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When the human vanguard, the "Thunderstorm Knights" of the Tiele Empire, arrived at the "Red Sand Gorge," they were met by the Minos bull-headed warriors, who were arrayed for battle relying on the "Eight Trigrams Formation."

Characteristically, the nomadic Tiele Empire, whether in its national structure or military composition, bore a strong resemblance to the northern barbarian states of my previous life, such as the Liao, Jin, and even the Turks. The elite cavalry they dispatched were not the heavily armored knights of the West, clad in hundreds of pounds of armor and wielding spears two or three zhang (about 6-9 meters) long. Instead, they were ranger cavalry, accompanied by two spare horses, armed with both long and short swords, and bows. Of course, the key difference from my previous life was that this was a magical world, where powerful magical beasts and various special items created unique warriors.

The mounts of the "Thunderstorm Knights" were crossbred horses with wind-attribute magical beasts. Though they lacked magical attack capabilities, their speed and endurance surpassed that of the legendary horses of old. Moreover, these elite knights of the Tiele Empire possessed a unique power called the "Beast Force Tattoo." This exclusive magical technique of the Tiele Empire could transform the cores of magical beasts into special tattoos imprinted on the warriors, granting a reinforcement effect similar to "Beast Armament." This not only allowed the reuse of the cores but also enabled concurrent use with the magical beasts. Although this technique could only enhance the power of low-level magical beasts, the process was simple, and low-level magical beasts were far more numerous than mid-to-high-level ones. Thus, a "Thunderstorm Knight" who had fused two level-three magical beast cores through the "Beast Force Tattoo" and "Beast Armament" could achieve the effect of a general level-five "Beast Armament." The Tiele Empire's unique level-three magical beast, the "Thunder Wolf of the Wasteland," was one of the few mass-dwelling magical beasts, often numbering in the thousands per group. After a century of accumulation, the Tiele Empire now had hundreds of thousands of double-enhanced knights. The eighty thousand "Thunderstorm Knights" we were facing were all warriors with the "Thunder Wolf Beast Force Tattoo" and "Thunder Wolf Beast Armament."

The relationship between the Tiele Empire and the Yellow Dragon Empire was certainly no better than that of the Liao or Jin with the Great Song in my previous life. Despite their cooperation, the two empires were far from allies. So, when the eighty thousand Thunderstorm Knights arrived at the Red Sand Gorge first, they did not wait for the Yellow Dragon army but charged directly at the Minos warriors' battle formation.

As the elite of the nomadic people, the "Thunderstorm Knights" were exceptionally skilled in horseback archery. Forty thousand of the eighty thousand troops split into four groups to encircle the "Great Labyrinth Formation" laid by the Minos warriors, shooting arrows in unison from all directions. However, the "Minos Great Labyrinth Formation," supported by over four thousand pillars, was nearly impenetrable. The Minos bull-headed warriors, with their totem poles, were unafraid of the Thunder God Knights' arrows as the formation shifted. Although the arrows shot by these knights empowered by thunder-attribute magical beasts carried lightning, the "Minos Great Labyrinth Formation" possessed the ability to nullify low-to-mid-level magic. Thus, when these arrows entered the formation, they became ordinary arrows. Even if an arrow found its mark, it would barely dent the heavily armored Minos warriors, protected by their Iron Shirt technique.

In addition to the bull-headed warriors, the formation also concealed ten thousand Snow Wolf Knights. Although they could not form arrays, they could shoot arrows. The "Sunset Sky Bow," a skill from the Nine Yin Manual, was one of only three skills in the lower volume that could be practiced without Nine Yin internal energy. With the strength of the werewolves and powerful bows, the Snow Wolf Knights, ten thousand against forty thousand, still gained the upper hand. After several volleys, a thousand Thunderstorm Knights lay dead. Meanwhile, the Snow Wolf Knights, shielded by the formation, remained untouched.

"Draw your swords and charge!" As battle-hardened warriors, the Thunderstorm Knights, realizing they were facing a strong enemy, did not hesitate to change tactics. Two groups of forty thousand knights charged into the "Great Labyrinth Formation" from the left and right, while the remaining twenty thousand continued to shoot arrows to cover their comrades. For a moment, the scene was filled with flashing blades and a swarm of arrows.

Unfortunately, facing the renowned "Eight Trigrams Formation" from ancient times, these crude warriors, who had never witnessed the profound mysteries of primordial numerology, lost their sense of direction upon entering the formation. No matter how elite and skilled they were, their fate was doomed to destruction. The mixed-blood Minos bull-headed warriors, inheriting the intuition and mania for mazes from the underworld minotaurs, were arguably the race most suited to learning formations in this world. The totem pillars, meticulously crafted with various magical technologies, elevated the effect of the "Eight Trigrams Formation" to a level even Zhuge Liang might not have reached. Now, with me stationed at the core of the formation, personally commanding this "Minos Great Labyrinth Formation," it was undoubtedly the peak of infantry combat power in this world. Even if it were twenty thousand human knights or twenty thousand Lion Tribe warriors, they would not gain any advantage.

As two groups of Thunderstorm Knights charged into the Great Labyrinth Formation, they disappeared silently like water poured into a sponge, without any response. The eerie silence made the remaining forty thousand Thunderstorm Knights hesitate before launching their second attack. Even the twenty thousand knights who were shooting arrows around the formation slowed their assault and gradually distanced themselves.

I wonder how they'll react now that they've learned their lesson. From the center of the formation, I could clearly see that the twenty thousand Thunderstorm Knights, having been divided and devoured by the formation, were nearly annihilated. After all, although these knights generally possessed bronze or even silver-level battle qi cultivation, even with double magical beast reinforcement, they were still no match for the strength of the Snow Wolf Knights, let alone the robust Minos bull-headed warriors. They were indeed powerful when facing their own kind, but in front of orcs, they remained weak.

From my high vantage point in the center of the formation, I looked far into the distance. The Thunderstorm Knights had reorganized, and the twenty thousand enemy troops around the Great Labyrinth Formation had also withdrawn and joined the main force. At that moment, a small disturbance arose in front of the Tiele army's formation. A white-clad youth, unarmored, rode swiftly with a few guards from a distance. Upon reaching the front, he silently waved his long whip, sending several Thunderstorm Knight commanders tumbling from their mounts. He then pointed at them, scolding them non-stop. Although I was too far away to hear his words clearly, seeing the commanders bow their heads without daring to refute, and the surrounding Thunderstorm Knights looking as if it was only natural, it was clear that this black-haired Tiele youth, barely fifteen, was the true leader of the Thunderstorm Knights. He was the one who had schemed against Antara and killed twenty thousand of our wolf knights.