Silver Frost finally recounted everything that had transpired after I fell unconscious.

Upon learning I had awakened, Jian Wu and the others had also arrived at my carriage, accompanied by several unfamiliar faces: four Heavenly Demon Warriors clad in Demon Battle Armor, and two Sky Rainbow Archmages wearing Archmage Cloaks.

Through Silver Frost’s introductions, I learned their identities.

The two Sky Rainbow Archmages were the High Priests of the Blood Wolf Tribe, who had rushed overnight from their camp to rendezvous with us—they were also fellow disciples of Chi Ming and Chi Hao.

They were named Chi Xiang and Chi Yu.

They wore the two Archmage Cloaks that I had seized during the battle at Man City.

Seeing their Marshal now, both men were visibly excited, yet they sat respectfully to one side.

The four Heavenly Demon Warriors were led by Bai Zhan and Bai Lou, two top experts from the Raging Flood Dragon Tribe, whose strength qualified them to wear the Heavenly Demon Armor.

The sets they wore were the same ones formerly belonging to Cang Yue Qian Yu and Cang Yue Zhen Xian.

The remaining two were Yin Yao and Yin Chi, masters from the Byron Tribe.

These four also appeared profoundly moved.

Though I was unsure how far my reputation had spread, the reaction of these six newly appointed heavy-armor generals left me feeling somewhat elevated.

Of course, the practiced facade of reserved composure I had cultivated for so long helped me suppress the secret delight, and I remained seated with an outwardly placid expression.

The small carriage immediately felt somewhat cramped, yet everyone present was filled with excitement and vigor.

After all, their Marshal had awakened; what news could be more exhilarating than that! Frankly, I was deeply incensed by Cang Yue Qian Yu’s treacherous act of disregarding the greater good.

Still, I was immensely relieved to have narrowly escaped death this time through sheer serendipity.

Silver Frost and Jian Wu then explained the detailed plan for the withdrawal operation.

The overall strategy sounded quite intricate, but applying the principles of ancient Chinese military stratagems, it was essentially a calculated maneuver: lure the snake out of its hole and draw the tiger away from its mountain lair.

The plan was to use Cang Yue Qian Yu’s assassination attempt to fabricate the illusion of my death, thereby tempting Mo Luo Yin Feng to pursue us outside the city.

Following that, the objective was to eradicate Mo Luo Yin Feng’s army out on the vast grasslands.

While the concept sounded simple, its execution was fraught with immense difficulty.

It could be said that the preceding feigned defeat was not feigned at all, but a genuine, devastating rout.

Had it not been for the ingeniously arranged contingency and support strategies, this withdrawal might have truly devolved into an irrecoverable rout.

Naturally, I was astonished that Silver Frost managed to stabilize the situation under such duress.

It seemed I had underestimated her capabilities in command.

With that thought, my gaze involuntarily swept over Silver Frost.

She seemed unsettled by my intense scrutiny.

“Marshal,” Silver Frost stammered, her originally fair complexion flushing deep red.

“Are my arrangements somehow inadequate?” Jian Wu and the others nearby exchanged odd glances, studying both me and Silver Frost.

The atmosphere felt, inexplicably, a little ambiguous.

Only then did I realize—she was a woman, after all, and my burning gaze might be misinterpreted.

“You did excellently,” I said, feeling a touch awkward.

“Now that Mo Luo Yin Feng leads his army out of the city in pursuit, deep into the Byron Great Grasslands, it is the perfect opportunity to destroy them!” “Indeed,” Silver Frost regained her composure and spread a map onto the table.

“We have crossed the Nine Bends and have been fleeing eastward the entire time.

Mo Luo Yin Feng will surely assume we intend to retreat back to the Byron Grasslands.

But now that the Marshal is safe, I believe it is time to launch our counterattack.” “Counterattack?” I asked, my voice low.

“Actually, even before finalizing the plan, we anticipated Mo Luo Yin Feng’s intentions.

He surely prepared ample provisions, intending to annihilate us entirely on the Byron Grasslands.

Furthermore, the lock-on capability of several hundred Thunderhawk Sky Riders made shaking off the Thunderflame Legion’s pursuit impossible.

Therefore, our plan was meticulously designed around this very fact: if Mo Luo Yin Feng dares to follow, he will never return.” Silver Frost explained.

“Never return.” Silver Frost’s confident tone startled me.

“It is here,” Silver Frost pointed to a spot on the map near the east and spoke gravely.

“The battlefield for annihilating the Thunderflame Legion is Uthmo, deep within the Byron Grasslands.

Originally, we had no certainty of victory; after all, our army’s thousand-mile rout and low morale were undeniable facts.

However, the Marshal’s presence will surely galvanize the troops, allowing us to completely crush the Thunderflame Legion.” “Uthmo,” I affirmed solemnly.

“Very well, we proceed according to the plan.” Across the vast grasslands! The two contingents continued to thunder onward, the Dragon-Sword Riders unable to shake off the persistent Thunderflame Cavalry tailing them.

Yet, for the Thunderflame Cavalry, catching the Dragon-Sword Riders was no simple feat either.

For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand.

In the blink of an eye, this fierce pursuit had lasted six days.

The pursuer and the pursued had now entered the heartland of the Byron Great Grasslands: Uthmo! Uthmo! In the commentary of ancient Mafa script, it means ‘Great Dragon.’ In mythology, Uthmo was an evil colossal dragon, later subdued by the Mafa Goddess and imprisoned here.

The evil dragon was eventually purified by the Mafa Goddess and became her mount, following her into the First War of the Gods, where Uthmo fell in battle.

However, it left its descendants here, who became the ancestors of the Byron Clan.

Thus, throughout the ages, the Byron Tribe has claimed descent from the Dragon, worshipping the colossal Uthmo.

At this moment, both forces had reached Uthmo.

Stretching out before them, the land was wide and open—blue skies, white clouds, and verdant green grass, an invigorating sight.

However, the overwhelming torrents of two massive forces charging across the plains shattered the tranquility of the grasslands.

On horseback, Mo Luo Yin Feng and his officers dared not let their guard down, their eyes constantly scanning the slightest movement in the surrounding terrain as they rode.

But the landscape was too open; nothing that could draw attention was concealed.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Mo Luo Yin Feng felt a pervasive unease, though he could not pinpoint its source.

The air remained fresh, and the ground was still covered in grass nearly as tall as a man—dense, lush, and stretching endlessly to the horizon.

Looking around, only an unbroken expanse of green met the eye.

There seemed to be nothing amiss, yet both Mo Luo Yin Feng and his men sensed a subtle, pervasive killing intent.

This prompted Mo Luo Yin Feng to instinctively check the rampant charge of his Black Flame steed.

The Thunderflame Cavalry also abruptly reined in their mounts.

They nervously scanned their surroundings.

The wild wind raged on, and the endless green grass rippled like an immense green ocean, churning in waves under the powerful gusts.

But Gong Gong Zhen Qin’s expression was unusually grave; her slightly closed eyes seemed to be sensing something.

“Something is wrong,” Gong Gong Zhen Qin stated.

“I can sense active fire elementals here.” “Could there be magical traps ahead?” Yin Nu Qu Lei speculated.

“But the area is so wide open—how effective could a magical trap be?” Yin Nu Qu Lei dismounted, grabbed a handful of grass, examined it closely, and then brought it to his nose to sniff.

“Strange.

This grass is growing far too vigorously, and there’s a faint scent of Qing You and Yan Powder.” “Qing You and Yan Powder?” Gong Gong Zhen Qin looked puzzled.

On the Mafa Continent, Qing You was not a rare commodity; nomadic tribes often used it to irrigate grasslands, promoting more vigorous vegetation growth.

Yan Powder was an oil used for illumination.

However, anyone with basic common sense knew these two substances should never be mixed.

Qing You and Yan Powder, when combined, became highly flammable and explosive; a single misstep could ignite them.

Yet, here on the grass, the two were mixed—what could this mean? Mo Luo Yin Feng and his officers suddenly realized the implication, and their faces changed drastically! In every direction they looked, there was only a vast stretch of green.

“No, we’ve been tricked!” Mo Luo Yin Feng cried out in alarm.

“Full retreat!” However, almost the instant Mo Luo Yin Feng gave the order! BOOM! A series of heavy concussions suddenly erupted, and several brilliant orbs of light exploded in the distance.

Whoosh! Almost simultaneously with the light bursting forth, the once emerald-green grassland suddenly erupted into towering flames.

Looking out, everywhere was a shocking expanse of fiery red.

It resembled an endless, gigantic fire dragon, surging towards Mo Luo Yin Feng and his men with astonishing speed! The gale force wind now carried a suffocating heaviness and searing heat.

The world, at this moment, transformed into a terrifying ocean of fire! Ah! The scene unfolding before them left every Thunderflame Knight momentarily stunned.

The fire had come too suddenly; who could have imagined the green fields would erupt, and with such ferocity! Before they could fully react, the charging fire dragon, propelled by the wind, was already dozens of meters away! This sweeping blaze completely engulfed their vision, and the surging heat wave brought an intense feeling of choking terror and burning.

More chillingly, mixed with the roaring fire was a deep, muffled sound! Like the furious roar of a colossal dragon! “Ah! That’s the Mammoth King’s voice!” Everyone was terrified.

Almost as the roar sounded, several huge silhouettes flashed out of the sea of fire like lightning.

Leading the charge was the gigantic, fiercely imposing Mammoth King.

But even more shocking was the familiar figure riding on the Mammoth King’s back.

The instant the Mammoth King appeared, everyone felt a sky-piercing killing intent capable of crushing everything! “The Mammoth King! Jiu Yao Shen Zhen!” Mo Luo Yin Feng could hardly believe his eyes! Even a fool could now see that the Thunderflame Legion had fallen into a trap set by the Black Flag Army.

“Retreat quickly,” Mo Luo Yin Feng roared, a thunderous command echoing across the sky.

All the Thunderflame Legion cavalry reacted swiftly, wheeling their mounts around and fleeing madly back the way they came! Yes, at this moment, everyone grasped a terrifying truth: from the very beginning, the Thunderflame Legion had been manipulated by the Black Flag Army’s scheme—Cang Yue Qian Yu’s assassination and the Black Flag Army’s retreat were all preparations for this precise moment.

“Mo Luo Yin Feng, you won’t escape,” Jiu Yao Shen Zhen’s cold killing intent seemed to transcend spatial barriers, locking onto Mo Luo Yin Feng instantly! Then, the Mammoth King’s massive body appeared beside Mo Luo Yin Feng as if materializing from thin air, ghost-like! No one could describe the speed of the Mammoth King, just as no one could clearly see the intensity of Jiu Yao Shen Zhen’s thrust at this moment! A sharp whistle, the very air warping! Amidst the surging, tidal wave of killing intent, Mo Luo Yin Feng saw only a streak of black shadow! It was a spear! A long, thick black Dragon Spear held in Jiu Yao Shen Zhen’s hand! Mo Luo Yin Feng could not articulate what kind of spear thrust this was.

Speed, skill, power—all traditional descriptions of spear arts felt hollow and pale when facing this one strike.

It seemed as if the entire sky, the earth, the grassland, and even the raging inferno were enveloped by this sudden spear thrust! It was a spear seemingly imbued with strange power; in a single strike, it felt like an entire sky, encompassing everything between heaven and earth, condensing into an endless vortex of lethal intent.

“Die!” Accompanying the strike was Jiu Yao Shen Zhen’s soul-stirring, ferocious roar.

“Roar!” Mo Luo Yin Feng could only pour all his strength into a desperate counter, raising his spear to meet the charge! The sky remained the sky, but Mo Luo Yin Feng had no choice but to raise his weapon; otherwise, the soul-numbing killing intent alone would shatter him! No matter what, he could not die here! Absolutely not! His battle qi burned furiously, his insides feeling as if they were exploding! “Heavenly Demon Infinite! Purgatory of Life and Death!” Mo Luo Yin Feng’s normally silver eyes instantly burst with two balls of dazzling red flame.

At this life-or-death moment! Mo Luo Yin Feng could no longer afford to hold anything back! Indeed, no one could face the combined assault of Jiu Yao Shen Zhen and the Mammoth King and escape unscathed! From countless analyses of Jiu Yao Shen Zhen, Mo Luo Yin Feng knew a terrifying truth better than anyone: once Jiu Yao Shen Zhen initiates a sudden pursuit, no one can escape his hunt.

This was the true terror of Jiu Yao Shen Zhen; much like the Mammoth King he mastered, once he locks onto prey, he launches a lightning-fast attack until the prey is utterly torn to shreds.

No one could escape this terrifying onslaught! Therefore, Mo Luo Yin Feng was forced to strike, and his first move was the most desperate, mutually destructive stance! Heavenly Demon Infinite was a supreme secret technique passed down by the Demon Sealing Imperial Family, divided into three layers! First Layer! Demon Transformation of Sacrifice: Upon activation, it grants a twofold increase in power, but the price is equally severe—crippling self-injury.

Second Layer! Purgatory of Life and Death: Upon activation, it grants a threefold increase in power.

A misstep could result in death, or at least the complete destruction of one's meridians.

Third Layer! Asura Life and Death: Upon activation, it grants a threefold increase in power, but success or failure leads only to self-combustion and certain death! At Yun City, Mo Luo Zhan Ying had activated the third layer, Asura Life and Death, and was subsequently blown into dust by the very battle qi energy he condensed, shattering even his nigh-indestructible Heavenly Demon Armor.

This demonstrated how immensely potent and domineering the Heavenly Demon Infinite technique was! Now, cornered by Jiu Yao Shen Zhen, Mo Luo Yin Feng had no choice.

Yes, conventional combat skills could not defeat Jiu Yao Shen Zhen and the Mammoth King! The only option was to trade life for life! It felt as if a raging flame was burning and surging within his body.

Perhaps driven by the world-shattering killing intent, or perhaps sensing the immediate threat of death, a latent power within him erupted like a mountain flood.

Pain! Tearing, terror—all negative sensations vanished.

In this moment, Mo Luo Yin Feng felt himself become a ball of fire, a scorching, blazing inferno.

Unparalleled vitality and strength surged toward the arms gripping his spear, converging there! Then, he could see everything clearly again, including that spear rapidly approaching beneath the distorted sky.

Perhaps that spear was truly fast, but Mo Luo Yin Feng could now clearly trace its trajectory! This marvelous state of mind was the enlightenment and emptiness that comes from breaking through the barrier between life and death! Mo Luo Yin Feng was confident that this spear thrust could not escape his lock and block! Roar! The silver spear was finally thrust out! Mo Luo Yin Feng channeled Purgatory of Life and Death for the first time! No one could imagine the sheer power contained in this single strike, not even Mo Luo Yin Feng himself! The silver spear light instantly exploded into a dazzling fire dragon.

In Mo Luo Yin Feng’s perception, this thrust seemed slow, yet it moved with unwavering determination to meet the spear thrust launched by Jiu Yao Shen Zhen.

“Boom…” Amidst a dull roar, the brilliant ball of light detonated instantly.

Mo Luo Yin Feng felt as if his entire body had been cleaved into countless tiny fragments! Then, he saw that massive white shadow flying backward at astonishing speed! Simultaneously, he saw Jiu Yao Shen Zhen spraying blood, his face a mask of shock! It was as if he had witnessed the most unbelievable and terrifying sight in the world! Hmm! Jiu Yao Shen Zhen! So you are not truly invincible after all! A wave of unprecedented ecstasy mixed with crushing emptiness instantly blurred Mo Luo Yin Feng’s consciousness! Thump! Rumbled! It felt as if he had been struck by a high-speed train! The Mammoth King and I were involuntarily thrown into the air, then slammed heavily back onto the ground! Although the Mammoth King skillfully mitigated the terrifying impact during the retreat, even so, I felt a rupture open in my body from a sudden surge of internal energy.

The battle qi energy within me churned and surged uncontrollably! And my throat involuntarily...

Pfft! A mist of blood could no longer be suppressed, and it sprayed out uncontrollably! Roar! Woo! The massive Mammoth King also let out a muffled groan and spat out a mouthful of blood! In just one exchange, the Mammoth King and I were both severely wounded by Mo Luo Yin Feng’s god-defying spear thrust! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I couldn't have believed such a brutal spear attack existed in this world.

Keep in mind, for that previous thrust, I had leveraged the Mammoth King’s full-speed charge and concentrated all my strength, unleashing the most potent killing move possible with my momentary, dazzling technique.

It could be said that this spear technique was the strongest offensive strike the Mammoth King and I could muster, and it was a sudden ambush when Mo Luo Yin Feng was completely unprepared.

Yet, he had neutralized it with ease! The shock in my heart was immense! When I recovered my senses, Mo Luo Yin Feng was already gone! “Marshal, you are injured…” Jian Qi rushed forward quickly.

“Incredibly powerful, Mo Luo Yin Feng,” I took a deep breath, fighting the urge to faint.

“All troops pursue! We cannot let them escape.”