"Dragon Cavalry, assemble!"
"Soul Condensation!"
Yuan Zuozong's voice boomed across the battlefield. The enemy had summoned their military soul—there was no holding back now. His Dragoon Army would answer in kind.
Before this moment, the Dragon Cavalry Army had never called upon their military soul, not because they couldn't, but because no adversary had ever been worthy of facing its might. Today, things were different.
"Yes, General!"
One hundred thousand Dragon Cavalry troops moved as one. The ground rumbled beneath them, and in mere moments, they formed a perfect battle formation. The soldiers of Da Zhou watched in stunned silence, struggling to comprehend how such precision could come from human hands.
Then, a deafening roar pierced the air.
Above the Dragon Cavalry, a massive snow-white dragon appeared, shimmering and fierce. It wasn't just an illusion—it was their military soul, alive with an imposing presence. The dragon swam through the void, its five razor-sharp claws gleaming in the light, and each one of its pale scales was etched with intricate detail. The very air around it froze, as frost trailed wherever it moved.
The warriors of Da Zhou trembled.
"This... such a powerful military soul!"
Fear gripped the hearts of Da Zhou's soldiers as they watched the solid, living embodiment of the Dragoon Army's strength. In contrast, their own military soul, summoned by millions, was a faint, flickering shadow. Almost invisible, it paled before the terrifying white dragon.
"Kill! Break them for me!" Yuan Zuozong roared, thrusting his spear forward.
The dragon's eyes flashed coldly, and with a fearsome roar, it charged at Da Zhou's barely-visible military soul.
On Da Zhou's side, General Xiao Shan—leader of the massive army—watched in horror. His face drained of color, and despair seeped into his bones. He could feel the fear of his army's military soul, the same soul that was trembling under the crushing presence of the dragon.
"We're doomed... there's no way we can win."
But Xiao Shan had no choice. There was no retreat now.
"Fight! Fight with everything you have!" he bellowed, his voice tinged with desperation.
With that, he launched his army's military soul into battle, hoping for a miracle.
It never came.
The snow-white dragon tore through Da Zhou's military soul like it was paper. With an ear-shattering roar, it devoured the fragments of the shattered soul, swallowing them whole.
"Ugh!"
Da Zhou's soldiers coughed up blood and collapsed, their connection to the military soul shattered. Many lost the ability to fight entirely. The military soul was more than a symbol—it was the embodiment of their unity, their collective will. Now that it was destroyed, their strength collapsed with it.
On the other hand, the Dragon Cavalry Army thrived. As their snow-white dragon fed on the remnants of Da Zhou's military soul, their own power surged. Injuries healed, their spirits rejuvenated, and for some, their very cultivation levels seemed to rise.
Xiao Shan watched in disbelief, the blood draining from his face.
"It's over... we've lost everything."
His body was wracked with pain, the backlash from his shattered military soul. But that agony paled in comparison to the horror of witnessing the sheer might of the Dragon Cavalry. He had never faced such power. In that moment, he knew—this was the strongest army he had ever encountered, perhaps the strongest the entire Dongzhou Continent had ever seen.
"Dragon Cavalry, charge!"
Yuan Zuozong's voice rang out again, his body pulsing with battle-hardened energy. He had no mercy for the defeated.
With their foes weakened, now was the time to strike. A hundred thousand horses thundered forward, their galloping hooves shaking the earth. The Dragon Cavalry swept across the battlefield like an unstoppable avalanche, cutting through Da Zhou's forces with ease.
In mere moments, the once-proud soldiers of Da Zhou crumbled.
But then, a sharp light sliced through the air, heading straight for Yuan Zuozong.
"Ambush!" Yuan Zuozong's senses screamed as his body tensed. Reacting with the precision of a seasoned warrior, he swung his Desert Silver Spear, intercepting the attack mid-flight.
"Break!" he snarled.
A deafening explosion rocked the sky as Yuan Zuozong's spear met the mysterious attack. The shockwave from the clash rippled through the battlefield, but when the dust settled, Yuan Zuozong was left standing. He had fended off the ambush, but his face was grim.
His gaze shifted to the sky, and there, from the horizon, a shadowy figure approached.
"Haha, impressive! To block my strike with the strength of a mere Martial Saint," a voice called out.
It was an old man in gray robes, his body frail, but the imperial aura that surrounded him spoke volumes about his power. His hooked nose gave him a predatory appearance, and as he descended upon the battlefield, his presence sent chills through the air.
Yuan Zuozong's heart raced. A Half-Emperor!
"Who are you?" Yuan Zuozong demanded, his grip on his spear tightening.
The old man smirked, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "I am known as Chaoyang Patriarch. Surely you've heard of me?"
A ripple of shock passed through the remaining soldiers of Da Zhou. The Chaoyang Patriarch, a legendary figure from the Hundred Dynasties Chamber of Commerce, had joined the fray.
Yuan Zuozong, however, remained unfazed.
"I have no idea who you are," he said flatly.
Chaoyang Patriarch froze, momentarily stunned.
"You… you don't know me?" he sputtered, disbelief etched on his face.
Yuan Zuozong looked at him like he was a fool. "Should I?"
The silence was deafening, but a cold smile slowly crept across the old man's face.
"Interesting," Chaoyang Patriarch muttered, a glint of danger flashing in his eyes. "Very interesting."