Ling Tian's reunion with Si Kong Xuan and the others was nothing like the bloody clash everyone had imagined. They greeted one another as if they were old friends who hadn't met in years. But anyone familiar with them could hear the meaning behind their words—they were testing each other.
After a few exchanges, they realized they were all clever people and that prying information out of one another was unlikely. So they gave up on the pointless effort. A hint of disappointment crept into Tan Tai Chang Feng's voice. "Brother Ling, if this weren't a battle between our realms, perhaps we could have become good friends."
"I hope we get the chance to be friends someday," Ling Tian replied. He knew a great battle was about to begin, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Everyone, bring it on!"
At the same time Ling Tian spoke, Si Kong Xuan issued his orders. "Form your battle arrays. Attack according to plan, and make sure they don't get a chance to activate their grand formation!"
The two sides were still ten thousand zhang apart. Their grand formations, arrow skills, and Heaven Qian Spears could reach that far, but their power would be greatly reduced, and it would be easy to dodge them. So neither side attacked immediately. Instead, they closed the distance as quickly as possible.
The Northern Xuan and Xuan side had the advantage of higher ground, so their attacks could reach farther. They could begin firing when the people from the Heaven, Earth, and Yellow Alliances were seven or eight thousand zhang away. But they knew their opponents had formed up. Unless Ling Tian disrupted their formation, the Four Consecutive Arrow Strikes probably wouldn't be very effective. So they held their fire, waiting for Ling Tian to create