War Erupts Again!

"Ding Hao!"

"Though I know you were forced to strike back and could absolve you of responsibility, I'm afraid someone won't be willing to let this go!"

A grave look surfaced in Ding Yishan's eyes as he said to Ding Hao, "Do you know why Zhang Dahu, a first-class good-for-nothing, could hold the position of Death Row Camp commander—a post on par with a commander of a thousand men?"

Without waiting for Ding Hao's reply, he gave the answer himself. "Because he has an elder brother named Zhang Dalong, the fiercest general of our Divine Phoenix Army. In both status and strength, he surpasses even me by a notch!"

"Now that Zhang Dahu died by your hand, once Zhang Dalong learns of it—and learns that you are a death row convict—he definitely won't let you off easily!"

Zhang Dalong!

The Divine Phoenix Army's fiercest general!

Ding Hao's expression instantly turned grim. Although he had known when he killed Zhang Dahu that Zhang Dahu had an elder brother backing him, he had never expected that backer to be so close by—and to possess status and strength even greater than Ding Yishan's.

If he ran into the man now, killing him would probably be easier than crushing an ant!

"Fuck!"

"It's all that bitch Xia Weiyang's fault!"

At that moment, Ding Hao silently cursed Empress Xia Weiyang.

If she had not erased his Merit of First to Ascend with a single stroke, how would Zhang Dahu have dared retaliate against him? And how would he have ended up offending Zhang Dalong because of it?

Seeing Ding Hao's ugly expression, Ding Yishan could only comfort him. "But don't worry. As long as I'm here, I will never allow Zhang Dalong to openly lay a hand on you!"

Of course.

What he meant between the lines was that if Zhang Dalong secretly plotted against him, Ding Yishan would have no way to stop it either. This filled Ding Hao with worry!

When all was said and done, he was still too weak. If he were strong enough, why would he fear Zhang Dalong?

Looks like I still need to take part in more battles and pick up corpses to grow stronger!

A fierce longing rose in Ding Hao's heart. He could hardly wait to raise his saber and charge onto the battlefield!

Whether it was coincidence or fate at work, in the very next moment, a messenger soldier rushed up from the foot of the mountain in a panic.

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Report!"

"General Ding, urgent dispatch from the front lines!!"

Ding Yishan's face changed sharply. He hurriedly took the battle report and began reading it!

After finishing it, he was plunged into immense anxiety.

"Quick, quick, quick!"

"Our Divine Phoenix Army's fifty-thousand main force has been ambushed by three hundred thousand Northern Barbarian troops in the Tianman Mountain Range!"

"Commander Luo has sent an urgent order, commanding the ten scattered armies to rush to their aid at once!"

"Pass on this general's order: leave only five hundred soldiers behind to defend Duan Yun Pass. Everyone else is to break camp and reinforce the front lines at maximum speed!"

The moment Ding Yishan gave the order, the soldiers throughout Duan Yun Pass began breaking camp!

As for Ding Hao's matter, he no longer had the mind to concern himself with it!

But the Death Row Camp was also part of the Divine Phoenix Army, and it naturally followed along!

Yet as they watched war erupt once more—and saw that they were heading straight for the front lines—all the death row convicts who had survived earlier were once again as grief-stricken as if their parents had died.

Only Ding Hao was already bursting with excitement and anticipation!

After all, whether he wanted to gather the Four Great Military Merits and cast off his identity as a death row convict, or rapidly increase his strength, he needed—war!

And so, after a forced march, Ding Yishan led the army eight hundred li in just half a day, drawing close to the Tianman Mountain Range.

The Divine Phoenix Army soldiers were still doing all right. Though exhausted, they suffered no serious problems. But the Death Row Camp soldiers had been run so hard that dozens died on the road!

Before gaining his cheat, with a body drained dry by Empress Weiyang, Ding Hao would likely have died on the way as well. But now, after rushing eight hundred li, his heart did not pound and his breath did not quicken!

The army now happened to stand on high ground. With a single glance downward—

A great number of Divine Phoenix Army soldiers were battling Northern Barbarian soldiers below!

Looking farther into the distance, clouds of dust rolled through the air. Horses neighed, weapons clashed, and all manner of battle cries shook the heavens and echoed across the land!

"Move!"

"All soldiers, including the Death Row Camp—charge into battle with this general!"

There was no hesitation and no pause. At Ding Yishan's command—

More than ten thousand Divine Phoenix Army soldiers and death row convicts surged down the mountain like a flood, instantly joining the battle ahead!

Ding Hao was among the fastest, charging even more swiftly than most Divine Phoenix Army soldiers. With the Mysterious Iron Saber in hand, he was among the first to kill his way onto the battlefield!

By now, this battle had already raged for most of the day!

With a single glance—

Corpses lay everywhere, and light orbs were scattered around every body.

Seeing this, Ding Hao naturally refused no one, crazily looting corpses!

Ding! Congratulations, Host, for picking up 10 points of Vitality!

Ding! Congratulations, Host, for picking up 10 points of Vitality!

Ding! Congratulations, Host, for picking up 5 points of Comprehension!

Ding! Congratulations, Host, for picking up 3 points of Spirit!

As he looted corpses, Ding Hao also began slaughtering enemies across the battlefield!

He was now a Fifth-rank Peak Martial Artist. Though ordinary Northern Barbarian soldiers were large of stature, they were only First or Second Rank!

Naturally, they could not withstand his assaults. The Mysterious Iron Saber in his hand howled through the air, and every slash felled at least one Northern Barbarian soldier.

"Haha!"

"Brothers, our reinforcements are here! Kill these barbarians!"

Seeing the reinforcements arrive, the Great Zhou soldiers who had been surrounded and attacked were all thrilled. Their morale soared as they began a frenzied counterattack against the Northern Barbarian soldiers!

Before long.

This force of Northern Barbarian soldiers on the outskirts was completely wiped out!

Only when there were no more enemies around him did Ding Hao finally stop, still wanting more!

"Fuse!"

With a thought, he fused the Vitality attributes he had just accumulated!

A boom resounded within his body, and he directly advanced to a Sixth-rank Martial Artist!

"Veteran!"

"How is the battle going now? Where is Commander Luo?"

Elsewhere, Ding Yishan was questioning an old soldier on the battlefield!

The old soldier wore a grave expression. "General Ding, the Northern Barbarians' army of three hundred thousand ambushed us here. Our fifty thousand troops were scattered long ago—I don't know where Commander Luo is now either!"

"But I do know that several of our forces have come to reinforce the outskirts of the battlefield. There are General Zhao, General Huang, General Wei, and others!"

After hearing this.

Ding Yishan did not hesitate and hurriedly said, "Everyone, continue fighting through the outskirts with me and link up with the other Divine Phoenix Army forces!"

After that, Ding Yishan led his soldiers in a sweeping slaughter through the outskirts.

Wherever they passed, the scattered Northern Barbarian soldiers on the perimeter were all exterminated. Ding Hao and the other Death Row Camp soldiers did not even get a chance to strike!

Although he could not fight, it did not stop Ding Hao from looting corpses all the way!

His attributes continued to surge wildly... This feeling of growing stronger also lessened his sense of crisis, putting his heart much more at ease!

In the end.

Ding Yishan successfully joined up with the other forces that had come to reinforce them!

The Great Zhou Divine Phoenix Army was an army of one hundred and fifty thousand. Including miscellaneous irregular troops from the Death Row Camp, Kitchen Camp, Logistics Camp, and the like—

It numbered a full one hundred and eighty thousand. At present, seventy to eighty thousand had gathered on the outskirts!

Once everyone had joined forces, Ding Yishan shared battlefield intelligence with the other generals, only to discover a life-or-death matter!

Luo Shenhuang, commander of the Great Zhou Divine Phoenix Army and known as the Female War God—

Together with over ten thousand soldiers, she was trapped deep in the center of the Northern Barbarians' army of three hundred thousand!!