line didn’t manage to stockpile many Ghost Stones. The number they can accumulate each year is uncertain; it all comes down to luck."

"Before the rainy season arrived, they received news that the Eternal Night Hall would be unable to provide support."

"So they placed their hopes on the Guanxi Plain, hoping the various factions there would lend a hand. The No. 7 Defense Line knew full well that the factions in the Guanxi Plain didn’t have enough Ghost Stones to support an entire defensive front. Still, they sent out a call for help, clinging to a sliver of hope."

"Only a few dozen factions responded."

"Most of the factions chose to ignore the plea."

"Among them was a faction called the Heaven-Hating Sect, which contributed only a single Ghost Stone. Of the dozens of factions that did respond, the one that contributed the most was the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land."

"They provided five million Ghost Stones."

"In total, they collected 7.78 million Ghost Stones. While it was just a drop in the bucket, it did allow the No. 7 Defense Line in the Guandong Plain to hold out for one extra day during the rainy season."

"And that one extra day was enough for the No. 7 Defense Line to hold on until the Night Watcher sent by the Eternal Night Hall arrived, along with seven Celestial Master Level Architects and a large shipment of Ghost Stones."

"The Night Watcher unleashed his power, wiping out most of the Ghost Objects that had broken into the Guandong Plain. After they held on until dawn, the seven Celestial Master Level Architects began to rapidly repair the defense line and clear out the remaining Ghost Objects within the Guandong Plain."

"Only then did they manage to survive the rainy season."

"However... the Ghost Tide’s incursion had already wiped out seventy percent of the Guandong Plain’s population. If the Eternal Night Hall hadn’t arrived in time, the Ghost Tide would have surged into the Guanxi Plain, and even reached the heartland of the Eternal Night Continent."

Chen Fan shook his head. "A Night Watcher’s power shouldn’t be that great."

"That was a Night Watcher who was just one step away from Martial Saint Cultivation."

A Level 10 Cultivator is a Martial King, a Level 20 Cultivator is a Martial Emperor, and a Level 30 Cultivator is a Martial Saint.

"But from what I know, Night Watchers can’t cultivate."

"Normally, that’s true." Shao Qiu nodded. "Night Watchers indeed cannot cultivate. But the Eternal Night Hall has a special method to forcibly raise a Night Watcher’s Cultivation, thereby increasing the power of their final activation. However, the physical body cannot withstand such an activation."

"Once activated, it’s no longer a matter of shortening their lifespan, but of utter destruction of both body and soul."

"The Eternal Night Hall did send people in the end. But to prevent traitors from leaking the plan, they used a group of absolutely trusted individuals and took an alternate transport route, which caused a delay."

"If it hadn’t been for the Ghost Stone support from the Guanxi Plain, when the Eternal Night Hall’s reinforcements arrived at the Guandong Plain, what they would have seen wouldn’t have been a damaged No. 7 Defense Line, but a No. 7 Defense Line that had been completely razed to the ground and a Guandong Plain that had descended into chaos and disorder."

"But... according to the news from the Eternal Night Hall, those seven Celestial Masters never returned safely. They died in the heartland of the Eternal Night Continent. The wounds weren’t caused by Ghost Objects... It was a fatal wound from a dagger piercing the neck."

"Some people have been swayed by the Ghost Race’s promises."

"And they’ve presented their token of allegiance."

"This year, the Ghost Stones stockpiled by the No. 7 Defense Line are still insufficient. They’ve already contacted the Eternal Night Hall again, but this time, the response was that they would do their best to prepare what they can. It’s clear, however, that hope is slim."

...

Shao Qiu’s report was finished.

After completing his report, he stood silently behind Chen Fan. He had delivered all the information as objectively as possible, without any personal emotion.

He didn’t mention that he had made many friends at the No. 7 Defense Line.

Nor did he say that if he hadn’t joined the Mortal Realm first, but had gone to the Guandong Plain instead, he might have died with the rest of them on the No. 7 Defense Line.

He vividly remembered watching several of his newfound friends die in the Ghost Tide’s assault.

The thirst for revenge had been so strong that he hadn’t wanted to flee at all.

’If I was going to die, I would die on the No. 7 Defense Line.’

The atmosphere there was incredibly infectious, and it had filled him with a deep-seated hatred for those traitors. ’If it weren’t for them, the Eternal Night Continent wouldn’t be in such dire straits, and the No. 7 Defense Line wouldn’t have it so hard.’

"..."

The City Wall resumed its slow movement, and Chen Fan also resumed constructing his buildings, one after another, though he too remained silent for a long time.

One master, one subordinate.

The two of them stood quietly on the Flying Ship, neither one speaking.

「After a long while.」

Chen Fan finally spoke in a low voice, "I will send aid to the No. 7 Defense Line. You will be the one to deliver it personally. Do not tell them the aid comes from the Jiangbei Mortal Realm."