Battle on the Wasteland

As Lu Yuan's voice fell, the Cloud-Piercing Crane-Wing Formation was already set. The entire unit was led by Lu Yuan at the front, with over a dozen men following behind him to form the crane's beak.

The others were divided on both sides to form the crane's wings, responsible for reaping the lives of the scattered Northern Barbarians.

Their division of labor was extremely clear.

Just as the formation was completed, the Northern Barbarian unit appeared in the distance.

Manyan Hun was a warrior of the younger generation of the Manyan Tribe, known for his ferocity, and he wielded an octagonal war hammer weighing three hundred and eighty catties.

He was followed by over eighty warriors of the Manyan Tribe, all clad in leather armor and armed with blades.

Since coming out this time, Manyan Hun had gained too many benefits, having slaughtered hundreds of Great Yong soldiers.

The spoils of war were countless.

Yet, what troubled him was that he had yet to find a unit that had killed any Iron Sparrowhawks.

Without being able to bring back the enemy's head, this battle would ultimately be imperfect.

The flesh on his face rippled like waves with the jolting of his warhorse.

At this moment, a unit in the distance caught his attention.

A Squad Leader at his side reminded him, "It's a Great Yong unit."

"I can see that," Manyan Hun shouted loudly.

He then turned his head and roared to those behind him, "Charge!"

He did not hold the people opposite him in any regard, for he had already lost count of how many Great Yong scouts he had killed in recent days.

Each time, whether it was dozens or hundreds, they had been slaughtered and left in disarray.

Therefore, he was equally certain of victory in this battle.

"Chirp!"

At this moment, Lu Yuan's Cloud-Piercing Crane-Wing Formation had fully unfolded and was charging toward the Manyan Tribe unit at an incredible speed.

As they tore through the air, a faint sound like the cry of a crane could be heard.

Under the amplification of the military formation, every soldier felt as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline; they felt as though they were aided by gods.

Not only was their speed much faster than usual, but their strength had also increased significantly.

Lu Yuan held the Tiger-Head Heaven-Swallowing Blade, charging at the very front. As the crane's beak, his role was the most critical; he had to scatter the opponents in the first wave of the charge, otherwise, the wings would not be able to exert their power, and there would even be a danger of having their wings clipped.

Therefore, his face was stern, and his muscles were taut.

A pale golden light emanated from beneath his skin.

As the two sides closed in, his war blade slashed toward Manyan Hun. This strike was heavy and powerful, the third move of the Five-Tiger Array-Breaking Blade: Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain.

The sound of a tiger's roar echoed from the blade's edge.

Borrowing the momentum of his horse, the impact was terrifying.

Although Lu Yuan was only at the Bone-Forging Realm, his strength and speed had already surpassed the Tendon-Refining stage, and with the addition of the military formation, his full-force swing was naturally terrifying.

Manyan Hun did not care, raising his war hammer to meet the blow.

"Clang!"

When the two collided, sparks flew, and the octagonal hammer in his hand was knocked away. His arm trembled, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger split, and his palm dripped with blood.

Before he could react, he saw a large blade growing larger in his vision.

Then, a pain in his neck, and he lost consciousness.

In the eyes of others, they only saw the two clash before Manyan Hun's head was cleaved off, and blood sprayed like a fountain from his hollow neck.

Lu Yuan did not stop; he caught the flying head with his left hand, tossed it into a burlap sack on the right side of his horse, and continued his charge.

A Bone-Forging Realm warrior behind Manyan Hun was swept by the blade's edge; his chest armor and flesh were instantly split open, and blood gushed from his chest cavity as he tumbled from his horse.

Lu Yuan didn't even lift his eyelids; he thrust the tail of his blade with force, and the sharp armor-piercing spike penetrated the abdomen of another Northern Barbarian warrior.

He hoisted the man up and flung him away.

He was like a red-hot blade plunged into a snowfield, melting everything that stood in his way in an instant.

The Northern Barbarians behind habitually scattered.

But waiting for them were the crane wings, already prepared.

The spear tips charged like a forest; they barely needed any technique, as long as they held their spears upright, someone on the other side would be skewered and knocked down.

Seeing this scene, Zhou He said to his subordinates behind him, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance to earn merit. Killing one person is worth triple the military credit. The Northern Barbarian formation has been completely scattered by my brother.

We won't go head-to-head with the main force, but if any escape on the flanks, kill them directly.

How many heads you get depends on your own ability."

As he spoke, he impatiently led his men toward the flank of the military formation.

One head was worth triple the military credit and reward money; truthfully, killing just one person earned more than an entire outing in the past.

Furthermore, there was almost no danger.

The group naturally followed behind Zhou He, howling as they launched their charge.

At this moment, this elite unit of the Northern Barbarians had already become a turtle in a jar for Lu Yuan and his men.

Meanwhile, the system's voice rang out incessantly in the mind of his opponent.

[Host killed an opponent, Five-Tiger Array-Breaking Blade proficiency +10]

[Host blocked an opponent's attack, Iron-Bone Golden Bell Cover proficiency +10]

[Host charged the formation once, Cloud-Piercing Crane-Wing Formation proficiency +10]

Lu Yuan could clearly feel his strength increasing.

At the same time, Zhang Zhe's first battle after arriving at the Northern Frontier nearly cost him his life. Just as he was excitedly leading his troops to charge toward the enemy, he discovered that his opponents were not the elite cavalry of the Manyan Tribe at all, but Iron Sparrowhawks with eyes like wolves and battle intent as sharp as blades.

It was fortunate that Bai Hong, who was behind him, pulled Zhang Zhe back just in time to save his life; as for the others, they were not so lucky.

The elites brought over from Yun Province continued their charge, unaware of the situation, and in just a single exchange, more than half of them were shot down from their horses by the Iron Sparrowhawks.

Then, they scattered in a panic.

Using his subordinates as human shields, Zhang Zhe and Bai Hong fled for their lives for an entire morning before finally returning to a place not far from Yellow Sand City.

By now, both men and horses were exhausted.

Looking at the mere handful of men following behind him, the former swallowed hard and said, "Teacher, we failed. Everyone is dead. How am I supposed to explain this when I return? It's all over."

Bai Hong straightened his attire and said, "Do not panic. We were supposed to be dealing with the Manyan Tribe's elite cavalry; encountering the Iron Sparrowhawks this time is not your fault. Anyone else in your position would have fared no better. The Helian Clan will not blame you for this. Being able to survive after facing a full squadron of Iron Sparrowhawks head-on is an achievement in itself."

Seeing that Zhang Zhe was still somewhat fearful, he continued to console him, "Yun Mo of Tiger Hill City led a hundred elites and encountered only a few dozen Iron Sparrowhawks, yet he returned severely wounded and in a sorry state, and no one dared to call him incompetent. You are no different; just stay calm. Aside from those few legendary generals, there is no commander who has never known defeat."

After these words, Zhang Zhe finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He led his few remaining soldiers toward Yellow Sand Fortress.

At the same time, Zhou Hongling urged her horse toward Ice Plain City while speaking to the messenger behind her, "Immediately send a pigeon to the fortress. Have someone search the wilderness for traces of Lu Yuan and his men. Once found, tell them that the situation has changed and that he must return at top speed; he must not linger in the wilderness any longer."

"Understood!"

After receiving the order, the messenger dismounted immediately to write the message. He then pulled a pigeon from a cage on his back, tucked the note into the scroll, and released it into the air.

Watching the pigeon fly into the sky, Zhou Hongling couldn't help but think, I hope it's not too late.