433: Campaign Begins

Tianhe Pass.

Today, the streets were bustling with people, and the hurried pedestrians were several times more numerous than usual.

This was because the Taiping Divine Sect was about to complete the Realm sealing device.

The moment it was completed, this battle, belonging to the mid-level warriors, would instantly begin.

Some powerhouses were already eager to go to the front lines to find good positions to observe the battle.

Martial Cultivators all had excellent eyesight, and the higher their Realm, the better.

Even if they were dozens of miles away from the battlefield, they could clearly see everything happening within it.

Moreover, since the mid-level fighters were all going, those observing would definitely be top-level contenders, as for the lower-level, they should honestly stay at home and Cultivate.

If any accidents happened and things escalated, these lower-level contenders would instantly turn to ashes from the aftershocks of the powerhouses.

Currently, the number of small-scale group battles on the borders of the Eight War Zones was rapidly escalating, and the daily death toll was shocking.

All of this was telling everyone that war was imminent.

Everyone was both excited and nervous, as if someone was whipping them from behind, urging them to quickly become stronger, otherwise they would become worthless cannon fodder.

And today's battle, with the war not yet fully underway, was already considered the largest in scale.

The previous secret treasure hunt near Tianhe Waterfall was a secret war; although many high-level combatants participated, the number did not even break the 5,000 mark.

What about today?

Although it was a mid-level battle.

The number of participants had already reached the 300,000 mark.

Even now, the number of people applying to fight was still increasing, growing more and more, already pushing towards 500,000.

Today, although more and more people were pouring into Tianhe Pass, excluding the elderly, children, scientific researchers, and various technical talents.

The true warriors capable of bloody combat were actually only around 60 million.

Among these 60 million, Great Grandmasters and Martial Venerables combined totaled only 10 million!

Compared to 10 million, 300,000 people was not a lot, after all, the war had not fully broken out yet.

But it was unknown how long today's battle would last.

So, as time went on, the number of participants would only increase.

The entire battlefield was confined to Tianhe Forest.

If the Human Race had 300,000, the alien races would send at least 500,000.

Although Tianhe Forest was vast, spanning thousands of miles, it would be difficult to accommodate over a million mid-level combatants.

So, anyone with a discerning eye could foresee that in at most one day.

Tianhe Forest would be directly turned into a wasteland, with rivers of blood and corpses piled high!

But they could not lose.

This battle was the largest scale conflict near Tianhe Pass before the war truly began.

If this battle achieved a great victory, the morale of the Human Race would surely reach its peak.

The Human Race had a history of over ten thousand years.

From ancient times to the present, there had been countless wars, and they understood too well the role of morale in a war.

Over a thousand years ago, there was an agricultural civilization that, relying solely on absolute morale, repelled an industrial civilization.

What kind of concept was this?

A group of people holding hoes and broadswords defeated a group of people flying planes and tanks.

Such a thing, even now, makes people feel incredible, like a fantasy.

How could someone with a knife fight someone with a gun?

Isn't this a joke?

But back then, technology was already very advanced, and various historical records clearly stated that the agricultural civilization indeed repelled the invaders of the industrial civilization!

Their only advantage over the enemy was their fearless morale; relying on this morale, in that seemingly hopeless war, they used human lives to forge hope, fighting until the opponent was afraid and terrified, ultimately withdrawing their troops.

That's why General Yang Yuan was so serious when he told Xiao Fan that morale was very important.

Morale is invisible and intangible, but it is a power that can create Miracles!

Therefore, these 300,000 warriors today were all going with the mindset of facing death without regret.

Because they were the vanguard, there would surely be others to fill positions later.

The latecomers would certainly have a greater chance of survival.

The pioneers had an extremely high probability of death.

But for a war to be victorious, there could be no lack of pioneers.

At this moment, Xiao Fan was sitting on the balcony of the old house, his gaze sweeping over the warriors rushing towards Tianhe Forest, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

His pupils trembled slightly, his heart palpitated, and no matter how deeply he breathed, he found it difficult to calm the emotions constantly surging in his heart.

Because the warriors before him all had one characteristic.

They were very old; at a glance, all of them had white hair.

They were elderly Great Grandmasters and Martial Venerables.

Their potential had been exhausted, and they had no future prospects.

But they would not choose to quietly retire, finding a scenic place to enjoy their twilight years.

Because they couldn't!

They had fought their entire lives; blood and fire were the main theme of their existence!

Leaving this place to enjoy what the inland population called 'family happiness' was no different from death for them.

Not fighting for a day, not killing an alien for a day, not drinking alien blood for a day!

This life was just boring!

Better not live it!

Today they were very fortunate, very happy!

They could finally die heroically on the battlefield, like generations of their ancestors, on this border defending the peace of the people, forging an iron will with their unyielding Souls, to be inherited by those who came after them.

They did not retreat a single step.

They did not grow old.

They were brave and fearless.

They were called heroes.

The flames of the people's war needed them to ignite!

Xiao Fan also truly realized for the first time what the word 'war' truly meant.

He had never seen such a scene before.

Three hundred thousand people marching to their deaths together.

Black-haired people sending off white-haired people.

For what?

For victory!

For the nation!

To perpetuate the Human civilization!

In the past, Xiao Fan could never understand why some people would willingly embrace death.

That was death!

Once you died, there was nothing left, how terrifying!

It must have been those high-ranking officials in the Federation deliberately dramatizing death as tragic, calling it an honor, the ultimate destination for men.

They were beautifying death.

Death was utterly worthless.

Only living had value!

But why...

At this moment, the faces of these white-haired old people were beaming with brilliant smiles.

They must have been brainwashed badly.

But what else?

In his eyes, each of them was shimmering with a certain radiance.

Like golden hope, illuminating this world nurtured by blood.

Because of their sacrifice.

It was so that we could live!

It turned out that the shallow and self-righteous person was himself...

It turned out that the weight of the word 'hero' was so heavy.

No wonder so many people didn't approve of him receiving the Hero Medal.

Because there were many people more remarkable than him.

Too many to count!

Just now, looking out, there were a full 300,000!