At the Great Wall Prefecture Left Route Army's camp, the bitter wind howled like vengeful ghosts.
Last night's savage bloodbath had utterly transformed the ecology of this wasteland.
Outside Soul-Severing Valley, the once-white snowfield was now buried beneath dark-red demon blood, pitch-black demonic energy, and severed limbs. The air no longer carried the crisp scent of snow and ice, but a nauseating stench of rot and scorching flesh.
Yet against this hellish backdrop, enough to shatter a person's sanity, an uncanny calm and excitement filled the Left Route Army's temporary command tent.
Wearing the Purple-Gold Python-Robed Cloak and holding a Terrain Spirit-Shadow Orb, he was making the final tactical adjustments with the generals under his command.
The braziers burned high inside the tent, casting Chu Bai's face half in light and half in shadow, lending him an even more unfathomable air of authority.
"Gentlemen, though the demon horde's main force lost over half its strength yesterday, thirty thousand elite Qi Refining demon beasts remain at full strength inside Soul-Severing Valley's forbidden ground."
Chu Bai's voice was quiet, yet it possessed a power that instantly silenced every Foundation-Building Cultivator present. The slender ruler in his hand swept across the phantom image of Soul-Severing Valley projected by the orb, tracing an utterly ruthless line of attack.
"Marshal Lu Feng was gravely wounded yesterday. Though his condition has stabilized, we must assume full command of the coming assault on their formation. I have reached an agreement with the central army—a frontal attack."
Chu Bai paused, his gaze sweeping over the Aristocratic Clan representatives and County Magistrates present. His tone held an unquestionable resolve. "In this battle, we must use the Arrow Formation to bore through the demon horde's perimeter and strike straight into Soul-Severing Valley's heart. This is our only path to survival,