"Young Master is quite ruthless." Fang Qing giggled, loving how I went about that display.
"I could have used forced Soul Search on them instead. I chose not to so I could relax for a bit. And forced soul searching hasn't been entirely accurate in the past. Usually best to gather information without resorting to it. Thus simpler if I get accurate information first." I chuckled.
"You also happened to gain more this way. Now you know these weak Ink Clan won't give you any trouble at all." Fang Qing mentioned, rewatching the event.
"Indeed. The other rooms don't have any servants so it's likely that the high rank killed them for resisting. But this one was smart enough to survive in that situation. Which is what made it so easy to gain their trust. When you share common ground it is easy to feel sympathy. Now then, let's clear these rooms out and then move on to the Ink Nest." I said, beginning to put all of the valuables, resources of all kinds, into my space rings or small "secret" realm inside my body. Similar to how Open Heaven cultivators handle their small universe.
"Young Master, according to the information we got just now… There is likely quite a powerful group gathered there right now. Are you certain going there now is wise? You might be dragged into the battle with them. And you can't just kill these ones. Are you able to handle it?" Fang Qing questioned as I finished up with collecting the items in that room.
"I am certain that I have to go there either way. And we already have measures in place to deal with 2 Territory lords. So I honestly don't see how they could win. That said… It is still not going to be a good time. I'll need to kill a 6th rank equivalent while evacuating the Ink Disciples. I'll send a whisper to Martial Uncles letting them know the situation. They can try to pull off some kind of showy moves if they want to. Anything that will stall the Ink Clan." I said, clearing another room.
"I wonder how embarrassing they will be after hearing that. Though it is quite impressive that they are able to handle such a situation on their own." Fang Qing noted, and began cultivating with half focus.
"Well, it's only natural since before when they were never able to fight even at half strength due to the ink force corrupting their small universe. And then also focusing on containing it, well… more like slowing its spread. They would usually be hard pressed to use 40% of their full power. Even in that situation the Ink Clan's Feudal Lords are basically just annoying walls made of several layers of fabric." I began explaining.
"That's right, beforehand if it was 1 7th rank versus a 1 Feudal Lord, the 7th rank would at best be stalled. But add another Feudal Lord into the mix and it becomes a very difficult fight for the 7th rank. Then if it was 1 7th rank versus 3 Feudal Lords…" Fang Qing said, paying half attention.
"Then the 7th rank would likely be defeated." I finished her thought. "However, now that they can utilize all the way up to 100% of their power freely and without worry. Then add the synergistic effect of Ancient Divine Spirit Source Qi. It could take up to 8 Feudal Lord's to stall 1 of our 7th ranks. It would likely start at 5 to 1." I explained.
"Then even at the beginning with 7 Feudal Lords and their entire army combined. Against two 7th ranks would still not even those odds. Hehehe, so once they killed the first 2 this battle was already won. No, it was won before it started, the Martial Uncles were simply holding back this entire time." Fang Qing snickered at the thought this was a guaranteed victory.
"Of course random things can happen in war. So it is best to eliminate as many enemies as possible. Which was the first step. Then it's always a good idea to take out the commanders or elites. In the case of the Ink clan, their commanders are the elites. Which just so happens to weaken them on the front lines significantly. However, the Human Race's Old Ancestors are generally just last resort aces… It's best to keep your aces in reserve as much as possible. They are the final trump card, after all. It's best not to reveal your hand too early." I further explained, while clearing out a couple more rooms.
"The Ink Clan's Royal Lord's are their commanders. And while the territory lords have some ability to give their own orders… they still must fall within the lines set up by the Royal Lords. Oh, so that's why the Ink Clan is so stupid. The command from top down. Instead of having the ability to freely make decisions on the fly. Like our Human Race does. And even now we have one of the commanders with us. Yet Master Yang Kai is allowed to make his own plans and arrangements as he sees fit." Fang Qing said, now actually understanding the situation.
"The biggest reason this is a terrible plan is due to how little information is available to a higher up. Even if the slightest mix up happens it can have devastating consequences. Not just because it happened. But because it happened with no idea or remedy in place for its occurrence. This inevitably will create massive problems in battle. But if I had to say what their biggest problem is… It's the thing that makes them strong in the first place… Corruption." I further explained, picking up an 8th rank resource, with a big smile on my face.
"They sacrifice so many of their Ink clan's low and even high rank Ink Clan simply to make the battlefield's conditions more favorable." Fang Qing said, in a tone that indicated she understood. While I was searching through the final room. The Ruling Feudal Lord's room.
"That and this kind of corruption. They have high rank materials yet hide them from their leaders and each other. This is another glaring weakness of theirs." I said, finding a second 8th rank resource.