Under the lead of Yin Shuang, the Dragon Knights maintained their astonishing speed, galloping ceaselessly toward the East Wind.

Mo Luo Yin Feng and others, leading the cavalry of the Burning Flame Legion, relentlessly pursued them.

This chase and flight lasted for the better part of a day! Ahead lay the entrance to the Nine Bends, a valley known as the Serpentine Hollow!

The Serpentine Hollow was actually situated at the junction of two mountain ranges, flanked by sheer cliffs rising from the plain, with a wide, flat stretch of road nearly a thousand meters long in the middle.

This road formed a complex geographical cluster—the Qiu Lin landforms—alongside the adjacent valleys: Huiqu, Fengqu, Louqu, Ququ, Guliu, Jianqu, Baiqu.

These nine valleys with complex terrain were collectively called the Nine Bends. Passing through them meant reaching the first frontier fortress of the Byron Tribe on the western border: the Old Fortress of the Nine Bends.

Only after traversing the Old Fortress could one truly set foot on the Byron Great Grassland.

Both allies and enemies were intimately familiar with the unique, intricate terrain of the Nine Bends. Over the past fifty years, the Demon Sealing Empire had launched armies through the Nine Bends more than a dozen times, capturing the Old Fortress and invading the Byron Great Grassland.

Thus, every strategic location within the Nine Bends was etched into their minds.

In fact, ever since the decline of the Byron Tribe fifty years prior, the Nine Bends defense line and the Old Fortress had become virtually defunct.

The disparity in overall strength meant the Byron Tribe could not spare enough military power to garrison the defense line and engage the Demon Sealing forces in direct combat.

The only truly effective method against the Demon Sealing armies was to utilize the vast plains of the Byron Great Grassland, leveraging the astonishing speed of the Saber-toothed Dragons for flanking maneuvers and guerrilla warfare to eliminate invading enemies.

In reality, this tactic proved highly effective.

Over the past fifty years, fourteen major invasions and purges by the Demon Sealing forces had been utterly routed by the Byron Tribe's fluid and mobile combat style.

At this moment, judging by the situation, Yin Shuang and her contingent clearly intended to pass through the Nine Bends, return to the Byron Great Grassland, rest briefly, and fight another day.

But how could Mo Luo Yin Feng allow her to succeed so easily!

Seemingly driven to desperation by the pursuit, the Byron contingent plunged headlong into the Serpentine Hollow. Then, the Dragon Knights positioned at the rear of the main force abruptly reined in their mounts and wheeled around to form a battle array!

Mo Luo Yin Feng was taken aback. Just as he was about to enter the valley, he sharply waved his hand, halting his advance, and the cavalry of the Burning Flame Legion behind him immediately ceased their momentum.

Yin Nuqulei and the others gazed upon the Serpentine Hollow before them with expressions shifting between doubt and uncertainty. From a military standpoint, the Serpentine Hollow was absolutely a treacherous place ripe for an ambush.

"Marshal, there might be an ambush in the valley!" Yin Nuqulei expressed his concern.

The others scanned the valley tensely. Frankly, the section of magical traps encountered earlier in the forest had already inflicted considerable losses on the Burning Flame Legion.

This compelled Mo Luo Yin Feng to proceed with extreme caution. Furthermore, observing the posture of the Dragon Knights suddenly turning to array themselves suggested that something was amiss.

"Qu Lei, Yuan Feng, you two go scout ahead!" Mo Luo Yin Feng stated grimly.

"Yes!" Yin Nuqulei and Jiboyuan Feng acknowledged in unison, dismounting lightly and sprinting toward a nearby hilltop. With their skill and martial prowess, even if ambushed, a safe retreat was certainly not an issue.

"Contact the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry immediately. I want to know everything happening within a hundred-mile radius of the Nine Bends," Mo Luo Yin Feng continued.

"Yes!" Yin Ke pulled out his thousand-mile communication device.

Jiboyuan Feng and Yin Nuqulei dashed far ahead, flying onto the summits of the hills on either side in the blink of an eye.

However, when the two looked around, they found no sign of an ambush whatsoever. When they turned back to look into the valley, the Dragon Knights, who had been staring them down menacingly moments before, had already turned tail and fled, vanishing into the distance in an instant.

The two knew that this time, the Burning Flame Legion had been fooled once again. They could only raise their hands and fire a magical signal flare.

"It was a feint," Mo Luo Yin Feng exclaimed in frustration! It was obvious that the Byron contingent had not set any ambush at all but had merely put on a show to make him paranoid, thereby gaining more time to escape. In that slight moment of hesitation, the Byron forces had widened the gap considerably!

"Thunderhawk Air Cavalry reports that no abnormal situations have been detected within a hundred miles of the Nine Bends," Yin Ke reported. "Furthermore, the main Byron army continues its rapid advance toward the Old Fortress of the Nine Bends."

"Turtle Shell War Chariots, scout ahead! The rest of the forces, follow closely!" Mo Luo Yin Feng's face was grim, a sense of inexplicable humiliation and frustration churning within him. To be duped twice in one day, especially by a mere woman commanding the opposing force, was a great loss of face for Mo Luo Yin Feng.

Yet, facing the unique topography of the Nine Bends, Mo Luo Yin Feng had no choice but to be extremely careful and cautious. Sending the Turtle Shell War Chariots ahead to scout ensured the maximum reduction of casualties among his own troops.

Although the intelligence returned by the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry showed nothing unusual, the commander Mo Luo Yin Feng still had to be meticulously careful.

In truth, everyone understood that while the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry could spot enemy troops, they could not detect if magical traps had been laid. Moreover, they would struggle to promptly discover enemies cleverly concealed by utilizing specific terrain features.

For instance, the Blood Wolf Knights lurking in the forest earlier had skillfully evaded the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry's detection.

In fact, both the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Byron Tribe possessed extensive counter-reconnaissance experience in dealing with the Demon Sealing army's Thunderhawk Air Cavalry.

Therefore, the intelligence transmitted by the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry could only serve as a general reference.

Of course, this was not to say the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry was useless. For instance, the army led by Yin Shuang, whose location was now exposed, absolutely could not escape the detection of the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry. Thus, as long as they kept a tight visual on this main contingent, any other potential ambushes elsewhere would not pose a major threat.

Naturally, having the Turtle Shell War Chariots lead the way slowed their speed considerably, but it guaranteed the utmost minimization of casualties. Frankly, Mo Luo Yin Feng still felt a lingering fear from being ambushed in the forest earlier.

Rumble! Dozens of Turtle Shell War Chariots advanced abreast.

Fifty meters behind them, the cavalry of the Burning Flame Legion followed closely.

Yet, the entire journey through the valley proceeded without incident.

Soon, the army passed through the Serpentine Hollow.

Everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief!

"The terrain of the Nine Bends is perilous, especially the latter three, Fengqu, Louqu, and Baiqu. If Yin Shuang had laid an ambush there, our pursuit might not have been so successful," Gonggong Zhenqin cautioned.

Mo Luo Yin Feng nodded slightly. If he had chosen not to set an ambush in the first valley, he would certainly have chosen the most dangerous Fengqu, Louqu, or Baiqu to intercept the enemy's retreat, as that would be the most logical course of action to make turning back impossible for the enemy.

However, the intelligence from the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry showed no sign that Yin Shuang's army had halted anywhere; they continued their full-speed advance toward the Old Fortress of the Nine Bends!

This made Mo Luo Yin Feng feel a degree of strangeness and abnormality: "Could it be that the Byron contingent is truly focused solely on escape this time?"

"I believe so," Gonggong Zhenqin suggested. "The assassination of Jiu Yao Shen Zhen, the Marshal's sudden leading of the troops out, coupled with the successful interception and elimination by the southern and northern ambushes—these three heavy blows have likely thrown the Black Flag Legion into utter panic and completely destroyed their morale. Under such circumstances, even with Yin Shuang's extraordinary ingenuity, simply stabilizing the troops would exhaust her. Launching a counterattack to regroup would be extremely difficult. Her only viable option now is to lead her army to retreat to the Byron Great Grassland as quickly as possible before formulating future plans."

"..." Mo Luo Yin Feng nodded inwardly. He had to admit, Gonggong Zhenqin's analysis held much weight. The Black Flag Legion was currently too preoccupied with fleeing to waste energy on tricks.

If he were Yin Shuang in this situation, there seemed to be no better course of action than fleeing with all speed back to the Byron Great Grassland. With this thought, Mo Luo Yin Feng hesitated no longer.

"Full-speed pursuit! We absolutely cannot let them return to the Byron Great Grassland!" Mo Luo Yin Feng commanded coldly.

Indeed, the reality mirrored their earlier predictions! No ambushes were found in the other valleys of the Nine Bends. Instead, along the path, rocks rained down and explosions erupted continuously. It was the Turtle Shell War Chariots leading the advance that detonated countless magical traps.

These were clearly contingency plans set by the Black Flag Legion beforehand, retreat support strategies designed to buy crucial time should their forces suffer defeat.

And these arrangements had indeed achieved their initial intended effect: the presence of magical traps forced the Burning Flame Legion to dispatch the Turtle Shell War Chariots ahead for scouting, significantly slowing their pursuit speed.

However, Mo Luo Yin Feng was confident enough to capitalize on this opportunity to completely crush the Byron contingent.

Yes, the main Byron force was now completely exposed to the detection of the Thunderhawk Air Cavalry and was being closely tracked by the Burning Flame Legion. No matter how they altered their route, escape from the pursuit was impossible.

In fact, Mo Luo Yin Feng calculated that this pursuit would not be easily won. After all, the Saber-toothed Dragons possessed astonishing stamina and speed, in no way inferior to the High Furnace Warhorses.

If only the Byron Tribe had sufficient equipment to fully arm the Dragon Knights, no legion would dare engage them head-on.

But even without fine equipment, the combat power of the Dragon Knights could not be underestimated.

Had it not been for the chaos within the Black Flag Legion following the assassination of Jiu Yao Shen Zhen, Mo Luo Yin Feng would not have dared to launch such an overt, frontal assault, even if he had ten times the courage.

Yet, Mo Luo Yin Feng was also acutely aware that annihilating the Black Flag Legion in a short time was impossible. This pursuit would ultimately evolve into a protracted war of attrition, a contest of physical strength, endurance, and reserves.

Therefore, the Burning Flame Legion was fully prepared. To ensure they did not lose their bearings on the vast Byron Great Grassland and to prevent the Byron forces from shaking them off, the Burning Flame Legion had specially summoned hundreds of Thunderhawk Air Cavalry from the Demon Sealing City. These Thunderhawks could circle above the Byron contingent twenty-four hours a day, locking onto their position, while the Burning Flame cavalry merely needed to follow the Thunderhawks' guidance to launch their pursuit.

Moreover, both the personnel and mounts of the Burning Flame Legion carried provisions for over a month. They were confident that during such a long pursuit, they could exhaust the Byron contingent's stamina and endurance—that would be their doom.

This was the strategy of attrition devised by Mo Luo Yin Feng and others to deal with the Black Flag Army. Simple, yet extremely direct and effective!

Two days later!

The Byron contingent finally reached the Old Fortress of the Nine Bends!

Utilizing the rudimentary fortifications of the Old Fortress, the Black Flag Legion arrayed themselves defensively while seizing every moment to rest and reorganize.

Meanwhile, Mo Luo Yin Feng, whose vanguard was delayed by the magical traps in the forest, splitting his force into two paths, dared not attack the Black Flag forces arrayed behind their defensive works easily. He could only establish camp on the open ground west of the Old Fortress!

Soon after, Chi Yue Qin Shuang, leading the main body of the Burning Flame Legion, arrived.

At this point, the main strength of the Burning Flame Legion had reassembled, save for the detachment led by Zhu Rong Ming Yang and Man Cang Qin Feng, who had been drawn toward the edge of the Kila Great Desert by the Blood Wolf Knights.

Just as the Burning Flame Legion was preparing to launch a full-scale assault to conquer the Old Fortress of the Nine Bends, the Black Flag Legion abandoned the fortress overnight and continued their flight.

Without even taking time to rest after their rendezvous, the reassembled forces immediately resumed the pursuit, biting hard at the heels of the Black Flag forces.

The two armies once again engaged in a seemingly evenly matched marathon.

Inside the massive carriage, the motion was slight but constant.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

All I could hear was a muffled, dull roaring sound. In my delirium, I felt the surroundings shaking incessantly, and my head felt strangely foggy.

My throat and pharynx felt as if they were scorched by fire; I was terribly thirsty.

"Water! Water!" Using nearly all my remaining strength, I managed to rasp out the two words.

"Ah! The Marshal is awake." A burst of joyful cheers erupted from nearby, and soon a cool, moist stream flowed into my mouth.

After a long time, the lingering stupor and confusion in my mind began to dissipate!

Opening my eyes, the first sight was two beautiful, slender faces—Yin Shuang and Jian Qi.

"Marshal, you're finally awake," Yin Shuang said joyfully.

"En." My current state was truly awful; I felt like a weak, helpless infant, even speaking felt exhausting.

Yet, habits formed over years compelled me to subconsciously assess my surroundings. The space felt extremely confined, and I was lying on a small cot, occasionally feeling gentle jolts and rocking motions.

Instinctively looking toward the window, I saw the scenery outside rushing backward like flying.

The only sound reaching my ears was a continuous, muffled roar, like thousands of horses galloping at high speed, which left me feeling bewildered and confused.

"This is inside a carriage?"

"Yes," Yin Shuang murmured softly. "Do you feel any better?"

"En." I nodded slightly reflexively, but I had absolutely no memory of what had transpired: "What happened to me?"

My last memory was being impaled through the left chest by Mo Luo Yin Feng's spear, then being carried back to the lines by the Great Mammoth Beast King. Everything after that was a complete blank.

"Marshal, you sustained a severe injury during your battle with Mo Luo Yin Feng and have been unconscious since," Yin Shuang explained.

I was actually unconscious.

This surprised me; it explained why I had no memory of subsequent events. However, the current situation left me feeling lost.

"What is the situation with the army?"

"It's a long story." Yin Shuang sounded hesitant, her gaze toward me fluctuating between uncertainty and concern, which made me uneasy.

"Just tell me what happened, quickly."