On the border between Redmere Prefecture and Grandhaven Prefecture, cultivators from the three major prefectures of the Southern Frontier could be seen gathering, using their Spiritual power to seal off the edges of the two prefectures' territories.
Cultivators retreating from Grandhaven Prefecture toward the three rear prefectures underwent rigorous inspections.
The occasional one or two who attempted to conceal their identities were firmly forced down from the cloudy sky by experts who had laid an inescapable net using their divine souls.
A vast majority of the renowned experts from the three prefectures had arrived.
Simply standing on the border, they could see the Blood Moon in the distant Western Frontier dyeing half the sky red.
Li Yuanshang already managed the logistics, and now, with his simultaneously most unreliable yet most dependable son, Li Jianguo, helping to manage things, he actually had the leisure time to gaze out at the red moon.
"From the Central Plains to the Southern Frontier, Grandhaven is an unavoidable crossing.
It is also the main artery connecting the Southern Frontier to the entire Imperial Dynasty, making it the most prosperous.
All merchant shops in the Southern Frontier would establish themselves in Grandhaven Prefecture, boasting a prosperity ordinary people can hardly imagine.
Even your Li Clan's Hall of Heavenly Principles had no fewer than a hundred shops, and you once established three branch families within my Grandhaven."
Beside him, Prefecture Lord Banshu Qingping, who had been escorted to the rear, wore an expression of profound sorrow.
"A single Blood Moon, in just a short century, turned a place of prosperity into a desolate land of fleeing refugees."
Just how miserable Grandhaven was now, Li Yuanshang could clearly see with his own eyes.
The thought that the Blood Moon would reach their Azure Cloud Prefecture in the future, turning it into exactly this kind of state, filled his heart with pity.
However, sympathy was something best kept hidden inside.
He was a merchant, not a philanthropist. He merely let out a cold snort,
"You brought this upon yourselves. With the Blood Moon approaching, you actually went and put your faith in that demon empress."
"It's a pity for the commoners of Grandhaven. Fleeing on the road, an unknown number of lives were lost." The Prefecture Lord smiled bitterly again and again.
"But what else could we do? Our home is in Grandhaven. Even if we went elsewhere, could we truly deal with the Blood Moon?
Who willingly chooses to be displaced and homeless? The Imperial Dynasty was our final life-saving straw."
"Then where is that life-saving straw now?" Li Yuanshang replied casually.
Tianming had said that Banshu Qingping was a decent person, didn't hold grudges, and spoke pleasantly.
But Li Yuanshang despised him from the bottom of his heart.
The family had communicated with Banshu Qingping long ago.
Say what you will, making the wrong choice was one thing, but now all he did was wallow in self-pity and resentment.
"Our current life-saving straw..." Banshu Qingping paid no mind to the dissatisfaction in Li Yuanshang's eyes.
Now, all the people fleeing Grandhaven Prefecture blamed their suffering entirely on him.
It seemed that as long as a person appeared who 'should bear the responsibility', all their hardships found a focal point, and they finally had a target they could curse with peace of mind.
Banshu Qingping pondered for a long time, sighing,
"The life-saving straw has always been within ourselves. It's just that for some, this straw is too frail, and some people will simply never reach the shore."
As cultivator after cultivator entered Azure Cloud Prefecture, glaring at him angrily, he said in a solemn voice,
"Beneath the Blood Moon, as long as we are still alive, there is hope. I have always believed that evil cannot prevail over good.
The people who left Grandhaven Prefecture will return to our lands, and our bloodlines will continue to spread."
"No matter what the future holds, one day, we will return with our descendants and renew our lands."
Banshu Qingping unexpectedly patted Li Yuanshang's broad shoulder.
"I now believe that your Azure Cloud Prefecture's decision to gather cultivators for a final stand is the right one.
I will fight to the bitter end against this damned world alongside you, regardless of victory or defeat."
Li Yuanshang frowned. Just as he was about to say he didn't want to associate with Banshu Qingping, a Dark Crow flew over, transmitting a message directly into his mind.
He glanced at Banshu Qingping.
"It's Banshu Weide and that watchdog of your Banshu Clan. They are heading toward Jade Mist Valley. It looks like they're waiting to strike after everyone else has worn each other out."
At those words, Li Yuanshang turned his head away.
He hadn't revealed the full extent of the intelligence. Although they were on the same side for now, they still remained wary of one another.
At this very moment, his ancestors were shadowing that watchdog, waiting to do the very same.
"Sigh." Banshu Qingping smiled bitterly.
Among all the major factions in Grandhaven Prefecture, his Banshu Clan was the most miserable.
The family's highly anticipated Banshu Weide was driven by the divine infant.
In truth, there was another old ancestor, but he had died in the jaws of the watchdog, leaving the Banshu Clan with only him as their sole Void Refinement cultivator.
As for recreating their former glory, who knew what year or month that would be.
Li Yuanshang said no more and went to help Li Jianguo manage logistics.
Ahead lay Jade Mist Valley; behind lay Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Banshu Qingping looked down at the ground.
It seemed someone had started fleeing toward Redmere Prefecture early on, and heaven knows what had happened on the way.
There were dried bloodstains on the ground, radiating the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Now, the entirety of Grandhaven was tainted with the blood of its own people.
He stared fixedly at the blood beneath his feet, lost in thought for a long time.
Then, he took a step forward, only to take a step back.
Repeating this back and forth, he finally gazed at the distant, brilliant red sky, let out a long, drawn-out sigh, and ultimately set off in the direction of Jade Mist Valley.
He walked further and further away, disappearing from the world's sight, leaving behind the cultivators who were still directing the evacuation.
Walking further ahead, he unexpectedly entered a bustling, prosperous city, a faint smile gracing his face.
Behind him.
Li Jianguo, who was busy organizing war-use spiritual artifacts, saw his father's massive figure approaching.
He wiped the sweat of hard labor from his forehead, muttering inwardly that managing logistics was even more exhausting than repairing the city walls back in the City of Merit.
He looked resentfully at his slacking father, "Dad, what were you muttering to yourself while staring off to the north just now?"
Just as Li Yuanshang reached out to pick up an array disc, he frowned upon hearing Li Jianguo's words.
"What do you mean, staring to the north? Haven't I been busy working this whole time?"
"If you're slacking off, just admit it. It's not like I'll blame you," Li Jianguo rolled his eyes.
"Hm?"
Seeing that Li Jianguo didn't look like he was joking around, Li Yuanshang let out a soft exclamation of surprise and looked behind him.
He murmured suspiciously, "It feels like someone was just here... What the hell."
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