My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 259: Probing the Enemy’s Strength

[Flame Splitter is dead, side quest settlement...]

[Level up!]

In the end, Li Rui did not directly attack Flame Splitter. Most of the minor demons and barbaric beasts were either dead or injured, lacking combat capability. Meanwhile, our soldier cultivators were in full strength.

The whole group joined forces to besiege, leaving the transformed Kui Ox descendant exhausted from the chase and ultimately defeated. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The deputy general stood in front of Flame Splitter's body, his mind buzzing.

Who can understand this with their family.

They took down the first gate all confused, without a single casualty.

My goodness, this is a great victory!

It just didn't feel quite right because he felt like an outsider.

But Li Rui quickly dispelled his concerns.

"Congratulations, General, esteemed officers. You've captured this place bloodlessly, quite an achievement!"

Although the officers were happy inside, looking at the ground full of demon beast corpses, their feelings were still a bit mixed.

You call this bloodless?!

Li Rui didn't pay them any mind, instead first allocating the attribute points granted by the level-up and task, and then checked his inventory. Seeing the rare equipment as a necklace, he couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed, as it couldn't compare to the Epic Level Soul Bone Pendant.

But no worries, this was just a small gatekeeper boss, and there were more opportunities for rewards in this Secret Realm.

He turned around and saw Zhao Jia, who had participated in the side quest, looking unabashedly happy, and he was momentarily stunned.

He realized that he now found even the rather decent rare equipment from someone else's perspective to be unimpressive.

But it couldn't be helped, with several pieces of epic equipment already, he truly wouldn't get ecstatic over rare equipment.

He inquired, "Brother Zhao, I remember the general process of this Secret Realm is about two to three days, right?"

"Yes, after the army battles, it always needs to rest...right?"

Halfway through his sentence, Zhao Jia suddenly stopped because it seemed like the army hadn't actually fought.

This is the rising star!

He, of course, knew the reason was entirely that the young man in front of him was too strong.

"Oh, I misjudged. Had I known you were so powerful, I would've sent you to Soul-Loss Cliff."

Li Rui waved his hand: "It's okay, one can play a role anywhere."

Zhao Jia couldn't help but feel a bit appreciative. The person in front of him was at least ten years younger than him, yet he was so mature in his mindset. He clearly possessed extraordinary strength but did not feel discouraged or resentful for being placed on the feint route.

Indeed, those strong in ability also have a good attitude.

In fact, he just didn't understand that when Li Rui said playing a role, he meant: even on a feint route, he could still push to the enemy's main camp.

After the army settled into the gate, Li Rui found Chang Fei again.

"What do you say, should we keep advancing?"

"This..."

Chang Fei hesitated a little, "General Wei and the others are discussing it."

Mainly because they didn't expect to take down the first node so quickly. Soul-Loss Cliff and Heroic Ridge's conditions were still unknown.

They couldn't risk attracting the enemy's main force and getting annihilated while the main attack route hadn't even reached the enemy camp.

However, Li Rui said, "No, the people who came with me are very strong. Soul-Loss Cliff is definitely not much slower than us. We must advance quickly, or we won't be able to cover for them."

...

The terrain of Soul-Loss Cliff is steep, and its name only comes from the most rugged stretch of its path. However, apart from the thousand-foot cliff, the rest of the route is difficult to traverse, and it's nearly impossible to pass if you are not Extraordinary.

But the actual progress was smoother than Ning Huchen expected. The cultivators sent by the Grand General to assist were incredibly strong, especially the youngest and most talkative Brother Nan.

Who knows what cultivation method he practiced, but every move he made was a continuous explosion. Even demon beasts couldn't withstand it briefly. The other two, although slightly inferior, were stronger than typical soldier cultivators in the army.

And Ning Huchen himself was a fierce general. The destructive force of his ground-forming array technique was considerable. Even the somewhat famous Demon General, Viper Abyss, couldn't cause any casualties and was easily dealt with.

"I wonder how things are on Kai Ping Dao and Heroic Ridge."

The most troublesome part of battling demon beasts is communication. Carrier pigeons cannot be used, and horses cannot be ridden. These ordinary beasts are naturally countered by higher-level barbaric beasts, which would only backfire.

"General."

A deputy said to Ning Huchen, "Mr. Nan's methods are outstanding. Our progress is already quite fast. Should we wait a bit? I fear the other two routes may not have yet drawn the Cyan Cloud Plateau's main force."

"Hmm....."

Ning Huchen hesitated a bit.

Nan Jiumei came over and, seeing his troubled expression, proactively inquired. After understanding the situation, she laughed and said, "No need to hesitate, we should just advance with full force. I can't speak for Heroic Ridge, but Kai Ping Dao will definitely attract the enemy's main force."

Ning Huchen raised his thick eyebrows: "Are you saying that Young Hero Li..."

"Rest assured."

"Alright, then we'll rest for a short while before moving out again."

...

While Soul-Loss Cliff was determined to move forward, the central army of Kai Ping Dao was already assembled, preparing to move to the next checkpoint. The aim was to put greater pressure on the enemy, forcing them to bring out their main force, after which they could avoid battle if necessary.

Li Rui was, of course, more than happy with this. Having the army follow is safer than venturing solo.

Once this checkpoint was breached, some demon beasts surely reported back. If too many enemy forces came, he might not be able to hold them off alone.

In any case, now thousands of elite troops were rushing towards the next checkpoint.

Halfway through, a scout came with a report.

"General! We've discovered a small enemy force coming from the Crow Forest direction."

"How many demon beasts?"

"At least eight hundred."

At this moment, a system prompt appeared.

[Main Quest Update: Attract a portion of the enemy's main force, progress 22%.]

Clearly, after breaking through the gate guarded by Flame Splitter, the enemy dispatched some reinforcements from their main camp, showing some effect.

Li Rui watched coldly as the deputy general immediately ordered, "Set up camp ahead, do not advance further. The Crow Forest is densely forested, and if there are enemy forces hiding, they will be difficult to detect."

Chang Fei said, "General, if we stalemate with the enemy, they might not send more reinforcements."

"There's nothing we can do about that. We must scout first, understand the enemy situation, and not act rashly."

The deputy was right. If they sent themselves to their doom, they not only wouldn't attract the enemy, but also might make them more vigilant towards the main attack direction.

At this moment, the energetic Li Rui volunteered again.

"General, I'm willing to explore the Crow Forest and ascertain the enemy's true situation."

The deputy, knowing this person's strength was formidable, no longer dared to dispatch him thoughtlessly. Seeing him volunteer, he was overjoyed.

"Hard work, warrior."

"It's no trouble, no trouble,"

Li Rui smiled, "But please arrange for someone to closely watch. If I have to retreat, I'll need someone to provide cover."

He meant that if he attracted too many beasts and couldn't handle them, he'd need the army to back him up on retreat, to scare off the enemy. That was also why he had to follow the main force's movements.

The deputy nodded, thinking that what he meant was, as before, when coming back with a few captured scout prisoners, someone would be there to take over.

"Don't worry, I'll have a team of soldier cultivators waiting in front of the formation."