However, a deputy general who saw that Li Guanyi was merely of the Second Layer Heaven realm, was greatly angered, "Just a mere Second Layer Heaven, what is there to fear? I will fight you!" Then he wheeled his horse around, wielding a Wolf Fang Club as he charged toward Li Guanyi, while Liu Shideng still harbored a sliver of hope for a fluke.
But then a cold gleam suddenly flashed before their eyes.
The young general raised his weapon and down fell the blade, the head of the Third Layer Heaven deputy general was cleaved off, and he tumbled from his horse, lifeless.
Liu Shideng was terrified, "This is Second Layer Heaven?!"
Hurrying all the way, the Qilin was not a divine beast known for its speed, but it was nevertheless brave and fierce, with its head held high, roaring thunderously as flames crackled, and in just over a dozen breaths, it had already broken through the blockade ahead, crossing the battlefield of the vanguard, where the heavy armor troops split to let the main general Liu Shideng in their midst.
Then, in accordance with the military formations of the Chen Country army, they all lifted their heavy shields, merging into one.
Through the gaps, long spears thrust out.
The formation was impervious, brimming with murderous intent.
Suddenly, the Qilin let out a long roar, treading fire in the air, its forepaws slamming fiercely down upon the heavy shields, shattering them, the hundred and some heavily armored soldiers forming the phalanx had no power to resist and were directly trampled, falling around like tumbling gourds.
Liu Shideng’s warhorse panicked, even as a Dragon Horse, it couldn’t be controlled at this moment.
Or rather, it was precisely because it was a sentient exotic beast that it was all the more aware of the fear and dread of the person on its back; suddenly, it neighed loudly, rearing on its hind legs, with Liu Shideng, in full armor, tumbling to the ground, but he then mustered his Inner Qi, a majestic surge of inner strength pulling at something.
The surrounding dozen or so soldiers stumbled, becoming a shield of flesh, toppling directly between Li Guanyi and Liu Shideng, while Liu Shideng himself had already made a quick escape; the faces of these soldiers were extremely ugly, seemingly unable to believe that their commander had used them as mere flesh shields.
Li Guanyi’s gaze swept over them, then with the back of his hand.
The Fierce Tiger Sky Shouting Halberd was thrust into the ground beside him.
The Qilin pressed down with a paw, its pupils a fierce gold, opening its mouth, watching the surrounding people.
It emitted puffs of white breath, as if at any moment, it would spew out a breath of Qilin Fire.
That young War General sitting on the back of the Qilin, now surrounded by enemy forces, actually possessed an air of composure. He stretched out his hand, and a golden radiance slowly spread from the center of his palm to either side, eventually manifesting into an ancient and vast War Bow.
From either side of the War Bow, strands of golden light as brilliant as the morning sun stretched out, converging in the middle.
The golden radiance scattered.
The Divine Weapon, Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow!
There, on the battlefield, Li Guanyi strung the War Bow, the Divine Weapon humming with energy.
Having personally been taught by Murong Longtu and Murong Qiushui, he already had breakthroughs in his Primordial Spirit that now locked onto the frantically fleeing War General. The splendid radiance transformed into arrows, and in the next moment, the humming of the bowstring resembled birds flapping their wings in unison.
Liu Shideng felt only a sharpness advancing from behind him.
The next moment, he felt a pain in his body, darkness before his eyes, and he toppled forward.
Li Guanyi exhaled a breath of relief. He stretched out his hand, pulling the Fierce Tiger Sky Shouting Halberd from the ground beside him. The remaining soldiers around him, clutching swords and shields, sought to assault the young War General. He gripped the Battle Halberd, his gaze calm under the dark golden face mask as he swept it over them.
The dozen or so men encircling him dared not move forward.
The Qilin stepped forward slowly.
The hundred or so soldiers in front of Liu Shideng scattered like waves parting, and Liu Shideng lay there with his heavily armored general’s armor shattered, revealing a gruesome, gaping wound from which torrents of fresh blood gushed. He collapsed there, looking at the dispersing troops before him, his vision darkening as he said,
"I, I am the nephew of the Grand Commandant of Chen Country, you, you cannot kill me!"
Li Guanyi looked at him.
This is the battlefield, this is the world.
The youth raised the Battle Halberd in his hand and brought it down with force.
The head of Liu Shideng flew off.
Liu Shideng, a member of the Grand Commandant’s faction within the younger generation of Chen Country’s military leaders.
Li Guanyi’s Battle Halberd tossed the slit throat of the War General into the air as he bellowed, "The Main General is dead! You men, why have you not yet surrendered!?" Under the roaring voice, the head of Liu Shideng dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Chen Country army, and what little fighting spirit they had left instantly collapsed like a landslide.
This was the true value of slaying a commander.
The logistics of the Chen Country were severed.
Behind the Central Army was the general renowned as the Immovable Ming KingUnmovable Ming King.
The progress of Yuwen Tianxian was like the relentless turning of a great boulder.
The combination of Heavy Shield Soldiers, long spears, and Cavalry was neither too hasty nor too slow, but absolutely relentless.
On another side was Ling Pingyang, among the top ten young Cavalry Generals.
Five hundred Heavy Cavalry divided into two teams, employing the consecutive Yanyue Formation, ravaging the battlefield.
Add to that the fact that their Commander had been slain, morale plummeted further, as all pushed towards the only direction devoid of enemies, only managing to run a short distance before a heavy drum sound was heard, and five hundred solemn and silent Heavy Infantry soldiers were already waiting there, crossbows cocked, a thousand long spearmen arrayed to the left and right of the Heavy Shield troops.
If one were to charge from the sides, they would have to face the long spear formation, deadly for any infantry.
To charge head-on at the Heavy Infantry.
Would be to directly face the crossbow fire.
This was a perfectly standard infantry formation, even more meticulous and flawless than the requirements described in military textbooks, and their Main General knew that he and his brothers, all men of humble origin, didn’t comprehend complicated military strategies. They could only grapple with the basics.
To fulfill the demands of the military textbooks?
Only by surpassing them could one walk the righteous path!
Leading them was a general in his thirties, rough and fierce, who said in a deep voice:
"The Qilin Army, Fan Qing, has been awaiting you here for a long time." His battle axe raised, the Heavy Shield Soldiers’ shields heavily met the ground, and the tension of the crossbows being cocked was enough to make the hair of the fleeing soldiers stand on end, filling them with fear. This stern general proclaimed: