Chu Li snorted coldly and said: “Once the Nanjiang army arrives, Qin Zhiyan will definitely go to the northern camp to take advantage of the chaos and eliminate our main Nanchu forces. The northern camp’s troops are in strict formation, ready for battle, and will surely make them suffer a miserable defeat.”
“Your Majesty’s wisdom is supreme!” several people said in unison. Chu Li stood up, waved his hand, and everyone mounted their warhorses, charging toward the surging beast horde rushing toward them.
Under one eerie coincidence after another created by fate, beneath calculations of mutual deception and scheming, no one anticipated that some unpredictable forces were quietly changing everything.
At the location where the beast horde was galloping wildly across the Western Black Wasteland, three cavalry forces were rapidly approaching from the east, west, and south directions. Amidst the overwhelming bloody winds and rain, the first encounter of this chaotic era was operating in the darkness.
Suddenly, a thunderous rumbling sound came howling from the west, the sound rolling and shaking people’s hearts. Someone cried out in alarm: “The fierce beasts are approaching!” Everyone’s hearts grew tense and uneasy, shouting loudly and whipping their mounts to gallop faster. They felt darkness all around them; on this vast wilderness, without shelter or protection, pitch black everywhere, adding an eerie atmosphere of slaughter.
Suddenly, a cacophony of screeching sounds arose from the sky. Qing Xia looked up and saw a flock of tens of thousands of flame birds covering the sky like crimson clouds, flying up in overwhelming numbers. These flame birds were extremely fierce flying creatures; their wingspan could reach over ten meters when spread, and they possessed strong, powerful talons, with a nature that particularly enjoyed hunting herds of beasts on the plains. At this moment, driven by some unknown force, seeing Qing Xia and the others racing toward them, the flock of flame birds suddenly seemed to go into a wild frenzy, fiercely rushing forward and diving down at the group.
Qing Xia had long anticipated they would attack. She grabbed the bow and arrow at her side, with flowing fire burning on it, swinging her right arm rapidly. With a hissing sound, a fierce and powerful crimson energy wave suddenly burst forth, cutting a long, dazzling trail through the sky filled with fire-red flame birds, like lightning splitting the air. With a thunderous roar, the flame birds immediately scattered in chaos, and several that were struck plummeted straight down, screeching strangely, their flesh and bones charred red, emitting waves of burnt meat aroma.
Qing Xia didn’t hesitate for a moment, ordering everyone to shoot the fire arrows they had prepared, with spear and blade tips all ablaze, charging directly toward the beast horde.
“Swish swish swish” – arrows rained down like countless flying locusts continuously shooting out. Everyone followed suit, with people constantly hurling large wooden fire balls into the air. Massive birds kept crashing down from the flame bird flock, falling heavily onto the plains, and in the blink of an eye were trampled into meat paste by the hundred thousand strong beast army.
However, there were simply too many flame birds, seemingly endless to kill. Qing Xia wielded her battle blade, unleashing wholesale slaughter. The birds feared her ferocity and flew away from the airspace above her. Suddenly, a sharp, long cry rang out, and the flame birds seemed to receive a command, collectively flying toward the center of the human group.
“Boom!” A tremendous explosive sound thundered out. Qing Xia’s warhorse immediately reared up on its hind legs. She heard the beast horde ahead roaring and bellowing in fury. In an instant, it was as if a powerful gale arose in mid-air, grass swept up everywhere, horses whinnying and rearing, and the bloody stench filled the air, stabbing at people’s hearts and lungs.
Qing Xia raised an eyebrow. Having experienced countless battles large and small in her life, she had never encountered such a formation. She drew her longbow, nocked an arrow, and fired five arrows simultaneously. The powerful force immediately threw the flame birds into complete disarray, with countless flame birds scattering in all directions, fleeing in panic.
Qing Xia snorted coldly – a flock of stupid birds, they truly deserved their misfortune. She laughed coldly, then silver light blazed from her hands as she wielded a long spear in an impenetrable dance, dark energy swirling, colors flashing brilliantly. In mid-air, it was as if a brilliant wall of light had suddenly risen, emanating an eerie, soul-devouring coldness.
“Thud thud” – continuous explosive sounds rang out, accompanied by strings of miserable screams. Fresh blood spurted, fire-red feathers scattered, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of flame birds crashed into that bloodthirsty light and shadow, as if they had collided with steel walls and iron barriers, their heads broken and bleeding, dying instantly.
Qing Xia, killing with excitement, drew the hooked chain from her waist and began spinning it through the air. In an instant, her power suddenly increased, with shadows flying everywhere, flashing brilliantly, dazzling everyone who watched. The sky filled with flame birds continuously fell, their miserable cries and wails endless. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of bird corpses had piled up on the plains, blood flowing everywhere, the stench overwhelming, with continuous blood rain falling from mid-air, looking demonic and eerie.
“Miss! Excellent skills!” the black-clad guard soldiers shouted their praise.
Before they had completely escaped these birds, the beast horde forces ahead had already approached the human group. Hoofbeats shook heaven and earth, with roaring sounds, wailing sounds, howling sounds, shouting like mountains and seas, noisy and ear-splitting, dust filling the air, smoke rolling, spreading from point to surface, surging forward like waves.
Qing Xia had always grown stronger when facing stronger opponents, never retreating. Thinking that Chu Li might be in the beast horde at this moment, her eyebrows raised in sudden fury. She let out a delicate cry and charged ahead first. The numerous black-clad guards finally displayed their formidable combat power, each person like a machine that would never tire, following behind Qing Xia in brave charges and fierce battles.
Swift and decisive strikes, clean and efficient, fighting bravely, morale greatly boosted, charging forward courageously. For a time, they were matchlessly brave, overwhelming all who stood in their way.
However, these fierce beasts seemed stimulated by something unknown, all becoming wildly fierce like a tide, galloping madly across the field. The earth shook with thunderous sounds as countless fierce and powerful wild beasts roared together in frenzy, their voices reverberating and piercing the clouds, charging from all directions. Hurricanes stirred all around, dust flying, and in the gray, misty smoke and dust carried the bloodthirsty stench of the fierce beasts, enough to make one nauseous. The wind sounds filled the entire battlefield, bloody and murderous qi permeated the sky, and the roaring giant waves seemed like a tsunami about to swallow them whole.
Qing Xia had always been tenacious, and in this kind of war of attrition, she displayed even more clearly her superior physique as a special forces soldier. Even though she was a woman, her advantage was that both hands could simultaneously wield weapons, and every part of her body was a deadly instrument. Hearing the wild beasts’ roars, she felt all the blood in her body boiling, rushing from her limbs and bones into her brain, with dense killing intent surging into her mind.
She thought to herself: In these nine heavens’ caves and ten-thousand-fathom underground caverns, no matter what demons and monsters lay ahead, whatever dared to obstruct her path – whether ascending to heaven or descending to earth, moving mountains or overturning seas – she would pursue and kill them all!
Right across from Qing Xia, on the vast ten-thousand-li wasteland, through rolling smoke and dust, Chu Li and his men were galloping like lightning across the wilderness. All along their path they were invincible, charging forward like a whirlwind. Tens of thousands of fierce beasts surrounded him like ants, and after lightning-swift slaughter, they would retreat, then charge up again in endless cycles. The overwhelming smoke and dust completely obscured the sky in a dim yellow haze, and even the faint morning sun showing through the horizon was blocked, its appearance invisible. Chu Li could hear nothing clearly beside his ears as waves of beast herdes surged forward layer upon layer. Countless wild beasts were squeezed and trampled into meat paste, and the overwhelming bloody stench permeated heaven and earth. Chu Li took a deep breath of this air filled with the scent of blood. His features were handsome and resolute, his body covered in fresh blood, like a Asura demon from hell.
Suddenly, a high-pitched cry rang out piercing the sky, the sound reverberating like breaking gold and stone. Chu Li’s heart was greatly inspired, thinking that after today he would no longer be constrained by the Eight Great Families, and immediately burst into loud laughter.
His long spear danced in his hands, stirring with heroic spirit, tremendous killing intent surging in his chest. Countless blood flowers congealed into streams of blood light in mid-air, following his advance as he slashed with great sweeping motions, raising wild waves head-on and striking down toward the fierce beasts in front. For a moment, it was as if fierce giant waves had risen in the ocean, with countless giant beasts cut in half suddenly thrown high up, flying into mid-air, blood mist dispersing, entrails gushing, fresh blood spurting wildly. The beast horde was startled, their formation thrown into complete disarray, hastily retreating to both sides. The beast groups on both flanks pressed against each other, and several clumsy giant grasshopper elephants crashed down thunderously, instantly trampled to death by other fierce beasts, wailing miserably. Chu Li led his men to seize the opportunity and charge in, drawing his battle blade, slashing forward and backward, directly carving out a bloody path. Everyone shouted loudly, calling out Chu Li’s name, following him fearlessly into the beast horde.
While Chu Li fought and killed, he concentrated his gaze to observe. Although his men were brave, this beast horde was endless – continuing like this, even if they weren’t killed by the beast horde, they would die of exhaustion. Therefore, he strove to think of an escape method. At this time, he noticed that every time the beast horde was about to be routed, white snow-carved birds would definitely fly out from the center of the beast group, crying and circling in the air, seemingly conveying some kind of information. Chu Li concentrated his thoughts and gradually began to understand – this beast horde was, after all, composed of dumb animals without intelligence. How could they attack his side with such measured impacts and orderly formations, and after suffering setbacks, instead of retreating, they became more courageous with each defeat, fighting repeatedly despite losses? There must be someone inside directing them. Rather than endlessly killing fierce beasts like this, it would be better to kill the mastermind and let the beast horde disperse naturally. Thinking this, he carefully observed the direction of the beast horde’s center, becoming increasingly convinced of his theory.
Suddenly, Chu Li struck his warhorse’s head forcefully and shouted loudly: “Capture the ringleader first!”
“Capture the ringleader first!” As if their hearts were connected, almost simultaneously, a clear and melodious feminine cry immediately rang out.
Chu Li was greatly shocked and alarmed. He raised his head to look and saw that the originally ferociously approaching beast horde immediately fell into chaos, as if someone had inserted themselves behind the beast group.
Amidst a sheet of blood light, a woman’s delicate cry rang out loudly through the overwhelming gore. A blood-red hooked chain swung through the air, hooking around a bird’s neck. With a swoosh, the bird shrieked once and fell to the ground.
The petite woman wore green leather armor, sitting high on her warhorse, her cloak flying, long hair flowing, her entire person emanating an undeniable heroic brilliance. She held the reins in one hand and curved the other above her head, the cold hooked chain held horizontally overhead, her eyes fierce and penetrating as she looked in this direction.
“Chu Li!” Qing Xia spotted Chu Li with a single glance, her blood-stained face immediately flashing with a gleam of joy. She opened her mouth and shouted loudly: “Are you alright!”