Li Yan, however, looked at the ten people with a calm expression.
"Fellow Daoists, please continue your investigation. Are we really going to ignore our companions below?"
With that, he no longer looked at the ten people but swept his gaze over the rest.
"I know that without the protection of the grand formation, if an attack like the one just now comes again, all of us here will surely die. But the round of attacks just now was like a storm, giving us no time to breathe, and then it stopped without any further movement until now. This should indicate that there is a limit to the use of such a high-powered magical treasure by the enemy. Otherwise, why haven't we heard of such an attack appearing in the month-long battle before? Just now, they didn't need to give us any time to catch our breath. Since the attack hasn't reappeared, it's enough to show that this kind of high-powered magical treasure is not something the Demon Clan can use at will. Now is the time to find the surviving fellow daoists as soon as possible. Also, we must either find a way to defend or retreat immediately!"
In his speech, Li Yan repeatedly emphasized the issue of the attack's limitations, wanting to prevent these cultivators from falling into chaos first.
This was all he could guess; in truth, he himself was not certain.
"Junior Brother Li is right. If the enemy had an attack like the one just now, I don't think they would show us any mercy. Everyone, let's get back to our own business." Gong Yuantai hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand. As the vice-captain, he naturally had to make a statement at this moment.
Wuye looked at the ten people who were still hesitant. "Fellow Daoists, act according to the order. Or do you want to return to Windy Cool Mountain first?"
After hearing this, the expressions of the ten people changed. They exchanged another glance, then closed their eyes again and released their Divine Senses .
Without an order to retreat, how could they dare to return to Windy Cool Mountain without authorization, especially now that "Mutual Destruction Ridge" was a mess? Although they felt that Li Yan should bear the main responsibility, that was a matter for the higher-ups to investigate.
Li Yan looked at the sky filled with stone rain around him, his Spirit Power shield being hit with a "crackle."
"Fellow Daoists, let's talk about the important matters first. There are still eighteen heavily injured people who should be sent back immediately. But now, there are only about one hundred and twenty people with combat capability here. Moreover, the defensive points on the two rear flanks are currently engaged in battle, making it very difficult to break through. Senior Sister Tantai, arrange for five fellow daoists who are proficient in formations to find a relatively hidden place nearby and set up a small-scale protective formation to temporarily place these eighteen heavily injured fellow daoists inside. The rest will follow their previously assigned squads and directions, spreading out ten li from here as the center to stand guard. Senior Brother Gong, Senior Sister Tantai, Fellow Daoist Wang Ning, and Fellow Daoist Wuye, you few stay behind. We need to hurry up and discuss the follow-up matters!"
After hearing Li Yan's instructions, although most of the surrounding cultivators were still in the aftershock of what had just happened, they were already mentally prepared for battle with the Demon Clan.
Although most of them had the intention to retreat at this time, no one was willing to be the first to propose it, under the emotionless gazes of Gong Yuantai and the others.
After looking at their companions beside them, they silently reformed into squads and flew in their previously assigned defensive directions. Even the few Pseudo-Core cultivators sighed helplessly in their hearts.
Who among those conscripted here didn't have their tails left in the hands of the Four Great Sects ? Moreover, the opinions of the few with the highest cultivation here were surprisingly unified.
At this time, the stone rain in the sky had weakened a lot. Instead, it was in the ten-li and hundred-li radius around "Mutual Destruction Ridge" where the stone rain was densest, due to the diffusion of the central force.
"The enemy had this premeditated. They attacked as soon as we took over, before we could even familiarize ourselves with the grand formation. According to the description of the Heavy Peak Battalion's Second Squad, we should have been on alert beforehand. Since the start of the war, there was strangely no battle here this morning, which happened to leave us time to come and relieve them. This is all too coincidental. The news of our replacement must have been leaked long ago."
"I think so too. The timing of the Demon Clan's attack was too perfect. It was as if we were coordinating with them."
Gong Yuantai also nodded. He had participated in the defense of "Bone-Grinding Mountain" and had some understanding of the Demon Clan's attack style.
The other three also did not deny it, tacitly agreeing with this view.
Having said this, Li Yan did not continue the topic. He was just pointing out the reason for his speculation. As for how the news was leaked, that was not something to consider now.
Whether there was a traitor in Windy Cool Mountain , the Heavy Peak Battalion's Second Squad, or the Green Sixteen Squad , they had no way of investigating now.
"Do we defend now, or do we retreat?"
Li Yan looked at the few of them.
"Without the grand formation, how are we supposed to defend?"
Wuye's voice was still somewhat cold.
"If we hand over 'Mutual Destruction Ridge' without a fight, I'm sure everyone is very clear about the punishment we will face."
Gong Yuantai looked at Wuye . His tone was not reproachful, but equally calm.
In fact, due to the urgency of the situation, Wuye's words were very direct, without much thought mixed in, just like his personality.
But the question he asked was one that Li Yan and the others all had in their hearts.
The two female cultivators, Tantai Dongyue and Wang Ning , looked at each other and did not immediately speak, because they felt that both Wuye and Gong Yuantai were right.
And just at this moment, the expressions of the five of them all changed. Li Yan took a deep breath. "It seems we don't need to discuss it anymore. They're here!"
Less than thirty breaths had passed since they had emerged from the rubble mountain, and the retreating Demon Clan army was already rushing over again. With such momentum, without Li Yan needing to say what to do next, everyone knew they couldn't leave.
The distance was too close. The moment they retreated, they would become a routed army, pursued from behind, and the death rate would only be higher.
"Let's fight!"
As Wuye spoke, he had already taken the lead and flown into the sky.
Li Yan shouted in a deep voice, "Everyone gather! Those who are good at coordinating with each other, form your own groups. The rest, choose your opponents. For those who dare to flee, your fate will be to be hunted by both the Demon Clan and the Four Great Sects ! For those who surrender, disaster will befall your sects and families! A great change has occurred here. Reinforcements from Windy Cool Mountain will arrive soon. We just need to hold out until then!"
After Li Yan finished speaking in one breath, his figure also rose into the sky. There was no longer any defensible terrain here. Even if there were some formation masters among them, the formations an individual could set up could at most trap a few opponents.
But they couldn't face an attack from such a large number of cultivators; that was something only a large-scale formation could do. Moreover, the enemy was giving them no time to prepare now.
Everything was calculated by the enemy. All five of them thought of their earlier speculation.
Besides threatening the fate of those who dared to flee in the face of battle, what Li Yan said afterward was also correct.
"Mutual Destruction Ridge" was such an important defensive position. With such a huge commotion, Windy Cool Mountain must have been alerted by now and would not sit by and do nothing.
A distance of several hundred li was nothing for Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators. But since they hadn't appeared yet, it was likely the Demon Clan side also had countermeasures and might have blocked the arrival of reinforcements .
For a short period of time, at least, they would have to rely on themselves to fight the Demonic Cultivators .
Li Yan's thinking was correct. The mid-to-high-level cultivators on both sides had their own specific battlefields. Otherwise, if they just sent one or two Golden Core cultivators to garrison here, the two hundred-strong Demonic Cultivator army that came would be turned to ash with a wave of their hands.
Following Li Yan's shout, the cultivators from the east, west, and north directions all converged towards the south.
At this time, in their Divine Senses , the Demonic Cultivators who had retreated south were now rushing over at an extremely fast speed, about to reach "Mutual Destruction Ridge."
Li Yan had no intention of defending their position. He had said his piece, and his figure shot forward, turning into a streak of black light. Subsequently, Wuye , Tantai Dongyue , and Wang Ning also shouted to the cultivators behind them, "Kill!"
Gong Yuantai looked at the streak of black light speeding away at the forefront.
"Quite fierce!" After saying that, he took a deep breath and also rushed out.
As the few of them took the lead, many cultivators also rose into the air and followed.
Although Li Yan's threatening words were still ringing in their ears, there were still more than twenty cultivators who hesitated, their flying speed extremely slow. They soon fell to the rear of the team, most of them looking left and right with hesitation on their faces.
Li Yan had actually anticipated this phenomenon. But he had said what he needed to say. Anyway, when the fight started, the enemy would have superior numbers. Even if someone wanted to run, they would probably have several pursuers on their tail.
"If you don't want to be killed by the reinforcements coming from behind, you'd better work together to kill the Demon Clan army!"
As these people dawdled, Bu Luo whizzed past them, a sneer on his face.
As his voice fell, a trace of fear appeared on the faces of the cultivators who were slowly falling behind. They didn't dare to go to the east or west flanks, which were in the midst of a great battle, so they could only retreat straight back.
But what Bu Luo said was true. If a group of them flew towards Windy Cool Mountain , they would run straight into the arms of their own reinforcements . They were not retreating under orders, so the result was self-evident.
Looking at the team flying further and further away, the twenty-odd cultivators looked at each other, still filled with fear. The binding force of an alliance between cultivators from different sects was almost non-existent at critical moments.
Finally, among these twenty-odd people, a sixty-year-old cultivator with an aged appearance sighed.
"Forget it, forget it. Since we're already here, there's no need to implicate the sect in the end. I shouldn't have taken this path in the first place. I have no hope of condensing a Golden Core in this life. I'll just use my life to repay my master's kindness back then. I hope his spirit in heaven can be comforted."
With that, the old man's figure suddenly accelerated and shot forward.
With the first person taking the lead, those who were already wavering thought for a moment, then gritted their teeth and also shot forward...
Li Yan really had no time to deal with these matters at the moment. He was furious in his heart, never imagining that the so-called "relieving Mutual Destruction Ridge" would be foiled by the enemy in less than half a day.
'I must be the first person to lead a team to relieve a defensive point and have it conquered so quickly.'
Although he had always believed in the principle of self-preservation, since he had promised Wei Zhongran , he naturally had to do his best.
At this moment, Li Yan's Divine Sense was constantly scanning the cultivators rushing over from the front. No matter how hot-blooded he was, he had to be able to protect himself first. He was not one to trade his life for another's.
Only after confirming that there were currently no Golden Core or higher cultivators in the enemy team did he breathe a sigh of relief. Even if the enemy outnumbered them, it would not be easy for them to surround him.
'It's just like fighting among mortals. Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals! Their vanguard doesn't have any mid-to-high-level cultivators either. Otherwise, if a battle broke out between the two sides, small fries like us would have to flee as far as possible. Just the aftershocks would be enough to kill a large number of us.'