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Translator: Silavin & Ashish
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “We can’t just keep resting forever. It’s been two years since the last major battle, and although everyone has yet to fully recover, I don’t think the Black Ink Clan is in any better shape. No one will have the upper hand right now.”
Ou Yang Lie immediately became excited, “This Old Master requests to serve as the vanguard!”
Wei Jun Yang, on the other hand, was a little hesitant, “Sir, Profound Nether Territory has been in a constant state of war for decades, and it’s rare for us to have peace for even a few days. If we start another war now, I’m afraid the soldiers won’t be able to hold on.”
If a Black Ink Clansmen got seriously injured, they could get back on their feet after slumbering in a Black Ink Nest for a while. On the other hand, if Humans got injured, although they were not bogged down by so many nuisances, it was not that easy to heal either.
For example, Ou Yang Lie had still not recovered from his injuries even after two years of rest.
Ou Yang Lie shot a glance at him, “What’s there to be afraid of? Yang Boy is right, we might not be in top shape, but the Black Ink Clan isn’t faring any better. As such, no one will have the advantage. What’s more, things are different now. We have more Evil Purging Divine Spears than before.”
The Artifact Refiners in the Profound Nether Army had been constantly refining Evil Purging Divine Spears over these past two years, and although they had not refined many of them, it was enough for a single large-scale battle. With the Evil Purging Divine Spears, the Human Masters would surely have it easier.
Wei Jun Yang shook his head, stating, “It’s not that I’m afraid, it’s just…” He looked at Yang Kai, “Sir, what is your idea?”
He wasn’t convinced that in their current position the Humans should be the ones to initiate a war, but he still decided to listen to Yang Kai’s plan.
Yang Kai explained, “The Black Ink Clan has a stronger and bigger Army, while our Human Race Army is weaker and fewer in number. In all these years, it has always been the Black Ink Clan on the offence, while we Humans are forced to passively hold our ground, which is understandable. I want to launch an attack, but not because I want to end the battle in Profound Nether Territory in one fell swoop. We Humans don’t currently have that kind of strength.”
Kong Cheng De pondered for a moment before asking, “Sir, you mean…”
Yang Kai added, “I want the Profound Nether Army’s main force to launch a campaign to divert the attention of the Black Ink Clan Army.” He raised his hand and pointed towards a certain spot on the Void Chart, “I will head here and assist the Eighth-Order Division Commanders in taking down the Territory Lords here, allowing us to occupy this front.”
Ou Yang Lie happily smiled, “Just like last time?”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
Yang Kai’s last ambush had brought about stellar results. Not only did he kill five Territory Lords, but the Black Ink Clan Army at one of the auxiliary fronts was utterly routed and had suffered massive casualties.
The auxiliary fronts in Profound Nether Territory were not just limited to one area. There were several of them, and they were now Yang Kai’s targets.
Kong Cheng De and Wei Jun Yang glanced at each other before the former smiled wryly and explained, “Sir, you’ve been in a retreat for the past two years, so I’m afraid you don’t know about the situation in Profound Nether Territory. It’s my fault for forgetting to report it to you.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked at him in confusion.
Kong Cheng De answered, “The Black Ink Clan suffered such immense losses the last time you struck that they have completely given up on all the auxiliary fronts. All the Black Ink Clan Armies have retreated and they’ve even moved their Black Ink Nests away.”
Yang Kai was at a total loss.
He had been planning on attacking the other auxiliary fronts one after another, but it never occurred to him that the Black Ink Clan would withdraw completely after just a single defeat.
[What the Hell?]
“Six Arms is quite decisive!” Yang Kai lightly nodded his acknowledgement.
This really came as a surprise to him. If Yang Kai really targeted the other auxiliary fronts, the Black Ink Clan would not be able to defend themselves and would be forced to retreat sooner or later, but it seemed Six Arms understood this and simply decided to cut their losses and retreat preemptively. This was a frustrating development for Yang Kai.
Nonetheless, this was also quite beneficial for the Human Race. Since the Black Ink Clan was no longer attacking the auxiliary fronts, the Profound Nether Army could concentrate all of its forces to guard the main battlefield and did not have to divert manpower elsewhere.
Kong Cheng De pondered for a moment before asking, “Sir, were you planning to kill more Territory Lords?”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement, “The Territory Lords are much higher in number than our Eighth-Order Masters. Although we’ve killed a number of them here, that hasn’t really closed the gap in high-level combat strength between our two races. In fact, this gap may never be closed, but where there is a will, there is a way. We can only reduce the pressure on our Human Race by killing more Territory Lords. I want all those Territory Lords to tremble in fear in the future!”
The Eighth-Order Masters looked at each other, sighing at the hot-bloodedness of this young man. Although these old Eighth-Order Masters weren’t afraid of dying in battle against the Black Ink Clan, they were still lacking in vigour compared to Yang Kai.
Perhaps this was also the reason why the Supreme Headquarters had appointed Yang Kai as the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army. Yang Kai’s fearsome strength was a critical factor, but the other reason was that the Supreme Headquarters wanted to bring some changes to the war situation. The other Army Commanders were all old and serious people, but that also meant that they acted more conservatively and cautiously.
Kong Cheng De stated, “Sir, if that’s what you want, there is no need to hesitate then. The Army will press forward and draw the Black Ink Clan into a battle. The Eighth-Order Division Commanders will be tasked with keeping the Territory Lords occupied, so you just need to find an opportunity to kill them.”
Someone worriedly stated, “The Profound Nether Army prioritized defence mainly because there was a gap in strength, so we’ve been relying on various tricks and traps to defend against the enemy. If we were to rashly launch an attack without any support, we might land ourselves in trouble.”
The Human Race had also been primarily focused on defence on the Black Ink Battlefield because the Human Race had the Great Passes. The same was true for the Profound Nether Army. Although there weren’t any impregnable Passes they could use here, being able to decide the battlefield allowed them to set up numerous defensive emplacements that bolstered their combat strength.
These arrangements could greatly make up for the difference in combat strength between the Humans and Black Ink Clan.
Kong Cheng De interjected, “That’s not a big problem! While launching an offensive does have its fair share of drawbacks, we can compensate for them with the Evil Purging Divine Spears. If we disregard consumption, the Black Ink Clan may not be able to gain any advantage for a short time. Of course, the more drawn out the battle, the harder it will become for our side.”
Yang Kai asked, “Senior Brother Kong, by your estimation, how long can the Profound Nether Army persist if we utilize every Evil Purging Divine Spear we have?”
Kong Cheng De pondered for a moment before replying, “Half a day!”
After two years of continuous refining, they would only be able to hold strong for half a day at most, which was understandable as it was quite difficult to refine the Evil Purging Divine Spears en masse, but using them was extremely simple. It all depended on the right timing.
Yang Kai understood and ordered, “In that case, our troops must withdraw within half a day after the start of the battle, or else we will suffer excessive casualties.”
Yang Kai then focused his attention on the Void Chart, remaining silent.
The Eighth-Order Masters patiently waited for Yang Kai to finish contemplating, whereas Ou Yang Lie kept signalling Yang Kai with his eyes. His face filled with encouragement, as if he wanted this little brat to let him do as he pleased.
After a long time, Yang Kai suddenly looked up and shouted, “Relay my orders, unless a war breaks out at the frontline, all forces are to return to the main camp. We will attack in three days with each Division acting as an independent unit, forcing the Black Ink Clan’s Army to come out and fight. We will engage the Black Ink Clan Army for 12 hours and then retreat. Every Eighth-Order Division Commander will find an opportunity to join the battle and draw out the Territory Lords. You don’t need to kill them, your task is simply to fully occupy their attention!”
“Yes, Sir!” The Eighth-Order Masters received their orders. Some were excited, some were worried, and some wore a stoic look.
After the military order was given, the Profound Nether Army’s main force could be said to have completely mobilized. Something like this had never happened in the last few decades. It was quite a risky move, and if the Black Ink Clan came to learn of it in advance, it would have disastrous consequences.
All the Black Ink Clan needed to do was divide their forces and cut off the Profound Nether Army’s retreat to inflict heavy damage.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai didn’t understand this point, but how could he kill Territory Lords without taking some risks? He needed to defeat the Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory in the shortest time possible to imbue a sense of terror of him into them.
These weren’t just empty words, this was his real objective.
Yang Kai then turned to Kong Cheng De and stated, “Senior Brother Kong, I’ll leave the rear to you to coordinate the overall situation.”
Kong Cheng De nodded in response, “Rest assured, Sir, this Kong will do his best.”
“Prepare yourselves!” Yang Kai waved everyone away.
The Eighth-Order Masters quickly dispersed.
Ou Yang Lie, on the other hand, followed Yang Kai out of the hall. Yang Kai turned around and asked, “Senior Ou Yang, do you need something?”
Ou Yang Lie glanced around before pulling Yang Kai to a remote corner by his arm.
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. If someone who didn’t know what was going on saw them acting sneaky, who knows what they would think?
“Sir Ou Yang, if you have something to say, just say it.” Yang Kai was planning to return to his temporary palace to warn Yu Ru Meng and the others on some matters, so he didn’t have the time to chat with him.
Ou Yang Lie beamed with a broad smile, “Junior Brother, we’ve known each other for many years, how did your Senior Brother treat you?”
Whenever he needed something, he would address Yang Kai as Junior Brother, if not, he would call him Yang Boy.
Yang Kai thought for a moment before replying, “I saved Senior Brother’s life!”
Ou Yang Lie’s expression froze. Yang Kai had not said a single lie. Back then, Ou Yang Lie was separated from the Human Race Army and got stranded beyond the No-Return Pass with a group of remnant soldiers. It was Yang Kai who had led him and the other Humans to the Barren Territory from the No-Return Pass.
In truth, Yang Kai had saved his life.
Ou Yang Lie agreed, nodding, “That’s right, in other words, we have a life-and-death-friendship.”
[How did he come to that conclusion?]
Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to refute him.
Ou Yang Lie happily smiled, “Since that’s the case, Junior Brother must take good care of your Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but shoot a glance at him, “I didn’t expect Senior Brother to be so afraid of death!”
Ou Yang Lie was stunned for a moment before cursing, “What nonsense! This Old Master has fought on the battlefield for so many centuries, but when have I ever feared death?”
“Then what does Senior Brother mean?”
Ou Yang Lie cursed, “Chen Yuan that bastard, ever since he had returned from the auxiliary front, he’s been bragging that he beheaded an Innate Territory Lord with a single stroke of his sword! Others may not have any idea about that bastard’s strength, but I’m well aware. In a one-on-one fight, this Old Master can beat him with just one hand to the point that not even his Disciples would recognize him. He was only able to kill a Territory Lord thanks to you, Junior Brother.”
At this point, Ou Yang Lie put on a meaningful grin and continued, “Junior Brother, you can’t let your fertile water into another’s land. Speaking of which, we’re also one family, and we both have served in the Great Evolution Army. When you were injured, Gong Lian and I even took care of you. You want to kill Territory Lords, right? Then, this Senior Brother will find a Territory Lord and try my best to keep him occupied. Then, you can sneak over and give him a blow to the head. Do… you understand?”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and quickly nodded, “I understand, I understand.”
Ou Yang Lie was overjoyed, “So, we have a deal?”
Yang Kai earnestly stated, “Senior Brother, I can only promise to do my best. Senior Brother also knows that the situation on the battlefield is constantly changing, and I can’t attack too many times either…”
Without waiting for him to finish, Ou Yang Lie cut him off, “I understand, your Senior Brother understands. Then, I’ll leave everything to you!”
After smacking Yang Kai’s shoulder a few times, he turned around and flew away.
Yang Kai stared at his back, thinking, [What do you understand?]
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