Chapter 1028: Victory at First Battle (III)

Rumble!

The Great Li army marched out of Ash Mountain, razing all obstacles in front of them. An anticipated ambush from Skystar did not occur. Much to their powerhouses’ surprise, there was no bloodshed when they showed themselves from the jungle.

For many, it was their first time setting foot in the central plains. Some of the heavyweights whooped with excitement. Was this Skystar? Although it was just the border, they could already sense the richness in the air. The ground was flat here, a marked difference from the rugged and broken Great Li terrain. There, immense mountains forested the ground. Here, a horse could race through the land without meeting any hurdles.

“Is this Skystar Dynasty?”

“This is Silver Moon?”

“We have finally fulfilled our ancestors’ hopes and set foot onto the central plains!” The army was immensely excited. Blood qi shot into the air, possibly to intimidate their opponents, but also likely out of genuine exuberance. They shouted and hollered with emotion.

“Glory to our king!”

“Kill kill kill!” the soldiers roared in unison. An immense aura roiled toward the other army standing one thousand meters away. Domineering blood qi raced through the land. These Skystar people had left such a huge space for them! Just what were they thinking of?

Being less than one thousand meters away, some with keen eyesight could even pick out timid expressions on their opponent’s faces. It quite energized the Great Li soldiers. These Skystar people wore armor that looked very durable and wielded sharp weapons. That was all wealth in Great Li’s pocket to the invaders.

Danger? What danger? What kind of danger had the brave sons of Great Li not weathered before? The invading army was in high spirits.

A ray of golden light sparkled in front of them as a sovereign appeared. A daunting presence shook the world, tearing the void apart. It was so menacing that many Great Li soldiers couldn’t breath, but it made them all the more excited for it!

This was their king! Their unparalleled king!

At the same time, Li Hao stepped out from behind the Skystar army. He looked to the front and boomed before his counterpart had a chance to speak, “King of Great Li, Skystar Dynasty has ever advocated for peace since the dawn of time. We have never voluntarily crossed our borders and scrupulously abided by the rule of our nation. Our citizens are self-sufficient and do not pride themselves on stealing or looting!

“Great Li has sent out a million soldiers to trespass on our territory and kill my people. Even Ash Mountain’s monster spirits, beings that have no doings with the world, have been put to your sword. Your actions are condemned by heaven and man alike!

“Our home lies behind us and we will not give way. If you wish to fight, then we fight!” Li Hao’s presence built as he spoke and unfurled over the land. The aura of great dao exploded like a god descending upon the world!

Overwhelming heavenly aura billowed, suppressing the earth and shaking the void. There seemed to be two massive dragons clashing against each other in the void. Formidable presences grew from both leaders while various powerhouses stepped forward and flared their auras!

“Evil has never triumphed over good!” Li Hao’s voice rang clearly. “Invaders never meet with good ends! You are born of the barren wilderness and know not propriety, law, or the heavens. Your people are uncivilized and drink blood while eating raw meat. If you withdraw now, the heavens favor mercy. Skystar will abide by the dao of a great nation and will not hunt you down. What say you, king of Great Li?”

In the distance, the Great Li king stared back with a flinty expression. His presence billowed with fury as he brought down an overwhelming aura on Li Hao.

“To the victor goes the spoils!” His words were marked with a unique accent as he enunciated very clearly. “Skystar is corrupt beyond salvation. This king shall deign to witness what advantages it has left!”

“A single word is a waste of breath when there’s no common ground!” Li Hao also flared his presence and shook the four directions. “Enemies are invading our land and slaughtering our families! Soldiers, it is time to earn merit and kill!”

The army’s biggest flag waved in the air, sending ten thousand soldiers into the field!

Across the divide, the Great Li king murmured to those around him and furrowed his brows. He looked ahead without further discussion. Soon enough, a general emerged from the Great Li army. He flew out on the back of a monster spirit and led ten thousand howling soldiers on the ground!

......

In the sky.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow. It was Liu Long leading the Demon Hunters on his side. Liu Long wasn’t that strong—he’d just managed to enter second level Mountain and Sea. Based on presence, his opponent seemed to be second or third level Mountain and Sea. The critical difference was that he rode an Arcanus level monster spirit.

Sky canopies suddenly appeared in the air.

It was their first battle. Li Hao didn’t know what the results would be—he wanted the Battle Heaven Army to take the field more, but the current situation was a result of a discussion between various generals.

If their first battle ended in a loss... it would be a grave blow to morale, particularly as the central region and northern continent were watching. The other three continents might also be watching through sparse installation of sky canopies.

A myriad of thoughts filtered through Li Hao’s mind—he suppressed them all. The Great Li king plainly understood his intentions as well. The crude-looking king did not send all of his soldiers into the field.

Both sides wished to train their soldiers and secure the first victory to put a dampener on the enemy’s spirits.

......

Supernaturals from the central region, superhumans from the northern continent, and the millions strong army to the rear were highly nervous. Some people’s palms were sweaty from anxiety. Although they weren’t on the frontlines, just the tension alone was suffocating.

Some were even weak at the knees.

Even further back were the hot-blooded youths that’d rushed to Silver City from various parts of the northern continent. They were all white as a sheet and couldn’t see the situation clearly since they were thousands of meters away. However, they could clearly sense the ominous pressure. It jerked them out of their passionate fervor and caused them to watch with their hearts in their mouth.

......

All of Skystar Dynasty had their eyes on this battle. Both sides had sent out ten thousand soldiers and none of their powerhouses. Who would win?

Although there weren’t that many personnel in the field, it was the first large-scale clash in one hundred years. A tense atmosphere draped over the dynasty and its billions of citizens were so worried they could barely breathe.

......

In the front.

Liu Long sweated profusely from nerves. Even so, he dashed with extreme speed through the air. The man brandished his short ax and screamed, “CHARGE!!”

“Demon Hunters!”

“Demon Hunters!”

“Demon Hunters!” screamed the troops, both to boost their morale and to prove themselves. Silver Moon martial masters roared their heads off beneath the armor. Some of them were from the Silver City Demon Hunters, others were from the Silver Moon Guard. Some elites from the provincial army were also with them, as well as Kong Jie and Earthturner Sword’s daughter.

The only thought in their mind was that they must win!

If even the elites could not withstand the enemy, the blow to the army’s morale would be unfathomable. Setting aside the Battle Heaven Army, these might be the most premier troops in the entire dynasty.

Both sides consisted of almost entirely supernatural heavyweights, so the soldiers made quick work of several thousand meters. As everyone held their breaths, the two waves of people smashed into each other!

Shrieks and yells abounded.

“Kill!”

Rumble!

Blood qi erupted, martial techniques flared, battle strategies mobilized, and secret arts were deployed...

The earth quaked and heaven shook in the barren central plains. All sorts of auras surge and a variety of methods crisscrossed the battlefield.

Li Hao struck with his ax, operating the Nine Forged Force to its maximum. He permitted his arms to explode without any hesitation, hacking through everything in front of him with one harrowing stroke. He forced the ferocious Great Li general back and the latter’s monster spirit keened as its head was crushed from the blow!

“KILL!” Liu Long shouted with renewed fervor, no longer worried or afraid.

Clashes rang out on all sides as Battle Heaven armor was Skystar’s greatest defense. All of them were centurions or even higher as they scythed through the enemy!

Within the crowd, those such as Hong Qing and Liu Yan didn’t hold themselves superior just because they were closer to Li Hao. Everyone was the same on the battlefield! If they died in the fighting... Liu Long had said before they set out that none of the powerhouses in the rear would save them.

Whoever made the first move would be caught on the back foot. Everyone only had one thought in their minds—kill! Kill all of the soldiers in front of them!

......

In the sky.

Li Hao was finding it hard to breathe. He wouldn’t be this nervous if it was himself in the field. Although it was only a group of third to fourth level Mountain and Sea weaklings fighting each other, he was still so anxious that it was suffocating.

He’d never experienced this kind of battle before. When he took the City of Supernaturals, he did so in single combat. The campaign was over after he killed a few powerhouses. He’d never witnessed two armies waging war.

The young man’s conquest of the central region had been very smooth and his Demon Hunters never suffered major losses. They’d lost less than one hundred people since the date of their founding. When counted alongside the ten thousand Silver Moon elites that Huang Yu brought with him, this statistic was a miracle.

Their single greatest loss of personnel was suppressing part of the supernaturals at the City of Supernaturals. Several dozen soldiers had died in that operation.