War had quite literally turned into hell. Hundreds of humans and demons were dying every other minute. This was an absolute bloodbath. In the air, thousands upon thousands of swords, spears, arrows, and weapons of all kinds were flying all over the place. From the ground, it was almost impossible to distinguish the flying cultivators from their weapons. Flying weapons weren't very effective in actual battles and served more as a distraction than anything else. However, in war, flying weapons were mainly used to control an area and prevent projectiles and other weapons from reaching the ground troops or weaker cultivators anywhere on the battlefield. Without this air superiority, ground forces would be easily pressured into submission.
He Wushuang appeared near a golden bell, a manifestation of the 'Ninefold Resonance Suppression'. Even he could feel his bones vibrate. Although the bell didn't emit any sound, its vibrations were hurting his entire skeleton from within. He Wushuang gripped his golden halberd. Above him, the heavens split open over his weapon. Suddenly, it fell downward and collided with the bell.
'One-Strike Overlord Fang'!
As the halberd fell, the clouds parted as though his weapon had cut apart the skies. Several flying weapons got crushed or exploded. On the ground, the golden bell shattered into millions of pieces that flew all over the place. Just as his halberd reached the ground, He Wushuang was immediately surrounded by ten Spirit Warriors. Before he could regain control of his weapon, they charged him. With no hesitation at all, he let go of his halberd and fought them bare-handed.
A saber almost cut off his left arm, but He Wushuang was fast enough to avoid it at the very last moment. Just as his left arm moved out of the way, he sent his right shoulder directly into the blade. The impact destabilized the Spirit Warrior and allowed He Wushuang to grab his forearm. Before He Wushuang could do anything else, two other weapons converged on him. With all his strength, he kicked the man he had grabbed. Under the impact, several of the Spirit Warrior's ribs broke. Since He Wushuang only let go of his forearm at the last moment, he ripped the Spirit Warrior's tendons apart.
Even He Wushuang was in a tough position. Thankfully, another group of Accomplished Demons joined him fairly fast. With enough support, they pushed back against these ten Spirit Warriors, and their fight brought them higher in the sky.
Demons and humans were fighting all over the place, but Accomplished Demons and Spirit Warriors were actively trying not to go too close to the ground. There were several reasons. First of all, their main advantage was their ability to fly. If they were cornered by a large force on the ground, even they could be killed by weaker cultivators and their battle formations. High in the sky, they could still unleash attacks on the ground, albeit weaker, while being relatively safe. A more tactical reason was that a fight on the ground would also implicate their own side's ground forces. A fight between powerful cultivators could decimate their own men. Chaos on the battlefield wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Although the soldiers were seeing chaos and carnage, the strategists were actually seeing patterns. All this chaos served a strategy. Even if Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan and Silver Wolf General Long Cheng were officially in charge, they were not the main strategists. Lu Xiaoya had a much better view of the entire battlefield. Even now, she was above the demon territory, observing the battlefield from afar. Her orders were being relayed almost everywhere, and she was controlling the flow of battle. She wasn't alone, of course, but she was the main leader of the battle formations.
Every soldier was taking part in a vast battle formation that no one could actually see. Positioning their soldiers at the right spots to improve the strength of their army was an art. The humans had the advantage because they had array formations set up all over the place. They knew those array formations and had very detailed maps of the place. In particular, Sun Liao had left behind Bamboo Maps for other array formation masters and battle formation masters.
Yun Ping was in charge of the battle formations related to the ground defenses. While he had to incorporate his strategies in a grander scheme, he was relatively free. It wasn't that he was General Yun Po's son. Despite some unfortunate cases, the Hongchen Kingdom frowned upon nepotism and thrived on meritocracy. Yun Ping was extremely talented and had mastered the Six Stratagems.
Although Yun Ping was coordinating several groups at the same time, they were all just one battle formation. Their Qi and techniques were all perfectly harmonized, as stated by Breathing as One. Yun Ping had a clear mind to see through the battlefield. Honestly, perception wasn't his strongest suit. However, he received information directly from other Spirit Warriors. As such, he could push Letting the Deceptions of Gold and Mud Flow higher than ever. Moreover, he only needed to focus on the ground and a bit above it, nowhere near the sky. Above the trees, it wasn't his duty or his concern. Instead of scattering his focus, he only worked on the ground, putting his trust in his superiors.
Where Yun Ping excelled wasn't Subduing Rivers and Mountains or even Order in Chaos. His main strengths were Painting with Lies and Truth as well as Mundane General Enters the Hut. In other words, he was absolutely great at coordinating several battle formations over a larger area. Every soldier holding a spear in his battle formation was under the influence of Yun Ping's Spear Spirit. In fact, Yun Ping could literally feel their spears as if he were the one wielding them all. Honestly, this was a very strange sensation. Although he had lost an arm, it was as if he had hundreds of arms. All of them were wielding different spears. Yun Ping could perfectly control them as long as the soldiers followed his commands.
Of course, Yun Ping didn't actually need to give commands. The mere movement of his Spear Spirit was causing his soldiers to instinctively know what they had to do. Fighting against Yun Ping's defenses was like fighting a living storm. Spears and lightning bolts were wielded as one. Finding any weakness was extremely difficult. Few humans died under Yun Ping's command, and he could easily make up for each death. On the other hand, hundreds, thousands of weaker demons were pierced, stabbed, and crushed by the wall of spears before them.
Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan and Silver Wolf General Long Cheng were observing each other, waiting for the opportunity to leap at one another. Unfortunately, even Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan couldn't easily go through this entire battlefield. Besides, he was convinced that their fight would unleash extreme violence and carnage. Even now, he could tell that the humans were holding back a little against his own men. In fact, they were mostly holding back against the slaves. On the other hand, the humans were incredibly vicious against the demons under Empyrean Asura's direct influence. This was very obvious as some humans like Yun Ping focused on defending certain areas and preventing the demons from going farther, while others were trying to kill as many demons as they could in as little time as they could.
Small raids were launched by humans all over the place. When they targeted the Silver Wolf Marshal's forces, the raiders were always leaving several roads open for retreat and were trying to simply push the enemy back without inflicting too many casualties. When the humans attacked other demons, they closed off all retreats and killed with abandon. As such, Silver Wolf Marshal's forces naturally adapted themselves and also didn't fight with absolute atrocity. Although the fights were already intense, they could have been way worse.
Finally, a large group of demons pierced through the defenses. Almost a third of the 'Heavenly and Earthly Judgment Pillars' had been broken or destroyed. Even the 'Palace of Immutable Silence' was dwindling on the horizon. Chan Weifeng led a force forward to protect the sky, just like Yun Ping was defending the ground. The pillars were strengthening all array formations and protecting them, especially those in the air that were weaker and more vulnerable.
Alongside Chan Weifeng were several disciples of the Wubei Sect. They had been sent by Sect Leader Xuan. Thanks to the deep ties of the Wubei Sect with most large families and other sects, they could easily integrate into other armies, even with their own martial arts. In fact, Chan Weifeng had impressive teamwork with Long Jian's forces. While Long Jian was attacking with his men as if they were a pack of dragon wolves, Chan Weifeng focused on the defense.
'Black Tortoise Under the Rain' - 'The Shell Encompasses the World'!
The sky turned darker and darker above Chan Weifeng and his men. Thirteen tortoise shell scutes appeared and formed a large shell over a very large area. Many cultivators were supporting it and were placed at strategic positions to strengthen it. Any demon who went under the shell would suddenly feel immense pressure, both physically and spiritually. But the shell could also let the cultivators under it attack with deadly speed before retreating back to safety. It was almost a small fortress. Cultivators with various shields were positioned at crucial spots and were the cornerstone of the battle formation. They could move with great speed to give support to anyone else.
As the tortoise shell appeared, the battlefield began to be covered by rain. Many Qi Manifestations were also all over the place. Animals, legendary beasts, and literal philosophical concepts were fighting each other. At some point, a mountain exploded as a group of several Spirit Warriors and Accomplished Demons flew too close and destroyed it. The terrain was affected by both the soldiers and the array formations. The border would keep the stigma of this battle for a very long time.
In almost a double hour, a fourth of the humans had been slain, while a third of the demons had been killed. Most of the casualties were among the Empyrean Asura loyalists, and unfortunately, the slaves who were sent to their deaths as cannon fodder.
At last, Silver Wolf General Long Cheng got good news. The communication array formation had been able to contact the Imperial City. The Imperial City still stood strong. Apparently, many things had happened there, but it wasn't important right now. Long Cheng was surprised by what he learned. In fact, he was deeply shocked. He had known the cruelty of the Empyrean Asura and their hatred of humans. However, he discovered that they were probably even worse to other demons as well. Another news item dumbfounded him completely, and he wondered if it was even possible. If it was, then this day would end much faster than he had thought.
Honestly, Long Cheng was almost certain that the humans would lose this battle. In his best estimation, their only victory would be to kill enough demons, especially powerful demons, to help the Hongchen Kingdom in the war to come. However, Long Cheng had almost already accepted that he and most of his men would die today. To be fair, considering how the battle was going, they would probably be able to kill three quarters of the demons before being completely crushed. That being said, what he had just learned changed everything, but he didn't even want to hope. But, there was nothing to hope for, he would soon see whether it was true or not.
Still looking at Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan, with a new look in his eyes, Silver Wolf General Long Cheng rose in the air while flying forward toward the heart of the battle. His opponent reacted in kind and began to fly higher and higher, getting ready to fight Long Cheng at any moment. While both of them were moving, the battlefield naturally changed as if the soldiers all around the area were moving to leave them enough space to fight. Of course, those were the strategists moving their forces in anticipation of the cataclysmic fight between two powerhouses. However, the humans knew more than the demons. The way the human forces moved struck Lu Xiaoya as strange. It was as if they weren't expecting a fight at all between the two leaders. In fact, she realized that the humans were even slightly reducing their ferocity in battle and focusing more on defense.
Lu Xiaoya could tell that she was missing some pieces, but she was actively trying to solve the puzzle. Most of all, she focused on how humans were behaving depending on the types of forces they had in front of them. Clearly, the humans were stopping any offensive movement against the slaves. But, at the same time, they were positioned in a very strange manner relative to the slaves in every battalion. Lu Xiaoya was certain that the answer was right in front of her, but she simply couldn't put her finger on it...
In the air, Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan was solely focused on his enemy. Indeed, he had complete trust in Lu Xiaoya and his Six Fangs Generals. As such, he barely took notice of the battlefield at the moment because he didn't want to leave any opening to his enemy. Silver Wolf General Long Cheng's move surprised almost everyone. Instead of attacking, he talked.
'The Moon in the Eye'!
The shadow of a large silver moon appeared in the sky, and Long Cheng's voice could be heard with crystal clarity by everyone as if he were talking to them directly.
"May the Weaver of Souls bless your muddy Blood!"