When Yang Kai returned from the Minor Mystic Realm, his expression was grave.
His lengthy conversation with Sha Ya had revealed a great deal of information about the Demon Race, and he now understood that they were not an easy foe to deal with. The Demon Race comprised hundreds of clans, each possessing its own innate supernatural abilities. Take Sha Ya for instance — as a Succubus, her innate power was the Light of Charm, an ability she had possessed since birth. Once activated, it could easily mesmerize any being weaker than herself. At best, they would be compelled to serve as her thralls; at worst, they would lose their minds entirely and become walking corpses.
Those short, dark figures they had encountered during the earlier battle were Shadow Demons — one of the hundred clans. They excelled at stealth and assassination, moving through darkness and shadow.
There were also Sand Demons, Red Demons, Green Demons...
The most numerous clan was the Force Demons — born warriors of the Demon Race. Eighty percent of the demons they had faced on the battlefield belonged to this clan, though they were all dead now.
Yang Kai led Sha Ya out of his stone cave, and the commotion was immediate.
Over a dozen shamans and other barbarians stared in shock at the Demon Lord Sha Ya, while the Yulu twins gathered their witchcraft in their palms, poised and ready for battle at a moment's notice.
She was a Demon Lord — the commander of that demon army. Naturally, everyone was on guard.
Only Die wore a calm expression, as if she had long expected this, showing not a trace of surprise.
"No need to be nervous, everyone. I am now Lord Wuniu's slave and bear you no ill will." Facing their hostility, Sha Ya smiled faintly.
"Slave!" everyone gasped. No one was ignorant of what that word meant.
The twins looked to Yang Kai with questioning eyes, and even after he nodded in confirmation, they still felt a sense of unreality. Though Yang Kai had shown himself to be extraordinarily powerful, taking a Demon Lord as a slave was still almost beyond belief.
None of the barbarians fully trusted Sha Ya. Even with Yang Kai's endorsement, they maintained a healthy wariness toward the Demon Lord.
The twins stepped forward to deliver their report.
After several days of treatment by the shamans, quite a few of the captive demons had managed to break free of the demonic energy's grip and regain their sanity. However, perhaps because they had been corrupted for too long, more than half of them had died from cranial explosions during the treatment — a tragic and lamentable outcome.
There was nothing to be done about it. Once corrupted, former comrades became demon-touched — recognizing no kin, devoid of all reason. To save them required a price.
Saving even a small portion was better than letting them all remain in their demon-touched state.
In the battle a few days prior, the Wuniu Tribe had lost over two hundred people, and those numbers had now been replenished. However, the rescued clansmen were still somewhat weak and would need several more days of rest to fully recover.
The twins were also researching better methods of treatment. Using the Blood Rage technique to stimulate the vital force within their clansmen, supplemented by the Mind Clearing and Spirit Purifying arts — these were methods Yang Kai had casually devised. While they had shown remarkable results, the twins believed there had to be even more refined approaches.
The twins hailed from the Witch God Temple and were vast in their knowledge and experience — perfectly suited for this kind of research. If they could truly succeed, the casualty rate in future rescues of their clansmen would likely be greatly reduced.
In addition, most of the captured demon beasts had also been tamed by the shamans using the Beast Taming art. The twins wanted to select some of the strongest warriors from the Wuniu Tribe to form a cavalry unit, but without Yang Kai's approval, they dared not make that decision on their own, so they had come to ask his opinion.
Yang Kai had no objections, of course.
Though the demon race had suffered a crushing defeat in the previous battle with countless casualties, that demon cavalry's imposing presence had still left a strong impression on Yang Kai. Now that the demon beasts had been tamed, giving the Wuniu Tribe its own proper cavalry would be no bad thing.
With such a cavalry at their disposal, they would certainly have the advantage should they face another large-scale battle in the future.
"Would you like my help?" Sha Ya offered from the side.
Having abandoned her pride to ally with Yang Kai and become his slave, she was naturally eager to prove her worth.
Seeing Yang Kai looking at her, Sha Ya smiled. "After all, I am a Demon Lord. With me present, those beasts wouldn't dare act up. Besides, I know how to handle them better than anyone."
"Very well, go ahead and help then." Yang Kai nodded.
The twins didn't trust Sha Ya, but they had no grounds to argue with Yang Kai's decision. They could only depart with Sha Ya and begin looking through the ranks for suitable cavalry candidates.
The following days passed uneventfully as the Wuniu Tribe continued to recuperate and build their strength for the next potential conflict. Their decisive victory in the first battle had lifted their morale and bolstered their confidence enormously. They suddenly realized that the demon race — the very force that had annihilated the four barbarian tribes — was not the three-headed, six-armed, immortal, and indestructible foe they had imagined. They bled, they died, and they grew fearful when facing a powerful enemy.
The mystery and dread that had surrounded the demon race vanished in an instant.
The unknown was a terrifying force, but once you understood what kind of foe you were facing, you could properly position yourself and bring your abilities fully to bear.
This first large-scale, full-army engagement had dispelled the Wuniu Tribe's unfamiliarity with the demon race. The so-called demon race was like a bride-to-be, her veil slowly being lifted by the Wuniu Tribe.
Sha Ya truly lived up to her status as a Demon Lord — her methods were nothing short of formidable.
In just a few days, she had integrated into the Wuniu Tribe as smoothly as a fish in water. Even the dozen or so shamans had ceased being wary of her — including the Yulu twins. Though Yang Kai had not deliberately monitored her actions, he had still sensed certain things through the soul imprint they shared.