Six Arms was slightly surprised. "How many do you want, then?"
Monaye replied, "That Yang Kai can strike at least three times, so we'll need a minimum of three. Five would be ideal."
Six Arms couldn't help but frown, hesitating. "That many?"
Monaye shook his head slowly. "My lord, from what I've observed of Yang Kai's behavior, he appears bold and reckless, but in truth, he is extremely cautious. He won't strike unless he's absolutely certain of success. Moreover, he's now the commander of the human race's Xuanming Army—a position of tremendous responsibility. He'll be even more careful than before. If there's only one bait, even a fool would spot the trap. How could that lure him in? We need to dispel his suspicions. Of course, we can't use too many either. If there are too many, I won't be able to watch them all."
Six Arms fell into thought. Though he bore some resentment toward Monaye, he had to admit the man had a point.
Seeing his hesitation, Monaye pressed on, "My lord, Yang Kai is already this powerful as an eighth-grade Open Heaven cultivator. Have you considered what would happen if one day he advances to the ninth grade?"
Six Arms had never really considered this. At the thought now, a chill ran through him.
Indeed—Yang Kai was already this formidable at the eighth grade. If he ever reached the ninth grade, the consequences would be unthinkable. By then, even the King Lords might not be able to match him.
No more hesitation. He spoke decisively. "Go make your preparations. I'll handle the rest."
Though he hadn't received the answer he wanted, Monaye could tell that Six Arms had been moved. Once moved, the man would surely act according to his wishes. He said nothing more, nodded, and withdrew.
Shortly after, as Six Arms' orders went out one after another, the Ink Clan army began to mobilize and assemble to meet the human advance. From within those Ink Nests, Ink Clan warriors who had been recuperating from their injuries filed out one by one.
A great battle was about to erupt.
Both sides' scouts shuttled back and forth, relaying intelligence gathered from the front lines to the rear. After roughly half an hour, the two massive armies—like swarms of locusts converging across the void—advanced toward each other, the distance between them shrinking rapidly.
Within the human fleets, Seventh-Order cultivators moved among the squadrons, relaying orders for each unit to inspect their armaments and prepare for imminent battle.
This was the Xuanming Army's first large-scale proactive offensive. The significance was immense. The morale of every unit soared, murderous intent permeating the ranks.
At a certain moment, when the two armies closed to a critical distance, war drums thundered through the vanguard like a downpour of rain.
Led by Ouyang Lie and several other human Eighth-Order cultivators, the human army launched a fierce assault.
The left and right flanks surged forward in close support.
The battle erupted in an instant. The moment the two armies collided, the entire Xuanming Domain seemed to tremble. Mystical arts and the radiance of Artifacts blazed across the sky, illuminating the dim domain in brilliant light.
Warships wove back and forth in coordinated strikes. The Ink Clan forces that charged in were cut down in staggering numbers.
Every great battle followed the same pattern at its outset—the humans held the upper hand, slaying countless enemies. This wasn't because the humans were truly superior, but because the Ink Clan repeatedly placed their weakest cannon fodder at the front to drain the human army's strength.
For the Ink Clan, these low-level foot soldiers were expendable in any number. As long as they had Ink Nests and resources, they could replace any number of casualties.
The humans were different. Although their average strength no longer matched the elite fighters of the Ink Battlefield, they were still far more powerful than the Ink Clan's cannon fodder—let alone the fact that they had warships to support them.
In barely an hour, the Ink Clan's cannon fodder at the front had been virtually annihilated. What followed immediately after was the Ink Clan's main army—Ink Clan warriors who held actual ranks. Even a lower-rank Ink Clan warrior was equivalent to a lower-grade Open Heaven cultivator among the humans.
Ink Clan casualties continued to mount, but the human offensive was also considerably checked. After all, in terms of sheer numbers, the humans were vastly outnumbered.
From his position in the rear, Six Arms was actually somewhat puzzled by the humans' choice. He couldn't understand where they had found the confidence to provoke this battle head-on. Even if they could cut down some useless cannon fodder, they'd still be no match for the Ink Clan's main force.
On the surface, the Ink Clan had indeed suffered significant losses—but those losses were entirely acceptable. The humans, on the other hand, would be critically weakened if they expended too much strength and got surrounded by the Ink Clan army.
Unable to make sense of it, Six Arms stopped trying. He was far more concerned with locating Yang Kai.
As expected, Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen—hiding somewhere, no doubt, waiting for an opportunity to strike from the shadows.
Six Arms' gaze swept deliberately across several points on the battlefield. Those were the positions where he had placed his bait. If Yang Kai made his move, he would certainly target the Domain Lords at those locations.
Monaye was also nowhere in sight. As long as Yang Kai remained hidden, there was no reason for Monaye to reveal himself either.
Six Arms furrowed his brow and glanced behind him. Deep in the rear lay the Ink Clan's main camp, bristling with Ink Nests—the very foundation of the Ink Clan's presence in the Xuanming Domain. Would Yang Kai possibly have gone for the main camp?
He was growing paranoid. But even if Yang Kai had gone there, it wouldn't matter. Nearly ten Domain Lords were stationed there as a garrison. Yang Kai wouldn't gain any advantage.
The Ink Clan had far more Domain Lords than the humans had Eighth-Order cultivators—and that was precisely why Six Arms had the confidence to make this arrangement.