Huo Hai's group of one hundred set out first, followed closely by the assault force—an entire thousand men. These were Yun Fei's strongest force. Every one of those thousand men had reached the Spirit Practitioner Realm.
Do not think experts of the Spirit Practitioner Realm were easy to come by. Yun Fei had begun using the Imperial Family's special methods to train them long ago, consuming enormous resources before producing them. These people had originally been meant to protect him, yet today they could only be sent out for Huang Xiong's use. Otherwise, Huang Xiong's reputation would be utterly ruined.
Not long after leaving the camp, those men began slowing down. They traveled as though sightseeing through mountains and rivers. No, they were even slower than that, shambling forward without the slightest urgency.
Huo Hai was different. He led his troops forward at top speed. After several hours of forced marching, they crossed the Western Frontier border. Though the land ahead was still under Southern Cloud Kingdom control, this was already the front line.
"Rest for half an hour. Then we continue onward." Huo Hai looked at the sky before giving the order. As the soldiers settled themselves, all of Huo Hai's Star Gu had already been released to scout the surrounding area.
Huo Hai had discovered Huang Xiong and the others' movements long ago, and he could only sneer inwardly. Did those people think they could stop him from completing the mission this way, perhaps even force him into danger? They truly underestimated him. Watching them smear insect-repelling medicine over themselves, the sneer in Huo Hai's heart deepened.
Before Huo Hai's group had even stopped to rest, those people had already begun resting. From the looks of it, they had no idea how long they intended to remain there.