Chapter 862: The Great Battle Ends

With the deaths of several True Immortals, the Xuan Immortal Continent fell completely silent, truly terrified this time, and for the following days, no enemies from other worlds appeared again.

This battle's victory was firmly secured, as after several days of rest, everyone's condition rapidly recovered.

Along the Earth defense line, people's spirits eased a little more with each passing day.

Until five days had passed.

Most people's conditions had fully returned to their peak, and a joy of victory began to fill their hearts.

"The Demon God Realm has shown no movement, and no powerful demons or aura fluctuations from Demon Kings have been detected—it seems they truly intend to retreat and have no desire to invade in the near future," Zhao Yongshan said, monitoring all interdimensional points via the AI brain from the command center.

While Li Yi and others rested these past days, he hadn't closed his eyes once.

Though the enemy had been repelled, they still had the chance to return; after all, a major realm's reserves were deeply profound, and the loss of one or two Demon Kings meant little.

"The Xuan Immortal Continent has also gone quiet—they suffered the worst defeat this time, with four True Immortals dead; they're probably utterly terrified."

Xiao Jianguo's face was weary, yet his brow still radiated excitement and joy.

Zhao Yongshan said: "The situation is indeed improving. Indeed, once Earth gained True Immortal-level combat power, these invaders had to reconsider—just as nations with nuclear weapons once deterred aggression. Why did those True Immortals suddenly launch a counterattack? Because they sensed a threat and wanted to eliminate Li Yi and the other top warriors, unwilling to let Earth produce True Immortal-level strength."

"That's true. Winning this battle has bought Earth precious time to develop. I believe Li Yi isn't the only such warrior—he's surely not the first, nor the last," Xiao Jianguo said. "But Li Yi helped us immensely, single-handedly reversing our collapsing situation. How should we thank him?"

"I'll find an opportunity to ask what he needs. Whatever we can provide now, we'll give him—but he probably won't care for anything ordinary," Zhao Yongshan said with a slight shake of his head.

And as the two spoke,

suddenly,

the night sky lit up with blazing streaks of fire, their glow drawing many eyes.

"What's going on? Has something happened inside the Earth defense line?" Zhao Yongshan instinctively tensed and urgently ordered the AI brain to investigate.

Xiao Jianguo gazed out the window: "Don't panic—it's them lighting bonfires, celebrating victory. Wait—Li Yi's brought out the flesh of Jin Yu, the Demon King. He's roasting it."

"So it's true," Zhao Yongshan walked over to see.

Indeed, he saw a mountain of meat in the distance, with experts channeling energy to cast spells, igniting a great fire to roast the Demon King's flesh.

"They should definitely relax and celebrate now. Their conditions are fully restored, and there's no fear of a strong enemy attacking. After consecutive battles, everyone's nerves were taut—they need proper rest."

Here, Zhao Yongshan lowered his voice: "Do you think we should invite Li Yi and the others to visit World #30? That world remains unexplored—it might be an opportunity for them."

"Not yet. World #30 is still dangerous. The situation has just stabilized—let's not stir up trouble," Xiao Jianguo shook his head.

As the earliest official force to establish interdimensional bases, they held many interdimensional coordinates; some worlds remained unexplored yet held immense value.

At this moment,

within the Earth defense line,

bonfires blazed, lighting the night, while massive chunks of Demon King flesh roasted over the flames, releasing an enticing aroma.

"Too extravagant—roasting and eating Demon King flesh? This is sheer waste! Why not use it to brew pills? This fire destroys much of its essence."

A cultivation expert from Danhua Zi winced at the sight.

"Don't be so sentimental, friend—just look forward to the taste. Besides, with so many gathered here, you can't expect everyone to swallow pills," someone nearby chuckled.

"This battle was satisfying—we've finally vented years of pent-up frustration," Wu Lao said, laughing heartily.

He had crossed over to Earth early and suffered much at the hands of powerful demons and Xuan Immortal Continent cultivators. Today, his vengeance was complete, his mind unblocked, and he even felt signs of his cultivation breakthrough.

"I never thought we, just a few dozen people, could wipe out so many powerful enemies," Ye Jingtian remarked, watching the joyful gathering.

Jiang Yue beside him said: "It's almost unbelievable we won. We had over eighty experts here—honestly, we couldn't even take down a single Xuan Immortal Continent outpost. They had over three hundred Mahayana cultivators, more than ten Immortals, plus countless hidden cards. They could've wiped us out twice over."

"In the end, we caught them off-guard. They never imagined we'd have two True Immortal-level warriors strike—destroying their outpost with one blow," Liu Yunbai added, pulling out a jar of fine wine from nowhere and taking a deep gulp.

"The Xuan Immortal Continent's True Immortals were too cowardly—they didn't even show up first, hoping the Demon Kings would crush us. But when Jin Yu appeared, I truly felt hopeless. One strike from him—and if Li Yi and Wang Chengjun hadn't joined forces to block it, everything would've ended."

Recalling the battle, many still shuddered.

They won because of surprise and unity.

Though the enemy was powerful, they were divided by self-interest, and that's how they were picked off one by one.

But the cost was high: Miaohui Zi was severely wounded, Wang Chengjun and Li Weiguo exhausted their fortune, their cultivation plummeted, and Li Yi's Primordial Spirit suffered heavy depletion, affecting his base.

Ordinary cultivators and evolvers, however, suffered no losses.

"Come, today I treat everyone to Demon King flesh—to celebrate our victory!" Li Yi's voice echoed by the bonfire. He flicked his sword finger, slicing off freshly roasted meat and distributing it to all.

He didn't hold back either, taking a large chunk and devouring it greedily.

One bite—and a surge of energy surged through his body, sweeping away all fatigue; even his Primordial Spirit manifestation was nourished, showing signs of growth and strengthening.

The Demon King's flesh was truly extraordinary—equivalent to heavenly treasures.

Everyone tasted it and immediately showed astonishment, then devoured it eagerly.

"After you've eaten your fill, remember to clear the battlefield tomorrow morning—you might recover many treasures," Li Yi added.

Many cultivators, demons, and even Immortals had died in this battle; the battlefield surely held countless lost treasures. Li Yi himself had only hastily taken one Demon King weapon and one True Immortal's storage artifact—everything else remained unexplored.

With this reminder, many instantly realized and grew eager.

Never mind the rest—those cultivators were all filthy rich. Even finding the belongings of one Mahayana cultivator would be priceless, let alone the relics of Immortals.

"Li Yi, what are your plans now?" Suddenly, Ye Jingtian walked over and asked.

Li Yi, still eating the Demon King flesh, paused and said: "What plans? Naturally, I'll use this time to cultivate and strengthen myself. We won this battle, but the crisis isn't over. A true realm war will come sooner or later—we must prepare."

"Don't think we're safe just because two Demon Kings died in the Demon God Realm and four True Immortals fell in the Xuan Immortal Continent. For a major realm, these losses mean nothing."

As he spoke, he looked up at the sky.

Amidst the starlight, a vast rift remained clearly visible—through it, a corner of the Xuan Immortal Continent could be plainly seen.

"Of course, strengthening our cultivation is urgent—but after that?" Ye Jing asked.

Li Yi paused, then said: "After that, I plan to visit their worlds. They invaded us—and my relatives and friends nearly died. I must settle this score."

"Count me in," Ye Jingtian said immediately.

Li Yi smiled: "Of course. But it's not realistic in the short term. Earth still needs to restore order and rebuild cities. I just hope all this effort brings us peace for a decade or more."

"I hope so too," Ye Jingtian sighed.

But at that moment,

a sultry voice suddenly rang out: "Oh dear, I can't hold my liquor—I'm drunk."

Then, Xiang Xiangzi tumbled from midair, crashing straight into Li Yi.

Li Yi reacted instinctively and caught her, feeling soft warmth in his arms. He stiffened slightly, then a strange thought crossed his mind: Xiang Xiangzi's body was forged from Seven-Colored Stone—why did it feel so human?

"Immortal Lady, don't play around—everyone's watching," he said helplessly.

"Taiyi, what did you say? I'm drunk—I can't hear you," Xiang Xiangzi's cheeks flushed red, feigning intoxication. She squinted around, scaring off the glances of many women.

Nearby, Ye Jingtian and other men quickly found excuses to leave, giving the two space. They dared not interfere in matters of romance.

Li Yi set Xiang Xiangzi down and said: "Thank you for your help in this battle. I'll ask Tian Gong Dao Ren to craft a few Dao-attaining artifacts for you."

"Oh, Dao-attaining artifacts can wait—let's talk about dual-cultivation instead," Xiang Xiangzi said with a sly smile.

"Pfft!"

Several cultivators nearby, drinking wine, spat it out.

Even Xuan Yuezi, who had been calmly eating roasted meat, nearly choked and coughed.

What kind of outrageous words were these? To say such things in front of so many—didn't she feel embarrassed?

She herself felt mortified.

But Xuan Yuezi understood Xiang Xiangzi's intent—it was all for show, to make others aware of their relationship and deter rivals.

It perfectly matched Xiang Xiangzi's domineering nature.

Earth's evolvers, however, merely smiled silently. Li Yi and Xiang Xiangzi were both powerful, and perfectly matched—dating was perfectly normal, nothing to be shocked about.