Chapter 234: Reaping the Battlefield

Chapter 234: Reaping the Battlefield

Huan Yan Lan noticed the change in her teammates' expressions and finally came to her senses. She reacted quickly, her expression immediately turning stern.

"My teammate is only asking for an apology. You shouldn't have treated them like that."

"You've gone too far!"

It seemed like she was seeking justice for her teammates. Dragon scales appeared all over her body, her irises glowing a fiery red. She drew the large sword she had been carrying on her back, pointing its tip directly at Ji Xinghuo.

The surrounding mercenaries, who were enjoying the show, were all surprised by this development.

"A Dragon Warrior..."

"How did a Dragon Warrior end up as a mercenary for the Blood Fury Tribe?"

"This is getting interesting."

Huan Yan Lan heard the whispers and felt everyone's gaze on her. As the center of attention, she felt a thrill run through her.

If she could fight Ji Xinghuo and defeat him, that would be even better! She was determined to make this man submit.

However, Ji Xinghuo didn't react at all to Huan Yan Lan's challenge, as if he hadn't even seen her. To Huan Yan Lan and the others, this silence was a form of silent arrogance.

Huan Yan Lan was extremely displeased and was about to provoke him further when suddenly, a oppressive aura descended upon them.

A tall figure appeared in front of the sword through instant teleportation.

"He Yan!"

Huan Yan Lan quickly sheathed her greatsword, and her four teammates also greeted the newcomer respectfully.

This Bloody Warrior had a gloomy expression, like a volcano about to erupt. The blood-colored tattoos covering his face couldn't hide his suppressed anger as he glared at the surrounding mercenaries and shouted, "This is a military camp. All of you, scram back to your tents!"

The mercenaries scattered like birds startled from a nest.

Huan Yan Lan and her four teammates stood there, trembling. He Yan questioned them, "Why aren't you leaving?"

"This is our tent, sir," Huan Yan Lan replied.

He Yan glanced at the tent where Ji Xinghuo was and frowned. He had only come to quell the disturbance in the camp and maintain order. Now, he asked, "What's going on here?"

The Dan Martial Artist, Ji Rong, quickly replied, "Sir, our captain just wanted to make a friend, but this guy doesn't know what's good for him. We're asking for an apology..."

"Shut up."

He Yan lost interest after hearing just a couple of sentences.

Although he had arrived late and hadn't witnessed what had happened, he could guess that these people had been taught a lesson by Ji Xinghuo. He scoffed, "If you want to reclaim your dignity, challenge him on the Sacrifice Platform."

Ji Rong's face turned red, but he didn't dare to say another word.

This was the style of the Red Emperor's followers—they didn't bother with right or wrong, only the law of the jungle, where might made right.

If you had a grievance, you settled it on the Sacrifice Platform, where life and death were decided.

The loser offered their blood to the Red Emperor,

while the winner gained all the benefits and the right to speak.

Although he was very dissatisfied with Ji Xinghuo, he was also realistic. From the few moves Ji Xinghuo had used to take down his companions, he could tell that Ji Xinghuo's strength far surpassed his own, his teammates', and probably even the captain's. If they challenged Ji Xinghuo on the Sacrifice Platform, it would be suicide.

He Yan swept his gaze over the group contemptuously, finally landing on Huan Yan Lan. "What about you?"

He was asking if she wanted to challenge Ji Xinghuo.

"Please, He Yan, arrange for us to stay in another tent," Huan Yan Lan said. She didn't dare challenge Ji Xinghuo on the Sacrifice Platform. She wasn't confident she could win the duel, and she didn't want to make a true enemy of Ji Xinghuo.

After all, she was a Dragon Warrior from the True Dragon Dynasty, so He Yan gave her a bit more respect and agreed to her request.

"Don't cause any more trouble," He Yan warned as he turned to leave, giving Ji Xinghuo a meaningful look. His attitude toward Ji Xinghuo was clearly different.

Huan Yan Lan and her teammates gathered their belongings, mounted their steeds, and moved to another tent. He Yan didn't arrange for anyone else to stay there, so only three people occupied the spacious tent.

"Ah, that's better!" Xia Qingyu laughed heartily.

Ji Xinghuo shook his head.

In the past few days, he had become familiar with Xia Qingyu's temperament. Xia Qingyu was quite strong, but he had a foul mouth, especially when women were present. He didn't want to lose face, so he was very venomous with his words. It only took a few sentences to irritate others.

If Xia Qingyu hadn't provoked them today, they wouldn't have gotten into a fight.

This kind of personality easily caused trouble, and Ji Xinghuo wondered how Xia Qingyu had managed to survive this long without suffering any serious consequences.

Ji Xinghuo had wanted to advise him to be more careful with his words in the future, but then he thought again. He had no relationship with Xia Qingyu, so he had no right to make such a request.

Xia Qingyu and Misha were getting intimate again on the bed, oblivious to their surroundings.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't bear to watch, so he left the tent.

There was a training ground in the military camp, but it was crowded. Ji Xinghuo took out his javelin and began to practice, without infusing it with electromagnetic power. He focused solely on the raw power of his throws, secretly manipulating metal acceleration to adapt to the javelin's weight and flight trajectory.

Even so, Ji Xinghuo's training soon attracted the attention of the Highlanders nearby.

The twenty-kilogram javelin felt light in his hands. With a casual throw, he could send it flying more than two hundred meters, hitting any target he chose with unerring accuracy.

Every Highlander practiced with javelins, and many were skilled.

But compared to Ji Xinghuo, they were far behind.

Ji Xinghuo trained for a while but soon lost interest. Throwing the javelin was exhilarating, but retrieving it was troublesome and time-consuming, and he didn't feel like he was making any progress.

When he returned to the tent, Xia Qingyu and Misha had finally calmed down.

Ji Xinghuo observed the Highlanders, each mounted on a six-legged horned horse, their bodies clad in full armor, eyes glowing crimson. Tall spears were erected among them, bearing the flag of the Red Emperor—a black emblem on a red background—as a sanguine aura of murderous intent coalesced, sending a plume of bloody smoke soaring into the sky.

"Burn our blood, and sacrifice to the Red Emperor!" He Yan roared.

"Burn our blood, and sacrifice to the Red Emperor!" the army echoed, their voices filled with rage.

The emblem of the Red Emperor, ubiquitous within the Blood Fury Fortress, seemed to come alive, glowing with a sinister red light, as if the blood flowing through its veins had become vibrant once more, emitting a pungent scent of blood.

"Move out!"

He Yan led the charge, bursting out of the military camp and racing along the streets of the Blood Fury Fortress, his army following in his wake. They passed through the stone-walled gates and continued westward.

As they ventured further west, the terrain gradually ascended, and Ji Xinghuo turned to glance back.

Under the cover of night, five armies, each numbering between five thousand and ten thousand strong, with several hundred mercenaries among them, had emerged from the Blood Fury Fortress, each heading in a different direction like fiery dragons slithering through the darkness.

Ji Xinghuo gazed upward at the Red Flame Star, its crimson hue intensifying.

"This is a night of slaughter," he murmured to himself.

The thunderous hoof beats of their mounts reverberated as the army of five thousand Highlanders advanced at full speed, each warrior bathed in a faint crimson glow—a blessing from the Blood Priests that restored their stamina and enhanced their vision in the dim surroundings.

Among these five thousand Highlanders, at least seventy percent were second-stage evolvers.

Over twenty-five percent had reached the third stage of evolution.

And there were more than two hundred fourth-stage evolvers, accounting for almost half a percent of the total force—a remarkably high proportion.

However, compared to the mercenaries, who were all fourth-stage, there was still a noticeable gap in power.

Ji Xinghuo understood the nature of warfare in the Star Realm, where individual strength and army quality far outweighed numerical superiority. Here, the prowess of a single combatant held more significance than the sheer number of troops.

While the Highlanders outnumbered the Biao Tribe by several times, their individual power fell short in comparison.

In small-scale skirmishes, they could compensate by gathering elites, but in a full-scale war between the two tribes, this weakness would be magnified.

Hence, the Blood Fury Tribe sought to employ mercenaries from other races to bolster their forces.

For over a dozen hours, they rode westward at breakneck speed, with several smaller Highlander armies joining along the way, until their numbers swelled to a formidable ten thousand. They paused to rest a few times during the journey.

As the starry night deepened, with just a couple of hours left until dawn, He Yan ordered the army to slow down and allow their mounts to recover their stamina.

"We should be close now," Xia Qingyu remarked from beside Ji Xinghuo.

Ji Xinghuo nodded in agreement.

The Highlanders and the Biao Tribe were both followers of the Red Emperor, bound by a long history of warfare and enmity. They knew each other's tactics inside out, making it impossible to conceal their movements or deceive one another. As a result, their clashes had become straightforward and direct.

This particular battle was initiated by the Blood Fury Tribe, who held the advantage of taking the first strike. They set their targets and charged straight for the battlefield.

He Yan's army, one of moderate size among the various forces, had their sights set on a Biao Tribe settlement located west of the Blood Fury Tribe.

The border between the Blood Fury Tribe and the Skull Smasher Tribe stretched for hundreds of kilometers.

On this night, simultaneous strikes were launched against five targets along this border.

"We're here!"

He Yan signaled for the army to halt and pointed toward a mountain peak over ten kilometers away. Even in the starlit night, they could make out the snow-capped summit, towering over a mile high. The massive mountain range extended endlessly to both sides, its flanks shrouded in darkness.

On the slopes of this colossal mountain, numerous fires burned, illuminating the Biao Tribe settlement.

The Biao Tribe favored dwelling in treacherous mountainous regions. They were unskilled in construction and despised labor, relying instead on their formidable innate abilities for hunting and survival.

As such, their residences barely qualified as settlements, lacking the sophistication of true tribes.

"Rest up," He Yan ordered. "Prepare for battle."

Ji Xinghuo, seated atop Qinghong, gazed at the Biao Tribe settlement on the mountain. Even from this distance, he could make out the figures of the blood-eyed Biao Tribe members. They inhabited a network of caves and crude wooden huts, now mobilizing en masse, pouring down from the mountain in waves.

Ji Xinghuo extended his electromagnetic sensing, his rotating magnetic field reaching level four, expanding his sensing radius to over five thousand meters. Within this range, he detected dozens of concealed Biao Tribe members.

Evidently, the Biao Tribe had been prepared for an attack.

He Yan was undoubtedly aware of this as well, having sent Highlander scouts to gather intelligence on the Biao Tribe's movements before their departure.

Moments later, the blood-eyed Biao Tribe on the mountain completed their assembly. They left a portion of their forces to defend the treacherous terrain while the majority chose to take the offensive, charging down the mountain.

"Forward!"

Huan Yan ordered the Highlanders to advance as soon as their stamina and that of their war steeds had recovered.

Over ten thousand riders on six-legged horned horses moved towards the mountain's base, their officers constantly adjusting their formation into three echelons with the wings spreading out, forming a rough fan shape. The main force led the charge towards the Biao Tribe's formation, with the wings in support.

The distance between the two forces closed rapidly.

The three hundred mercenaries were in the main force but not at the front. Instead, they were enveloped by the Highlanders as they advanced, protected by their numbers.

"Burn our blood, flame sacrifice to the Red Emperor!"

The Highlanders shouted at the top of their lungs.

A tide of voices swelled.

Blood Priests within the ranks quickly waved their hands, performing the "Blood Sacrifice" to empower the warriors. They sacrificed their own blood to enhance their kin's strength, speed, and fearlessness.

A sanguine aura enveloped the army, and the Highlanders' eyes glowed crimson.

"Burn our blood, flame sacrifice to the Red Emperor!"

On the slope opposite, the blood-eyed Biao Tribe roared in response, echoing the same battle cry. Their massive, crimson bodies swelled, brandishing sharp claws and heavy weapons.

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

Huan Yan's voice thundered through the sky.

"Wooo..." Accompanied by the sound of charging horns, the six-legged war steeds and all other mounts accelerated, rushing towards the peak.

The ground shook with the thunder of hooves as ten thousand horses galloped forward.

At the peak, the blood-eyed Biao Tribe also roared and charged, their bodies low to the ground like enormous feline predators, descending with increasing speed.

On a narrow road, the brave prevail!

Huan Yan led the charge.

At that moment, his entire body was engulfed in "Blood Drinking Rage," a double-edged battle axe and a sharp blade in his hands. His mount, the Fear Wolf King, leaped forward from the formation, a fraction faster than the rest.

A five-stage evolved Blood-eyed Biao Tribesman, brandishing a war hammer, rushed to meet him.

Clang!

The two Blood Warriors clashed violently.

The front row of Highlanders threw their spears during the charge, and both sides exchanged fire, incurring some casualties.

Ji Xinghuo's spiritual source energy interface began to rise, fluctuating wildly.

Boom!

The two armies collided like tidal waves, the front rows of soldiers and steeds toppling over. The Highlanders behind continued their relentless charge, trampling over friends and foes alike, determined to crush everything in their path.

In an instant, bones shattered, and blood splattered.

Spiritual Source Energy +7

Spiritual Source Energy +11

Spiritual Source Energy +10

...

Ji Xinghuo felt his head swell as the spiritual source energy in the interface surged uncontrollably. However, at that moment, he had no time to pay attention to the changing numbers.

The Biao Tribe's strength was evidently superior to that of the Highlanders.

After the initial clash, the Highlanders' momentum faltered, and their charge slowed noticeably.

Cavalry without momentum became a liability.

The agile and towering blood-eyed Biao Tribesmen leaped high, diving into the densely packed Highlander formation. Taking advantage of their enemies' restricted mobility, they unleashed their sharp claws and weapons, reaping Highlander lives.

Ji Xinghuo had anticipated this.

Over a hundred four-stage evolved Biao Tribesmen, taller and larger than the rest, with exceptional speed, were clearly the elite of their tribe. Led by a legendary member of their kind, they formed a spearhead that tore through the front lines of the Highlanders, aiming straight for the main force.

"Stop them!"

A Highlander beside him shouted, and two legendary Highlanders, also Blood Warriors like Huan Yan, ignited their Blood Drinking Rage and led the charge to meet the Biao Tribe's elites.

The mercenaries joined the fray, adding to the chaos.

Arrows, spears, flames, lightning, and unidentifiable attacks filled the sky, each second claiming lives.

"Roar!"

Misha leaped from her six-legged war steed, her skin turning bronze and her muscles swelling. She brandished a huge axe, slicing through the Biao Tribesmen with abandon. Xia Qingyu lurked in the shadows, ever vigilant. Whenever an enemy attempted to sneak up on Misha, he would detect them and either strike them down or repel their attack.

Ji Xinghuo rode Qinghong, following closely behind the pair.

Qinghong was incredibly agile, dodging incoming attacks from afar and swishing her tail to sweep away ambushing enemies.

On her back, Ji Xinghuo held the Invisible Spike, continuously firing arrows in all directions.

The bowstring vibrated, and invisible arrows flew.

Each arrow found its mark in a Biao Tribesman's eye, piercing their skulls. Regardless of distance, any enemy marked by Ji Xinghuo's aim was doomed. He was like a fortress, firing rapidly with deadly accuracy. In just over ten seconds, the area around him was cleared of enemies.

Soon, more fearless Biao Tribesmen charged towards him, only to be met by another volley of arrows.

His spiritual source energy continued to rise.

In less than two minutes of battle, his spiritual source energy had soared to over 4,000 points!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end