Chapter 224: With This Battle, Shake the World!

Feng Hou Wo Qi, Eight Gates Golden Lock.

This ancient great array rapidly transformed, deploying over ten thousand armored soldiers onto the battlefield, forming a combat zone spanning fourteen qing, each warrior clad in heavy armor and massive shields, their qi linked, then splitting into eight divisions that dispersed incoming pressure.

To protect themselves and construct the battle array.

Our own troops within it formed at least eight major arrays, swiftly shifting and transforming; enemies entering this array saw only flanking forces on all sides—left, right, front, back—like ambushes, charging blindly forward, focused solely on slashing and killing, while the strategists outside controlled the array's transformations through banners and flags.

Like an internal grinding stone constantly changing, not a static formation.

But this array was not primarily for offensive slaughter, but for defense and guidance.

Eight arrays, sixty-four formations rotated rapidly, guiding the Ying and Chen armies into collision with each other—this was what Yuan Zhi called "borrowing troops," a strategy and tactic only someone supremely confident in his control over battlefield and array manipulation would propose.

If successful, it would shake the world.

But if it failed, ten thousand men would face an enemy several times their number.

If not a great victory, then a great defeat.

And since all water systems were under his control, the possibility of defeat was erased.

A military strategist's duty is to place himself on ground where he cannot lose, before launching an attack.

When Yuan Zhi proposed this plan, he expected fierce opposition from the generals, but to his surprise, perhaps because most of the Fire Qilin's battle commanders and captains were pure self-taught warriors, unbound by rigid military doctrines, they were willing to try this battle.

Yet this battle was equally perilous.

The battle array began shifting rapidly.

Yuan Zhi closed his eyes, relying solely on pure qi perception to sense wave after wave of surging martial killing intent—he had learned the Art of Gazing at Qi, a technique common to the Gejiage Sect, though each branch emphasized it differently.

When heaven and earth resonate, when yin and yang clash, it is called qi. Accumulated over time, it forms clouds—forms below respond with qi above.

He glimpsed within the Heaven Cover Array, the aura of fierce generals—like smoke and mist, boiling like firelight illuminating the night!

Ying's fierce general, Meng Dahao, ranked ninety-first on the Divine General List, originally a foreign commander who later surrendered to Ying, immensely fierce and bold, his arm strength capable of lifting mountains; though his heavy cavalry was not Ying's elite Tiger Demon Cavalry, it was still formidable.

Within the Earth Carry Array, the qi was yellow-white and moist, indicating a general of authority and virtue, untouchable.

Ying's general, Pei Xiao, ranked ninety-third on the Divine General List.

Skilled with a long-handled horse spear, his aura surged skyward; among cavalry commanders, his rating surpassed Generals Ling Pingyang!

Within the Dragon Soar Array, the qi resembled firelight, mountain embankments, swirling dust, and yellow-white hues; banners fluttered without wind.

Ying's great general, Zhao Guoqi, ranked seventy-ninth on the Divine General List.

Specialized in leading infantry and cavalry formations, his combat style blazed like fire yet remained calm and composed.

Meanwhile, a Chen force, Shen Tu Yongfu, ranked ninety-eighth on the Divine General List.

Ranked ninetieth on the Divine General List: Si Tongyuan.

Ranked eighty-fifth on the Divine General List: Han Zhenjia.

All radiated fierce aura—fierce generals who, though unable to pursue the decoy force, had sent all their troops; combined, the two sides fielded nearly thirty thousand soldiers. The Fire Qilin Army's greatest disadvantage lay in—

The vast gap in quality among their battle commanders!

General Yuwen Tianxian's battle intent was clearly diminished; he had been assigned to the outermost perimeter, maintaining the stability of the Eight Gates Golden Lock, ensuring all array transformations converged into a unified qi network.

The eight arrays' linked transformations could disperse all pressure.

The only usable battle commanders were Generals Ling Pingyang, the Furious Scale Dragon King.

Thus, Ying and Chen's famed generals occupied six of the eight battle arrays.

These two strongest single-combat warriors of the Fire Qilin Army were each stationed within two of the eight arrays, conserving their primordial qi, preparing for the decisive combined strike.

The other commanders—even Changfeng Lady—had no opportunity to face these famed generals; their task was to rapidly shift and maneuver troops, maintain the array, form shield walls, avoid prolonged combat. This array had exactly one thousand two hundred and fifty combat units, all required to shift rapidly.

Yuan Zhi bore immense pressure.

"Report!!!"

"Chen's army and Ying's generals have entered the array!"

The scout's voice was loud, noticeably tenser than usual; Yuan Zhi exhaled, did not open his eyes, only said: "Shift array—outer division becomes Heaven Cover Array. Wind without clouds. Use the outermost units: Right Heaven Charge Second Unit leads, stationed due south."

"Place two units each of southeast and southwest wind along the flanks of Heaven Charge."

"Place four units each of Left and Right Heaven Balance in the front center. Place two units each of Left and Right Heaven Front and Rear Charge at the ends. Place four units each of Left and Right Rear Heaven Balance in the rear center. Place two units of Left Rear Heaven Charge at the rear. Place two units each of northeast and northwest wind along the rear flanks."

"Merge Heaven Cover Array with Wind Raising Array."

"Order Ying's Pei Xiao and Chen's Han Zhenjia to collide!"

Yuan Zhi's instantaneous battlefield judgment made Li Guanyi, who maintained the Fire Qilin's continuous qi flow beside him, grin wryly—the youth felt he was truly suited only for direct assault tactics; Yuan Zhi's ability to make such split-second judgments was too difficult.

Yuan Zhi did not pause; the once carefree rogue now had all his spirit taut, issuing commands nonstop—the Earth Carry and Cloud Adhere Arrays merged into 【Cloud Adhere Earth】.

All other arrays converged; in the center, they could only hear the thunder of galloping horses and unceasing clashing of blades, while from above, the Fire Qilin's Eight Gates Golden Lock resembled a colossal turning millstone, guiding different generals into distinct zones.

Meanwhile, Pei Xiao charged forward, and upon entering, sensed constant shifts in direction—front, back, left, right—all showed armored Fire Qilin soldiers, yet these soldiers did not engage him directly.

They merely shifted rapidly; Pei Xiao charged, but the opposing general formed a line and held firm against his assault.

A mighty qi surge had been split apart.

Eight Gates Golden Lock: united, it becomes one, flat plains like a city; scattered, it becomes eight, adapting to terrain; chaotic, endless as a ring; turbulent, with no discernible end.

United, heaven occupies both ends, earth rests in the center.

Scattered, yin and yang pair and clash.

In the hands of top-tier strategists, this is a terrain-flow tactic, capable of offense and defense; what is now employed is the 【Mobile Army】 variation—avoiding strength, striking weakness, harassing the strong, avoiding direct confrontation, aiming solely to sever enemy rear lines.

When Yuan Zhi explained 【Mobile Army】 to these rough soldiers.

Fan Qing, Lei Laomeng, and the others understood nothing.

Li Guanyi sat there, as if he understood, yet seemed not to—after long thought, he said: "Mr. Yuan's 【Mobile Army】, is it not: 'When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy halts, we harass; when the enemy tires, we strike; when the enemy retreats, we pursue'?"

Yuan Zhi was surprised, considered, then said: "Yes, precisely."

Only then did these self-taught commanders grasp their role within this array.

Pei Xiao was stunned—he saw that general and his men harden their defense, seemingly on the verge of vomiting blood, yet held firm, swiftly shifting their heavy shields, gripping his horse spear, bellowing: "That general! Who are you?! Who can block me?!"

That general swallowed a mouthful of blood and merely said: "Fan Qing!"

"Good. What's his origin?"

"Just a bandit!"

Pei Xiao was stunned, yet led his troops forward—yet at that moment, he noticed the battle formation shifting, his own force and the other two main generals' forces now severed; his mind remained calm, still gathering his men to charge ahead, yet

all along the way, every officer he saw avoided battle; as frustration mounted, suddenly a thunderous roar split the air: "Fleeing bandit general—stop!!!"

A vast force exploded outward; Pei Xiao's heart jolted, and he formed his formation in response.

Two waves of qi collided.

He felt his spear tremble in his hands, his wrist searing with pain; the opposing qi surged with overwhelming force, the technique brutal and fierce—he failed to anticipate it, and was thrown into chaotic blood and qi, his formation trembling violently, barely holding its cohesion.

Ahead, armor gleamed grimly, banners flared fiercely—a great general charged forth.

He had tiger-like eyes, a thick beard, blazing aura, armor steeped in lethal intent, a green battle robe whipping in the wind, gripping a long spear—it was an old acquaintance: Han Zhenjia, general of Chen, their nations already enemies; they had been pursuing the Fire Qilin army, yet now, amid the battle formation, they had encountered an enemy general!

On the battlefield, life and death admit no hesitation.

Pei Xiao had no time to think—Han Zhenjia roared "Bandits!" and his aura surged, merging with his formation into a spectral form as he charged; Pei Xiao recalled the rumor from two months prior: "Li Guanyi is still a Chen man; his defection was merely a ruse."

He had dismissed it as a joke, even laughed about it with his officers.

But now, the situation forced him to believe it—he thrust his spear and spurred his horse; two great generals clashed within the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, arrows rained from all sides; Chen and Ying soldiers, seeing enemy troops appear here, all drew blades and surged forward.

In moments, blood churned, eyes turned red, fury rising—who cared for anything else? They clashed, fighting fiercer and fiercer, murderous aura rising to the heavens; similar scenes erupted at two other merging battle zones.

Yuan Zhi's massive "borrowed troops" strategy had succeeded!

Already enemies, their bloody slaughter now layered old grudges with new hatred; eyes burned red. Within Yuan Zhi's perception, the martial auras of once-formidable generals were gradually clouding, then turning into dark, ink-like hues, churning like ink across the sky.

Second-phase tactic achieved.

Yuan Zhi's face was pale, yet his demeanor grew calm—unlike his initial uncertainty when executing the formation, now that he sensed everything unfolding as his formation dictated, he became profoundly composed.

His temple hairs stirred slightly as he sensed the formation's shifts, whispering:

"General Ling Pingyang, General Kou Yulie—both, prepare."

As Chen and Ying generals clashed, after the initial slaughter turned their eyes red, some would eventually realize the truth—and now, it fell to Ling Pingyang and Kou Yulie.

If the six great generals reacted swiftly and led their units to break free,

the Fire Qilin army would at best win a minor victory.

But a minor victory was not enough.

Yuan Zhi opened his eyes, voice hoarse: "Heaven and earth surge forward—transform into Tiger's Wing. The crouching tiger strikes, amplifying its might. Huaiyin employed it—became boundless. At Gaixia's gathering, the Overlord's fate was unfathomable…"

"To meet you, we invoke the ancient siege of the Overlord by the Red Emperor and the Divine General."

"You should feel honored!"

"Change formation!"

He uttered each formation shift—one by one; the battle flags flared, rolling ceaselessly. From the center outward, the ink-black martial aura neared visible density, churning and surging; the great banners trembled, as if descending from the heavens.

Just as Han Zhenjia and Pei Xiao fought fiercely, suddenly a dragon's roar echoed.

The heavy armor lines on the flank split apart layer upon layer.

A general, around thirty, eight feet tall, thick brows, large eyes, broad face, heavy chin—immensely imposing—led a thousand cavalry forth, wielding a black spear that whipped like a black dragon, striking at the formation's critical moment, piercing straight into the two generals' vital points in an instant.

The military formation's martial aura was grim, interwoven, inseparable.

This general's charge struck precisely at the most critical juncture of both formations; after merely dozens of exchanges, dragon roars erupted from all sides—he thrust his spear and flung one of them aside; Pei Xiao, caught between two assaults, roared in fury, yet already fell to the disadvantage.

Meanwhile, in another sector, Zhao Guoqi, ranked seventy-ninth on the Great Generals List, had just crushed Chen's general Shentu and was exhausted—when suddenly, he heard the clink of chains.

Boom!!!

An immensely heavy chain, linked to a hammer as large as a monstrous beast.

A battlefield weapon from the Jianghu—extremely hard to control, yet devastating against armor—the chain mace; its leader, white-haired and aged, yet fiercely majestic, spurred his horse forward, while those behind him wore armor, martial auras rising in waves.

Boom!!!!

A realm-defining, master-level power entered the battlefield.

The chain mace crashed down; Zhao Guoqi felt his palms go numb, barely holding his weapon, straining against the pressure—this Jianghu master's power, amplified by the formation, was terrifying; behind Zhao Guoqi, the formation's martial soul coalesced into a roaring, bellowing giant elephant.

The newcomer was bold, surrounding qi converging, vast as a dragon, bellowing:

"Fire Qilin Army—Kou Yulie!"

"I accept your challenge!"

At the center, Yuan Zhi's face had drained of color, yet his eyes burned like cold stars of a winter sky; within the Eight Gates Golden Lock, the moment had reached its peak—our combat-capable great generals had successfully engaged the enemy.

Sensing the formation's shifting auras, the battle cries surged toward the heavens; ink-black clouds churned above, the thunder of warhorses shook the earth; on this battlefield of tens of thousands fighting to the death, within the murderous aura, a white dragon glided, a tiger roared, a dark bird trembled.

Martial aura rises for three hours as battle clouds, cold sounds echo through the night on watchtowers!

Massive, beast-like forms slowly drifted, each hundreds of zhang long.

These were the formation spirits of top generals, the martial arrays of commanders, and the master-phase manifestations—three forces colliding; dragon roars, tiger howls, the earth shook, tearing at each other—even the drummers' faces turned pale with terror.

Like a mythic war come to this world, yet the Fire Qilin Army's commander in Wearing Heavy Gear sat still, gaze serene—and the Fire Qilin soldiers regained their composure.

All battlefield shifts converged in Yuan Zhi's perception.

He felt his emotions stripped away, his entire being as clear as a spring stream—only sensing the formation's shifting momentum, then voicing those changes to guide its ceaseless rotation.

All was deathly still.

Would they win?

Would they prevail?

In Yuan Zhi's heart, these thoughts had been stripped clean; his breath was steady, the world around him seeming to slow, even time itself growing sluggish—he could now perceive the shifting clouds, the dragon scales gliding through ink-black martial aura.

He saw the dark bird formation spirit spread its wings, sweeping over the wind and the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation.

He heard the thunder of warhorses and the dying cries of men.

Time flowed, all things became the formation.

To win…

In this stagnant, slow, seemingly stretched-out silence, how long had passed? The warriors' breaths grew heavy; all combatants felt time itself elongating under such extreme conditions—dead silence, suffocating pressure, a silence so thick it choked the lungs—until, at its absolute peak, a dragon's roar exploded.

Roar!!!

Soaring toward the sky, ink-black demonic energy layered and scattered!

Blue scales, many cracked, yet still vast and majestic, proudly asserting their presence across the heavens.

At the same time, another roar shattered like splitting metal and stone.

Kou Yulie, shatter Zhao Guoqi!

Yuan Zhi's eyes suddenly flared with flowing light.

The tide of battle turns!

【A raptor prepares to strike—first it soars. Its momentum pierces the heavens, forcing birds to hide. Only after careful observation does it dive—and strike true. One man's charge can stop an army.】

The four corners shift—the fourth transformation!

The Seventh Realm Master-level general departs the battlefield.

The formation shifts: Kou Yulie, reinforce Generals Ling Pingyang!

Pei Xiao had already sensed the shift—he wielded his horse spear, his Sixth Heaven realm cultivation amplified by the formation's power, manifesting a spectral form like a dark bird, charging and slashing, defeating Han Zhenjia, yet now he stared at the sudden arrival of the cavalry commander,

"Generals Ling Pingyang?!!!"

Pei Xiao recognized this young cavalry general, his equal in talent, and cursed: "Your lord Yue Pengwu was betrayed and nearly killed by Chen State—you abandoned your master, defected to Li Guanyi, and allied with Chen State! What swine and dogs you are!"

He spun his spear, his aura erupting into a storm that pushed back his foe, roaring:

"Yue Pengwu deserves to die without a grave!"

Ling Pingyang flew into rage.

The dragon-horse surged forward.

Dragon's roar and tiger's bellow tore through the sky, amidst the martial demonic energy, clashing violently.

In barely a dozen passes, he speared Pei Xiao from his horse!

The Fire Qilin Army's general, Generals Ling Pingyang, departs the battlefield!

Begins reinforcing all units!

At this moment, Yuan Zhi finally exhaled—he felt all the emotions that had been peeled away from his body surge back at once; his body felt as if it had drained every ounce of Qi, boundless exhaustion.

He nearly fainted completely, his hand trembling with fear as he gripped his sword.

He could not control it.

But this was not his time to rest—he still spoke, yet the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation had now lost its greatest effect; two generals had finally realized the situation, ceased fighting each other, gathered their remnants, and broke through the Life Gate!

Then they charged straight toward Li Guanyi's central command.

Meng Dahao, ranked ninety-first on the Divine General List; Si Tongyuan, ranked ninetieth.

Yuan Zhi's face was pale, a trickle of blood at his lips—from overexertion of his spirit—he bowed his head, shame in his eyes: "My Lord, Yuan Zhi has reached his limit—I only trapped four generals; these two broke through the formation…"

He bowed in salute, but the young general beside him pressed him down.

"Mr. Rest now."

In Li Guanyi's central command stood three thousand seven hundred fifty soldiers. He extended his hand; dark-gold light converged into a battle halberd roaring like a fierce tiger. Yuan Zhi bore immense pressure, yet Li Guanyi, as the formation's core, also had to control the Qi flow of ten thousand Fire Qilin troops.

The two famed generals were battered, bloodied from their own clash, yet they roared at the rested Fire Qilin Army—one wielding a halberd, the other a sixteen-foot spear—charging out to do as they always had: break into the enemy's main camp and kill the commander to shatter the army's will.

The Black Wolf Formation and the Tengshe Formation manifested as spectral forms.

Both roared and shrieked; the sky grew dark and heavy.

"Mr. Has done excellently—now leave it to me."

The youth stepped forward; blazing fire erupted as Li Guanyi leapt atop the Fire Qilin.

He swung the Tiger Roar to Heaven Halberd, charging toward the two generals—blazing fire surged, the halberd slicing through the air, its tiger-mouth snarl echoing like a true tiger's roar, Li Guanyi's chest thundering violently.

In this battle, the strategist, the soldiers, the generals—all had poured out everything.

With barely ten thousand, they faced an army of sixty thousand—and must win. The Fire Qilin surged forward; the two generals drew nearer. On Li Guanyi's body, the Fire Qilin's flame and the formation's martial energy rose together.

The Bai Hu, Chi Long, Qing Luan, Xuan Gui, and Fire Qilin's spectral forms rose and fell around him in sequence.

Finally, under the formation's support, all five spectral forms appeared simultaneously!

The youth, alone, fought two generals—and held his own. Chi Long soared, Bai Hu pressed its claws, Qing Luan spread its wings. As Li Guanyi fought, his mind remained calm, sustaining the immense pressure of the entire Fire Qilin formation—while the other units' battles ended one by one.

The Fire Qilin Army's martial momentum layered upon Li Guanyi in the Eight Gates Golden Lock pattern.

Chi Long suddenly let out a long roar, its body seeming to expand—then all five spectral forms scattered, merging with the army's momentum, ascending into layers of cloud-sea. The youth's halberd pierced this sea of white clouds—and as he slashed, a divine dragon appeared beside him.

A deep, solemn dragon's roar echoed. Within the clouds around him, scales glided—golden like the Fire Qilin's and Bai Hu's pupils. Faintly visible, horns like those of a Qilin—this was the purest dragon, the convergence of the Five Spirits.

Li Guanyi thrust his halberd—it held Meng Dahao for only an instant.

The divine dragon roared.

The Ying State's standard-bearer's face darkened; his formation's martial energy shattered. Li Guanyi's halberd directly launched him into the air. Li Guanyi gripped the divine weapon, spun sharply, and swept—his heavy, tyrannical aura tore through the air.

Si Tongyuan's vision went black—he was flung upward by this variation.

Tyrant's Ultimate Technique!

Boom!!!

The halberd slammed into the ground; a vast divine dragon soared above the formation—a war-soul, appearing only when willpower reaches the frontline, now manifesting in this unique way. Fan Qing clutched his chest, blood at his lips; all other generals were equally broken.

And now they knew—they had won. An impossible battle.

Fan Qing raised his weapon high; within the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, weapons pointed to heaven like a forest, wind brushing past them like wind through bamboo.

Dragon's roar and tiger's bellow never ceased.

The Fire Qilin Army—victorious!

"Wind!"

"Wind!"

"Great wind!"

With more than ten thousand men, they fought against the states of Ying and Chen, totaling over thirty thousand combat troops.

Over four thousand of Chen's troops died; over four thousand of Ying's troops died; wounded numbered countless; six renowned generals died two and were captured four.

Guanyi's forces suffered two hundred and seventy-three casualties.

The battle report swept across the land like a gale, rolling toward the myriad states with terrifying dread.