"Shoot, shoot! Shoot for this general!"
In a mountain range of the Northern Darkness Dynasty, Xu Sheng's副将 (fùjiàng - deputy general) shrieked at the top of his lungs, pouring all his strength into the desperate cry. Hundreds of thousands of troops had completely surrounded the newly formed Han Imperial Dragon Army, unleashing a relentless barrage of arrows.
"Roar!!"
A colossal azure divine dragon, a thousand zhang tall, erupted from the teleportation array. It opened its gaping maw and roared furiously at the Northern Darkness army before it. The dragon's roar reverberated through the heavens, momentarily stunning the Northern Darkness troops. Under Chen Tang's command, the Imperial Dragon Army surged out of the teleportation array.
"Imperial Dragon Army!"
Chen Tang brandished his saber forward.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The Imperial Dragon Army roared in unison towards the sky. Clad in uniform azure armor, they were instantly enveloped in azure light, exuding boundless azure primal energy!
The army moved like thunder, rapidly forming ranks, as if an endless rage and killing intent were condensing in the air above them.
"Kill!"
"Roar roar roar!!"
Above the Imperial Dragon Army, a faint azure light spread out, and a colossal azure dragon, thousands of zhang long, shimmering with faint azure light, charged forward, unstoppable!
The azure dragon, its might capable of overturning seas and oceans, intercepted the arrow storm in the void tens of zhang away from the army.
"Shoot!"
As soon as the Imperial Dragon Army's formation was complete, Chen Tang commanded his troops to quickly draw their bows and arrows, directly targeting the ambushing army ahead. In an instant, streams of azure light, like countless azure dragons, tore across the sky.
The hundred thousand strong Imperial Dragon Army, bathed in boundless azure light, illuminated the entire mountain range!
"Boom!!"
Countless arrows rained down, ripping through layers of mist and clouds. They surpassed the Northern Darkness army's arrow storm, obscuring the sky with their sheer density.
The azure arrows, like the dragon's breath exhaled by the colossal azure dragon, swirled with azure streams of light, carrying an unparalleled ferocity as they pierced forward.
"What is that?"
Xu Sheng watched the dense streams of azure light. The azure glow was so blinding that it even obscured the arrows themselves.
"Huh!"
Xu Sheng's eyes widened. As the arrow storm flashed before him, he finally saw the true nature of the azure streams of light.
"Arrow storm!"
"It's an arrow storm!!"
"Defend!!"
Xu Sheng roared in fury, his warhorse beneath him collapsing and dying from the shock.
As soon as Xu Sheng's words fell, the dense azure streams of light arrived. A powerful aura of death enveloped them all.
"Clang!"
Xu Sheng slashed his saber horizontally, clearing away a large number of arrows, almost emptying a five-zhang radius around himself. However, his army consisted of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and five zhang was far from enough. Before he could even move, another wave of dense arrow storm descended.
"Defend!!"
Countless soldiers screamed wildly. Some raised their shields high, while others wielded their weapons, their blades flashing with cold light. The Northern Darkness soldiers desperately tried to block the azure streams of light.
But there were too many arrows. Even if they were fortunate enough to block hundreds of them, the sky above seemed to be covered by an endless azure canopy, blotting out the sun and moon. As countless arrows rained down, innumerable soldiers had their skulls blasted apart by the azure streams of light.
"Bang bang bang!"
"Clang!!"
"Ah!!"
"Watch out behind! Quick, counterattack, counterattack!"
"My leg!!"
...
The area where the Northern Darkness army stood was instantly transformed into an azure ocean, their hysterical roars echoing across the battlefield.
These azure streams of light were no ordinary arrows; their destructive power was immense. Whichever part of the body they pierced, they would explode with a bang.
Looking around, the bodies of countless Northern Darkness soldiers were riddled with holes.
"Shoot!"
Chen Tang continued to issue commands. The soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Army were filled with fighting spirit, seemingly tireless. They relentlessly nocked, drew, and released arrows, their movements flowing seamlessly as they repeated the actions. The quivers on their backs gradually grew lighter.
Soldiers of the Northern Darkness army were consumed by the azure streams of light one after another. Clouds of blood mist exploded within the ranks. Some soldiers were even cut in half. Countless corpses and mangled bodies lay in pools of blood.
They roared at the heavens, their faces filled with unwillingness. They had meticulously prepared an ambush here, expecting to capture the invading Han forces in one fell swoop. But to their dismay, they were utterly outmatched.
Their initiative had been turned into a desperate defensive struggle!
Crucially, they couldn't even defend!
The Northern Darkness army was washed over by the azure streams of light several times until the Imperial Dragon Army had loosed all its arrows. What remained for the Northern Darkness army was only endless death and sorrow. The battlefield was littered with remains, and rivers of blood flowed.
"Han... Die for this general!!"
Xu Sheng, now covered in blood, his left arm riddled with wounds, dragged his saber with one hand. With all his might, he swung it towards the distant Imperial Dragon Army.
He had led the army alone, carrying the heavy expectations of the Northern Darkness King and the hopes of billions of its people.
Yet now, he hadn't even touched the enemy's body, nor had he even seen the face of their commander.
His army was almost annihilated!
"Ah!!"
His eyes blazed with rage. Veins bulged on his single arm as he flung his saber with a roar. Although its power was greatly diminished without his full strength, its sharpness remained, imbued with his boundless fury.
"Imperial Dragon Army!!"
Chen Tang watched as the one-armed general swung a saber at his army. His gaze remained ice-cold.
"Kill!!"
The hundred thousand strong Imperial Dragon Army roared in unison. The colossal azure dragon roared towards the sky, its dragon cries sweeping out and charging towards Xu Sheng.
The void around the thousand zhang dragon's charge hummed ominously. Its maw shattered the bloody saber, and its body was sent soaring into the heavens along with Xu Sheng.
With a deafening boom, it exploded in the void.
Xu Sheng, a master of the Linghai realm, was annihilated by a single blow from the Imperial Dragon Army's formation!
"Boom!!"
The Imperial Dragon Army dispersed, enveloping the remaining troops and relentlessly harvesting the Northern Darkness soldiers who had survived the azure streams of light from the arrow storm.
...
The capital of the Northern Darkness Dynasty.
"Has General Xu Sheng sent any news back?" The King of Northern Darkness looked gaunt. Since the Han had conquered Yan Yang, Ao Long, and Tian Feng, he hadn't dared to close his eyes, consumed by worry and anxiety.
Xu Sheng had led the army, and days had passed without any news, further deepening his worry.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"
"Bad news, Your Majesty!!"
A soldier, disregarding all protocol for addressing the King, stumbled and crawled into the royal hall in a state of collapse.
"What is it?"
The King of Northern Darkness looked at the soldier with apprehension and asked.
"Your Majesty, the Han... the Han army has reached the city walls!"