"Yes, we all saw it. From the two Demon Emperors attacking to the demon army charging us without regard for casualties, we knew."
Wan Lei nodded.
"You knew, and yet you charged back? You had already broken out at that point."
Ya looked at Wan Lei, a faint smile on his lips.
"If we hadn't gone back then, the demon army would have broken through with us. No matter how fast our ship was, it couldn't outrun a Demon God, and we would have been caught eventually.
If we were captured alive and the main demon force broke through, our annihilation operation would have been a failure.
Rather than that, it was better to charge back, use our army to resist the demons, and have a sliver of hope."
"You were gambling with your lives."
"Yes. If we lost, we would have all self-destructed. We wouldn't be captured alive. But our army could have annihilated the enemy.
If we won, we would survive, and the enemy would still be annihilated.
As it turns out, we won the gamble. You didn't abandon us; you saved us."
"Hmm, such courage. Over the years, I've seen too many elders and descendants of the Five Elements Hall. Some are timid and weak, others are unafraid of death, but if they were to face twenty million demon troops, they would likely wet themselves from fear.
You are all very good. Meticulous in thought, courageous, daring to fight and charge. Very good."
In the army, very few received such praise from Ya.
"We interrogated the demon commander, Jiù Mǎ, and obtained some shocking news.
Guess who the demon race swore to capture alive this time?"
"Me. Not our squad, but me, Wan Lei, alone."
Wan Lei said without hesitation.
His words left everyone behind him stunned.
Everyone thought the demons wanted to capture the sons of the Immortal Venerables to hold them hostage. They never expected Wan Lei to believe they were after him.
"You figured it out?"
"Yes. I originally thought their target might be the sons of the Immortal Venerables, but then I realized something was wrong.
The last high-ranking Demon God, after we were all severely injured, captured no one else but me. It was then I knew their target was me."
"Have you figured out why?"
Wan Lei sighed.
"I thought about it for days before I finally understood. Although I'm known as the strongest Hall Son of the Five Elements Hall, this title is held by disciples of the Five Elements Hall in every generation. It's not worth the demons sacrificing an elite legion to capture me, as most geniuses perish on their path of growth.
After much thought and reviewing my life, although my combat merits are considerable, in the eyes of the demons, I am merely an outstanding young human. I'm not worth this kind of treatment.
The only time I might have caught the attention of the higher echelons of the demon race was perhaps when Golden Immortal Venerable brought me to the Bitter Sea battlefield, and Jealousy Demon Venerable Hán Fēngxuě discovered me."
Upon hearing this, not only Ya but everyone else was shocked.
Wan Lei had met Hán Fēngxuě? He had never mentioned it.
"You met Hán Fēngxuě?"
"Yes. As soon as we arrived at the Bitter Sea, Hán Fēngxuě appeared. He chatted with Golden Immortal Venerable for a while and even invited me to join the demon race.
Of course, I couldn't agree, and he knew I wouldn't. But that was his way of testing Golden Immortal Venerable's attitude towards me.
After all, throughout history, I am the only one brought to the Bitter Sea by an Immortal Venerable for enlightenment. As a Demon Venerable, of course he paid close attention.
Hán Fēngxuě is incredibly meticulous. In terms of intellect, Golden Immortal Venerable is no match for him. Looking back now, the conversation then was full of loopholes.
It was probably then that Hán Fēngxuě suspected I might be a candidate being groomed by the Immortal Venerable, one of the two vacant Immortal Venerable positions.
After all, I am of the lightning element and so highly regarded by the Immortal Venerable. Given Hán Fēngxuě's suspicious and cautious nature, he would surely err on the side of caution rather than let me go. This reasonably explains why an elite demon legion would be sent to capture me."
"Hmm, your analysis is sound. That's the only explanation. We also interrogated Jiù Mǎ, and he said that his direct superior, Respected Worthy Demon Emperor, gave him the order, and Respected Worthy Demon Emperor directly took orders from Jealousy Demon Venerable Hán Fēngxuě.
His orders were to capture Wan Lei alive and to weaken Base Number Eighteen as much as possible.
Of course, the second objective was secondary; the primary objective was the first.
So, for the next while, try to stay indoors as much as possible. Although the demon race just lost an elite legion, it's unlikely they'll launch another major campaign. However, you are now marked by the demon race.
Currently, Wind Saint is occupied by Fierce Roar Demon Emperor, and Lightning Saint has gone to pursue Respected Worthy Demon Emperor. If you encounter danger, we may not be able to reach you in time."
"Yes, I understand. We will be careful."
Wan Lei nodded. Of course, he understood, but it didn't mean he would stop hunting demons. After all, he came to the Bitter Sea battlefield precisely to kill demons.
"By the way, Commander, why do the demons insist on capturing people alive? Jiù Mǎ also said earlier that they wanted to capture you alive, and later the Demon Emperor and the demon army also wanted to capture me alive. Why must it be alive? Isn't it less difficult to kill them directly?"
Anyone who has fought knows that when you have overwhelming strength, killing your opponent directly is far easier than capturing them alive.
After all, killing requires only a full exertion of power, while capturing requires considering the opponent's resilience, calculating your own strength, and figuring out how to incapacitate them without killing them.
At the same time, you must guard against their hidden moves and trump cards. You need to ensure you fully understand their strength and guarantee that you won't be bitten back when capturing them.
The difficulty is immense.
Ya glanced at Wan Lei in surprise, then turned his gaze back to the window.
"It's a very simple reason. If they kill you, the Immortal Venerable on the Prime Plane can revive you immediately. What's the difference between that and not killing you at all?
If they capture you alive and take you back to the Negative Plane, your true spirit cannot return to the River of Time. Then they cannot reverse time and revive you within the River of Time.
After all, if you are not dead, the Immortal Venerable cannot create another Wan Lei out of thin air. Even if they did, that person would not be you."
"Oh, I understand. No wonder the demons always try to capture important figures alive. I wonder if we've ever captured a Demon Emperor in our five thousand years of fighting."
"Heh heh. Capturing a Demon Emperor. The number of Demon Emperors is even greater than the number of Saints and main gods on the Prime Plane. On the Saint battlefield, we have always been at a disadvantage. Only in the last tens of thousands of years, with the increase in our Immortal Realm Saints, have we gradually been able to catch up.
For a Saint to fight a Demon Emperor, unless their strength differs greatly, it is very difficult to capture them alive."