The Legendary Man
Chapter 1117

Upon observing Quintus' reaction, Jonathan secretly put on his guard, worried that the Divine Realm cultivator would lose it and start attacking him.

However, Quintus and Jonathan turned to look toward the northeast a few seconds later. Jonathan sensed a faint wave of spiritual energy passing over his body.

"This..." Ancient Sacred Dragon Technique that Jonathan had cultivated was highly sensitive to spiritual energy. The little ripple of spiritual energy tide was so faint that it was barely noticeable. It was also nowhere near as strong as one emitted from a top-grade spirit stone. However, its reach was too wide to dismiss.

Even though his detection range only extended to around a hundred meters, it seemed to him that the spiritual energy tide had spread far and wide, permeating every corner of the earth.

That's a little terrifying. No matter how weak a spiritual energy wave is, once it enters the earth's environment, it can only be sustained by a source of massive spiritual energy. Apart from several unique magical plants being the possible origin of such a spiritual energy source, the only other probable origin is a spiritual mine!

In Chanaea, all the spiritual mines belonged to eight respectable families and a handful of ancient sects. Among them, the Blackwood family owned twenty percent of the mines, which solidified its unique position of prominence.

While the family's overall power and influence were not enough to oppose the Salladays or the Osbornes, it could single-handedly control the price of spirit stones in the cultivation world.

If there really were more such mines, that could instantly change the cultivation landscape throughout Chanaea.

Joshua! As Jonathan stared toward the northeast, Joshua and his strange antics suddenly popped into his mind.

After getting kicked out of Yaleview by Wilbur, not only had Joshua remained in Chanaea, but he had also headed straight to Doveston with Hayden. Even for months after his whereabouts were exposed, he continued circling the same specific areas.

Jonathan had previously guessed that Joshua had to be searching for something. Now that he had sensed the spiritual energy tide, he finally realized Joshua's intentions. It doesn't matter whether it's a powerful arcane array of spiritual weapons, a magical plant formed by absorbing energy from the heavens and earth, or a spiritual ley line created from condensing spiritual energy. They are all priceless items, and any of them is enough to make one lose their mind. If that's indeed the case, it all makes sense.

Meanwhile, realization also seemed to dawn on Quintus. He smiled and glanced at Jonathan, then sprang forward. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared from sight atop the ridge of a hill.

A Divine Realm cultivator could travel a hundred meters in an instant, and moving at such a speed was certainly no easy feat.

Even using Pryncyp, Jonathan would not have been able to catch up to him no matter how hard he tried to push his body.

Hence, despite his desire to follow Quintus toward the northeast and confirm the source of the spiritual energy tide, he knew there was nothing he could do. Forget about being able to keep up with him. Even if I could match his speed, it'll still be a waste of time when I get there. If there isn't anything valuable, it'd be pointless for me to go. And if there is, who am I to compete for something like that with Quintus, a Divine Realm elite? Come to think of it, Joshua's trip to Doveston this time will be for naught too.

With that thought in mind, he turned and hurried back toward Eastern Allied Army.

By the time Jonathan returned to Eastern Allied Army's northern defense line, more than ten minutes had passed.

The color of the verdant vegetation that stretched across the ground had turned a little dull and dark, and when he stepped on it, it crunched beneath his feet. It turned out that the vegetation had frozen and died because the temperature was too cold.

Countless military personnel was bustling about in silence amidst the frozen sculptures of trees and plants.

They were the soldiers who had survived. The Pryncyp of Strength Ivanov had unleashed was also slowly starting to dissipate.

Entering the area with abnormal gravity, they began retrieving the bodies of their comrades. The scent of blood filled the battlefield, and a sense of indescribable grief and somberness hung in the air. "Mr. Goldstein."

Karl and the others walked over to Jonathan and greeted him in somewhat subdued voices. As cultivators, we should've been the ones to take the lead in the battle against the other cultivators. In the end, which caused the mortal army to sustain a devastating number of deaths and injuries.

They were all replaceing it difficult to accept what had happened.

Jonathan could tell what they were thinking. However, he merely patted Karl's shoulder and said to them in a calm tone, "It's fine. Deaths are inevitable in a war. This wasn't our first time fighting a battle." There was no trace of sadness in his voice. In fact, he sounded as though he was discussing what they would eat later and did not appear the least bit upset.

That was a necessary trait in a commander. Had he been the first to break down, everything would be over for his subordinates.

As he spoke, he turned to look at Zachary, Andy, and Kane. "Give me a report on Eastern Allied Army's casualties. Make it as detailed as possible."

Hearing that, Zachary took the tablet from the adjutant beside him. "Before the start of the battle, Eastern Allied Army had assembled a troop of over five hundred forty-three thousand soldiers. Previously, Remdik's missile attack penetrated our air defense network, killing over one hundred thirty-two thousand soldiers while wounding and incapacitating over forty-one thousand. During Ivanov's Pryncyp attack, twenty-eight thousand soldiers died. It also severely injured one thousand five hundred soldiers. Apart from that, cultivators and werewolves from the opposing side also caused over three thousand casualties. We don't have the exact numbers now, but this is the estimated range. Excluding the backends' logistics, information, medical, and transportation departments, we only have a maximum of two hundred seventy thousand soldiers fit for battle."

As Jonathan listened to those numbers, he felt as though the weight of a massive mountain was pressing down on his chest.

In conventional warfare, if one were to lose a third of their troops, that could be considered a major defeat. And now, out of their army of five hundred forty-three thousand soldiers, less than two hundred seventy thousand remained fit for battle. With a casualty rate of close to fifty percent, it could be said that Eastern Allied Army had been completely crushed in the clash at River Onxy.

Taking a cigarette from Zachary, Jonathan lit it and inhaled deeply.

Amid the cloud of smoke that enveloped him, his eyes reddened. "D*mn it. What brand of cigarettes is this? It's so strong..."

He rubbed his eyes, then asked, "Zachary, there's no way the Remdikians wouldn't advance south. Where are they now?" Zachary's expression was icy as he answered, "They've just crossed River Onxy. They've trespassed into our country! D*mn them!" "That's right, Mr. Goldstein. Let's fight them!"

"I agree. Those d*mned hooligans have always rubbed me the wrong way. We should blow them up!"

Andy and Kane also joined in to voice their displeasure.

Needless to say, Jonathan understood that the trio wanted to use the special missiles. However, those are supposed to be used as a last resort when absolutely necessary. We can't use them yet. "Now isn't the time yet," he replied. As he spoke, he flipped his hand and took out an old-fashioned phone from inside his storage ring.

"Hello, Wilbur. I'm only giving you one hour. If you don't send your troops, I'll have Shusonna Army, Yalegard Legion, and Southern Army attack Yaleview. It's your last chance. Think about it carefully."