Bloodied Vanguard

The vanguard of the alien army had reached the mouth of the canyon. At its head was a giant bear-like alien standing three zhang tall, its entire body covered in thick blackish-brown fur. A pair of bell-like eyes glared fixedly at the formation of the Vanguard Camp, drool trickling from the corners of its mouth. It gripped a gigantic stone axe, whose blade still bore dried blood and gave off a nauseating stench of gore.

"Human brats, obediently surrender, and I, this commander, will let you die a quicker death!" The giant bear alien's voice exploded like thunder, shaking the soldiers' eardrums until they buzzed.

Fang Yan's gaze sharpened. He gave the spear in his hand a slight shake, pointing its tip straight at the giant bear alien. "Cut the crap. If you've got what it takes, come and try me!"

"Fool who doesn't know when he's about to die!" The giant bear alien roared, raised its stone axe, and charged at the Vanguard Camp first. The alien soldiers behind it also let out snarls and followed close behind like a surging tide. Their densely packed figures instantly blotted out part of the sky above the canyon entrance.

"Fire!" Fang Yan shouted.

The archers, who had long since made ready, immediately released their bowstrings. Thousands of arrows shot toward the alien army like raindrops. They carved arcs through the air, then thudded into the bodies of the alien soldiers, sending a swath of them tumbling down.

But the alien army was simply too numerous. Those who had fallen were only the tip of the iceberg. The remaining alien soldiers, fearless even in the face of death, continued charging toward the Vanguard Camp.

"Kill!" Zhao Hu wielded a great saber and led the soldiers on the left wing to meet them. With one slash, a fierce saber aura instantly cleaved two Bone Refining Realm alien soldiers in half.

Li Gang was no less fierce. He circulated his true qi, clenched both fists, and struck at the alien soldiers on the right wing. When his fists landed, it was like meteorites smashing into the ground; several alien soldiers were crushed into meat paste in an instant.

Fang Yan led the central army in a direct assault against the giant bear alien. He pushed Prairie Fire Spear Technique to its utmost limits. As his spear danced, layer upon layer of spear shadows carried scorching heat and swept toward the giant bear alien like a prairie fire.

"Clang!" The giant bear alien raised its stone axe and blocked Fang Yan's spear. The immense force left Fang Yan's arm numb and his tiger's mouth faintly aching. He was startled inwardly. The giant bear alien's strength was actually this terrifying—several notches stronger than the alien commander at the early Profound Connection Realm he had faced before.

"Not bad strength, brat!" The giant bear alien sneered. Its arm suddenly exerted force, and the stone axe came cleaving toward Fang Yan's skull with a howling gale.

Fang Yan did not dare be careless. He swiftly sidestepped. The stone axe skimmed past his scalp and smashed a gigantic pit into the ground. Seizing the opening, he thrust his spear forward, aiming straight for the giant bear alien's chest.

The giant bear alien reacted extremely quickly and immediately used its arm to block the spear. With a "pfft," the spear pierced its thick fur, but its tough hide stopped it from going deeper, preventing any fatal injury.

"Hahahaha! With just that little ability, you think you can hurt me?" The giant bear alien laughed wildly, seized the spear, and flung it with all its might. Fang Yan felt an enormous force surge through him, and his body was involuntarily hurled away.

"Commander!" the soldiers cried out in alarm, wanting to rush over and help.

"Don't come!" Fang Yan steadied himself in midair. After landing, he staggered several steps before managing to stand firm. He looked at the giant bear alien, a trace of gravity flashing through his eyes. This giant bear alien was not only immensely strong; its defense was astonishing as well. A head-on clash would likely end badly.

At that moment, the system's voice rang out in his mind:

[Ding! Host detected facing a powerful enemy. Would you like to consume Experience Points to temporarily raise Prairie Fire Spear Technique proficiency to the Grandmaster level (proficiency: /) for 10 minutes?]

Fang Yan's heart stirred. This was truly help arriving in the snow! "Yes!"

[Ding! Experience Points consumed. Prairie Fire Spear Technique proficiency temporarily raised to the Grandmaster level.]

As the Experience Points were deducted, an even vaster stream of information surged into Fang Yan's mind. At the same time, his understanding of Prairie Fire Spear Technique instantly reached an entirely new height. The spear in his hand seemed to have gained a life of its own, radiating dazzling golden light.

"Again!" Fang Yan shouted and charged at the giant bear alien once more. This time, his spear technique was faster and sharper. As the spear shadows flickered, they resembled countless golden dragons dancing through the air, carrying an earth-shattering, heaven-destroying momentum.

The giant bear alien's expression changed. Sensing the transformation in Fang Yan's spear technique, it no longer dared to be careless. It raised its stone axe again and defended with all its strength.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The spear and stone axe collided repeatedly, ringing out with crisp sounds. Sparks flew in all directions, and the surrounding air trembled from the impacts.

After several exchanges, the giant bear alien gradually fell onto the back foot. Its arms began to go numb, and the movements of its stone axe grew slower and slower. Fang Yan, meanwhile, fought with increasing ferocity. His spear technique became more and more practiced, every thrust aimed straight at a vital point of the giant bear alien.

"Pfft!" At last, Fang Yan seized an opening and drove his spear viciously into the giant bear alien's chest. This time, the spear broke through its hide and pierced its heart.

The giant bear alien let out a shrill, miserable howl. Its body swayed, then crashed heavily to the ground, utterly devoid of life.

"Long live the commander!" Seeing the giant bear alien slain, the soldiers of the Vanguard Camp were greatly heartened and cheered in unison.

Fang Yan pulled out his spear and shook the blood from it. He looked at the remaining alien army, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes. "Kill! Leave none alive!"

Under his leadership, the soldiers of the Vanguard Camp charged into the alien army like tigers plunging into a flock of sheep. The power of Prairie Fire Spear Technique at the Grandmaster level was displayed to the fullest. With every thrust, Fang Yan could often instantly kill several alien soldiers. Zhao Hu and Li Gang also led the soldiers of the left and right wings in a valiant assault, and the alien army instantly descended into chaos.

But the alien army was simply too numerous. Even after losing its commander, it still resisted desperately. The battle was exceptionally brutal, and both sides suffered heavy casualties.

Fang Yan's body was also drenched in blood—some belonging to the aliens, some his own. His stamina had been drained severely, and almost none of his true qi remained. But he knew he could not retreat. The moment he did, the entire Vanguard Camp would be wiped out.

Just then, he saw an alien general at the early Profound Connection Realm surrounding and attacking several wounded soldiers. His heart tightened, and he immediately charged over.

"Stop!" Fang Yan shouted. He thrust out his spear, forcing the alien general back.

When the alien general saw Fang Yan, fear flashed through its eyes, but greed quickly replaced it. "Brat, you killed our commander. Today, I'll avenge it!"

It wielded a bone saber and hacked at Fang Yan. Fang Yan circulated the little true qi he had left and raised his spear to block.

"Clang!" A deafening impact rang out. Fang Yan was shaken backward again and again, and he could not stop a mouthful of blood from spraying out. His injuries had grown even more serious.

Seeing this, the alien general revealed a savage grin. "Hahahaha! You're finished! Die!"

It raised the bone saber again and hacked toward Fang Yan's neck. At this critical moment, the system's voice rang out once more:

[Ding! Host detected in mortal danger. Would you like to consume Experience Points to restore all stamina and true qi and temporarily increase defense by 100% for 5 minutes?]

"Yes!" Fang Yan chose yes without the slightest hesitation.

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

In an instant, a warm current surged through Fang Yan's body. His stamina and true qi instantly returned to their peak, while the wounds on his body rapidly healed. At the same time, he felt as if his body had been wrapped in an invisible shield, his defensive power rising dramatically.

The alien general's bone saber struck Fang Yan's body and produced only a crisp clang, failing to inflict any damage.

"What?" The alien general wore an expression of utter disbelief.

Fang Yan let out a cold laugh, killing intent flashing through his eyes. "Now it's my turn!"

He circulated Prairie Fire Spear Technique, and his spear shot out like lightning. Before the alien general could even react, the spear had pierced through its heart, and it collapsed to the ground.

After dealing with the alien general, Fang Yan looked around. By then, more than half of the alien army had been killed or wounded. The survivors had become frightened birds startled by the twang of a bowstring and began fleeing in all directions.

"Pursue them!" Fang Yan shouted and led the soldiers after them.

After more than half an hour of pursuit and slaughter, the remaining alien soldiers were finally annihilated. The ground at the canyon entrance was blanketed with alien corpses, fresh blood staining the earth red, while the air was thick with the pungent smell of blood.

The battle had finally ended. The soldiers of the Vanguard Camp were so exhausted that they collapsed onto the ground one by one, gasping heavily. Yet smiles of victory appeared on their faces.

Fang Yan also let out a sigh of relief. Leaning against his spear, he looked at the carnage before him, his heart filled with conflicting emotions. The Vanguard Camp had paid a tremendous price in this battle; hundreds of soldiers had fallen here forever.

"Count the casualties, treat the wounded, and clear the battlefield," Fang Yan ordered in a low voice.

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

Fang Yan opened the system panel and looked at his remaining Experience Points, shaking his head helplessly. After one great battle, he had consumed a massive amount of Experience Points. The supply he had once thought sufficient had now been reduced to this pitiful remainder.

"Looks like I still have a long way to go before breaking through to the Martial King Third Layer," Fang Yan murmured to himself.

At that moment, he felt the true qi within his body begin to stir, as though he were showing signs of a breakthrough. His heart stirred, and he immediately sat down cross-legged, circulated his Cultivation Technique, and began guiding his true qi against the bottleneck of the Martial King Third Layer.

As the Cultivation Technique circulated, the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth continuously poured into his body, transforming into true qi and battering the bottleneck.

"Rumble!" A thunderous boom rang out within his body. The bottleneck had been broken through!

Fang Yan's aura instantly surged, and powerful pressure radiated from his body. He had successfully broken through to the Martial King Third Layer!

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on breaking through to the Martial King Third Layer. Experience Points awarded. New function unlocked: Martial Skill Fusion.]

"Martial Skill Fusion?" Fang Yan was delighted and hurriedly checked the system panel.

Martial Skill Fusion: By consuming a certain amount of Experience Points, two or more Martial Skills can be fused into a new Martial Skill. The new Martial Skill's power will far exceed that of the original Martial Skills.

"Excellent!" Fang Yan excitedly clenched his fists. With this function, his strength would rise tremendously once again.

He stood up and looked at the soldiers clearing the battlefield, hope filling his eyes. Although this battle had been extremely difficult, they had won. Moreover, he had broken through to the Martial King Second Layer and unlocked a new function.

"Brothers, we won!" Fang Yan shouted.

Hearing his voice, the soldiers raised their heads one after another. When they saw the powerful aura radiating from him, surprise and joy appeared on all their faces.

"The commander broke through!"

"Wonderful! We're saved!"

The soldiers erupted into cheers, their exhaustion swept away.

Fang Yan smiled and called out loudly, "You've all worked hard! Today, although we paid a tremendous price, we successfully repelled the alien army and protected our homeland! I believe that as long as we stand united, nothing can stop us!"

"Stand united and protect our homeland!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Under the setting sun, on the battlefield at the mouth of the canyon, the soldiers of the Vanguard Camp raised their weapons high and cheered their victory. Bathed in the sunset, their figures appeared exceptionally tall and mighty.

Fang Yan knew this was only the beginning. The alien threat still existed, and even greater challenges awaited them. But he had confidence. As long as he had the system's help and these brave soldiers at his side, he would surely lead the Vanguard Camp through every hardship and protect this land.