Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1411 Night Attack
Lu Ning's brief rest period quickly came to an end. Wounded soldiers were unable to go to the battlefield, but Lu Ning was clearly an exception; her strength surpassed that of many generals.

After receiving instruction from Qin Luo, Lu Ning had new ideas about the direction of her formation changes, and these ideas needed to be tested on the battlefield to see if they could be implemented.

She regrouped her subordinates and took a headcount.

First, the position of flag officer still needs to be filled. In addition to Bai Tieyi, Liu Bozi was also killed in the pursuit during the escape in the jungle that day. She selected two people with war experience from the newly recruited personnel and gave them the position of flag officer.

The remaining soldiers were divided by Lu Ning. Those who had once belonged to the Tianxing were one group, while those recruited from Gouchen were another. The Tianxing had the guarantee of influence from the "Heavenly Court," so their loyalty was not a concern, but their coordination among themselves needed to be considered; while the ordinary soldiers were already seasoned veterans, and Lu Ning needed these veterans to lead the troops, but their strength was slightly weaker.

Unlike ordinary military formations, the ultimate formation can be trained using more sophisticated tactics because it involves fewer people. This is precisely what Lu Ning was considering.

"After several days of exploration, we have located the demon army's main camp."

After entering a stalemate, the human race gradually regained its rhythm in the war. The method of bombarding the city walls with stone cannons might have been somewhat impressive in the first two days, but once Qin Luo and his group were the first to scout out the detailed locations of the demon army's deployment, it was time for the Flame Array to precisely target these cumbersome weapons. The demons solved some of the mobility issues with their physical abilities, but ultimately, they couldn't move them that quickly.

The plan to deal with the sky in the Wind Howling Formation has been completed in the past few days. Now the sky inside the maze is full of turbulence. Since Gou Chen has no combat units that can go into the sky, let's just make the sky a state that no one can reach. In this way, it will be basically impossible to drop demonic energy bombs by surprise attack as in the first two days.

Finally, the Soul-Slaying Array was fully deployed to cleanse the extra souls attached to everyone, as well as to counteract the effects of the "Myriad Laws" sacrifice.

Within a few days, the biggest achievement of Gouchen's side was to use all these methods together and then launch a surprise attack on an army that was preparing to ambush Gouchen again, killing more than 3,000 enemies and even killing a demon king, which undoubtedly greatly boosted morale.

But as the saying goes, only those within the family know their own situation. The apparent victory only brings the advantage back to Great Wei's side, but this advantage is unlikely to translate into a decisive victory. The demon army hasn't besieged the city, probably because they're not in a hurry. Huang Kui hasn't shown up yet, and currently only three named demon kings are leading three separate attacks, clearly indicating that there are other issues at play.

The information that the Law of Man has been completed from Guanyuan is the most crucial element in securing victory. Precisely because of its importance, the person responsible for sending the Law of Man to Gouchen is Chen Hengye, the master of the Earthly Fiery Array and one of Grand Tutor Qin's right-hand men.

Compared to this person, Lingjiang Messenger Li Duanyu was an unknown figure. Even Generals Qin Luo and others were somewhat worried about whether this messenger had the ability to deliver the goods.

After reviewing the information she had missed over the past few days, Lu Ning issued commands to her newly formed ice array.

A night raid was launched on the central command tent.

For any human army, launching a night raid on the demon race is a notoriously foolish idea. As mentioned before, most demons are unaffected by day or night light conditions and don't have the same strict sleep schedules as humans. Therefore, attacking them day or night would have little effect, and at night it would actually hinder the human army's own combat capabilities.

Only Lu Ning's ice array has a unique effect here.

When she was sweeping through the abandoned village, Lu Ning realized that the icy mist of the Frost Array was something even a demon king couldn't easily see through. Her battle with Ju Que further confirmed this; if the icy mist had no effect on demons' perception, then Ju Que wouldn't have needed to use his innate true energy to create an opening in the mist before pursuing her.

Summer had already arrived, and although the weather wasn't particularly hot in early summer, the nights were always cooler than the days, making it easier to manipulate the cold fog. Within the fog, however, the members of the Ice Array could clearly perceive the various changes within it, completely reversing the advantage in visibility between the two sides.

This also corresponds to Lu Ning's reflections on her own ice array.

She couldn't employ the method of deploying large numbers of troops and advancing through positions, as was the case with the first generation of leaders. Forcing Lu Ning to abandon her personal strength would be worse than simply killing her. Furthermore, Ye Cong's use of the Frost Formation required a significant amount of time to hone and master, and this defensive fortress tactic was not Lu Ning's forte.

Therefore, the defining characteristic of her Frost Array was speed. The army would rely on the Frost Array to achieve rapid movement on the battlefield, launch instant attacks, and retreat safely after a single strike, while also being able to shake off pursuers of the Demon King level. If necessary, Lu Ning even hoped that this team could break into smaller units on the spot, instantly tear apart the enemy, and then regroup, with each individual possessing unique mobile tactics.

The latter might require these people to reach a certain level of strength to achieve, but the former is not difficult for Lu Ning to accomplish. This is her personal style, so let's continue it in the entire formation.

"Gentlemen, I don't expect each of you to be familiar with my combat methods immediately, but you must completely obey my orders, even if my orders are to kill you." Lu Ning looked at her summoned subordinates and said seriously, "There is no objection. When you became part of the Frost Array, your lives were already in my hands. What we are going to do requires risking our lives. Betrayal is a threat to everyone's life. I will personally supervise the battle."

No one spoke. Lu Ning looked at them with satisfaction and continued, "Just as I said, we have found the demons' central command tent. We will attack it at night, because it may not be heavily guarded at night."

Because there is no difference between day and night, the attacks of demons do not need to follow any time pattern. There have been many nighttime attacks in the past few days, but they have all been firmly blocked outside the mountains by the great formation.

On the contrary, during these past few days of attacks, the "routine" of the demons has been roughly summarized. Although demons have extraordinary physiques, they are still living beings and cannot be tireless. The time Lu Ning chose was also the time when it was predicted that the demons would launch another attack on Gouchen.

“This is an opportunity.” Lu Ning opened a map and pinned it to a prepared wooden board with a dagger.

The situation of all the demon armies stationed in the surrounding area, which had been collected over the past few days, was drawn on this map, with everything that could be investigated being recorded.

“We don’t need to inflict heavy damage on the demon army. We just need to warn them that surprise attacks are not something only they can do. With the power of the Frost Array, I can do it. And other ultimate arrays are also possible.”

"Just... a warning?"

Lu Ning looked at the questioner, Fang Huaisu.

"Put away your hatred, or vent it during our attack. Obey orders, Fang Huaisu. I don't want anyone to disobey."

Fang Huaisu lowered her head and stopped speaking. Lu Ning simply paid a little more attention before continuing.

“The Frost Array is not yet fully integrated, and integrating a ritual like the Ten Deadly Array cannot be achieved through small-scale battles. You may die or lose limbs; this is unavoidable in war.” She pointed to her eyes. “But what I want you to learn is how to live.” She activated the remnants of the Celestial Star in her mind, which resonated with the flags of the Frost Array. The remnants of one ritual began to subtly connect with the other. The Celestial Stars sensed Lu Ning’s actions and, one by one, responded with slight surprise to the call etched deep in their minds and souls.

"Everyone, now experience the new tactics. The objectives of the Frost Array, in my case, are speed, penetration, concealment, and poison."

=
Ju Que sat cross-legged in the camp, his innate true energy circulating and harmonizing within his body, transforming in turn. After twelve cycles, he made a slight improvement.

But it was only a wisp. After witnessing Lu Ning's blooming cursed ice, Ju Que deeply realized how many people in the world surpassed him in certain aspects. To obtain such powerful innate purple qi, because nothing else mattered, proved she was worthy.

"The teachings of our teachers should indeed not be forgotten." Ju Que opened his eyes, finished his meditation, stood up, and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Hey, Juque, my injury is almost healed." Qi Mei sat at the lower seat, a pot of stewed meat in front of her, and was enjoying her meal.

The ability to recover by eating was retained, but the other unfortunate soul, Hanzhang, was not. The burning and explosive damage from the Flame Array stripped him of most of his life force, and he is now placed at the door like a statue, waiting to slowly recover.

Hanzhang's strength is just in that middle-of-the-road position. He is completely useless in combat and can only bully some demons who have not yet reached the level of a demon king. However, his tracking ability is top-notch, and he is indispensable in many situations.

It would be best to change that habit of charging at the enemy as soon as you see them.

Zhanlu and Yuchang were unharmed and have already joined tonight's nighttime operation. It won't be long before the complete layout of Gouchen's maze is drawn. Once the maze surrounding the mountains is broken, the demon army can advance unimpeded—

The temperature dropped a little more at night.

Ju Que sensed something amiss, but Qi Mei didn't; he was still stuffing chunks of meat into his mouth, his eating manners unbearable to watch. A thin mist drifted in from outside the tent, only to be quickly dissipated by the heat.

His perception had narrowed. As a demon king, even during meditation and training, Juque wouldn't relax his senses. He was responsible for the safety of his camp, and now it seemed someone dared to attack a demon camp?

Ju Que immediately stepped out of the tent and saw the cold mist slowly rising and spreading in the central army camp.

"Everyone—"

The moment the words left his mouth, Juque realized that his voice had failed to travel. The fog was gradually thickening, obstructing all means of communication. Neither the sensory abilities commonly used between demons, nor simple roars or lights could penetrate the cold fog. The gradually decreasing temperature was also causing some demons to become stiff and sluggish.

Ritual.

Ju Que was very familiar with this kind of attack. Not long ago, he had broken through such a dense fog. Although the fog at that time had the same effect, it was very thin. The cold fog created by one person could not ultimately compete with his strength.

But now, the fog has flooded the entire central army camp, its extent and rate of formation far exceeding anything seen before. Even if the Giant Sword could pierce through a patch of fog, it wouldn't be able to maintain a passage for long. Besides, how many patches could it even pierce?

This is the true suppressive power of the ultimate formation. It seems that the young commander has finally gained a true understanding of the ultimate formation and is beginning to cause trouble.

Ju Que sighed deeply, perhaps he had already missed the best opportunity to kill Lu Ning.

"Qimei, come out."

Only the demon king at the closest distance could hear his voice, and Qi Mei quickly grabbed his spear and rushed out of the tent. This demon king didn't care at all about being shrouded in thick fog; he didn't even care how many demons had died in the fog. When the radiance of "Myriad Laws" shone upon him, his strength would also increase accordingly.

However, Qi Mei's nonchalant expression faded after a moment.

"What did they do?"

The attack had begun, yet an eerie stillness prevailed within the icy fog. Both Juque and Qimei were aware that the fog blocked perception, and were prepared for the deaths of some demons, but why was "Wanfa" completely unresponsive to this surprise attack?

“Di Xin has led his troops out, and the camp is now undefended,” Ju Que said. “We only need to protect the craftsmen, avoid prolonged battles, and especially avoid engaging the enemy.”

Even so, Ju Que felt a deep sense of regret. He knew that he would probably never have the chance to see the Cursed Poison Ice Flower, which had once bloomed so beautifully before his eyes, again. His opponent would no longer fight in a one-on-one manner, much less use such obvious methods.

While the two demon kings were guarding the artisan camp, the demons' central command tent had already been subjected to a full-scale attack at the behest of Lu Ning. Their movements were as fast as ghosts, and what enabled them to carry out their hit-and-run tactics was the icy short swords they had conjured.

Dark purple runes floated on the short sword, entirely condensed and imbued with Lu Ning's personal abilities. The runes contained a specialized curse poison that Lu Ning had devised—a flawed weapon created by imitating the flawed and abandoned patterns she had previously seen.

Amidst the icy mist, Lu Ning appeared before the half-clay-like body, holding a longsword of ice wrapped in runes.

“This time, I will never see you again… This is a weapon prepared specifically for you.”

She plunged her sword into the clay, runes flashing past as her soul, freed from her body, rushed into the blade, then slowly melted and crumbled away with the ice itself.

"—Reincarnation is severed."