Chapter 130: Encounter Battle (Part 1)

Each wagon is equipped with two black‑backed water buffalo; this breed native to the Black Water Riverbank is tall, averaging seven and a half chi in standing height, and with a docile, hard‑working temperament, it makes excellent draft animals.

The infantry formed squads around each wagon as a center.

Light cavalry surrounded the infantry. There were a thousand cavalry, divided into five units; each unit took turns going out, swapping every hour, patrolling within a three‑li radius to the front, rear, and right.

Because the left side was the Black Water River, the formation gained a natural barrier.

Hong Zhi, Wei Yuning, Qing Chou, Monk Cheng Xin, and Feng Qi—five cultivators—rode warhorses at the front of the column, accompanied by Prince Xi.

Following them was a hundred‑strong elite infantry unit; its commander was Grand General Xi Kaishan of the Xi Nation. This massive, yellow‑bearded strongman neither rode nor had a warhorse that could bear his weight; he carried an iron bow as thick as an adult's wrist and strode at the head of the infantry.

Yun Yan, Qing Fu, Qing Ren, and Qing Li—four cultivators—were at the rear of the column, also followed closely by a hundred elite soldiers.

After the formation left the walls of Black Rock City and advanced less than twenty li, a thousand‑strong wolf cavalry unit appeared.

All of this had been anticipated; after the Xi Nation's drastic move last night, it would be abnormal if the Green Wolf Nation did not respond.

The scout light cavalry quickly rode back to the main force; they were only responsible for reconnaissance, not for fighting.

If the green wolves were still the earlier kind, an equal number of mounted troops might still have held a chance against the enemy; now it was a one‑sided slaughter.

The wolf cavalry halted a li ahead of the Xi Nation troops, looking puzzled at this force composed almost entirely of foot soldiers, unable to discern Xi Nation's intentions.

The Xi Nation army did not stop, continuing its steady advance as if the wolf cavalry ahead did not exist.

As the two sides drew nearer, the wolf cavalry grew uneasy, and their agitation spread to the green wolves beneath them. The green wolves were already wild, and the mutated ones even more so; they began emitting low, threatening howls toward the approaching Xi Nation troops, their bodies twitching restlessly.

The wolf cavalry of the Green Wolf Nation were inherently proud and unruly warriors; unable to endure such provocation and seeing their ranks slipping out of control, the cavalry commander Barza raised one hand, pointed forward, then swept a half‑circle toward the left‑front.

The five hundred‑strong squads at the front charged forward with a roar, while the five rear squads turned toward the flank of the Xi Nation army, forming a curved encirclement.

A thousand wolf cavalry surged forward, their momentum like a rainbow, exuding the aura of ten thousand troops and horses.

Even though several immortal elders stood nearby, Prince Xi's darkened face turned pale with tension.

"I'll take the front; Qing Mo, you handle the side blocking!" Hong Zhi ordered.

"Yes, senior uncle!" Wei Yuning replied.

"Senior uncle, what are we supposed to do?" Qing Chou asked from the side.

"Do as you wish! Remember, cultivators should minimize killing; only when forced should you slay!" Hong Zhi said.

Monk Cheng Xin, standing nearby, pressed his palms together and said, "The Buddha is above; the benefactor's heart is benevolent, and they have a karmic connection with the Buddha!"

Hong Zhi laughed heartily but ignored Cheng Xin, remarking that his resolve was firm; although Daoist cultivators are not hostile to Buddhist practitioners, mentally they are certainly incongruous.

The Dao and Buddhist schools have fundamentally different ultimate understandings of all things; only a cultivation rookie like Wei Yuning would be swayed by Buddhist doctrine.

Qing Chou hesitated briefly, then waved his hand, and two gigantic steel monsters shaped like spiders materialized. Each spider stood about a zhang tall and two zhang wide; its eight spiky, snarling legs were chilling. They moved as if alive, and upon landing immediately sprinted toward the enemies ahead.

Qing Chou hesitated for a moment, but still waved a hand, and two gigantic steel monsters shaped like spiders appeared. Each spider stood about one zhang tall and two zhang wide, its eight spiked, ferocious legs made one shiver. They seemed like living beings; after landing, they immediately rushed forward with nonstop rapid steps toward the enemy.

"Senior Xuyan gave them to me, hehe!" Qing Chou replied proudly.

Seeing that disciples of the Cloud Hidden Sect were active, the female cultivator Feng Qi of the Blue Luan Sect did not back down; after chanting a formula for a few breaths, she waved her right hand, and a ten‑zhang‑tall Blue Luan Bird appeared in mid‑air. With a crisp chirp, the bird surged toward the wolf cavalry on the flank.

Wei Yuning recalled clearly that this was Feng Qi's signature illusion, "Blue Luan Transformation". Compared with the "Blue Luan Transformation" she performed at the marriage alliance gathering, the current bird's form was much more complete and its spiritual resonance stronger, though its flaws were evident—it was a colorless Blue Luan Bird, and from the perspective of an illusion aiming to "deceive with falsehood," there was still ample room for improvement.

Whether it was Qing Chou's iron spiders or Feng Qi's Blue Luan Bird, panic instantly spread among the ranks. The formations of the two sides began to become disordered.

Nevertheless, panic aside, it also stirred the wolf cavalry's fierce bravery, and the mutated green wolves, now utterly irrational, paused only briefly before accelerating forward in a charge.

From their past experience, once they closed in, combining with the green wolves' ice‑ball technique, any enemy could be cut down with a single strike.

While the wolf cavalry let out a howl and made their final sprint, Barza suddenly grabbed a wolf's head, spun around, and ran toward the rear side.

The wolf cavalry were now less than a hundred zhang from the Xi Nation army.

"Whoosh"—a long arrow shot out toward the foremost wolf cavalry. The arrowhead struck a green wolf, but hit slightly off, embedding in its belly. The wolf howled in pain, rolled, and flung the mounted rider to the ground.

"Whoosh," a long arrow shot out, aimed at the frontmost wolf cavalry. The arrowhead struck the blue wolf directly, but the point was a bit off, hitting the wolf's belly. The blue wolf rolled in pain, flinging the mounted wolf rider onto the ground.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!" the Xi Nation soldiers shouted, cheering their commander.

The soldiers halted mid‑cheer, because the fallen green wolf suddenly stood up again.

Xi Kaishan's earlier frontal shot had the arrow pierce the green wolf's belly; though it looked severe, it only wounded the skin and did not reach the organs.

The wolf cavalry, seeing the fighting wolf still able to fight, leapt onto its back again and continued the charge.

Xi Kaishan raised his bow again and shot toward the enemy.

The two gigantic steel spiders had already surged into the wolf cavalry ranks; at least five green‑wolf soldiers could not evade, and their flesh collided with the iron bodies, spraying blood everywhere.

Almost simultaneously, the Blue Luan Bird flew above the wolf cavalry; a sharply clear bird call rang out, its sound waves visibly rippling as it surged toward the enemies below.

Whoosh—centered on the Blue Luan Bird, over a hundred wolf cavalry fell to the ground, including the green wolves; all writhed in painful, frantic head‑twisting, utterly powerless to resist.

After the Blue Luan Bird let out that call, it vanished with a "pop."

At this moment, the nearest wolf cavalry was less than fifty zhang away.

The two steel spiders still darted left and right among the wolf cavalry, but could no longer achieve any feats; their bodies, riddled with countless ice balls, had slowed dramatically, unable to keep up with the green wolves on the side, serving only as a minor hindrance.

The two steel spiders still surged left and right among the wolf cavalry, but they could no longer achieve any feats. Their bodies had been struck by countless ice bolts, greatly slowing their speed, unable to catch up with the blue wolf on the side, and could only serve as a minor hindrance.

Hong Zhi finally made a move.