Less than a thousand cavalrymen followed Lin Zhao straight towards the demon army of hundreds of thousands. The iron hooves shook the snowy forest, kicking up countless snowdrifts. The entire land of Jiuzhangyuan trembled.
"Face the enemy!"
A group of demon soldiers ahead frowned, each as if facing a formidable foe. Although the enemy cavalry was few, every rider was a seasoned warrior who had slain countless demons. Who dared to be careless?
"Form the shield wall, set up the spears!"
A demon centurion pointed his sword forward and shouted, "The iron cavalry charges the spear formation. I think these humans are tired of living!"
In an instant, demon soldiers holding round bone shields stood in front of the demon formation, forming a dense, impenetrable defensive wall. From the gaps between the bone shields, demon spearmen thrust out their long spears. The three-meter-long spears were braced against the ground, their tips pointed towards the human cavalry. The spear tips gleamed coldly, sending shivers down one's spine.
...
Lin Zhao rode at the forefront. When he was still a hundred meters away from the enemy, he drew his long sword and shouted, "All sword cultivators, draw your swords and break the spear formation!"
Immediately, the sword cultivators from Xueyu Tianchi, such as Changzhi and Luoyang, unleashed their lifebound flying swords. Even Lin Zhao's own Sword Lake trembled, and a stream of silver-white light flew out. It was his flying sword, Mingyue. With a flash of sword light, it swept towards the demon spear formation. This flying sword, which had worn down more than half of the Qingxin rock, was unimaginably sharp. It instantly pierced through dozens of bone shields. Wrapped in fierce sword energy, the flying sword annihilated the demon spear formation within tens of meters into a pile of shredded flesh.
The flying swords of the other sword cultivators surged forward in unison. Amidst the "puchi, puchi, puchi" sounds of piercing, demon soldiers fell to their knees, their bodies riddled with countless dense blood holes.
"Sword energy!"
When they were about twenty meters apart, Lin Zhao raised his long sword and swept it forward. Instantly, waves of dense sword energy surged forth, shredding the demon soldiers into bloody masses. Changzhi, Luoyang, and the other Xueyu Tianchi sword cultivators also swung their swords together, and streaks of sword light flashed across the demon soldiers' front lines.
Before any close combat, the demon spear formation had already been completely torn apart!
The next moment, the two sides clashed. The terrifying impact force of the heavy cavalry was instantly displayed. With deafening roars, they swept through the unstable demon army, knocking them over. Spears and swords rained down, hacking down demon soldiers who attempted to flee. A whole unit of iron cavalry rolled past, and in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they had cut through a demon army of at least 5,000 men, while their own losses were negligible!
"Continue, forward!"
Lin Zhao pointed his sword forward and began to charge towards the second demon formation. It was the same as before: before engaging, the sword cultivators broke the formation; after engaging, everyone unleashed their full potential. Warriors punched their opponents from horseback, sword cultivators hacked wildly, and cavalrymen thrust their lances. However, most of the demons died under the horses' hooves. The iron cavalry rolled past, their hooves trampling, causing the most casualties!
In the blink of an eye, Lin Zhao led less than a thousand cavalrymen through the enemy's second five-thousand-man formation. He reined in his horse, led his men, and turned to attack the right flank. The five-thousand-man demon formation ahead had no idea the human cavalry would attack from the flank. They were caught completely off guard, not even having time to mount a defense, and were immediately routed in a chaotic retreat.
Demons, in essence, relied on their individual combat prowess. When it came to forming formations to fight, many of the wilder demon soldiers were undisciplined and prone to charging recklessly. Even with their commander's saber at their necks, they couldn't restrain their wild nature. Thus, under the charge of the Tianchi Army cavalry, they crumbled at the first touch, unable to withstand the onslaught.
...
Behind the battlefield, watching the iron hooves churning on the sandy field, Yu Zhi's expression changed repeatedly. The battle formations and tactics of this demon army camp were all personally instructed by her. Who would have thought they would be so vulnerable when facing Lin Zhao's less than a thousand cavalry? This made Yu Zhi both angry and ashamed. In her imagination, a five-thousand-man demon formation should have been enough to slow down, divide, and eventually consume Lin Zhao's cavalry.
Could the cavalry of Xueyu Tianchi and the Great Chen Dynasty truly be so unrivaled?
She frowned, her eyes full of killing intent.
"Shall I make a move?"
Bai Lan placed one hand on his sword hilt and said, "One sword, at most two, will end the battle. Then we march south and achieve the great cause of the demons for all time."
"No!"
Yu Zhi gritted her teeth and said, "To appear as the strong and have a realm thirteen expert slaughter those of the middle and lower five realms used to be acceptable, but not now. Since we demons want to conquer the world, we must learn to persuade with reason, not just with force."
Bai Lan frowned, "Then I'll wait until you've had enough fun."
"It won't be long," Yu Zhi said softly, waving her hand. "Summon the snake-people archers and rain arrows on them from both flanks. Also, order the demon cultivator army of the third camp to hold them from the front. Hmph, if the spear formation can't stop these iron cavalry, I refuse to believe their sorcery can't stop them!"
"Yes, milady!"
...
Not long after, Lin Zhao led his men through five five-thousand-man demon formations consecutively. The iron cavalry behind him had dwindled to about five hundred. Chen Yu, Changzhi, Luoyang, Mu Zha, and others were all covered in blood. In front, Lin Zhao wielded his sword with his right hand and punched with his left, shattering the bodies of demon soldiers with each blow. His sword swung out, cleaving through a wide swathe. His white robe was almost soaked in demon blood.
Just then, arrows rained down from both sides. The snake-people archers attacked!
"Watch out for the arrows!"
Lin Zhao suddenly raised his left fist. The fist energy was fierce, shattering a whole cluster of arrows in the air. He commanded in a deep voice, "All middle five realm experts, spread to both sides and protect the entire cavalry formation!"
"Yes!"
Changzhi, Mu Zha, and others went to the flanks. With bursts of sword light and fist energy, they annihilated swarms of arrows. However, this couldn't protect everyone. Within the cavalry formation, rows of cavalrymen and horses fell, hit by arrows, tumbling in a chaotic mess. Ahead, a group of demon cultivators charged forward, their flying swords, magical artifacts, and sorcery descending like a storm. Among them was even a cultivator in the tenth realm, the Star River Realm!
"We're in trouble!"
Chen Yu exclaimed in alarm, "What do we do?"
"Charge through!"
With snake-people archers firing volleys from both flanks, turning back was no longer feasible. Lin Zhao took a deep breath, ignited a Golden Divine Speed Talisman, and instantly vanished from his horse. The next moment he appeared, the punch of an eighth realm peak warrior landed heavily on the chin of the Star River Realm cultivator. The domineering fist intent enveloped him. After a roar, the opponent suffered two more direct hits to his chest and back, followed by a flying sword that entered through his open mouth and exited from the back of his head, killing him instantly!
Everything happened too quickly. An eighth realm human warrior instantly slew a tenth realm demon cultivator. Who could have imagined it?!
"Shatter Malice!"
As Lin Zhao retreated rapidly, he ignited ten Golden Shatter Malice Talismans. These were his prized possessions, and for the final battle, there was no need to hold back. Moreover, these ten Golden Shatter Malice Talismans were inscribed by drawing upon the phenomena of heaven and earth, making them incredibly powerful. They had a natural advantage in suppressing ghosts and slaying demons, making them perfectly suited to deal with the demon cultivators before them.
In an instant, ten Shatter Malice Talismans exploded amidst the demon cultivators, transforming into figures of golden soldier-like cavalry. These cavalrymen wielded long spears, sabers, and swords, killing their enemies with a breath of military discipline that shattered malice. In the blink of an eye, all demon cultivators of the lower five realms were slain. As for those in the middle five realms, while not dead, they were still shaken to their core.
"Now is the time!"
Lin Zhao darted back onto his horse, reined it in, raised his sword, and shouted, "Kill the demons!"
At once, the entire cavalry camp of Xueyu Tianchi was filled with fervor. Their commander, Lin Zhao, had displayed such power, which greatly inspired them. He had instantly slain a Star River Realm demon cultivator and then, with ten talismans imbued with rich military intent, had sent a group of demon cultivators into disarray. With such a commander, what was there to fear?
Lin Zhao still charged at the forefront, his sword raised in mid-air, directly severing the head of a sixth realm demon cultivator who had been hit by a Shatter Malice Talisman. He then thrust his sword upwards, slashing open the chest of a fifth realm demon cultivator, followed by a powerful punch that sent a seventh realm demon cultivator crashing to the ground. With a punch and a sword, he charged like thunder on horseback!
Behind him, Changzhi, Luoyang, Chen Yu, Mu Zha, and the others also attacked wantonly. In an instant, the human cavalry, numbering less than five hundred, had forcefully broken through a demon cultivator regiment of at least three hundred men.
...
"..."
The great demon Yu Zhi's beautiful eyes widened. Watching the battlefield ahead, she could hardly believe what she was seeing. Those human cavalrymen were mere mortals. Not a single one of the five hundred cavalrymen had reached the upper five realms. There were only a few in the middle five realms, and the majority were warriors who had just begun their martial path, in the first or second realm. How could they defeat her large group of middle five realm demon cultivators?!
Bai Lan held his long sword and frowned, "Aren't you going to make a move yet?"
"I'm not moving!"
Yu Zhi was somewhat petulant. "I just want to see Lin Zhao drowned in the demon army. If you kill him, our grudge will be settled!"
Bai Lan said sheepishly, "Lord Yu Zhi is cunning and deeply favored by the Demon Ancestor. I dare not offend you. If you don't want me to act, then so be it. I believe Lin Zhao won't last much longer. The cavalry behind him is dwindling, and eventually, only he will be left to fight alone, unable to kill many more demon warriors."
"Hmm!"
...
Xueyu Tianchi.
On Green Mountain, two human Sages watched the battlefield. One was Qin Suihan, and the other was the hunched-over physician Zhang.
"Are you really not going to save him?"
The old physician looked at the distant battlefield. "That kid... is the only disciple you, Qin Suihan, have ever favored in a thousand years. Are you just going to watch him bleed out on the battlefield? Frankly speaking, although your Heavenly Dao has been downgraded, you are only half a Confucian Sage. But what if you're only half a Confucian Sage? That's still half of the fourteenth realm. In this demon army before us, which of the upper five realm experts is a match for you, Qin Suihan?"
Qin Suihan looked into the distance, his gaze profound. "That is Lin Zhao's choice of Dao. How can I interfere... Moreover, if I were to act now, who would resist the crushing force of the Heavenly Dao and protect this world?"
"..."
The scholar continued to look north, his eyes clearly filled with sorrow.
...
That year, the scholar led the young boy through the mountains and pointed to the distant peaks, saying to him, "I see the green mountains as majestic, and they should see me as such!"
The boy didn't understand.
The scholar slapped his forehead and laughed, "Lin Zhao, what do you think it means to be a true man?"
The boy said, "To earn money to support the family, and to cure Mother's illness..."
The scholar chuckled, raised his hand, and pointed north, saying, "We true men should pacify Beichuan and reclaim our lost lands!"
...
Now, the boy was doing just that.