The Fire Ant King was dumbfounded, his brain not functioning anymore.
Li Yao even cursed in a low voice inside the dark drainage canal. He was so shocked that his surging telepathic thoughts almost exposed Neltharion.
Are you kidding me? Elder Nether Spring is an unwavering pessimist? This is really a very bad joke!
Li Yao found it absurd.
It must be noted that, of the four superpowers of the Blood Demon Sector, the Gold Crow Kingdom mastered the forces in the sky, the Sea Dominator controlled the forces in the ocean, and the Kingdom of Lion Butchers and the Nether Spring Kingdom commanded the forces on and below the ground respectively.
The merging point of the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector was in the Dark Desolate Domain deep inside the Grand Desolate Plateau. The place was far from the ocean, with a lot of air turbulence. Also, the magnificent crystal warships of the Star Glory Federation were defending the place.
Therefore, as far as Li Yao could recall, he had barely seen any forces of the Gold Crow Kingdom and the Sea Dominator Kingdom before.
In the meantime, on the boundless Grand Desolate Plateau, any large-scale beast tides on the ground would certainly be barraged by the crystal warships the moment they showed up. Therefore, the rendezvous points of the beast tides were almost always below ground. They would gather without anybody knowing first before they suddenly jumped out of the soil and invaded the towns of human beings, raising alley battles so that the weapons of mass destruction such as the main guns of the crystal warships would hesitate.
With such tactics, the underground forces of the demon race, or to wit, the Insect Clan, who were adept at digging holes and fighting below the earth, were of paramount importance.
Therefore, the Nether Spring Kingdom had been the leading vanguard in the invasion of the Star Glory Federation.
The first beast tide that Li Yao encountered on the train to the Grand Desolate War Institution was made of the Ghost Face Silver Mosquitoes, which belonged to the Insect Clan, too.
Elder Nether Spring, as the best expert of the Insect Clan and the real controller of the Nether Spring Kingdom, ranked at the top in the List of Deadly Demons of the Star Glory Federation. He was definitely the greatest trouble-maker for the country!
In the ‘Battle of Dawn’ a year ago, the Nether Spring Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lion Butchers summoned an unprecedentedly large army and swept across the entire Grand Desolate Plateau like wild fire. The vanguard of the army even reached the Giant Blade Pass at the south of the Grand Desolate Plateau.
Although they failed to occupy the Giant Blade Pass in the end, a lot of military fortresses and infrastructures of the Star Glory Federation on the Grand Desolate Plateau had been demolished, and the path to march south had been created. According to the intelligence that Li Yao learned through various sources, the Star Glory Federation had been quite in quite a perilous position back then. The major cities and towns inland were all under curfew, and all the reserve soldiers had been summoned.
Right now, Elder Nether Spring, who was the commander behind the curtain during the Battle of Dawn, was acknowledging that he was a pessimist and that he believed in the failure of the demon race and the victory of mankind?
Li Yao did not even know what to say.
Elder Nether Spring sighed and said, “On the surface, the Blood Demon Sector looks more intimidating than the Heaven’s Origin Sector. In the battles right now, we are on the aggressive side, too, and we’ve even marched into the territory of the Star Glory Federation.
“But if you analyze it carefully, you will realize that the Blood Demon Sector is already running out of momentum.
“We are launching serial aggressive attacks because we have to. The technology of the Star Glory Federation is developing too fast. If we don’t maintain tremendous pressure on the Star Glory Federation at all times and consume their resources, it is very likely that they will achieve a technological leap in the next twenty to thirty years. If so, they will be at an overwhelming advantage.
“Hehe. Although we’ve managed to keep the high pressure, the Star Glory Federation still established fifteen crystal suit legions in only ten years. Even at the most dangerous moment in the Battle of Dawn, the forces were never mobilized on a large scale. They are like a scorching saber that is hanging right above our heads!
“But attacks always come at a cost.
“The expeditions deep into the territory of the hostile country will cause three times more casualties and resource consumptions for us.
“Let’s take the Battle of Dawn for example. Naturally, most of the soldiers killed were low-level demon generals. But we lost quite a lot of precious bronze-blood demons and silver-blood demons, too, who were all marvelous warriors that could not be raised to their posts without decades of hard training. The loss of them cannot be made up easily, at least not in the three to five years.
“But the foundation of the Star Glory Federation was not hurt. Some of their buildings were burnt to the ground. Some of their crystals and magical equipment were used up. That was all.
“In the meantime, they learned a lot of lessons during the battle. I could clearly sense that, over the Battle of Dawn that lasted almost an entire year, the federal army improved a lot in regards of distribution of soldiers, tactical responses, and strategical mobilizations.
“In fact, even if the low-level demons did not mutiny, we wouldn’t have been able to persist for long and would have had to retreat immediately. Otherwise, it was very possible that the army of the Star Glory Federation would have blocked our path of retreat and wiped out all our soldiers!
“Do you know why?”
The Fire Ant King held his breath and listened attentively.
“Everything is because of the differences of our systems,” Elder Nether Spring explained carefully. “On the surface, this is a war between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector.
“However, human beings of the Heaven’s Origin Sector, under the government of the Star Glory Federation, are an integrated whole. All the orders will be obeyed. The army is stable. The people are united. The industrial and training systems are very mature. All the resources can be made use of in the most optimal way.
“On the other hand, the Blood Demon Sector is split into four major demon kingdoms, hundreds of independent demon cities, and countless demon caves. We are just a pile of loose sand. Even though the Pantheon of Demons is trying to stick everything together like a tinker, can we really expect to be as united as human beings?
“This is our unchangeable, fatal shortcoming. Compared to human beings, our appearances are simply too different from each other!
“The Insect Clan, the Feather Clan, the Sea Clan, the Horn Clan, the Claw Clan… Other than the five main clans, there are various kinds of bizarre minority clans. The living environments and the resources that every clan requires are different. Everybody has their own interest and stance. How can their strength be really focused on the same point like human beings?
“I started considering the question when I discovered the secrets of Chaos and learned that I was a chaotic-blood demon decades ago.
“I browsed through all the ancient classics and history books that I could find, hoping to get enlightenment from the wisdom of the past. But after I studied the decline of the Demon Beast Empire and the rise of mankind profoundly, I gradually came up with my own solutions.
“We possess different appearances, and our interests are different. The demon race, which is essentially loose sand, cannot adapt to the modern society of standards, data, and information at all. The rise of human beings is unstoppable.
“It’s better to say that the Demon Beast Empire thirty thousand years collapsed because of the burden of its own weight than to say that the Star Ocean Imperium crushed it.
“The problem remains unresolvable to this day.
“We are a heap of loose sand that pretends to be a rock. How can we win against a real rock?”
The Fire Ant King could not help but observe, “Is this the reason you believe in the failure of the demon race?”
“No.” Elder Nether Spring shook his head and said, “This is not the biggest reason why I believe that the demon race will inevitably fail. Although faced with tremendous difficulties, I believe that, in a war that concerns two vast worlds, a few heroes, or the invention of some new magical equipment or technology, will not be enough to change the outcome of the war.
“Therefore, even though the Star Glory Federation boasts endless potential, we have a good chance to suffocate them while they are still in the cradle and can’t fulfil all their potential.
“However, does any of this mean anything to you?”
The Fire Ant King was dazed. “I don’t understand. Conquering the Star Glory Federation and occupying the Heaven’s Origin Sector is meaningless?”
“In my eyes, yes.” Elder Nether Spring smiled bitterly, with intense desperation on his face. “The Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector are two barren worlds in the remote area of the universe. There are too many worlds of the three thousand Sectors that are far stronger than the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector!
“Ten thousand years ago, the rise of the Star Ocean Imperium was already a death sentence for the demon race. Although the Star Ocean Imperium fell out later, now that humanity is thriving again, there is no chance for the demons to seek a comeback.
“At this moment, most of the three thousand Sectors must be occupied by human beings. Chances are that they have already gathered and established a nation that is a hundred times more powerful than the Star Glory Federation!
“Do you see? The war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector is just ‘a storm in the nutshell’ that is not worth mentioning at all if we are to observe it with a larger scale.
“Even if we really conquer the Heaven’s Origin Sector, we are nothing but an indignant, minor kingdom of demons in the eyes of the powerful countries at the center of the cosmos.
“Maybe, a sneeze of those countries will be enough to obliterate every one of us!
“If the war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector is all that I cared about, I could still summon my spirits and courage to seek a way to win the war.
“However, now that I am observing the vast universe, despite the pain in my heart, I still believe in my conclusion.
“The course of the universe is unstoppable. Those who follow it, thrive; those who don’t, perish!
“Demons will fail, and human beings will win. This is the course of the universe. Nobody can stop it!”
The Fire Ant King was stunned by Elder Nether Spring’s cold conclusion. He was dazed for a long time before he said, “Even if there are more powerful countries of human beings in the center of the cosmos, it will be hundreds of years before they expand to the edge of the cosmos. By then—”
“You’re wrong.” Elder Nether Spring interrupted him. “They’re already here.”
“What?”
The Fire Ant King’s eyes widened.
“According to the top secret intelligence we received,” Elder Nether Spring said, “the Heaven’s Origin Sector has reached out to another Sector that is completely controlled by human beings. Although the development level of the new Sector is unclear for now, it is obvious that they boast super long-distance teleportation technology.
“It means that we are faced with the threats of two worlds of human beings now. Even if the mysterious new world does not have much advanced technology, a few Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators that they teleport over will be enough to change the outcome of the war!
“Can the Blood Demon Sector defeat two Sectors? Besides, will there be just the two? Maybe more Sectors will gradually find us.”
The Fire Ant King was lost for words.
“Now, do you understand why I didn’t help the Blade of Chaos? It’s because everything you’ve been doing is moot,” Elder Nether Spring said softly.
The Fire Ant King gnashed his teeth. “What exactly do you want to do, brother?”
“I want to find a way out for all the demons,” Elder Nether Spring replied coldly, “be they silver-blood or chaotic-blood.”