Chapter 67: One-Sided Battle

There was no helping it—in the current situation, they had no other choice. Aside from following a new lord, the only path left was death.

Kaiginel simply wasn't worth dying for.

Gu Ning nodded with satisfaction. Although the civilians had just surrendered and their loyalty wasn't high, he believed that, with time, they would become truly devoted to him.

Only then did Gu Ning turn his gaze toward Bai Xue's ship, which had approached him.

"Thanks for the warning earlier."

Had Bai Xue not called out to him, Darkmoon might not have acted in time. That was a life-or-death moment where even a second made the difference.

So Gu Ning was genuinely grateful.

Bai Xue looked at him with a complicated expression.

She knew Gu Ning wouldn't reveal all of his strength—just like she kept her own secrets.

But she hadn't expected that Gu Ning had hidden a legendary hero. And from what she could tell, that hero wasn't a low-level one, either.

Still, she quickly composed herself and her expression returned to normal.

"No need to thank me. We have an agreement," she said. "If you really want to show your thanks, how about giving me something nice?"

She said it half-jokingly.

Gu Ning knew she was teasing, but he still took it to heart.

After all, she'd essentially saved his life. A favor like that wasn't something to take lightly.

He paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He took out a small orb from his inventory.

Wood Element Talent Mutation Orb (Blue Grade):Using this will cause a positive mutation in wood-element-related talents. Has a very small chance of increasing the talent's level.

Note: Due to quality limitations, this item only works on talents of Excellent grade or lower.

He had acquired this item some time ago, but it wasn't useful to him. Giving it to Bai Xue as thanks felt just right.

Bai Xue's talent happened to be wood-element affinity, so this item was perfect for her.

Gu Ning tossed it toward her and said, "Take this as a token of thanks for your warning."

Bai Xue caught it and checked its info, immediately taken aback.

She had assumed it was something ordinary—she hadn't expected it to be something genuinely valuable. Though she knew the orb was very useful to her, she didn't want to accept it.

As the saying goes: "Do not accept rewards without merit." All she had done was shout a warning—she didn't think that alone warranted such a precious item.

What's more, she understood the meaning behind Gu Ning's gesture—he clearly didn't want to owe her a favor.

But Bai Xue wasn't short-sighted. She could tell that Gu Ning had a bright future, and she wasn't about to miss a chance to make him owe her.

After all, personal favors were the hardest debts to repay.

She tossed the orb back at him and quickly spoke before he could refuse.

"This thing is indeed useful to me, but I don't think I've earned it. If you really want to thank me, then hold onto it for now—when I find something equivalent, I'll trade with you. Deal?"

Gu Ning caught the orb and smiled bitterly. He could guess her intentions, but now that it had come to this, there was no way to force the gift on her.

"Alright then. I'll keep it for you. Come find me when you're ready to trade," he said.

Bai Xue smiled faintly. Now, she and Gu Ning had a small connection between them. With future interactions, it would be easy to deepen that bond.

There was no downside to this at all.

"Well then, I won't stick around. See you!" she said simply, then turned and headed back into the battlefield.

Gu Ning shook his head. There was nothing he could do at this point.

But it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. This situation proved Bai Xue was someone he could work with long-term.

Composing himself, Gu Ning called out, "Let's go—back to the fight."

He rejoined the battlefield.

As time passed, the battle grew more intense. The lines between sides blurred. Lords from both the Spirit Realm and Demon Realm were now completely mixed, locked in chaotic melee.

But thanks to Gu Ning's defeat of Kaiginel—the local Demon Realm leader—the morale of their enemies was beginning to dip.

Gu Ning, Licole, and Bai Xue, with their overwhelming strength, carved their way through the enemy ranks, bolstering the Spirit Realm's momentum.

The Spirit Realm lords began a crushing counterattack. One by one, Demon Realm ships vanished in flashes of white light, their remains swallowed by the sea, where surviving civilians swam for their lives.

Magic and skills flared everywhere. Bizarre tools and artifacts were unleashed in a dazzling display.

Some astonished Gu Ning—items that could immobilize ships, gourds that released white smoke to knock people unconscious, and even items that transformed people into animals…

All of it opened Gu Ning's eyes—and made him more cautious than ever. This world was deep and full of strange dangers. One careless step could cost everything.

Before long, the Demon Realm lords in Gu Ning's sector couldn't hold out against his team's onslaught and began to retreat.

Naturally, Gu Ning's side didn't let up—they pressed the advantage and gave chase.

Black-and-red ships retreated toward nearby battle zones, forming a disorganized arc of retreat.

As this arc collided with other Demon Realm forces nearby, ripples of impact spread across the battlefield.

Gu Ning watched as the retreating forces merged with other Demon lords. He didn't care—he simply kept attacking.

The two battle zones gradually became one.

Gu Ning soon noticed a 6th-tier wooden ship leading the Spirit Realm lords in this new section. The ship was manned by fifty civilians, all wearing leather armor and wielding bows.

Gu Ning was stunned. He hadn't expected someone to have so many civilians. He wondered how they were managing the food supply.

Still, he was only briefly surprised. Everyone had their own adventures—he wasn't arrogant enough to think only he had good luck.

Just like Bai Xue—she had a legendary hero too, didn't she?

This new ship's lord also surprised Gu Ning—it appeared to be a lionfolk beastman.

He carried a leather sack on his back, filled with meter-long javelins. With powerful throws, each one claimed a life.

He dominated his area of the battlefield, mowing down Demon Realm lords with ease.

Gu Ning's group caught his attention, but he only gave them a glance before turning back to fight the enemies in front of him.

Gu Ning didn't bother trying to be friendly either—he focused on his own battles.

At this point, every Demon lord they killed not only earned them white stones but also helped accumulate ship cores and territory cores—the foundations of future growth.