Chapter 204 - Qi

Chapter 204: Chapter 192 QiThe war between the Snowy Region and the Holy Divine Empire did not pause for the minor incident between Lu Hong and the western tribes; on the contrary, it began two days earlier than everyone had anticipated.

Chiyá’s Independent Regiment fought desperately to hold back the onslaught of the white furs, playing a key role for the second defense echelon.

The Snowy Region’s army commander fixated on the map of the forces’ offensive and defensive positions, pointing to the location of Lu Hong’s Independent Regiment and said in a low voice, "This is the hub of their second defensive line. Cutting this off will allow us to divide the battlefield and execute a strategy of divide and conquer against the empire’s forces."

General Shaoser stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said solemnly, "Lord Rafa, I wish to lead my troops there and guarantee to capture it, earning the first merit for our Snowy Region!"

"You..." Lord Rafa gave a momentary stare before continuing, "Very well, Shaoser, for this attack I will mobilize the entire army to contain the other regiments of the Sacred Empire. In addition to the three regiments under your direct command, I will also dispatch a Cold Front Regiment as reinforcements."

The Cold Front Regiment was one of Rafa’s personal guard regiments. Although its numbers fell short of the standard regiments blessed by the divine, it still maintained a total force of ten thousand, each soldier being a Second-Transformation Peak adept.

The reinforcement from a Cold Front Regiment was exhilarating for Shaoser; his excitement was evident. Such favor from the Marshal was exceptional, and with the Cold Front Regiment, what was taking down the Independent Regiment of just thirty thousand soldiers in the Snowy Region? It was clearly an offering of military merit, and not just any merit, but a grand one! The generals standing nearby were almost weepy with envy, regretting why they hadn’t stepped forward earlier.

"Shaoser!" Lord Rafa shouted, snapping Shaoser out of his daydream.

"Yes, my Lord. Do you have any other orders?"

Rafa’s gaze grew cold, "If you fail... don’t bother coming back to see me."

Under Rafa’s icy stare, Shaoser promised as if his heart had plunged into an ice cellar, "I guarantee I’ll accomplish the mission!"

"Hmm, go and prepare. In ten hours, I will launch the general attack and clear the path for you."

Wars between superpowers involving millions are never restricted to a single frontline. Due to the massive troop numbers on both sides, they divide their defense into sections, staying in close contact with each other to efficiently allocate the battlefield and accelerate efficiency.

Chiyá’s Independent Regiment was positioned early on in the second defense echelon, mainly responsible for positional defense and stationed at the forefront of the five defense regiments. Although less risky than the main assault regiments, casualties were also extremely high, often exceeding half the number.

"Brolo, what’s the situation on the Beastman side?" Marshal Pang was discussing the offensive arrangement with his officers. They sought to minimize casualties and delay the time without letting the Snowy Region catch on to their intent, which was indeed very difficult.

"Reporting to Marshal, Prince Wu Jiang of the Beastman Empire is leading the Barbaric Conquest Army towards the Ancient Plains. However, they are not advancing quickly, and it’s estimated that it will take another ten days to arrive."

"Ten days..." Marshal Pang nodded, "He’s playing a good game; let us wear down the Snowy Region first, and then he can easily break through."

General Zitado put down his military affairs and looked up at Marshal Pang to ask, "Then Marshal, should we focus on building defensive positions as the main strategy, as a hasty attack would fall right into the enemy’s trap?"

Marshal Pang shook his head, "We cannot. Rafa is a suspicious man, and as we initiated this war, if we only defend and not act, Rafa will surely have many speculations, which will only expedite the exposure of the Divine Blood River."

"Are we really going to fight?" Mi Feng said gravely, "If this battle continues, both we and the Snowy Region will fall into a quagmire. When the Beastman Empire’s forces arrive, the casualties will exceed a million."

"Fight!" Marshal Pang roared, "Their sacrifice will not be in vain. Once someone from the empire can break through to the divine level using the Divine Blood River, our Sacred Empire will sweep across all realms. By then, not only a million but tens of millions will be able to return home from war, to live peaceful lives."

Indeed, once a divine-level powerhouse emerged, the Sacred Empire would be invincible across the realms. When all forces knelt before the empire, where would wars come from?

The generals in the tent stood straight, clenched fists to their chests, and shouted, "All for the empire!"

"Yes," Marshal Pang stood up as well and made the same gesture, "All for the empire!"

As orders flowed from command, the vast Ancient Plains shimmered with light. The Hanxue Army, responsible for the offensive, launched a frenzied attack against the Snowy Region’s forces.

Beyond the permanent garrison of a million in the Endless Forest, the Hanxue Army had also drawn in eight hundred thousand from the Divine Favor headquarters to join the battle, with the empire’s first wave of attack being no less than seven hundred thousand strong.

This army of seven hundred thousand split into three directions: three hundred thousand attacking the Snowy Region’s front, while the remaining four hundred thousand were divided in two, targeting the flanks of the Snowy Region, ensuring that the main force would not be surrounded by the enemy.

The Sacred Empire, long-standing in Divine Favor, has delved deeply into the study of war. All of the Hanxue Army’s military preparations included high-grade frost-resistance gear, which was highly effective against the white furs.

With the Snowy Region’s defenses in sight, a cry rang out from the ranks Hanxue Army, "Charge!"

As soon as the voice fell, an icy curtain that blotted out the sky came forth. The zero-degree cold wind, like a steel blade, blew out from the Snowy Region’s main camp, clearly the scythe of death, revealing its ferocious fangs.

"Fire Mages, form up, Third Combined Magic—True Flames!" A loud cry erupted from the rear of the Snowy Army, led by hundreds of Third-Transformation fire Mages. They shared their mental strength with nearly ten thousand fire Mages, and a line of fire quickly ignited from behind the army. Moments later, the icy sky curtain vibrated fiercely and a massive crack broke open in it.

Red dragon claws tore through the canopy, and a gigantic burning dragon poked its head out toward the ground.

"Breathe!" The fire Mages once again stimulated their Magic Power, and the fire dragon roared angrily, spewing scorching magma at the scythe of cold wind.

The clash of the two forces stirred up mist that covered the sightlines of both sides.

"Great opportunity, flank left and right, attack!" The vanguard camp immediately gave the command, and the three-hundred-thousand-strong army split in two, temporarily avoiding the sharp edge of the Snowy Region and heading straight for the enemy’s flanks.

"Woooo~"

At this moment, the distinctive horn sounds of the Snowy Region merged into one, signaling the attack. The torrential forces of the Snowy Region finally stepped out from their formation and collided fiercely with the Snowy Army.

As the frontal battlefield engagements began, both flanks also engaged simultaneously. The once-quiet ancient plains were suddenly overflowing with radiant light, with the sky continuously reflecting the dazzling brilliance of magic. Lu Hong and Parson, who were far back in the second line of defense, could see it all clearly as if they could hear the sounds of slaughter ringing in their ears.

Parson asked Lu Hong beside him, "Hey kid, have you ever been on a battlefield like this?"

Lu Hong shook his head. The scale of the battle in the wasteland was not small, but in any case, it could only be considered a watered-down version of this campaign. Moreover, at the time, the Golden Lion troops that were called into the wasteland belonged to Luo Tian and were a private army, not reaching the peak level of a national machine.

"I knew it." Parson chuckled. "If you train in the Snowy Army for ten years, I guarantee you could smoothly break through the Third Transition and become the top warrior on the entire continent."

"Aren’t I one already?" Lu Hong retorted. Speaking of warriors, this profession had declined to this day, and apart from Lu Hong, the strongest warrior he had been told about a long time ago by the old man Xius was a Level 8 Great War Master.

Although Lu Hong was only Level 5 now, he was equipped with all the Second Transition Skills and absolutely confident he could defeat this Level 8 Great War Master.

"No, no, no, you are still far from it," Parson shook his head. "Have you ever seen Barton?"

"No, has he broken through the Third Transition?"

"How could he?" Parson laughed. "Barton’s level was predicted to stop progressing a long time ago."

"What makes Barton strong then?"

"Skill," Parson said gravely. "Pure, refined skill."

Parson’s tone was lingering, as if he was returning to the day he encountered Barton.

"Three years ago, I met him in the Parson Plane. After learning his identity, I challenged him." Parson stretched his bandage-suspended arm and continued, "At the time, I was at the peak of the Second Transition, only a hair away from the Third. But in Barton’s hands, I couldn’t even last three moves before I was defeated."

"How is that possible?!" Lu Hong was shocked. He had seen Parson’s skills before, and they were even slightly better than his own. To say nothing of the fact that even if Barton had practiced his swordsmanship to the limits of humanity, without the support of a powerful fighting spirit, Parson should have been able to suppress him with his Magic Power alone.

"What’s so impossible about that?" Parson’s eyes seemed to mock Lu Hong’s ignorance. "His mastery of Skills has reached a miraculous level. Although his battle qi is limited, it’s never wasted. The Skills he uses always find the weak point in my attacks, overcoming my offense and defense with minimal cost. In a close-quarters fight, I couldn’t even land a single blow against him."

After listening to Parson’s words, Lu Hong carefully pondered and then spoke, "Thank you."

Parson smiled slightly, "You’re welcome, there’s only one Barton after all. If it wasn’t for his innate talent and profession’s limits, he wouldn’t have taken swordsmanship and Skills to the extreme."

"If I get the chance, I will definitely pay a visit to this strongest warrior," Lu Hong said as a thunderous, mournful cry suddenly came from the distant battlefield.

The fire dragon conjured by the combined efforts of the Snowy Army was grasped by invisible large hands, its form rapidly shrinking. The elemental forces of nearly ten thousand fire Mages were sucked clean.

With the Shatter of the fire dragon, the Mages who suffered backlash spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and fainted.

"What’s happened?!" The vanguard camp was shocked. Could it be that a powerful figure from the Snowy Region had made a move in secret?