Chapter 765: Current Situation in the Southern Continent (2)
Chapter 765: Current Situation in the Southern Continent (2)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
This situation was different from the past. Ari’s request aligned with the strategy following Ji Chen’s, so they agreed to bring him back to the Southern Continent.
Ari’s spirits were better than ever before. Compared to the time when he refused to support the Southern Continent’s request, he seemed like a completely different person, with hope shining in his eyes.
“Lord Ji Chen, are we almost reaching the Southern Continent?”
Ji Chen nodded slightly.
“I will arrive at the Southern Continent on this journey, but the current problem is that I cannot confirm whether the desert kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Ugisai, have been completely overrun by the Greed Lord. Whether there are still resistors and survivors in that land covered by endless yellow sand.”
In fact, before Ari arrived at the New Moon Islands, the connection between the Southern Continent and other continents and the Crown of the Ocean was completely severed.
As soon as the Dreadlord appeared in the southern seas, demons were sent to block the coastline completely, turning the Southern Continent into an information island, isolated from the outside world.
No one knows what the situation is like in the Southern Continent now.
It was possible that it had been completely occupied by demons, becoming a paradise for demons, but it was also possible that there are still resistance forces waiting for support.
“Although the Greed Lord is ranked last among the Lords, the power of his demonic army is no less than that of the Dreadlord, and on land, demon attacks will only be more fierce and rapid.
On the last day before the information was cut off, the demonic army only took three days to break through four desert kingdoms in the central Southern Continent, and now it has been two weeks since that time…”
If four kingdoms were conquered in just three days, how far could the demons have advanced in two full weeks?
No one could say for sure.
Ari knew this, with a hint of confusion on his face, but still with a stubbornness in his eyes.
He would not be resigned until he saw it with his own eyes, because there were his beloved family, relatives of the same bloodline, loyal subjects who loved them deeply, and everything he had since birth.
All of this was something he cannot abandon.
Ari’s gaze gradually became firm.
He bent down.
Adopting the lowest posture.
Performing the oldest and most respected etiquette of the desert.
“Lord Ji Chen, I still believe that the Kingdom of Ugisai is stubbornly resisting the demons’ attacks. The literal desert people will not bow to the demons, so I implore you to go to the Kingdom of Ugisai.”
Ji Chen remained silent for a moment.
“As you wish.”
Southern Continent.
The vast yellow sand was the eternal theme of this land, and the sky always blew fine grains of sand.
It was rumored that millions of years ago, this continent was once covered with grasslands and hills, lush with vegetation, where one could see cattle and sheep grazing low.
A portion of humanity migrated from the other three continents to this vibrant land to thrive and multiply due to failed ethnic conflicts.
However, hundreds of thousands of years ago, the claws of demonic and other evil forces reached this land, not only slaughtering living beings but also continuously draining the vitality of this land with evil power, turning most of it into desert.
Faced with the crisis of survival, the people here put aside their past grievances, set aside their differences, and raised the banner of resistance against the demons.
Under the relentless resistance of generations of desert people, the demons entrenched in the Southern Continent were eventually driven out and suppressed by the desert gods in conjunction with other deities, sealed away in the depths of chaos.
Now, the demons had come back, once more setting their sights on this land with greed, aiming to revive the darkness of centuries past.
This time, the desert people had united once again, joining forces to resist the enemy that seemed to come from ancient times but was already looming before them.
Northern Frontline.
Leveraging oases large and small, hills, and desert cliffs, the Desert Alliance has roughly built a frontline stretching tens of miles along the Roni River, the largest river mouth in the Southern Continent, resisting the demonic attacks from the south.
Within the Desert Alliance were kingdom nobles and armies who had escaped from the destroyed desert kingdoms in the south, desert mercenaries and nomads roaming the yellow sands, organized armies supported by coastal states to the north, and even wise races from the desert.
In the face of demons, in the face of the blood-drenched facts of several already destroyed desert kingdoms, many desert factions had set aside their prejudices, forming the Desert Alliance, jointly confronting the demon’s onslaught.
Thanks to the early warning of the demon invasion from the now-defunct Kingdom of Ugisai, various desert kingdoms and factions, although unable to fully mobilize in time, were somewhat prepared.
Yet, how could the hastily assembled Desert Alliance endure the fierce attacks of the demon army? They lost city after city, oasis after oasis, and were forced to retreat northward, sacrificing territory to buy time.
Although they managed to buy some time and established this frontline north of the Roni River, consecutive failures have left the morale of the alliance low, with pessimism prevailing.
Inside the alliance’s main tent.
News from the frontline, the Saina Outpost has been destroyed by demons, and the demon army has approached within a range of three hundred miles from the Roni River frontline.”
A suppressed atmosphere immediately filled the tent. At the speed of the demon’s advance within three hundred miles, they would arrive in just three days.
A desert noble who had fled here from the south with his family wore a terrified expression. “We might as well continue to retreat. With just our strength, we cannot possibly withstand the onslaught of the greedy Demon King!”
In his mind, the terrifying scene of the city where his family had lived for generations being completely overrun, with residents slaughtered, was deeply engraved.
He didn’t want to face such a formidable enemy again!
However, at this moment, Mijat, who was present, suddenly sneered.
The desert noble felt offended, his face contorted with anger. “What’s wrong with what I said? We are no match for the millions-strong demon army. Instead of dying meaninglessly here, it’s better to conserve our strength and plan for the future! Don’t you all agree?”
His words resonated with many, who nodded in agreement.
Mijat chuckled coldly, unruffled. “The demons haven’t even arrived yet, and you’re already trembling with fear. In that case, what’s the use of establishing this Desert Alliance? It might as well be better to surrender directly to the demons. Who knows, maybe we could live on as slaves, right?”
Some fell silent, their faces reddening with embarrassment, but others, feeling stung, glared angrily.
The desert noble snapped, “You don’t want to retreat because the Kingdom of Ugisai is not far behind us. You’re just afraid of your own country being ravaged by demons! What a hypocrite you are, pretending to be righteous here!”
Exactly! Our country has already been destroyed by demons. We have no attachment to this place anymore!”
Mijat didn’t respond, only sneered, “I forgot to tell you, the coastline was completely blocked off by demons over ten days ago. You can’t leave here at all.”
“What!?”
Those who wanted to leave were suddenly horrified, their faces pale.
With millions of demon troops attacking from the south and the northern coastline blocked, weren’t they trapped here?
“Then, then we’ll cross the Moro Strait to the northwest and escape directly to the Western Continent!”
Mijat shook his head with apparent regret. “The Decayed Demon King has long occupied the Moro Strait. Going that way is no different from walking into the demon’s mouth.”
“What!?”
The crowd was shocked and dismayed.
Wasn’t the Southern Continent now completely surrounded by demons? Were they trapped like fish in a barrel?
The desert noble trembled with rage, pointing at Mijat accusingly. “Did you already know about this?”
Mijat remained silent, tacitly admitting to it.
The information was brought back by Ari and was also transmitted from their Kingdom of Ugisai. Deliberately concealing certain information was an easy task. If these messages were revealed too early, it would only sow discord among the troops.
Only by disclosing them at the right moment could the alliance be unified to resist the demons with all their might, rather than abandoning their cities and fleeing.
This was the best solution he could think of, gathering as much strength as possible to resist the demons.
While it might just be a last-ditch effort for the demons, at least they would have put up a fight. Besides, Ari had already departed in advance, so he had no lingering regrets.
Mijat’s expression gradually became determined as he spoke slowly.
“We only have one path now, and that is to resist the Greed Demon Lord with all our might and hold out until other lawful forces come to support us. This is the only way, the only means of continuing to survive.”
‘My friends, we have no other choice. We must pick up our swords and bravely strike at the enemy if we are to have a glimmer of hope!”