Just from that response alone, it was clear that Di Ya Luo had no confidence. Mo Na Ye was well aware of this — in truth, even if he acted personally, he wouldn't feel confident either. But things had already come to this, so what could he say?
Ever since that Four Gates Eight Palaces Sumeru Formation had lost its ability to restrain Yang Kai, the Ink Clan had no way of dealing with Yang Kai. This was precisely why Mo Na Ye knew that the Ink Clan at Returnless Pass was destined to lose — a human Ninth-Order cultivator of immense strength, capable of appearing and disappearing at will, utterly beyond their ability to handle, exerted far too great a pressure upon the Ink Clan.
All he could say was: "Do your best."
With over a dozen Pseudo Lord-Ranks supporting Di Ya Luo, even if they couldn't stop Yang Kai from reaching Returnless Pass, keeping him occupied should not be a major problem. As long as he was tied down, the other Pseudo Lord-Ranks on the battlefield could commit their full strength without having to reserve part of their attention to guard against a sudden ambush that could come at any moment.
That, too, was an acceptable outcome.
After issuing his instructions to Di Ya Luo, Mo Na Ye turned his gaze toward the depths of the void and let out a cold snort: "The same trick again!"
It was almost identical to the scene from two years ago. The Human Race armies were advancing from the left and right flanks, while from the direction of the center, a massive World, its silhouette enormous, could be seen hurtling out of the void's depths.
This Human Race tactic of using Worlds as battering rams was far too dirty and underhanded. But it had to be acknowledged that while the tactic was simple, it was extraordinarily effective.
In the last great battle, the Human Race had used this very tactic to tear open the Ink Clan's defensive line, creating a breach. Having tasted the benefits, the Human Race naturally intended to employ the same stratagem once more.
Fortunately, the Ink Clan had anticipated this possibility well in advance. The defensive line had been contracted considerably compared to last time, which meant the defensive strength at every position would be far more concentrated. It would not be so easy for the Human Race to tear through the line as they had before.
The Human Race clearly understood this as well. Over the past two years, human scouts had periodically appeared around the outskirts of Returnless Pass, probing the situation there. The Ink Clan's deployments and arrangements were no secret in the human eyes. Now that they were resorting to this World-impact tactic once more, they obviously had something to rely on.
"Hmm?" As that World drew closer, he quickly noticed something was amiss.
The World that came into view was only a single one! Not like last time, when many Worlds had come crashing in together, overwhelming a section of the Ink Clan's defenses with sheer numbers.
A mere single World — what could it accomplish? While a World's charge was certainly imposing, any Pseudo Lord-Rank on their side could obliterate it with a single full-power strike from a distance!
Mo Na Ye observed for a moment longer and suddenly realized — there wasn't just one World.
Or rather, only this one was visible, but there were definitely more Worlds hidden behind it. If all the Worlds were arranged in a single line, chasing after one another like a comet pursuing the moon toward Returnless Pass, then the illusion of only the leading World being visible could be maintained.
Breaking a broad front with a single point!
Mo Na Ye instantly grasped the Human Race's intentions. This time, their arrangement was clearly designed to counter the contraction of the Ink Clan's defensive line.
Compared to before, the Ink Clan's defensive line was undoubtedly more condensed. But if the Human Race played it this way, even the most concentrated line could be breached.
A chill ran through Mo Na Ye's heart. He cursed the humans for their cunning and immediately began redeploying his forces, pulling armies and experts from the flanking defensive lines to converge on the center, preparing to meet the incoming World impact.
The great battle was about to begin. The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, and the flow of time itself seemed to slow.
Through the agonized waiting of countless Ink Clan members, the World hurtling from the depths of the void finally smashed into position.
Mo Na Ye's arrangements achieved their intended effect. A massive concentration of Ink Clan experts had gathered at the point of impact, and before the World could reach the defensive line, it was obliterated mid-air.
Just as Mo Na Ye had predicted, once the leading World was destroyed, a second World came into view right behind it.
The second World was also obliterated amid an endless barrage of techniques, followed by a third…
And then… nothing.
Mo Na Ye stared in stunned disbelief at the void littered with World debris. He simply could not understand — how could there be only three Worlds? Where were the subsequent impacts?
The next instant, his expression changed drastically. His Ink Blood turned ice-cold in the span of a heartbeat, and his scalp went numb with shock.
He whipped his head toward the Human Race's left-flank army and saw exactly the moment their formation shifted mid-march. Countless warships parted to either side, revealing the void behind them that had been concealed by the enormous fleet.
The shadows of Worlds were hurtling from that direction. At least a dozen were visible to the naked eye, and even more remained hidden behind the fleet, obscured from view.
Mo Na Ye turned to look at the Human Race's right-flank army. The situation there was virtually identical to the left.
It was a trap! In an instant, Mo Na Ye saw through the entire chain of events.
The Human Race had deliberately arranged all their Worlds in a straight line through the center, solely to mislead his thinking — to draw his forces away and reinforce the central defensive line.
But once he had done exactly that, he had played right into their hands.
The three Worlds charging from the center had only been a feint. The real killing blow lay in the void concealed behind the left and right flanks of the Human Race armies.