"Elder Yuann, how are you?"
Inside the Garrison Mansion on Five Elements Peak, Song Changsheng helped a pale Yuann Tianshu into a wicker chair and, while using [Light of Resurgence] to treat his injuries, asked with concern.
"COUGH COUGH, thank you for your concern, Clan Leader. My injuries are not serious." Yuann Tianshu’s voice was slightly weak, and an unnatural flush occasionally appeared on his pale face.
Song Changsheng placed his fingers on Yuann Tianshu’s wrist. After carefully sensing for a moment, his brow gradually furrowed.
The injuries inflicted by the [Red-tailed Golden Eagle] on Yuann Tianshu were indeed not serious. With the healing ability of a Purple Mansion Cultivator, he should have fully recovered in less than a day, without even a scar remaining.
The main problem was that after being injured, he had engaged in Magical Combat with the [Three-headed Hellhound]. Its unique Fire Evil Power had invaded his Meridians and internal organs through his wounds.
Now, the Fire Evil Power was constantly eroding his internal organs. If this continued, not only would his physical functions decline, but there was also a risk of his Cultivation regressing.
"Clan Leader, Master’s injuries... how are they?"
At that moment, Song Qingxia rushed in, having heard the news. Seeing Yuann Tianshu’s terrible condition, even she, who was always composed, felt a surge of panic.
"The situation is not good. Fire Evil has entered his body and invaded his internal organs.
Qingxia, personally escort Elder Yuann back to Vast Mist Peak and have Fifth Uncle treat him. Use whatever is needed from the Clan Treasure Vault; spare no expense. If the Treasure Vault doesn’t have what’s needed, send word to me. I’ll find a way."
"As you command."
While Song Qingxia was helping Yuann Tianshu onto the Space Transmission Array to return to the clan for treatment, the battle report for the day was compiled. Gazing at the astonishing resource consumption listed within, Song Changsheng couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose, a headache looming.
Because his side was at an absolute numerical disadvantage, Song Changsheng had stockpiled a large amount of supplies on Five Elements Peak from the very beginning, precisely to reduce their casualties.
After today’s battle, the goal of reducing casualties was achieved, but the rate of resource consumption had far exceeded Song Changsheng’s expectations.
Among these consumed resources, [Lei Zhenzi] topped the list.
Although they had inflicted massive casualties on the Demon Beasts, in the long run, it was still a losing trade.
"Uncle Tong, have Mother send another batch of supplies. Also, ask Yiqun and Chi Huo to come as well."
Song Changsheng reviewed the day’s battle and identified two mistakes.
First, Yuann Tianshu’s suggestion to suppress the Demon Beasts’ offensive was correct. The reason it didn’t succeed was that the spearhead wasn’t sharp enough.
On their side, there was only Song Lutong at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Although Song Qingxing was strong, he was only at Late-stage Foundation Establishment, and Song Chang’an was only at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. When facing Tier Two Top Grade Demon Beasts blocking their path, it was inevitable that they would be somewhat outmatched.
Zhu Yiqun and Chi Huo Old Ghost were both elites among Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivators. With their participation, the "spearhead" could tear through the beast horde more quickly and forcefully, thereby throwing the horde into chaos and slowing their advance.
The failure was because the "spearhead" wasn’t sharp enough and couldn’t cut through quickly. This was the first mistake.
The second point concerned Song Changsheng and Yuann Tianshu. They had stepped out of the Mountain Protection Array to confront the four Great Demons head-on. Although this was to cover for Song Qingxing and the others, it also put them in danger, and the [Black Star Ship], their lifeline, could not be easily used or revealed.
Therefore, Song Lutong and the others had no choice but to use the [Lei Zhenzi].
This resulted in the current difficult predicament.
With the internal dilemma of insufficient supplies and four Great Demons watching covetously from the outside, breaking the stalemate was now thousands, if not tens of thousands, of times harder than before.
Just as Song Changsheng was grappling with this headache, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura. He looked up and was surprised to see Song Xianming.
"Grandfather, what are you doing here?" Song Changsheng quickly stood up to greet him.
Song Xianming shook his head slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Yuann is so grievously injured. If I hadn’t come, how could you possibly bear this immense burden alone?
I’ve heard what happened from Qingxia. What are your plans now?"
"I sent a message to Dingyuan City requesting aid. Master Zhan replied that war has broken out all over Tuo Province. They are currently dividing their forces to provide support elsewhere, so Luoxia won’t be able to spare anyone in the short term. He told us to hold on for at least seven days.
Holding out for seven days wouldn’t have been a problem before. But now, with Elder Yuann gravely injured, our supplies heavily depleted, and four Great Demons to face, the situation is far too disadvantageous."
The Grand Array isn’t invincible. A purely defensive strategy won’t work. Under the siege of so many Demon Beasts, there will come a point when it can no longer hold. When that happens, it will be a catastrophe for everyone stationed on Five Elements Peak.
"A dead-end defense is not the way out. We must first cut off one of their arms. That [Back-Armored Barbarian Bear], although a Great Demon, has low Spiritual Wisdom and an irritable temper. However, it possesses innate Divine Power and can cause immense damage to the Array. If we can devise a plan to kill the [Back-Armored Barbarian Bear] first, we can increase our chances of victory in this battle by thirty percent."
"Thirty percent..."
A glint flashed in Song Changsheng’s eyes. If they could pull it off, their chances of winning this battle would indeed increase greatly. However, the difficulty was also first-rate. The [Back-Armored Barbarian Bear] might be brainless, but that didn’t mean the other three Great Demons were.
Killing it would be incredibly difficult.
"Grandfather, for you to say that, you must already have a good plan in mind, right?" Song Changsheng said with a smile.