In the early morning, the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, illuminating a snow forest south of Cuiyu Mountain.
Hoofbeats echoed within the woods. Lin Zhao, leading over 20,000 cavalry of the Snow Domain Iron Riders astride their Snow Rock steeds, appeared on a slope in the southern corner of the eastern Piyanshi army formation. This part of the forest was extremely steep, with a drop of nearly three hundred meters over a distance of four hundred meters. Thus, the demon cavalry had not considered attacking from here, as advancing uphill on horseback would be too difficult.
However, Lin Zhao had chosen this location as the eastern breakthrough route for the Snow Domain Legion. Relying on the superior height, the Snow Domain Legion could maintain extremely high charging speeds within hundreds of meters. As for cavalry clashing against cavalry, whoever possessed greater impact force and thicker armor would be key to victory. Lin Zhao was highly confident in this regard. The Snow Domain cavalry behind him rode the same Cloud Xi warhorses as their opponents, magnificent steeds of the highest caliber. Furthermore, their armor was the standard issue of the Great Shang Dynasty, extremely resilient. More importantly, most of these Snow Domain cavalrymen had already stepped into the path of martial arts. The thousand-man commanders were all martial artists of the Middle Five Realms, with many even in the Nine Realms, while the hundred-man commanders were mostly martial artists of the Lower Five Realms, their combat power not to be underestimated.
In the sky, a Dragon Whale Boat hovered, with Great Sword Immortals Huang Tingyu and Wu Zhi holding their ground. Additionally, Tang Guangjun, bearing sword wounds, landed gracefully on the prow of the boat. Wiping away bloodstains, he looked at Huang Tingyu and chuckled, "Old Brother Huang, what are you looking at? Don't mind my injuries; Feng Quan is worse off. I almost tore off one of his legs."
Huang Tingyu rubbed his nose. "Who knows if that's true."
Tang Guangjun rolled his eyes. "I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines upon a ditch."
Wu Zhi frowned. "Stop talking, the battle is about to begin."
"Mm!"
At this moment, Lin Zhao rode his horse to the edge of the slope, surveying the demon cavalry stationed several miles ahead. This cavalry force numbered around fifty thousand, stationed on the southern flank of the battlefield as a reserve. Once the previous wave of fifty thousand cavalry had finished their assault and were exhausted, it would be their turn. Yu Feng had ample troop numbers for a war of attrition, but the Piyanshi Army did not. Nearly forty thousand Piyanshi soldiers were now engaged in a bloody, brutal battle.
"Hmph!"
At the forefront of the demon cavalry, an eleventh-realm cavalry captain smirked. He looked towards Lin Zhao's direction, suddenly beckoning with his hand and saying with a laugh, "If you have the guts, come and charge our formation. Do you dare?"
"Clang~~~"
Lin Zhao raised his hand, drew his long sword, pointed the blade downwards, and said in a deep voice, "We have the high ground. Give me one charge to break their defenses. Dragon Whale Boat, coordinate our attack! Old Huang, Wu Zhi, suppress that eleventh-realm cavalry captain immediately! Charge!"
At Lin Zhao's command, the hundreds of meters long front line of the Snow Domain cavalry surged down the slope like a tide. The heavy hoofbeats shook the forest. Lin Zhao, Chen Ben, Chu Yu, Mu Gua, and others acted as the sharp edge of the entire Snow Domain cavalry charge, leading the troops straight ahead. As they approached within a hundred meters of the enemy, Lin Zhao suddenly raised his long sword. Instantly, the Snow Domain cavalry behind him drew their bows and arrows, firing a volley towards the front while galloping forward. After two continuous volleys, they all drew their long spears from their sides, their spear tips aimed uniformly forward, forming a forest of iron spears.
On the demon cavalry side, after enduring several rounds of concentrated archery, many had already been shot in the hands or faces and had fallen from their horses. The front line had also begun to loosen slightly. In the next moment, dozens of sword energies descended from the sky, all from twelfth-realm Sword Immortals. Before the sword energies had even dissipated, Chen Ben, Mu Gua, Chu Yu, and other Heavenly Yuan Realm martial artists rapidly threw punches, their fist auras sweeping through the demon cavalry, sending them and their horses flying into the air. The demon cavalry's defensive line immediately descended into chaos.
As the 20,000 Snow Domain cavalry broke through the lines, continuous, deafening roars of impact echoed. Long spears and battle swords thrust forward, piercing the enemy's armor with "poof, poof, poof" sounds, as sprays of blood flew. The neighing of warhorses was incessant. On the Dragon Whale Boat, Wu Zhi wielded his sword, and his ten Demon Soul Swords struck like ten bloody meteors, giving the enemy's eleventh-realm cavalry captain no chance to retaliate. Lin Zhao, on the front line, also seized this opportunity to gain honor. With two flying swords, five immortal swords, and twelve Great Wilderness Ancient Swords, he precisely targeted the remaining demon cavalry in the enemy ranks, each kill increasing his honor points by 15. This was far more rewarding than points from ordinary demon soldiers of the demon race!
"Charge with full might!"
As Lin Zhao charged, he observed the situation of both sides. Although demon cavalrymen were continuously falling, seemingly giving his side an absolute advantage, they were, after all, well-trained demon cavalry. The Snow Domain cavalry also began to suffer casualties, with many riders being annihilated by the enemy's cavalry combat techniques at the first encounter. Both sides sustained losses. What the Snow Domain Legion could do was minimize its own losses!
In the midst of the crowd, Chen Ben leaped from his horse and glided through the air above the battlefield, enveloped in a powerful fist aura and a surging fighting spirit. His War God's heart pulsed vibrantly. He unleashed a barrage of punches, raining down terrifying fist winds upon the crowd. Nearly every punch shattered dozens of demon cavalrymen into pieces. A single Chen Ben was equivalent to at least ten thousand human cavalry in combat power!
Chu Yu also adopted a boxing stance and moved rapidly within the cavalry formation, delivering punches that sent demon cavalry flying, dead or injured. Simultaneously, his eighth-realm Golden Core Sword Cultivator flying swords attacked unpredictably. Not far away was Mu Gua. Mu Gua's fist intent was the most solid; he remained astride his horse, delivering punches and leading his men forward at high speed.
In the sky, Tang Guangjun, covered in blood, stood on the prow of the Dragon Whale Boat, his eyes fixed on the battlefield below. Three Sword Cultivation Lakes opened, and with a "swish," a natal flying sword shot out, directly landing in the crowd and severing the head of a demon Golden Core cultivator accompanying the army. Immediately after, a second natal flying sword emerged from a Sword Cultivation Lake, piercing the spiritual nexus of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Tang Guangjun was an anomaly among military strategists. He did not focus on battlefield formations but on practical effectiveness. These demon cavalry, while formidable, were most dangerous due to the demon cultivators hidden within their ranks. These cultivators were responsible for the most casualties among the Snow Domain cavalry. Thus, Tang Guangjun acted like a falcon in the sky, meticulously targeting these accompanying cultivators, killing them one by one, all of them!
Huang Tingyu swung a sword intent-filled strike towards the distant cavalry crowd. After felling hundreds of cavalrymen, he narrowed his eyes, looked at Tang Guangjun, and a smile touched his lips. This Brother Tang was truly interesting. It was rare for a military strategist to be so pragmatic. However, Huang Tingyu fully approved of Tang Guangjun's methods. Someone had to do the dirty work in a war between two armies. Tang Guangjun, a twelfth-realm military strategist and sword cultivator, possessed both strength and boldness, making him a truly valuable general under Lin Zhao!
"Hiss!"
A fierce beam of light descended through the wind. Wu Zhi, a peak twelfth-realm sword cultivator, pushed his sword intent to its absolute limit. Suddenly, his body moved like lightning, appearing directly in front of the eleventh-realm cavalry captain. The blazing sword light was swift and precise, causing the cavalry captain to widen his eyes, unable to move at all. He could only watch as the sword descended upon his head.
In the next instant, the eleventh-realm cavalry captain, along with his armor, was split in two by Wu Zhi, directly slain in battle!
"Good!"
From a distance, Lin Zhao laughed heartily. This decisive blow was incredibly inspiring! Furthermore, slaying the enemy's commander was enough to shake the morale of the fifty thousand demon cavalry. For a time, the two thousand cavalry fought with increasing vigor. After breaking through the enemy's formation, they turned around and charged again, determined to completely annihilate these fifty thousand demon cavalry!
...
East side.
Beyond a snow forest, ten thousand demon cavalry raised their weapons and, with a unified roar, charged towards the two thousand human armored soldiers led by the old general in the distance. In their eyes, the Divine Race cavalry was already peerless in the world. Now, with ten thousand troops charging at two thousand human cavalry, and with the Crown Prince promising ten Golden Gizzard Coins to whoever decapitated the old general, was this not giving away money?
"Prepare to meet the enemy!"
In front of the two thousand military strategists, the old general slowly drew his sword and said in a deep voice, "We have been stationed in the Town Sword Tower for a long time. If these blades do not drink blood soon, they might rust!"
The crowd grunted in unison, drawing their weapons. Instantly, countless long spears and sharp swords were pointed forward. Although they stood their ground, unmoving, threads of military intent emanated from each of them, as if connecting everyone's strength. The entire formation of 2,000 soldiers appeared as a single, cohesive unit.
The "Solidify Battle Formation" was a combat technique self-created by this old general, who ranked among the Seventy-Two Disciples of the Martial Temple of Military Strategists. Even Ding Muchen, the Sage of War, who was renowned for his formations and swordsmanship in the Martial Temple, had praised it. Ding Muchen's remark, "General Yi Zhen's Solidify Defense method deserves the title of unparalleled in the world," had further solidified the old general's position among the Seventy-Two Disciples, making it unshakeable.
The next second, countless demon cavalry crashed against the Solidify Battle Formation. Instantly, the military killing intent became even more potent. However, when the demon cavalry's swords, spears, and sabers struck, they felt as if they had landed in cotton, entangled and restrained by the military intent, unable to inflict any substantial damage. Just as they were stunned, the counterattack of the military strategists arrived. Threads of military armor buzzed around the soldiers' weapons, and countless long spears, sharp swords, and battle axes were thrust out, piercing directly through the bodies of the demon cavalry and sending them tumbling from their horses.
At the front of the formation, the old general rode his warhorse, standing tall. His sword intent continuously flowed forward, transforming into intersecting sword energies. His twelfth-realm military strategist cultivation seemed slightly stronger than Tang Guangjun's, with a more profound military intent, closer to the orthodox path of military strategy. As for Tang Guangjun, he was more like a twelfth-realm sword cultivator from the mountains who had entered the path of military strategy; his military intent was not as profound, and his killing intent was also somewhat weaker.
"Boom—"
A powerful sword energy exploded, instantly reducing hundreds of demon cavalrymen to shattered pieces. The snowfield was already stained red with blood.
...
...
On the demon formation, Yu Feng watched the scene of the powerful sword energy exploding and felt as if his heart had been struck by a sword. He gritted his teeth. Where did this troublesome character come from?! He only wanted to eliminate Lin Zhao and Lin Ruo, those with the surname Lin. Was it really that difficult??