Xiang Shan said, "The target of this expedition is the Royal City, the Ink Clan Sovereign! During the previous campaign to reclaim Da Yan, the Ink Clan suffered devastating casualties, and the Sovereign was gravely injured with no sign of recovery. Their forces have essentially retreated and hunkered down around the Royal City. However, because of the Ancestor's movements these past years, the Ink Clan has fortified their defenses tightly—even the slightest disturbance could alert their armies."
"The odds are strongly in the human race's favor for this expedition. The only consideration is how to achieve the Ink Clan's destruction at the minimal cost—which means catching them completely off guard."
"What you need to do is straightforward: deploy ahead of the main army to scout and gather intelligence. If you encounter Ink Clan forces, avoid engagement whenever possible. If a fight is unavoidable, you must annihilate them completely—under no circumstances can we let the Ink Clan learn of Da Yan's movements ahead of time."
During the expedition, Da Yan Pass would take the offensive directly. Such an enormous stronghold could not easily remain hidden—it wasn't a ship or two that could conceal itself using formations or some Artifact. When Da Yan moved, the sheer magnitude of its presence would likely alert the Ink Clan from a great distance. Once they discovered Da Yan Pass was on the march, the Ink Clan would prepare countermeasures in advance, and the element of surprise would be lost.
That was precisely why Yang Kai and the others needed to move ahead—first, to gather intelligence, and second, to eliminate any Ink Clan scouts that might be lurking about.
"As for safety, there's no need to worry too much. Though the Ancestor's actions these years have put the Ink Clan on high alert, that's precisely because he keeps showing up to harass them. None of their Domain Lords dare venture out lightly anymore. The Ink Clan patrols around the Royal City are at most led by Territory Lords. With the strength of your squads, dealing with them shouldn't be difficult."
All three nodded upon hearing this.
The Ink Clan Domain Lords truly didn't dare show themselves. After all, nobody knew when the Ancestor might pay a visit—being caught by him would mean dying for nothing. So while the Ink Clan had numerous squads patrolling the outskirts of the Royal City, scouting the surrounding area, not a single Domain Lord was stationed to lead them.
With no Domain Lords present, the four elite squads would have ample guarantee of safety.
As they spoke, Xiang Shan suddenly raised his head, glancing toward the doorway, and said with a snort, "Get in here!"
Chai Fang poked his head through the door, his face a battered mess of bruises, and shuffled inside with an ingratiating grin, bowing awkwardly. "Greetings, Lord."
Xiang Shan ignored him and addressed Yang Kai, "That Void Spirit Pearl of yours is quite useful. Your squads can use them to relay messages. If danger arises, reinforcements can arrive quickly as well."
"Understood!" Yang Kai responded.
Ever since learning that the Ancestor had relied on Void Spirit Pearls to reach the Royal City in haste, Xiang Shan had Yang Kai spend his spare time crafting a large number of them. The materials required weren't particularly rare, but the refinement demands were extremely high—only someone who had mastered the Laws of Space like Yang Kai could forge them. Proficiency in artifact crafting had nothing to do with it.
"The journey to the Royal City is not short. Over the next half year, all of you are to rest and recuperate. Set out once the six months are up."
Yang Kai and the others all nodded.
After a moment's thought, Yang Kai asked, "Lord, I recall the Ancestor mentioning that all the other strongholds have also deployed for the expedition. Was this coordinated in advance?"
Xiang Shan replied, "Of course. To truly eradicate the Ink Clan, every warzone must act in concert. Dealing with just one or two won't accomplish anything."
The Ink Clan were born from Ink Nests, and compared to the human race, their reproductive capacity was far too great. As long as even one or two King-level Ink Nests remained, the Ink Clan would have the chance to stage a comeback.
To truly eliminate the Ink Clan, every warzone had to move simultaneously and seize all King-level Ink Nests.
Each human stronghold sat at a different distance from the Ink Clan's Royal City—some near, some far—and the balance of power varied as well, making the difficulty of each expedition different.
In Da Yan Pass's case, the victory of this expedition was essentially a foregone conclusion. The gravely wounded Ink Clan Sovereign was no match for Ancestor Xiao Xiao, and even bolstered by the power of an Ink Nest, he was merely putting up a futile last stand.
Without the Sovereign as a constraint, those Domain Lords and Territory Lords, despite their numbers, would face the Demon-Breaking Divine Spear on the human side.
That weapon was destined to shine brilliantly in the wars to come.
However, in certain warzones where the Ink Clan had not suffered severe losses, the battles would be brutally hard-fought.
This expedition would likely claim many lives. But if their present sacrifice could buy permanent peace, every human soldier would willingly give their life.
Xiang Shan offered some final details and instructions to the four of them before letting them leave.
Shortly after stepping out of the Military Command, the four felt a deep hum reverberate from within Da Yan Pass. The ground shook once more as the great stronghold trembled.
Within Da Yan Pass, countless formations concealed in its depths began to activate, releasing surges of energy.
The stronghold, immovable since time beyond memory, began to inch forward as though pushed by an invisible force.
Yang Kai and the others exchanged glances, their eyes alight with the same excitement.
Da Yan Pass was moving. The expedition had officially begun.
They bid each other farewell and returned to their respective quarters.
Back at the estate, Yang Kai summoned the Dawn squad and informed them of the plan to set out in half a year. Everyone was fired up with anticipation.
It had been over two hundred years since their withdrawal from the Ink Clan Royal City, and in all that time, they had not crossed swords with the Ink Clan once. During those years, with plentiful supplies and resources, every member of Dawn had grown stronger. Many who were at the Fifth Order had gradually recovered to the Sixth Order, and they were eager to face the Ink Clan in battle.
Unfortunately, they had been occupied the entire time—first with reorganizing Da Yan Pass's defenses, then with mining resources outside the stronghold. There had simply been no opportunity to engage the Ink Clan.
What meaning was there in simply growing stronger if they couldn't slay the Ink Clan?
Now, that chance had arrived.
The group dispersed to rest and recover.