Chapter Ninety-Two: The Iron Order

The army of the Great Zhao suddenly caught sight of giant wolves appearing in the distance, which caused a stir among the ranks. Yet, upon discovering that there were only a dozen or so riders on the wolves’ backs, their courage swelled once more. The fame of the Heavenly Wolf Legion was legendary, but what they truly feared was the legitimate Heavenly Wolf Legion: a formation of wolf riders capable of crushing any obstacle in their path with overwhelming force. However, ahead of them now were merely individual riders—what was there to fear?

This army hailed from the rear of the Great Zhao. Their appearance on the battlefield was entirely due to Ye Xin’s actions years ago. Leading the Heaven’s Wrath Battalion, Ye Xin had repeatedly clashed within the Great Zhao’s territory, deliberately avoiding the main force and instead targeting weaker detachments. The military towns along the southern line of the Great Zhao had all suffered at Ye Xin’s hands, with many structured units destroyed.

Jiang Neng, the lord of Great Zhao, had no choice but to draw warriors from the rear to reinforce the front. This force had never participated in formal combat. Hearing tales and experiencing reality are two very different things, and they lacked a fundamental understanding of the terror of the Boundless Heavenly Wolves, foolishly believing that greater numbers could make up for their lack of battle prowess.

Within the formation of the demon troops, the female general standing tall atop her war chariot frowned and shouted in a commanding voice, “Transmit my orders! Contract the ranks immediately, secure the suspension bridge at all costs, and advance at full speed!”

Demon soldiers roared in response, quickening their pace toward the bridge.

This female general was able to grasp Ye Xin’s intent in an instant and pinpoint her force’s weakest link—a skill worth noting. Yet, she still underestimated the core strength of the Heaven’s Wrath Battalion, and the speed of the Boundless Heavenly Wolves.

Ye Xin, leading the charge, was already closing in on the vanguard of the Great Zhao’s army. Among the fleeing warriors of Qiu Xi City, some halted in shock at the sight of the wolves. The Heavenly Wolf Legion? Had it not been annihilated?

Ye Xin’s long blade swept through the air and finally entered the enemy ranks. A pale blue arc of blade light flashed down, followed immediately by a blood curtain stretching over twenty meters.

With the aid of his wolf’s speed, Ye Xin’s strike reached the limit of a pillar-state warrior’s destructive power. As his blade swept from left to right, the Boundless Heavenly Wolf had only just breached the enemy lines. By the time Ye Xin finished his strike and reversed his grip for a second blow, the wolf had already plunged twenty meters deeper, leaving all soldiers in its path severed.

Since Ye Xin gained command of the Heaven’s Wrath Battalion, he never needed anyone to protect his flanks in battle. So long as he was fast and strong enough, he could charge through like lightning, making the concept of a flank obsolete—there was nothing to protect.

In the demon army’s formation, the female general drew a sharp breath. Her experience was substantial; though it was only a single strike, she could discern the limits of technique, speed, destructive power, and range. Who were these warriors from the Kingdom of David that dared to charge her lines?

On the hilltop, veteran commanders erupted in cheers. Learning Ye Xin’s true identity, the feeling of neglect in their hearts faded. Having spent years in military formations, they understood the trust between a commander and his officers—a bond not easily replaced.

“A fine blade. So this is the god of slaughter from Heaven’s Wrath…” one old general murmured.

“I fear the young commander is going all out from the start. By the time he engages the demon soldiers, he might not withstand the exhaustion,” another veteran remarked.

Ye Xin pressed on toward the Wild River, his goal to sever all the suspension bridges, splitting the enemy army in two, annihilating one half first, then seeking further opportunities.

Blades flashed, heads rolled, and every strike from Ye Xin carved out a pool of blood within the enemy ranks. He embodied the very essence of devastation.

Two years ago, Ye Xin had already slain dozens of pillar-state warriors from the Great Zhao. Since then, he had endured hardship and honed himself for two years, recovering from his injuries and growing stronger. Facing ordinary warriors was now as effortless as reaching into a pocket. Of course, if his charge were blocked by demon soldiers and other Great Zhao troops surrounded him from the rear, the battle would take a different turn.

The second to enter the fray was Fu Shang—not because he was stronger than the others, but because his mount had once been the lead wolf. His iron staff swung fiercely, not as efficient as Ye Xin, but creating the most horrific scenes. A single blow would leave the opposing soldier half his height, flesh and light armor smashed into pulp.

Then Hao Fei and Xie En charged in. Both wielded swords, but their styles were distinct: Hao Fei’s swordplay was bold and expansive, while Xie En relied solely on thrusts, moving so quickly that ordinary eyes could not follow his attacks. He seemed to simply sit astride his wolf, yet the enemy soldiers before him fell as if struck by sorcery.

The female general in the demon soldiers’ formation drew another sharp breath. “Three pillar-state warriors… Who are they?!”

Ye Xin habitually analyzed all information scientifically. In his words, mid-tier innate warriors released energy waves—an invisible but palpable force. High-tier innate warriors transformed this force into visible flashes of light. If Hao Fei and Xie En did not act, their true strength would be hidden; once they fought, there was no concealing it.

“Commander Sima, the situation appears grim,” an officer beside the female general whispered.

“No need for concern! If we deal with their leader, I can handle the other two,” she replied. “Advance! Full speed ahead!”

But it was not only the demon soldiers advancing at full speed—Ye Xin was too. The demon-armored troops wore heavy armor weighing over a hundred pounds, and no matter how hard they ran, their speed had limits, while Ye Xin had the Boundless Heavenly Wolf beneath him.

In just a dozen breaths, Ye Xin had slaughtered his way through the formation, reaching the riverbank. His blade swept through the air, severing a dozen thick cables, and the suspension bridge collapsed. Dozens of soldiers on the bridge tumbled helplessly into the Wild River below; their armor, once protection, now became a death sentence. Unable to swim and with the current raging, they could only surface a few times before disappearing forever.

Ye Xin cast a provocative gaze toward the demon soldiers’ formation a hundred meters away, then continued his assault along the riverbank.

One by one, the suspension bridges were cut down. The demon soldiers halted on the opposite bank, unable to cross the twenty-meter-wide gorge, forced to watch the massacre unfold across the river.

“The warriors of Heaven’s Wrath are formidable, but their attack seems disorderly, growing more chaotic with each strike,” one veteran sighed.

“They’re not chaotic. Watch carefully!” Qiu Jiecha said in a low voice.

Qiu Jiecha had a keen eye. Ye Xin had his own method; the thirteen riders seemed to fight independently, but suddenly they would break into small groups, coordinating their attacks. As Qiu Jiecha pointed out, Xie En appeared on Ye Xin’s right, Yang Xuantong on his left. Ahead, eight hundred meters away, were Fu Shang, Lin Tong, and Zhou Suying, sprinting toward each other as if about to collide, testing whose bones were hardest. On the other flanks, Xue Baiji and his group divided into two teams—four groups in total, charging toward the center.

A Boundless Heavenly Wolf could cover four hundred meters in the blink of an eye. Wherever the riders passed, Great Zhao soldiers fell like wheat before the scythe. Soon, all four groups converged at the center.

“What is the young commander doing?” an old general exclaimed.

Not only he, but even Qiu Jiecha felt his heart tighten. The female general among the demon soldiers was equally baffled—was this suicide?

An unbelievable scene unfolded. The four groups of riders brushed past each other with barely a hair’s breadth between them. If only two groups had charged, it would not have been difficult—a few drills could suffice. But now there were four, each rider’s front and flanks mere inches away from another wolf charging at full speed.

Yet the elite of Heaven’s Wrath accomplished it. They weaved through one another without the anticipated collisions. The iron discipline displayed in that instant left both sides of the conflict utterly silent.

Qiu Jiecha was dumbstruck. He witnessed a beauty of order beyond description, while the female general’s face turned pale as she felt only terror.

The worst off were the common soldiers. Having endured a slaughter, the killers had just swept past them, and before they could breathe a sigh of relief, more killers came from behind.

In the next moment, the formation of Heaven’s Wrath changed again, forming two circles: an inner and an outer ring. Ye Xin, Hao Fei, and Xie En comprised the inner ring, spinning rapidly while cutting down the enemy trapped within. The outer ring rotated in the opposite direction, slicing through foes outside.

The inner ring kept shrinking, the outer kept expanding, and between them spread a rapidly widening band of blood. This was no longer a battle—it was a meat grinder in motion!

When only a dozen trembling, utterly defeated enemy soldiers remained within the inner ring, Ye Xin wasted no time lingering. The three split apart, merging back into the expanding outer circle.

A circular blossom of death unfurled, crushing life after life. In mere moments, of the five hundred enemy soldiers who crossed the bridge, only thirty or forty survived, clustered at the riverbank, staring dumbly at the thirteen slaughterers.

Ye Xin steadied himself and gazed across the river at the demon soldiers’ formation. Xue Baiji and the others drew near, twelve riders arrayed alongside Ye Xin in a line.

Ye Xin ignored the remnants—the warriors of Qiu Xi City, emboldened once more, could deal with them. His true adversary was the demon soldiers.

In their formation, the female general’s face alternated between green and white. At some point, she had gripped a longbow, aiming at Ye Xin, then lowering it, then raising it again, and lowering it once more—clearly indecisive.

(Continued…)

PS:
I am truly excited! I thought our monthly votes would fall far behind, but everyone has been so supportive. There will be extra chapters today—I’m giving it my all!