"Report!"
With the shout, a Seventh-Order officer in golden armor burst into the great hall and cupped his fists toward Xiang Shan on the elevated seat. "An Ink Clan army has appeared within ten million li of the eastern battlefront and shows signs of advancing again!"
Under normal circumstances, lower-ranking officers would never barge into a high-level council meeting, but urgent military intelligence was the exception.
An Ink Clan army pressing toward the eastern front clearly fell into that category.
"Insolent!" Wei Junyang bellowed. "These Ink Clan bastards must be courting death!" As he spoke, the full pressure of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven master blazed forth, his imposing aura filling the hall.
Ouyang Lie cursed as well. "Looks like last time wasn't painful enough for them."
…
It wasn't just the two of them cursing. The other Eighth-Order masters were all cursing too, and the council hall erupted into a clamor of angry voices.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. What were the Ink Clan playing at? They had just retreated in defeat, losing three Innate Domain Lords. Now, after barely any time had passed, they were coming back for more?
He looked more closely at the Seventh-Order messenger. The officer was clearly from the Great Battle Heaven — clad in golden armor that still bore dried bloodstains, and he appeared to have sustained minor injuries himself.
What made Yang Kai even more speechless was the behavior of these Xuan Ming Army Eighth-Order masters. They were way too worked up.
The Ink Clan army was attacking — shouldn't they be calmly discussing a counterstrategy? Dispatch troops if troops needed to be dispatched, reinforce the defensive line if it needed reinforcing, send reinforcements where reinforcements were needed. All this noise and commotion — what kind of council was this?
While he was thinking this, one of the Eighth-Order masters stepped forward and cupped his fists toward Xiang Shan. "Lord Xiang, I volunteer to lead forces to repel the enemy!"
Xiang Shan gave a slight nod. "Commander Chen's eagerness to face the enemy is commendable. Granted. How many troops do you intend to bring?"
That Commander Chen replied with arrogant confidence. "Not many. My garrison's forces will suffice."
Xiang Shan said gravely, "In matters of war, one must not be frivolous."
Commander Chen snorted. "They're nothing but Ink Clan vermin. What is there to fear? If I fail to drive them back this time, I'll present my own head to you all!"
"Excellent!" Xiang Shan nodded repeatedly, his face filled with approval. "Though our human race finds itself in decline, we are far from lacking in valor and fighting spirit. Commander Chen's vigor despite his advanced years is an example for us all. In that case—"
"Wait!" Yang Kai hastily called out.
He had been standing there in stunned disbelief.
The situation was this urgent, and these Eighth-Order Garrison Commanders and Corps Commanders had already decided on a combat strategy? And Xiang Shan had agreed so quickly?
What about a comparison of forces? What about the number of Ink Clan powerhouses?
They didn't have any intelligence whatsoever — how could they be so reckless?
Moreover, Yang Kai knew this Commander Chen. Among the Eighth-Order masters present, the man was one of the oldest in terms of age, but in terms of strength, he was not particularly formidable. He would be no match for even a single Innate Domain Lord in one-on-one combat.
Where did an old man like that get the courage to say he'd lead a single garrison's worth of troops to repel the enemy?
Wasn't this just asking for trouble? Yet none of the other Eighth-Order masters seemed inclined to stop him.
"You have something to say, Yang Kai?" Xiang Shan turned to look at him.
Yang Kai rubbed his temples in frustration and cupped his fists. "Lord Xiang, if I'm not mistaken, the Xuan Ming Army's current garrison strength is roughly twenty thousand men, isn't it?"
Twenty thousand Open Heaven cultivators — not a small number by any measure.
After all, back in the Ink Battlefield, a garrison had only five or six hundred troops. But the Open Heaven cultivators in the Ink Battlefield were all Fifth-Order or above.
It wasn't like the Xuan Ming Army, which included First and Second-Order cultivators. Comparing the two directly, twenty thousand was indeed far greater than five or six hundred in raw numbers, but the proportion of truly powerful fighters was incomparably smaller.
"That's correct," Commander Chen confirmed with a nod. "My garrison currently numbers twenty-three thousand six hundred and fifty-one."
The old man might be advanced in years, but his memory was sharp, and he knew the exact strength of the forces under his command.
Yang Kai looked at him helplessly. "Do you know how many Ink Clan troops are advancing?"
Commander Chen snorted coldly. "Who cares how many? Just kill them all!"
Without waiting for Yang Kai to respond, he cupped his fists toward Xiang Shan. "My lord, I depart now. I will either return in great victory or die on the battlefield. If the latter comes to pass, I ask that you and the other lords see to the collection of our bodies."
Xiang Shan nodded solemnly. "I will not let the soldiers' remains be left exposed on the barren field."
"Commander Chen, wait!" Yang Kai called out again. He absolutely could not let the man leave. The squad containing his wives — Ru Meng, Su Yan, and the others — fell under this very Commander Chen's command. If Chen led the full garrison to fight, Ru Meng, Su Yan, and the rest would inevitably be thrown into the battle as well.
"Outrageous, Yang Kai!" Xiang Shan roared, his voice sharp as a blade. "You've repeatedly obstructed the deployment of troops to the front. Are you trying to rebel?"
Yang Kai's heart clenched with alarm, and he immediately cupped his fists. "I would never dare! It's only that—"
"Only what?" Xiang Shan stared at him with a cold, stern gaze.
It was only that... something was off here.
Yang Kai glanced at Xiang Shan, then at the surrounding Eighth-Order masters. He noticed Wei Junyang tilting his head back to gaze at the ceiling as if he had no stake in the matter whatsoever. Ouyang Lie was looking down at the floor as though there were a flower growing on it. The rest of the Eighth-Order masters were either huddled in small groups whispering among themselves or sitting with their eyes closed, wearing expressions of serene composure.
Yang Kai broke into a silent laugh of realization. So that was it.
He should have known — these Eighth-Order masters were all battle-hardened veterans. How could they truly be this foolish? If it had only been Commander Chen acting rashly, that would be one thing, but it was impossible that every single one of them was equally reckless.
Xiang Shan was, after all, a man of extraordinary strategic vision. The cunning tactics he had displayed when he led the army to reclaim Great Yan Pass years ago were nothing short of brilliant. There was no way he would simply approve Commander Chen's request to march out without a second thought.