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The true killers were the sixty-four eerie stones, the size of human heads, scattered throughout the swamp and floating in mid-air, flickering with an intermittent light.

"The Yin-Yang Octagram Stones" were a new generation of array tools I had commissioned from the old Shaman of Blizzard Hut after obtaining the "Grand Illusionary Demon Banner." Although the original banner was potent, its coverage area wasn't vast, and moving it would dismantle the array, requiring a new setup to activate it again. Such a tool might work for capturing magical beasts, but it was insufficient when dealing with large numbers of intelligent creatures. Hence, I asked the old Shaman to develop the "Yin-Yang Octagram Stones," as among all arrays, Zhuge Liang's timeless "Eight Trigram Array" was most advantageous for combat situations.

After two years of research and exploration, the old Shaman had already calculated the desired performance. Unfortunately, human abilities have their limits. Despite his remarkable talent, the old Shaman's divine arts cultivation was limited, and he lacked the power to refine such a complex magical artifact. However, everything changed when I brought back the trio of beauties.

The female mage, Hai Ruo, was proficient in alchemy, and the magic stones she crafted were superior to the old Shaman's spirit banners by a hundredfold. Bai Lanling, as an elite Saintess of the Radiant Temple, had exceptional mastery over divine light arts, which, combined with the old Shaman's dark divine arts, ultimately formed the Yin-Yang Seal of Light and Darkness. Despite being cursed by the gods and unable to chant spells due to her half-elf nature, Avril's sensitivity to elements allowed her to balance and stabilize the black and white divine powers within the seal. Finally, after everyone's efforts, the sixty-four functionally distinct "Yin-Yang Octagram Stones," which had plagued the old Shaman for two years, were completed within half a month. The old Shaman was relieved, laughing heartily, filled with pride. As a result, I made the promise to ensure Lanster's survival.

In legends from my past life, ancient deities were said to have set up grand arrays capable of shifting stars, summoning winds and rains, and even trapping a hundred thousand soldiers like Zhuge Liang's formations. However, by the time my master inherited these arrays, their mystical powers were lost, leaving only the diagrams. No matter how intricate the arrays were, they could only be arranged or manipulated using architectural mechanisms or military formations, turning those legends into mere myths. I don't know about my past life, but in this one, I discovered that combining arrays with divine and magical arts indeed allowed them to resonate with natural forces. What was lacking was simply a medium for communication, and the "Grand Illusionary Demon Banner" and "Yin-Yang Octagram Stones" served as that channel.

Now, relying on the swamp's advantage, I've set up the "Hexagram Lake Formation" using the "Yin-Yang Gossip Stones," enveloping an area of several miles. With the Central Magic Stone in my hand, I can harness the power of all the magic stones, manipulate the earth's veins, control the atmosphere, and arrange massive boulders and mud into a deadly array that could repel thousands of enemies. This is an achievement even my previous life's master, Huang Yaoshi, couldn't accomplish. Within the Eight Trigram Formation, there are "Kan Water Rests, Gen Mountain Nourishes, Zhen Thunder Hurts, Xun Wind Closes, Li Fire Adorns, Kun Earth Dies, Dui Lake Startles, Qian Heaven Opens." Naturally, I placed the formation's core at the Dui Lake Gate, and for added security, I layered it with the "Grand Yin-Yang Illusionary Array," forming an impregnable eight-gate lock. We fear no surprise attacks.

My plan is to lure Lanster's army into the "Eight Trigram Formation," gradually weakening their strength. Although this initial use of the formation may not wipe them out completely, it will severely impair their combat effectiveness and exhaust their morale. A few days later, our half-orc slave army will launch the main assault, crushing the human forces. The remainder will be easily hunted down and annihilated. For us werewolves, there's no challenge.

Lanster is now incredibly impatient, incredibly so. It took nearly a month to retreat back to "The Fallen City," another ten days to regroup his troops, and almost twenty days to cross the swamp again. Every passing day, every moment, burns like fire in his heart. He longs to swiftly return to the Beastman Alliance, rescue Saintess Bai Lanling, and mercilessly kill the wolf who repeatedly insults him.

Yet, this damned swamp has trapped them for four days now. Having crossed it twice before, he clearly remembers it taking only an hour to traverse. Yet, they've been wandering for four days without finding the edge. To make matters worse, when they attempted to retrace their steps to study the terrain, they found themselves unable to locate their original path.

Four days might not seem long, but for the entire group, it feels like an eternity. In these four days, they've lost over five hundred brothers; some perished in the mire, others fell to the mutated magical insects within the swamp, while many vanished inexplicably. Amidst these recent days, even the mercenaries, who previously didn't believe in any deities or demons, have started whispering about curses or ghosts, further dampening their already low morale.

"Davrian, regardless of the circumstances, we must dispatch twenty teams tomorrow to search for an exit. We can't afford to wait any longer."

"Lord Lanster, I understand the urgency, but each search party we send out results in many casualties. Many mercenaries have grown fearful and refuse to venture out alone. Organizing so many exploration teams might prove extremely challenging."

"Given the low morale of our troops, it's even more crucial that we find a way out soon, or our group will disintegrate rapidly."

To be honest, not only is Lord Lanster's team on the verge of collapse, but I am as well. Trapping thousands of people within a few miles is only possible due to the ingenious Eight Trigram Array and the astonishing effects of the "Yin-Yang Stone." Despite this, sitting at the array's core and continuously altering the formations for four days to obstruct humans has drained me. Even with the Nine Yin Manual automatically replenishing my physical strength, the mental exhaustion remains unfazed.

"Master, the half-orc legion is ready, and they can launch an assault on the human forces at any moment," Antara reported, running to my side. Given their nature and capabilities, a charge formation might be the only viable military tactic for the half-orcs.