Watching those Mastiff-Lion soldiers galloping in the flames, seeing those Mastiff-Lion soldiers whose faces were utterly distorted by the fire, even Ye Jingyu felt a chill run down his spine...

Witnessing such utter chaos, Weihaya was completely stunned. His Mastiff-Lion Regiment had certainly encountered fire attacks before, but never had one resulted in such a near-total collapse. The battle hadn't even truly begun!

Of the more than five thousand N-grade Mastiff-Lions, fewer than two thousand remained unscathed, and every one of them was filled with panic in its eyes. Their riders had to exert considerable strength just to restrain them, let alone fight.

As for the five thousand soldiers, at least several hundred had burned to death, and over a thousand more were severely burned; fewer than three thousand remained capable of fighting...

This... How was this possible? The overwhelmingly powerful Mastiff-Lion Regiment, a force that even the legions of the Tianyuan Empire took seriously, was reduced to this state before the fighting even started—how could this be?

Weihaya dazedly raised his head. He could no longer see the Iron Army warriors hidden on the cliff face, but he knew that the oil pots and the fire meteors that had wreaked such havoc on his legion had plummeted from above...

That was a cliff thousands of meters high. How did those people manage to climb up there?

How could they possibly scale a cliff thousands of meters high?

Even now, Weihaya refused to believe that anyone would dare send troops deep into the Tiangang Mountain Range...

It was at this moment that the Iron Army, personally led by Ye Jingyu, arrived. Facing a fully equipped and highly motivated Mastiff-Lion Regiment, perhaps they wouldn't have had the courage, but striking down a dog in the water—their morale soared to the highest pitch.

Ye Jingyu mounted Ni Bo for the first time. Although Ni Bo was only the size of a small colt, looking somewhat comical, there was no denying its incredibly steady footing and astonishing speed.

Bieli, Yue Youqun, and the others followed closely behind Ye Jingyu. None of them were riding horses; in this terrain, ordinary steeds could barely navigate. They followed Ye Jingyu's lead, charging toward the Mastiff-Lion Regiment, which was already burning and completely disoriented.

Chen Qi, however, remained stationed atop the hill. The terrain here was simply too treacherous; no one knew if other troops lay in ambush nearby. Scouts were dispatched continuously, gathering every scrap of intelligence from the surrounding battlefield.

Seeing the armies of the Shu Yun Kingdom rush towards them, Weihaya finally snapped back to reality. He could no longer spare any thought for how people managed to climb such heights. Having lost his mount, he gripped his scimitar and pointed in the direction Ye Jingyu and his men were charging.

“Brave warriors! It was this group that ambushed us with despicable tactics! But we are invincible! Warriors, let them know the invincibility of the Mastiff-Lion Regiment! Charge!”

It must be admitted that even in this tragic state, the soldiers of the Mastiff-Lion Regiment possessed exceptionally high discipline. The more than a thousand soldiers who still had their Mastiff-Lions under control managed to soothe their terrified mounts and, following Weihaya’s command, charged toward Ye Jingyu and his men.

These Mastiff-Lions had just been severely frightened, but under the calming efforts of their riders, they gradually stabilized, and now, upon being spurred forward, they exuded overwhelming ferocity.

Especially on this kind of terrain, every Mastiff-Lion possessed astonishing leaping power; one stride covered three to four meters. Their fur shook violently, and the fangs visible between their lips curled back from their mouths—a truly terrifying sight. Over a thousand Mastiff-Lions surged forward like a black torrent toward Ye Jingyu and his company.

Witnessing the sheer might of these Mastiff-Lion warriors, the soldiers trailing behind Ye Jingyu showed traces of fear. After all, a three-meter-tall, shaggy Mastiff-Lion thundering forward presented an undeniably terrifying image.

However, seeing Ye Jingyu charge ahead without looking back, these men gritted their teeth and followed, as if Ye Jingyu’s brutal methods were somehow more terrifying than the monstrous Mastiff-Lions.

Weihaya had already remounted another unscathed Mastiff-Lion, positioning himself at the very front of the formation. Despite the devastating losses and the multiplication of diminished combat power after the previous ordeal, he remained utterly confident: as long as they could engage in close quarters, the savage nature of the Mastiff-Lions would render the soldiers of the Shu Yun Kingdom utterly defenseless.

No one, unless they were a Innate Martial Master, could withstand the full force of a Mastiff-Lion and its warrior’s combined strike.

Five hundred meters...

Three hundred meters...

One hundred meters...

As the army of the Shu Yun Kingdom drew ever closer, a savage look crossed Weihaya’s eyes. He craved vengeance; he needed to avenge the fallen Mastiff-Lion warriors. These were his most elite subordinates, and he had to repay the absolute humiliation.

Even though the enemy outnumbered them significantly and they had just suffered a massive setback, Weihaya still believed the Mastiff-Lion Regiment was an invincible force.

This was the undefeated myth they had upheld for decades at the foot of the Tiangang Mountains; no one could shatter it.

Indeed, while the Iron Army was composed of martial artists, their true elites had been deployed to set the ambush on the cliffs. The remaining strongest fighters were Martial Warriors, and a large contingent were even Martial Apprentices. Yet, the soldiers of the Mastiff-Lion Regiment had all reached the Martial Warrior realm, and bolstered by secret elixirs, their current combat strength neared that of a Martial Master. Coupled with N-grade Mastiff-Lions, even a Martial Master here would be easily torn to shreds, let alone these soldiers who were, at best, Martial Warriors.

No matter how numerous the enemy was, they stood no chance—it was like the difference between wolves and sheep. No matter how large the flock, could they possibly kill the wolves? Even if those wolves were startled.

Fifty meters...

Weihaya’s scimitar was raised high. In a moment, he would show these despicable Shu Yun people his true power.

He would make them understand that the honor of the Mastiff-Lion Regiment could not be profaned, not even through deceitful means.

But just then, Weihaya suddenly saw a white shadow dart out from beside a young general charging at the very front. It resembled a wolf, perhaps the size of a wolf-dog.

"Awooo!" A howl that pierced the heavens erupted from the little creature’s throat. Before Weihaya could comprehend how something so small could emit such a massive sound, he felt the Mastiff-Lion beneath him stop dead, trembling as if struck by an immense terror. Due to inertia, the poor General Weihaya was once again flung into the air.