The blazing flames continued to burn, and the blood-red cloud that had hovered above the gate swiftly spread into the city, indicating that the majority of the Red Flame Army had already breached the city.
The thirty thousand Huang Chan Army soldiers waiting inside were inherently outmatched in cultivation compared to the Red Flame Army, not to mention that the tens of thousands of enemy troops charged in on superior war horses.
The clash between the armies, compounded by the lingering impact of the Red Flame Army's recent attack, led to an inevitable, swift defeat. The Huang Chan Army was shattered in less than a hundred breaths, unable to resist being divided into several parts.
Under the suppression from the overwhelming blood spear, even Grandmaster Realm or Yuan Dan Realm experts were unable to fly. Without fighting desperately, they were like meat on a chopping board; yet, facing the Red Flame Army, the disparity in cultivation made resistance difficult.
From the appearance of the Red Flame Army to entering the city, it took only less than an hour!
The Huang Chan Army, thus completely defeated...
Not to mention the tens of thousands on the city walls, even the thirty thousand within the city were swiftly crushed by the Red Flame Army. The trampling of war horses, the slaughter by blades, the martial arts domination, and the intense smell of blood instantly pervaded the entire city.
"Mercy, mercy, spare me!"
"I surrender, I surrender, let me go, let me go."
The cries of the Huang Chan Army were not drowned out by the clouds of dust; as the defeat trend formed, pleading, fleeing, and surrendering became the main theme of the defeated army.
Under Hou Yucheng's command, the Red Flame Army attacked like ravenous wolves, ruthlessly slaughtering the soldiers who hadn't surrendered; those who tried to flee mostly ended up trampled beneath the horses' hooves.
Soon, the Huang Chan Army realized that as long as they put down their weapons and stood still, the Red Flame Army would bypass them to chase others. This led not only body-opening soldiers but also many from the Gang Qi Realm and Grandmaster Realm to surrender.
"Senior brother, we can't win, the city fell too quickly, we can't wait for reinforcements, let's escape and maybe find a way to survive!"
Upon hearing his junior brother's suggestion, Wu Ping didn't hesitate at all. The two immediately coordinated, gathered hundreds of skilled monks nearby, and swiftly retreated towards the west of Jiuchi County.
"Wu Ping, the old bald donkey ran away!"
"Hahaha, those two cowards are so afraid of death."
Soldiers on the ground seeing this already felt a deepened despair in their hearts, and as the Red Flame Army spread the news of the commanders escaping, the number of those surrendering grew rapidly.
Watching Wu Ping and Wu Jin and the monks flee westward, Hou Yucheng's eyes flashed with cold light, he smiled slightly, and instead of pursuing them, he looked downwards and said:
"First Division, quickly move to control the west gate, allow no one to escape; Second and Third Divisions continue clearing out remaining enemies in the city, capture members of Leiyin Temple; Fourth Division control all surrendered soldiers, quickly!"
Tens of thousands of troops were instantly divided into four parts; watching as the divisions acted according to their duties, Hou Yuxiao turned towards Hong Ju beside him and slightly bowed, saying: "Senior Hong Ju, I'll leave guarding the Prefectural City to you. The four divisions shall be under your command for now while I lead the Fifth Division to capture the four counties of Jiuchi County!"
Hong Ju nodded, watching Hou Yucheng turn and leave, looking down, recalling Hou Yucheng's recent stunning strike, his eyes filled with complexity.
He had originally thought that the Hou Clan only consisted of Hou Yuxiao and Hou Yuduan; today he realized that Hou Yucheng's strength was in no way inferior to his own.