The Era of Gods-Chapter 629 - Stalemate

Chapter 629: Chapter 629 Stalemate

By the time Lin Xiao returned to the Expedition Base, the Fourth Division was entering this world.

Lin Xiao waited at the base for half a year until the entire Fifth Division had entered this world and established a base; only then did the Corps Commander descend with the main force of the First Division.

By then, the Thirteenth Division had already emerged from their nest in full force, establishing a massive camp extending dozens of kilometers near the portal, wiping out all the Grey Crow people within a hundred-kilometer radius.

The arrival of the Corps Commander signified the full-scale commencement of the Thirteenth Division’s campaign against the Grey Crow World.

After two consecutive days of closed-door meetings, the Second and Fifth Divisions set out together heading south, preparing to attack the southern Grey Crow Human Kingdom.

Lin Xiao’s Third Division joined forces with the Fourth Division to advance northwards, aiming to assault the northern Grey Crow Human Kingdom.

...

According to the assessment reports, any single division had the strength to confront any Grey Crow Human Kingdom, albeit with some difficulty; poor command could pose a risk of defeat, thus it was safest to send two divisions simultaneously.

The entire Grey Crow World had only three Grey Crow Human Kingdoms and many other large and small forces. By rapidly defeating two Grey Crow Human Kingdoms with surprise attacks, the only threats remaining would be the last kingdom and the Grey Crow Temple. Then, the four divisions would join forces to first exterminate one and finally confront the Grey Crow Temple of Setek, thoroughly destroying this world.

The Third and Fourth Divisions both consisted of hundreds of thousands of troops. Lin Xiao discussed with Nolan, the Fourth Division commander, and decided to march with a separation of over ten kilometers to the left and right; they would not interfere with each other under normal circumstances, but they were ready to support each other in case of enemy contact.

The Grey Crow people were completely unprepared for their invasion, and even now, despite warnings from the world’s will, they could not muster enough forces hastily.

The key issue was the Lordship system implemented by the Grey Crow people, where various lords were relatively independent; the kings of the Grey Crow Human Kingdoms did not have enough control over the lords to mobilize sufficient forces and mighty warriors for resistance.

Within just a year, they had successively broken through more than a dozen major and minor lords, slaughtering all captives mercilessly. Corpses and bones piled up like mountains, and the sky was filled with resentment. The bloody massacres terrified the lords behind them, forcing them to unite.

This was a deliberate strategy on their part. After defeating more than a dozen lords, they learned more about the strength of the Grey Crow people. Lin Xiao and the Feathered Serpent Nolan, after discussion, thought it too troublesome to conquer step by step, so they decided to force the Grey Crow people to unite and annihilate them in one fell swoop.

However, while their plan was sound and they had considered unexpected situations, they underestimated the resistance of the world’s will.

After they had conquered over a dozen lords and left nothing but slaughter in their wake, the Setek Temple at the world’s center sent envoys and warriors to the three great Grey Crow Human Kingdoms at a speed beyond their imagination.

The Allied Forces of the north and south were halted before they reached the capitals of the two great Grey Crow Human Kingdoms, encountering far larger armies than anticipated, mobilized by the Grey Crow people. The combined forces exceeded three million soldiers, standing off against them at a place known as the Bone Plains.

The Allied Forces of the Third and Fourth Divisions, nearly a million strong, had less than three hundred thousand formal soldiers, whereas the Grey Crow Human Kingdom had mustered over eight hundred thousand formal soldiers. With reserves and logistics support, their numbers were a staggering two and a half million, and their vast camps stretched for hundreds of miles.

The Grey Crow Human Kingdom had a greater number of soldiers, but their average strength was significantly weaker. However, in the realm of Rank 4 high-end combatants, they were stronger, boasting seven Rank 4 warriors, while the Allied Forces only had three, including Lin Xiao and two from the Fourth Division.

Rank 4 warriors were where they held an advantage; whether it was Lin Xiao or the Feathered Serpent Nolan, both could take on two enemies at once and still have strength to spare. However, with seven Rank 4 warriors, they could outnumber any single opponent.

After several initial battles that had no decisive victor, both sides unwittingly began a stalemate.

The Grey Crow people continued to mobilize troops from across the kingdom and build defenses, while the Allied Forces reported back to the Army for an assessment on whether to seek assistance from the Sea Emperor.

The Grey Crow people had reacted quickly, preventing them from inflicting significant casualties on the enemy with a blitzkrieg, leading to a stalemate in the expedition, which was unfavorable for the invaders.

After all, the Grey Crow people were fighting in their home territory with the support of the world’s will, while the invaders were conducting a cross-world operation, facing logistical supply issues. The longer the stalemate dragged on, the greater the disadvantage for the invaders. Should the Grey Crow people mobilize fully, the Thirteenth Expeditionary Army would undoubtedly face defeat with its current strength alone.

Of course, neither Lin Xiao nor Nolan nor their officers were nervous. The overall strength of the Grey Crow people was clear, and as long as reinforcements from new divisions arrived, they would surely achieve overwhelming victory due to absolute strength.

But before that, they would need to play it cautious.

Lin Xiao inspected the camp daily, slowly refining one soul orb after another, using the Creation Rubik’s Cube to erase the residual psychic Branding and will before devouring them.

Alternatively, he would purify the Blood-flesh Essence through the Creation Rubik’s Cube and then consume it to replenish himself.

Refining Blood-flesh Essence from seven or eight hundred thousand Grey Crow people into his body, which included a large amount of Level 2 Grey Crow Blood-flesh Essence that was much stronger than ordinary Grey Crow people, Lin Xiao could clearly feel the tremendous strength of his own flesh. His True Body was progressively reaching perfection.

Although he was still a Rank 4 Wizard, Lin Xiao knew that his current combat strength was probably comparable to Fifth Level.

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Unreliable in other respects, but the white-on-black text displayed on the attribute panel unambiguously informed him that his physical quality had stepped into that level, and as his True Body continuously improved, it was still increasing. When his True Body became fully perfected, that would be the moment he stepped into the Sixth Level.

He had only been showing the outside world that he was Level 4, and it was better to keep a low profile until his strength was sufficient.

During this standoff phase, the Gray Crow people had been maintaining a conservative defensive stance at first, but as support kept arriving from the rear and the Allied Forces continued to defend, their courage gradually grew. Half a year later, they started to attempt small provocations, expanding their patrol ranges.

The patrol teams deliberately approached the Allied Forces’ camp to provoke them, and the massive camp kept shifting forward and encroaching until they even began to directly challenge them by the later stage.

But it was all in vain; neither he nor Nolan was an experienced veteran. They wouldn’t be swayed in the slightest by these provocations, and they continued to wait with composure.

However, their continuous defensive stance without engagement made the Gray Crow people increasingly bold. Later, seeing that they were not launching any counterattacks, the commanding Gray Crow commander felt that their own strength was at a sufficient advantage and started mobilizing troops, preparing to take the initiative to attack.

That day, Lin Xiao was resting at the main camp when suddenly he heard a resounding cry of killing from outside. He swiftly flew out of his tent and saw that about ten kilometers away from his division’s camp, the fourth division’s camp was ablaze with fire, and the thunderous cries of killing were coming from there. At the same time, subordinates quickly arrived to report that the enemy was attacking the fourth division’s camp.

Several battalion commanders looked towards him, waiting for his command.

But he did not immediately order reinforcements; instead, he turned his head towards the Gray Crow Camp on the other side, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He said in a deep voice,

“Prepare the soldiers; attack the enemy’s camp.”

No reconnaissance was needed to ascertain that the Gray Crow people’s attack had been long in the planning. If he did not support them, they would consume the fourth division; if they did provide support, the Gray Crow people would have troops intercept them mid-way, and the fourth division would still be consumed, or their own camp would be compromised.

By now, the strength of the Gray Crow people had surpassed that of the Allied Forces. This was a blatant scheme, and regardless of what decision Lin Xiao made, it would have been ineffective.

But what they probably didn’t anticipate was that he didn’t make any decision they had envisioned, instead choosing to attack the Gray Crow people’s main camp directly.

Or perhaps the Gray Crow people had considered this, but they simply didn’t believe he would be so unintelligent. The defensive strength of the Gray Crow Camp was formidable, and no normal experienced commander would attack the camp head-on.

But Lin Xiao did just that, not out of folly, but because he had ample confidence.

On the plain, seventeen kilometers away from the Allied Forces’ camp, hundreds of thousands of Gray Crow soldiers were attacking the fourth division’s camp. Surrounded by many strong Gray Crow people, the figures of several tall individuals with brightly colored feathers, upon receiving reports that another enemy force was uprooting and attacking their own camp, the commander known as the God of War among the Gray Crow people was taken aback. After pondering for a moment, he ordered the officers beside him:

“Send the order, command Duke Hoer to defend on the spot.”

The messenger quickly departed, and immediately, he gave orders to another messenger:

“Send the order, have Prince Aisilan who is prepared for interception support the camp immediately. They must hold out until the main force crushes the enemies here.”

Following that, he issued several orders in succession and, after the messengers had all left, he yelled to the strong warriors beside him:

“Gentlemen, the God of the Crow people is watching over us. In the name of Setek, kill all the invaders! I command a full-scale attack!”

“Boom!”

A massive fireball was thrown hundreds of meters into the sky and crashed directly into the Gray Crow Camp, exploding upon a transparent shield. The scorching flames expanded in a ring, covering a vast portion of the void.

The Duke Hoer, who was presiding over the camp, was a Level 4 Gray Crow person. He, together with another Level 4 powerhouse serving the royal family, had remained to guard the camp. Seeing the neat enemy ranks outside the camp, he was not frightened but rather delighted, laughing loudly:

“I thought it would be difficult to distinguish myself in this battle, but I didn’t expect the enemy commander to be so foolish as to take the initiative to attack the camp, truly seeking their own death!”

The other royal retainer did not speak, but his approving expression showed that he shared the same thoughts.

At that moment, a beam of golden light shot into the sky, especially striking in the dim world. Seeing this, Duke Hoer was quite surprised and said, laughing, to the royal retainer:

“It seems the enemy commander wants to duel.”

“Strong in strength but weak in mind.”

Although they were reluctant to admit it, during the past year of their many battles, the fact that three commanders were able to hold their own against seven Level 4 Gray Crow strong men had forced them to acknowledge that the Gray Crow people were indeed inferior to them in individual strength. Therefore, although Duke Hoer was begrudging, he did not dare to engage in single combat, and said to the royal retainer:

“Guests who travel far deserve respect, so in order to ensure his thorough defeat, let’s grant his wish!”