Moreover, this man's methods were exceedingly aggressive, having inflicted heavy losses on the Ink Clan armies on numerous occasions. That name, in his era, was practically taboo among the Ink Clan. Every Domain Lord present had once lived under the shadow of his influence.
What made the Ink Clan even more restless was the matter of Xiang Shan's aptitude.
According to reports from Ink Servants, Xiang Shan possessed absolutely supreme talent. When he had advanced to Open Heaven, he had ascended directly to the Seventh-Order! In other words, Eighth-Order cultivation was by no means his limit—this man had genuine hope of reaching the Ninth-Order Ancestral Realm.
An Eighth-Order Xiang Shan was already this troublesome. If he were allowed to advance to Ninth-Order, the consequences would be unthinkable.
It was precisely because of this consideration that, three thousand years ago, the Ink Clan of the Biluo Battlefield had had only one objective: destroy Xiang Shan.
During one great battle, the Ink Clan's Royal Lord had endured a devastating blow from a Human Ancestor to grievously wound Xiang Shan, after which Domain Lords swarmed forward, seeking to cut down the roots of the threat. Human Eighth-Order cultivators rushed to reinforce him, and a chaotic battle ensued.
That day, Xiang Shan had narrowly escaped with his life, but his cultivation had plummeted from Eighth-Order to Seventh-Order. From that point on, he had gradually faded from the Ink Clan's view. Though the Royal Lord's strike had failed to kill Xiang Shan, it had more or less achieved its objective.
That day, the Ink Clan Royal Lord had been severely wounded by the Ancestor and required a full three hundred years of recovery.
That day, no fewer than ten Domain Lords had perished beneath the Ancestor's fury.
The battle from three thousand years ago remained vivid in their memories. Most of the Domain Lords present had experienced it firsthand. How could they forget?
They had assumed Xiang Shan had faded into irrelevance, yet who would have thought that, three thousand years later, they would hear news of him once again—news that he was currently in the process of breaking through!
If it were an ordinary Human Seventh-Order advancing to Eighth-Order, they might not have bothered to care. Over the countless ages, there had been newly promoted Eighth-Order among the humans, and Eighth-Order who had fallen in battle. Overall, the numbers had maintained a certain balance—one additional Eighth-Order wouldn't significantly affect the broader situation.
But if that person was Xiang Shan, they could not afford not to take it seriously!
Calculating the timeline, a full three thousand years of silence. Though Xiang Shan had once fallen in rank, it was entirely plausible that he had cultivated his way back. Recalling those dark times from three millennia ago, which Ink Clan Domain Lord would be willing to go through that again?
So when the Territory Lord had first reported that a Human Seventh-Order was advancing to Eighth-Order, most of the Domain Lords had not paid much attention. But the moment they heard the name Xiang Shan, they could no longer remain calm.
"Can you confirm it's that Xiang Shan?"
The Territory Lord replied, "It can be confirmed with high certainty. The Territory Lord who sent the report had once felt Xiang Shan's terror from a great distance. He clearly remembers his aura."
Since the reporter had said as much, there was likely no mistake. As the Domain Lords exchanged glances, they could see the gravity reflected in one another's eyes.
After a long silence, a Domain Lord finally spoke. "What movements are there at the Human forward camp?"
"Don't know. Can ask," another Domain Lord replied. As he spoke, his spiritual consciousness surged outward to send a message.
A moment later, that Domain Lord said, "Half a day ago, two Human Eighth-Order cultivators departed from the forward camp, heading directly toward Guso Territory!"
"It appears news of Xiang Shan's breakthrough has reached them, and the Human Eighth-Order are moving to provide protection."
"If that's the case, then Xiang Shan's breakthrough was likely unplanned, otherwise the humans would have made preparations in advance."
"It's still hard to determine whether this is a Human scheme or not."
"Regardless of whether it's a scheme, Xiang Shan cannot be left unattended. If he advances to Eighth-Order, he will be the most formidable Eighth-Order of all—no Domain Lord would be able to match him."
"Indeed. We must stop Xiang Shan's breakthrough at all costs!"
"Even if the humans have a trap, our position is deep within Ink territory. Should anything go wrong, reinforcements would be too far away to help them. We could turn their scheme against them."
"How so?"
"Wujiang, Maochi, Zhongning, and Honghu are not present here. We could send messages to two of them, instructing them to intercept the two Eighth-Order who left the Human forward camp and prevent them from reaching Xiang Shan. Then we message the other two and send them to investigate Xiang Shan's breakthrough location. If the humans have no ambush, the two Domain Lords can deal with him easily. If there is an ambush, the two of them can look out for each other without much issue."
Upon hearing this proposal, the Domain Lords contemplated for a moment, and one nodded immediately. "Agreed!"
Another Domain Lord raised an objection. "That may be so, but we currently have no way of knowing where the Human Eighth-Order are all operating. If they've set up their entire force in ambush at Xiang Shan's location and we send too few, wouldn't we be walking into a trap? The last battle already cost us dearly in Domain Lord casualties—we cannot afford further heavy losses."
The Domain Lord who had made the earlier proposal spoke again. "That is precisely why I suggest attacking the Human forward camp. We need not achieve significant results—only determine the true strength of their garrison. If we can confirm the number of Human Eighth-Order, we can reasonably assess the situation at Xiang Shan's location. After that, we can relay the information to Wujiang and the others, so they can act accordingly."
"Attack the forward camp?" One Domain Lord furrowed his brow. "Once a major battle begins, it won't be easy to bring to a halt. It will certainly cost us. If we win, so be it, but if we lose, the Ink Clan will lose the territory that was already seized by the humans. We don't have enough forces to sustain a prolonged engagement."
"Compared to what it would mean if Xiang Shan advances, any price is worth paying."
"If there are differing views, let us put it to a vote. Those in favor of attacking the Human forward camp, please rise."