The perimeter check was uneventful. Li Yu had expected at least a few beasts or perhaps a rogue beast. Instead, he found only silence and the oppressive heavy atmosphere of the Jagged Peaks. The mountains loomed like jagged teeth rotting in the mouth of the world, black stone absorbing the sunlight and giving nothing back.

  He kicked a pebble off the edge of the plateau. It fell for a solid ten seconds before clicking faintly against the rocks below. By the time he returned to the ruined forward base, the atmosphere had shifted from silence to the chaotic hum of organized mobilization. The main force had arrived and was settling in.

  The sky above the plateau was darkened not by storm clouds but by the sheer volume of incoming coming. Flying swords the size of canoes, wooden arks engraved with arrays and tamed beasts ranging from giant eagles to floating manta rays descended in a swarm. Two thousand cultivators had gathered.

  In the grand scheme of the continental war, it wasn't a massive army but concentrated here, on this bleak shelf of rock, it felt like a legion. The majority of the forces were in the late Foundation Establishment and early Core Formation realms. They were the backbone of the sects and clans fighting force.

  The air smelled of the metallic tang of sharpened weapons. Banners of a dozen different colors snapped in the high-altitude wind. It was representing the patchwork coalition that had once been under the Crimson Fang’s command for this war.

  Li Yu walked through the landing zone that was being used. Cultivators parted for him like water around a shark. They didn't know his face but they saw his robes and the large crab claw that was now on the back.

  This was his describing feature and made it easy for those to recognize him. It made it much easier so Li Yu decided to wear this outer robe. His inner robe was the protective robe that he had gotten from the hidden village. It had somehow disappeared after he put it on. It stayed with him but was formless, an incredible masterful piece of work.

  He entered the central hall of the ruin. It was a cavernous room. The ceiling was gone, allowing the grey sky to act as a roof. A large stone table was cracked down the middle and dominated the center.

  Gathered around it were the heavy hitters of this force.

  These were not the representatives who had ridden on Tekton’s back. These were the Sect Masters, the Clan Leaders and the Mercenary Commanders. Most were powerful experts in the late Core Formation realm with only a select few radiating the heavy pressure of the early Soul Formation realm.

  They turned as Li Yu entered. The pressure in the room was heavy, a mix of questioning gazes and suppressed skepticism. Li Yu walked to the head of the table. He didn't release his aura to show authority. He didn't slam his hand down. He just pulled out a chair, checked it for stability and sat down.

  "Hi," Li Yu said. "I'm Li Yu. Let’s get started."

  To his right sat Sect Master Zhou of the Iron Blood Sect. He was a man made of squares—square looking jaw, square shoulders, square fists. He wore heavy crimson armor that looked like it had seen a hundred battles.

  As one of the few early Soul Formation experts present, his presence was stifling. His sect had been the Crimson Fang’s most loyal followers out of anyone here. They had poured resources into the relationship. With the Crimson Fang gone, Zhou was the one who had lost the most. His eyes were hard, calculating but respectful. He wasn't stupid enough to insult the man who erased his would be former masters.

  "Alliance Commander Li," Zhou said. "The Iron Blood Sect awaits orders. However, we must address the formation issue. The Crimson Fang led these assaults using the 'Blood-Link Formation.' It allowed us to prevent the damage from the winds and it also allowed us to share damage across the army. Without it, pushing into the Razor-Wind Valleys is... costly."

  On Li Yu’s left was Matriarch Su of the Violet Silk Pavilion. She was an elegant woman at the peak of Core Formation and holding a fan made of steel blades. Her sect specialized in assassination and scouting. She had hated the Crimson Fang but served them out of command. Now, she looked at Li Yu with the gaze of a merchant appraising a risky investment.

  "Sect Master Zhou is correct," Su added, her voice smooth. "We have two thousand cultivators. But some of the beasts in these peaks are mutated. They know the terrain and have been here since the war broke out. If we march out, our Foundation Establishment disciples will be slaughtered before they can even form a defensive line."

  At the far end stood Commander Lei of the Thunderclap Mercenaries. He was a giant of a man, shirtless despite the cold. His skin was covered in blue runic tattoos that crackled with static electricity. He was another early Soul Formation expert and he was leaning on a massive warhammer.

  "We aren't afraid of bleeding," Lei grunted. "But we don't like dying for nothing. The Alliance promised us spoils. If we die taking back this area, we can't spend the money. We need a solid plan and more importantly a group chosen as the vanguard."

  The other leaders murmured in agreement. The tension was palpable. They weren't mutinying but they were testing him. They wanted to know if Li Yu was just a powerhouse with no command ability or if he actually had a plan that didn't involve using them as meat shields as the Crimson Fang had done.

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  Li Yu looked at the map spread out on the table. It showed the winding valleys, the deep caverns and the nesting grounds of the high-level beasts. At least the ones they knew about ahead of time from scouting parties.

  "I agree," Li Yu said pleasantly. "Formations are a hassle. And marching two thousand people into a narrow valley is just asking to be killed. It’s inefficient."

  He reached out and tapped the entrance of the main valley on the map.

  "So, here is the plan. I have thought about it while checking around the perimeter of this camp. I will go in first, alone."

  The murmuring stopped. Sect Master Zhou blinked. "Excuse me?"

  "I will go in first," Li Yu repeated. "Alone. Well, Tekton will be there too but he’ll be in the air. I will draw the attention of the beasts. I will break their defensive lines, destroy their nests and handle the strongest forces."

  Matriarch Su lowered her fan. "You... intend to act as the sole vanguard? Against an entire mass of mutated beasts? We don’t know their true numbers down there yet."

  "Yes," Li Yu said. "It’s faster. If we all go together, we’ll be tripping over each other in such a close space. The loss of life would be much greater as well. I don’t want your people to die for nothing. Plus, I work better when I don't have to worry about collateral damage."

  He traced four lines behind his initial point of entry.

  "The two thousand of you will split into four teams of five hundred. You will follow behind me but not closely. Your job is not to assault. Your job is cleanup. Any stragglers I miss and any beasts that try to loop around or run away are for you. I will not let anyone above Soul Formation get away. Any loot that needs collecting, that’s also on you. I am the spear. You are the broom."

  Silence descended on the table. This went against everything the Crimson Fang did before. Usually, their commander stayed in the back and used them as fodder. They would say that they are preserving their qi for the final confrontation but would never even show up for that. Li Yu was proposing to do the heavy lifting himself.

  "You are taking a significant risk," Commander Lei said with his eyebrows furrowing. "Why?"

  "Because I want to go home and have a nice meal. I believe everyone here should get that opportunity as well." Li Yu said honestly. "And this is the quickest and frankly safest way to finish the mission."

  Sect Master Zhou leaned forward. The hardness in his eyes softened into something resembling grudging admiration. He had spent decades trying to get under the Crimson Fang banner. He had been trying to suck up to the Patriarch, a man who wouldn't scratch his own nose if he could order a disciple to do it. And here was Li Yu, essentially telling them to hide behind him while he cleared the path.

  "If you bear the brunt of the danger," Zhou said slowly, "then the distribution of spoils must be discussed. The Alliance standard is usually based on contribution. If you do... everything... we cannot ask for much. To be frank, we need the merit points and resources from such an operation to help rebuild from our losses from this war."

  "Fifty-fifty," Li Yu said.

  "Pardon?" Matriarch Su blinked.

  "I take fifty percent of the beast materials and resources found here. I believe you will be honest with me. The remaining fifty percent is split among your sects however you see fit," Li Yu said while looking at everyone. "You guys have sects to feed and repairs to make. Fifty-fifty seems fair."

  The leaders exchanged glances. Fair? It was highway robbery in their favor. If Li Yu was truly going to clear the main threats, getting half the loot for doing cleanup duty was the deal of a lifetime. Besides those that fought for honor or pride, most cultivators loved to do clean up work and suck up the resources.

  "If... if Commander Li is serious," Matriarch Su said with a genuine smile finally touching her lips. "The Violet Silk Pavilion accepts this arrangement whole-heartedly."

  "The Iron Blood Sect accepts," Zhou nodded firmly.

  "Thunderclap is in," Lei grinned. "Hell, for fifty percent, I'll even carry your loot for you back to Headquarters."

  "Great," Li Yu stood up. "Organize the teams. Team One takes the left ridge. Team Two, the valley floor. Team Three, the right ridge. Team Four, reserve and logistics. We move in thirty minutes."

  Li Yu walked out of the ruins and left a room full of stunned but highly motivated leaders.

  Outside, the wind was picking up. Li Yu walked over to where Tekton was coiled. The massive centipede raised its head, its mandibles clicking.

  ‘Alright, big guy,’ Li Yu patted the cold. ‘We have to split up for this one.’

  Tekton was too big for the narrow, twisting entrances of the caverns leading deep into the Jagged Peaks. He could shrink down but Li Yu also wanted him to cover the sky from escaping beasts.

  Li Yu looked up at the centipede. ‘Tekton, you take the sky. The peaks are infested with beasts that can fly. Keep the airspace clear so the ground teams don't get hurt as well. If anything big tries to climb out of the mountains to escape from me, kill it."

  Tekton nodded in agreement. The centipede uncoiled, its legs rippling in a wave of motion. It reared up, towering over the base and was casting a shadow that covered half the assembled army.

  "As for me," Li Yu stretched his neck, cracking it from side to side. "I’m going ground level."

  The four teams were forming up behind him. They had been told by all their leaders that stealing anything would be grounds for death. They were already getting a good deal and didn’t want to offend someone known for sect destruction.

  Two thousand cultivators, weapons drawn and their auras flaring. They looked impressive, a sea of focused intent. But all eyes were on the lone figure in the front wearing simple robes with a large claw emblem. Sect Master Zhou stepped up to the front of the formation, raising his sword. "When the vanguard moves, follow Alliance Commander Li! Do not lag behind or you lose your share!"

  A roar of affirmation went up from the troops. The morale, previously shaky, was now rock solid as they didn’t have to go face the unknown. They would be facing a defeated enemy. There is nothing a cultivator loves more than a high-reward, low-risk mission led by an overpowered maniac.

  Li Yu didn't give a speech. He didn't shout a war cry. He just began to walk toward the dark gaping maw of the main valley. Tekton launched himself into the air. He shattered the clouds and drew the immediate shrieks of thousands of flying beasts from the peaks above.

  As the shadow of the dreadnought swept over him, Li Yu took out his staff and prepared himself for battle. The counter-offensive had begun.