When the Ink Clan fodder died, the released Ink Force permeated the void, and once it accumulated to a certain degree, it would condense into Ink Clouds.
Such an environment had caused the human race immense trouble in the past. Fifth and Sixth Stage Open Heaven cultivators could shelter within their warships, relying on the vessels' formation arrays for protection, but Seventh Stage Open Heaven cultivators needed to move freely across the battlefield to slay their enemies. With the entire field saturated by Ink Force, they had to expend their own energy to resist its corrosive effects.
Moreover, those Ink Clouds of varying sizes could suddenly birth several Ink Clan assassins at any moment.
This was the greatest utility of the cannon fodder. Their deaths not only created numerous potential hazards for the human warriors but also provided the Ink Clan's main army with a far more favorable combat environment.
However, with Azure Flare Pass now equipped with both the Purifying Light and the Ink-Expelling Pills, whether the Ink Clan's ever-effective cannon fodder strategy would prove useful this time remained to be seen.
"Senior Brother, you aimed too low—adjust down by about thirty percent to kill more of the Ink Clan."
Atop the western wall of Azure Flare Pass, a Sixth Stage Open Heaven cultivator said with undisguised regret.
Before him, Yang Kai sat cross-legged at the heart of a grand formation, both arms cradling a massive crossbow-like artifact, the surging Power of Heaven and Earth throughout his body gradually subsiding.
In theory, he shouldn't have needed to exert himself at this stage. After all, this was still the early phase of the war—each Ink Clan siege of the pass dragged on for a long time—and he had only just returned from campaigning with the Western Army. He had every right to rest for a while.
The time for elite warriors like him to take the field would come when the two sides truly engaged in close combat.
The current fighting was merely an appetizer before the main course—the Ink Clan used their cannon fodder to attack Azure Flare Pass and shape the battlefield to their advantage, while the human race retaliated with the pass's protective formations.
This kind of skirmishing would persist for at least a month or two. Only once the Ink Clan's cannon fodder was completely exhausted would their main forces truly deploy. At that point, the pass's defensive formations alone would no longer suffice; warriors would need to sortie and meet the enemy head-on, trading blows back and forth for years—sometimes decades—until the Ink Clan could no longer bear the losses and withdrew.
That said, given that Yang Kai's artifact-refining skills had reached the Grandmaster level, Zhong Liang had assigned him to the western wall under the Western Army's defense.
The reason was simple. In clashes like these, the artifacts serving as formation cores, subjected to relentless high-intensity activation, were liable to sustain damage. Artifact refiners like Yang Kai were needed to repair and maintain them. Likewise, formation masters stood by at all times for the same purpose.
His current position was at the midpoint of the western wall, where he operated a large-scale artifact known as the Peacock Crossbow.
This artifact had been specifically forged for the current siege warfare. It required a particular formation array to function and was the premier weapon for both offense and defense.
Of course, it could be deployed independently as well, but even a Seventh Stage Open Heaven cultivator like Yang Kai would struggle to unleash its full power without the supporting formation.
It was fundamentally different from the artifacts that cultivators typically wielded.
This section of the wall had long been inscribed with a grand formation by the formation masters. The Peacock Crossbow served as the formation's core. When Yang Kai operated it, he merely needed to channel his own energy into the formation, awakening its full might to unleash the Peacock Crossbow's devastating force.
Arrangements like this dotted the walls of Azure Flare Pass at regular intervals. Each position was staffed by its own dedicated artifact refiner, with formation masters on standby for maintenance and repairs. Similarly, every artifact had a dedicated operator.
The advantage of this setup was that it allowed lower-stage Open Heaven cultivators to project the killing power of higher stages. In simple terms, a Sixth Stage Open Heaven cultivator wielding the Peacock Crossbow could unleash destructive force comparable to a Seventh Stage cultivator's full strike.
The same principle applied to the artifacts mounted on the warships. It was precisely through the artifact formations arrayed on those vessels that the human race enabled Fifth and Sixth Stage cultivators to wield Seventh Stage power on the battlefield against the Ink Clan.
Yang Kai was a Seventh Stage cultivator—and an exceptional one at that. His previous shot had been nothing more than a test run, since this was his first time operating this thing, and there was naturally a familiarization process.
Even a casual shot from the Peacock Crossbow produced destructive power comparable to the Golden Crow Forges the Sun. The amplification was staggering.
The formation master behind him was named Liu Xing. Liu Xing recognized Yang Kai, but Yang Kai didn't know him. After all, Yang Kai's reputation in Azure Flare Pass was now known to absolutely everyone.
As a formation master, Liu Xing had never participated in direct combat against the Ink Clan. Every time the Ink Clan attacked, his duty was to maintain the formations along this section of the wall. This was the pass's way of protecting these specialized personnel. It wasn't just formation masters—alchemists and artifact refiners alike were forbidden from the front lines. The reasoning was twofold: these talents were too valuable to risk, and having devoted years to the study of pill refinement, artifact forging, or formation arrays, they were typically poor combatants who would contribute little even if they did enter the fray.
Upon learning that the person he'd be working with to defend this stretch of wall was the legendary Yang Kai himself, Liu Xing was thrilled, secretly resolving to provide the best support he could so that Senior Brother Yang would cut down even more of the Ink Clan.
So when he noticed Yang Kai's shot had gone slightly off target, he immediately offered his well-meaning advice.
Yang Kai gave a slight nod, adjusted the aim downward as Liu Xing suggested, and then channeled his own energy into the formation array.
The formation hummed with resonance, driving the Peacock Crossbow that served as its core. Brilliant light blazed from the massive weapon.
But Yang Kai didn't rush to fire. He wanted to test the limits of this thing.
Power of Heaven and Earth poured continuously into the formation. The crossbow's glow grew ever brighter, and the energy bolt taking shape atop it shone like a miniature sun, dazzling to behold.