Days passed by.
There is no concept of time here, and no one knows exactly how much time has passed. They can only vaguely estimate their own schedules based on the memory of sleeping.
Gradually, the scattered and defeated troops in the fortress regrouped.
At first, the soldiers were filled with confusion and despair, but now, through training, they have straightened their backs again.
The training formations grew larger and more imposing each day, and from some unknown point onward, this unit began to show something different.
The army's morale has returned; to put it more dramatically, this is what we call the spirit of the army.
All of this is their own achievement. In a world with no way out, they held their breath and persevered, never giving up even when they couldn't see any hope.
It was precisely because of this spirit that Lin Yu's small formation was able to help them condense this military spirit.
An unknown amount of time passed.
That day, a scout stumbled into the fortress. "General! Something terrible has happened! There's movement from the foreign lands!"
Chu Zhen's eyelids twitched upon hearing this; it was not good news. Nevertheless, he still ordered in a deep voice, "Pass down the order to assemble all the soldiers!"
Lin Yu was training new recruits on the parade ground when he received the notice and had to stop.
He looked up towards the border region, where the gray fog had begun to churn again.
A storm is brewing.
The blaring alarms echoed throughout the fortress, and everyone was fully armed and ready to leave the city at any moment to fight for their lives.
Before setting off, Chu Zhen stood at the front of the group and gave his final speech.
Brothers!
The old general's hoarse voice resonated in everyone's hearts.
"That damn weird thing is back again. Are we afraid of it?"
"I'm not afraid!"
"If we could drive it away before, we can drive it away countless times! Until we send this bastard back to its homeland, never daring to extend its claws again!"
The room fell silent; everyone was staring at him.
"I know that many of you are new recruits, and you're afraid because it's your first time on the battlefield." Chu Zhen's gaze slowly swept over those young faces.
"Being afraid is not shameful."
"But you'd better remember this!"
"Your parents, wives, and children are still waiting for you to return to Blue Star! There are still hundreds of millions of unarmed people on Blue Star!"
"If we retreat here today, that damned monster will, just like before, cross this line and march on Blue Star! Then, our loved ones behind us will once again live in constant fear and misery!"
"So, I'm going to ask you one question today!"
"To retreat or not to retreat?!"
"No retreat! No retreat! No retreat!"
The deafening roar nearly ripped off the protective shield above our heads.
Lin Yu and Su Xiaoxiao stood behind Chu Zhen, watching the scene unfold before them, and felt a surge of excitement coursing through them.
Looking at the thick fog ahead, and the inhuman howls faintly emanating from it, Su Xiaoxiao unconsciously tightened her grip on her knife. "This time, they're coming with considerable force."
Chu Zhen had finished his speech and walked over. He looked at Lin Yu, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped himself.
"Mr. Lin, this enemy offensive is more ferocious than any before. For your safety, please... go to the rear."
As he spoke, he looked at Su Xiaoxiao, clearly with the same meaning in his eyes.
Lin Yu shook his head. "General Chu, don't worry about me."
"I'm just a clone; if it dies, so be it. At worst, the original body can create another one."
"That's right, there's no reason to retreat in the face of battle if the country is not safe." Su Xiaoxiao didn't leave either. Looking at the soldiers who were about to go to the battlefield, she was also deeply moved and unwilling to leave.
Lin Yu was actually eyeing the other world. He had been looking for an opportunity to invade it, hoping to find what he wanted there.
The battle has officially begun.
With the formations taught by Lin Yu, the warriors formed ranks one by one, like sharp knives, charging straight into the fog.
Wherever they went, they were invincible.
The monster in the mist was utterly powerless against the military formation imbued with the spirit of the army.
Chu Zhen felt his blood boil and his troops' morale was greatly boosted.
He never imagined that his troops could be transformed into such a completely new state in such a short period of time.
Lin Yu was also filled with satisfaction; these soldiers had put the formations he had taught them to good use.
As the True General of Manifest Martial Prowess and the commander of those three thousand Grass-Head Gods, how could he not know any military formations?
He simply adapted it slightly to the context of this world, and with a few modifications, he was able to completely transform them.
However, this advantage did not last long.
Even though that foreign land was a dying world, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. It only needed to send out a small number of troops to instantly restore the slight advantage that the warriors had just gained.
Gradually, the battle became intense again.
Ultimately, the time was too short. The warriors' cultivation level and proficiency in formations were too low. In addition, there were simply too many strange creatures. After killing one batch, another would surge in, and there was no way to kill them all.
For a time, they found themselves locked in a protracted war.
The front line quickly turned into a living hell.
A grayish-purple fog surged in from all directions, threatening to engulf the entire defensive line.
In the mist, countless puppets, ferocious beasts, and mutants surged forward wave after wave, fearless of death.
Chu Zhen's blade was already chipped, and his body was covered in blood, making it impossible to tell whether it was his own or that of his enemies.
"Mr. Lin! They're serious this time!" he shouted hoarsely when he saw Lin Yu.
Lin Yu raised his hand, and the golden rules transformed into a long river that swept across the defensive line. Wherever it passed, countless strange creatures defected.
He came to Chu Zhen's side and rescued him.
Su Xiaoxiao was so badly injured that she couldn't lift her arm anymore and could only lean on the knife, panting heavily.
"No, that's too much!" she exclaimed.
"What the hell is this?! How come there's so much more than last time?!"
"I'm afraid we can't hold the line this time. Mr. Lin, Xiao Xiao, you should lead the soldiers to retreat. Leave some men with me to cover your retreat." Chu Zhen broke free from Lin Yu's support; he had already prepared for the worst.
"No way!" Su Xiaoxiao refused without even thinking.
Lin Yu frowned as he looked at the mist. He couldn't understand why they were charging so desperately; what were they after?
They should have withdrawn by now after the last attack, so why are they so desperate to break through this defense line this time?
With their bizarre and reckless fighting style, they didn't even have time to replenish their troops.