With Wu Guang's and Rui Qingkai's talk finished, both of them emerged from underground. The latter had nothing to do now that Wu Guang had confirmed that Wang Tu was taken care of. He intended to accompany Wu Guang now, but thankfully the latter managed to dissuade him. After all, with such an expert accompanying him, he simply feared that things that he did not want to be revealed still would be. And with an oath or without one, Wu Guang simply did not believe that a secret was safe if the number of alive people knowing about it exceeded one.

***

For the entire day, Wu Guang moved around the Wildlands, avoiding being noticed while checking on everyone from his team. After confirming that everyone was alive and had no outstanding issues, he decided to spend whatever time was left before the next serious incident in finishing healing and training one of the martial skills he obtained before, namely the 'Enraged Eagle Talon' he gleaned from Yuan Xiuying's memories.

________________________________________________________________________

While Wu Guang secluded himself in a spot near the eastern border of the Wildlands, just a pair of miles away from the dangerous Great Mountains, a meeting between General Ou and a cultivator concealed behind a rune-cloak was taking place. There were a few other people present, but the main actors were without a doubt these two.

"So the general means to say that making landfall on the Wildlands coast is possible?" Albeit the man asked respectfully, his tone did show slight displeasure. Most probably coming from the fact that he was being looked down on, and not just by the stronger cultivators like the general.

"Yes, and this information comes from nowhere else than your clan. They have also confirmed it by making a few successful landings, so there can be no mistake" The general did not allow a sliver of anger to show.

The Blue General, Ou Yang, was far from the irate boor he appeared as to others. In truth, he was a very calculative person and even his shows of anger were mostly for the public. It did not mean that he did not like to vent out his emotions, but he always did so only when someone was watching, giving him an enormous advantage over the people that believed that what they saw was the real general. And so, this time he had carefully omitted a few details. Like that the information had come from the Black Eagles, or that the Clan he mentioned was a part of them. Nor did he mention that the ones to land, and confirm were all dead by this moment.

"Understood, but why we? Why isn't the Eagle Kingdom Blue Army taking action?" The man again questioned.

"Because if we take action, everyone will know about it. No, you will be the ones to take the real action, while my army both sieges the Sect and launches a few attacks at the Boundary Hill City formation. We have brought in a few means that will at least make the people behind it nervous, and so make them think we are committed to a full assault" The general explained calmly but allowed himself to flash an angry glaze at the man.

"Even though I do not understand why the task is given to us as if we need to prove our allegiance again... But I will make sure that we complete it. Still, the General words about the people we deem noteworthy to be spared will be spared in the end?"

"I always stand by my word. Now, go gather your men and prepare for boarding the ship. You will also be assigned a few hundred from the 'Inverted Tower', so make sure that you control them well. After all, it could not be blamed on us if they suddenly began massacring the people you just called... noteworthy?"

"...Yes"

"Good, now go"

***

As soon as the cloaked man had left, the General exhaled and angrily shook his head. Even though everything had gone as he planned, he still was overly tired by the constant questioning that this... traitor was subjecting his orders too.

Still, it did not matter. After all, in less than a day, the man would be most probably dead.

"Vice Generals, I trust you have made your preparations?" The General asked after a few breaths.

"Yes, my general" Two armored figures saluted and answered in unison.

"Good, but I have also received an additional instruction, or more a petition from Wang Zuo. Albeit he expected that I will head the operation myself, the matter of finding who killed his brother still stands. I have already issued orders to a few officers, so bring them in as well"

"They will be tasked with finding the culprit?"

"Indeed. Normally I would not care about the matter at all, but having someone who can kill a Sage realm cultivator, especially an accomplished assassin run free isn't good at all. Especially as this mysterious cultivator has not announced the fact, or at least he made sure that no one speaks about it"

"May it be the head of the Stone Wolf barbarians?" An aide that was standing behind the vice-generals voiced.

"No, if it was him, he would definitively parade the head of the invader. After all, their morale isn't good either. They have already seen that the part of the army currently stationed in front of them has four Sage realm cultivators. They also know that it's just a part of the army. Anyway, make sure that they have all the possible information, routes, and are placed in the last possible boat "

"It will be made so, my General"

***

A discussion about other details of the real operation followed, and it only finished two hours later.

One could think that the contents of this meeting would remain hidden for Wu Guang, as well the entire bulk of the cultivators inside the Wildlands, but... It wasn't so.

Just a few minutes after everyone dispersed, an armored figure rushed out of Blue Tree City where everything had taken place, and after running a few miles, threw a message glyph. This glyph instantly took the skies, and just a dozen minutes later landed into the hands of Rui Qingkai.

After acknowledging the contents, the latter moved towards one of the buildings near the Boundary pass. And not later than a breath, dozens of glyphs surged from the open door, flying towards different parts of the Wildlands.

But that wasn't all, as, after a few minutes, a golden-colored glyph also flew out. It was so quick that even a Sage realm cultivator would have trouble following it with his senses, but if one did, the direction of the glyph would leave no doubts about its destination. Golden glyphs were used for sending messages between islands, and there was only a single island located to the North.

________________________________________________________________________

Wu Guang sensed the approach of a glyph even before it entered his field of view.

"So there will be a pincer attack? One of them will be made by local cultivators that had succumbed to the Eagles, while the other will be an attempt of the Army to break the formation? Hmm... This smells fishy, if they have the means to break a formation, why they did not use them on the Sect?" As his mind raced, Wu Guang concluded that it was unlikely for either of the attacks to be the real one. Still, he had no idea of how this real attack would happen, so he could only share his thoughts with Rui Qingkai, who more or less had reached the same conclusion.

In any case, the most pressing matter was to prepare against what they knew.

***

After some back and forth, Rui Qingkai and all of the involved people he had contacted formed a strategy.

Wu Guang, his team, and the guards from the cities would openly intercept the landing cultivators. From one side, this would prevent the dispersal of the main force, which was comprised of the Clan's cultivators, while on the other side, it solved the moral issue of having clansmen killing local cultivators. They were traitors and criminals, and so should be dealt with by the same people they had belonged to.

The main forces, under the command of Lang Zheng, would remain in their positions, and make a show of having bitten the bait of General Ou and his formation breaking attempt.

Lang Mu, as well a few dozens of the strongest cultivators would attend an emergency strategy meeting in the Wolf Clan's town, one that would be announced just as the attack happened. They would not do so but assume a position as reserves.

Rui Qingkai would assume a similar position, albeit his biggest advantage was that he was still unknown to the enemy. After all, he had not even once revealed his cultivation to anyone except Wu Guang and the Lang's.

"Understood. Still, if I may ask, why does Senior Rui want me to gather my team? A few cultivators will not make a big difference after all. Not to mention that the Eagles may stage another set of incidents" Considering that glyphs had a limit on the amount of content they could deliver, as well that Wu Guang wanted to control the situation, he had stopped his training session and moved towards Rui Qingkai, who was still holed in the building he occupied as headquarters.

"Your words are true, but we will require a few trusted people for the battle"

"We will?" Wu Guang asked doubtfully

"The guards that will participate are not so experienced to act as an army, so it will be a free for all between the sides. In such a case, even if their City Lords are present, commands will take an enormous time to be passed down. But if there's at least one person who knows the overall plan in each significant group, then it's less probable that the group would lose its way"

"Mmm, I do understand that, but why my team? Except for Xiao Feng, none of them has contacted any of the Lords. And leaving aside Lord Xiao, I doubt that Lord Wei will be eager to allow Sect cultivators to lead"

"They will have to allow it. Even more, they will themselves follow their orders"

"Oh!"

"Indeed, the one in command of this battle will be neither of them"

"So, even if they resist ceding their troops, they will still need to follow the commander's orders, following all of the arrangements deemed necessary"

"Yes"

"And if I may ask, who will be this commander?"

"Oh that's no issue, you know him very well"

"Hmm? I thought that Senior will be in hiding"

"Mmm, I will"

"Then who?" Wu Guang asked again.

"Someone that has the trust of both the Clans and the Sect leadership. Not to mention the endorsement made by me"

"..."

"No one else that Chen Guang"

"Me?!" Wu Guang was genuinely surprised. In terms of cultivation, he did not lose to the City Lords. He surpassed them in everything, but that was only if he considered it himself. While if the situation was observed from the outside, Wu Guang was a 15 years old youngster. Granted he could be called a genius, with his cultivation already reaching the Lords, but... He was simply too young to lead. At least in others' eyes.

"No, not you, Chen Guang" Rui Qingkai remarked.

"Does Senior means it will be..." Wu Guang guessed the idea behind the words.

"Yes, you will be concealing your appearance. Don't worry, the Lords will endorse it as well"

"But why? Would it not be more logical for the commander to be someone that the Eagles and their allies expect?"

"It could be so, but from all the possible candidates... You are the only one that can defend himself against a stronger cultivator. Don't expect to lead much, your position will be mainly as bait. After all, the only way to completely rout the opposition in such a battle will be morale"

"...Understood" Indeed, Wu Guang understood. He did not like the idea of acting as both a figurehead and bait at the same time, but he did understand the reasons behind it. Truth to be said he could refuse, but... "The position of a commander gives me a chance to keep an eye over my friends. And considering what the battle entails, I am pretty sure they will take part even if I manage to send them away" Wu Guang thought and a wry smile crossed his face. Indeed, except maybe Yuan Taotu and Lan Yanzhi, the rest will definitively rush to engage even against whatever he may say. With this being a fact, Wu Guang had no other option but to try and not let them kill themselves.

"And being the target for the strongest enemies does not sound too bad, does it?" As if voicing Wu Guang's thoughts, Rui Qingkai suddenly asked before chuckling and finishing with a

"Do not fret. If things go bad, I will sweep by, save your ass and send it to the Empire. Heavens, I may even add some wrapping to it!"

________________________________________________________________________

As the dispersed guards and other cultivators that would take part in this battle under the leadership of a mysterious cultivator called Chen Guang, an important, but unknown to practically all the involved parties even happened...

General Ou bit his finger and dripped a drop of his blood on a lustless black orb.

*Dong*

And in response, the orb produced a deep sound, like if a gong had been struck.

"I just hope that it's kept under control..." Even though the General knew what kind of signal he had just sent by using this 'Blood Connecting Orb', a treasure that allowed to send signals at any distance while avoiding any interference, he still shivered at the thought of what he had just signaled for...

In truth, the General had hidden part of the truth while instructing both the cloaked man that had left and his officers during the previous meeting. Indeed there will be two simultaneous attacks, with one meant to serve as a distraction while another would... also serve as a distraction.

What would happen to the entire Wildlands, including the Clans, the so-called Allied forces, and the mortal rats hiding in there would be far more terrifying than a simple attempt to break through the formation or land a few traitors and criminals behind their lines...