Chapter 1918: Surround Point, Strike Relief

But the enemy arrived with incredible speed—just after the sentry's alarm sounded, he felt the ground tremble.

Immediately, a unit burst out from the darkness ahead, like rolling black clouds.

Uniform black-armored cavalry.

Hoofbeats like thunder—so fast!

Seeing the enemy's fierce momentum, Chu Ruhai waved his hand; the frontline troops raised spears and shields, preparing for close combat.

The Luo Dian army was merely fatigued, but their combat proficiency remained intact.

However, the enemy soon slowed down, coming to a complete stop when they were a hundred zhang apart.

In just a dozen breaths, they went from extreme speed to utter stillness—formations undisturbed, gathering strength for the strike.

Chu Ruhai himself was a commander of troops; by observing the momentum, appearance, and rhythm, he knew this was an elite force.

The Kashar warriors were fierce and unafraid of battle, yet they lacked the composure of one who remains unshaken even as a great mountain collapses before them.

Besides the divine soldiers, he had never seen such a demeanor in any other army before.

A figure slowly stepped forward from the enemy ranks.

His mount, a black piebald horse, was taller and sturdier than ordinary horses, its coat glossy and smooth, nearly devoid of any mixed color except for a ring of pure white around its ankles.

It twitched its ears, and only then did others notice its left ear was half missing.

Seeing it, Chu Ruhai felt a hint of surprise: "Half an ear?"

This was not a hybrid beast, but a purebred piebald. It resembled the Black Piebald King dwelling in the northern demon wilderness, fond of flesh and blood, capable of tearing tigers and leopards apart with bare hands; its most striking feature was the loss of half an ear in the battle against the Blue Bear King.

The rider on its back wore black armor with dark patterns and a dragon-headed mask, nearly blending into the night.

"Chu Ruhai." His voice rang directly in everyone's mind—deep, solemn, with faint echoes: "I have waited for you a long time."

Even if Chu Ruhai saw him for the first time, he could instantly recognize:

"Ji You Dadi?"

He paused: "Or He Hao?"

"Surrender, and you and your men may live." Ji You Dadi ignored his question: "Otherwise, this will be your carefully selected burial ground."

This was a threat, also a warning:

The impending encounter battle was his meticulously designed "surround point, strike relief."

Originally, the swift assault on Luo Dian and the siege of Ducheng were meant to lure Chu Ruhai back to the country to serve the king, to annihilate Luo Dian's finest strength. Of course, any ambush must point toward a clear outcome:

Capable of winning.

Otherwise, all arrangements are a joke.

Chu Ruhai laughed heartily: "With this few troops, are you here to fight or to deliver vegetables?"

He saw at a glance that although Ji You Dadi's entrance was imposing, his army numbered no more than two thousand—how could that compare to his own thirty-five thousand Luo Dian elite behind him?

Ji You Dadi's black-armored troops were renowned, but were the Luo Dian warriors he brought south not fierce enough?

Chu Ruhai raised his arms and shouted, pointing north toward Ducheng: "Luo Dian's sons, break through these enemies, trample them—I will lead you home!"

Upon hearing this, He Lingchuan felt moved: this man appeared rough and bold outwardly, yet harbored deep scheming within.

The Luo Dian army had marched south for several months; the fighting had been extremely arduous, many yearning for home. Having finally set foot on the return route, only a few steps remained—yet the enemy blocked the way ahead—what to do?

Naturally, attack!

Defeat the blocking tigers, and they would naturally return home.

Chu Ruhai's simple two words worked wonders. Originally exhausted from brutal battles and long marches, the Luo Dian soldiers, upon hearing "home," had their spirits revived.

Chu Ruhai knew in his heart this was the pivotal battle of the Luo Dian War.

If he won, he could reverse all unfavorable circumstances for Luo Dian;

If he lost, Luo Dian's elite would be destroyed, morale shattered, and what would they have left to resist Ji You Dadi?

The Luo Dian army encountered an interception, but now it was the Luo Dian army that struck first.

Chu Ruhai also glanced at the sky. There were a few avian demons in the army, often circling high above for scouting and sentinel duty; usually four or five, but now he saw only three.

Had they gone somewhere to hunt or rest?

Avian demons soar high in the sky, distant from the army, usually rather scattered; sometimes they search for food outdoors or quietly find a large tree to nap briefly—like paid loafing, they don't return to the army unless under special circumstances.

Chu Ruhai was naturally dissatisfied, but their nature is such that it cannot be forced.

Now, with the great enemy before him, Chu Ruhai noticed their absence and suddenly had a thought:

Were those two avian demons attacked?

If so, there must be something happening on the ground!

His gaze shifted to the two nearby hills, both east of the Luo Dian army, one far, one near, their shapes resembling a brush holder for holding brushes.

Chu Ruhai whistled to draw the attention of the avian demons above, then pointed east, meaning to send them to investigate.

But just as this whistle faded, a bright, long cry like a steam whistle came on the wind from the east, as if responding to him.

In the sky, something seemed to have arrived—dense and numerous.

No mistake, no omission, no error, no inner, no outer, no one looked!

The sentry shouted: "Arrow rain from the east! Arrow rain from the east!"

The tiny specks in the air flew closer and grew larger—all were concentrated arrow shots!

Indeed, there was an ambush.

The Luo Dian soldiers' shields immediately turned eastward, each overlapping to form a shield wall.

Only the sound of "pu pu" like rain of pearls was heard; most arrows struck the shields.

Though the shield gaps were not small, some were injured, but overall the defense held.

Then came the second and third waves of arrow rain.

Like a violent storm, the arrows rained down so fiercely the army dared not lower their shields.

The shield formation suddenly transmitted a series of miserable cries; Chu Ruhai turned his head to look, and the shield formations on both sides suddenly collapsed, as if more than ten things were continuously attacking the soldiers hiding behind the shields, with incredible speed, and they could even bend.

Living things?

Chu Ruhai caught sight of a pallid shadow.

A crossbowman with sharp eyes and quick hands seized the gap and fired two arrows, precisely pinning one object to the ground:

It was a large bone-made boomerang.

Although its movement was restricted by the arrowhead, it still struggled and jumped incessantly, trying to return to its master's side.

A magical artifact?

Moreover, most of the Luo Ding soldiers also noticed that the ground trembled more violently than before, because, taking advantage of the cover of the third wave of arrow rain, another ambush force charged out from behind the hills.

The Nine Abysses Great Emperor dividing his forces is, in itself, perfectly natural. If Chu Ruhai's forces were limited, he too would divide his troops to attack the enemy's mid-flank, attempting to disrupt the opponent's formation.

The problem is, this ambush force is not right.

Charging at the front were more than a dozen moving mountains of flesh, massive and ferocious, their running made the heavens shake and the earth tremble.

They are precisely the source of the long, whistling blasts:

Woolly mammoths.

Because they are covered in a thick layer of hair armor, these fellows are one size larger than ordinary steppe elephants; a pair of giant tusks curves outward, and those with deep cultivation, such as the lead mammoth, have already grown a second pair of tusks, like short daggers, exceptionally sharp.

When they run, they form a moving wide wall, kicking up rolling dust and smoke.

Seeing this wall of death rushing toward them at high speed, any creature would instinctively feel timid. Even the battle-hardened warhorses of the Luo Ding army were now retreating desperately, and no matter how the knights shouted or pulled, it was of no use.

They drew nearer, ever nearer!