ROOAARRR!!
A violent roar suddenly erupted from the depths of the Tian Fa forest, rolling across the battlefield like a thunderclap that shook the heavens themselves. The earth trembled beneath it, and even the clouds above seemed to quiver in response.
The war horses reared in panic, soldiers felt their chests tighten, and a cold shiver ran down countless spines as the sound echoed endlessly across the plains.
From the dark edge of the forest, a massive bear burst forth, its enormous frame resembling a moving hill of iron and muscle. Its fur rippled in the wind, and every step it took left deep cracks in the ground. Behind it surged three waves of multicolored Xuan Beasts, consisting of bears with bloodshot eyes, tigers whose striped bodies moved like flowing flames, and lions whose golden manes fluttered as if lit by fire. Their fangs gleamed sharply in the sunlight, and their combined momentum resembled an unstoppable storm descending upon the human ranks.
There were only four thousand of them, yet the pressure they carried felt like ten thousand.
Across the battlefield, Jun Wu Yi stood at the center of his army, his expression calm and unwavering. He raised his hand with steady authority, and a signal flag immediately fluttered high in the air.
At once, four thousand human soldiers shifted into motion. The armor clanged, boots stamped firmly against the soil, and shields interlocked as they swiftly formed into a tight cone formation. The tip pointed directly toward the oncoming beasts, while the rear layers braced themselves in silent readiness.
They did not shout or tremble.
They just simply waited for the enemy to arrive within their range.
Jun Wu Yi knew clearly that his soldiers were at a severe disadvantage. The strength of the Xuan Beasts far surpassed that of ordinary warriors, and even with elite experts mixed within the ranks, the difference in raw power was at least three to four times greater.
If they clashed head-on without a strategy, the result would not be a contest but a massacre.
Therefore, he had arranged everything meticulously. Traps had been buried beneath the soil in advance. Hidden weapons were concealed behind shields.
Once the Xuan Beasts entered range, the soldiers would unleash their secret mechanisms to eliminate the weaker beasts and weaken the initial charge.
Meanwhile, the strongest human experts had been divided into groups of seventy-eight, positioned precisely where the fiercest beasts would attempt to break through. They would converge from multiple angles, striking with coordination and discipline.
The remaining troops would seal any openings and reinforce faltering lines.
Jun Wu Yi did not deceive himself. He knew that some sacrifices were inevitable.
However, if the plan succeeded, they could at least drag half of the Xuan Beasts down with them. Even if all four thousand men perished, humanity would still call it a worthy battle.
He had long accepted that possibility.
If death awaited them, then they would meet it with dignity.
The Xuan Beasts advanced rapidly, their heavy steps pounding like war drums. The distance shrank with frightening speed. The killing intent in the air thickened until it felt suffocating.
Yet just as the tension reached its peak, a harsh voice erupted from the rear of the formation.
"Isn't staying holed up in this formation akin to courting our deaths?"
The words cut through the silence like a blade.
Several soldiers instinctively glanced back.
Members of the Xue Hun Manor were pushing forward from the rear ranks, shoving aside comrades with impatient force.
Their leader's expression was filled with scorn.
"Brothers, don't listen to that 'big coward-of-a-bullshit' Supreme Commander!" He shouted loudly. "Follow me to kill them! We can easily kill level six or seven Xuan Beasts! If each man slays one or two, victory will be ours!"
His voice carried recklessness disguised as courage.
A ripple of confusion spread across the formation, and some younger soldiers wavered, influenced by the loud confidence.
The Xue Hun Manor's seven hundred men surged forward aggressively under the leadership of three Spirit Xuan experts, brushing past the ordered ranks and breaking through the front layers before the battle had even begun.
Jun Wu Yi's fingers tightened around the signal flag, but his face remained expressionless. He did not turn around to argue. He did not shout.
"Hold formation," He commanded calmly.
His voice was steady, but it could not stop the momentum of arrogance already unleashed.
The seven hundred Xue Hun Manor troops rushed ahead, swords raised high, shouting battle cries as if glory awaited them within the storm.
The cone formation fractured.
The carefully arranged traps would now be triggered too early or rendered ineffective. The strongest experts were displaced from their designated positions. The precise coordination Jun Wu Yi had constructed began to crumble before his eyes.
The seven hundred Xue Hun Manor had taken the lead, and once the first surge broke free from discipline, the masses responded almost instinctively.
The twelve experts from Silver Blizzard City were the next to abandon formation. Their silver robes flashed as they darted outward like streaks of frost, their movement swift and decisive.
The powerful families saw them move and immediately followed suit, as if afraid of being left behind in either glory or survival.
In mere breaths, Jun Wu Yi's carefully constructed formation disintegrated like sand scattered by a gust of wind.
What had once been four thousand men arranged in precise order was reduced to a lonely square array of three hundred soldiers standing firmly at the center.
They were almost the only ones left.
The instigating words of Xue Hun Manor still lingered in the air; each man killing two Xuan Beasts would guarantee victory.
On paper, it sounded bold and convincing.
Yet how many among the three thousand who had rushed forward were truly Spirit Xuan or Sky Xuan experts?
How many possessed the strength to face a level eight beast head-on and live to boast about it?
Confidence was easy before claws met flesh.
Still, it had to be admitted that the leading factions did not charge blindly. The seven hundred men of Xue Hun Manor, led by their three Spirit Xuan experts, suddenly veered left in unison, attempting to outflank the approaching tide.
Almost at the same moment, the Silver Blizzard City experts turned sharply to the right, their long sleeves fluttering like silver banners as they sought to encircle from the opposite side.
The sudden divergence left the bulk of the three thousand-plus men utterly bewildered.
Those in the middle hesitated for a fraction of a second, uncertain which direction to follow. Then they saw an endless wave of Xuan Beasts crashing toward them, fangs bared, eyes blazing, claws gleaming like sharpened sabers, and panic erupted.
Some turned right because others had turned right. Some darted left because left looked slightly less terrifying.
A few froze momentarily, caught between directions, only to scream and leap desperately out of the charging path when they realized hesitation meant death.
In that moment, no one cared about strategy as survival was the only law.
And thus, as thousands scattered like startled birds, the three hundred men of Supreme Commander Jun Wu Yi were left standing directly before the oncoming storm.
The four thousand Xuan Beasts surged forward, their collective roar shaking the battlefield.
It was as if the earth itself protested beneath their weight.
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