The cloud of dust slowly approached, revealing its true form, and whether it was Liang Xiaoke, Chen Qi, or even Ying Xiaoxiao who arrived later without even fully fastening her armor, or the thousand densely packed soldiers, all were profoundly shaken by the scene...

One glance revealed only dense, impenetrable black... Not the black of storm clouds, nor the black of night, but a black that glittered with its own dark sheen... Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke, with the sharpest eyes, were the first to perceive the true nature of that darkness... They were a horde of monsters shaped like rhinoceroses, entirely covered in scales of obsidian black, yet immensely tall, standing as high as elephants. Each bore a single horn projecting from its forehead, nearly three feet long, and their four legs below were exceptionally thick, causing the ground to tremble as if a small mountain were moving with every stride...

A colossal, rumbling roar shook the very earth. As this black monstrosity advanced, the thousand warhorses grew wildly agitated. No matter how skillful the riders were, controlling these panicked steeds became nearly impossible... The warhorses began to scream, their bodies instinctively recoiling as if facing their natural predators. Chen Qi was forced to order his cavalrymen to dismount and hold their horses... This action alone prevented the embarrassing scenario of them fleeing without a fight... Of course, if the approaching force had been an enemy, they would have turned tail without a second thought; after all, if even the warhorses were terrified, what morale would the soldiers have left to fight with...

Riding atop each monster were two men, bare-chested. The one in front clutched a massive battle-axe, while the one behind carried a longbow—they were warriors of the Chiyi tribe and archers of the Hu Yendi tribe from the Southern Barren Forest... The two largest beasts, leading the charge, carried Chiyi Xiu and Hu Yendi Qi respectively... Watching the dense swarm of colossal beasts charge toward them—nearly a thousand strong in total...

Rumble... The massive sounds continued to echo, threatening to collapse the dikes of the Wei River. Ye Jingyu slowly raised his right hand, signaling Chiyi Xiu and the others to slow down... It was no joke; if these beasts continued their charge unchecked, the warhorses would likely bolt in sheer terror...

Receiving Ye Jingyu's gesture, Chiyi Xiu and Hu Yendi Qi immediately began to reduce speed. Several of the leading massive beasts also eased their pace, and the dust cloud began to settle gradually... By the time Chiyi Xiu and Hu Yendi Qi stopped roughly a hundred meters from Ye Jingyu and his party, the great beasts had entirely ceased their gallop, moving instead in slow, measured steps. Their sheer size still caused the ground to vibrate intensely... Even from that distance, Ye Jingyu and the others scrutinized the bizarre creatures again. The shortest among them rivaled an ordinary elephant in size, while the largest—the one ridden by Chiyi Xiu—stood perhaps seven or eight meters tall. Its entire body resembled a small hill, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure... Its four legs alone were thicker than mature trees, requiring at least two people to encircle them, like four gigantic pillars supporting a living mound... Its head was comparable to a small locomotive, and Ye Jingyu had no doubt it could swallow an adult man whole in one bite... As for the single horn on its head, it was nearly seven feet long—a stout spear in itself, entirely black and appearing incredibly solid. A full-force thrust, he presumed, could pierce even ten centimeters of solid steel plate...

Chiyi Xiu, whose own imposing figure stood nearly ten feet tall, seemed like a mere speck next to his mount... Each stride covered several meters; from afar, it looked like a leisurely stroll, yet in just a few steps, he covered the hundred meters separating them, arriving before Ye Jingyu and his group... Chiyi Xiu and Hu Yendi Qi simultaneously dismounted from their beasts and approached Ye Jingyu...

"A'Yu, we have returned. This time we bring five hundred of the most elite Chiyi warriors and three hundred archers, a total of eight hundred people, along with these four hundred Linjiao Rhinos. These are Tier Four Desolate Beasts personally subdued by the Patriarch..." Chiyi Xiu stated grimly, standing beside Ye Jingyu... Tier Four Desolate Beasts—creatures equivalent in rank to a Grandmaster of Innate Martial Arts. Yet, on the battlefield, their combat effectiveness was several times greater than that of such a martial artist... If a single Linjiao Rhino charged with full force, who on the battlefield could possibly resist? Such a colossal frame, such terrifying bulk, such astonishing speed, coupled with scales impervious to blades—they were mobile fortresses of war... Four hundred of them meant he instantly commanded four hundred such war fortresses... Ye Jingyu firmly believed that a cavalry formation composed of these four hundred Linjiao Rhinos could shatter a force of four thousand, perhaps even ten thousand men...

"Xiu, you have labored hard..."

Ye Jingyu struggled for words. While the Southern Barren Forest held numerous Desolate Beasts, subduing four hundred Tier Four entities was no simple feat. Even for Chiyi, a Soul Master of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm, this would have been immensely difficult.

The Chiyi tribe must have paid a tremendous price to tame these four hundred Linjiao Rhinos...

All of this was because they regarded him as one of their own, as their son...

Ye Jingyu would never forget the favor of the Chiyi tribe, nor the countless quiet sacrifices they made for him. He had so much to say, but at this moment, only this brief phrase escaped his lips... Chiyi Xiu shook his head. "It wasn't too hard, but these four hundred Linjiao Rhinos require vast amounts of food to sustain; that is one issue. Also, the Patriarch instructed that these four hundred Linjiao Rhinos will only obey your commands, and he asked that you not separate them..."

Just then, Luo Ruofeng, having heard the commotion, arrived with Zhuge Yishi and others, catching the tail end of this statement... Ye Jingyu turned to look at Luo Ruofeng. Seeing the smile lighting up Luo Ruofeng’s face, he nodded gently. He fully understood the Chiyi tribe's apprehension. After all, such terrifying combat strength, if wielded by others, could wreak unimaginable havoc upon the continent...

Luo Ruofeng's face beamed with joy; he paid no mind to Chiyi Xiu's stipulation. Four hundred Linjiao Rhinos—Tier Four Desolate Beasts! If they charged, which cavalry unit in the Tianyuan Empire could withstand them? Forget cavalry; these giants could probably smash a breach right through a city wall with a direct assault...

Such fearsome power placed in Ye Jingyu’s hands was effectively placed in his hands too. The thought that he possessed such an advantage over his elder and second brothers made Luo Ruofeng inwardly commend his own foresight in allying with Ye Jingyu; the benefits it brought him were immeasurable...