Chapter 1624: Stronger Schemes

Divine Sense usually scans from the sky downward. To minimize the chance of detection, Li Yan stayed close to the ground.

From Mu Guyue’s scouting and her conversations with the neighboring towers, they had gained a better understanding of the area. Here, Body Integration cultivators rarely appeared; it was said they only clashed once every few hundred or even thousand years. When they did, they fought in the Ninth Heaven to avoid collateral damage, though their battles still shattered the sky and created spatial cracks.

Void Refining cultivators were the strongest entities seen on a regular basis, usually serving as commanders or generals. However, they were always closely monitored by their enemy counterparts and rarely stayed exposed for long.

The Spirit Transformation stage, where Li Yan and Mu Guyue currently sat, was a middle-of-the-road rank here—roughly equivalent to the status of Wei Zhongran or Elder Chigong during the war in the Desolate Moon Continent. They served as squad or unit leaders on the front lines.

The true workhorses of this massive war were the Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators. For a sect like the Moji Dao Sect, their numbers were vast. When enough of them grouped together, they could kill a Spirit Transformation cultivator, and even a Void Refining expert had to be cautious.

At an outpost like the Beacon Tower, it was highly unusual for a Void Refining expert to appear. It would be like using a spear to swat a mosquito—too much effort for too little reward. Since these outposts were the first line of defense, if one side committed high-level experts, the other would do the same, turning the area into a meat grinder.

Currently, the main conflict was in the north. Neither side had enough manpower to sustain a massive war on all fronts. Thus, the Beacon Towers were a recognized “soft” zone.

Mu Guyue and Li Yan suspected that the nodule-headed man’s appearance earlier was a ruse—that there were other Mocha Palace experts waiting in ambush. Mu Guyue, Li Yan, and the four Nascent Soul cultivators concluded that an attack would likely happen within the next few days, possibly even that very night.

Mu Guyue, however, had no intention of just sitting there. She didn’t believe a Beacon Tower had to be a purely defensive, passive position. That wasn’t her style. She decided to launch a preemptive strike, calculating that the enemy army wouldn’t expect such a bold move.

This decision terrified the four Nascent Soul cultivators. They wondered if their vice-captain was insane. But once she explained her plan, they understood—even if they still thought it was incredibly risky, like walking along the edge of a cliff. But Mu Guyue wasn’t asking for their permission; she expected their obedience. Her cold, predatory gaze made it clear that she would kill anyone who disobeyed.

Once the decision was made, the problem was execution. The four Nascent Soul cultivators were dismissed, leaving Li Yan and Mu Guyue to finalize the details. They decided that Li Yan would go out alone while the rest remained behind to defend.

Li Yan was confident in his ability to infiltrate and ambush. However, they were facing ghost cultivators from the Mocha Palace, who were equally experienced. As Li Yan’s cultivation grew, his methods became more direct and efficient, but he was also facing increasingly powerful foes.

Mu Guyue agreed to his plan without much hesitation. She knew Li Yan was stronger than her, but more importantly, she knew he was a master of stealth and assassination. Her own concealment techniques were nowhere near his level.

She did, however, suggest he take the four Nascent Soul cultivators. Li Yan flatly refused, stating he would be safer alone and didn’t want to worry about protecting others. Mu Guyue didn’t argue. They went over the plan several more times. Mu Guyue was bold, but she was never reckless.

Once she was satisfied, she let him go. She didn’t offer any parting words of caution; in the army of the Black Demon Clan, such dangers were a way of life. Every soldier had to be prepared to fall at any moment. She loved Li Yan’s confidence—his calm, unshakeable demeanor even when the world seemed to be collapsing.

With Li Yan gone, the entire weight of the outpost’s defense fell on her. Since their numbers were so small, she couldn’t afford any mistakes. But she was a master of defensive warfare, and with the support of the grand array, she was confident she could hold out. Even if a Void Refining expert attacked, she could likely hold the line until reinforcements arrived from the rear.

However, since Li Yan was gone, she had to manage everything herself.

In the deep night of the Gobi desert, the wind blew through the thick darkness. Li Yan was accustomed to this kind of infiltration. Every time he did it, he felt as though he were walking on the edge of a blade—a sensation that, rather than scaring him, made him feel a thrill of excitement.

He encountered no surprises along the way; his journey was exceptionally smooth.

He reached a grove of Populus euphratica trees, about seven thousand li from the Southern Fangs Beacon Tower. At full speed, he could return to the tower in an instant. Mu Guyue and the others had scouted this area a few days ago. It was about sixteen thousand li from a Mocha Palace outpost. Any attack on the Southern Fangs would have to pass through here unless the enemy took a long detour.

In Mu Guyue’s plan, they weren’t going to attack the main enemy army. Instead, they would position themselves along the likely path of attack and launch an ambush. If the timing was right, they could assassinate the enemy’s Spirit Transformation leaders, causing significant damage.

Of course, a plan was just a plan. If the enemy took a different route, Mu Guyue’s garrison would still be attacked. In that case, Li Yan would have to rush back and launch a pincer attack from the rear. Seven thousand li was a short distance for him at full speed.

Under the night sky, the grove was dense. The trees had deep black, needle-like leaves. The grove stretched north and south, forming a vast sea of forest that looked like a massive shadow on the ground.

Inside the grove, a faint, nearly invisible figure stood under a tree—Li Yan, now dressed in black robes.

“This is the center of the grove. I can cover both the north and south sides. I’m right on the direct path between the Mocha Palace camp and the Fangs Beacon Tower. Even if they detour, I should be able to sense them and strike from the side.”

Li Yan looked at the sky and felt the piercing wind. He estimated there were about two hours left until dawn. He was standing right in front of a tree, but his figure was completely hidden. The grove moaned and whistled in the wind, the branches waving like the limbs of ghosts in the dark.

In a large enemy camp far away, the night was still dark. Inside a command tent made of tough demonic beast hides, a pale, cool light emanated from a massive, head-sized pearl hanging from the ceiling.

Eight or nine people were gathered inside. At the head of the group sat a tall, thin man in blue robes. His face was unnervingly pale, and he wore a scholar’s cap. He looked like a sickly wretch on the verge of death. His hands rested on the armrests of his chair, the bulging blue veins resembling small, writhing serpents. His long fingernails glinted with an eerie light.

He sat back in the chair with his eyes closed, listening as several Spirit Transformation squad leaders reported on the scouting mission from earlier that day. Among them was the nodule-headed man, who stood respectfully, his earlier arrogance completely gone.

After a few minutes, the reports were finished. The sickly man tapped his long fingernails against the armrest—deng, deng, deng. No one else spoke.

After dozens of seconds, the tapping stopped. The man opened his eyes, and a cold, predatory light swept over the room.

“So, they rotated the garrison, and they didn’t even flinch when you provoked them? Despite your small numbers, they didn’t pursue. These newcomers are experienced. Either they are veterans from another front, or their leader is a seasoned scout.”

The sickly man paused. “If they are truly veterans, they might…”

He spoke for a few more minutes, then waved his hand. “Depart in fifteen minutes!”

The squad leaders bowed in unison. “As you command, Lord!” They turned and left, their movements efficient and swift.

Once they were gone, the sickly man leaned back in his chair. He was a vice-commander of a scout battalion, overseeing five hundred men. In this army, there were four such battalions.

“Since there are newcomers, let’s see if we can find an opening to disrupt the Moji Dao Sect’s plans…” He chuckled, a dry, raspy sound.

In the pale, dim light of the world, a bank of grey clouds was blown across the sky above the Populus euphratica grove. But as the clouds passed over a certain spot, a ray of light, darker than the night itself, shot upward from below.

Bang, bang, bang!

The dark ray was incredibly fast. When it struck the grey clouds, it didn’t pass through. Instead, it produced a series of muffled impacts, as if it were piercing through several layers of solid matter. Then, several muffled groans echoed from the clouds.

A black shadow shot out from the forest below. Li Yan, clad in black, rose into the air like a bolt of lightning. He released a one-chi long flying sword that trailed a golden light, striking at the spot where he sensed the strongest aura. Simultaneously, he flicked his other sleeve, releasing a crackling talisman that transformed into a serpent-like bolt of lightning.

Crackle!

The lightning arced into the clouds, causing them to churn violently. Wails of agony rang out. Ghost cultivators of the Mocha Palace were most vulnerable to yang-attribute attacks like lightning.

With his first strike, Li Yan had identified the location of the strongest cultivator. He didn’t give them a chance to breathe, launching a series of relentless attacks.

“Hmph!”

Just as Li Yan’s dual attack struck, the grey clouds churned and dispersed. Over twenty figures appeared, each radiating a bone-chilling aura.

The leader was the sickly, blue-robed man. He was the one who had snorted. He now held the crackling lightning from the talisman in one hand, while his other sleeve had already swept away the residual impact of the attack.

Li Yan’s flying sword was held at bay by a barrier of light around the man. Despite its golden brilliance and its frantic attempts to pierce through, it couldn’t advance an inch. The brilliant golden light dyed the surrounding clouds in a shimmering hue.

The moment the fight began, neither side concealed their cultivation. Li Yan’s heart sank as he sensed the overwhelming aura erupting from the blue-robed man.