Ice Storm understood Meng Chao's meaning.
Hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of ratfolk would cross the Sunken Sky Grassland at once, sprinting north under the Bloodhoof Warriors' pursuit and interception.
Whoever escaped with their life would become a hardened soldier fit for battle.
A war blade honed upon hundreds of thousands of corpses was destined to burn hotter and cut sharper than one forged by any training method.
"Then what do we do?"
Ice Storm asked in a low voice. "Take the Sunken Sky Grassland, or the War Drum Forest?"
"Of course we follow the main force through the Sunken Sky Grassland."
Seeing Ice Storm's sharply raised brows, Meng Chao smiled faintly and explained, "Yes, breaking out through the War Drum Forest would indeed be safer. But I think what the two of us need most right now isn't safety, but more training and battle—to help us digest and fully integrate the ancient treasures we stole from the temple, as well as our completely upgraded Totem Armor.
"That way, when we reach Crimson Gold City and find the people we're looking for, we can give them a heaven-shaking 'surprise,' can't we?"
Having made their decision, the two swiftly returned to the main force. Like everyone else, they filled their waterskins until they bulged, then plunged headlong into the vast Sunken Sky Grassland beneath the open sky.
Sure enough, just as they had expected, after traveling through the grassland for only half a day, the entire group completely fell apart.
This rabble hastily cobbled together had wildly uneven stamina and health, and they had never undergone any lengthy period of coordination. Their pace was fundamentally inconsistent.
Yesterday, under Old Bear Hide and Yuan Gu Bang's leadership, merely maintaining formation as they advanced had already squeezed them dry.
Today, upon hearing