Trapped

The Xishan soldiers were almost entirely of the Third Stage or below, making it impossible for them to stop Ren Mo's pursuit.

"Almost there! I can see their backs!" Ren Mo said greedily. Not far ahead of them was E Ming's group.

"Scram!" Ren Mo roared, his long saber sweeping out powerfully, slicing a Xishan soldier who stood in his way in two.

"E Ming, Xuan De, Wang Ben, your end has come!" Ren Mo laughed maniacally, his warhorse galloping faster and faster. For some reason, the Xishan soldiers did not exert their full strength to block his path.

"Is that so, Ren Mo?" Hearing his words, E Ming showed no fear; instead, he turned back with a smirk.

"A dying man still talking big," Ren Mo sneered, urging his horse forward, easily breaking through the Xishan forces.

"The brat who killed Ao Qiao!" Fan Ri stared intently at the small figure sitting behind E Ming, his killing intent surging.

"Hello," Cheng Xiu, weak and frail, forced a mocking smile.

"Hmph!" Fan Ri naturally had not forgotten their faces. Just a little more, and they would have all died under his spear.

Unlike Ren Mo and Fan Ri, Song Zuo could not help but feel a growing sense of doubt. Why did the Xishan forces grow thinner the deeper they went? Logically, the enemy forces should be densest near the core. Could it be that they did not want to protect their main camp?

"Why are the soldiers' cultivation bases getting lower, and why do they seem unwilling to block our pursuit? Could it be...?" Song Zuo thought to himself. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically as he cried out:

"We have fallen into the enemy's trap!" Song Zuo shouted in terror.

"Song Zuo, have you lost your mind?" Ren Mo, failing to notice anything amiss, questioned him. They were just a step away from capturing Wang Ben's group; how could they be trapped? It must be because the enemy's forces were weak and depleted.

"Have you not observed the battlefield? Look! The Xishan army has only left about three thousand men to block us. Why is that? And why were we able to catch up to Wang Ben? It is because they intentionally let us pursue them!" Song Zuo explained rapidly.

They had already penetrated deep into the Xishan army's formation, only a short distance away from breaking into the main camp. But just as Song Zuo said, the space before them was completely empty. Not a single Xishan soldier was in sight; only the wind whipped up clouds of dust.

Suddenly, the dust swirled as ten massive wooden carriages were pushed out by Xishan soldiers. Each carriage required at least ten men to pull due to its immense weight. Behind them, others dragged carriage beds that were even heavier, their faces flushed red from the exertion.

"Since you have come all this way, why are you in such a hurry to leave? As the host, I would find it quite heartbreaking," Wang Bi appeared in front of the colossal wooden carriages, speaking softly.

"What do you mean?" Ren Mo gripped his reins tightly, bringing his horse to a halt.

"We carelessly fell into your trap this time, but do you think you can keep us here? If I am not mistaken, those carriages you pushed out are catapults," Song Zuo said in a heavy voice, staring at Wang Bi.

"As expected of General Song Zuo, your knowledge is indeed vast," E Ming walked up to Wang Bi at this moment, smiling.

"Hmph!" Song Zuo glared at him in annoyance.

"I naturally calculated the low accuracy of the catapults, but that is why I left three thousand soldiers—men who are willing to sacrifice themselves in this campaign to trade their lives for yours, the great generals of Dai Le," Wang Bi sighed.

"This is bad! Break through the encirclement immediately!" Song Zuo's face turned pale.

The destructive power of a catapult was superior to that of a divine crossbow, and its advantage lay in the abundance of ammunition. Each of those massive boulders crashing down was equivalent to a full-force strike from a Ninth Stage expert.

"Haha, let's see who will be the one running away with their tail between their legs this time!" Xuan De laughed loudly, looking at the panicked Ren Mo and his men.

Ren Mo grit his teeth, glaring at him with unprecedented resentment. To pursue an opponent to the end only to realize he had been toyed with from the very beginning.

Li Xin, his chest still covered in blood, had returned to his original form after deactivating his Savage Combat Method. He bared his teeth savagely at Fan Ri.

Fan Ri gripped his long spear tightly. A hand was placed on his shoulder, and when he looked up, he saw Song Zuo.

"You are the hope of Dai Le; you must not die. I will open a path for you. Run, quickly!" Song Zuo said.

"Come!" Song Zuo gripped his long saber and roared, facing the entire Xishan army without a shred of fear.

"Fire!" a Xishan Five Thousand Commander shouted, raising his hand as he saw Wang Bi nod.

The ten catapults had long been loaded with boulders. The soldiers behind them released the retaining pins, and all ten catapults fired simultaneously.

Boulders as large as small hills plummeted with terrifying speed. The Dai Le army's formation fell into chaos. Only the three thousand Xishan soldiers smiled. Slaying an enemy general would be a worthy merit for them. Even if they died, their families would enjoy the rewards of their contribution.

"Boom!"

A series of earth-shattering tremors resounded as the massive boulders carved deep craters into the ground. Beneath the stones, blood splattered, dyeing the rocks in a fresh hue. A few severed limbs of unfortunate soldiers protruded from beneath the boulders.

"Run!" Song Zuo roared, his long saber carving a bloody path through the encirclement. The Xishan soldiers desperately sacrificed themselves, using their bodies to block him, refusing to let him escape the range of the catapults.

"Die!" the Xishan soldiers bellowed as they lunged forward. A moment later, their heads were severed by Song Zuo. Yet, the others did not stop; even more surged forward.

"They are all throwing their lives away!" Fan Ri was shocked. His long spear was obstructed by countless corpses, and their advance ground to a halt.

"Dai Le soldiers, clear the path!" Ren Mo urged in desperation.

"Boom!" A boulder crashed down toward them. In an instant, soldiers from both sides, indistinguishable from one another, were turned into a mangled heap of flesh and blood.

"Block them! Do not let them escape!" a Xishan soldier with only one arm roared.

"Clang!" Ren Mo frowned. This time, his long saber had been blocked. The person before him was of the Eighth Stage. Although injured, he was not an opponent an ordinary Eighth Stage cultivator could easily stop.

"Generals of Dai Le, listen well! I am Ping Hu, a Xishan Four Thousand Commander, leader of the Jade Phoenix Unit. Today, my soldiers and I will lay down our lives to slay you!" the Eighth Stage soldier declared.

Ping Hu's long sword was formidable, posing an extreme challenge to Ren Mo and his companions, especially since they were already wounded.

"Run, Ren Mo, Fan Ri!" Song Zuo smiled, his long saber drawing all the enemy's attention as he faced Ping Hu alone.

"Run!" Ren Mo barked, dragging the emotional Fan Ri, who was staring at Song Zuo. Ren Mo could deal with Ping Hu, but if he did, he would also be killed by the catapults. General Song Zuo had resolved to sacrifice his life to allow them to escape.

"Boom!" Massive boulders continued to fall, claiming lives. The Dai Le soldiers blocking the Xishan forces to allow Fan Ri to escape were also obliterated by a single impact.

Ren Mo was utterly unwilling. He had pursued the enemy all this way, only for Song Zuo to sacrifice himself for his escape. Was it worth it?

"Boom!" A boulder suddenly crashed down barely five feet away from Song Zuo. Had it been slightly closer, he would have been gravely injured and unable to escape death.

"State your name, General of Dai Le!" Ping Hu said, looking at Song Zuo.

"Song Zuo!" Song Zuo replied. His long saber swept out, knocking the sword from Ping Hu's hand, and pointed straight at his opponent's head.

Ping Hu showed no fear even with Song Zuo's blade at his throat; instead, he smiled. The long saber slashed across, and Ping Hu's head fell to the ground, dead. At that exact moment, a massive boulder plummeted toward where he had been standing. Song Zuo hastily pulled his reins, trying to urge his horse to dodge.

Suddenly, an arrow flew straight into the horse's ankle. It was a Xishan archer, who was smiling.

The turn of events happened so quickly that Song Zuo had no time to react. The horse lost its balance and collapsed. Song Zuo leaped to the side, his True Essence armor manifesting. The boulder crashed down, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Song Zuo's lower body was crushed.

Song Zuo lay there, his upper body intact, his hands clutching a fistful of sand as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He clenched his fist, sand slipping through his fingers. He looked toward Ren Mo, as if saying: *live on for my sake.*

"Song Zuo!" Ren Mo's eyes bloodshot. A man who was both his brother and comrade-in-arms had died just like that.

"That Song Zuo possessed both wisdom and courage, yet he was dragged to his death by his brave but foolish brother. What a pity," E Ming sighed inwardly.

"That is why we must always obey the Lord's orders," Xuan De said, looking at Wang Bi with relief.

Another boulder fell, crushing one side of Ren Mo's horse, throwing him to the ground.

Ren Mo's face filled with terror. He hastily pushed himself up, but for some reason, he felt an strange trembling.

"Do not let him escape! Avenge Lord Ping Hu!" The remaining soldiers of the Jade Phoenix Unit charged toward Ren Mo.

"Stand up, General Ren Mo! Have you been cowed by them? Do you not want to avenge General Song Zuo? If you do not, then grant me one last favor—I want to live to avenge Ao Qiao!" Fan Ri roared upon seeing Ren Mo lying motionless.

"Yes, I must avenge Song Zuo!" Fan Ri's voice jolted Ren Mo awake. He leaped to his feet with a roar, his long saber sweeping out to slaughter the charging Jade Phoenix soldiers.