Now, all the Open Heaven cultivators from the various major Domains in the vicinity had been conscripted by Zuo Quanhui, save for a handful with powerful backgrounds. This had greatly bolstered the number of Open Heaven cultivators under his command — still not quite matching Void Land's numbers, but given time, that gap was bound to close.
Every skirmish ended in Void Land's victory, yet casualties were inevitable, and the surviving Open Heaven cultivators were considerably depleted. They needed vast quantities of resources just to recover their strength.
War was a contest of attrition and resources. Without sufficient materials to recover, the many Open Heaven cultivators would be unable to maintain their peak condition. Sending them into battle again in such a state would only make matters worse. Given enough time, this vicious cycle would grind Void Land down until it could no longer hold — and when that moment came, the final battle would be decided.
When Luan Baifeng relayed this intelligence, even Yang Kai, who had mentally prepared himself long ago, couldn't help but curse the old dog for his cunning.
Before all this, Void Land had already been blockaded for three or four years, burning through enormous stockpiles of accumulated resources. Now that full-scale hostilities had erupted, the consumption had only intensified. If not for the considerable wealth Void Land had amassed in the early days from the Star Market, it would have already crumbled.
Even now, it couldn't hold out for much longer.
To complement this strategy, starting from the second battle onward, the Open Heaven cultivators the Heavenly Sword Alliance sent out didn't even bother wearing spatial rings — clearly a precaution against Void Land recovering supplies from the corpses of the fallen.
After more than a dozen battles, large and small, Void Land had prevailed each time on the strength of superior numbers, but they hadn't recovered a single shred of supplies from enemy corpses.
Zuo Quanhui's intentions were transparent and his methods utterly brazen. He kept dispatching waves of Open Heaven cultivators one after another, and Void Land had no choice but to meet each assault head-on.
Often, barely a few days passed between one battle's end and the next enemy offensive.
The Heavenly Sword Alliance's ranks were filled with complaints, and understandably so — but the Open Heaven cultivators of Void Land were growing exhausted as well.
In the span of a single year, the two sides had clashed countless times. Void Land's Open Heaven casualties were approaching two hundred. Although the headquarters continued to send a steady stream of reinforcements, it wasn't enough to cover the losses.
The Heavenly Sword Alliance's losses were far greater — at least three times as many enemies had been slain. Within a radius of a million li centered on the Domain Gate, the blood of Open Heaven cultivators stained the vast expanse of the void.
Such heavy losses on their own side sent a simmering fury boiling through Yang Kai. More than once, he had been tempted to lead every Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator in a charge straight at Zuo Quanhui to settle things once and for all. Yet having personally experienced the might of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator, he was forced to suppress that impulse. Without absolute certainty of success, any rash move could lead to far worse consequences.
On the Heavenly Sword Alliance's side, Zuo Quanhui was equally furious.
This prolonged war of attrition had nearly drained his patience dry, yet Yang Kai hadn't shown himself even once, offering not the slightest opening to exploit.
In the grand hall of the Heavenly Sword Palace, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators stood in rows on either side. Zuo Quanhui sat grim-faced at the head.
"Report!" An Open Heaven cultivator in Heavenly Sword Alliance attire burst in at full speed, cupping his fists. "Alliance Master, Huangquan Heavenly Monarch's deployment has been surrounded and cut off by Void Land. Outnumbered, the Heavenly Monarch requests permission to withdraw and regroup for a future engagement!"
Such battle reports appeared in the grand hall almost every time. Although the Heavenly Sword Alliance had drawn in a massive number of Open Heaven cultivators below the Sixth Order thanks to Zuo Quanhui's efforts, they still couldn't match Void Land's numbers at that level. Neither side could gain a decisive edge among Sixth-Order cultivators, but among those below the Sixth Order, the side with greater numbers held the natural advantage.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators present had never been able to fathom one thing — Void Land was supposedly a newly risen power, so where on earth had it sourced so many Open Heaven cultivators?
Zuo Quanhui snatched the teacup beside him and hurled it down. The messenger didn't dare move, and it struck him squarely, splitting his forehead open and sending blood streaming down his face.
"Useless! One setback and he wants to retreat? Tell Huangquan — without my order, anyone who dares fall back, I'll make them wish they were dead!"
The messenger was terrified, his voice trembling as he stammered, "Yes!"
He hastily withdrew from the hall to relay the message to Huangquan.
Setting aside how Huangquan would react upon hearing this order — no doubt stomping and cursing — inside the hall, the gathered Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivators didn't dare breathe too loudly.
After a long silence, Luan Baifeng rose, picked up a fresh teacup, placed it by Zuo Quanhui's hand, and gently urged, "My lord, please temper your anger. Void Land's forces are strong and well-provisioned, and Brother Huangquan is no coward. I fear the situation has truly become untenable, which is why he requests a withdrawal."
Zuo Quanhui knew this perfectly well. It was simply that after so long without avenging his two dead disciples, and now mired in this grinding war against Void Land, the frustration with nowhere to go had built to a breaking point. He gave a cold snort. "A pack of incompetents! A mere Void Land, and they can't even be brought down after all this time!"
Luan Baifeng offered herself: "I am willing to lead a force to reinforce Brother Huangquan. I humbly request my lord's permission."
As a mole planted by Yang Kai within the Heavenly Sword Alliance, Luan Baifeng had performed admirably. She had repeatedly smuggled intelligence to Yang Kai about the Alliance's situation, and thanks to her tip-offs, Yang Kai had kept a near-perfect grasp of the Heavenly Sword Alliance's movements at all times.
She had also personally led groups of the Alliance's Open Heaven cultivators into battle against Void Land on numerous occasions, each time bringing back a depleted force with heavy casualties.
Zuo Quanhui's expression softened slightly. "Warden Luan is most considerate. Then—"
Before he could finish, Pei Wenxuan stood up and said, "Uncle-Master Zuo, Void Land's forces are currently riding high on momentum. Even with Warden Luan going to reinforce, it's unlikely to yield much benefit — it would only lead to more casualties. It would be better to recall Huangquan first, preserve our strength, and plan at length for the road ahead."
Zuo Quanhui looked up at him and acknowledged the merit in his words. In the heat of his earlier fury, he truly hadn't thought it through carefully. He nodded without hesitation. "Very well. We'll do as you say."