Their most important task now was to hold Dongmo City, ensuring that other armies could reach the battlefield smoothly and preventing the demon race from destroying the teleportation arrays again.
Unfortunately, the mobilization of the armies this time was too rushed, and the teleportation arrays were too small to transport warships and large war weapons. They could only rely on people to fill them.
In a true large-scale war of offense and defense, all sorts of attack and defense formations, various war weapons, and even sect ultimate weapons could be quickly deployed, allowing a great power to truly unleash its terrifying might.
Moreover, the armies dispatched by each faction this time were not numerous, as everyone was still concerned with preserving their own strength. No one was willing to commit too many troops at once, lest they suffer heavy losses and be vulnerable to other major powers taking advantage of their weakened state.
For instance, the Fang family had only sent a hundred thousand troops this time, and out of their three Tribulation Crossing realm experts, only two had appeared. The remaining mysterious Tribulation Crossing expert, Wan Lei, had yet to meet him.
Do not forget that the Fang family alone had tens of millions of clansmen, not to mention the vast territory of the Northern Region they governed, overseeing billions of people.
Soon, the teleportation array leading to the Yin Yang Sect was set up by Wan Lei and the people of Tianzhen Pavilion. Other teleportation arrays leading to other cities were also repaired by other formation masters from Tianzhen Pavilion, and some rogue cultivators also arrived.
When Wan Lei went to repair the teleportation array of Kuilian Sect, Sect Master Ji led the disciples of the Yin Yang Sect to arrive, along with a mid-stage Tribulation Crossing realm expert.
The elders of the Yin Yang Sect commanded the Yin Yang Sect army to form ranks outside the city. This time, the commander for the Yin Yang Sect was Qu Qingyan, which surprised Wan Lei a little.
He hadn't returned to the Yin Yang Sect for several years; he wondered if this paper-pushing good-for-nothing had improved at all.
Sect Master Ji led the Yin Yang Sect's Tribulation Crossing elder to pay their respects to Wan Lei.
Yes, they paid their respects.
This former disciple of the Yin Yang Sect had now reached a point where, both in terms of personal strength and the forces that belonged to him, he commanded enough importance for the Yin Yang Sect to treat him as an equal.
The Tribulation Crossing elder, named Lu Xin, showed no arrogance when conversing with Wan Lei, treating him entirely as a fellow cultivator of the same generation.
This was due not only to Wan Lei's monumental contributions in this endeavor but also to his own strength and the combat power of the three Tribulation Crossing experts under him, which demanded careful consideration.
Looking at the disciple who was constantly busy, Sect Master Ji felt a touch of melancholy in his heart.
The young cultivator who once trembled before the nine leaders during the Wan Jiao List had now grown to bear the responsibility of saving the world.
In truth, he never truly considered Wan Lei a disciple of the Yin Yang Sect.
Although Wan Lei had cultivated for ten years, most of that time was spent in the Lei Xinghai and various secret realms. At other times, he was mostly roaming around or at the Fang family's. His time within the Yin Yang Sect amounted to only a few months.
Wan Lei had not received much favor from the Yin Yang Sect. The spirit stones and the Yin Yang Dao Rhyme he received were rewards he earned through his own merits.
The Yin Yang Sect hadn't offered Wan Lei much. Wan Lei's current achievements were almost entirely self-made. In comparison, Wan Lei was more like a rogue cultivator, which thwarted Sect Master Ji's plan to win him over with favors back then.
"Master, the Kuilian Sect's side is completed. How many people did the Yin Yang Sect send this time?"
Wan Lei wiped the fine sweat from his brow, looked at the soaring pillar of light before him, and took a few steps back, clearing the way.
"We sent a total of eighty thousand people this time, but there are quite a few high-end combatants. Only one Tribulation Crossing elder was sent.
Heh, don't blame me. After all, the situation is critical, and we don't know the stance of other families. The sect only has two Tribulation Crossing experts, so they couldn't all come. The Yin Yang Sect isn't as wealthy as you are."
As he spoke, Sect Master Ji secretly glanced at the three beautiful women standing with Fang Xiaoyu nearby, feeling a pang of jealousy.
What kind of incredible luck did this小子 have to recruit three Tribulation Crossing experts? He himself and Fang Xiaoyu were also Tribulation Crossing combatants. By that calculation, they had five, which was incomparable...
Wan Lei shook his head, his expression somewhat solemn.
"It doesn't matter, whether there are many or few. The war against the demons is not something that can be completed overnight. Even if the three families brought all their forces and fought to annihilation, resulting in the demise of all three, they still wouldn't be able to eliminate the demon race this time."
"Then what are we doing here? Since we can't eliminate the demons, why did we come here?"
The Sect Master of Kuilian Sect walked out of the teleportation array and approached Wan Lei.
"I suspect that the Liu family is not the only one colluding with the demons. There are likely other factions as well. At the very least, the Kaitian Sword Sect is in cahoots with the Liu family. These families, combined with the demon army that has descended this time, are not something our three families can eliminate."
"In that case, the situation is still very grim."
The Sect Master of Kuilian Sect frowned slightly.
"The most dire situation would be if the other six families, besides us, all sided with the demons. That would truly be a hopeless endeavor.
We came this time, first, to destroy their teleportation channel and absolutely prevent their demon lord from descending. That is an immortal-level expert. Once they arrive, we will surely lose.
Second, it is to show the world our determination to resist the demons, to let them see the power and brutality of the demons, awaken their sense of justice and conscience, establish our leadership, and call upon cultivators from all over the world to jointly resist the demons.
We cannot defeat them relying solely on our three families; we need the strength of people from all over the world."
"You are right. Let's go now. The longer we delay, the more demon enemies will arrive."
The Kuilian Sect also sent forth a Tribulation Crossing expert this time. With this, Wan Lei's five Tribulation Crossing combatants, plus the four Tribulation Crossing experts from the other three families, making a total of nine, led three hundred thousand troops and marched mightily towards the east.
The desert was not vast. Soon, they saw the soaring pillars of light, and beneath them, the demon race and Liu family army arranged in a fan shape.
The enemy army was well-prepared, having assembled their battle formations and standing ready.
Liu Naiweng, Liu Zhongwu, and another Liu family expert at the lower stage of Tribulation Crossing, Liu Hufan, all stood at the forefront of the Liu family army, looking ahead with disdain.
The Liu family army numbered only a little over fifty thousand, while the demon army numbered as many as a hundred thousand.
Although the enemy had fewer troops, each was an elite. The demon race side had no one below the Yuanshen realm (the realm of resentful spirits); this was the standard for the demon race's vanguard invasion force, requiring the absolute elite of the elite.
Only after conquering the world would they send more armies below the Yuanshen realm to rule and manage it.