Encountering the Iron Sparrowhawks

The scene of battle was direct and bloody, a brutal collision where long sabers, date-pit maces, and spiked clubs rained down upon the opponents.

The unit led by Lu Yuan pierced through the enemy formation time and again, the Soldier Marks blooming from his body growing increasingly distinct, coating every warrior in his squad.

They formed a shape like a physical arrowhead.

It sliced and bored through the Northern Barbarian cavalry.

The battle lasted for about an hour; after paying the price of three dead and two wounded, the eleven men around Lu Yuan wiped out all thirty-four Northern Barbarians.

In this engagement, twenty-one enemies had fallen by Lu Yuan's own hand.

Among them were eight skilled fighters who had reached the entry level.

The harvest this time was substantial, but the cost was equally heavy.

After patting his drenched horse, Lu Yuan addressed the men behind him, "Everyone, dismount and collect the spoils. Load our fallen brothers onto the horses. We only have the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, so move quickly."

He had a faint premonition that more Northern Barbarian cavalry were nearby.

They could not stay here for long.

"Yes, sir." Wei Yong was now completely convinced by Lu Yuan.

He responded, jumped off his horse, and nimbly began searching the corpses.

The haul this time was not small; as long as they made it back, everyone would be rich.

Lu Yuan did not dismount, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings as he kept watch.

However, the men consciously gathered his share first: twenty-one warhorses, twenty-one severed heads, and various sets of armor and valuables, all tied onto the horses in saddlebags.

The moment the incense stick burned out, everyone mounted their horses once more.

They drove the horses forward, heading in the direction of Ice Plain City.

Old Huang handed an Iron-Core Bow to Lu Yuan, along with several large quivers of Wolf-Hair Arrows.

He was a meticulous man; although he hadn't played a major role in the recent fight, he was the most thoughtful when it came to gathering supplies, which was one of the reasons Lu Yuan brought him along every time.

The sky had turned dark, but the group dared not stop, chewing on dry rations while riding.

The three fallen brothers were laid horizontally across the backs of the horses.

Their legs swayed with the movement of the mounts.

Now, including the wounded, Lu Yuan's unit was down to only nine men.

They moved with great caution.

Yet, what was meant to come would come eventually; when they were less than forty miles from Ice Plain City, a dark mass appeared ahead. There were about forty people, but the aura they exuded was entirely different.

These men were strong, and the scent of blood on them was carried by the wind, clear enough for Lu Yuan to smell.

It made his scalp tingle; he could never have imagined that this mission would involve so many bizarre occurrences.

The Northern Barbarian scouts, usually scattered, had gathered together, and they had even encountered an elite force rarely seen in the past.

"Sir, it's the Northern Barbarian Eagle Banner," Old Huang said, his voice trembling.

Seeing that Lu Yuan didn't immediately react, he continued, "The Northern Barbarian Eagle Banner is the exclusive standard of the Iron Sparrowhawks. This is a unit of Iron Sparrowhawks, just as famous as our Northern Frontier's Night Scouts. They are very strong."

Wei Yong wiped the dripping blood from his war hammer and gritted his teeth. "We've come this far, let's fight to the death."

Those who could hold their ground in the Northern Frontier were born with a ruthless streak.

Since they had run into the Iron Sparrowhawks, there was no other way; they had to fight.

Lu Yuan glanced at the enemy's horses. "They are all fine steeds from the wasteland; we can't outrun them, so we fight to the death."

"Yoo-hoo!"

The Iron Sparrowhawks opposite them had also spotted Lu Yuan and his men, but they didn't charge immediately. Instead, they pulled into a wide circle, rotating around them while letting out various shouts.

The shrill sounds were grating.

Lu Yuan frowned.

The Arrowhead Formation, used by the rank-and-file soldiers of Great Yong, had one advantage: it was not limited by numbers. Even three people could form the formation.

With nine men, it was more than enough.

Wei Yong and the others dropped their loot and tightened their armor, preparing to risk their lives.

"If any brothers make it back, the spoils from this time must be delivered to the families of the fallen without a single coin missing. Furthermore, take a portion from your own shares and leave it for the widows of our fallen brothers."

As soon as Lu Yuan finished speaking, he drew his Iron-Core Bow.

At that very moment, the Iron Sparrowhawks circling them also drew their bows and arrows, firing toward Lu Yuan and his men in the center.

"Use the captured horses as a perimeter to block the arrows."

Before Lu Yuan's words had even faded, he had already pulled his Iron-Core Bow to a full moon.

Then, he fired toward the front.

"Swish! Swish!"

He was fast, firing seven or eight arrows in quick succession within a short span of time, and seven or eight Iron Sparrowhawks circling them plummeted from their horses in an instant.

"Neigh!"

At the same time, the warhorses that had just been driven to the perimeter to shield Lu Yuan and his men let out shrill cries, their bodies instantly pierced by the Iron Sparrowhawks' arrows as they collapsed to the ground.

Fortunately, none of his men were hit.

Although everyone felt heartbroken over the loss of so many warhorses, they had no time to dwell on it.

They simply continued to drive the remaining horses to circle the perimeter.

Lu Yuan gripped his Iron-Core Bow, his hands moving even faster.

"Twang! Twang!"

Every vibration of the bowstring sent another Iron Sparrowhawk falling.

He was being very careful this time, so there were no accidents involving the Iron-Core Bow snapping.

As the arrows flew in rapid succession, a man fell with every shot.

In a short time, over a dozen Iron Sparrowhawks had died by his arrows.

The number of enemies dropped from over forty to fewer than thirty.

Meanwhile, the enemy's arrows were all blocked by the warhorses running around Lu Yuan and his men.

The centurion leading the opposing force was a man standing two meters tall, clad in refined copper armor with a ferocious expression.

He knew he had been careless, having underestimated this small unit of Great Yong soldiers, which had led to irreparable losses.

His face turned livid, and his eyes grew exceptionally sinister in the night, like a vulture in the wilderness.

"Charge and finish them!"

Seeing that hunting them with bows and arrows was not working, he prepared for close-quarters combat.

"Everyone, mount up! Prepare to engage!"

They had all dismounted to block the arrows, but now, seeing the Iron Sparrowhawks charging in for melee combat, they scrambled back onto their horses.

They reformed their ranks, knowing clearly that their only hope now lay in their military formation.

After mounting his horse, Lu Yuan did not discard his bow, instead firing several more shots in succession.

Only after killing a few more men did he toss the Iron-Core Bow aside, draw his long saber, and shout, "Kill!"

He then set his sights on the centurion leading the Iron Sparrowhawks.

This man's cultivation was in the Tendon Refining Realm; if they utilized their military formation, they were not without a chance of victory.

As long as he was taken out, the battle would become much easier.

At the very least, it would give Lu Yuan and his men a better chance at survival.

The opposing centurion was beyond furious; they had never suffered such losses before.

A mere dozen-man unit from Great Yong had actually caused so many of his subordinates to die.

He vowed to peel the skin off these men and inlay it onto his saddle.