Chapter 848: Armed Forces

"Li Yi."

Some former comrades felt complex emotions upon seeing Li Yi again; they had once believed his appearance on the battlefield marked the turning point, expecting that more such powerful figures would soon emerge, uniting to crush the enemy and reclaim Earth.

But unfortunately.

After Li Yi was hunted by the Demon King and forced to cross over, the situation reverted to its former state—even worsened—leaving many deeply resentful.

Had the Demon King not intervened, and had Li Yi remained in the fight, the outcome might still have been uncertain.

So now, as Li Yi returned to Earth's defensive line, many were willing to answer his call, just as they had in that battle—annihilating the great demons and cultivators outright, finally letting out a long-suppressed breath of triumph.

"Li Yi, I heard from Ye Jing that you're returning to Earth's defensive line to launch a preemptive strike, crush the enemy, and drive them out of Earth? I'm willing to follow you into madness, but under these circumstances, where's your advantage?" asked Xiang Feiming.

His question echoed what others were thinking.

They weren't afraid of going to war or even dying—but they needed to see a chance of victory. If this was just about venting anger and rushing out to die, they couldn't accept it.

"Now that most of you have arrived, Xiang Feiming, don't you think our eighty-plus experts can take down those enemies?" Li Yi said calmly.

"Even if you've brought many reinforcements, the number of cultivators from the Xuanxian Continent alone is at least four times ours, and the two Demon Kings of the Demon God Realm are frantically summoning great demons to the battlefield—their numbers are terrifying," said Xiang Feiming. "As for the dark gods of the Dark World, no one knows how many lurk beneath that shadowed sky."

"Is victory in war decided by numbers?" Li Yi said slowly. "Our top-tier combat strength isn't weaker than theirs. For them to win, they'd need both True Immortals and Demon Kings to enter the fray. I'm betting they lack the courage."

"You may think me reckless or mad—it won't change what I'm about to do. Those who wish to join me in counterattack, stay. Those who don't, leave."

As he spoke, Li Yi waved his hand and drew dozens of Chi-Jin Dao Instruments from the Chi-Jin Five-Element Bracelet.

"For those who fight, I lend weapons—top-tier Dao Instruments equal to Immortal Artifacts. Choose two each."

The glow of dozens of Chi-Jin Dao Instruments illuminated the heavens, blinding them.

Everyone froze.

They hadn't expected Li Yi to be so decisive—no lengthy explanations, just handing out weapons and inviting them to fight.

After a brief silence, many felt their hatred and bloodlust ignite.

"Fuck it, let's do it! Overthinking does nothing! Calculating won't change a thing—we won't know if we win until we fight. I won't take this humiliation anymore. If I die today, so be it." Jiang Yue roared, emotionally declaring his stance.

He swept his gaze and immediately claimed a Chi-Jin Divine Armor and a Chi-Jin Divine Sword.

If you still dare not fight with such divine weapons, you're no better than trash.

"Eighty-some is eighty-some. Fewer men mean different tactics—what's to fear?" Liu Yunbai said coldly. "Lend me two divine weapons—I'll kill two enemies for you."

He took two Chi-Jin Dao Instruments without hesitation.

"You're right. Count me in," said Zheng Duoduo, a woman, who took a deep breath and stepped forward.

She believed Li Yi had turned the tide once before and won a battle—she believed he could do it again.

Moreover, holding two Chi-Jin Dao Instruments boosted her confidence further—such powerful weapons couldn't even be pierced by Mahayana cultivators. How could they lose?

Other evolvers, seeing this, no longer hesitated. They voiced their support, claimed Chi-Jin Dao Instruments, and decided to join this seemingly mad battle.

Li Yi watched this scene without reaction, simply waiting for everyone to join.

He knew forty-odd cultivation experts alone couldn't match the depth of a great realm—he could only rally as much strength as possible. But time was against him; if he waited for his father Li Jiye to train the army from the Incense World, others would face true nightmares.

Yet reaching that day would take at least decades—Li Yi had no such patience.

But if this operation succeeded, it could buy Earth a long stretch of time to develop.

"Besides the Chi-Jin Dao Instruments, I'm giving each of you a vial of Divine Water—it heals wounds and accelerates bodily evolution. I need you all to be at peak condition one hour from now, ready to depart with me," Li Yi said once most had claimed their weapons, then distributed Life Water.

Of course, it wasn't just Earth's evolvers who received it—other cultivation experts did too.

After all, even with Chi-Jin Dao Instruments, injury was still possible.

"Such terrifying vitality—my hidden injuries have healed completely."

One evolver, after taking just a sip, felt enveloped by surging life force—his pores opened, and an astonishing aura radiated from him.

His body rapidly evolved; all hidden injuries were washed clean, leaving an indescribable sense of ease, and even his soul grew stronger.

They feared battle injuries not because of lost limbs, but because of hostile energy corrupting their bodies—cultivator spiritual power, demon energy—these residues clung like parasitic worms, continuously damaging them, weakening their strength, and sometimes causing bodily collapse, forcing them to rely on Life Cradles to rebuild their forms.

But after rebuilding, their power dropped drastically, requiring long years to regain peak strength, ultimately forcing them to abandon Earth's defensive line.

"Weapons, divine medicines—you're incredibly generous, Li Yi," said Ye Jingtian, smiling.

If every Earthling acted like this, the situation wouldn't have deteriorated this far.

Many powerful evolvers had crossed over and never returned. If they'd just left on their own, fine—but they often took precious resources with them.

Like top-tier cultivation techniques, unique cross-realm coordinates, and bands of like-minded experts.

This severely weakened Earth's overall strength.

"This isn't the time to be stingy," Li Yi said, glancing at Ye Jing. "When it's time to fight to the death, why hoard good things? Are you going to bury them with you?"

"Fair point," Ye Jingtian chuckled.

Yet Li Yi's Chi-Jin Five-Element Bracelet still held many more Chi-Jin Dao Instruments—he didn't take them out, because not everyone possessed his immense magic power to wear five layers of armor, wield two Chi-Jin Divine Swords, and keep fighting nonstop.

For nearly all here, wielding two Chi-Jin Dao Instruments was already their limit—more than that, and they couldn't unleash the weapons' true power.

After making these arrangements, Li Yi said no more, simply waiting quietly for the hour to pass.

The hour served not only to let the evolvers adjust their state and learn to use the Chi-Jin Dao Instruments, but also to allow them to settle their final affairs.

"Immortal Lady, can you contact Elder Cang'erzi? I recall he's been lying low on the Xuanxian Continent—he appeared on Earth last time. I'm about to strike down the Xuanxian Continent's experts; perhaps he can aid us."

Suddenly, Li Yi thought of something and quietly asked Xuan Yuezi.

One of the first to cross over had been Xuan Yuezi.

"Understood. I'll secretly contact Cang'erzi—he'll lend aid at the critical moment," Xuan Yuezi nodded, immediately grasping his intent.

"I'm doing this to ensure absolute success—I don't want our first battle to fail. Though the Xuanxian Continent's people are cowardly, they've got many underhanded tricks and hidden cards. Only by crushing them first can we gain advantage later," Li Yi said. "But I trust your judgment, Immortal Lady. I leave this to you."

He said no more.

With Xuan Yuezi's ability, this small task posed no problem.

Xuan Yuezi soon found an opportunity to slip away from the group, preparing to make secret contact.

Xiang Xiangzi noticed Xuan Yuezi's unusual behavior—she seemed to guess something, but merely smiled and said nothing.

War demands both the resolve to burn the boats and the cunning to employ deceit.

(End of Chapter)