Zichuan Mingri's Death? An Army of Monsters!

Zichuan Mingri led the cavalry in repeated charges to hold back the enemy. One soldier after another left the charging formation at his side, collapsing to the ground.

By the end, only ten warriors remained around him. Their warhorses had long since fallen in the slaughter.

The corpses of demon soldiers were piled all around them. The ten men stood back-to-back in a tight circle, protecting the young clan leader, whose body was covered in wounds, at its center.

Two thousand demon elite guards had already surrounded them completely.

Kabu Lin sat astride his warhorse, looking at these eleven human soldiers who faced death without fear. Though they were enemies, he could not help feeling respect for them, and even entertained the thought of recruiting them.

"Human, you are so young. Don't you think it would be a pity to die like this? Put down your weapons and surrender to my Demon God. I can spare your life."

"Pah! The Zichuan Clan has only those who die standing, never those who live kneeling. If you want to kill me, then come kill me. Why so much nonsense? I've killed so many demons already—I've gotten my money's worth!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Supporting himself with the saber in his hand, Zichuan Mingri slowly rose to his feet. He sternly rejected the demon general's offer, his eyes filled with nothing but the resolve to face death. The ten soldiers beside him were stirred by his spirit as well, their blood boiling as they roared in response, declaring their determination.

"Stubborn fool. Kill them!"

The surrounding elite guards moved, raising their broadswords as they charged at the remaining eleven men.

"Zichuan! Charge!"

"Kill!"

Zichuan Mingri led the ten warriors in their final attack.

But without their warhorses, exhausted as they were, the instant they clashed with the enemy, several soldiers were pierced through by the long blades of charging cavalrymen. They were pinned to the ground and dragged several meters before drawing their last breaths.

Zichuan Mingri was sent flying several meters by an enemy warhorse. The tremendous impact nearly knocked him unconscious. After he staggered back to his feet, several demon guards flung an iron chain around him, tightly snaring his neck.

Then, pulled by the warhorse, he was dragged across the ground by the chain. The immense force constricting his neck nearly suffocated him.

Zichuan Mingri exhausted the last of his strength to wrench free of the chain, then rolled onto his back on the blood-soaked red earth. The corpses of his soldiers lay all around him.

When he no longer had the strength to resist, a spear tore through the air and pierced the left side of his chest, pinning him firmly to the ground. The searing pain finally made him unable to endure any longer.

He was so tired. He also wanted one more bite of the soup dumplings his big brother had prepared for him. His eyelids were so heavy. He wanted to sleep for a while. Then... he would sleep for a while.

His consciousness began to fade. Just before it sank into darkness, he seemed to hear his big brother's voice. He had not let his big brother down—not a single demon soldier had crossed the high ground!

"Mingri!"

A fully armed force of iron cavalry struck the seemingly impregnable demon defensive line like a life-devouring beast, effortlessly tearing open a massive breach and madly reaping the lives of the surrounding demon soldiers.

At their head was a warrior in golden armor, like a god of war. With a longsword in hand, he swung it with a casual motion, unleashing powerful inner force that formed a sword aura several meters wide, claiming the lives of more than a dozen soldiers in an instant.

Kabu Lin turned to look and saw that the man's face was covered by a visor, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. Those eyes were fixed on him with murderous intent, sending a chill down his spine.

Lin Junyu led his eight hundred Feather Forest Army soldiers without pause to the Zichuan Army's main camp, where he finally met the Zichuan Shengxing he had long wished to see.

But at this moment, he did not care about that man at all. He searched everywhere for Zichuan Mingri, only to discover that he was not in the camp. Anxiety spread through his heart.

"Zichuan Shengxing, where is Mingri? Why isn't he in the camp?"

Zichuan Shengxing had just received word that his son had led a thousand cavalrymen into a tight encirclement. The worry in his heart made him restless, but he still forced himself to suppress it. He was the commander-in-chief of an army; what mattered most now was whether reinforcements had arrived.

"Third Prince, my son is naturally on the battlefield killing enemies. May I ask whether Your Highness has secured reinforcements?"

"That need not concern you. The hundred thousand imperial troops I brought have already assembled at Jiashan Fortress. They will reach the front lines to provide support before long!"

Upon hearing this, the weight in Zichuan Shengxing's heart finally lifted. With an army of one hundred thousand men, Jiashan was safe.

"You've asked your questions. Now it's my turn—when will Zichuan Mingri return safely from the battlefield?"

All Lin Junyu cared about now was Zichuan Mingri's safety.

Zichuan Shengxing's gaze shifted evasively, and he said with some discomfort, "Well... news just arrived from the battlefield. Mingri led a thousand cavalrymen and has been surrounded by the demon army!"

"What? Something this serious happened, and you still haven't sent troops to rescue him?"

"There are no spare troops in the main camp. What am I supposed to use to save him? If I do, the situation on the high ground defensive line, which we only just managed to stabilize, will immediately collapse."

Looking at Zichuan Shengxing's expression, Lin Junyu's emotions surged violently. Yes, he was the commander-in-chief, but he was also a father!

[Ding. A strong emotional fluctuation has been detected in the host. You are facing a life choice. Life options are now being activated.]

[Option One: Abandon the rescue of Zichuan Mingri, allowing Zichuan Mingri to die on the battlefield because his injuries do not receive timely treatment.]

[Reward: A permanent aura that increases the overall strength of the Feather Forest Army by 100%, ten years of inner force, and a coffin.]

[System Comment: Give up. You can get the reward just by lying down—why not? It even gives you a coffin to collect the body, so you needn't worry about it being left exposed in the wilderness.]

[Option Two: Immediately rescue Zichuan Mingri and treat Zichuan Mingri, who is barely clinging to life on the battlefield.]

[Reward: Fast-Acting Life-Saving Pill, a temporary aura that increases the overall strength of the entire army by 200%, Emperor's Formation-Breaking Spear.]

[System Comment: A qualified human emperor must possess a compassionate and righteous heart. You already possess the initial potential to become a qualified emperor.]

Lin Junyu could not even be bothered to read Option One and directly chose Option Two.

"Fine. Since you, his father, refuse to save him, then I, his big brother, will!"

Lin Junyu could not be bothered to waste words with Zichuan Shengxing. After learning where Zichuan Mingri was surrounded, he turned and left the command tent.

Zichuan Shengxing collapsed into his large chair. Who would not want to save his own child? But he was also the ruler of the empire and the patriarch of the Zichuan Clan. He had responsibilities he needed to bear.

Lin Junyu left the main camp and led 800 Feather Forest Army soldiers charging toward the chaotic battlefield below the high ground.

Just as Lin Junyu had reached halfway down the slope, he ran head-on into a force of 500 cavalrymen covered in blood.

"Whose troops are you? Why have you withdrawn from the battlefield?"

Lin Junyu stopped them and demanded sharply.

"We are soldiers under Young Clan Leader Zichuan Mingri. We just broke out of the demon army's encirclement, but the young clan leader stayed behind to cover our retreat and has now fallen into the demon army's siege. We do not know whether he is alive or dead. We came back to seek reinforcements, to go back and rescue the young clan leader!"

The leader looked at the man blocking their path, clad in golden armor with his face covered by a silver mask, and tearfully told him what had happened.

"You need not return to camp. Do you still have the strength to charge back with me and save your young clan leader?"

"Even if we die, we will follow you and rescue the young clan leader!"

"Then stay obediently behind us and do not fall behind!"

Lin Junyu activated the army enhancement aura, covering the troops under his command. Every cavalryman following behind him felt himself grow stronger. The 500 cavalrymen had already been utterly exhausted, yet at that moment, a surge of strength filled them, restoring their vigor.

Everyone unconsciously looked toward Lin Junyu at the front. The Feather Forest Army soldiers had already trusted their general, but at this moment, their faith in him became even more fervent. This ability to increase everyone's strength out of thin air was practically the work of an immortal. The 500 cavalrymen were even more astonished and impassioned. Perhaps they had encountered a god—the god who favored their empire. Under this divine lord's leadership, they would surely be able to save the young clan leader!

Empowered by the enhancement, the cavalrymen followed in the wake of Lin Junyu's overwhelming martial strength like rampaging beasts, tearing apart every obstacle in their path as they charged straight toward where Zichuan Mingri was surrounded.

When Lin Junyu arrived, he saw a blue-eyed man hurl a spear at the heavily wounded Zichuan Mingri, who lay on the ground. The spear pierced through the left side of Zichuan Mingri's chest—where a human heart was located.

A violent fury burned in Lin Junyu's chest. His eyes turned blood-red, and his strength multiplied countless times over. He had to kill that man and avenge Mingri.

Seeing Lin Junyu leading a thousand armored cavalrymen charging toward him, Kabu Lin recovered quickly after a brief pang of fear. He swiftly assembled his personal guards and charged toward the human cavalrymen who had dared to return.

Lin Junyu wanted to kill Kabu Lin, and Kabu Lin wanted to wipe out this cavalry force. The two sides soon collided.

Kabu Lin had not expected this to be no ordinary army, but an elite force led by Lin Junyu and strengthened by his enhancement. Every soldier now possessed the strength to fight ten men alone.

The moment the two sides clashed, the once-powerful demon personal guards were subjected to a crushing massacre. The human cavalrymen seemed to possess innate supernatural strength, their immense force splitting apart the demon soldiers' great blades and cleaving directly through the personal guards' fine armor, killing them on the spot.

"How is this possible? Why are these human cavalrymen so strong?!"

The moment Kabu Lin exchanged blows with a human cavalryman, he sensed that something was wrong. The power he had cultivated for years had nearly failed to withstand the charge of an ordinary soldier?

Looking around, he discovered that it was not just one human cavalryman who possessed such immense strength—every one of them did.

Terrifying. Horrifying. Unstoppable.

That was Kabu Lin's impression of this unfamiliar army that had suddenly appeared on the battlefield.