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However, deeper contemplation still revolved around the battles among top-tier experts. Unlike the military strategies of his past life, in this world, individual combat prowess could reach godlike power, often dictating the course of war. High-level battles were far more flexible than large-scale troop movements. Chen Xuanfeng was certain that even if Catherine's schemes could divert most figures like Dragon Knights and grand mages, he would inevitably face the strongest among humanity's elite.

Especially the "Ancestor of Sword Saints," Leinster.

It had to be admitted that this undead First SwordSaint had left deep psychological scars on Chen Xuanfeng after their battle at Sacred Dragon Mountain. Even now, having become a stronger Sword Saint himself and acquired knowledge from the "Great Demon King" to counter Leinster's abilities, Chen Xuanfeng still felt inadequately prepared whenever he imagined confronting this formidable foe. For this reason, he had concealed many of his abilities, including his domain, in previous battles, reserving as many trump cards as possible to deal with this terrifying adversary.

Beyond that, the potential of Xi Luo, the Pope of the Radiant Temple and wielder of the Heroic Sword, as well as the cunning of Enlai Ke, also kept Chen Xuanfeng on guard. Ironically, these two most promising young leaders of the human world could be considered products of Chen Xuanfeng's own nurturing. Every time he reflected on the past, he wondered whether, if history could be rewritten, he should have eliminated these two prodigies early on.

Regardless, Catherine's strategy of conquering Shattered Star Abyss remained the best course of action for the Beastmen Alliance at present. Success would collapse all three fronts without further fighting. The fall of the mercenary empire's capital would isolate the southeastern army, making their eventual destruction inevitable with proper follow-up measures. The southern coastal supply route would be severed, allowing the remnants on the southwestern front to be swiftly cleared. The eastern front, deprived of supplies, would retreat to their homeland, leaving only the vast desert between them. The forces needed to hold this line could be reduced to a tenth. Future efforts would focus solely on the border with the southern continent. Even if this front stretched wide, the alliance's resources could sustain it—even welcome it as training grounds. Meanwhile, the vast territories behind would become a haven for the beastmen tribes to recuperate. Given two centuries, they would surely recover their strength, no longer fearing humanity's human wave tactics.

With his resolve steeled, Chen Xuanfeng's thoughts turned only to perfecting the preparations.

Human Wolf Hero Scroll, Chapter 110: Banners Unfurled, Playing with the World

As Chen Xuanfeng once again tread upon the rolling yellow sands, gazing at the towering spire in the distance, he couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia.

Nearly seven or eight years had passed since his last visit to Shattered Star Abyss. Back then, he had been a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old newly ascended Sword Master, tasked with infiltrating Saint Spirit Mountain to steal the beastmen's sacred artifact, the Doomsday Horn. To dispel suspicions of his ties to beastmen, he had assumed human form and wandered the central desert. Unexpectedly, he had been drawn into the struggle over the Twelve Sages' legacy—the River Styx Tower—even crossing paths with what had then seemed like the godlike Three Sword Saints. The dangers had been extreme; had luck not favored him, even multiple lives wouldn't have sufficed.

Yet fortune had emerged from misfortune. That adventure had granted him the Sword of Divine Punishment and the artificial girl Youlijia, along with many of the Twelve Sages' research achievements, including the secrets of creating Crystal Dragons. His adopted daughter, Jin Luosa, had transformed from an ordinary girl into a formidable assistant versed in divine magic, sorcery, and combat arts, with a powerful summoned beast as her guardian. These gains had been pivotal to his later rise, forming the cornerstone of his expanding influence.

This time, however, he would seize control of this desert, erasing the human empire upon it—along with the grand city before him.

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Since the end of the beastmen's civil war, the human alliance had known a massive counterattack was inevitable. All three fronts had mobilized, reinforcing defenses and bracing for the onslaught. Yet despite their preparations, the human armies still fell several tiers short of the beastmen's combat prowess. When the beastmen struck in full force, the humans suffered devastating losses.

The first target of the Beastmen Alliance's assault was the weakest of the three fronts—the southwestern line.

The human forces here consisted of remnants from the fallen Saint Spirit Mountain and the four Sacred Kingdoms. Among them were devout Radiant Temple Priests and holy warriors, displaced nobles and knights, and soldiers and refugees from defeated nations. Though a motley crew, they were battle-hardened elites, united by vengeance and desperation—else they could never have held a frontline. Yet these four million soldiers and civilians were squeezed into the southwestern hills, with only desert and ocean at their backs. Lacking strategic depth, they relied on precarious coastal supply lines, further hampered by the undead island blocking deep-sea routes, forcing them to rely on small vessels navigating shallow waters. Only their extensive underground networks in the western continent—which even the beastmen couldn't fully sever—allowed them to sustain their resistance through covert support in manpower, funds, and intelligence.

But when the beastmen concentrated their elite forces against this front, the disparity in strength became undeniable.

Under the banner of "reclaiming lost lands," the Beastmen Alliance deployed over a hundred thousand troops, including Lion, Bear, and Eagle Tribes, with a full complement of Shamans and all three Beamon legions—War, Blackstone, and Sandstorm—led by the Beastman King himself. Though Chen Xuanfeng, now a Sword Saint, did not take the field, his armies were unstoppable. Within three days, they had reclaimed most of the original frontline and even expanded further.

The human response unfolded exactly as the beastmen had predicted. Faced with the main beastman force, they abandoned indefensible strongholds, mobilizing refugees scattered across the southwestern hills into countless supply depots. Over half their troops fragmented into guerrilla units, harassing beastmen at key routes and villages, ambushing any stragglers. Soon, the entire southwest became a war of attrition.