"These useless fools — a handful of little Human squads managed to hold them back? Utterly incompetent!" Wu Jiang cursed in frustration.
Hong Hu said, "Those few squads appear to be Human elites. Far stronger than ordinary teams."
Wu Jiang snorted coldly. "Elites or not! There are barely any of them. Even if we threw lives away to bury them, we could overwhelm them!"
Hong Hu shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Continuing to send reinforcements in small numbers will only let them pick us off one by one. There are five squads in total — at any given time, two squads rest while three maintain the defensive line. Without sufficient force, there's no way to break through."
"What do you suggest?"
Hong Hu pondered briefly before answering: "Concentrate our strength and smash through in one decisive blow!"
Wu Jiang said impatiently, "Why bother with all that? You and I step onto the battlefield — they'd be no match for us!"
"Absolutely not!" Hong Hu quickly stopped him. "Have you forgotten what happened to Wu Ying and the others decades ago? Over three hundred thousand troops — they rushed out recklessly and walked straight into a Human ambush. The entire force was routed in one stroke, which set back our war effort for years and cost the Ink Clan dearly. Until we're certain there are no traps waiting, we'd best avoid any rash movements."
Wu Jiang's expression shifted. He naturally remembered the fate of Domain Lord Wu Ying and the others — only decades ago, which for beings as long-lived as Domain Lords might as well have been yesterday. Though resentment churned within him, he knew Hong Hu's concerns were not unfounded. Xiang Shan had suddenly advanced in this godforsaken place, guarded by five elite Human squads — something was clearly off.
Although neither of them had sensed any Eighth-Order Open Heaven aura, who could say whether those cunning Humans weren't lurking nearby? Human formations were extraordinarily sophisticated — even a hastily erected array could mask one's presence.
The reason they were observing and waiting from afar was twofold: to use their Ink Clan forces to probe the defenses, and to await intelligence from the front lines.
Once they could confirm no trap existed here, they would strike without hesitation.
Xiang Shan's reputation was fearsome — but that was Xiang Shan as an Eighth-Order. As a Seventh-Order, either of them could seize him effortlessly. Capturing Xiang Shan would deal a devastating blow to the Humans and restore the face the Ink Clan had lost over these past decades.
No concrete news had arrived from the front yet. The probing there was clearly still ongoing. Wu Jiang and Hong Hu didn't intend to simply wait — they had to handle their own responsibilities.
And so, after a brief consultation, the two Domain Orders issued withdrawal orders to the Ink Clan forces conducting their harassment raids, while simultaneously mobilizing Ink Clan troops from nearby territories to converge on this location urgently.
Outside the floating continent where Xiang Shan was advancing, the Ink Clan suddenly receded like an ebbing tide, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation.
The Wild Boar Squad, led by Zhu Yuming, gave chase with a vengeance, their momentum suggesting they wouldn't rest until every last Ink Clansman was exterminated. Fortunately, Chai Fang pulled him back: "Don't pursue fleeing enemies. Protecting the site is what matters."
Zhu Yuming cursed under his breath, and though reluctance still showed on his face, he understood the gravity of the situation. He led his squad members back swiftly.
After the fierce battle, every squad was heavily depleted. They quickly seized the opportunity to recuperate.
"The Ink Clan has withdrawn," Dongfang Wenbing said, his eyes lighting up.
Yang Kai narrowed his gaze, channeling his full visual acuity to peer into the distance, then slowly shook his head. "They've only pulled back temporarily."
Though he couldn't see clearly, those retreating Ink Clansmen had obviously not left for good. They were gathering at a distance, as if waiting for something.
This was not a good sign. It seemed his and Dongfang Wenbing's earlier suspicions had proven correct — there was indeed a mastermind pulling the strings behind these Ink Clan forces. Without someone coordinating, the situation before them would be inexplicable.
Dongfang Wenbing had clearly come to the same realization. His expression turned solemn.
Yang Kai offered reassurance: "Reinforcements from the forward outpost should arrive soon. We just need to hold for another three to five days."
Dongfang Wenbing said gravely, "That may be so, but judging by the Ink Clan's movements here, they've clearly prepared a deployment for this location. My worry is that reinforcements from the forward outpost might be intercepted along the way."
At the Seventh-Order realm, no one was a fool. Dongfang Wenbing's concern was entirely justified, and Yang Kai could see it too. But now, their only hope lay in the forward outpost's reinforcements — or in Xiang Shan completing his advancement as quickly as possible.
What neither of them knew was that their fears had already become reality. The two Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators surnamed Zhang and Sun, who had departed from the forward outpost to reinforce this position, had long since been intercepted in the void by the Ink Clan's two Domain Lords. The battle between them was raging furiously.
Time trickled onward. Every member of the five Human squads had the feeling that each passing day stretched into an eternity. In the silent void, killing intent permeated the air, gnawing at everyone's nerves.
Meanwhile, beyond the borders of the territory Lord's domain, the number of Ink Clansmen continued to swell — from an initial ten thousand, to twenty thousand, then fifty thousand…
Wu Jiang and Hong Hu surveyed these tens of thousands of wretched-looking troops with considerable dissatisfaction.
Though they had urgently requisitioned Ink Clan forces from surrounding territories, the numbers they could muster were pitifully small. The reason was simple — in recent decades, the vast majority of the Ink Clan's combat-capable forces had been redeployed to the front lines to face off against the Humans' forward outpost.