Amid the raging flames of war, Xing Yan received the Lord of the Clouds' command and hastily led the cavalry units behind him into an assault toward the left front. That lay on the northeastern side of Nine Wells Isle, where the camps looked sparse at first glance and seemingly easy to breach.
The charging cavalry swept out like a gale, treading the sea and cleaving the waves as they slaughtered their way forward. Before long, the entire force had approached the South Sea Dragon Army's great formation.
Whether their enemies had been frightened out of their wits by the earlier slaughter or this northeastern flank truly was a weak point, Xing Yan met little worthy resistance as he led the wildly shouting Moon-Gazing Rhino Cavalry, Water-Repelling Azure Wolves, and naval dragon riders of Pengze and Baling in a fierce charge. Like a whirlwind, this band of warriors ready to die swept through the briny seawater and onto the beach of Nine Wells Isle, the great island long known as the South Sea Dragon Domain's "third gateway." In their excitement, the few soldiers running barefoot scarcely felt the sharp pain of broken shells and gravel piercing their feet.
Once ashore, Xing Yan quickly surveyed his surroundings. Amid the sparse trees of this vast Nine Wells Isle, he found only scattered forts and wooden stockades; between the ferns and coconut groves lay many small lakes. Overhead, the smoky glow of battle trailed like meteors, casting ever-changing colors across those tranquil waters. Compared with the island's scant defenses, the sky was thick with vicious black flood dragons, roaming beneath the low clouds. Looking at those dragons and serpents filling the heavens, he supposed they were there to guard the Nine-Headed Kuihui against an attack from behind.
The situation was urgent, leaving this