One week later.
Following Wang Yun's order, General Huang led the third squadron of the Iron Blood Army and was currently marching through the vast Yellow Floral Grassland outside of Iron Blood City.
As the army of ten thousand marched on foot in a neat formation, it gives rise to incredible momentum, and their domineering clamor echoing throughout the entire grassland.
He ha!
He ha!
He ha!
The deafening wave of footsteps whipped up a mighty gale and cloud dust that raging everywhere.
They are one of the Iron Blood City's elite units, mainly consisting of infantry and shield bearers. Each of them was at the Peak of Stage 9 body refining, with a small portion consisting of Qi Condensation Realm soldiers.
They have all undergone rigorous training and were incredibly skilled in a drawn-out defensive battle.
As the purpose of this trip wasn't to fight but mainly to reinforce the defense of the border, preventing the sudden outbreak in case a Beast King really appear.
"If everything could go smoothly, with our current marching speed. In roughly another month, we will arrive at the border of the forest." While looking at the marching soldiers, General Huang has absolute trust in them as he has trained them himself.
"Or not... Stop and get into formation!" After dismounting from his mount, a Rank 2 Horned Mammoth, General Huang gazing in a specific direction and furrowed his brows. The deep scar from his neck to his left chin gives him the vibe of a strong, brave warrior.
The heavy, full iron armor couldn't hide the bulging and chiseled earthen muscle underneath, and they move like coiled pythons follow each of his movements, full of explosive strength.
He was like an ancient giant with a frame of three and a half meters tall. With his attention focused on the horizon, his shadow was being stretched out by the sun. At the same time, the golden glow of the sunset outlined his body, making them look incomparably majestic and powerful.
"Something's coming; it looks like we stepped into someone else's territory." A serious look appeared on his old face. General Huang tidied up his grey hair and unkempt beard before putting on his iron helmet. A flash of light flickered in his eyes, and suddenly, his body radiated a strong fighting spirit.
An encounter like this is nothing new. Traveling in the wild with a significant movement of ten thousand men, it's unavoidable that they have alarmed the territory's ruler.
As the vast Yellow Floral Grassland was devised into a much smaller region, they were ruled by a Rank 3 beast each, and there was no way to pass through them without a fight.
General Huang raised his hand and roared with a booming voice, "Brothers! Step back and stick to the formation; leave the big one to me and focus on the defense!" Then, cracked the joint in his neck, the old general muttered under the helmet. "It's been so boring these days, finally something worthy of my attention."
Following the general's command, all the troops swiftly arranged themself and formed a shield formation surrounded the supply carts. Their movement was smooth, and all the soldiers did everything in less than a few seconds with incredible discipline.
Staying behind the long roll of tower shields, they fully transformed into a mobile human fortress!
Suddenly, the ground began to shake as all the rocks and plants trembled. With this, the atmosphere quickly becomes tense, as all the soldier's eyes were fixed on the wave of cloud dust before them.
Rumble! Rumble!
With heavy footsteps that sound like the rhymed beating war drum, the unknown enemy announced their arrival with solid momentum.
From the peak of the bosom-like hill in the distance, a group of more than 300 Earth Armored Rhinoceros slowly appeared like demons emerging from the gates of hell. Slowly, they come into everyone's view. They were more than three meters tall, with thick armor covering their body that seems impenetrable by the standard weapon.
However, they were not General Huang's concerns as he entirely focused his gaze on the gigantic beast leading in the front, with its shoulder over ten meters in height. It was like a miniature moving mountain.
'An (Early-Stage) Rank 3 Earth Armored Rhinoceros! A worthy opponent indeed!'
Glancing at the commandant standing beside him, General Huang waved his hand and gave out his order. "Do it!"
At his word, the commandant nodded and summoned his martial spirit, a large war horn. Then, taking a deep breath, he blows it as a loud cry rang out and reverberated through the army soldiers. Affected by an invisible force, all the soldiers' morale peaked as they began chanting a war song.
The herd of Earth Armored Rhinoceros was getting closer and closer by the second. Their leader, the Rank 3 Earth Armored Rhinoceros, looking at the wave of tiny ants with contempt and rage as it heard the war song.
There was only one thing in its mind, those who dare to trespass into its territory shall face the consequences!
"Soldiers, heed my orders! Plant your shield on the ground tightly and brace for impact!" Following his roar, the commandant also issued a series of commands.
Klang! Klang! Klang!*
After the order, the sound of thousands of heavy shields simultaneously began planted on the ground echoed.
Their clashes are about to begin!
The eyes of the soldiers began to gleam with fighting spirit and excitement. Then, under the rhyme of the war song, killing intents of ten thousand elite soldiers started to combine, flooding the battlefield like a raging tide, extremely intimidating.
Feeling the intense emotion of the soldiers behind him, General Huang started laughing loudly. "That's it, brother! We are the elite soldiers of the famed Iron Blood City! WE FEAR NOTHING!"
After clashing both of his hands together, a confident smile crept onto the face of the old general as he summoned his martial spirit as two giant diamond shape shields appeared on each of his hands.
Initially, the herb of Earth Armored Rhinoceros's charge wasn't too fast, but they became faster and faster as they kept marching down the hill. With such a huge body, the impact they create in a collision would no doubt be terrifying.
Breathing out a stream of hot air vapor from its nose, the leading Rank 3 Earth Armored Rhinoceros using its innate ability, [Iron Defense] as its gigantic body quickly covered with shining dark metallic light. Follow its lead; soon, the other lower rank beasts activate their innate ability [Iron defense], roaring.
They are charging down the hill like a surging tsunami!
Amid the loud rumbling of their hooves, the old general Huang activated his spirit ability and performed his defensive technique.
Holding onto both of his shields tightly, the old general got into position and collided with the gigantic beast.
HONG!
Like a nuclear explosion, the impact sent heavy airwaves outward with countless fire sparks. The heat generated from their collision leaves both the horn and shields to turn into a fiery red color like molten lava.
General Huang gripped tightly onto the shield's handles, despise feeling the burn with the same smiling and blazing fighting spirit.
"GAAARRRRHHHHHH!!!!!" He roared like a raging beast that came from the depth of hell, his muscles bulging with thick veins that could be seen even from far away.
With a boom! The old general skillfully deflected the gigantic beast weighing tens of tons staggering backward. The ground under his feet was cracking, leaving a deep crater-like spiderweb.
The old general spat out the blood under the golden light of the sunset and exclaimed with a crazed smile.
"Wanna step on me? Breakthrough my shield first!"