It was at this very moment that a figure darted out from behind Yu Wuhen—it was Liang Xiaoke, who had burrowed underground. A sinister grin played on his lips as he stretched out a pale hand, aiming directly for the center of Yu Wuhen's back...

An ice-piercing chill instantly flooded Yu Wuhen’s entire body. Instinctively, he tried to turn, but the savage energy had already struck forcefully in front of him, churning his internal blood into a frenzy. The immense force sent his body uncontrollably flying backward, and the chill only intensified as he retreated...

At this moment of life and death, Yu Wuhen suddenly let out a sharp roar. A powerful aura erupted completely from within him. The silver-white armor instantly shattered, and a pair of pure white wings burst forth from his back in a flash...

Yes, a pair of wings—real, tangible wings. White feathers, downy fluff, enormous wingspan reaching nearly ten feet long...

With a resounding thwack, Yu Wuhen powerfully beat his massive wings, launching his body directly upward, precisely evading Liang Xiaoke’s Netherworld Grasp...

"Me, a birdman?" Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke both cursed out loud simultaneously. A living angel had just appeared before their eyes?

Oh, no, this fellow carried not a shred of divine aura, and his wings were solid flesh and blood, not the energy constructs of an angel. This... this was genuinely a birdman?

"The Feathered Race?" At this point, Bing Ming let out a gasp of surprise, clearly astonished to see a member of the Feathered Race, a lineage seldom seen on the continent for many years?

Even Ni Bo’s eyes widened in shock, obviously taken aback that such a creature still existed in this world...

The Feathered Race, legend held, had existed on the continent since its very emergence. However, their numbers were exceedingly sparse, and due to their appearance, they were perpetually ostracized by others. Consequently, most of the Feathered Race resided in remote mountainous regions. In recent years, news of them had faded, leading many to believe they were extinct. No one expected to encounter one here, much less the Great General of the Silver Armor Legion...

Not only were Ye Jingyu and his companions horrified, but even the soldiers of the Silver Armor Legion were stunned speechless when they saw a pair of wings sprout from their General’s back...

But shock was a luxury they could not afford. The Linjiao Xi beasts were already charging. The thousand soldiers of the Silver Armor Legion had no time for second thoughts; they raised their weapons and plunged headlong into the black tide...

Their mounts could not compare to the Linjiao Xi, nor were their weapons divine implements capable of leaving even a scratch on the beasts. Yet, they used their own flesh and blood to physically halt the furious charge of the Linjiao Xi...

Many soldiers disregarded the spears wielded by the Chi Yi warriors on the Linjiao Xi’s backs, leaping directly onto the beasts' heads. If they couldn't pierce the scales, they would aim for the weakest point: the eyes...

Others fearlessly rushed toward the underbelly of the Linjiao Xi, ignoring the massive hooves and channeling the utmost strength of their lives into thrusts aimed at the beasts' soft abdomen...

Though the Linjiao Xi’s abdomen lacked the protective scales, its hide was thick and tough. Even if these soldiers were fortunate enough to avoid being trampled to death and managed a successful thrust, it would only penetrate a few inches into the beast's belly...

A wound of a few inches might be fatal to a man, but for the thick-skinned Linjiao Xi, it was merely a superficial injury...

Before these soldiers could deliver a second blow, their massive hooves sent them flying. Not a single man could withstand one kick from a Linjiao Xi; bones shattered or heads caved in...

Yet, even so, the soldiers of the Silver Armor Legion continued to charge the horde of Linjiao Xi with reckless abandon. Occasionally, a few who managed to push through encountered the Black Iron Cavalry’s assault, where many met their end under the flurry of blades...

Blood washed the streets crimson. Blood, gore, organs, and shattered bone splattered the surrounding walls and rooftops. The entire street had practically transformed into a corridor of purgatory...

A wave of immense resentment and chilling malice surged towards the heavens. The previously clear sky had somehow become overcast, as if the sun itself refused to witness such a tragic scene...

Flying high above, Yu Wuhen watched the carnage below. Two streams of bloody tears leaked from his eyes. These were his most loyal subordinates, the elite troops he had personally trained, now being crushed beneath the hooves of these monsters. The effect they had achieved was merely a slight slowing of the beasts’ advance...

How desolate this was? How utterly cruel?

The feeling of helplessness and powerlessness nearly drove Yu Wuhen to despair. He glanced at Ye Jingyu, who had been swept away by his spear but was now rising from the ground seemingly uninjured. Yu Wuhen knew that with this monstrous contingent present, the city could not be held. Unless an army composed of Innate Martial Masters, or even Grandmasters, appeared, no military force could possibly stop this squadron...

Casting one last, unwilling look at the battlefield, a long cry escaped his lips—the command to retreat. He would not allow his warriors to perish in vain...

They were the finest warriors, the most loyal soldiers of the Empire, willing to sacrifice everything. But when they knew that even their deaths could not turn the tide, pressing on further was not loyalty; it was idiocy...

Upon hearing the cry, the Silver Armor Legion soldiers hidden in civilian houses, or maneuvering around the flanks for an attack, and those positioned on rooftops with bows, all began a disciplined withdrawal toward the rear. Their eyes held deep regret, but beneath the regret was a profound sense of relief—the relief of escaping certain death. They would not have to face the Linjiao Xi, nor worry about being ground into pulp...

That in itself was a form of fortune, for truly, no one wished to die...

Glancing back at the battlefield one last time, Yu Wuhen, now hundreds of meters in the air, sighed softly to himself. He turned, intending to fly north. His plan was to gather all his remaining subordinates and retreat from Lingyan City with the Prince’s Flame Army. Until a method to counter these four hundred colossal beasts was devised, they absolutely could not engage offensively...

"Trying to leave? Not so easily done! Qi, shoot him down..." Just as Yu Wuhen was about to depart, Ye Jingyu below let out a cold sneer. As his voice fell, Hu Yanqi, who had already sighted Yu Wuhen, released the string of his bow...

Whoosh... A black meteor tore across the sky...