Chapter 299: Full Mobilization

"These scum among humans!" Jiang Yuan cursed the Blood Demon Sect disciples with hatred.

Ye Liuyun did not complain, but gathered everyone together to concentrate their strength, allowing them to rotate rests and replenish stamina.

Ye Liuyun and his group were surrounded in the center by over a hundred thousand Corpse Demon Army, yet they grew bolder in battle, charging through the Corpse Demon ranks as if entering an uninhabited realm.

Wherever they passed, no one could stop them, sweeping aside the Corpse Demon Army. Three days later, the Demon Race army that had besieged them suddenly retreated.

It was then that Ye Liuyun realized that the Divine Sword Palace and the Ancient Demon Sect had each sent a force to his flanks, charging in. The Ancient Demon Sect's Team Leader was Mo Ya, and the Divine Sword Palace's Team Leader was Lin Feier.

"So they're old acquaintances! Join forces and wipe out all these Corpse Demons?" Ye Liuyun proposed to the two.

"Ha ha, fine, a rare opportunity!" Mo Ya immediately agreed.

"Good!" Lin Feier said little, but her attitude was crystal clear.

Ye Liuyun tallied his side's combat power: more than ten ferocious beasts had fallen, but no human was lost. Although the Divine Sword Palace and the Ancient Demon Sect had less Holy Realm combat power than his, they had larger numbers—each team fielded forty to fifty people—making them suitable as his left and right wings.

"Rest for half a day. Then we keep the current formation and charge together," Ye Liuyun suggested.

"Good!"

"Agreed!"

Thus the three teams paused to rest. They kept a certain distance from each other, facilitating dispersed fighting while still being able to reinforce one another promptly.

Ye Liuyun also informed Song Tao, ordering the main army to seize some lost territory and then push forward a further distance alongside them.

Song Tao also knew Ye Liuyun was planning a major operation, so a few days earlier he dispatched half of the ferocious beasts that Ye Liuyun had left behind to reinforce him. The Equal Heaven Dynasty, cooperating with the Heavenly Luck Dynasty, also advanced their front line. If all went well, this battle could reclaim all lost ground and drive the Corpse Demons back into the Barbarian Tribe's domain.

After the news spread, the Holy Martial Academy was the first to dispatch reinforcement units, and several major Sects also sent Elders leading disciples to aid.

Ye Liuyun's three teams still did not realize they had drawn so many forces into the fray.

After half a day's rest, their True Essence was fully replenished, and they surged again toward the opposing Demon Race army.

Ye Liuyun's unit was the strongest, so they charged forward first, with the Ancient Demon Sect and Divine Sword Palace tacitly acting as his two wings and following into battle.

On the Corpse Demon Army side, most Nascent Core Realm elites had gathered against Ye Liuyun's side to resist. Without concerns for his flanks this time, Ye Liuyun fought wildly. Corpse Demons below the fourth level of the Nascent Core were instantly exterminated by him.

Corpse Demons above the fifth level of the Nascent Core were eliminated by Hell Mingshe. Their souls could not be absorbed by Ye Liuyun, so they were given entirely to the Mingshe. Thus Hell Mingshe grew stronger with each battle, killing with glee.

The others, after days of bloody combat, saw great improvement in their practical abilities; fighting at one or two levels higher became routine.

Each day the Corpse Demon Army's numbers dwindled sharply, especially their high-end combatants, who suffered severe losses and kept retreating. Ye Liuyun focused on killing the Blood Demon Sect's Demon Race disciples.

Three days later, Tang Hao and Hao Chengfeng arrived first with a large contingent of ferocious beasts; Ye Liuyun's forces linked their left and right wings into a single attack line, advancing like a hot knife through butter.

One day later, the ferocious beast reinforcements from the Heavenly Luck Dynasty reached the battlefield, joining Ye Liuyun's attack force.

These thousands of ferocious beasts eliminated even more Corpse Demons each day, forcing the Corpse Demon Army into a steady retreat, soon pulling back near the original border line. Of the original hundred thousand Corpse Demons, Ye Liuyun's side had already wiped out nearly half.

However, the remaining Corpse Demons in front of the border began to stubbornly resist; despite heavy daily casualties, they would not retreat further. Soon, another hundred thousand Corpse Demons poured in from within the Barbarian Tribe's territory, encircling Ye Liuyun's forces again.

Ye Liuyun's several teams finally merged. Each team lost nearly a third of its members. The ferocious beasts under Ye Liuyun suffered the greatest losses, with casualties approaching half. Fortunately, his side incurred no human casualties.

"Where did so many Corpse Demons come from!" the crowd exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Probably there are no living people left within the Barbarian Tribe's domain now!" Ye Liuyun said with concern, "Did you notice the shape of those Corpse Demons' skeletons? They are generally tall and robust. Most are likely Barbarian Tribe members."

"Serves them right! The Barbarian Tribe brought this ruin upon themselves!" Hao Chengfeng shouted loudly.

"Discussing this now is pointless; let's decide what to do. If we retreat, the Corpse Demons can't stop us, but driving all these Corpse Demons beyond the border would likely cause heavy casualties. What do you think?"

"Battle! I haven't fought enough!" Mo Ya was the first to speak.

"Battle!" Lin Feier of the Divine Sword Palace also declared firmly.

Ye Liuyun agreed, "Good! I also think this is an opportunity. Once we secure the border and retake the passes, any Corpse Demons trying to break out will have to pay a huge price. Trapping them in Barbarian lands cuts off their reinforcements, making future elimination easier."

"Just tell us how to fight! We'll follow your lead!" Tang Hao said.

Facing so many Corpse Demons, they definitely need a unified command; otherwise, being isolated and eliminated by the Corpse Demons would leave them with no advantage.

For a moment, everyone looked to Ye Liuyun, awaiting his decision.

"Defend!" Ye Liuyun laughed. (unintelligible)

"Huh?"

"Defend? Then how do we fight?"

Everyone didn't understand why they should defend.

Ye Liuyun explained, "The Corpse Demon Army now has reinforcements and will surely retaliate. We'll wait for their high-end combat power to arrive. By concentrating together to defend, we can look after each other, reduce casualties, and give lower-level fighters time to recover. At the same time we can maximally wear down their high-end forces. Once their high-end combat power is largely depleted, we will counterattack."

The others looked at the slightly weary disciples nearby and found the reasoning sound.

"Alright, we'll follow you."

Next, Ye Liuyun gathered all combat power above Holy Realm, dividing them into three squads to rotate defense. Those below Holy Realm rested entirely.

Wu Qingcheng, Yu Er, and Ru Yue were sent by Ye Liuyun to rest, cultivate, and breakthrough within the Xuan Kong Shi.

Thus, Ye Liuyun's side was forced into daily defensive engagements, seeming trapped by the Corpse Demons who constantly assaulted them. Yet after each attack, the Corpse Demons left behind a pile of corpses, providing only Crystal Cores to Ye Liuyun's side and posing no real threat.

To prevent suspicion, Ye Liuyun occasionally led a strike against them, smashing the Nine Dragons Mountain-flipping Seal randomly. This created a back-and-forth of attack and defense, stalemating the Corpse Demon Army for three to four days and wearing them down considerably.

Just as Ye Liuyun's forces were preparing a full counterattack, Ye Liuyun suddenly sensed a familiar Divine Sense drawing near.

A smile tugged at his mouth as he immediately led some Holy Realm ferocious beasts to the rear. Meanwhile, the Corpse Demon Army behind them began to stir. Outside, a squad of people broke in from the outside toward the interior.