Having identified the weakness and gained some experience from the earlier encounter, the group quickly settled on a battle strategy.
One person would lure the stone sculptures out, then the others would seize the opportunity to isolate one or two of them and attack with everything they had, destroying them as fast as possible.
A new problem immediately arose.
Who would be the one to draw them out? It was a very practical question, because whoever took on that role would undoubtedly be putting themselves at enormous risk. Over a hundred stone sculptures charging after you — one wrong move and you could easily lose your life right here.
Everyone understood how demanding the task was. They looked at one another, and nobody spoke.
After a moment, Nie Yong cast a sinister glance at Yang Kai and said, "If we're attacking the sculptures, we need to keep our stronger fighters on the offensive. So the person luring them away doesn't necessarily need to be all that strong — as long as they pick the right route. Even if they're a bit slower, they can circle around the stone pillars and shake off the sculptures behind them. I noticed Junior Brother Yang has decent speed. Why don't you handle the kiting?"
Yang Kai flashed him a grin. "Sure!"
"Yang Kai…" Du Yishuang tugged gently at his sleeve. Just moments ago she had been chased by two stone sculptures, her heart nearly bursting from fear. That scene was still fresh in her mind, and seeing Yang Kai volunteer for this duty, she couldn't help but feel it wasn't worth the risk for him.
"It's fine," Yang Kai said with a light laugh.
Lan Chudie looked at Yang Kai with surprise and asked seriously, "Are you sure you can come back in one piece after being chased by those things? If you're not confident, don't take the risk. We can take turns drawing them away. One person shouldn't have to shoulder all the dangerous work."
"I wouldn't say I'm one hundred percent certain, but about eighty," Yang Kai answered diplomatically.
The earlier chase had been perilous, but that wasn't his limit. The fierce battle at Nine Yin Valley the other night had taught him some new ways to use the True Yang Energy within his body. They couldn't really be called proper martial techniques, but they could significantly boost his speed.
Compared to fighting the sculptures head-on, he actually preferred kiting them. Their earlier battle had made it clear that with his current strength, he couldn't deal meaningful damage to the stone figures. Activating his Unyielding Pride would certainly give him a massive power boost, but that was his trump card — not something to reveal lightly.
"If you insist, then we'll try it once. If it doesn't work, we'll switch," Lan Chudie decided.
With the plan settled, the five of them crept back along the path they'd come from.
Halfway there, Lan Chudie found a suitable spot for combat and told everyone to take note of it.
"Yang Kai, thank you just now!" Du Yishuang suddenly whispered her gratitude. She was referring to the moment he had grabbed her and pulled her to safety.
"Small thing. Don't worry about it," Yang Kai replied with a soft chuckle.
"I still want to thank you, though."
When they reached the place where the stone sculptures had been gathered, everyone looked up and saw that the sculptures had indeed returned to their original positions. Yang Kai quietly glanced toward the spot where there had been blood earlier and was shocked to find two corpses lying there.
Disciples of some faction, it seemed — they had wandered in and never made it out. A real pity.
"Ready?" Lan Chudie asked tensely.
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded.
Lan Chudie continued, "Once they start chasing you, run back toward here. Then Nie Yong and I will hold the last sculpture, and you, Du Yishuang, along with Zuo An, watch for your chance to take down the second one. If the opportunity comes, grab it. If not, don't force it — our safety comes first. As soon as you've dealt with the sculpture, get to the position I mentioned earlier. That's where we'll make our stand. One more thing, Yang Kai — you absolutely must not come near that battlefield. You can only return once you've shaken off all of them!"
Lan Chudie laid out everyone's assignments in just a few sentences — clear, concise, and to the point. Everyone nodded repeatedly.
"Then let's move! Yang Kai, be careful!" Lan Chudie said, giving him an encouraging look.
Yang Kai tossed the bundle containing his Yangyan Stones onto the ground, then strode toward the cluster of stone sculptures.
The group watched him with bated breath. Under the temptation of the martial techniques, even Nie Yong had started to worry about Yang Kai. If Yang Kai failed and died, then by his own earlier logic, the next person responsible for kiting would be him — among the remaining four, his strength was the lowest.
"Don't be useless," Nie Yong muttered under his breath.
Just like before, Yang Kai approached the front of the group of stone sculptures. Right now they were still standing motionless in place, but Yang Kai knew he hadn't yet stepped into their detection range.
He crept forward a few more careful steps, until he was close enough to nearly reach out and touch one of the sculptures.
Yang Kai's foot suddenly halted. He realized this distance was enough. The stone sculptures slowly began to stir, accompanied by a series of crackling and grinding sounds as their movements accelerated from sluggish to swift in the blink of an eye.
Without a shred of hesitation, Yang Kai spun around and ran. As he passed the spot where the others were lying in ambush, he signaled to them, then vanished in a flash.
Rumble… The rocky landscape shook as over a hundred stone sculptures charged after Yang Kai in a frenzied pursuit.
Just as the swarm of sculptures was about to thunder past, the four ambushers burst into action. Lan Chudie and Nie Yong formed one pair, Zuo An and Du Yishuang another, and together they intercepted the final two stone sculptures, fighting and retreating to lure them toward the predetermined battlefield.
At this point, the plan could already be considered a success.
Any two of them working together were more than capable of taking down a single stone sculpture.
The only uncertainty remaining was whether Yang Kai — the one responsible for kiting — could make it back in one piece.