On the border of Daozhou, Cao Wei and Gao Xianzhi were commanding their armies, proclaiming the sacred edict of the Divine Emperor. North of their fortress, about two Daozhou distances away, at the junction of the Great Han and the Thundercloud Hall, a terrifying bloody battle, spearheaded by Fa Zheng, instantly began.
Endless Vermilion Bird divine flames swept across ten thousand miles. Even with millions of soldiers clashing, the thick aura of blood could not coalesce. The divine flames scattered across the sky, incinerating everything, the void rippling layer by layer, crying out incessantly!
Boom!
Blue lightning, rampant across the earth, dared not leave the ground by ten zhang, lest it be refined by the divine flames. Thunder pools brewed, and countless lightning snake soldiers traversed thousands of miles, each wielding the power of ten directions of lightning. They clashed with the rain of fire, the terrifying energy unleashed turning a thousand-mile region into a forbidden zone!
About a hundred li from the Great Han's border, the three Hall Masters of the Thundercloud Hall, holding long sabers, surveyed the entire battlefield.
The cities of the Thundercloud Hall were peculiar, built with some unknown special material, with lightning currents flowing everywhere.
The moment blood splattered, it was all refined and vanished!
Less than four hours after Yang Hao declared war on the four major forces, Zhang Liao, under Fa Zheng's scheme, initiated the campaign. Now, for a hundred li, there were crimson corpses and flowing blood everywhere!
“Attack!”
“Attack!!”
Zhou Tai, brandishing a command flag, fought amidst the battlefield. Around him, and for tens of miles behind him, were the majestic Vermilion Bird soldiers. Their faces were smeared with blood, only their murderous eyes reflecting in the eyes of the defending lightning snake soldiers.
Blood splattered everywhere, streaks of crimson divine fire erupting. Countless soldiers charged upwards in the sky, their bodies exploding, blood pouring down in torrents!
“Kill!!”
“Kill these humans for me!”
On top of the Thundercloud Hall's city, Lei Yi, the Sixth Hall Master, roared hoarsely. With a grasp of his hand, the void shattered, and countless lightning bolts shook heaven and earth!
Boom!
He transformed into a lightning snake, concealed within a thick bolt of lightning, obscured by the electric glow, like a divine dragon. Manipulating the divine power of heaven and earth, he traversed tens of miles in an instant, like an arrow shot by an immortal, hurtling towards the center of the battlefield, towards Zhou Tai, who held the command flag.
The Hall Master's personal intervention undoubtedly ignited a powerful military spirit. Innumerable lightning snake soldiers, enduring their own wounds, adopted a strategy of sacrificing one to harm the enemy ten times over, slashing at the Vermilion Bird soldiers beside them with their sharp blades. Their desperate, frenzied assault momentarily suppressed the Vermilion Bird soldiers' offensive!
“General Huang!!”
Sensing the irresistible divine power before him, Zhou Tai tore apart a lightning snake soldier and roared to the sky. He was only at the quasi-saint realm, unable to escape the pressure of a saintly lord.
Screech!
An arrow surged forth. Lei Yi licked his lips, the Great Han generals' support was swift. The arrow directly thwarted his intention. It was not worth risking luck for an unimportant副将 (fùjiàng - deputy general). He immediately abandoned his killing spree and dodged the terrifying arrow.
“Lei Yi miscalculated. These deputy generals who roam the battlefield are all guarded by powerful beings from the enemy army. Should we make a move?”
“I only detected the auras of Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao. Did you see Guan Yu?”
On the city walls, Lei Xi, the Fourth Hall Master, showed slight disappointment. Lei Yi's sudden action, intended to catch the Han army off guard, had instead lost the initiative. Every move they made was within the enemy's expectation.
Boom!
In his palm, three lightning bolts arose, drawing the entire city into a ten-thousand-zhang thunderous glow!
“You go!”
“I will command the entire army from here!”
“We are not as good as the Han generals. We lack experience in large-scale battles and it will be difficult to turn the tide!”
Beside him, Lei Hua, the Third Hall Master, shook his head. Compared to the unified and orderly Han army, the soldiers of the Thundercloud Hall were disorganized, rushing into any gap they saw.
The army built by the Thunder Snake tribe was basically composed of their own kin, with varying levels of cultivation. They were no match for the Han army's uniform divine fire troops!
“Reporting to the strategist! Scouts have ventured a thousand li into the Thundercloud Hall and found no reinforcements. According to secret reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Hall Masters of the First and Second Halls of the Thundercloud Hall are still in the heartland and show no intention of sending reinforcements!”
Opposite the Thundercloud Hall's border fortress was the Great Han's border defense city. A scout rushed from the teleportation array, sweat dripping from his face, indicating his haste. He stood respectfully before the calm-faced Fa Zheng and Zhang Liao.
“No reinforcements?”
Fa Zheng gazed at the battlefield ahead. The fortress, guarded by three saintly lord powerhouses, could have been taken in one gulp, as none of the Great Sage realm heroes of the Vermilion Bird Legion had made a move so far.
The intention was to force the Thundercloud Hall to send more reinforcements. The Thundercloud Hall controlled thirty Daozhou regions. After years of development, the Thunder Snake tribe would be everywhere. Instead of searching inch by inch, it was better to gather them all in one place for a decisive blow!
“Strategist, it seems our plan has miscalculated!”
Zhang Liao chuckled and shook his head. He and Fa Zheng had planned to annihilate the Thundercloud Hall's main force in one battle. The three armies of the Vermilion Bird Legion would advance on three routes, pacifying the Thundercloud Hall in a month.
“It matters not!”
Fa Zheng stroked his beard. “Commander, it seems the Thundercloud Hall has no intention of sending reinforcements. Then we need not waste any more time here. Order the army to attack!”
“Vermilion Bird Legion, where are you!”
Zhang Liao nodded and rose. Beyond the city gate tower lay an endless training ground, where sixty thousand troops awaited orders.
“Here!”
Inside the training ground, the sixty thousand troops shouted in unison, their surging aura shaking the entire city.
“March forth!”
Zhang Liao said coldly.
On the battlefield, the Vermilion Bird Legion had only committed seventy thousand troops and was already fighting the Thunder Snake tribe to a standstill. Now, with sixty thousand more troops, the entire Vermilion Bird Legion would be thrown into battle. How could the Thundercloud Hall's current army withstand it!
Boom!
The city gates opened wide, and a crimson Vermilion Bird soared into the sky from within the city. Its wings flapped, scattering divine flames everywhere, an incredibly terrifying aura circulating, attracting the attention of Lei Hua on the Thundercloud Hall's city walls.
“Does the Han army have any other trump cards?”
As Lei Hua hesitated, Vermilion Bird soldiers emerged from the city gates and the void!
Sixty thousand!
A full sixty thousand Vermilion Bird soldiers marched, some emerging in an orderly fashion from the city gates, others stepping through the void and directly entering the battlefield.
From afar, their blades were already being forged into crimson divine fire!
Boom!
Zhou Tai, Liao Hua, Gan Ning, and Gao Shun simultaneously raised their blades. Command flags waved in the air, and the Vermilion Bird soldiers on the battlefield took a step back in unison, raising their blades. Cooperating with the sixty thousand soldiers gradually entering the battlefield, they unleashed a brilliant strike!