Huang Feifei was ambushed by demons at the bottom of the sea and narrowly escaped under the siege of two Nascent Soul stage demons.
Upon returning to Meteor Island, the cultivators on the island were already alerted. The entire island was on high alert, with every blade of grass a soldier.
The flying giant ship that had been left on the island to rest had already ascended, its 108 layers of defensive formations activated, and its 1000 spirit energy cannons were ready to fire.
Cultivators who had stayed on the island to recuperate or cultivate in seclusion emerged from their respective cave dwellings, floating in the air and maintaining vigilance.
Xiao Fei also flew out of his secluded cave dwelling at this time. He was currently at the fourth level of the "Wind Thunder Battle Body," possessing a Nascent Soul stage combat power. However, judging by the aura fluctuations he emitted, he still appeared to be only in the late Nascent Soul stage.
"Feifei! I heard you were attacked, are you alright?"
Huang Feifei looked a bit disheveled at the moment. Xiao Fei quickly approached her to inquire.
"I'm fine! I encountered a group of demons underwater. Two Nascent Soul stage demons attacked me together. Fortunately, I managed to escape."
Huang Feifei briefly recounted her experience underwater to Xiao Fei.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fei flew high into the sky and looked towards the sea surrounding Meteor Island. The sea was still calm, with no sign of any demons.
He flew alone to the seaside and released Feiyu from his spatial dimension.
At this moment, Feiyu retracted its massive body, transforming into a small fish about a foot long, and dove into the water.
As Feiyu entered the water, it swam outwards according to Xiao Fei's instructions. After swimming for a while, it discovered demons hidden underwater ahead.
These demons had formed a encirclement around Meteor Island. When Feiyu approached a school of fish, a demon unhesitatingly swung its saber, killing a large number of the fish on the spot.
Feiyu could only retreat stealthily.
Afterwards, he tried many other locations and found them all to be heavily guarded. Not even a mantis shrimp could swim out of the demon's encirclement.
Just as Feiyu was about to continue scouting, it saw a group of demons emerge from the water and begin attacking Meteor Island.
However, the demons surrounding Meteor Island were not mobilized and continued to guard their original positions, not allowing even a single small lobster to pass.
Feiyu did not alert the enemy and quietly returned. It surfaced at the coast and then flew into the sky.
At this moment, the demons were attacking Meteor Island, and Xiao Fei was displaying his might amidst a group of Nascent Soul stage demons.
Huang Feifei, in coordination with the flying giant ship, was holding her own against the attacks of two Nascent Soul stage demons.
Seeing this, Xiao Fei decided not to reveal his current strength for the time being.
The demons had only just appeared, and he had not yet grasped their intentions. He could not act too hastily.
The demons retreated on their own after attacking for a while and disappeared back into the sea.
In the initial battle, neither side gained much advantage, with casualties on both sides.
The demons' attack was like thunder but little rain.
Upon successfully repelling the demons, cheers erupted from the cultivators on Meteor Island.
"Senior Brother Xiao is wise and mighty, he made the demons flee in disarray!"
Amidst the cheers, a hoarse voice stood out.
The owner of the voice, as if afraid Xiao Fei wouldn't hear, stood not far behind Xiao Fei, making his words particularly abrupt.
Xiao Fei knew without looking back that it was Ji Wudi, whose cultivation had apparently addled his brain.
"No need to shout! Go back to your cultivation and seclusion. You're not needed here for now, and it won't make much difference if you're not here."
Xiao Fei turned and patted Ji Wudi's shoulder, instructing him. If Ji Wudi continued to follow him and offer such awkward praise, Xiao Fei himself would feel embarrassed.
"Alright, I'll listen to Senior Brother Xiao."
Ji Wudi showed no lingering attachment to the battlefield. He cupped his fists at Xiao Fei and turned to go back to his secluded cultivation.
At this moment, Feiyu returned to Xiao Fei's side and relayed its discoveries from the seabed.
"So, the demons who came this time were not few in number, far more than the few hundred Huang Feifei saw."
"Did you discover any other Nascent Soul stage demons among the demons in the sea?"
Feiyu shook its large head vigorously.
"I didn't find any. The strongest I saw were Nascent Soul stage demons."
Xiao Fei was a little puzzled. He felt that since the demons had deployed so many forces, there must be more than just the few hundred who attacked the island earlier.
If there were a few more Nascent Soul stage demons, they could easily kill Huang Feifei, and with a large demon army, they could flatten Meteor Island with ease.
There must be a reason for this anomaly!
The demons could easily have wiped out Meteor Island, yet they hesitated to act. Their objective must be something greater than Meteor Island.
However, he couldn't figure out the demons' plan yet, so Xiao Fei could only suppress his thoughts for the time being.
After being repelled, the demons launched another attack on Meteor Island just two hours later.
This time, the attack was more ferocious, and the number of demons was greater.
The defensive pressure on the island immediately increased. The human cultivators, after exerting immense effort and suffering casualties, managed to repel the demons.
With the demons' attack pattern, the human population on the island would likely not last long.
"Young Master, the demons are powerful. With our current forces on the island, we definitely cannot defend against them. Should we notify Zhu Yu and the flying ship to return for reinforcements?"
What was said without intention was taken to heart. Huang Feifei's reminder finally allowed Xiao Fei to guess the demons' true intentions.
The demons had surrounded Meteor Island, and their strength far surpassed that of the human race on the island. Yet, they chose to encircle rather than attack. Their target was naturally the reinforcements who would come.
The demons intended to use the human population of Meteor Island as bait to lure the elusive guerrillas who were active on the Eastern Continent.
They only needed to wait here, and the various guerrilla teams would rush to their aid.
At that time, they would become a dish on their plate, easily annihilated.
Xiao Fei was very familiar with the tactic of "encircling the point to strike the reinforcements."
"No! Absolutely do not let them return. Send a message to all guerrilla teams, telling them not to come to the rescue, or they will face certain death."
After guessing the demons' intentions, Xiao Fei made a decisive decision.
Warfare was about "controlling others, not being controlled by others; shaping the situation, while remaining formless."
One must never be controlled by the enemy, being led by the nose, as that would only lead one into a trap set by the enemy, from which escape would be impossible.
Instead, one must turn passivity into initiative, mobilize the enemy, and seize control of the situation.
If the demons wanted the human guerrillas to return for reinforcements, they could not let the demons have their way.
He even went against the grain, instructing Zhu Yu to lead the flying ship and create as much commotion as possible in the demon-occupied territories of the Eastern Continent.
Now that the demons had mobilized a large number of their forces to Meteor Island, their rear must be empty, which was the perfect time for the guerrillas to make their mark.
This would make the demons, even while surrounding Meteor Island, uneasy.
Furthermore, the next time the demons attacked with a smaller force, he planned to devour the demons' bait, causing them some pain.