Human Clan Defender

Break out! Killing was inevitable.

The Black Tiger Army, consisting of over two thousand men, had not traveled far before coming face to face with the encircling Barbarian Clan. There were no words, nor any hesitation. The two armies had thoroughly plunged into slaughter.

Two torrents collided.

One side was the Black Tiger Army. Each man was clad in black armor and exuded an air of deadly intent. Despite being numerically outnumbered by the Barbarian Clan, their momentum was unstoppable.

The other side was the Barbarian Clan Army. Due to the scarcity of resources among the Barbarians, not every clan member could be outfitted in iron armor. Many were clad only in animal hides or even left their upper bodies exposed. Lacking armor protection, they were naturally at a significant disadvantage in combat. But the harsh conditions of the Barbarian Desolation meant that the Barbarians had always been fearsome and unstoppable.

Now, as the two forces collided, blood rained down in an instant.

KILL!

KILL!!

Members of the Black Tiger Army effortlessly pierced through a Barbarian's body with long spears, but more Barbarians swarmed over, tossing the Black Tiger soldier to the ground. Amidst the chaos of the army's battle, what it meant to fall to the ground didn't need to be spelled out.

"Don't get entangled! Focus on breaking out!" Chu Ding roared. His spear had been shattered earlier in the fight; now he relied on the blade he always carried with him. Every strike he made sparked with a biting blade light, claiming the life of a Barbarian.

"Kill!"

With a thunderous roar, an iron-armored Barbarian Clan leader strode forward, his Nine Rings Broadsword chopping down heavily, the formidable wind seeming as if it could tear everything apart.

Seeing this, Chu Ding was fearless, his long blade swiping horizontally in riposte.

BANG!!

The two powerful forces collided. Chu Ding's arm went numb, and his body stepped back to diffuse the immense force. When he looked back at the Barbarian Clan leader, the adversary had been knocked back as well.

Staring at the man before him, Chu Ding's eyes turned ice-cold. He's very strong! The opponent was clearly a Martial Artist of the Innate Realm, and under normal circumstances, he would fear no one within that Realm. But now, his injuries were not fully healed, and he could only use about thirty to forty percent of his strength. With such limited power, dealing with an Innate Realm Martial Artist was not going to be easy.

However, although it wasn't easy, Chu Ding was still unafraid. He took a fierce step forward, his long blade slashing down with a howl, its might as terrifying as a tiger descending the mountain.

The Barbarian Clan leader's face showed a hint of change as he caught the falling blade with his Nine Rings Broadsword; the powerful force made his shoulders sink.

Immediately after, Chu Ding kicked out, the air exploding with his force. The Barbarian Clan leader's expression shifted; it was too late to dodge, and he had to resort to using his Inner Gang for protection.

BOOM—

His body recoiled, the Inner Gang shattered. A piercing pain emanated from his chest, making breathing difficult. Chu Ding did not wait for the opponent to recover; his attack followed like a shadow.

In less than a moment, the Barbarian Clan leader had been cut down by Blade Slash, his corpse falling into a pool of blood.

After killing the Barbarian Clan leader, Chu Ding gasped for breath. When he turned to assess the situation, his expression could not help but show astonishment.

In the field, the Black Tiger Army was completely overpowering the Barbarians. Shen Changqing moved like a phantom, his bladework reaching an incredible level of mastery. With every swipe, blood blossomed, and Barbarians collapsed to the ground. Just within that short span of time, in Chu Ding's view, no less than dozens of Barbarians had perished.

HISS!

This scene violently shook him. Looking at the multitude of Barbarian Clan corpses on the ground, Chu Ding understood just how many Barbarians had died by Shen Changqing's hand.

Soon, the encountered Barbarians were annihilated. Shen Changqing's green robe remained clean; only from the frost-white blade of his Lengyue Blade did blood drip onto the ground.

"Don't waste time! Break through to the northern city gate with all your might!"

This battle had temporarily torn a gap in the encirclement. But the Barbarians were numerous, and it wouldn't take long for others to discover the situation here. When that happened, the Barbarian Clan Army would undoubtedly surround them again. Therefore, the only option now was to seize the time and break through the north gate of Jincheng first.

"That's right, break out with full force!" Chu Ding nodded. Without further thought, he led the Black Tiger Army toward the northern city gate.

Because the encirclement had been briefly ripped open, the Black Tiger Army encountered little resistance along the way. After some time, the Black Tiger Army was finally completely out of the north city gate. Throughout the process of breaking through the siege and heading to the north city gate, other Black Tiger Army soldiers had also joined up, bringing their numbers to over three thousand.

Nearing the north city gate, the Black Tiger Army temporarily halted.

"The Barbarian Clan can't possibly have all their forces inside the city; Jincheng's outskirts will definitely be surrounded by a large army. Right now, the only way to truly free ourselves is to break through that army's encirclement!" Chu Ding wore a solemn expression. As he spoke, he cast his gaze upon Shen Changqing. The latter was the strongest person present.

Although it was true that personal martial power could hardly make a significant impact in the clash of large armies unless it reached a certain degree, Shen Changqing's strength had obviously reached that level. If he was confident, then the Black Tiger Army's chances of successfully charging through would be greatly increased.

"I'll take the lead. You all follow behind me to break through," Shen Changqing said directly, noticing Chu Ding's gaze and understanding his thoughts. The Seventeenth Layer of the Invincible Golden Body gave him the confidence to charge through the enemy lines.

With the decision made, the others no longer hesitated.

Instantly, Shen Changqing stepped forward first, heading towards the outside of Jincheng, with many of the Black Tiger Army guarding the flanks, assisting in the attack from the sides.

Outside Jincheng, just as Chu Ding had thought, a Barbarian Clan Army was stationed there.

"What's the use of us guarding here? We might as well go inside the city; it would be much better!" Barnett complained, sitting bored on his tiger mount, his face full of dissatisfaction. He was a Commander of Ten Thousand in the Barbarian Clan, with a not insignificant status. Being made to guard here, he was naturally unhappy. After all, Jincheng had been breached, and the remaining Black Tiger Army could not possibly withstand the Barbarian Clan's large forces. Entering the city now was entirely for looting. It should be known that when two armies go to war, any spoils of war did not need to be submitted. Whatever you looted, it all belonged to yourself.

In this way, everyone hoped to be the first to enter the city after it was breached, while those left outside to stand guard were certainly the ones at a disadvantage. Thinking about how others were looting freely within Jincheng while he was left outside in the cold wind, Barnett's dissatisfaction grew even stronger.

However, this dissatisfaction was merely grumbled about; he didn't dare to truly defy orders and lead his men into the city without permission. Within the Barbarian Clan, military discipline was also strict. Plus, with Mairba being ruthless and harsh, no one dared to go against his orders.

"When we breach another city next time, we shouldn't have to stay outside anymore, right?" another officer said, hearing Barnett's complaints and offering a few words of comfort.

Upon hearing this, others also expressed their dissatisfaction.

"I think the commander is biased. The Black Tiger Army is clearly at the end of its strength, so there's no need to station people here. Could it be that those few thousand remaining Black Tiger Army soldiers can still stir up any trouble?"

"Sigh, Great Qin is wealthy and prosperous; there must be a lot of treasures hidden within the city. What a pity—"

Hearing the words of the people around him, Barnett's expression grew even uglier. Each word they said seemed to be jabbing at his heart, making him feel as if he had missed out on a lot.

"Shut up! Don't talk anymore!" Barnett shouted coldly, and the others, seeing this, could only close their mouths.

Suddenly, from inside the northern city gate, someone emerged first. Immediately after, a sizable number of Black Tiger Army soldiers surged out.

Barnett was taken aback. The Black Tiger Army is actually attempting a breakout! His face showed no panic; instead, a cruel smile appeared. They could have chosen anywhere to break out, but they chose my position—they're simply seeking death! "Send a message out! Tell them the Black Tiger Army is breaking out from here, and then dispatch some men to reinforce!"

Killing Black Tiger Army soldiers would naturally result in military merits. However, given the substantial number of Black Tiger Army soldiers before him, even though he had over ten thousand Barbarian Clan warriors at his command, it might still not be enough to intercept them all. For the sake of prudence, calling for reinforcements was necessary.

But to be honest, Barnett didn't believe that a mere two or three thousand remnants could threaten his army of over ten thousand Barbarian Clan soldiers.

"Pass down my command! Slay all Black Tiger Army soldiers!" he immediately ordered with a wave of his large hand.

The Barbarian Clan warriors, who had been bored and restless, all charged towards the Black Tiger Army.

The Barbarian Clan Cavalry was divided into two types. One was the Beast Cavalry, which consisted of tigers and leopards tamed through special methods to serve as mounts; however, due to the rarity of tigers and leopards, their numbers were limited. Apart from that, there was the regular Warhorse Cavalry. Those who had entered the city earlier were infantry; now, those stationed outside were all Warhorse Cavalry.

The cavalry charged. Especially a charge by ten thousand cavalry—that momentum was like an overwhelming tidal wave, astonishing to behold. If it were any other army, three thousand remnants facing the charge of ten thousand cavalry would have lost their morale even before the fight began.

But the Black Tiger Army was different.

Chu Ding calmed himself. "Form up! Draw swords! Slash at the horses!"

To counter cavalry, they had to focus on cutting down the horses. Otherwise, if the momentum of the cavalry's charge could not be suppressed, there would be no chance of victory at all. However, the first wave of the cavalry's charge was the strongest; only after resisting this initial onslaught could they make other responses. Many infantry units were scattered by the first round of a cavalry charge and naturally had no way to continue resisting afterward.

At the very front, Shen Changqing gripped his long blade with one hand, its tip slanted towards the ground. The blade was already partly covered in dried bloodstains.

Focusing his mind, the Seventeenth Layer of the Invincible Golden Body was fully activated.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

His Qi and blood surged, thundering like drums, roaring like mighty rivers. Hearing the sound, all the Black Tiger Army members turned their gaze towards Shen Changqing.

Gradually, the sound became more and more intense.

Eventually, as his Qi and blood surged to a peak, Shen Changqing moved. The sound of a tiger's roar and a leopard's growl shook the heavens and earth.

GROWL!

ROAR!