As Commander Ma Xi's twenty thousand Fire Raven soldiers approached the encirclement set by Ma Yuan, Chen Tang and Cen Peng's armies clashed head-on with their respective two Fire Raven contingents!
There was no ambush, no preparation, it seemed like a direct confrontation. The roads leading to Great Han were drenched in blood, the fighting ceaseless.
The Azure Dragon Legion and the Fire Raven Army – one shrouded the sky in azure light, with dragon roars echoing; the other was a sea of fire, their cries incessant.
Both sides charged, the ground thundered, strange phenomena abounded, and the entire land trembled faintly.
"Second Elder, look!"
A subordinate officer gazed towards the distant horizon with a grave expression.
"Hm?"
Ma Xi frowned, looking at the vast momentum and surging battle spirit in the distant sky. His tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and a smile graced his lips: "It seems the Great Han Azure Dragon Legion has already encountered our left and right armies. In that case, I can rest a little easier."
"Notify the entire army to advance at full speed. We must not miss the opportunity seized by our left and right armies!"
Ma Xi waved his hand, and instantly, the twenty thousand Fire Raven soldiers quickened their pace, disregarding the sharp stone edges along the path, some of them bleeding profusely.
Half an hour later.
The twenty thousand Fire Raven soldiers under Commander Ma Xi arrived at the narrowest point of a steep mountain path, mere *li* from the ambush site commanded by Ma Yuan.
"Stop!"
Ma Xi's expression turned solemn as he looked at the lush green forest ahead, and he immediately halted the army.
"Elder, what is it?"
Ma Xi looked up: "I don't know why, but I feel a vague sense of unease when I look at that verdant forest. Do you think the Great Han Azure Dragon Legion might have set an ambush here?"
"Heh, Elder, you haven't led troops for many years, perhaps you've grown rusty. Besides, looking at the sky, our left and right armies are exuding immense battle spirit and blood energy. Elder, our left and right armies each have one hundred and fifty thousand troops, while the Azure Dragon Legion only has twenty thousand. Why would they set an ambush here?"
A middle-aged Fire Raven, clad in armor, said with a slight smile.
"Second Elder, please don't worry. Even though Third Elder Zi Mu died in human territory, to be frank, if Zi Mu hadn't made significant contributions to our Fire Raven clan, he would have been dismissed by the ancestor long ago based on his first-level Creation Realm cultivation!"
"No matter how much humanity recovers, can they produce a cultivator at the fourth or fifth level of Creation Realm? Second Elder, don't overemphasize humanity!"
"Exactly! Although humans are cunning and their troop command is beyond our reach, they are weak and no longer tolerated in the Savage Realm. Second Elder, charge forward, human territory is only fifty *li* away!"
"Since that's the case, let's depart!"
Ma Xi waved his hand. He didn't know why, but he felt a sense of unease today. It was just a narrow, steep path, yet the Yuan energy ahead was exceptionally dense.
In less than half an hour, the entire twenty thousand-strong army had crossed the narrow, steep path without encountering any ambush.
Ma Xi breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed he had overestimated humanity.
About four *li* away, Ma Yuan sat atop a tall tree, watching the fiery dragon in the distance successfully traverse the narrow, steep path.
He looked at the fiery dragon and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. He raised his hand and waved, and instantly, the lush green forest stretching for miles began to stir, as if a gale was howling.
"Shoot!"
The subordinate officer raised the command banner and issued the order. Ten thousand troops quickly drew their bows and nocked their arrows. Each longbow was strung with three azure arrows, directly locking onto the Fire Raven Army that had just crossed the narrow, steep path. In an instant, streams of azure light, like strong beams of light shining into the verdant forest, enveloped the area.
The ten thousand Azure Dragon Legion, with their endless azure light, illuminated the entire mountain range, like azure dragons striking the heavens.
"Boom!!"
In an instant, a rain of arrows descended, weaving through the complex, undulating terrain. Some directly struck the sharp stone edges, but terrifyingly, the arrows did not shatter the stone edges. Instead, the stone edges easily tore the arrows apart.
This path was treacherous, not simply difficult to traverse, but its stone edges were sharp enough to cut through iron. These sword-like edges, honed by heaven and earth for millions of years, could easily tear a warrior's skin and pierce straight into the bone marrow.
Azure streams of light shot up into the sky, instantly covering the area densely.
The azure arrow rain, combined with the swirling azure light, formed an azure rainbow bridge spanning several *li*, shooting directly towards the Fire Raven Army.
"Hm?"
In the center of the Fire Raven Army, Ma Xi wore a faint cold smile as he watched the arrow rain erupt from the void in the distance. As expected, the Great Han Azure Dragon Legion had set an ambush here.
But, do you have the strength to devour my twenty thousand soldiers?
His eyes gleamed with killing intent. He looked at the dense azure streams of light in the void, his face ice-cold: "The three armies are a mix of true and false. Which army is a feint, and which is the main force? Great Han, can you withstand it?"
The twenty thousand Azure Dragon Legion divided into three routes, how could they resist the Fire Raven Army that swept across the four directions!
...
"Left Deputy Commander, retreat!"
"Retreat!"
A Fire Raven soldier, covered in blood, spoke with a mournful tone. The fifteen thousand Fire Raven soldiers were now completely cut off by the azure streams of light. Apart from the Left Deputy Commander who was struggling to hold on, all the generals, big and small, throughout the army had fallen.
Chen Tang held his weapon, its cold edge dripping with thick, icy blood.
"Trash!"
The Left Deputy Commander kicked the soldier away, his flames boiling. Looking at the entire battlefield, his rage surged.
"Humans!"
"Humans!"
He glared at all directions, and only at the moment the cold blade severed his head did he understand how powerful the Great Han Azure Dragon Legion was.
At this time, the situation at the Fire Raven Army's Right Deputy Commander's location was also collapsing like a mountain.
"General, the Great Han's military might is too strong, far beyond what we can contend with. It is not advisable to continue fighting now, but rather to retreat and plan anew!"
"Yes, General, that human commander, with a single long saber, dominates the void. Within a few breaths, three of our Creation Realm cultivators have fallen!"
"General, you must not underestimate them and advance recklessly!"
"What?"
"Do you think this general is made of mud!"
"This general received orders from the Elder, how can I retreat like this? How will I face the Elder afterward? How will I establish myself in the clan!"
"Fight! Even if we cannot defeat the humans, we must fight to the death!"
The Right Deputy Commander looked at Cen Peng standing in the void ahead. Both were cultivators at the first level of the Creation Realm; who would live and who would die was unknown until the last moment.
"Yes!"
Several generals' faces tightened, and they all turned, charging fiercely towards the center of the battlefield.