Chapter 42 - Battle of the Yima River
Little did they know, a crisis was waiting for them.
On their way back, they avoided attacking the small Hun tribes, steering clear of them instead.
With over three thousand warhorses and a considerable amount of supplies, they headed towards the pass.
These warhorses were all top-quality steeds stolen from the Huns. They only took the best, leaving behind the less sturdy ones.
Each person had three warhorses, allowing them to travel long distances without needing rest.
Two days later, they neared the border.
Hun scouts were scattered across the grasslands like soybeans, with one scout every ten miles or so, patrolling the area.
These numerous Hun scouts were there to find Oliver Sheng's group and block their way back.
The grasslands were vast, making it difficult to locate Oliver Sheng's group.
However, there were only a few routes back to Peace Pass. Blocking these routes would trap Oliver Sheng's group.
As soon as Oliver Sheng's group appeared near the border, they were spotted by a Hun scout.
The scout quickly sent a message back upon discovering Oliver Sheng's group.
Toba Tao and Hu Nanlei's units received the message and were overjoyed.
"We've found you, damn Wei rats!"
"This time, let's see where you can run."
Toba Tao and Hu Nanlei immediately gathered their cavalry and headed towards the scout's location.
Three thousand iron cavalry advanced at full speed.
Unable to find Oliver Sheng's group on the grasslands, they changed direction and headed straight to the border to block the route.
Now that they had found Oliver Sheng's group, it was time to wash away their shame with blood.
Another nearby Hun unit of two thousand cavalry also received the message and rushed in the same direction.
Meanwhile, Oliver Sheng's group remained unaware of all this.
A total of five thousand cavalry were surrounding them at the border.
Upon reaching Drink Horse River, Oliver Sheng ordered his men to stop and rest by the river.
He also sent Zane Wang and scouts to explore the route ahead.
Men and horses rested by the river, eating and replenishing their food and water.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, Zane Wang and the scouts hurried back.
"Enemies!"
"Enemies!" Zane Wang shouted as he rode back at full speed.
"Prepare for enemy attack!" Cameron Guo shouted, his voice echoing through the camp.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."
Arrows rained down behind Zane Wang and his men, filling the sky.
"Mount up, prepare for battle!" Oliver Sheng shouted, quickly leaping onto his horse.
The resting soldiers scrambled onto their horses upon hearing Oliver's command.
Behind Zane Wang and his men, the thunderous sound of hooves grew louder.
The dust kicked up by the charging cavalry rose like a wolf smoke, filling the sky.
"Run!"
Zane Wang kept shouting, knowing that the three thousand Hun cavalry vastly outnumbered them.
Facing them head-on was not a wise choice; he hoped Oliver Sheng would lead the soldiers to flee.
However, it was too late to run now. Being chased by the Hun cavalry would only lead to death.
The only option was to fight.
"Soldiers, prepare for battle!" Oliver Sheng shouted.
His soldiers drew their battle sabers, ready to fight.
Oliver Sheng glanced at his soldiers. He had hoped to bring them all back, but fate had other plans.
"Wind!"
Oliver Sheng raised his spear and shouted.
"Great wind!"
"Great wind!"
"Great wind!"
His soldiers roared back, their morale surging.
"Everyone, follow me to kill the enemy!" Oliver Sheng raised his spear and charged first.
"Kill!"
A thousand cavalry charged, facing a formidable enemy, their spirits undaunted. Not a single one retreated, their eyes filled with determination, ready to face death.
Seeing Oliver Sheng and his men charge, Zane Wang felt helpless. They had no choice but to turn and fight the Hun army.
Leading the charge, Toba Tao and Hu Nanlei smiled as they saw Oliver Sheng's group choose to fight instead of fleeing.
They aimed to crush the enemy before them, taking their heads back to honor their fallen comrades.
Oliver Sheng's eyes were sharp. The Hun cavalry blocked their way back; this battle was inevitable if they wanted to return.
Seeing the two enemy leaders, Oliver Sheng's aura intensified, his skin glowing with a golden light, his blood boiling like a wolf smoke reaching the sky.
Toba Tao and Hu Nanlei also locked their eyes on Oliver Sheng, charging towards him.
The quickest way to defeat the enemy was to kill their leaders!
Killing the enemy leaders would demoralize their troops, making the rest easy to slaughter.
As the two armies clashed, the sound of hooves thundered across the land, metal clashing with metal.
Oliver Sheng struck with all his might, unleashing a force of thirty to forty thousand pounds, his blood surging.
"Boom!!"
Hu Nanlei, along with his weapon, was shattered by a single blow, blood raining down.
Toba Tao, a step behind, widened his eyes in disbelief as he watched Hu Nanlei get obliterated by a single strike.
They were Postnatal Realm martial artists at Great Perfection. Only an Innate expert could kill them in one blow.
After killing one enemy leader, Oliver Sheng's momentum didn't wane. He drew his Black Gold Battle Saber with his left hand and used the Blood Fiend Saber Technique to slash at the other Hun leader.
Now, as a Postnatal Realm martial artist at Great Perfection, no one could withstand his full-force strike.
With one slash, the overwhelming blood fiend energy surged forward. Toba Tao, snapping back to reality, swung his saber to block.
"Clang!"
The battle saber broke. Even iron skin couldn't withstand the sharpness of the Black Gold Battle Saber. With one slash, Toba Tao was cut in half.
Even in death, he couldn't understand why Oliver Sheng was so powerful.
Toba Tao and Hu Nanlei, who had hoped to achieve glory and wash away their shame, were killed by Oliver Sheng in an instant.
After killing the two enemy leaders, Oliver Sheng rode into the Hun cavalry's formation, spear in hand.
Initially, he had avoided the enemy's main force to keep his soldiers alive longer. But since the Hun army wouldn't relent, Oliver Sheng unleashed his fury.
With strength comparable to early and mid-Innate levels, Oliver Sheng was like an ancient beast, charging ahead alone, bodies flying everywhere. No one survived under his blade and spear.
He was like a peerless butcher, slaughtering madly. Only by continuously killing Hun cavalry could he reduce his soldiers' casualties.
His soldiers followed Oliver Sheng into the Hun cavalry's formation, engaging in fierce combat.
The enemy's numbers were overwhelming, forcing them to fight one against two, one against three, quickly resulting in significant casualties.
As Oliver Sheng continued his slaughter, the Hun cavalry kept falling. He was like a death machine, sweeping through with his spear, his immense strength ensuring certain death for any Hun cavalry he touched.
Cameron Guo, Wesley Hu, Zane Wang, Hunter Tang, Owen Hai, Yuan Yong, Bennett Deng, and others followed Oliver Sheng, continuously killing Hun cavalry.
After a fierce charge, the ground was littered with corpses, the earth stained red with blood.
Behind Oliver Sheng, over six hundred men remained, most of them wounded, with over two hundred dead.
Of the three thousand enemy cavalry, less than half remained.
Oliver Sheng's unparalleled bravery had caused a significant drop in the Hun cavalry's morale after he killed their two leaders in an instant. Otherwise, his soldiers would have suffered even more casualties.
Hundreds of Hun cavalry had died under his blade and spear.
His blood-stained spear dripped with Hun blood, exuding a menacing aura.
Cameron Guo, Wesley Hu, and the others also had enemy blood on their blades.
Their eyes were filled with killing intent. At this moment, it was a fight to the death—either they killed the enemy, or they perished.
Despite losing their leaders and suffering heavy casualties, the Hun cavalry didn't flee.
A Tribuni took over the command.
Seeing Oliver Sheng and his men, the Tribuni didn't hesitate and led the Hun cavalry in another charge.
"Soldiers, follow me and crush them!" Oliver Sheng raised his spear and charged again.
Under Oliver Sheng's lead, despite losing over two hundred men, they fearlessly followed him into the charge.