Ye Jingyu stood upon Ni Bo’s back, and only Ni Bo could maintain perfect balance beneath him; any other steed would struggle to remain steady on the Qilin Rhino’s hide, even if the beast itself remained calm.

As for Liang Xiaoke, he too sat astride the Qilin Rhino, a low table set before him laden with fragrant roasted meats. He held a wine jug in one hand and gnawed heartily on a roasted ox leg, utterly unconcerned with the silver expanse stretching several li ahead.

Seeing Ye Jingyu lounging so cavalierly atop Ni Bo, gazing forward while his elder brother devoured food and drink behind him, Chen Qi, a man who championed military discipline above all else, found it hard to accept. His concern deepened when he considered that the silver tide ahead contained at least forty thousand men, likely the renowned Silver Armor Legion of the Tianyuan Empire.

The Silver Armor Legion, while perhaps not as terrifying as the Raging Legion led by Xuanyuan Xiao Zhan, the First God of War of the Xuanyuan Empire, nor as formidable as the Four Great Legions—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise—was undeniably one of Tianyuan’s premier forces, its combat strength not far behind that of the personal armies of the various princes.

Logically, such an army should be quelling rebellions across the land, not gathered here. And four legions strong at that, against their meager force of just over eight thousand! Chen Qi doubted they could hold out if not for the four hundred Qilin Rhinos they possessed, waiting for the Third Young Master’s main army to arrive.

Noticing Ye Jingyu’s insouciance, Chen Qi could not help but speak up, cautioning, “General, those ahead are likely the Tianyuan Empire’s Silver Armor Legion, commanded by Yu Wuhen, known as the Jade-Faced Asura. We cannot afford to underestimate them…”

Ye Jingyu turned to look at Chen Qi, who stood upon another Qilin Rhino, and offered a faint smile.

“Heh. That command banner bears a large character, ‘White.’ And the commander isn't Yu Wuhen. Why fret, Chen Qi?”

“Ah? General, at this distance, you can discern their banner?” Chen Qi’s face sharpened with shock. The silver sea was at least a dozen li away, and for Ye Jingyu to clearly read the character on the banner astounded him.

Ye Jingyu nodded slightly. Since successfully refining his Seven Souls, his five senses had heightened considerably, particularly his vision. Decades of distance would be no obstacle; even tens of li were perfectly clear.

“If it is the character ‘White,’ then it is likely Yu Wuhen’s Deputy, Bai Xiaomo. Rumor has it he is only seventeen, Yu Wuhen’s sworn sworn-brother, a master of strategy, and one of the most militarily gifted youths in the Tianyuan Empire,” Chen Qi recovered from his shock, dredging up intelligence he possessed.

“Heh, seventeen? To be a deputy commander at seventeen, he must indeed possess talent. But I wonder what realm his personal strength has reached?” Ye Jingyu remained unconcerned, allowing the forty thousand silver cavalry to charge toward them while he remained utterly still.

“The intelligence suggests the Innate Realm, but this subordinate guesses that to be the First Deputy of the Silver Armor Legion, one must possess the strength of a Grandmaster,” Chen Qi countered, his brow furrowed deeply.

“Oh? A Grandmaster at seventeen? Isn’t that even more formidable than Huangfu Buyue?” Ye Jingyu raised an eyebrow, skeptical. A seventeen-year-old Grandmaster—that was a genius among geniuses.

“General, the Bai Clan of the Eastern Sea was once one of the Ten Great Sects, ranked even above the Dragon-Catching Sect,” Ying Xiaoxiao interjected suddenly.

“Oh? So, another prodigious talent, is it? Heh, my greatest hobby is extinguishing geniuses. Big Brother, tell me, can a Grandmaster withstand the bullet from a sniper rifle?” Ye Jingyu’s smile took on a wicked edge.

“A Grandmaster is formidable, but their flesh remains fragile. Without preparation, how could they possibly endure it? Of course, if he were prepared and defended himself with true essence energy, he might survive,” Liang Xiaoke drawled, rolling his eyes and swallowing a huge chunk of beef with disdain. Using a sniper rifle against a Grandmaster—what an absurd notion.

“Heh, then what about a sniper cannon?” As he spoke, Ye Jingyu reached into his Qiankun Bracelet and produced a heavy sniper rifle, settling it on his shoulder.

Liang Xiaoke merely rolled his eyes again, then buried his face back into his food and drink, ignoring Ye Jingyu completely. This wasn't modern warfare; this was the Age of Cold Steel. Using a sniper rifle was one thing; now he was pulling out a sniper cannon. How was anyone supposed to compete?

Chen Qi, Ying Xiaoxiao, along with Chi Yixiu and Hu Yanqi, stared at the object Ye Jingyu held, their faces etched with confusion. What was this iron tube used for?

Ye Jingyu paid them no mind. He rose fully, standing upon Ni Bo’s back, towering nearly ten zhang high. The autumn wind whipped at his robes, lending him the air of a hero unbound by station. He hoisted the massive sniper cannon onto his shoulder and began to aim.

Several li distant, the Silver Armor Legion cavalry continued their furious charge. Recent reports stated that a Shu Yun Kingdom army of eighty thousand stood ahead, and their objective was to annihilate the eight thousand scouts before the main force arrived.

Four thousand elite cavalry against eight thousand infantry—this was essentially unilateral slaughter. Every Silver Armor Knight harbored this certainty. Who were they? One of the Tianyuan Empire’s strongest legions. And their opponents? A rabble sent by a minor state whose total population barely reached a few million. How could such an army possibly contend?

Not only did every soldier feel this confident, but their commander, Bai Xiaomo, was equally self-assured.

He rode a snow-white warhorse, flanked by honor guards carrying the command banner, galloping at full tilt. Their current mission was to suppress local unrest before proceeding to Yun Province to join the other major armies in destroying the rebel forces led by Huangfu Buyue.

They never expected Shu Yun—a small state that had been subservient to the Tianyuan Empire since its inception—to dare invade during the empire’s internal strife. This was a profound insult to every soldier of Tianyuan. Now that they had met them on the road, Bai Xiaomo had no qualms about eliminating them swiftly, teaching these reckless fools the meaning of Tianyuan’s might.

Bai Xiaomo was confident in his own abilities and his military genius. He had already mapped out his plan to annihilate the enemy’s main force with his forty thousand troops immediately after slaughtering these eight thousand scouts.

But just then, an ominous premonition suddenly struck him, causing Bai Xiaomo’s heart to give a slight jolt.