Chapter 3366: Beginning of Consumption

Ao Feng saw it quite clearly. He knows the cost of launching another massive Spiritual Soul Attack.

"What if we could take out that leader of theirs named Ye Liuyun in one go?" an Elder asked.

"Qi Sang and Yu Lei both failed! He is certainly the hardest to kill. It's likely there's a protective treasure within the Sea of Consciousness! Moreover, it's said he has also cultivated a Soul Source, so his Divine Soul Power isn't weak to begin with!"

Ao Feng, although thinking Ye Liuyun is harder to kill, still believes he isn't unbeatable. He's just waiting for Ye Liuyun to reach their lair, then strike him down in one blow.

Therefore, even if the other Elders propose it now, he won't send a small number of strong ones to die.

Since Qi Sang and Yu Lei haven't completed the mission, sending more Soul‑strong fighters is pointless; it's better to wait and strike together.

Thus he only orders the gathered army to go all out against the enemy, trying not to split up, so as not to give Ye Liuyun chances for piecemeal defeat. He knows Ye Liuyun has few troops, so they must rely on manpower to offset equipment disadvantages.

After months of preparation, the Demon Race's soldiers numbered ten million again. However, the newly conscripted troops lack training and battlefield honing, so their combat ability is poorer; they're only sent out to boost morale.

Ye Liuyun's army, with Hei Shan leading the Demon Race legion at the vanguard, launched an attack on a planet in the Sacred Demon Star System.

The Demon Race here still follows a tribal system, originally living rather loosely. But after learning of the impending attack, they had already gathered, forming a massive million‑strong Demon Race army.

However, the strength of such a Demon Race army is far inferior to regular armies. Hei Shan didn't even enlist other troops for assistance; he led the Demon Race legion to slay, capture prisoners, and seize resources along the way. With their over three hundred thousand forces, they cleared the entire planet.

The many prisoners they eliminated were handed to the Death Legion for training. Xiao Heng and Jiang Yuanhai's armies merely followed behind to watch the spectacle, having no chance to act.

In such simple battles, the army doesn't employ firepower warcars, to save energy; using only strong crossbows is sufficient.

Thus Hei Shan's Demon Race legion has such abundant resources they can't use them all. Their cultivation realms are rapidly advancing. Hei Shan and other leaders have already broken through to the Unified Ninth Layer. The original veterans

, their realms have also risen to the Unified Eighth Layer.

The newly captured Reinforcement Troops, being of low realm, won't be cultivated; instead, all resources are poured into the original veterans and high‑realm Demon Race soldiers, continuously enhancing the elite troops' strength.

Therefore, their current two hundred thousand elite troop corps mostly possess the strength of the Unified Eighty‑Ninth Layer.

The cannon‑fodder corps constantly practices survival of the fittest; higher‑realm recruits replace lower‑realm ones. The discarded soldiers become their food and cultivation resources.

The Death Legion's soldiers improve far more slowly; Yu Xiaofeng and several other leaders haven't broken through to the later stage of Unification, and among the soldiers, only the faster‑advancing ones have reached the Unified Sixth Layer.

Mainly because they are so numerous, resources spread thinly leave little per person.

Moreover, the Death Legion spends more time cultivating within the Space World and less in combat; Ye Liuyun also wants to retain as many Death Legion soldiers as possible, since their combat quality is higher, so their progress gradually slows even further.

"We still need a lot of grinding; some damage is inevitable! If we keep cultivating, the Death Legion will become the Imperial Guard of the Fire Seal Dynasty!"

Yu Xiaofeng also discussed with Ye Liuyun, hoping to have the Death Legion train more, exchanging the harvested Demon Race resources for cultivation resources.

So Ye Liuyun finally consented to let the Death Legion go out to train, and this time even the female soldiers were released for practice.

He ordered the Demon Race army to hold this planet, sending the Death Legion and female soldiers to sweep the surrounding planets. Xiao Heng and Li Zhaoyuan's armies followed behind the Death Legion, providing rear support.

This time the Death Legion and female soldiers trained without even using strong crossbows, directly clashing with the Demon Race, so casualties were high.

They eradicated the Demon Race on four surrounding planets; upon returning, the Death Legion was down to only one hundred thousand, and the female soldiers to eight thousand five hundred.

Such a level of loss even startled Ye Liuyun. At this rate, after finishing the entire Sacred Demon Star System, these two units would be left with only a handful of people.

"Some attrition is normal. Although casualties have increased, the soldiers' strength has risen quickly, and their combat power has improved as well."

Yu Xiaofeng also feared Ye Liuyun would again…

…be reckless, constantly urging him.

Qin Peng and the Iron Army, among others, also tried to persuade Ye Liuyun: "Without grinding, soldiers can't grow. Only by personally experiencing life‑and‑death battles will they have the drive to improve!"

"Alright then! But the necessary rest must still be taken; we can't fight continuously!"

Ye Liuyun finally had no choice but to agree. He also knows that letting these soldiers train on their own will accelerate their improvement.

Subsequently, the Death Legion and female soldiers began on‑site rest, recovering True Essence. The Black‑Armor Elite Soldiers continued with Xiao Heng and Li Zhaoyuan's armies to expand around, sweeping Demon Race planets.

However, just after they had seized two planets, the Demon Race's ten‑million army surged forward. So they were forced to retreat.

"Ten‑million army! It seems that even if we win this battle, the casualties won't be small!"

Ye Liuyun, Yu Xiaofeng and several other leaders estimated that the Demon Race's forces were ten times theirs; the gap was too large.

Even with superior equipment, they weren't a match; they could only fight while retreating, occasionally using old ambush tactics to wear down the army's patience bit by bit.

Thus in their first battle, they dispatched Xiao Heng and Li Daoyuan's armies, with Ye Liuyun leading the Black‑Armor Elite Soldiers to guard and meet the enemy on the forward planet, but only using firepower warcars and strong crossbows, fighting while retreating, avoiding direct hard clashes with the Demon Race.

However, this time the Demon Race's forces were abundant; they charged in with a hundred‑thousand army, with both flanks surrounded by large troops, not overly dispersed.

Ye Liuyun also felt there was no chance to strike any particular army, so he made a brief interception and kept the army retreating. After roughly using firepower warcars and strong crossbows to wipe out thirty‑to‑forty thousand Demon Race soldiers, they withdrew from that planet.

The Demon Race army didn't halt to regroup; instead, leveraging their numerical advantage, they let the previously spear‑heading corps rest while the other troops continued the pursuit.

Thus the planet where Ye Liuyun's garrison stood soon became untenable, and the entire force retreated into the Xingkong.

The Demon Race army employed the same method: after reorganizing the attacking corps, they followed up, while other corps kept advancing toward Ye Liuyun's forces.

However, in the Xingkong, Ye Liuyun's advantage was clearer. Their warships were fast, granting greater superiority whether retreating or ambushing.