Within the square formation, some soldiers could not withstand the impact, their arm bones snapping and throwing the defensive formation into disarray. Before the others could react, they were struck by rolling boulders—some crushed into pulp, others trampled to death amid the panic.
"Retreat!"
Ge Long was a Soul Saint, and his Martial Soul was even the dragon-blooded Ya Zi, yet even he could not hold out for long against the ceaselessly falling boulders. He gave the order.
At once, the entire army rapidly retreated!
By the time they had withdrawn from Dragon Slaying Slope, only around eleven thousand infantry remained. The cavalry had suffered fewer losses, with only around two thousand dead, but the troops Ge Long commanded—whether infantry or heavy cavalry—were elites among elites! The heavy cavalry in particular were each immensely valuable, yet they had lost roughly two thousand at Dragon Slaying Slope alone—
How could Ge Long possibly accept that?
But worse still, in their rush to escape Dragon Slaying Slope, the army had left all its provisions inside... In other words, they had to return to Northland City as quickly as possible. Otherwise, even the most elite troops would mutiny.
Moreover, they had suffered such heavy losses before even passing through Dragon Slaying Slope. Morale was low and military discipline had scattered. As commander-in-chief, Ge Long had to find a way to resolve this as well.
Elsewhere.
After the Heaven Dou punitive army had turned back, Wang Sheng shouted, his voice shaking Dragon Slaying Slope. It even frightened Ge Long, who was already more than ten miles away from the slope, into quickening his retreat once more.
The militiamen cheered as they ran down the hillside and began gathering the spoils of war—
They stripped the armor and weapons from every dead body. The corpses