Chapter 687: Battle

The patrol squad's troops gripped their horses' bellies and charged forward desperately; the horses they rode out on patrol had no armor, and the dense arrow storm meant even the agile Black Wind Horses were inevitably hit. Fang Shi fell from his horse, and a comrade clenched his teeth and hauled him up; sharing a mount, he finally had the strength to look back.

He saw his war horse being finished off by Xiongnu cavalry—one strike, two, three—his usually clever and strong beloved horse could no longer hold up and collapsed completely…

Then he saw the garrison commander at the rear fall to the ground, unable to get up after a long while…

Fang Shi is eighteen this year, still under twenty, and has never taken part in a real battle; this is his first direct encounter with the cruelty of the battlefield, and now he can't help but tear up, tears streaming down his face… He also knows the gravity of the situation and dares not sob aloud, fearing he would disturb others and that the garrison commander would have died in vain.

He was numbly helping shield the war horse from arrows when he suddenly heard a sharp, piercing cry from the sky; in the next instant he was almost overturned by a sudden gust.

Heaven-Shrouding Lord has arrived.

It swooped down from the sky, one wing flinging people and horses aside in a swath! Without using its innate ability, after sweeping them aside it landed and precisely snatched out the cavalrymen who had pierced their armor, lifting them and flinging them far away…

"It's Your Majesty's eagle!"

"Heaven-Shrouding Lord…"

Heaven-Shrouding Lord gathered the allies caught in its wake, then dove headfirst into the Xiongnu vanguard formation; the fearless Heaven-Shrouding Lord flapped a wing, letting out a joyous sharp cry, and its innate skill Ice Seal the Earth activated!

A vast swath of Xiongnu cavalry was instantly frozen in ice on the ground, falling silent. Some war horses lifted their forehooves, some riders kept their archery poses, as if time itself had frozen in that instant.

The cavalrymen in the nearest ring could hardly believe their eyes, and the Commander of Ten Thousand Cavalry was practically bursting with rage. There was fear, there was panic, but above all there was anger. Why is heaven so unjust, driving them to a dead end while continually favoring the weak and cowardly Jin people?

The Xiongnu vanguard camp descended into chaos like a pot of porridge—could the rumors from the martial world actually be true?

Some retreated, some stood frozen, and even more devout superstitious folks began muttering pleas for mercy.

The Commander of Ten Thousand Cavalry hadn't yet steadied himself after this chaotic turn when the thunderous rumble of hooves approached as well.

The King raised his Wolf Fang Spear with a displeased face, saying, "All of you present are fortunate; I will personally lead you to reestablish the majesty of Great Jin and achieve an unparalleled feat. From now on the steppe will hear of Jin and change color, not daring to move south for a hundred years! I have confidence—do you? Do you have confidence?!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Bai Li Hu: "... Here we go again! Such big talk! He realizes the gap between himself and San Pangzi—talk of an unparalleled feat, not daring to move south for a hundred years—this kind of boast he wouldn't dare utter; he doesn't have the face for it."

Soon he realized that anyone who dares to speak such big talk must indeed have some real ability.

"Zhou Ke, you're responsible for helping bring out the patrol squad! There are only about ten thousand ahead—let's first use them to warm up!"

Wei Shen lazily interjected from the side: "Hurry up—if we delay any longer, all the battle merits will go to that eagle, and what's left for us?!"

The King: …

Bai Li Hu: …Too spooky!

"I have prepared ample provisions; this time we must make the wolf‑hearted tribes of the steppe pay a heavy price! All troops, hear my order: kill on the spot, leave none alive!"

With a swing of the Wolf Fang Spear and a grip on the horse's belly, he charged forward together with the Owl Riders toward the Xiongnu cavalry.

Bai Li Hu was now squeezed to the very edge of the formation; the few cavalrymen surrounding him didn't follow the charge forward, so they naturally fell to the rear, allowing him to see the battlefield more clearly.

After the cavalry charged, the Heaven-Shrouding Lord displaying great divine might climbed higher, having already frozen a large area (more than half its power, so to speak), and also wary of dragging its own people into the fray. It flew a circle in the air and precisely captured the Little Gold darting about beside the King.

Today the King rides a White Dragon; Little Gold is free, running about wildly, while Heaven-Shrouding Lord can't stand seeing it slack off while others work. It swoops down, flicks a wing, and shoves Little Gold outward—get to work, you!

The Golden-haired Xuan was shoved forward to the very front, lunging headfirst into the Xiongnu cavalry formation; the King shouted from behind, "Excellent! General Little Gold is valiant!"

Just as General Little Gold was about to turn and run back, it raised its head, puffed out its chest, and began to be valiant—immediately it made a wild charge into the enemy ranks, while Bai Li Hu rested his chin on his idle hand.

Spooky x2.

For the rest of his life Bai Li Hu will never forget how Bai Li Jing's cavalry charged, nor forget this year's Battle of the Northern Desert.

Like a grand mirage.