An hour later.
The soldiers of the Star Luo Army's rear guard heard a rumble from behind them.
It was not thunder, but hoofbeats.
The hoofbeats of tens of thousands of horses.
They looked back, and their pupils abruptly contracted.
A black tide was surging toward them through the valley behind them.
Heavy cavalry.
And heavy cavalry mounted on Horned Scale Horses—soul beasts.
"Enemy attack—!"
A shrill cry tore through the mountain's silence.
The rear guard commander's expression changed drastically as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Form ranks! Form ranks! Shield-bearers in front, spearmen behind!"
The soldiers hurriedly turned and formed up, but before their formation could take shape, the Heavenly Strategy Army's first wave of attacks had already arrived.
A thousand meters away.
Three thousand cavalrymen simultaneously raised the heavy crossbows mounted on their horses.
Thrum! Thrum!
The vibrating bowstrings blended together like a muffled clap of thunder.
More than a thousand bolts poured down like torrential rain, striking the Star Luo Army's rear guard formation with precision from a thousand meters away.
Piercing armor, punching through shields, tearing flesh apart.
Before the front-row shield-bearers could even set up a shield wall, bolts had already pierced their bodies.
Rows upon rows of men fell. Corpses piled into mounds, and blood soaked into the earth.
"Retreat! Retreat—!"
The rear guard commander screamed himself hoarse.
But before his voice had faded, the Heavenly Strategy Army's second volley had arrived.
Another thousand-plus bolts fell precisely upon the heads of the soldiers trying to regroup.
This time, the casualties were even worse. The spearmen in the rear had their breastplates pierced and fell with agonized screams.
Three thousand heavy crossbows, three rounds of volleys.
The assault never ceased.
"Too weak."
Qin Ming sneered and raised a hand.
"Advance!"
"General,