After Bian Si Xuan's failed assassination, Dong Fang tribe became much quieter.
Their scouts no longer dared to move openly. Their messengers avoided exposed areas and took longer routes, while their detachments tried their best to stay near slopes, forests, ravines, or places that could block the view from above.
Fang Ming watched these changes through his eagle group.
Dong Fang Yu Liang had already understood the problem.
As long as Hei tribe had eyes in the sky, many hidden methods would lose their value. Ambushes could be discovered before they formed, messengers could be followed, and even retreat paths could be watched in advance.
For an ordinary commander, this was only troublesome. But for a wisdom path Gu Master, it was even worse.
Wisdom path did not fear strength alone. It feared losing the hidden pieces needed to turn strength against itself.
Three days later, Dong Fang Yu Liang sent a war challenge.
Inside Hei tribe's main tent, Hei Lou Lan held the letter and laughed coldly.
"His rear army is still five thousand li away, yet he dares to challenge me?"
Cunning Gentleman Sun Shi Han stood nearby and smiled. "Alliance leader, Dong Fang Yu Liang knows hidden tricks are difficult now that Fang Ming's eagles are watching the sky. Since ambushes are not easy to arrange, he wants to pull us into a battlefield of his choosing."
Hei Lou Lan snorted. "Then I will not give him what he wants."
He wrote a reply and delayed the battle by four days.
The reason was very simple. Hei tribe's rear army had not fully arrived yet. If Dong Fang Yu Liang wanted to fight early, Hei Lou Lan would make him wait.
Four days passed quickly.
When the day of battle arrived, the sky was clear and blue, spreading endlessly over the grassland.
Two armies faced each other across the wide field.
Hei tribe's main tent stood on the back of a twin-headed rhino, towering over the troops. Hei Lou Lan sat in the main seat, with Fang Yuan, Fang Ming, Hao Ji Liu, Pan Ping, Cunning Gentleman, and the other experts around him.
Opposite them, Dong Fang tribe's main tent floated on a white cloud. Dong Fang Yu Liang sat calmly in the center, surrounded by his officials and experts. Their formation was tight and disciplined, showing that they had come prepared.
Above Hei tribe's army, eagles circled continuously.
Fang Ming stood near the edge of the main platform, one hand behind his back. Bian Si Xuan stood quietly behind him like a black shadow, her red phoenix eyes lowered and her aura restrained.
Many Hei tribe experts still glanced at her from time to time.
Not long ago, she had been Dong Fang tribe's famous assassin.
Now, she was Fang Ming's enslaved guard.
This alone made the surrounding people look at Fang Ming differently. An enslavement path expert was already valuable, and a strength path expert was also useful, but someone who had both and could even enslave a rank five assassin was not someone they could treat casually.
But Fang Ming did not care about their gazes.
His attention was on Dong Fang Yu Liang's formation.
Defensive layers, signal Gu Masters, rear support, messenger routes, beast groups, supply carts, reserve troops, all of these entered his eyes through the eagle group. Eagles passed above in wide arcs, sending him the rough shape of the battlefield.
Hei Lou Lan laughed loudly. "This battle will be the first step toward Imperial Court! Who wants to go forward and challenge them?"
Several Gu Masters immediately stepped forward.
But before Hei Lou Lan chose anyone, a clear female voice came from Dong Fang tribe's side.
"Junior Tang Miao Ming has heard of Wolf King Chang Shan Yin's great name. I came to ask senior for guidance."
A young female Gu Master walked out.
Beside her was a fox group.
Hei tribe's side immediately stirred.
"She is challenging Wolf King?"
"A rank four middle stage enslavement path Gu Master dares to challenge Chang Shan Yin?"
"Dong Fang Yu Liang must have an arrangement."
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed slightly.
Tang Miao Ming.
Fox enslavement path.
This challenge was too direct.
Dong Fang Yu Liang wanted Fang Yuan to enter a controlled contest. Limited beast group against limited beast group, public duel against public duel, pride against pride. Once the format was decided, the flow of the battle would fall into his calculation.
Fang Ming glanced at Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan slowly put down his wine cup.
His expression remained indifferent.
"Little girl," Fang Yuan's voice spread across the battlefield, "your courage deserves praise, but you are not my match."
Tang Miao Ming's eyes tightened, but she had clearly prepared words for this situation.
But before she could speak, Fang Yuan continued, "It is getting late."
Many people frowned.
Getting late?
The sun had not even reached the middle of the sky.
Fang Yuan stood up and waved his hand.
"I still need to eat after this. Whoever wants to challenge me, come all at once."
Then the wolves howled.
Five hundred thousand wolves moved together.
The sound struck the battlefield like thunder.
Tang Miao Ming's face turned pale.
Dong Fang Yu Liang's eyes sharpened.
Hei Lou Lan's hand trembled slightly, causing wine to spill on his robe.
Fang Yuan had not accepted the duel.
He had cut apart the entire format.
There would be no small-scale fox battle.
There would be no polite expert challenge.
There would be no slow exchange used to test strength and arrange hidden methods.
The wolf tide surged forward.
Fang Ming's lips moved faintly.
So this was Fang Yuan's method.
Wisdom path plans relied on people stepping into arranged positions. Fang Yuan did not step in. He crushed the board directly.
Hei Lou Lan's expression changed several times before he finally roared, "All army, charge!"
The command spread like wildfire.
Hei tribe's army moved after the wolves.
Fang Ming raised his hand.
Eagle cries followed the wolf howls.
The three crown eagles rose higher, while the wind chaser eagles spread outward. The lower-rank eagles scattered across the battlefield like dark arrows, each one taking a different direction.
The ground belonged to wolves.
The sky belonged to eagles.
Dong Fang tribe's front line immediately erupted.
Tang Miao Ming tried to maintain her fox formation. Her control was not weak. The foxes circled around her like flowing water, resisting the first waves of wolves and trying to find gaps to move.
But resisting was not the same as escaping.
The wolf tide pressed from the front.
Eagles circled above.
Every route was watched, and every movement was exposed.
Fang Ming did not order a direct attack on Tang Miao Ming. There was no need for that.
He only sent several wind chaser eagles to cut off her outer movement, forcing her to stay inside the pressure of the wolf tide. Her fox formation became tighter and tighter, and the space she could use became smaller with every breath.
Not long after, Pan Ping moved.
He crossed through the battlefield quickly and captured Tang Miao Ming while she was trapped in the chaos.
Fang Ming looked away.
That result was enough.
His role was elsewhere.
Dong Fang army's messengers were already moving.
Fang Ming pointed lightly.
A group of eagles dove down.
They did not attack the main formation. Instead, they struck at the runners moving between units, forcing messages to delay, break, or reroute.
A command runner riding a horse tried to break away toward the rear.
A wind chaser eagle descended like a gray blade.
The horse screamed, and the rider rolled across the ground.
Another messenger tried to hide among the supply carts. Several lower-rank eagles swooped down, scattering the handlers and exposing him.
Fang Ming did not chase every target.
That would waste attention and scatter control.
He only struck enough places to slow Dong Fang Yu Liang's command flow.
That was all he needed.
Below, Fang Yuan's wolf tide slammed into Dong Fang tribe's front line.
The battle became chaotic almost instantly.
Rank three Gu Masters who could dominate ordinary conflicts became small in this kind of battlefield. Rank four experts clashed everywhere. Rank five auras pressed over the field. Beast groups tore into formations, while Gu worms flashed, exploded, bound, pierced, and defended in all directions.
Personal grudges also erupted at this time.
Old hatred, family vengeance, tribal feuds, all kinds of buried grievances found a chance to appear. Under normal circumstances, these people might still restrain themselves, but on a battlefield like this, every grudge had a blade.
Fang Ming watched from above.
Large-scale battle was different from personal combat.
A lone fight was direct. One judged strength, distance, openings, and killing moves.
An army battle was a living beast.
Too many movements appeared at the same time. Too many signals were sent and interrupted. Too many people wanted merit, survival, revenge, or escape. A single wrong command could make a section collapse, while a small delay in the rear could turn into a gap in the front.
Fang Ming had come here to learn this.
His eagles moved again.
Not for glory.
Not for a dramatic kill.
Only for timing.
A group of Dong Fang support Gu Masters moved toward a weakened section of the line.
Fang Ming sent low-rank eagles first.
They swooped down and scattered dust, forcing the support group to activate defensive Gu early.
Then a crown eagle gave a piercing cry from above.
The pressure alone slowed them.
By the time they regained order, the wolf tide had already broken through another section.
This was the value of air control.
A small delay in the rear could become a collapse in the front.
Dong Fang army began to retreat.
At first, the retreat was still orderly.
But the pressure increased quickly.
The wolf tide bit into the withdrawing troops, and Hei tribe's Gu Masters followed after them, their killing intent rising.
Dong Fang Yu Liang immediately mobilized rank four experts to hold the retreat, but Hei tribe's experts also moved to block them. Both sides clashed fiercely, and the retreat began showing signs of turning into a rout.
Fang Yuan stopped his wolf group before the pursuit went too deep.
This action gained praise from nearby commanders.
To them, Wolf King was giving the remaining merit to Hei tribe's human troops instead of taking everything with his wolves.
But Fang Ming understood more clearly.
Fang Yuan was preserving his wolves.
Let the humans step into danger.
Let others gain the merit.
Let the wolf group remain intact for the next phase.
This was not generosity. It was calculation.
Fang Ming gave a quiet command.
His eagles did not dive too deeply either.
They followed the retreat from above, marking routes, harassing exposed groups, and attacking supply carts that fell behind. A few lower-rank eagles struck at fleeing healers and baggage teams, causing panic in the rear line.
But when they approached Dong Fang tribe's first defensive line, Fang Ming pulled the eagle group higher.
Feather arrow elite troops stood on the wall.
Their bows were already prepared.
Fang Ming's eyes sharpened.
Anti-air pressure.
He would not waste his elite eagles here.
Several reckless low-rank eagles descended too far and were shot through by feather arrows. Their bodies fell from the sky, feathers scattering in the wind.
Fang Ming did not react emotionally.
Cannon fodder had its use.
But the crown eagles remained high.
The wind chaser eagles stayed outside the dangerous range.
Dong Fang tribe's first defensive line held firm.
Feather arrow elite troops shot back Hei tribe's pursuing forces several times. Hei Lou Lan sent rank four Gu Masters forward, but Dong Fang Yu Liang had prepared arrangements. Several experts were trapped, and the momentum of the charge slowed.
The atmosphere in the main tent became tense.
Cunning Gentleman suggested stopping for now and making new plans.
Hei Lou Lan's gaze shifted toward Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan smiled proudly. "Alliance leader does not need to worry. I can break this line in a quarter of an hour."
The crowd was startled.
A quarter of an hour?
Even Fang Ming glanced at him.
Fang Yuan raised his hand.
The wolves moved again.
Wave after wave crashed toward the defensive line.
Feather arrows tore through wolf bodies. Gu attacks exploded among the beasts. Earth walls, wooden spikes, water vapor, flames, and stone all smashed into the tide.
Wolf corpses piled up beneath the line.
Even so, Fang Yuan did not stop.
His face remained expressionless as he sacrificed wolves to exhaust the defenders.
This method was brutal.
But it was effective.
Dong Fang tribe's Gu Masters had to spend primeval essence constantly. Their defensive line looked stable on the surface, but the people behind it were tiring with every wave.
Fang Ming watched closely.
He did not interfere with Fang Yuan's ground pressure.
Instead, he used the eagles to make the defense even more uncomfortable.
Several eagle groups crossed high over the line. They did not dive into feather arrow range, but dropped stones, dust, and small attacks on the rear support areas.
Supply carts scattered.
Command runners had to hide under cover.
Reserve troops were forced to look upward instead of only watching the wall.
Healers moved away from open spaces.
The defensive line still had to face the wolves in front, but its rear was no longer stable.
In the distant white cloud tent, Dong Fang Yu Liang's face darkened slightly.
Fang Yuan ground down the wall.
Fang Ming disturbed what stood behind it.
One attacked the shield.
The other attacked the hand holding it.
A quarter of an hour later, the first defensive line broke.
Dong Fang tribe retreated again.
Hei tribe troops roared and chased.
Fang Ming frowned.
Too smooth.
The retreat had panic, but its direction was too clean.
He lifted his hand and slowed part of his eagle group.
Bian Si Xuan, standing behind him, noticed his movement.
"Master?"
"Dong Fang Yu Liang gave up the line too easily after preparing it."
Her eyes moved toward the retreating army. "A trap?"
"Likely."
Fang Ming sent several eagles higher, watching the path from above.
But buried Gu were not easy to see from the sky.
Eagles could see movement, formations, dust, blood, supply routes, and retreat directions.
They could not easily see death hidden under soil.
The first explosion came moments later.
Boom!
The ground erupted beneath Hei tribe's pursuing troops.
Then another.
And another.
Charred thunder potato Gu.
The buried Gu exploded in chain reactions along the broken defensive line.
Hei tribe Gu Masters screamed. Limbs flew, dust rose, and fire swallowed the pursuit.
Fang Ming's eagles remained above, mostly untouched.
Only a few low-flying eagles were caught by the shockwaves.
The human troops suffered far more.
Hei Lou Lan's face darkened.
The pursuit stopped.
Dong Fang tribe's remaining troops escaped toward the next line.
Fang Ming looked at the smoke rising from the ground.
Dong Fang Yu Liang had still managed to bite back.
Even with wolves pressing from the front and eagles watching from above, wisdom path was not helpless.
Some traps did not need to move.
Some schemes waited underfoot.
In the distance, inside the white cloud tent, Dong Fang Yu Liang stared toward Hei tribe's army.
His expression was calm, but his eyes were heavy.
Wolf King broke formations from the ground.
Fang Ming bypassed formations from the sky.
Together, they made ordinary defensive lines far less reliable.
But not useless.
Not yet.
Far away, inside Ni Yu blessed land, Dong Fang Chang Fan quietly watched the battle's result.
Dong Fang Yu Liang had fallen into disadvantage earlier than expected.
The wolf tide was already difficult to handle.
The eagle commander made it worse.
Ground pressure and sky pressure together left fewer places for wisdom path plans to hide.
Dong Fang Chang Fan slowly closed his eyes.
The test was becoming harsher.
Back in Hei tribe's main tent, the injured were carried away and reports came in one after another.
Fang Yuan left early, returning to cultivate.
Fang Ming also withdrew most of his eagles from the front, keeping only long-range scouts above Dong Fang tribe's retreat.
He did not celebrate.
They had won the first line.
But Dong Fang Yu Liang had not collapsed.
And now, the enemy knew more.
The next plan would not rely only on walls.
Fang Ming looked toward the distant defensive lines.
His eyes were calm.
The first exchange had taught him much.
Wolves could break a line.
Eagles could bypass it.
But wisdom path could still bury death where neither fang nor wing could see.
The war had truly begun.