The departure time of the team was pinned three days after the end of the all-weather Red Catastrophe, because Pei Yan not only needed to stealthily move with Bailang and others to the junction area to set traps and mechanisms, but also to set up three Teleportation Mirrors provided by Sifuer outside the territories of two Disaster Pillars. These mirrors, like other Demon Race equipment, are rendered useless inside the Red Catastrophe, so they must be set outside the Disaster Pillar territories, choosing a location at a suitable distance that is also concealed.

With all pre-battle preparations complete, Pei Yan, who had been sharpening his tools and preparing eagerly, led his grand army out of the refuge after Sifuer delivered an inspiring pre-battle speech.

Indeed, it was a grand army. Pei Yan, accustomed to reading in history books about ten thousand to tens of thousands in combat scale, initially didn't have much interest in a team of more than four thousand. But when this team actually gathered and marched along the road, the continuous marching line shocked him profoundly. Only then did he realize that although Sifuer said the team had 4,500 Demons at the meeting, she was only talking about the number of Demon Race troops. Besides, there were also Harpies, Hellhounds, and a servant army composed of various bizarre creatures, totaling almost nine thousand people by Pei Yan's estimation.

Looking at this advancing army, Pei Yan recalled his naive self when he first joined the investigation hall, and commented emotionally, "Ah, I never thought I would become the commander of a ten-thousand-strong army. Do you think my level is higher than Old Gu now?"

"Yes, yes, yes, the great commander is invincible!" Xia Yu, riding awkwardly on the Eight-legged Giant Beast and constantly twisting his body, nonetheless took the time to verbally respond.

"You say, aren't you just finding trouble for yourself! Insisting on riding a creature!" Sitting comfortably in the automatically driven SUV crafted from concentrated energy, Pei Yan quipped at Xia Yu, who insisted on riding a creature that had a horse-like body but was twice larger and had eight legs, to experience life.

"Xia, how does it feel riding that thing!" Zhao Yuanhu, leaning on the car window from the back seat, looked at Xia Yu with curious wide eyes and asked. Although she also wanted to ride, she was eventually scared away by the ferocious appearance of the steaming monster, and obediently got into Pei Yan's SUV.

"Comfortable, really comfortable!" Xia Yu, half lying on the horse's back, furrowed his brow and feigned a nonchalant attitude.

"Come down! Once we enter the battlefield, we should conserve our energy for the fight and not waste it on such things!" Ye Ruozai's voice sounded like a heavenly tune to Xia Yu's ears, allowing her to jump off the horse and quickly sit inside the SUV.

"No need to hurry too much. Let the Demons do the work in the first battle, while we just go through the motions; a tough fight awaits us in the second round!" Saying this, Pei Yan pulled out three shards from his chest and handed them to the three people behind him, continuing: "This thing is given by Lin Junzhao. You can use it as a transit device. It can absorb and quickly convert the energy released posthumously by the Disaster Legion into a primal source for us. Relying entirely on yourself to convert takes too long, so carry this closely."

Receiving the shards from Pei Yan, Zhao Yuanhu took out three red strings from his spatial ring, tightly wrapped the shards, made them into three pendants, and distributed them to the other two. While wearing one pendant, Xia Yu asked, "We absolutely trust you, but can you give us the real scoop? What do you think is the likelihood of success in this battle?"

"Seventy percent, according to calculations repeatedly performed by Suzi! The uncertainty lies in whether the Disaster Legion will utilize remote transportation means to deploy high-level combat personnel at the critical moment." Mentioning this, Pei Yan felt a headache, pulled out a cigarette, stuck it in his mouth, and muttered, "Even Sifuer couldn't provide a definite answer. There hasn't been a previous battle case to refer to, making this just speculation that the possibility is low. Speculation, speculation, ah, the incomplete intelligence leaves me feeling uneasy."

Upon reaching this point, Pei Yan turned around to look at his companions and said solemnly, "Regardless of what happens, prioritize our safety. If it's found that high-level Disaster Legion personnel have intervened in this war, detach immediately and definitely don't linger on the battlefield."

He then lit the cigarette in his mouth, took a deep puff, and remarked, "If the verdant mountains remain, worry not about not having firewood. Without Sifuer, at worst, I'll take you guerrilla fighting, wrecking the Disaster Pillars, not hoping to occupy but just slaying them once then fleeing. And if the interference worsens, we'll just run back to the bedrock plane. At least we accomplished the task set by Old Gu."

The psychological shadow left by the battle with Old Vlad caused Pei Yan to decide that until his strength genuinely reached an elite level, he would never engage in combat with high-level cultivators from various planes.

"Although seemingly unethical, Pei, um, Shitang is right; prioritize our safety first and foremost. Xia, especially you, don't act impulsively during the fight!" Ye Ruozai advised solemnly.

"Got it! I'm not just a hot-headed fool!"

Two days later, the army finally arrived at the outskirts of the Bull Territory's battlefield. Whether or not the Disaster Legion truly believed they had victory in hand, Pei Yan and Sifuer released their scouting measures throughout this journey. Until this point, despite such a grand setup, they hadn't detected the Disaster Legion's response within the Disaster Pillar.

This quietness caused Pei Yan's heart to drum nervously. It's too quiet; could this be a trap set by the enemy? Had his repeated scouting disturbed them?

With an uneasy heart, he released the Nanomechanical Insect secretly once again, scouting the entire Bull Territory thoroughly. After triple-checking with Bailang and confirming there was no ambush visible, Pei Yan gritted his teeth and decided to launch a surprise attack.

As Pei Yan reached the predetermined hilltop, Sifuer and her subordinates watched Pei Yan perform pre-battle preparations with excitement.

"Uncle, are the light spheres ready?" Sifuer quietly asked Bailang, standing nearby with her voice close to his ear.

Bailang looked up at the clear sky not shrouded by the Red Catastrophe and replied solemnly, "Ready. Leohard had someone specifically responsible for recording, ensuring the visualization of this scene."

"Great, once the battle succeeds, we'll pass the news back to the Holy City through our secret channels. I believe by then it'll create a massive sensation!" Sifuer glanced at an attendant standing behind Leohard, observing the slight glow emanating from his sleeve, nodding in satisfaction.

Unknowing of these small tricks performed by Sifuer, Pei Yan selected the best shooting position after measuring with Suzi's assistance. Then with a snap of his fingers, a light curtain appeared in front of everyone. Two snaps, three snaps, by the fifth snap, five light curtains appeared. Pei Yan hesitated, seemingly still not satisfied, and snapped his fingers again.

Six light curtains appeared on the hilltop.