Battle of Yinma River

Little did they know, a crisis awaited them.

On the way back, they didn't attack any more small Xiongnu tribes. They skirted around them.

They headed towards the pass with over three thousand warhorses and plenty of supplies.

These warhorses were all superior steeds captured from the Xiongnu. They only took the strong and robust ones, discarding any that weren't.

With three warhorses per person, they could travel long distances without needing to rest.

Two days later, they neared the border pass.

Xiongnu cavalry scouts were scattered across the grassland near the border pass like soybeans. There was a Xiongnu cavalry scout every ten miles, roaming the plains.

The purpose of so many Xiongnu cavalry scouts was to find Sheng Huai'an's unit and block their path back.

The grassland was vast, making it difficult to find Sheng Huai'an's unit.

However, there were few routes leading back to Anning Pass. By blocking these few routes, they could cut off Sheng Huai'an's retreat.

As soon as Sheng Huai'an's unit appeared near the border pass, they were spotted by Xiongnu cavalry scouts.

Upon discovering Sheng Huai'an's unit, the cavalry scouts quickly sent back a message.

Tuoba Tao and Hu Nanlei's units were overjoyed upon receiving the message.

"We found you, damn Wei rats!"

"Let's see where you can run this time."

Overjoyed, Tuoba Tao and Hu Nanlei immediately gathered their cavalry and headed towards the direction the scouts had reported.

Three thousand iron cavalry advanced in full force.

Unable to find Sheng Huai'an's unit on the plains, they changed their direction and went directly to the border pass to block the road.

Now that they had found Sheng Huai'an's unit, the time had come to wash away their shame with blood.

Another unit of two thousand Xiongnu cavalry from the vicinity was also rushing towards this direction after receiving the message.

Meanwhile, Sheng Huai'an's unit was completely unaware of all this.

A total of five thousand cavalry were surrounding them at the border pass.

Upon reaching the Yinma River, Sheng Huai'an ordered his men to stop and rest by the river.

He also sent Wang Wu with scouts to reconnoiter the area.

Both men and horses rested briefly by the Yinma River, eating and drinking to replenish their energy.

Before fifteen minutes had passed, Wang Wu and the other scouts returned in a hurry.

"Enemies!"

"There are enemies!" Wang Wu shouted as he galloped his horse.

"Prepare for enemy contact!" Guo Xiaoping yelled, his voice echoing through the camp.

Swish swish swish...

Arrows flew from behind Wang Wu and the others, covering the sky.

"Get on your horses quickly and prepare to fight!" Sheng Huai'an shouted, rushing forward and leaping onto his horse.

The soldiers who were still resting climbed onto their horses upon hearing Sheng Huai'an's command.

Behind Wang Wu and the others, the thunderous sound of hooves could be heard.

The dust kicked up by the charging cavalry rose like smoke signals, filling the sky.

"Run!"

Wang Wu kept shouting. The Xiongnu cavalry behind them was too numerous; their three thousand iron cavalry outnumbered Sheng Huai'an's men more than three to one.

Engaging them now would be a foolish choice. He hoped Sheng Huai'an would quickly lead his soldiers to escape.

However, it was clearly too late to flee now. Being pursued by the Xiongnu cavalry meant walking step by step towards death.

Their only option now was to fight.

"Soldiers, prepare to fight!" Sheng Huai'an shouted.

The soldiers behind him drew their sabers, ready to engage.

Sheng Huai'an glanced at the soldiers behind him. He had initially intended to bring them all back, but fate had not been kind.

"Wind!"

Sheng Huai'an raised his spear and shouted loudly.

"Great Wind!"

"Great Wind!"

"Great Wind!"

The soldiers behind him roared with the force of a tidal wave, and the army's morale began to surge.

"Gentlemen, follow me to kill the enemy!" Sheng Huai'an shouted, charging out first with his spear held high.

"Kill!"

A thousand cavalry charged. Facing the enemy, their morale was still like a rainbow, not weakened at all. Not a single person flinched; their eyes were firm, as if they were ready to die.

Watching Sheng Huai'an and the others begin their charge, Wang Wu felt extremely helpless. Now, he could only turn around and fight the Xiongnu army head-on.

Tuoba Tao and Hu Nanlei, leading the army's charge, saw that Sheng Huai'an's troops were not continuing to flee but had chosen to engage. Smiles appeared on their faces.

They intended to crush the enemies before them, to hack off the heads of the enemy in front of them as offerings to their fallen tribesmen.

Sheng Huai'an's gaze was sharp. The Xiongnu Cavalry blocked their path back. This battle was unavoidable; otherwise, they would not be able to return.

Looking at the two enemy generals, Sheng Huai'an's aura began to condense. His entire skin emitted a layer of golden light, and the blood energy within him surged, like smoke signals from blood and qi, piercing straight into the heavens.

Tuoba Tao and Hu Nanlei also fixed their eyes on Sheng Huai'an and charged towards him.

The fastest way to defeat the enemy army was to slay their generals!

Once the enemy generals were killed, the enemy army's morale would naturally plummet, leaving only a slaughter.

As the two armies charged, the heavens and earth were filled with the rumbling sound of hooves, the clanging of hooves, and the clash of metal.

Sheng Huai'an unleashed his attack without holding back, unleashing a force of thirty to forty thousand jin with a single blow, his blood energy surging.

"Boom!!"

Hu Nanlei, along with his weapon, exploded under the impact. Blood rained down.

Tuoba Tao, a step slower, his pupils dilated. He looked at Hu Nanlei's explosive death in disbelief.

They were both Houtian Grand Perfection Martial Practitioners. Unless a Xiantian expert intervened, it was impossible for them to be killed with a single blow.

After killing one of the enemy generals with a single strike, Sheng Huai'an's might did not diminish. He drew the Black Gold War Blade with his left hand and unleashed the Blood Fiend Saber Technique, slashing towards the other Xiongnu general.

Now that he was also a Houtian Grand Perfection, no one at the Houtian realm could withstand his full-power strike.

With a slash, rolling blood fiend energy surged forward. Tuoba Tao recovered his senses and swung his saber to block.

"Clang!"

His war blade snapped. Even with his hardened body, he couldn't withstand the sharpness of the Black Gold War Blade. With a cut across his waist, Tuoba Tao was severed in two.

To his death, he couldn't understand why Sheng Huai'an was so powerful.

Tuoba Tao and Hu Nanlei, who had expected to achieve great deeds and avenge past humiliations, were killed by Sheng Huai'an in a single encounter.

After killing the two enemy generals, Sheng Huai'an spurred his warhorse, raised his spear, and charged into the Xiongnu enemy's charging formation.

Originally, they had intended to avoid the enemy's main force and let the ordinary soldiers live longer. Since the Xiongnu army was relentlessly pursuing them, Sheng Huai'an began a frenzied slaughter.

With strength comparable to the early to middle stages of Xiantian, Sheng Huai'an was like an ancient ferocious beast, charging alone at the front. Bodies flew everywhere; under his blades and spears, none survived.

He was like a peerless butcher, slaughtering madly. Only by continuously killing the Xiongnu Cavalry could he reduce the casualties of his own soldiers.

The soldiers followed Sheng Huai'an into the Xiongnu Cavalry formation, engaging the enemy in fierce combat.

The enemy numbers were too great. They were facing one against two, one against three, and soon, significant casualties began to appear.

As Sheng Huai'an continued his slaughter, the Xiongnu Cavalry fell one after another. He was like a death reaping machine, sweeping a whole area with a single spear thrust. His immense power meant that any Xiongnu Cavalry he touched would die.

Guo Xiaoping, Hu Bing, Wang Wu, Tang Yunshan, Hai Dahe, Yuan Yong, Deng Wu, and others followed behind Sheng Huai'an, continuously cutting down the Xiongnu Cavalry.

After a period of intense fighting, the ground was littered with corpses, and blood stained the earth red.

Behind Sheng Huai'an, more than six hundred men remained, most of them wounded. More than two hundred of his subordinates had fallen.

Out of the three thousand enemy soldiers, less than half remained.

It was truly because Sheng Huai'an was too valiant and invincible. He had killed two Xiongnu Cavalry generals in a single encounter, causing the Xiongnu Cavalry's morale to plummet. Otherwise, his soldiers would have suffered even greater losses.

The Xiongnu Cavalry who died by his blades and spears numbered several hundred.

His spear dripped with blood, having drunk the blood of countless Xiongnu, filling the iron spear with a murderous aura.

The blades of Guo Xiaoping, Hu Bing, and the others were also stained with the enemy's blood.

Their eyes were filled with killing intent. At this moment, there was only the fight to the death – it was either you die or I die.

The Xiongnu Cavalry opposite them, despite losing their generals and suffering more than half their casualties, did not flee.

A Centurion took over command of the army.

Looking at Sheng Huai'an and the others, the Centurion unhesitatingly led the Xiongnu Cavalry to charge.

"Soldiers, follow me and crush them!" Sheng Huai'an raised his spear and continued to charge.

Under Sheng Huai'an's leadership, although more than two hundred men had fallen, they followed the charge without fear.