This great battle saw the sacrifice of nine War Gods from the Dragon King's Hall, and at least one-third of its regular soldiers. Half of the Dragon King's Hall headquarters' buildings were destroyed, and war material reserves dwindled to a mere tenth of their previous amount.
Although the Dragon King's Hall emerged victorious, it was a pyrrhic victory. After this engagement, their strength was reduced by at least a third!
"King! Long Sixteen, Long Twenty-three, Long Nine, they, they are all gone!!" Long Yi's eyes were red, tears welling up. So many familiar faces had departed from them forever in this battle.
"They." Li Xiaotian's body trembled involuntarily. Familiar figures flashed before his eyes, and his heart ached profoundly at that moment!
Long Sixteen, rescued from pirates; Long Five, who had followed him in battle from the very beginning; and Long Twenty-three, who had sworn to become a War God and return home in glory.
Countless familiar figures flickered through Li Xiaotian's mind, as if they were all smiling and waving to him, their voices whispering.
Upon closer recognition, they were saying, "King! We are sorry, we cannot follow you to conquer the world anymore!"
"Pfft!" Li Xiaotian spat out a mouthful of blood, his heart filled with immeasurable sorrow. He would have gladly foregone the victory in this war if it meant his brothers could all return, unharmed!
"King!!" The War Gods behind Li Xiaotian cried out in unison. Their expressions were somber, for they knew Li Xiaotian could not bear to part with those brothers.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Li Xiaotian muttered, his face pale. What good was his immense power if he still couldn't protect the brothers who trusted him?
"Take all our brothers back. According to their last wishes, those who wish to be buried in the Hall of Heroes shall be, and those who wish to return to their hometowns, send people to escort them. Do not let them remain here, unable to find their way home."
Li Xiaotian said with grief, unable to suppress a choked sob. They would never return, not ever.
In the following days, the Dragon King's Hall entered a period of lockdown. They did not send troops to attack the Assassin's Alliance, but instead held funerals for the fallen soldiers. Every deceased individual was honored according to their final wishes, and the Dragon King's Hall fulfilled them all.
Every person who joined the Dragon King's Hall filled out a list of last wishes, detailing their dreams and the things they wished to do but had not accomplished.
The Dragon King's Hall respected every fallen brother, for it was because of their sacrifices that the Dragon King's Hall existed today.
If this war had caused the Dragon King's Hall to lose a third of its assets, then this grand funeral had depleted almost all of its remaining wealth.
Yet, Li Xiaotian felt no heartache over this, nor did anyone in the Dragon King's Hall. They believed it was only right.
Meanwhile, all external forces were perplexed by the actions of the Dragon King's Hall. They were utterly bewildered. At this juncture, shouldn't the Dragon King's Hall have pursued victory and seized the Assassin Alliance's resources? Why were they now lying dormant?
It was known that all forces in the war zone had been attacking the Assassin's Alliance during these days, plundering its resources, and many factions had thus greatly increased their strength.
The Dragon King's Hall, however, had made no move, instead holding funerals for the deceased!
Yet, even though the Dragon King's Hall remained inactive, no one dared to harbor any ill will towards them. On the contrary, every faction had prepared substantial gifts for the Dragon King's Hall.
These were spoils seized from the Assassin's Alliance. Although the Dragon King's Hall had made no move, they consciously divided all their captured goods into two portions: one for themselves, and the other as a tribute to the Dragon King's Hall.
This war once again solidified the Dragon King's Hall's supreme status in the minds of all factions within the war zone, earning them genuine submission.
The Dragon King's Hall's position was now more unshakeable than ever before.
"King, Long Five, Long Nine, Long Sixteen, and Long Twenty-six – the last wishes of these four were to return to their hometowns. In what capacity should we escort them home?" Long Er, clad in white, asked with a mournful tone.
"I will personally escort them back and accompany them on their final journey," Li Xiaotian said weakly. He remembered that all four of them had families, and he recalled the hometown of each one.
People who came to the war zone did so for various reasons: some out of desperation, some seeking to forge a path to success, and others simply to earn money to support their families.
"Yes!" Long Er responded, slowly withdrawing from the hall.
Li Xiaotian gazed at the four urns before him and gave a desolate smile. He then took out a box of wine, poured a bottle onto the ground, and lifted another bottle, drinking it down.
"Brothers, let us have one last drink together. This time, we won't stop until we're drunk!" Li Xiaotian said, his eyes already filled with tears.
In the hall, Li Xiaotian drank ferociously. He alternated between roaring with laughter and weeping uncontrollably. He was their King. To the outside world, Li Xiaotian was known for his domineering personality, cold-blooded ruthlessness, and penchant for slaughter.
But only those within the Dragon King's Hall knew that their King was a man of deep emotions and unwavering loyalty. It was only for such a person that they willingly followed him.
Outside the hall, Long Yi, Long Er, and the others looked on with worry, eventually sighing helplessly. They knew that the impact of this event on Li Xiaotian was too great.
This was the greatest loss the Dragon King's Hall had ever suffered.
In the blink of an eye, a day passed. Li Xiaotian slowly awoke on his throne. He looked at the four urns before him, and a flicker of spirit returned to his eyes.
"Summon all the generals!" Li Xiaotian commanded in a deep voice, his entire demeanor devoid of any trace of颓废 (tuífèi - decadence/dejection).
"Yes!" Someone outside the hall immediately responded.
In less than ten minutes, all the War Gods of the Dragon King's Hall had assembled in the hall. They had regained their usual spirit and vigor, their fighting spirit blazing as they looked at Li Xiaotian.
"Long Yi, Mei, you two will accompany me today to escort our four brothers home!"
"Long Fifteen, you will temporarily command the Dragon King's Hall. Starting today, the Dragon King's Hall will launch its counterattack against the Assassin's Alliance to avenge our fallen brothers!"
"Furthermore, issue the Dragon King's Order: any faction that attacks the Assassin's Alliance will retain all the resources they capture. The Dragon King's Hall will not take a single bit."
"However! For the allies of the Assassin's Alliance, or any faction that remains neutral and makes no move, tell them that if they do not attack the Assassin's Alliance, they can await the annihilation of their entire clan by our Dragon King's Hall army!"
Li Xiaotian issued his commands in an orderly fashion. As his words concluded, everyone present was ignited with excitement.
"We are finally beginning our revenge!"
"Yes! We respectfully obey the Dragon King's orders!" Everyone knelt on one knee, shouting with flushed faces.
The Assassin's Alliance had killed so many of their brothers. Now, it was time to repay blood with blood. They had waited a long time for this moment.
As Li Xiaotian's orders spread, the Dragon King's Hall truly came alive. Everyone shed their white attire for black, and raising their heads, they roared to the sky.
"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!"