Chapter 1029: Victory at First Battle (IV)

Li Hao had never weathered great wars before. Just the clash of twenty thousand people was stifling enough. His vision was excellent; he could even identify some familiar faces through their breathing alone.

All of the Silver City Demon Hunters were on the frontlines, not just Liu Long. The several dozen Demon Hunters that he later formed had been employed as his personal guard all this time. They were kept out of harm’s way whenever danger arose.

But today, Liu Long insisted on leading them into battle. Even Hong Qing was part of their numbers—Hong Yitang didn’t advise them otherwise.

Li Hao knew what they had in mind. They were the basis of his foundation and although their strength lagged behind the rest, they wished to prove to everyone that they were still Li Hao’s most loyal warriors and strongest shield.

I will go first when a battle breaks out!

Repeated cries of “Demon Hunters!” echoed in the ear. Light flashed in front of Li Hao’s eyes; he saw blood spray across the scene as blades and spears clanged against each other. Weapons entered bodies and armor shattered.

He looked around in a daze and even began to doubt himself in this critical moment. Did they need to go into the field for the purpose of training soldiers? These were all the people closest to him. And yet...

Various thoughts flashed through his mind and made his presence fluctuate. Director General Zhao silently drew near the young man and transmitted, “Commander, the Demon Hunters are elite soldiers of Silver Moon alright! They are exceedingly ferocious and have already occupied the upper hand!”

Li Hao jerked awake and looked ahead. That was right, Liu Long was sweeping through the battlefield and forcing his opponent back. Soldiers roared with renewed fervor at seeing their commander with the advantage.

Hong Qing and the rest flared with vigorous sword intent. They shouted and yelled, striking blow after blow to kill the Great Li soldiers in front of them. Blood sprayed across their faces as they trampled the bodies of their enemies.

The Demon Hunters truly did have the upper hand and were swiftly containing the enemy.

......

On the other side.

The Great Li furrowed his brows. People said that Skystar Dynasty was an empty shell of its past glory, particularly after the rise of the supernatural. Meanwhile, Great Li soldiers were at least one hundred times stronger than before, but they were unable to overcome their opponents in the first engagement.

They weren’t as strong as his soldiers, but their battle intent blazed fiercely. They weren’t as dispirited as Great Li intelligence reports made them out to be.

The millions of Skystar soldiers to the rear also came to the same conclusion. Morale soared, instantly expelling fear and dread. The various troop leaders and commanders roared to the heavens.

“Demon Hunters!”

“Demon Hunters!”

“Demon Hunters!” The cries echoed among the clouds.

Out in the field, Liu Long snarled and drained the blood qi of several hundred soldiers around him. He didn’t have the attention to spare to see if they would die or fall to the enemy from his actions. This battle must be concluded cleanly; he needed to kill their field commander!

“Die!” Liu Long’s presence swelled as he brought his ax down with a thud!

BAM!

The ferocious Great Li general was an Arcanus and well known in the army; he was one of the commanders of the Great Li king’s personal guards. But now, he screamed with agony!

Rumble!

Liu Long chopped his opponent in two after a loud collision.

“The enemy commander is dead! CHARGE!” Liu Long’s blood qi was depleted, but he still threw his head back with a howl. Overwhelming aura appeared and leapt toward the sky!

“We have killed the commander! Demon Hunters!” yelled the soldiers around him.

Kill!

......

“My king!” Dismay gripped those standing next to the Great Li king. The troops they’d sent for the first engagement were elites, but their commander was hacked to pieces not long after the fighting started. Although their troops were still keeping to their battle formations, they were noticeably in the disadvantageous position.

Great Li soldiers were cut down left and right! But no one dared retreat because their king was here. However, more soldiers would die if the situation continued.

Next to them, the main priest furrowed his brows and quickly said, “This is not a fault of our strategy, it is that the enemy is equipped with New Martial armor. Its defensive capabilities are too great. Without it, our army would surely win!”

Although the logic was sound, this was also part of the enemy’s foundations. It was Great Li’s issue that they didn’t have anything similar.

“My king... Do we continue to skirmish against the Skystar Army here?” The priest looked at the king. Or should they send their full force against their opponents?

As many as Skystar’s soldiers were, the ones to the rear were obviously regular soldiers. Great Li warriors would make swift work of them.

“Divine priest, you tell me,” the Great Li king said slowly after a while. “Will we be able to take Skystar City if we do not break their army’s spirit and douse their morale?”

The main priest was silent. Great Li was at a distinct disadvantage when it came to numbers. When it came to what the king said, they would have to rout the Skystar Army so utterly that their people surrendered at the sound of Great Li’s name. Otherwise, they would not so easily conquer the nation of billions.

But they’d suffered a setback in their first battle! It was incredible.

“These are Li Hao’s elites... Send out the Tiger Guards! Let’s see how many of these kinds of elites he has.”

Another ten thousand soldiers mobilized with the king’s army. A formidable general sat atop a tiger and waved a great ax around. “Kill!”

The soldiers rushed out in a thundering charge!

On Li Hao’s side, the Battle Heaven Army remained in place. It was instead Yao Si who waved his hand and sent ten thousand supernaturals forward!

These used to be the troops of the nine ministries and royal family. Today, they were also sent to the frontlines. The Battle Heaven Army could not be easily utilized.

Forty thousand people met on the battlefield. War cries shook the heavens, giving people the feeling that not even seven element Arcanus would have much of an effect if they joined the battle.

Killing intent rose to the sky and blood qi raced to the horizon.

Li Hao’s side didn’t use the supernatural cannons during this skirmish. Both sides refrained from using weapons of large-scale destruction in their first encounter. They wished to demonstrate their strength through personal valor.

......

Sighs of relief could be heard elsewhere in the dynasty.

“So this is all there is to Great Li!”

“The Demon Hunter Army is so strong! And here I thought Great Li was scary.”

“Me too, I was terrified just now...”

Seeing the situation tilt in favor of the Demon Hunter Army reassured the fretful citizens. Although they knew that the enemy was fierce and exerted a suffocating might even through the screens, a victorious first battle set them at ease.

So we can stand against them! The Skystar Commander Office has many powerhouses. Look, Commander Li and the others haven’t made a move yet, but our army can already suppress them.

......

On the battlefield.

Ringing cheers and exuberant battle drums deafened the ears! Bloodthirsty cries echoed without end. Li Hao gradually regained his calm and set aside some of the thoughts in his mind.

They could fight Great Li!

As he watched the enemy’s second contingent enter the field, he noted that those of the nine ministries weren’t a match and that the Demon Hunter Army was tired. The young man looked downward, meeting Li Daozong’s lifted eyes.

The Ninth Division leader raised a hand!

Three thousand Battle Heaven troops marched into the field, matched by another platoon from the other side.

However, the Battle Heaven Army quickly showcased their unparalleled battle prowess. While each of them weren’t individually that strong, they were so well-coordinated that it was like they were one entity.

Blades rose, blades struck

, bam!

Three thousand soldiers struck at the same time, bringing enormous change to the chaotic battlefield. Large swathes of Great Li’s army were churned to pieces. They’d been hanging onto order, but now showed signs of collapse.

“A New Martial regiment?” boomed the Great Li king as he glared coldly at Li Hao. “Little boy, is this the source of your confidence? This king thought that you would rely on your own abilities!”

“How about this, king of Great Li,” laughed Li Hao. “If you tell your ancient powerhouses to withdraw, the two of us can fight to the death. We won’t rely on anyone else. You can see if my Skystar is afraid! You’re just a puppet of the ancients, how dare you speak to me of relying on yourself!”

The king looked at Li Hao and didn’t respond. He was a man of few words.

The addition of the Battle Heaven Army threw Great Li’s side into disarray. They would have to add more soldiers to the mix—it would take most likely twenty or thirty thousand troops to handle the three thousand Battle Heaven soldiers.

Ten thousand Battle Heaven soldiers could stand against a Great Li army of one hundred thousand!

More than five thousand were dead on the Great Li side, Li Hao had lost less than three thousand. If this continued, Great Li morale would free fall after they lost ten thousand.

“Sound the call to withdraw!” The Great Li king didn’t wish to continue.

“My king,” murmured a black robed ancient beside him. “Why not send your entire force into the field? There aren’t that many Battle Heaven soldiers...”

Wouldn’t it be admitting to defeat if they retreated now? It was not a good outcome to lose their first battle.

The king couldn’t be bothered to respond. “Withdraw!”

Battle drums pounded, signaling retreat to the tens of thousands in the field. The Demon Hunters and Battle Heaven Army chased them for a while, receiving a call to withdraw when they neared the end of the one thousand meters.

“Victory is ours!” Li Hao raised his arm. His shout was cheered by millions of soldiers!

“Victory is ours!” Morale swelled to new heights!

Even the three million ordinary soldiers were whooped and hollered with delight. They might have been corrupt in the past and started out today thinking of how to run away, but now they saw that not only did Skystar suppress the enemy, but they could do so without help. Battle Heaven’s appearance at the end was just adding to perfection. The Skystar Commander Office’s army was just as strong!

Millions of soldiers cheered their heads off. Li Hao had said that they would be thrown to the frontlines as cannon fodder if the war did not go smoothly, so everyone had been terrified of that outcome.

Now that Skystar achieved a resounding victory, they were overjoyed by the results. Many had forgotten their earlier worries and simply felt that their elites were supremely powerful. They were so proud of their own!

Across the way, the Great Li king didn’t say anything. He simply sized up Li Hao before vanishing in the void. None of the premier powerhouses met in battle on this day.