Blood-Soaked Vanguard

The vanguard of the Exotic Race army has reached the mouth of the canyon. Leading them is a giant bear Exotic Race, three zhang tall, covered in thick, dark brown fur. Its pair of bell-like eyes stared intently at the Vanguard Camp's formation, saliva dripping from its lips. In its hand, it gripped a massive stone axe, its blade still stained with dried blood, emitting a nauseating stench.

"Little human brats, surrender obediently, and this Commander will grant you a swift death!" The giant bear Exotic Race's voice boomed like thunder, making the ears of the surrounding soldiers ring.

Fang Yan's eyes sharpened. He gave his spear a slight shake, its tip pointing directly at the giant bear Exotic Race: "Enough talk, come and try if you dare!"

"You court death!" The giant bear Exotic Race roared, raising its stone axe and charging towards the Vanguard Camp first. The Exotic Race soldiers behind it also let out roars, following like a tide. Their dense figures instantly obscured a portion of the sky above the canyon entrance.

"Release the arrows!" Fang Yan shouted.

The archers, who had been ready, immediately loosed their bowstrings. Thousands of arrows rained down upon the Exotic Race army. The arrows arced through the air, thudding into the bodies of the Exotic Race soldiers, felling a large number of them.

But the Exotic Race army was simply too numerous; those that fell were merely the tip of the iceberg. The remaining Exotic Race soldiers, fearless of death, continued to charge towards the Vanguard Camp.

"Kill!" Zhao Hu, wielding his saber, led the soldiers on the left flank to meet them. With a single saber strike, a sharp blade energy instantly cleaved two Bone Refining Realm Exotic Race soldiers in half.

Li Gang was not to be outdone. He circulated his true qi, clenched his fists, and charged towards the Exotic Race soldiers on the right flank. His fists descended like meteors hitting the ground, instantly smashing several Exotic Race soldiers into pulp.

Fang Yan led the center army, engaging the giant bear Exotic Race head-on. He pushed the Prairie Fire Spear Technique to its limit. As his spear danced, spear shadows overlapped, carrying a scorching aura, sweeping towards the giant bear Exotic Race like a prairie fire.

"Clang!" The giant bear Exotic Race raised its stone axe, blocking Fang Yan's spear. The immense force made Fang Yan's arm go numb, and the skin between his thumb and forefinger ached. He was shocked; the giant bear Exotic Race's strength was terrifying, even stronger than the early Profound Connection Realm Exotic Race Commander from before.

"Kid, you've got some strength!" The giant bear Exotic Race sneered, its arm suddenly exerting force. The stone axe, carrying a gust of wind, swung towards Fang Yan's head.

Fang Yan dared not be careless, quickly dodging to the side. The stone axe grazed his scalp, smashing a huge pit into the ground. Seizing the opportunity, he thrust his spear forward, aiming directly for the giant bear Exotic Race's chest.

The giant bear Exotic Race reacted swiftly, immediately blocking the spear with its arm. With a "thud," the spear pierced its thick fur but was stopped by its tough skin, failing to inflict a fatal wound.

"Hahaha, with just this much skill, you think you can hurt me?" The giant bear Exotic Race roared with laughter, grabbed the spear, and yanked hard. Fang Yan felt a tremendous force, and his body was involuntarily flung backward.

"Commander!" the soldiers cried out, attempting to rush to his rescue.

"Don't come over!" Fang Yan stabilized himself in mid-air. After landing, he staggered a few steps before regaining his footing. He looked at the giant bear Exotic Race, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes. This giant bear Exotic Race was not only immensely strong but also incredibly durable. A head-on confrontation would likely not end in his favor.

Just then, the System's voice sounded in his mind: [Ding! Detected host facing a powerful enemy. Do you wish to consume Experience Points to temporarily upgrade Prairie Fire Spear Technique proficiency to Great Accomplishment level (Proficiency: /), lasting for 10 minutes?]

Fang Yan's heart leaped. This was a godsend! "Yes!"

[Ding! Experience Points consumed. Prairie Fire Spear Technique proficiency temporarily upgraded to Great Accomplishment level.]

As the Experience Points were deducted, a more immense stream of information flooded Fang Yan's mind. Simultaneously, his understanding of the Prairie Fire Spear Technique reached a new height. The spear in his hand seemed to come alive, emitting a dazzling golden light.

"Again!" Fang Yan roared, charging towards the giant bear Exotic Race once more. This time, his spear technique was even more rapid and ferocious. Spear shadows flickered, like countless golden dragons dancing in the air, carrying world-destroying might.

The giant bear Exotic Race's expression changed. Sensing the shift in Fang Yan's spear technique, it dared not be careless. It raised its stone axe again, resisting with all its might.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The spear and the stone axe collided repeatedly, emitting crisp sounds. Sparks flew, and the surrounding air trembled.

After a few rounds, the giant bear Exotic Race gradually fell into a disadvantage. Its arms began to go numb, and its movements with the stone axe became increasingly sluggish. Fang Yan, however, grew more courageous with each strike, his spear technique becoming more proficient. Every thrust targeted the giant bear Exotic Race's vital points.

"Thwack!" Finally, Fang Yan seized an opening and thrust his spear fiercely into the giant bear Exotic Race's chest. This time, the spear broke through its skin and pierced its heart.

The giant bear Exotic Race let out a piercing scream, its body swayed, and it crashed to the ground, its life force extinguished.

"The Commander is mighty!" Seeing the giant bear Exotic Race slain, the morale of the Vanguard Camp soldiers surged. They cheered in unison.

Fang Yan pulled out his spear, shaking off the bloodstains. He looked at the remaining Exotic Race army, a cold glint in his eyes. "Kill! Leave none alive!"

Under his leadership, the Vanguard Camp soldiers charged into the Exotic Race army like tigers entering a flock of sheep. The power of the Great Accomplishment level Prairie Fire Spear Technique was displayed to its fullest. With a single thrust, Fang Yan could often kill several Exotic Race soldiers. Zhao Hu and Li Gang also led their respective flanks, fighting bravely. The Exotic Race army was instantly thrown into chaos.

But the Exotic Race army was simply too numerous. Even without their Commander, they still put up a desperate resistance. The battle was exceptionally fierce, with heavy casualties on both sides.

Fang Yan was also covered in blood, some of it Exotic Race, some his own. His stamina was severely depleted, and his true qi was almost gone. But he knew he couldn't retreat; if he did, the entire Vanguard Camp would be annihilated.

Just then, he saw an early Profound Connection Realm Exotic Race general besieging several injured soldiers. Anxious, he immediately charged towards them.

"Stop!" Fang Yan roared, thrusting his spear and forcing the Exotic Race general back.

The Exotic Race general saw Fang Yan, a flicker of fear in its eyes, quickly replaced by greed. "Brat, you killed our Commander. Today, I will avenge it!"

It wielded a bone knife and slashed at Fang Yan. Fang Yan circulated his remaining true qi and raised his spear to block.

"Clang!" A loud noise echoed. Fang Yan was forced back repeatedly, unable to suppress a mouthful of blood that sprayed out. His injuries worsened.

Seeing this, the Exotic Race general revealed a sinister grin. "Hahaha, you're finished! Die!"

It raised its bone knife again, slashing towards Fang Yan's neck. At this critical moment, the System's voice sounded again: [Ding! Detected host's life is in critical condition. Do you wish to consume Experience Points to restore all stamina and true qi, and temporarily increase defense by 100%, lasting for 5 minutes?]

"Yes!" Fang Yan chose yes without hesitation.

[Ding! Experience Points consumed. Stamina and true qi have been restored. Defense temporarily increased by 100%.]

Instantly, a warm current surged into Fang Yan's body. His stamina and true qi returned to their peak state, and his wounds began to heal rapidly. At the same time, he felt as if his body was enveloped in an invisible shield, greatly enhancing his defense.

The Exotic Race general's bone knife struck Fang Yan's body, producing only a crisp sound, causing no damage.

"What?" The Exotic Race general's face showed disbelief.

Fang Yan sneered, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "It's my turn!"

He circulated the Prairie Fire Spear Technique, and his spear thrust out like lightning. The Exotic Race general didn't even have time to react before its heart was pierced by the spear, and it fell to the ground.

After dealing with the Exotic Race general, Fang Yan surveyed the surroundings. By now, more than half of the Exotic Race army had been killed or wounded, and the rest had become like birds startled by a bow, beginning to flee.

"Pursue!" Fang Yan roared, leading his soldiers in pursuit.

After more than half an hour of chasing, the remaining Exotic Race soldiers were finally annihilated. The ground at the canyon entrance was littered with Exotic Race corpses, blood staining the earth, and the air filled with a strong smell of blood.

The battle was finally over. The soldiers of the Vanguard Camp collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. But on their faces, the smiles of victory bloomed.

Fang Yan also breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned on his spear, looking at the tragic scene before him with mixed emotions. The Vanguard Camp had also paid a heavy price in this battle, with hundreds of soldiers falling forever here.

"Calculate casualties, treat the wounded, and clear the battlefield," Fang Yan said in a deep voice.

"Yes!" Zhao Hu and Li Gang immediately led the soldiers into action.

Fang Yan opened the System panel and looked at the remaining Experience Points, shaking his head helplessly. After a great battle, he had consumed a large amount of Experience Points. What he thought was enough Experience Points was now just this little bit remaining.

"It seems there's still a long way to go before I can break through to Martial King Third Layer," Fang Yan muttered to himself.

Just then, he felt the True Qi within his body begin to surge, showing signs of a breakthrough. His heart stirred, and he immediately sat down cross-legged, circulated his Cultivation Technique, and began to guide his True Qi to impact the bottleneck of Martial King Third Layer.

As the Cultivation Technique circulated, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi continuously poured into his body, transforming into True Qi and impacting the bottleneck.

"Rumble!" A loud noise echoed within his body. The bottleneck was broken!

Fang Yan's aura instantly surged, and a powerful pressure emanated from him. He had successfully broken through to Martial King Third Layer!

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for breaking through to Martial King Third Layer. Reward: Experience Points, Unlock New Feature: Martial Skill Fusion.]

"Martial Skill Fusion?" Fang Yan's heart rejoiced, and he quickly checked the System panel.

Martial Skill Fusion: Consume a certain amount of Experience Points to fuse two or more Martial Skills into a new Martial Skill. The power of the new Martial Skill will far surpass the original Martial Skills.

"Excellent!" Fang Yan clenched his fists excitedly. With this feature, his strength would be greatly enhanced.

He stood up and looked at the soldiers clearing the battlefield, his eyes filled with hope. Although this battle had been hard-fought, they had won. Moreover, he had broken through to Martial King Second Layer and unlocked a new feature.

"Brothers, we won!" Fang Yan shouted loudly.

Hearing his voice, the soldiers looked up, and seeing the powerful aura emanating from him, their faces showed expressions of surprise and joy.

"The Commander has broken through!"

"That's great! We're saved!"

The soldiers cheered, their fatigue vanishing.

Fang Yan smiled and said loudly, "You've all worked hard! Although we paid a heavy price today, we successfully repelled the Exotic Races' army and defended our homeland! I believe that as long as we work together, nothing can stop us!"

"Work together, defend our homeland!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices deafening.

Under the setting sun, on the battlefield at the canyon entrance, the soldiers of the Vanguard Camp raised their weapons and cheered for victory. Their figures, bathed in the sunset, appeared exceptionally tall.

Fang Yan knew this was just the beginning. The threat of the Exotic Races still existed, and greater challenges awaited them. But he was confident that with the System's help and the company of these brave soldiers, he would definitely lead the Vanguard Camp to overcome all difficulties and protect this land.