"What?!!"
From afar, Feng Quan, holding his long sword, stood in the wind, looking at the colossal figure in the distance with incomprehension. "Isn't that… the Flood Dragon of the Thirteen Realms under the Demon Ancestor, Hao Tian?"
"He is no longer Hao Tian."
Shi Jungang's eyes were filled with hatred. "Lin Xingchu had already removed his inverse scale and taken his core lifeblood before. Now he's actually helping Lin Zhao kill our demon race warriors. He's truly detestable! Lord Feng Quan, dispatch all demon cultivators and charge at him fiercely. Even if we can't kill Hao Tian, we must at least make him suffer!"
"Understood!"
Feng Quan drew his sword and left.
Not long after, figures of demon cultivators appeared in the sky. They ignored the Snow Territory cavalry charging towards the demon formation, instead unleashing a barrage of spells towards the writhing body on the ground, trampling the demon spear formation. However, Xiao Ke, being of the Thirteen Realms, felt no pain. It wasn't until dozens of sword energies descended from the night sky, continuously shattering the demon aura and finally breaking its scales, splattering blood, that Xiao Ke truly felt pain. The one who struck was Feng Quan.
A peak Twelve Realms Sword Immortal could indeed injure a Thirteen Realms Flood Dragon.
However, Feng Quan only struck a few times before vanishing into the wind again, giving Xiao Ke no chance to retaliate. The other demon cultivators merely cast spells from a distance, hurling magical artifacts at Xiao Ke's body. This completely enraged the Thirteen Realms Flood Dragon. It opened its bloody maw and unleashed a torrent of demon aura that crushed everything in its path. Instantly, the bodies of demon cultivators exploded into bloody rain. Xiao Ke's body was so immense that it slithered and crushed formations, clearing the path for the Snow Territory cavalry.
"Accelerate the assault!"
Lin Zhao stood atop Xiao Ke's head, holding onto a single horn, and continuously issued orders to the Snow Territory cavalry on either side. Chen Ben, Chu Yu, Mu Ya, and other martial experts punched with even greater ferocity, sweeping through with the Snow Territory cavalry. Despite the demon race deploying nearly fifty thousand troops in the vanguard, they seemed to offer no significant obstruction to this human cavalry force of thirty thousand.
It was no wonder, given the sheer number of cultivators in the Upper Five Realms.
After passing through the vanguard, they directly faced the central army. Xiao Ke's eyes were bloodshot and ferocious as it looked ahead. "Young Master Lin Zhao, shall we kill!?"
"Kill!"
Lin Zhao nodded. "Kill however you wish!"
"Alright!"
Xiao Ke let out a hearty laugh. Its body twisted, and it suddenly raised its tail towards the sky, then unleashed a waterfall-like torrent of demon aura upon the densely packed demon central army ahead. The ground rumbled, and countless demon soldiers instantly turned into a bloody paste, utterly unable to resist.
At the same time, the demon cultivator legion also began to array itself for a counterattack. Numerous spells struck Xiao Ke, causing the Thirteen Realms Flood Dragon to suffer backlash from the enemy's attacks. It was understandable, as even a Thirteen Realms expert couldn't annihilate an entire army camp single-handedly; manpower was finite after all.
...
On Autumn Wind Plains, countless players were witnessing this battle between NPCs. Under Lin Zhao's instigation, the Autumn Wind Plains battlefield and the Green Feather Mountain battlefield had effectively merged. Thus, many players, seeing Lin Zhao riding a Thirteen Realms Flood Dragon to attack the demon army from afar, were stunned. Was this still human? Or a player?!
Clearly, the alliance leader of the Scarlet Moon Knights, that white-robed figure, was truly different from ordinary players.
Not long after, seeing Xiao Ke's injuries accumulating, Lin Zhao felt a pang of guilt. He raised his hand and retracted Xiao Ke, tucking it into his sleeve like a small green snake. He then summoned his warhorse and personally led the Snow Territory cavalry in charging the formation. In the sky, aboard the Flood Dragon Boat, Zhu Zhi, Huang Tingyu, and Tang Guangjun, three Twelve Realms Sword Cultivators, continuously unleashed sword energies to sweep the land, shattering the restrictions set up by the demon army camp one by one!
In fact, Shi Jungang had anticipated Lin Zhao's arrival and his potential aid to Lin Ruo from this direction. Therefore, Shi Jungang had dispatched earth masters from the army to set up numerous intricate restrictions, all intended to hinder the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool and deplete Lin Zhao's hard-earned resources. If the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool had lacked tens of thousands of Snow Territory cavalry, and only a few cultivators in the Upper Five Realms, they would have been insignificant.
Unfortunately, Shi Jungang had never imagined that Lin Zhao would summon a Thirteen Realms Flood Dragon as a mount. Although the demon race had managed to injure the Thirteen Realms beast by sacrificing the foundation of an army camp, they had also paid a heavy price. By the time the Flood Dragon was withdrawn into Lin Zhao's sleeve, the demon army camp's 200,000 troops had suffered heavy losses, and over a thousand demon cultivators had perished!
"Lord Shi Jungang."
Feng Quan reappeared beside Shi Jungang and said grimly, "The central army of the Sixth Army Camp is about to be breached. I suggest… Your Lordship should withdraw. We can no longer hold back the forces of the Snow Territory Heavenly Pool here. If we delay any longer, Zhu Zhi, Tang Guangjun, and the others might strike with their swords to capture us, and then escape will be impossible."
"..."
Shi Jungang's eyes were filled with malice. "Issue an order to the three armies to intercept Lin Zhao's forces with all their might! Draw another army camp from the Gu Xia Pass side. I refuse to believe that three army camps' worth of soldiers cannot destroy his mere thirty thousand cavalry!"
"Yes!"
Feng Quan drifted away. Meanwhile, the central army of the Sixth Army Camp was being rapidly torn apart by Lin Zhao leading thirty thousand Snow Territory cavalry. Although some Snow Territory cavalry were falling, there were no small number of demon soldiers who fired poison arrows or fought to the death. In a battle of this intensity, it was almost impossible to remain unscathed. Even Lin Zhao could see that the losses of the Snow Territory cavalry were substantial! But he had to rendezvous with the Rock Army; otherwise, those 150,000 Rock Army soldiers would be lost.
...
East border of Green Feather Mountain.
A human commander clad in golden armor rode his warhorse, leading his generals, and stood on a hill, gazing into the distance. He saw the thunderous hooves in the snow, and countless demon cavalry charging forward.
"Is that the demon race?!"
Wang Ling asked with a frown.
"Yes!"
A captain of the Ji Han Army said grimly, "Commander, the vanguard will soon come into contact with the demon race."
"Can they hold them off?!"
A chill ran through Wang Ling's heart. Directly ahead, at least fifty thousand demon cavalry were charging forward with earth-shattering might. He was also a seasoned general. The Ji Han Army itself had fifty thousand cavalry, but their cavalry never possessed such power; the difference was too great.
"We definitely can!"
The captain said solemnly, "Our Ji Han Army has been sharpening our blades for three years. It's time to prove ourselves in a great battle. The demon cavalry's swords may be sharp, but are the Ji Han Army's blades not sharp?!"
"Mmm."
Wang Ling nodded, feeling slightly more at ease.
In the distance, the two armies had already engaged. The sound of hooves did not cease, and the clanging of swords on armor, as well as the chilling sound of swords piercing flesh, continued. Wang Ling, a mere cultivator of the Lower Five Realms, had no cultivation and could not see far. He could only see figures tumbling on the vanguard's battlefield and had no idea what was happening.
Not long after, messengers arrived in quick succession.
"Commander, the commander of the vanguard vanguard battalion has been slain, and over half of the troops have been lost. They have already routed!"
"Reporting, Commander. The five thousand troops of the vanguard swift-footed battalion have suffered heavy casualties. The two thousand-man battalion formations didn't even have time to retreat before they were wiped out by the demon cavalry. The commander is now leading everyone to withdraw!"
"Commander, the vanguard spear battalion cannot withstand the charge of the demon cavalry and is being divided and impacted, suffering heavy losses!"
"Sir, disaster has struck! The demon race has detached a force of cavalry that has broken through into our archer camp from the right flank. The archer camp has suffered heavy losses and cannot resist the demon charge at all!"
...
Each battle report was like a death knell, causing cold sweat to break out on Wang Ling. He knew the demon cavalry was formidable, renowned throughout the world, but he had never imagined they would be so powerful. The glorious fifty thousand vanguard of the Ji Han Army couldn't even hold them off for half an hour?
"It's over..."
Wang Ling staggered, nearly falling off his horse. "The Ji Han Army cannot be annihilated like this. The army painstakingly built by Da Zhige cannot be destroyed in my hands, Wang Ling. Relay the order… Relay the order to retreat south immediately!"
"But Commander..."
A参军 (military advisor) in a green robe frowned. "According to the military order in the golden tablet, our Ji Han Army is to defend the right flank of the Rock Army here. If we retreat, the Rock Army will be trapped in a desperate situation of being attacked from both sides by the demon and devil races. That's 150,000 elite troops!"
"150,000?"
Wang Ling roared. "I hold the lives of 200,000 brothers of the Ji Han Army in my hands! Are the lives of the Rock Army more precious than the lives of my brothers?!" When a general is in command, he may disobey the king's orders. Relay the order immediately, the entire army retreats south! The Rock Army is skilled in defense; I presume Lin Ruo will surely be able to command the Rock Army to fight and retreat, returning to Gu Xia Pass."
The参军's expression was despairing. "The Rock Army's south leads to Que Yu Lake. Does the Rock Army have any other retreat path?"
"Presumptuous!"
Wang Ling drew his sword. "Do you intend to disobey a military order?!"
"This subordinate dares not..."
In the starlit night, the Ji Han Army retreated south like a receding tide.
...
In the distance, on a snow-covered mountain ridge.
Yu Feng, clad in golden armor, looked at the retreating Ji Han Army in the distance and sneered. "If all humans were such incompetent fools, this human realm would have long been divided between us and the demon race. What a pity… that humans still have commanders like Lin Baiyi, Lin Ruo, and Chen Xi. It's truly regrettable..."
"Young Master."
A cavalry captain said grimly, "The Ji Han Army is retreating. Shall we pursue?"
"Pursue!"
Yu Feng sneered. "The entire First Army of fifty thousand cavalry will march south in pursuit, cooperating with the forces of one demon army camp. Before Gu Xia Pass, we must annihilate these incompetent fools of the Ji Han Army completely! All other armies will head west and attack the Rock Army fiercely. We must behead over 100,000 of the Rock Army before Lin Zhao can rendezvous with them!"