At this moment, the entire battlefield was steeped in utter silence. Li Luo could even vaguely make out Xiong Kui on the high platform opposite, his eyes blazing with rage, spitting out a mouthful of purple blood.

Li Luo couldn't help but tug at the corner of his mouth again, thinking to himself that it was right to feel the pain. A full six thousand elite cavalry, reduced to dust. And more than twice that number seriously wounded—this count included an elite contingent from Blazing Flame Mountain, the two-thousand-strong Wind-Chasing Armored Cavalry. No matter how profound one's composure, they would surely lose their composure, their hearts aching to death over such a loss.

"Three hundred Triple-Arm Spirit Crossbows—the Heir Apparent certainly has a grand strategy! Li Luo is truly impressed."

He didn't admire Zong Shou’s countermeasures or deployment; he only admired the three hundred Triple-Arm Spirit Crossbows. He had firmly concluded that Zong Shou was simply flaunting his wealth, crushing opponents with money alone.

Three hundred Triple-Arm Spirit Crossbows, a full one hundred and fifty Tier Four Windfire Explosive Arrows, and the investment of ten Tier Seven Beast Cores—any force, any army in the East Lin Cloud Continent, would suffer a massive loss under such expenditure.

Hearing this, Zong Shou merely laughed dismissively. So what if he crushed them with money? Winning was all that mattered; he couldn't be bothered with such details.

Shi Dan then opened his eyes, carefully examining the deep pit, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Does the Heir Apparent have many more Windfire Explosive Arrows remaining?" His eyes were full of hopeful expectation. If the number surpassed three thousand, this battle could be won in a single engagement. If there were six hundred, they could at least retreat in good order. Zong Shou, still manipulating the black bronze mirror before him, gave a self-deprecating sneer upon hearing the question. "How many of these Tier Four spirit arrows could possibly exist in this world? Even exhausting the entire strength of the Kongqi Sect over the years, they’ve only managed to forge a thousand. I could only purchase two-fifths of their entire stock."

Shi Dan’s expression immediately soured. Two-fifths of one thousand meant only four hundred arrows, and they had already used nearly half.

This battle was likely already lost.

Never mind how imposing those three thousand knights from Profound Mountain City had appeared just moments ago, virtually slaughtering the two thousand Tiger and Leopard Riders and scattering the fifty thousand cavalry. Against an enemy a hundred times their number, these men would eventually exhaust their strength, and their horses would eventually tire.

Previously, Yang Xuan had been somewhat careless and arrogant, personally seeking out Zong Shou—that monstrous talent adept in the Way of the Sword—and Zong Yuan, who was remotely controlling the situation. With the death of the commander, the entire army wavered. But now, the enemy generals were wary. Charging toward a well-prepared infantry formation with three thousand cavalry was tantamount to seeking death.

And even the immediate enemy would be difficult to handle. Having suffered such a heavy blow, they would never allow Zong Shou to succeed again.

Sure enough, after only a moment, the tens of thousands of Blazing Flame Mountain cavalry still capable of fighting remounted their steeds. But this time, they did not concentrate in one location. Instead, they split into several hundred groups, circling the chariot formation, launching probing attacks inward from time to time.

Even Li Luo shook his head slightly, not feeling optimistic. The soldiers were elite, and the generals were intelligent. Such an enemy was the hardest to fight, offering no discernible flaw. He truly could not imagine what chance of victory Zong Shou still possessed.

Seeing this, Zong Shou merely narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "So uneasy, are we? A weak and frail giant might not always defeat a strong and vigorous little lion. How about a wager? I predict this battle today might become famous across the Cloud Continent, forging a legend. Three thousand iron riders breaking through a thousand armies. I truly hadn't expected my servant would possess such heroic spirit..."

As he spoke these words, the thirty-five thousand knights of Blazing Flame Mountain simultaneously strung their bows. While galloping at high speed, they loosed their arrows toward the formation from a thousand zhang away. With a resounding boom, the sound of countless bowstrings merged into one great chorus. Then came the whistling of arrows filling the sky—a full thirty-five thousand arrows streaked toward them like dark clouds.

This forced the five hundred Iron Tiger Halberdiers and one thousand Profound Mountain City Armored Warriors to scramble into the Cloud-Flipping Chariots. Inside, there was only a continuous thud-thud-thud. The outer shells of these chariots were entirely forged from fine steel, impervious to arrows.

Li Luo unfurled his twin blades, leaped into the air, spun and swept his arms, drawing all the arrows that had landed near their position into a vortex of hardened gale energy, sweeping them away.

Shi Dan, however, sighed and shook his head. Zong Shou’s preparations were indeed thorough, but those words held no convincing power whatsoever.

Fortunately, the outer Blazing Flame Mountain cavalry dared not immediately charge the chariot formation. Several probing attempts had ended in failure. Although they lacked many Windfire Explosive Arrows, Zong Shou had purchased plenty of Tier One and Tier Two spirit arrows, and the Triple-Arm Spirit Crossbows themselves were formidable killing weapons. A barrage from dozens of giant crossbows could defend against the charge of about a thousand men.

Shi Dan felt slightly relieved and stopped paying attention, turning with Li Luo to focus once more on the fierce battle raging ten li away. What greeted their eyes caused a slight shock among them.

In that direction, massive volleys of arrows blotted out the sun and clouds. The ground before the massive army of over a hundred thousand soldiers was already bristling with arrow shafts. However, the three thousand Dark Armored Knights behind Zong Yuan seemed to have suffered virtually no losses. They merely charged back and forth before the main body of the enemy army, seemingly able to provoke a fresh shower of arrows nearly every time. They managed to anticipate the landing points of those arrows in advance, galloping swiftly to evade them, weaving through the rain of arrows. And the three thousand Profound Mountain Knights seemed to have completely adapted to Zong Yuan's rhythm, accelerating and decelerating, charging and changing direction according to his tempo.

The foot archers from Cloud Scar Mountain, hidden behind nearly ten formations, were clearly showing signs of fatigue. For an ordinary Martial Master, drawing a ten-thousand-pound bow for more than ten shots would drain their vital energy. Exceeding twenty shots would certainly cause the muscle fibers in their arms to tear. Secret Martial Masters could draw a twenty-thousand-pound bow and possess slightly greater stamina, but that advantage was also limited.

In just a quarter of an hour, the arrows became sparse. Li Luo and Shi Dan exchanged bewildered glances. They knew the Cloud Scar Mountain foot archers weren't exhausted but were deliberately holding back their power. To push the enemy to this extent—how exactly had Zong Shou accomplished this?

Exchanging glances of astonishment, the two men refocused their attention, this time daring not to be distracted for a second, knowing that the most dangerous and critical moment was only just beginning.

Meanwhile, inside one of the formations on the right flank of the Crescent Moon Formation, Mu Ling was drenched in cold sweat, his eyes wide as he stared ahead again at the Dark Armored Knights, who had stopped at a range of two thousand zhang, calmly gathering their momentum for another charge.

He couldn't afford not to be tense, nor could he afford to lose focus. In Profound Mountain City, he ranked ninth, second only to Yang Xuan. He had always looked down upon that perpetually arrogant commander of the Tiger and Leopard Riders. When he first heard news of that man’s death, Mu Ling had felt a degree of malicious glee. Arrogance and carelessness—that was the consequence. It was a disgrace that this man, who styled himself a great general, died at the hands of someone not even considered a junior among the Black Tortoise Sect.

However, until a quarter of an hour ago, just when he thought he was paying enough attention, he realized he had still underestimated the enemy. Every direction chose for his assault was, coincidentally, the weakest and most vulnerable point of the Great Crescent Moon Formation.

The charging momentum, sharp and irresistible, felt as if it could pierce their Crescent Moon Formation in a single strike.

Though clearly aware of the strength of their infantry formation, and clearly aware the enemy force was so small, Mu Ling currently felt a distinct sensation.

It was as if his great army of nearly a hundred thousand soldiers were just ants huddled on the ground, forming defensive circles, large but clumsy. While the three thousand enemy iron riders were eagles soaring high above, waiting for the opportune moment, occasionally swooping down to harass and fray their nerves. They were incomparably agile and frighteningly sharp.

Mu Ling was naturally a steady man, yet within the span of a quarter of an hour, he had become agitated enough to order his foot archers to fire over a dozen salvos just to interrupt the enemy's charge. The situation with his fellow officer, Xie Nu, was remarkably similar.

And at this very moment, the archers hiding behind the main formation could no longer provide him any aid.

His nerves stretched taut, in the next instant, Mu Ling’s pupils contracted slightly. The leading red-armored knight had moved once more!

At this time, Zong Yuan’s mind was as still as a bottomless well. From the initial confusion after the first charge and retreat, to pouring all his effort into analysis and contemplation—now, he could almost grasp the intention behind every change of direction and every retreat Zong Shou commanded. Even the angle and location Zong Shou chose for every charge were perfectly aligned with his own judgment; they seemed almost connected by spirit, fitting together flawlessly.

In fact, he had experienced vague, similar feelings and thoughts on the battlefield before. He could sense the enemy's weak points, could predict the changes in enemy formations. But never had it been this clear, as if a veil had been directly pierced by Zong Shou!

And now, clarity dawned in his heart: the true impact, the real fierce battle, was only just beginning!

Guiding the magnificent Dragon-Horned Winged Horse, he advanced neither too quickly nor too slowly. When he reached one hundred and twenty zhang from the enemy, no arrows came forth. A sharp glint flashed in Zong Yuan’s eyes, and he suddenly accelerated with all his might.

Before him, a dense forest of spears materialized, five-zhang-long spears forming layer upon layer of spear walls, the sharp, cold glints of countless blades flashing.

Zong Yuan charged forward without hesitation. At ten zhang distance, Zong Yuan raised his own spear high.

"Purple Thunder Spear, Earth-Traversing Raging Thunder!"

The bright yellow pearl on the spear shaft released another surge of essence energy into his body. Then, a vast expanse of lightning suddenly surged into the ground, traveling several zhang away before violently detonating. The ten or so armored soldiers holding spears above were instantly thrown high into the air. The entire rigid spear forest suddenly scattered, revealing a narrow gap.

Zong Yuan plunged into the breach without hesitation. He knew that the spear wall formation at this location was not as solid as it appeared from the outside. He also knew how to rapidly break through and pierce this formation.

Immediately behind him, following closely, were Tan Tao and Hu Zhongyuan, along with ten Martial Ancestor experts of the Dark Armored Wind Dragon Cavalry! They exerted their strength almost simultaneously, further widening the gap in the spear formation. The three thousand iron riders, like a torrent of metal, poured into the formation.

The immense impact force instantly sent countless figures flying. In merely ten breaths of time, sixteen thousand iron hooves trampled the five-thousand-man formation into utter disarray!