Chapter 200

The Corrupted Nest Mother was slain, and the remaining Corrupted Derivatives, as if their backbone had been pulled out, went limp and decomposed in large patches, turning into nutrients that nourish the earth—although these nutrients carry a strong stench of decay.

The gray-green mist that had lingered for days, upon encountering its nemesis in the sunlight, quickly dissipated, revealing a clear sky beyond that carried the smell of blood and burnt.

On the battlefield, the silence lasted only a brief moment.

Immediately, earth-shaking cheers erupted like a long-suppressed volcano from the city walls of Guangtan Fortress, Anvilburg, and Moonlight Ring!

"We won! We won!"

"Long live the lord! Long live the Guangtan Alliance!"

The dwarves dropped their weapons, embraced each other excitedly, and vented their post-disaster elation with their distinctive gruff voices; many iron-willed men could not hold back tears.

Although the elves were relatively restrained, the glimmer of tears in their eyes and the slight trembling of their arms also exposed their inner turmoil.

Inside Guangtan Fortress, the people embraced and wept; the days-long blood battle that seemed endless finally ended in their victory.

The Copperbeard Clan Chief leaned on his war axe, gazing at the chaotic yet threat-free battlefield outside the city, he drew a heavy breath and then burst into a hearty laugh: "Hahaha! Satisfying! Truly damn satisfying! I thought this old bone of mine would meet its end here!"

Queen Aister stood on the battlements of Moonlight Ring, her silver eyes scanning the battlefield before finally resting on Li Qingxuan, who was being supported by Huang Rong and Li Jing and whose face was pallid; a flash of complex, indecipherable light passed through her eyes—there was relief, reverence, and also an ineffable throbbing.

She gently brushed over the soothing natural energy transmitted from the Tree of Life, knowing that although this land had suffered heavy damage, its foundation remained intact; given time, it would surely regain vitality.

Li Qingxuan, supported by Huang Rong and Li Jing, forced himself to stay upright.

Waves of dizziness from near-exhausted spiritual power struck him, yet he kept his spine straight.

He looked at the cheering crowd, at the battlefield still hazy with smoke; his heart held a hint of joy from victory, but more so a heavy sense of responsibility and urgency for the future.

"Clear the battlefield, treat the wounded, tally the losses." His voice was somewhat hoarse, yet it clearly reached each core member's ears: "Act quickly; no one knows when the next wave of crisis will come."

After the order was given, the lingering excitement of survival subsided slightly, replaced by efficient action.

Lightly wounded soldiers began bandaging each other, while the severely wounded were swiftly carried down the city wall for emergency treatment by Li Qingge and the Elf Druid with healing abilities.

Non-combatants also streamed out of shelters, starting to help clear the residual spores inside the city and the small amount of corrupted plants that had seeped in.

Jiang Xiu'e led a team to inspect the greenhouse and the Tree of Life; fortunately, the core area was undamaged, only the edges needed cleaning and repair.

Li Feifei held down the command center, coordinating supplies and personnel while beginning a preliminary tally of the losses from this city defense battle.

The preliminary results showed that personnel casualties were lower than expected, mainly thanks to the sturdy city defenses, the unexpected outbreak of Shadowy Thorns, and Li Qingxuan's final decisive strike.

But material consumption was enormous, especially the dwarves' fuel and molten iron, the elves' arrows and enchanting materials, which were nearly exhausted.

The greatest gain, besides successfully repelling the Corruption Tide and preserving our homeland, was the astonishing transformation of the Shadowy Thorns.

After devouring a large amount of Corrupted Derivatives, especially those few Super-large Aggregates, the Shadowy Thorns forest encircling the outskirts of the three cities seemed to have undergone a metamorphosis.

The main vines generally grew more than twice as thick in diameter, their color deep as ink; the dark red energy flowing on their surface nearly solidified into substance, emitting a fierce and potent aura that even the Icefield Magic Wolf Pack instinctively avoided the areas where they were active.

Li Qingxuan could feel that the individual strength of these Shadowy Thorns had probably universally reached A-rank, even approaching the threshold of S-rank, while the auras of the few main vines that had first devoured the aggregates were unfathomable.

They were no longer mere defensive plants; they resembled a lurking, weird legion that craved killing and devouring.

"These guys... have devoured too much corrupt energy; although their power has surged, the violent factor within them has also increased." The Moonshadow Elder looked at the deep purple vines that writhed like living creatures, his tone tinged with surprise.

Li Qingxuan nodded; he felt the same.

The loyalty of the Shadowy Thorns stems from the initial blood pact and ongoing 'feeding,' but their essence ultimately leans toward chaos and devouring as a weird plant.

Having devoured such a vast amount of corrupt energy imbued with chaotic will, it will likely need a long time to digest.

"I'll pay attention." Li Qingxuan said in a low voice.

He planned to later use the Weird Master's ability to try to communicate and soothe these somewhat restless plant companions.

Just as everyone was busy with aftermath, Li Feifei sent over new news, her tone grave: "Qingxuan, the World Channel... has new developments concerning us."

Li Qingxuan's spirit lifted, he suppressed his fatigue: "Speak."

"The news that the Corruption Tide has been repelled and the Nest Mother slain... seems to have spread." Li Feifei quickly reported, "It wasn't leaked by our people; it's likely those scouting forces, or... the Shadow Hall itself released the news."

"Now the channel is all talking about our Guangtan Alliance, especially... the power you used to slay the Nest Mother. Many call it Domain Power." Li Feifei paused, then added, "Moreover, several consistently active major powers—such as Elizabeth Camp, Iron Wall, and other Night Elf tribes that previously tried to contact us—have sent formal communication requests; their tone is much more courteous than before, even carrying a hint of wariness."

Li Qingxuan's eyes flashed with realization.

The tree wishes to calm, but the wind does not cease.

The strength displayed by the Guangtan Alliance, especially the Domain power he personally wielded, has evidently drawn the attention of true heavyweights.

Previous probing and covetousness may turn into more direct contact, or... more concealed hostility.

"Moreover," Li Feifei's voice grew lower, "there is also an anonymous message sent directly to our Trading Platform's internal channel. The content is just a single sentence..."

"What does it say?"

"Corrupted blood, source of filth; though the Nest Mother is dead, its root is not severed. The shadow's gaze never departs."

Li Qingxuan's pupils constricted slightly.

This sentence carries enormous information! "Though the Nest Mother is dead, its root is not severed"—could the Corrupted Nest Mother not be the sole source? Is there a deeper 'root'? And "The shadow's gaze never departs" directly points to the existence of the Shadow Hall; is this a warning, or... a declaration?

He immediately realized that repelling the Corruption Tide might merely be a temporary severing of one tendril reaching out from the Shadow Hall, far from the time when he could rest easy.

This organization hidden behind the scenes is more troublesome and dangerous than imagined.

"Investigate! Use every means to trace the source of this message!" Li Qingxuan said coldly, "At the same time, reply to those major powers' communication requests with a tone that is neither humble nor arrogant; we can appropriately express friendliness, but core intelligence and our bottom line must absolutely not be disclosed."

"Understood!"

After ending the communication, Li Qingxuan gazed out the window at the sky gradually clearing, his eyes deep.

The smoke of war had just cleared, but an invisible undercurrent had already begun to surge.

The Guangtan Alliance, thanks to this battle, has officially entered the sight of the world's top powers, while also placing itself at the forefront of the storm.

Next, it will be a more complex game of strategy.

Consolidate the battle results, digest the gains, enhance strength, respond to various powers' probing and possible threats, and... investigate the deeper secrets hidden behind the Corruption Tide and the Shadow Hall.

He glanced at his companion beside him, who, though weary, had steadfast eyes, then looked toward the land outside the city being slowly purified by sunlight and natural energy.

The road ahead is still long, but he and his alliance have already prepared to continue forward.

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