Chapter 903: Heavy Losses

Ye Fan was no longer at his peak and even looked somewhat pale, because he couldn’t be as ruthless as the Black Demon Clan Chief, sacrificing his own people for the cause.

Therefore, Ye Fan said, “Today, you have no chance anymore.”

“Hmm?”

The Black Demon Clan Chief looked at Ye Fan in confusion.

Sure enough, he looked towards the forbidden zone, where the endless dark clouds had already begun to spread.

The Black Demon Clan Chief became furious; he hadn’t anticipated such a result.

“Full retreat!”

The Demon Clan army began to retreat in panic, for there was no choice – the dark clouds from the forbidden zone were rolling in. If they did not retreat, the death toll would be even higher.

They might not even manage to capture the Sword Sect’s stronghold.

Watching the retreat of the Demon Clan army, Ye Fan sighed in relief. If the battle continued, he might face a mutual destruction scenario with the Black Demon Clan Chief.

That was a situation he did not want to see.

…

Back at the stronghold, Ye Fan said to the Honghu Sword Master, “Tell me the casualties from our side and the Demon Clan.”

The Honghu Sword Master immediately replied, “In this battle, we sustained 60,000 casualties, while the Demon Clan had 100,000 casualties!”

“What?”

Ye Fan was shocked; he hadn’t expected the Demon Clan to suffer only 100,000 losses, a figure he hadn’t wanted to see, leaving him quite disappointed.

At that moment, the Honghu Sword Master said:

“Had the Black Demon Clan Chief not breached our stronghold’s defenses, our casualties could have been even lower!”

“Understood.”

Ye Fan said.

He then said to the Honghu Sword Master, “Tonight, the defense must be strengthened!”

“But nighttime defense is dangerous for us; the dark clouds might descend!”

The Honghu Sword Master couldn’t understand why Ye Fan would make such a foolish decision.

“Trust me, the opponent might attack under the cover of darkness!

Ye Fan said.

He had a gut feeling that the enemy would seize the opportunity to attack, as nighttime was their weakest moment, and with the Black Demon Clan Chief’s cunning, he might strike.

It would be truly dangerous then, so at this moment, Ye Fan decided to take a gamble. Even if there were losses, they would be minimal.

The Honghu Sword Master had no choice but to increase the defenses.

As for Ye Fan, he was busy recovering from injuries, as the night was fraught with lurking threats and dangers that awaited him, which was quite perilous for him.

Night fell, and the clouds grew heavier.

Above the city walls, many troops had already been lying in ambush. They had no rationale for defending unless Ye Fan ordered it.

True to his prediction, about an hour later, they heard the sound of marching footsteps in the dead of night, stunning the Sword Sect army.

Ye Fan’s intuition was spot on.

The Black Demon Clan Chief looked at the sky and coldly stated, “You surely didn’t expect us to attack in this manner. Tonight will mark the destruction of the Sword Sect stronghold!”

“Attack, all forces!”

To avoid alerting the Sword Sect army, they did not deploy flying Demon Beasts, opting for a ground assault instead.

Suddenly, countless arrows rained down from the sky.

The Black Demon Clan Chief was shocked as countless Demon Clan soldiers fell, pierced by arrows, lying in pools of blood.

The Black Demon Clan Chief underestimated Ye Fan’s command capabilities and also his wisdom. He hadn’t fathomed that such a vast army would be defending at this time.

Sitting by as innumerable Demon Clan Warriors fell to the ground in suffering, the Black Demon Clan Chief’s confidence drained completely.

A streak of brilliance shattered the darkness of the night in the sky.

Ye Fan shouted from on high, “Black Demon Clan Chief, I’ve seen through your plot. Attacking in the night again? You’re dreaming!”

“All forces, strike with full force, and shoot these Demon Clan scum!”

“Yes!”

Countless arrows showered down, each strike causing swathes of Demon Clan Warriors to fall.

“I refuse to believe we can’t take down this insignificant stronghold. Charge full force!”

The Black Demon Clan Chief roared.

At this moment, it was clear he was aiming for a do-or-die scenario.

“Chief, bad news.

A Demon General hurriedly reported to him.

“What’s wrong?”

The Black Demon Clan Chief demanded.

He hurriedly reported, “Chief, our rear troops can’t withstand the cloud’s poison anymore and groups of warriors have started fainting!”

“Damn it, retreat!”

The Black Demon Clan Chief had no choice but to order a retreat.

The Demon Clan army fled in a frenzy.

Ye Fan watched the retreating Demon Clan army, exhaling in relief. Without the Demon Domain as a barrier, the death toll among the Demon Clan army would have been massive.

He firmly believed the Black Demon Clan Chief might lead the army to return, but now he had absolute confidence the Demon Clan army wouldn’t dare.

If the Demon Clan army returned, even capturing the stronghold, their losses would dwarf those of the Sword Sect Martial Artists.

At dawn, Ye Fan asked, “What are the casualties?”

“Things are looking grim!”

The Honghu Sword Master responded.

“Oh?”

Ye Fan asked, intrigued.

Honghu Sword Master replied, “Although the Demon Clan army lost over 30,000 last night, some of our Martial Artists have been infected by the clouds!”

“Now unconscious, they face potential death!”

The Honghu Sword Master’s expression turned sour.

Ye Fan asked, “How many?”

“Around 4,000!”

“Alright, haven’t gained much advantage either.”

Ye Fan said, “Take me to see them!”

“Okay!”

Honghu Sword Master led Ye Fan over. Upon arrival, Ye Fan saw over 4,000 individuals lying there, unconscious.

Their faces had turned blackish, their Life Force was waning, indeed an ominous sign.

He took one individual’s hand and concentrated his power to investigate, discovering that a dark force was devouring this warrior’s energy and Life Force from within.

At this rate, they could hold out for at most a month before absolute perishing.

Ye Fan sensed trouble; if this issue wasn’t resolved, they would definitely be worn down by the Demon Clan.

The Demon Clan had an army of 1.5 million, having lost over 200,000, they wouldn’t be attacking soon – this was Ye Fan’s belief.

Over 200,000 because half of the Demon Clan army that attacked last night fled, infected by this dreadful aura; thus, Ye Fan dared assert.

He then said to Honghu Sword Master, “Call all squad leaders to the hall for a meeting!”

“Yes!”

Honghu Sword Master went to organize.

Ten Sword Masters gathered in the hall.

At this time, Ye Fan said, “Fellow Daoists, we are comrades here; no matter our status in the Sword Sect, unity is what we need here!”

The ten Sword Masters nodded.

Ye Fan said, “Currently, we face not only the Demon Clan army, but also the lethal clouds from the Demon Domain!”

“Thus, I have decided to personally venture into the Demon Domain to seek a remedy. I entrust the stronghold to all of you.”

“What?”

They hadn’t expected Ye Fan would make such an adventurous decision, knowing that the depths of the Demon Domain were the deadliest places.

No one who set foot there had ever returned.

Therefore, they all tried persuading Ye Fan, hoping he’d reconsider this decision.

However, once he’d made up his mind, Ye Fan would not easily change it, not even consider modifying it.

He was indeed a stubborn person.

“Don’t worry, since I’m daring enough to go, naturally I have my method. The clouds of the Demon Domain cannot harm me!

“I will return within a minimum of three days, maximum of a month. In this time, enhance the stronghold’s defenses!”

The group dared not speak further, nodding their agreement.

Then, Ye Fan said to Honghu Sword Master, “I have three secret pouches here; open one on the tenth day!”

“Yes!”

Honghu Sword Master stored the pouches safely.

At that moment, they all said, “Commander, be assured, we will guard this stronghold, even unto death!”

Ye Fan confidently nodded before departing, disappearing into the clouds.

They gazed at the clouds, hearts filled with tension and worry. Could Ye Fan be an exception?

The terrors of the Demon Domain were well known on the Martial Arts Continent, and Ye Fan dared to defy danger, surely he had his methods.

But were his methods sufficient?