"How many demonic beasts are coming, and what is their approximate cultivation level?"
The Elder of Heavenly Dao didn't make a decision immediately. Instead, he asked the disciple who came to report.
"There are about tens of thousands of them. Their cultivation levels vary, but there are a few powerful auras that can be felt from afar," the reporting disciple said truthfully. With so many elders staring at him, he would have been scared speechless if he didn't have strong psychological fortitude.
The elders exchanged glances, their expressions filled with surprise and uncertainty. It was clear that the demonic beasts were launching a full-scale assault this time. Tens of thousands of demonic beasts, in terms of sheer numbers, far surpassed the disciples of the Misty Sect. This didn't even include the powerful demonic beasts. Wang Tao had mentioned before that there were dozens of Nascent Soul stage demonic beasts. It seemed that not all of their leaders had been dispatched in this attack. This meant they must have hidden reserves, forcing the elders and inner disciples of the Misty Sect to face them together.
Given the urgency, the Elder of Heavenly Dao no longer hesitated. He waved his hand, leading the elders to the front of the inner disciples.
"Fellow inner disciples of the Misty Sect, you are the cream of the crop and the hope of our sect. However, our sect is now at its most critical juncture. If we fail in this battle, the Misty Sect will face annihilation."
Immediately, the nine thousand inner disciples erupted in a commotion, whispering amongst themselves, unsure of what the Elder of Heavenly Dao meant. The Elder of Heavenly Dao didn't force them to quiet down. He simply watched them discuss in hushed tones.
After a while, when their emotions stabilized and the scene grew quiet, the Elder of Heavenly Dao slowly spoke again.
"Everyone, I believe you have many questions about my previous statement. But I must tell you, there was no exaggeration. A battle for survival is upon us at this very moment."
"Everyone, have you noticed that the thousand disciples who went to fight the demonic beasts earlier have not returned?"
It was then that the disciples realized something was amiss. That's right. So much time had passed, and not only had the first wave of inner disciples led by Wang Tao not returned, but no news of their victory had been conveyed either. This was very wrong.
"Here, I must deliver a tragic piece of news. Of the thousand disciples sent to slay the demonic beasts, nine hundred and ninety-three were killed by the beasts. Only a handful survived."
At this, the nine thousand-plus inner disciples exploded. A thousand living souls, and some disciples already began to weep. Among those thousand disciples were their brothers with whom they had trained and lived side-by-side. In the blink of an eye, they were separated by death. The scene fell into an atmosphere of profound grief and sorrow.
"Everyone, I know this news brings you great pain. My feelings are the same as yours, but now is not the time for tears."
"There are more important matters awaiting us."
"Just now, a disciple sent to scout the movements of the demonic beasts reported that tens of thousands of them are charging in our direction."
The Elder of Heavenly Dao silently observed the nine thousand disciples for a moment.
"Everyone, tell me, do you want to avenge your fallen brothers?"
"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!" A loud yet somber roar echoed through the sky, the atmosphere oppressive and wild.
"Everyone, those are tens of thousands of demonic beasts. Are you afraid?"
"Not afraid! Not afraid! Not afraid!" The synchronized voices rang out again.
"Good. You are truly worthy of being the fine sons of our Misty Sect. For the nine hundred and ninety-three fallen disciples, for the survival of our sect, let us raise our weapons, utilize our skills, and slay those bloodthirsty beasts one by one!" The Elder of Heavenly Dao's powerful voice reverberated throughout the sky.
...
"Second echelon, proceed to the border of the Demonic Beast Forest and find a hidden location to lay an ambush."
"Yes."
Zhang Ergou's echelon was assigned to ambush the border of the Demonic Beast Forest in advance, catching the beasts off guard. Subsequently, orders were issued in an orderly fashion. All disciples executed them silently, without any objections. Perhaps before, they harbored thoughts of vying for superiority and showcasing themselves. But after hearing that nearly a thousand inner disciples had perished in the jaws of demonic beasts, all the disciples had only one thought: to slay more demonic beasts and avenge their fallen brothers. At this moment, the inner disciples of the Misty Sect were united as never before.
"I'm sorry, Zhang Ergou. We misunderstood you." The disciples who had previously mocked Zhang Ergou, Chen Gong's junior brothers, formally apologized to Zhang Ergou. It was only now that they understood why Zhang Ergou had left in such a hurry back then.
Zhang Ergou shook his head slightly, indicating he didn't mind. He would have preferred to be mocked by them if it meant bringing back news of Wang Tao and the others' victory. But fate had other plans, as if the heavens were playing a huge joke on them.
"Get stronger! Get stronger! Get stronger!" Having personally witnessed the tragic fate of those thousand disciples, Zhang Ergou had only one thought in his heart: to become even stronger.
Under the leadership of their captain, Zhang Ergou and his team arrived at the northern side of the Demonic Beast Forest. This was a mountain hollow that blocked the view of the demonic beasts.
"Senior Brother, I have a suggestion." Zhang Ergou directly addressed the captain leading them.
"Oh? What suggestion?" Ding Jie glanced at Zhang Ergou. Wasn't this the junior brother who had been called onto the stage by the Elder of Heavenly Dao? He was in his team, and he hadn't noticed before.
Seeing that it was Zhang Ergou, Ding Jie patiently waited for him to elaborate, as anyone favored by the Elder of Heavenly Dao was surely not an ordinary person.
"Senior Brother, I believe we should ambush here and wait for a portion of the demonic beasts to pass before cutting off their retreat..."
Ding Jie frowned. This was a foolish suggestion. Their group only had a thousand people, and they had heard from the Elder of Heavenly Dao that tens of thousands of demonic beasts were coming. For them, a thousand disciples, to cut off the retreat of tens of thousands of demonic beasts was a pipe dream. However, Zhang Ergou whispered something to Ding Jie, and Ding Jie's eyes suddenly lit up.
"You mean we should ambush here and wait until the demonic beasts engage with the sect members before making our move?"
Zhang Ergou nodded.
"But how can you be sure that the demonic beasts won't abandon their engagement with our sect brothers and come after our thousand-strong group?"
"If they chase, we run. We can lead them around the edge of the Demonic Beast Forest. It's not like all tens of thousands of demonic beasts will chase us, right?"
Ding Jie nodded. He had no better ideas at this point, especially since this was his first time dealing with such a large number of demonic beasts. Since Zhang Ergou seemed confident, he might as well listen to him.
"Alright, then let's follow your plan for our next actions."
Zhang Ergou's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this Senior Brother Ding to hand over command of the thousand disciples to him. Instantly, Zhang Ergou felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders increase significantly.