Array Battle

At this moment, the Chu army was still at a disadvantage in the overall battle. Although the Chu army held the advantage of terrain, their total troop strength was inferior to the Qin army. Moreover, the Chu army had too many new recruits, and many were participating in their first battle today.

When had these new recruits ever witnessed such a scene? Seeing the enemy's spears like a forest, thrusting towards them, their ambition to achieve merit and establish themselves before the battle had long been cast aside.

If the military law officers weren't watching closely from behind, it's likely many would have dropped their weapons and fled. In contrast, the Qin army had been campaigning east and west for years, consisting of veteran soldiers seasoned in battle, so their individual strength was naturally superior to the Chu army.

Wang Hong's situation was only a minor advantage in a localized area. In a battle of tens of thousands of people, individual ability, no matter how strong, could hardly change the overall situation.

The most crucial element of the wedge formation was a strong vanguard. Now that Wang Hong was blocked, the Qin army quickly surrounded and attacked, launching fierce assaults on the flanks. Although the wings resisted valiantly, this formation would inevitably suffer losses over time and could not hold out for long.

Although the opposing Centurion possessed brute strength, his overall combat capability was still far inferior to someone like Wang Hong, who was in the Xiantian Stage.

What's more, Wang Hong hadn't even used his internal energy yet. Infusing internal energy into his spear would emit a spear aura over a foot long, which was too dazzling.

Wang Hong did not wish to reveal that he had reached the Xiantian realm. After all, reaching the Xiantian realm at just sixteen was too likely to invite speculation.

Wang Hong had been relying solely on his physical strength in combat. Once he used his internal energy, it would be easily detected. Otherwise, a mere Houtian martial artist would absolutely not last three moves against Wang Hong.

After fighting for a dozen moves, the burly man unleashed a sweeping attack, which Wang Hong skillfully dodged. Seizing the moment when the man's move was spent, Wang Hong executed a "Startled Dragon Emerging from Water," piercing his throat with a single thrust.

Having killed the Centurion, Wang Hong was no longer obstructed. Like a hot knife cutting through butter, he quickly sliced through the small square formation. Afterward, Wang Hong and the Centurion each led a contingent of troops to pursue the remaining enemy forces.

The Qin army, worthy of being called a battle-hardened force, was split in two. Even with their Centurion dead, they could still organize resistance and did not break apart.

Before Wang Hong could kill a few more Qin soldiers, he saw another square formation emerge from the rear of the Qin army and charge towards them.

Wang Hong led his team to quickly rendezvous with the Centurion, and they reformed into a small square formation.

If they continued to pursue the remnants of the Qin army now, without a proper formation to defend themselves, they would likely be quickly routed by the newly arrived unit.

The original remnants of the Qin army seized this opportunity to regroup and, in coordination with the new troops, charged towards the Chu army once more.

Before they could even catch their breath, the opposing Qin army charged forward. After the intense battle just now, everyone was exhausted, and many were wounded. This Qin army unit, however, was clearly a fresh force, with every soldier appearing energetic and fierce.

The enemy adopted a dense formation, with tightly packed spears thrusting forward, pressing in like a wall. The Chu army's front-row spearmen raised their shields, while the spearmen behind them also pointed their weapons forward.

This kind of engagement placed immense psychological pressure on the soldiers. Every blow was meant to draw blood, and life or death was decided on contact. Without great courage, one could not face such a situation.

Fortunately, their daily formation drills were extremely strict. At this moment, they all remembered the key points of their training, their movements precise and uniform. Row after row of spearheads also met the enemy like a wall.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" a roar erupted simultaneously, "Chik! Chik! Chik!" the sounds of spears piercing flesh echoed from both sides. However, as long as the vital points were not hit, those who died on the spot would persist in fighting to the end. They all knew that falling on the battlefield meant being trampled to death, and there was no concept of leaving the battlefield for treatment during combat.

If they could hold on until the end of the battle, there might still be hope of survival. Wang Hong pierced the abdomen of a Qin soldier with his spear, causing intestines to spill out. Yet, the Qin soldier ignored it, his face contorted with ferocity as he swung his saber at the nearest Chu soldier.

This square formation must have been an elite unit of the Qin army. Each soldier was incredibly brave and fearless of death. After only a few exchanges, several Chu soldiers had fallen.

Wang Hong continued to pierce several soldiers with a single thrust each. Wang Hong's peripheral vision caught sight of two soldiers from his own squad falling.

Wang Hong felt a sense of urgency. Once their casualties became too high, they would be outnumbered and outmatched. Even if Wang Hong were impervious to weapons, it would be difficult to deal with hundreds of soldiers fighting in formation simultaneously.

Even without weapons, a large group of soldiers could surround him and crush him by pushing inward simultaneously. No matter how high his martial arts skill, he couldn't kill them all in a short time.

A shield-bearer, who had the upper hand against a Chu shield-bearer, was impaled by Wang Hong's spear, pinning him and his shield together.

Before Wang Hong could retract his spear, he saw three spears thrusting towards him. Wang Hong quickly withdrew his spear and shifted his body slightly. Surrounded by people in the formation, he couldn't dodge extensively.

One spear grazed past his ear, another brushed his shoulder, and a third pierced his chest about half an inch before being unable to penetrate any further.

Wang Hong let out a roar and pierced the nearest soldier with his spear. The soldier tried to block, raising his hand halfway before feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He only had time to tightly grip the spear with both hands before three more spears simultaneously thrust towards him...

In this manner, Wang Hong lost track of how many he had killed, while the enemy also managed to inflict small wounds on him from time to time. People often fell around him.

Wang Hong also saw their Centurion being held by the waists by two shield-bearers. Although he had pierced one of them through the back with his saber, these two refused to let go.

Then, a man clad in iron armor thrust his spear directly at the Centurion's chest. The Centurion had no choice but to draw his saber to block. With two bodies, one dead and one alive, clinging to his waist, his movements were greatly hindered. After only three exchanges, a wound appeared on his arm. Other Chu soldiers nearby wanted to assist, but they were all tightly engaged by the enemy, rendering them unable to help despite their willingness.

Suddenly, the Centurion felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. It turned out that the soldier clinging to his waist had drawn a short knife and stabbed him.

In pain, the Centurion channeled internal energy into his legs and delivered a knee strike, instantly shattering the Qin soldier's chest bones and crushing his internal organs, sending him flying backward.

At this moment, the iron-armored man's spear had already reached the Centurion's face. The Centurion leaned back, the spear tip narrowly grazing his forehead, leaving a bloody mark. As he leaned back, he twisted his body, stepped forward, and slashed his saber horizontally towards the iron-armored man's armpit. A faint white glow emanated from the blade. Wherever the white glow passed, the iron armor was cut open as easily as tofu. The iron-armored man managed to retract his body by a few inches in time, and the saber's glow only opened a one-inch-deep gash on his chest.

Wang Hong swept his spear horizontally, slicing open the abdomens of two Qin soldiers, spilling their entrails. Immediately, two more Qin soldiers replaced them, and the number of enemies surrounding him grew.

Lu Jingou, Li Xiaoya, and Zhang Tiemao were still fighting side-by-side in the same squad, all of them wounded at this point.

Wang Hong and Hua Wenjue had gone to other centurion units; only the three of them remained in their original squad.

At this moment, Zhang Tiemao's leg trembled slightly. A large hole had opened in his thigh, and blood was gushing out.

Just moments ago, two spears had simultaneously stabbed towards Li Xiaoya beside him. Seeing Li Xiaoya about to be killed by the spears, Zhang Tiemao slanted his spear from the side, saving Li Xiaoya's life, but his own leg was pierced by a spear.