Large-scale military campaigns were nothing new to Yang Kai. Setting aside the fact that he had barely participated in one at Biluo Pass a hundred years ago, he had also taken part in one at Yin-Yang Pass before.
The key was nothing more than coordinating with your own squad's warship, coordinating with other squads' warships, avoiding being surrounded by too many members of the Ink Clan, and slaying Ink Clan powerhouses while skirmishing and maneuvering. The greatest taboo was acting bold but brainless, going off alone.
In terms of sheer numbers, humanity was always at a disadvantage. What allowed them to win battle after battle was their flexibility and mobility, and those meticulously crafted warships formed the very foundation upon which humanity could both fight and retreat.
This was the first major offensive by the main Ink Clan army. The two sides clashed around the ten-thousand-li perimeter of Biluo Pass for a full half month before calling it quits.
The Ink Clan suffered considerable losses and sounded the retreat, withdrawing tens of thousands of li away to recuperate and regain their strength. The humans also returned to the Pass to rest and recover.
The Ink Clan Domain Lords did not take action this time, merely observing from afar. Correspondingly, the human Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators also did not enter the fray. Each of them had their own counterparts, and charging recklessly into the battlefield would only give the enemy an opportunity to identify and eliminate them.
Having clashed with each other for countless years, neither side was that foolish. Precisely because of this, the fact that a previous ambush battle had managed to kill four Domain Lords was a rare and precious achievement for Biluo Pass.
Throughout the entire void, two powerful wills clashed against each other—one emanating from Biluo Pass, the other hidden somewhere behind the Ink Clan's army.
They were the wills of the Human Race's Ancestor and the Ink Clan's King Master.
The Ink Clan's King Master had to come. If he did not, the Ancestor would be unrestrained and could freely slaughter the Ink Clan's Domain Lords. Therefore, every time the Ink Clan's army besieged the Pass, the King Master would station himself at the rear to guard against the Ancestor's intervention.
The two of them were old adversaries who had fought each other countless times and knew each other's methods like the backs of their own hands.
However, in general, these two would not actually fight most of the time. Their mere presence served as a deterrent, and their opposing wills conveyed an obvious message to each other: I'm right here—if you dare enter the fray, I'll beat your head in!
A situation like last time, where both ended up grievously wounded, was quite rare. After all, at their level of cultivation, if they could not kill each other, the result would inevitably be mutual harm. The higher one's cultivation, the more troublesome recovery became. It was better for both to save themselves the trouble and simply maintain their standoff from afar.
The first major assault on Biluo Pass had failed to achieve the desired effect, but the Ink Clan was not disheartened. They had long since experienced humanity's resilience countless times. If they had broken through the human defenses so easily, they might have suspected that some kind of trap or scheme awaited them.
After a period of recuperation, the great battle resumed.
However, it was not as intense as the first time—merely skirmishes between small forces.
After that, it settled into a pattern of small clashes every five days and major battles once a month. This gave the humans considerably more time to recover, and squads not involved in fighting could naturally recuperate to their heart's content.
Yang Kai led the Dawn Squad, answering every call to arms and participating in numerous engagements against the Ink Clan, slaying many enemies.
After two years of this, the Ink Force and Ink Clouds outside Biluo Pass had thinned considerably. After all, the aftershocks from clashes between large numbers of Open Heaven realm and Ink Clan powerhouses meant that even the densest Ink Force and Ink Clouds could not endure.
By past convention, it would not be long before the Ink Clan's rear sent large waves of cannon fodder and reinforcements to repeat the same cycle.
But before that, there was sure to be one great battle.
Biluo Pass had been waiting for this battle for a long time.
In the grand council hall, with Zhong Liang at the head, the commanders of every garrison, the captains of every guard, and the leaders of every squad had all gathered together.
Under the gaze of all present, Zhong Liang swept his eyes across the crowd, his expression stern. "Within three to five days at the shortest, one month at the longest, the Ink Clan is certain to launch a full-scale assault. Biluo Pass has waited two years for this battle. It is precisely the situation we have painstakingly orchestrated, and we intend to achieve all our goals in one decisive stroke."
"Over the years, you have surely heard something of the many arrangements made within the Pass. This assault will be the moment to see whether they bear fruit. If we win this battle, Biluo Pass may not see war for several hundred, even a thousand years. So don't any of you screw this up for me—whoever does will answer to me personally!"
"In this battle, those Ink Clan Domain Lords will be handled by us old Eighth-Order folks. You guard captains, pick your opponents in advance and follow my orders. Absolutely do not try to act beyond your strength—especially certain people. Don't think that just because you've killed one or two Domain Lords across ranks, Domain Lords are easy prey."
Swish, swish, swish—the gazes of the crowd turned toward Yang Kai.
Yang Kai put on an innocent look. "Why are you all looking at me?!"
He had been huddled among a group of squad leaders, minding his own business, completely baffled as to how Zhong Liang had steered the conversation his way.
A squad leader next to him chuckled softly. "Among us Seventh-Order folks, who else besides you has ever killed a Domain Lord across ranks?"
Yang Kai muttered, "It's not like I wanted to. Most of the time it was just happenstance—couldn't be helped."
Zhong Liang glared at him from above. "What did you say? Speak up! I'm hard of hearing—I can't make it out!"
Yang Kai straightened up and declared loudly, "Army Commander, this Disciple would like to ask—how can you be sure that the Ink Clan Domain Lords will participate this time? For the past two years, they haven't entered the battle at all, only observing from afar."