Zichuan Mingri led the cavalry in repeated charges to hold back the enemy. One soldier after another at his side broke away from the charging formation and fell to the ground.
By the end, only ten warriors remained around him. Their warhorses had long since fallen in the slaughter.
The bodies of Demon soldiers were piled all around them. The ten men stood back to back in a tight circle, protecting the young clan lord, whose body was covered in wounds, within their formation.
Two thousand Demon elite guards had completely surrounded them.
Kabu Lin sat astride his horse and looked at the 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're still so young. Wouldn't it be a pity to die like this? Put down your weapons and submit to our Demon God. I can spare your life."
"Pah! We of the Zichuan Clan only die standing—we never live on our knees! If you want to kill me, then do it. 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 holding only the resolve to face death. The ten soldiers beside him were infected by his spirit as well. Their blood boiled as they roared in response, declaring their determination.
"Stubborn fool. Kill them!"
The elite guards around them moved, raising their broadswords as they charged at the remaining eleven.
"Zichuan! Charge!"
"Kill!"
Zichuan Mingri led the ten warriors in their final attack.
But without their warhorses, exhausted as they were, the moment they clashed with the enemy, several soldiers had their bodies pierced by the charging cavalry's long blades. They were pinned to the ground and dragged several meters before finally losing their breath.
Zichuan Mingri was sent flying several meters by an enemy warhorse. The tremendous impact nearly made him lose consciousness. After he staggered back to his feet, several Demon guards flung out an iron chain and tightly looped it around his neck.
Then, pulled by the horse through the chain, he was forcibly dragged across the ground. The immense force strangled his neck, leaving him on the verge of suffocation.
Zichuan Mingri exhausted the last of his strength to break free from the chain. He rolled over and lay on the blood-soaked red earth, surrounded by the corpses of his soldiers.
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 hold on any longer.
He was so tired. He wanted so badly to have another bite of the soup dumplings his big brother had prepared for him. His eyes felt so heavy. He wanted to sleep for a while. Then he would sleep.
His consciousness began to blur. As darkness swallowed his mind, 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 cavalry force faced the seemingly impregnable Demon line like a beast that devoured life. It easily tore open a massive breach, frantically consuming the lives of the surrounding Demon soldiers.
At its head was a golden-armored warrior who seemed like a god of war. With a longsword in hand, he swung it with a casual gesture, unleashing powerful inner force that formed sword light several meters wide and claimed the lives of more than a dozen soldiers in an instant.
Kabu Lin turned and saw that the man's face was covered by a mask, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. Those eyes were fixed on him with murderous intent, sending a chill down his spine.
Lin Junyu had 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 wanted to see.
But at that moment, he had no interest in this 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 one thousand cavalrymen into an encirclement. Worry left him unable to sit still, but he still forcibly suppressed it. He was the commander-in-chief of an army; what concerned him 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 is none of your concern. The hundred thousand Empire troops I brought have already assembled at Jiashan Fortress. It won't be long before they arrive at the front to provide support!"
Upon hearing this, the weight in Zichuan Shengxing's heart finally lifted. With an army of one hundred thousand, Jiashan was saved.
"You've finished asking. Now it's my turn. When will Zichuan Mingri return safely from the battlefield?"
Lin Junyu cared about nothing but Zichuan Mingri's safety now.
Zichuan Shengxing's gaze flickered, and he said with an awkward expression,
"Well... word just came from the battlefield. Mingri led one 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 defense line, which we worked so hard to stabilize, will immediately collapse."
Looking at Zichuan Shengxing's expression, Lin Junyu's emotions surged violently. He was the commander-in-chief, yes, but he was also a father!
[Ding, intense emotional fluctuations detected in the host. You are facing a major choice in life. Life choices are now being activated for you.] [Choice One: Abandon the rescue of Zichuan Mingri and let him 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 rewards just by lying down—what's not to like? We'll even give you a coffin to collect the body, so you won't have to worry about it being left to rot in the wilderness.] [Choice Two: Immediately rescue Zichuan Mingri and treat the critically wounded Zichuan Mingri on the battlefield.] [Reward: Fast-acting Life-Saving Pill, 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 loving, benevolent heart. You already possess the potential to become a qualified Emperor.]
Lin Junyu could not even be bothered to read Choice One and directly chose Choice 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 on Zichuan Shengxing. After learning where Zichuan Mingri was trapped, he turned and left the command tent.
Zichuan Shengxing slumped into his large chair. Who would not want to save his own child? But he was also the ruler of the Empire, the clan lord of the Zichuan Clan. He had responsibilities he had to bear.
After leaving the main camp, Lin Junyu led eight hundred Feather Forest Army soldiers charging toward the chaotic battlefield below the high ground.
When Lin Junyu had reached halfway down the high ground, he ran headlong into a force of five hundred cavalrymen covered in blood.
"Whose troops are you? Why have you withdrawn from the battlefield?"
Lin Junyu stopped them and demanded sternly.
"We are soldiers under Young Clan Lord Zichuan Mingri! We just broke out of the Demon army's encirclement, but the young clan lord stayed behind to cover our retreat. He has now fallen into the Demon army's siege, and we do not know whether he is alive or dead. We returned to seek reinforcements and save the young clan lord!"
The leader looked at the man blocking their way, clad in golden armor with his face hidden behind a silver mask, and tearfully explained what had happened.
"You need not return to camp. Do you still have the strength to charge back with me and rescue your young clan lord?"
"Even if we die, we will follow you and rescue the young clan lord!"
"Then stay right behind us and don't fall behind!"
Lin Junyu activated the army-enhancing aura, covering the troops under his command. Every cavalryman following behind him felt himself grow stronger. The five hundred cavalrymen had been utterly exhausted, yet at that moment, they felt a surge of power fill them with strength once more.
Everyone looked toward Lin Junyu at the front. The Feather Forest Army soldiers had already believed in their general, but at that moment, their faith became even more fervent. This ability to increase everyone's strength out of thin air was practically the work of an immortal. The five hundred cavalrymen were even more astonished and burning with excitement. They must have encountered a god—a god watching over their Empire! Under this god's leadership, they would surely rescue the young clan lord!
The enhanced cavalrymen, with Lin Junyu's overwhelming martial strength clearing the way, became like monsters rampaging forward. They tore apart every obstacle before them and charged straight toward where Zichuan Mingri was trapped.
When Lin Junyu arrived, he saw a blue-eyed man throw a spear at the heavily wounded Zichuan Mingri lying on the ground. It pierced through the left side of Zichuan Mingri's chest, where the human heart was located.
Furious rage burned in Lin Junyu's chest. His eyes turned blood-red, and his strength multiplied countless times. He had to kill that man and avenge Mingri.
Watching Lin Junyu lead a thousand iron cavalrymen charging toward him, Kabu Lin recovered quickly after a brief palpitation. He rapidly gathered his elite 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 whose strength had been enhanced. Every soldier now possessed the power to fight ten men alone.
The moment the two sides clashed, the originally powerful Demon elite guards were subjected to a crushing slaughter. The human cavalrymen seemed to possess inborn divine strength, their overwhelming blows knocking aside Demon broadswords and cleaving directly through the elite guards' heavy 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 something was wrong. The strength he had cultivated for years had nearly failed to withstand the impact of an ordinary soldier?
Looking around, he discovered it was not merely one human cavalryman who possessed such terrifying power—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.
Before you continue