Martial Cultivator

The clash between Great Liang and the demon race happened far earlier than Gao Xuan had expected, and it was far too sudden.

The first engagement was an unplanned encounter between the three thousand cavalry led by Xie Jingshan and a demon cavalry unit. Xie Jingshan came from the Xie Family and had always held himself in high regard, believing that one day he could carry the banner of the Xie Family. But clearly, although he had such ambitions, reality did not align. The Xie Family had already made it clear that Xie Nandu was the junior they valued most.

Xie Jingshan knew this well. Though he was dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do. He had yet to become the most outstanding young person in the Northern Frontier Army, and thus had no reason to expect the Xie Family to change its mind.

Still, from the moment he learned that Xie Nandu had arrived in the Northern Frontier, he had resolved to compete with this younger cousin on the battlefield.

She was renowned for her talent and possessed exceptional aptitude in cultivation, but when it came to leading troops in battle, Xie Jingshan did not believe he would fare any worse than her.

Moreover, he knew very well that this might be his only chance to surpass Xie Nandu. So when he encountered a demon cavalry unit numbering no more than two thousand, Xie Jingshan narrowed his eyes and immediately ordered his troops to charge and crush them.

Once the two cavalry units arrayed themselves on the plain, Xie Jingshan spurred his horse forward, long spear pointing ahead, and shouted coldly, "Kill!"

At his command, the three thousand cavalry behind him charged in silence. At that moment, the world seemed to echo only with the pounding of hooves.

Rising and falling as if trampling on human chests

Over the years of fighting in the desolate north, although Great Liang had suffered heavier casualties, who could claim that the demons had always crushed the Great Liang completely?

......

......

Under the gray, overcast sky, the two torrents of cavalry finally collided. The sounds of the battle erupted abruptly, rising and falling chaotically yet filled with overwhelming momentum.

As the cavalry units clashed, soldiers began falling continuously. The Azure Wolf Clan, in fact, had never been considered elite fighters on the demon side; they usually served as scouts or support. But this time, only the Azure Wolf Clan appeared on the battlefield, so they were forced to confront Great Liang head-on.

The fighting raged on without pause. On the Great Liang side, Xie Jingshan led the charge himself. His long spear surged with force, and ordinary demon cavalrymen could not withstand even a single strike, each thrust of his spear could claim a life.

But Xie Jingshan was quickly spotted by several centurions of the demon race, and in an instant, they directly closed in, intending to encircle and kill this Great Liang main commander right there.

Xie Jingshan had cultivated diligently over the years, but his talent was hardly considered first-rate. Now he was merely a martial artist who had reached the limits of Bitter Sea, not yet stepping into the Great Beyond. Once the centurions targeted him, he quickly began to struggle to defend himself. Fortunately, several deputy generals behind him arrived just in time to relieve the pressure, rescuing Xie Jingshan from the chaotic battlefield.

Even so, a long gash appeared on Xie Jingshan's arm, blood gushing out, a terrifying sight.

"Don't mind me."

Xie Jingshan glanced into the distance, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes. In this engagement with the demon race, he had almost gained the upper hand. If he spent just a little more time, he could probably annihilate this cavalry unit completely. A two-thousand-strong demon cavalry may not seem like much, but its destruction would certainly be a notable achievement.

Once annihilated, Xie Jingshan would surely take the top honor, claiming the top merit.

As time passed, the demon cavalry on the other side had already lost roughly half its numbers, while the human cavalry had suffered only a few hundred casualties.

Xie Jingshan could already see the dawn of victory.

But in the next moment, he suddenly froze.

A rumbling arose in the distance. Xie Jingshan looked up and saw, along a distant line, a tidal-like force surging toward them with overwhelming momentum.

A closer look revealed at least five thousand soldiers.

Xie Jingshan's expression instantly darkened. He shouted hoarsely, "We've fallen for an ambush! Quickly retreat!"

Three thousand against two thousand gave him the upper hand because of the numerical advantage. But now, with an unexpected additional five thousand charging, it was nothing short of a catastrophe for Xie Jingshan.

Just as he turned his horse, intending to retreat from the battlefield, another cavalry unit of roughly a thousand blocked the only path of withdrawal.

Seeing this, Xie Jingshan's face turned extremely ugly, a mix of despair and hopelessness.

Though clashes between the human race and demons had continued for years, Great Liang often assumed the demon race would not rely too much on cunning, especially in open-field battles. Yet no one had anticipated that this time, the demon race, typically disdainful of such tactics, would actually employ a strategy.

This completely caught Xie Jingshan off guard.

"Break through in one push. Don't linger in battle, or we'll all die here."

Xie Jingshan quickly made his decision. He glanced at the deputy general by his side and gritted his teeth: "You take three hundred men and hold off those demons."

This was a hard order to give, because anyone could see that leaving those three hundred behind to cover the retreat meant sacrificing their lives entirely.

The deputy general nodded without hesitation. After a loud shout, he spurred his horse and turned, with his cavalry following behind.

Having served in the frontier army for many years and fought the demon race before, everyone knew that dying on the battlefield was only a matter of time, there was nothing to worry about.

Life and death had long been like this.

To die for the country was a death well-earned.

Xie Jingshan said no more. After separating from the three hundred, he quickly led the remaining cavalry into the formation of a thousand enemy riders who had come to encircle them.

He hurled his spear with force, piercing a demon's body, and as he rode past, he pulled it free and charged into the enemy formation.

A brutal clash erupted once more.

Though countless battles had already taken place here in the past, the sight of it again was still unsettling.

The blood of humans and demons mingled, already indistinguishable.

Xie Jingshan quickly felt despair again. He had thought that if he fought desperately, he could at least lead half of the enemy away. But he hadn't expected that within the span of a single incense stick of time, he could not break through the formation, and the three hundred men behind him had already been annihilated.

Now Xie Jingshan felt like a trapped beast in a cage. It was obvious he could hardly break free.

Today, not only would he fail to claim the top merit, but he might very well die here.

He would be the first young general to fall in this battle.

Xie Jingshan's mind roiled like stormy waves, but his face remained calm. As the commander of the army, panic at this moment would be a devastating blow to the troops under his command.

Strategic planning was important, but when life-and-death combat was at hand, morale mattered even more.

If one faltered before the battle even began, even an advantageous position could still end in defeat.

Courage, above all, was essential for both sides.

But Xie Jingshan understood clearly that, no matter how desperately he fought, the outcome was likely to be unfavorable.

Just as despair threatened to consume Xie Jingshan, another cavalry unit suddenly appeared on the distant plain.