Chapter 698: Chapter 26: A Hundred Illusory Butterflies

“Since everyone knows we’re playing right into the Demon Race’s hands, why don’t we abandon those small forts and retreat?” someone asked the most critical question, which also reflected the doubts in the hearts of most of the cultivators present.

“Because we cannot give them up, the Human Race must maintain the existence of small forts, so that cultivators have places to rest and recuperate,” the man with a scar on his face sighed, “If we abandon all the small forts, the cultivators on the battlefields beyond our borders would truly be isolated forces.”

Being an isolated force has never been positive, and burning one’s boats can only be a surprising strategy, not the norm.

“We have two choices, either abandon all the small forts and, as you can imagine, the casualties among our Human Cultivators on the battlefields beyond our borders would be extremely severe.

Especially for you young cultivators, without the forts as your rear defense and logistical support, your casualty rate on the battlefields beyond would be ten or a hundred times what it is now.”

“Or we could go along with the Demon Race’s intentions, holding those dozen forts tightly,” the man with the scar said, his gaze deep as he looked out over the blood-stained land, “We chose the latter because you young cultivators are the future hope of the Human Race.

If most of you fall on the battlefields beyond, unable to grow, the Human Race will be broken.

Wait another few thousand years, when the great cultivators of the Human Race are nearing the end of their lifespans, about to die of old age, then our Human Race will be finished.”

“Sky Dome Heaven is not something a few people can hold unless you reach the realm of Ancestral Daoist Xia. It’s never been,” the man with the scar shook his head, sighing.

Clearly, the Demon Race was using their overwhelming advantage to pressure us, a blatant plot in plain sight.

The Netherworld, on the other hand, was the Demon Race’s conspiracy.

With both overt and covert schemes at play, this was the ruthlessness of the Demon Race.

Faced with this situation, the Human Race could only exchange the lives of the old for the growth of the young.

The war between races is just that cruel, with no perfect solutions, only choices and sacrifices, bloody and brutal.

……

“Let’s not talk about this anymore, let’s go,” the man with the scar rejuvenated his spirit, leading the newcomers away from the city wall toward the inside of Yumen Pass.

In the area just inside the city gate, closest to the towering walls, was a large square.

The square was extensive, with formation patterns engraved on its surface.

Human Cultivators looking to leave or enter Yumen Pass had to undergo a second verification by the array here to ensure the safety of Yumen Pass.

A wide road stretched from the square into the depths of Yumen Pass. Looking down the road, one could see ancient giant palaces standing on either side.

The man with the scar led the thousand newcomers deep down the road.

Along the way, cultivators in mystic armor or Daoist robes could be seen flying by, and rows of flying boats were parked on both sides of the road, their numbers so great as to be overwhelming.

The giant palaces lining the road varied in style, some so ancient they seemed like relics from ancient times, concealed within arrays, appearing hazy and indistinct.

“These giant palaces are the secluded cultivation grounds of our Human Race’s great cultivators. Most of these seniors are stationed at Yumen Pass all year round, never leaving. Some great cultivators came here ten thousand years ago and have never left,” the man with the scar introduced to the newcomers.

The interior of Yumen Pass was unimaginably vast.

After what seemed like an hour of flying, a massive hall appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Beacon Fire Hall.

“This is your final destination, Beacon Fire Hall.

Within this hall, you will learn many more things. From here on, you can enter on your own,” the man with the scar turned around, smiling at the newcomers, “I hope that a hundred years from now, I’ll still be able to see you all.

At that time, I will surely share a big drink with you all.”

The new cultivators uniformly raised their hands in a fist-and-palm salute, thanking the man with the scar–his protective intentions revealed along the way were clearly felt by all the newcomers.

This was a truly sincere and simple concern from the older generation to the new.

Under the watchful eyes of the man with the scar, the crowd stepped towards Beacon Fire Hall.

There was a cultivator standing at the entrance of Beacon Fire Hall, distributing a jade slip to each newcomer who approached.

Lu Qingshan received a jade slip as well.

Within the jade slip, there was a detailed account of all the Demon Race members encountered by Human Cultivators on the battlefields of Yumen Pass, including their unique abilities, weaknesses, and strengths.

In addition, there were descriptions of the terrain of the battlefields of Yumen Pass, highlighting which areas were dangerous and had claimed countless Human Cultivator lives, and which were comparatively safe….

These were insights painstakingly gleaned by Human Cultivators through sacrifice.

It was evident that these were important matters, things that the cultivators needed to remember if they wished to survive on the cruel battlefields beyond.

However, the distribution of the jade slips seemed casual, even nonchalant, and the cultivators distributing them did not emphasize the importance of the information contained within to the newcomers.

This was because the cultivators who could enter Yumen Pass, even the newcomers, were at least Nascent Soul Cultivators, not children, and they knew what was important.

Anyone who wasn’t blind could see that this information was related to their very lives and fortunes–no one would be foolish enough to disregard it.

If there really was someone who was so careless, nobody would have anything to say about it–if you don’t even care about your own life, what can anyone else do?

After receiving the jade slips, the group formally entered the gates of Beacon Fire Hall.

There was darkness at first, then a sudden burst of light.