Watching the elite demon forces depart, cheers erupted from the Left Peak Army. Yet Zhao Mengdi did not lower her guard, issuing an order in a cold voice.
"Left Peak Army, heed my command. Depart at once and return to camp at full speed!"
"Yes!"
The Left Peak Army, still cheering moments before, immediately re-formed their ranks upon hearing the new command and sped toward the camp.
Even those grievously wounded in battle carried out the military order without a word of complaint.
Elder Gong was somewhat puzzled and sent a voice transmission to Xu Chunniang. "After successive battles, everyone is exhausted. Since reinforcements have arrived, shouldn't we rest and recuperate properly where we are? Why do we need to hurry back at full speed?"
Xu Chunniang shook her head slightly and replied through voice transmission, "The reinforcements never arrived. The immortal army and banners we saw just now were most likely something Commander Zhao deliberately let them see."
Elder Gong was startled. After pondering it for a moment, he asked, "You mean the immortal army and banners were an illusion? But illusions alone should not have been enough to fool those Heavenly Demons, should they?"
"Not all of it was an illusion. At the very least, that banner was real."
After some thought, Xu Chunniang shared her guess with Elder Gong. "Commander Zhao is highly accomplished in formations. You could tell that just from the battle formation the Left Peak Army used against the enemy.
She had most likely prepared this on the way here, incorporating the banner into the formation and revealing it only at the crucial moment to frighten off that demon army."
Elder Gong suddenly understood, and his admiration for Zhao Mengdi deepened. No wonder the soldiers of the Left Peak Army worshipped her so much.