The Soul Eater Leader had no idea that he was being cornered solely by Sikong Jing; instead, he thought that Gongyang Ying had come with the people of Jianghu.
Retreat, retreat, retreat...
As expected, the Soul Stealers were formidable. In less than a quarter of an hour, everyone in the stronghold had retreated into the Soul Penetration Mountain, while the fifty thousand soldiers of Xia Dalian's 66th Army, naturally, found themselves grasping at straws.
However, all of this was part of Sikong Jing's plan — it was intentional to drive the Soul Stealers away.
Looking at the empty stronghold, Sikong Jing reappeared and said, "You all should station yourselves in the stronghold. Gongyang Ying and Yan Qihuan are likely to send spies first, so for now, you'll act as mountain bandits here."
Upon hearing this, Xia Dalian agreed and led her fifty thousand soldiers into the stronghold, completely assuming the guise of mountain bandits.
