Martial Saint through Reading
Chapter 229: Three-Way Melee, Ten Thousand Dead in Battle
The two Ten Thousand Soldiers Commanders were speaking on the side, but An Guang stood silently with furrowed brows, his gaze fixed on the map but unfocused, appearing distracted.
"Old Jie, I heard you’ve got a son now?" Meng Zhen asked.
"Yes, he’s just a month old, and I haven’t had the chance to see him yet."
Upon hearing this, An Guang’s eyes subtly changed.
"Old Meng, when do you plan to start a family?"
"Start a family?" Meng Zhen shook his head, "I’ve been in the army for so long, I barely see any girls."
"..."
"Report! Report!"
At that moment, a hurried report came from outside the tent.
Immediately after.
Rumble——
It sounded like massive stones were rolling.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
It was also like arrows whistling through the air.
"This is bad! We’ve been ambushed!"
Meng Zhen and Jie Yuan quickly rushed out of the tent.
Arrows filled the sky, falling like a storm.
On both sides of Huang Yan, rolling stones thundered down.
Rumble——
In an instant, the earth shook and mountains trembled.
"Defend! Defend!"
"Array formation! Quickly form up!"
"Ah——"
Bam bam bam——
The Tiger Armor Army reacted swiftly, forming a defensive position in the blink of an eye, but still many soldiers fell in the first wave of the assault.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
Rumble——
Soon after, a second wave of arrows and rolling stones followed.
Meng Zhen swung his long spear.
Clang clang clang——
The long spear was impenetrable, not a single arrow could land.
Jie Yuan also wielded a long spear, striking the falling stones like a fierce tiger.
Boom boom boom——
The massive stones shattered.
Inside the main tent.
The commander of the Fourth Tiger Camp, An Guang, walked out of the tent with a somber expression.
Looking up, there was a storm surging within his seemingly calm eyes.
It’s the Nine Hordes Kingdom! Not the Blood Evil Sect!
In an instant, rage burned in his chest.
Only then did he realize he had fallen for a trap.
The Blood Evil Sect didn’t just want to raid the supplies, they wanted us to clash with the Nine Hordes Kingdom!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh——
Rumble——
The third wave of attacks, the fourth wave...
The Nine Hordes Kingdom came prepared, and each wave left the Tiger Armor Army with heavy casualties.
"Kill!"
With the sixth wave of arrows and rolling stones, soldiers of the Nine Hordes Kingdom swarmed down from Huang Yan like locusts.
Atop Huang Yan, the General of the Nine Hordes Kingdom, Rong Luo, had a sinister smile at the corners of his mouth, holding a large silver bow.
The silver bow was drawn to its fullest, the bowstring full as a full moon, the arrow poised, aimed precisely at the Tiger Armor Army Centurion, Jie Yuan.
Whoosh——
The arrow whooshed out, the air bursting with a thunderous bang.
Centurion Jie Yuan swept aside over a dozen enemy soldiers with a single spear, his spear unsteady, as chill ran down his spine.
He abruptly looked up, a sharp arrow reflecting in his eyes, an arrow with unstoppable momentum.
In a split second, his pupils dilated, the spear swung, attempting to block it.
However, the speed of the arrow was such that from sensing to reacting, it was too late.
Seeing Jie Yuan about to die to the arrow, a silver flash sliced through the air.
Clang——
The sound of metals clashing, the arrow was split in half on the spot.
An Guang leaped into action, holding a silver spear, using the void to propel himself, stepping onto Huang Yan, charging at the General of the Nine Hordes Kingdom, Rong Luo. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
It was he who had split the arrow just now.
Jie Yuan came to his senses, a chill running down his back.
Just now... so close...
"Old Jie, you alright?"
Not far away, Ten Thousand Soldiers Commander Meng Zhen swept out with his long spear, piercing through several enemies, making his way towards Jie Yuan.
Both Meng Zhen and Jie Yuan stood their ground with their bodies, holding the line against the onslaught.
The Tiger Armor Army soldiers, their spears stained with blood, did not retreat an inch.
Because behind them were supplies that concerned the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers.
"Kill!"
The four Refining Organ Realm from the Nine Hordes Kingdom charged into the fray, while Meng Zhen and Jie Yuan defended with their bodies.
Whoosh——
Whoosh——
From the rear of the Nine Hordes Kingdom, two sharp arrows shot through the air.
Pfft——
Centurion Jie Yuan was unable to dodge, and the sharp arrow pierced through his chest, slamming him into the sand below.
The other arrow was aimed directly at Meng Zhen.
Roar——
The Blazing Fire Tiger Horse under him leapt into the air, the man and horse soaring together.
Arrows followed swiftly.
Thunk—
"Roar!"
Blood splattered, the Blazing Fire Tiger Horse beneath Meng Zhen cried out and then crashed heavily.
This horse, which had followed him in battles for decades, was pierced by an arrow.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
No time for sadness, more arrows rained down from the sky.
Meng Zhen rose in fury, swinging his long spear.
Clang clang clang—
Thunk thunk thunk—
One Tiger Armor Army soldier after another fell, yet with battered bodies, they stood up again, gripping their weapons, stabbing at the enemy.
Even in death, the Tiger Armor Army would take the enemy down with them.
Exchanging life for life—the most terrifying.
The Nine Hordes Kingdom was on the brink of victory, unwilling to risk their lives in battle; they only needed to surround without attacking, waiting for the Tiger Armor Army to exhaust themselves.
But this brief tactical pause allowed the severely injured Tiger Armor Army to exchange one for two, one for three.
In an instant, the Tiger Armor Army seemed poised to break out of the encirclement.
At the same time, outside the mouth of West Wind Valley.
Roar roar roar—
The roaring of Blazing Fire Tiger Horses echoed across the plains.
Boom boom boom—
Then the boulders blocking the valley entrance shattered.
A thousand Blazing Fire Tiger Horses charged into the valley.
"Kill!"
Commander Meeng Ting of the First Tiger Camp led a thousand Tiger Cavalry to the scene!
The thousand Blazing Fire Tiger Horses charged from the rear of the Nine Hordes Kingdom’s formation, catching them off guard, and soon slaughtered them, flipping men and horses, especially the archers at the rear, who were killed instantly.
"The valley entrance, the valley entrance has been breached, the Tiger Armor Army has reinforcements!" Panic spread throughout the Nine Hordes Kingdom.
"Brothers, kill!" Meng Zhen heard the commotion and immediately led the Tiger Armor Army in a charge.
The situation reversed; the Nine Hordes Kingdom was trapped between Meeng Ting’s First Tiger Camp and Meng Zhen.
On Huang Yan, An Guang, who was fighting against the four Refining Organ Realm experts of the Nine Hordes Kingdom, smiled as he saw a thousand Blazing Fire Tiger Horses rushing into the valley.
But the four members of Rong Luo from the Nine Hordes Kingdom were suddenly pale.
"Die!"
Rong Luo erupted in anger, channeling his entire Qi Blood to strike An Guang, while the other three Refining Organ Realm members attacked with full force.
Bang bang bang—
Huang Yan collapsed, rocks flying.
Thunk—
Even a pair of fists is hard-pressed against four hands, especially when An Guang faced more than just four hands—he faced eight hands.
After taking several moves from Rong Luo and his men, he could no longer defend, being struck on the shoulder by Rong Luo’s blade, sending him flying off Huang Yan down to the valley below.
"Commander An!"
Meeng Ting, with the Blazing Fire Tiger Horse beneath him roaring, leapt into the air, spearing more than ten enemy soldiers, his form flickering continuously before arriving at An Guang’s fallen spot.
"Mon...Commander Meeng..." An Guang’s left shoulder was exposed to the bone, blood gushing out, staining the yellow sands.
"Don’t move!"
Meeng Ting swept his long spear outward, protecting An Guang behind him.
The four men of Rong Luo from the Nine Hordes Kingdom leapt down from Huang Yan.
"Kill!"
No words were wasted; the four Refining Organ Realm experts surrounded Meeng Ting once more.
...
Southwest of West Wind Valley, approximately thirty miles away.
Rustle rustle rustle—
The fierce wind howled, yellow sand swept the sky.
Chu Ming rushed forward at a blistering pace.
Suddenly, his eyes flashed, halting his steps.
"The scent of blood..."
The range covered by the Sword Gourd Spirit detected the scent of blood carried by the sandstorm.
The map of the vicinity appeared instantly in his mind.
"The sandstorm blows from the east, thirty miles east is...West Wind Valley..."
"West Wind Valley...Meng Zhen and his men set out from the Tiger Armor Army camp over a day ago, using the shortest route planned for the march, plus the sandstorm obstructions, should be right near West Wind Valley by now!"
"The provisions have trouble!"
In the blink of an eye, he deduced the general situation.
This batch of provisions must not fall into trouble!
Without hesitation, Chu Ming changed direction, heading swiftly toward West Wind Valley.
...
West Wind Valley.
Meeng Ting of the First Tiger Camp, with his Refining Organ Perfection strength, fought fiercely against the four Refining Organ Realm experts of the Nine Hordes Kingdom.
Then, the thousand Tiger Armor Army cavalry broke the encirclement, gathering around Meeng Ting.
The Nine Hordes Kingdom promptly reformed their encirclement; Rong Luo saw this and, not daring to prolong the fight, withdrew into the formation of the Nine Hordes Kingdom.
In no time, both sides formed a standoff.
Nearly eight thousand troops of the Nine Hordes Kingdom surrounded the Tiger Armor Army within the valley.
On the Nine Hordes Kingdom side, led by Rong Luo, there were eight Refining Organ Realm members.
On the Tiger Armor Army side, out of the ten thousand troops responsible for escorting the provisions, only two thousand remained, plus one thousand Tiger Cavalry, totaling three thousand troops.
Jie Yuan, the Ten Thousand Soldiers Commander of the early Refining Organ stage, was heavily wounded and unconscious, Meng Zhen was exhausted, the Fourth Tiger Camp Commander An Guang’s left shoulder was shattered, greatly diminishing their combat power.
The main fighting power of the Tiger Armor Army primarily lay in the thousand Tiger Cavalry of the First Tiger Camp, Meeng Ting, who had come to the rescue.
Meeng Ting was at Refining Organ Perfection, accompanied by two Ten Thousand Soldiers Commanders who also came to the rescue.
Though the Tiger Armor Army was at a numerical disadvantage, the Nine Hordes Kingdom feared Meeng Ting’s Refining Organ Perfection, neither side making any rash moves.
Whoosh whoosh—
Boom boom—
Outside the valley, the wind howled; inside, tensions were high.
Suddenly, above Huang Yan, several figures descended lightly, five gazes scornfully surveying the valley.
"Unexpected, indeed—Meeng Ting of the Tiger Armor Army’s First Tiger Camp actually came to aid; it seems someone leaked the information." Chi Jue, the Blood Envoy of the Blood Evil Sect, sneered.
"Does the Blood Envoy mean An Guang?" one of the Fierce Soul subordinates said gravely.
"Who else could it be? Did any of you notify Meeng Ting?" Blood Envoy Chi Jue’s eyes shot with killing intent.
"We would not dare."
"Not dare? You simply didn’t think of it." Chi Jue changed his tone abruptly, eerily smiling, "I’ve heard that Commander Meeng Ting of the Tiger Armor Army’s First Tiger Camp possesses power comparable to the Meridian Unlocking Realm. Might as well see for myself today."
The four did not dare to respond.
"Why are you four standing around? Waiting for them to fight each other?"
The four trembled slightly, hastily bowing, before stepping on Huang Yan, rushing down toward the valley below.
"Hmm?"
Meeng Ting and several Ten Thousand Soldiers Commanders instantly sensed someone approaching from Huang Yan.
Likewise, Rong Luo and other Refining Organ Realm members from the Nine Hordes Kingdom sensed it.
Before either side could discern who was coming, screams emerged simultaneously from within the Tiger Armor Army and the rear of the Nine Hordes Kingdom’s troops.