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Given the situation here, Chen Xuanfeng and Jin Luosha had their own stance.

"Brother, should we intervene in this conflict? Helping the Mercenary Empire to sweep the tribes could intensify the conflict between the two sides, which might benefit the frontlines," Jin Luosha pondered for a moment and asked softly.

"No need. Let them fight among themselves. We'll just watch the show," Chen Xuanfeng smiled faintly. "However, I have a feeling that our goal for this journey might be achieved ahead of schedule here."

Wolf Hero Arc, Chapter Seven: Flame Magic Thunder Awaits Sunrise

The battles between desert races had their own unique characteristics. Due to the scarcity of water and the difficulty of resupply, it was impossible for two armies to engage in prolonged long-term standoff. Even assembling large forces had to be done at locations with sufficient water sources. This ultimately led to both sides constantly launching surprise attacks, with victory going to the side that could capture the opponent's water source. If they failed, they would immediately withdraw without lingering.

In terms of sustained combat capability, the Mercenary Empire's army had a considerable advantage. Not only was their equipment superior, but they also had relatively well-organized logistics support units. There were even mages within the core of the army who could manipulate special magical artifacts to gather clean water out of thin air, alleviating the pressure on the army's logistics. (Although the desert's daytime was scorching and dry, the night was freezing cold. The dew condensed at that time was the life source of many desert creatures. If mages cast water magic at that time, it wouldn't be as difficult as during the day.)

The native tribal warriors, on the other hand, relied on a near-fanatical fighting spirit and extreme endurance. They could sustain themselves with just a few sips of mare's milk while engaging in attrition battles with the regular legions of the Mercenary Empire. It was this tenacious vitality, which even the orcs admired, that allowed them to withstand the annihilation attempts by armies of tens or even hundreds of thousands, relying on the vast desert.

The tribal coalition, led by the Hanos Tribe, had been fighting with the elite Flame Sand Army for a month. Both sides had fought several times around their respective oasis water sources but had failed to conquer the other, resulting in a stalemate.

Chen Xuanfeng and Jin Luosha stayed in the war-shrouded desert for two days, witnessing the cruel survival rules of this desolate land. Of course, the reason for their stay was definitely not out of sympathy for the dead or concern for anyone’s fate. Needless to say, Chen Xuanfeng, a fierce figure in two lifetimes, and even Jin Luosha, such a beautiful young woman who had taken hundreds of lives with her own hands at the age of eight and had experienced grand scenes like the "Nine Saints War," would not be concerned about this level of bloody conflict.

What really held back their journey was the restless and eerie heat in the desert air.

As the second night fell, the largest battle since the war began erupted in the desert. 20,000 desert knights of the Flame Sand Army faced off against 15,000 warriors from the three strongest tribes. The battle commenced in the evening as the sun was setting and continued as tens of thousands of warriors repeatedly attacked and withdrew. Even when three moons hung together in the night sky, with the vast starry river spanning the heavens, illuminating the night clearly, the battle still did not cease.

However, soon, a variable appeared on the battlefield.

Another 5,000 light cavalry of the Flame Sand Army, originally stationed at the main camp, set out shortly after the battle began and secretly bypassed the battlefield. They launched a surprise attack on the weakest tribe among the three participating in the battle—the Anxi Tribe. They killed nearly half of the thousands of elderly, women, and children who were staying there, and most of the rest were taken captive. Only a few hundred managed to escape on horseback amidst the chaos. A few of them ran to the battlefield to report the news, while the others sought refuge in the nearby Hanos Tribe.

On the battlefield, the Anxi tribe warriors, upon learning of the attack on their rear, were the first to collapse, causing a wave of chaos. The warriors of the other two tribes also failed to withstand the enemy's assault and eventually retreated, being chased all the way by the Flame Sand Army. They barely managed to withdraw to the Hanos Tribe's oasis, relying on the natural barrier to fend off the enemy's pursuit.

The remaining tribe among the three, the Laika Tribe, was farther away and received support from neighboring tribes, so the Flame Sand Army did not launch an assault on them. Instead, they occupied the Anxi Tribe's oasis as a camp and assembled 25,000 regular troops to deal with the residual resistance entrenched in the Hanos Tribe. With a nearby water source for resupply, the Flame Sand Army's offensive became much more frequent. From the early morning of the third day, the struggle for the suspension bridge over the ravine did not stop, and even at noon, when the sun was scorching, the Flame Sand Army's warriors did not slow down their attacks, forcing the tribal warriors to hold their ground.

The two sides were thus facing off across the chasm, with no way across. By all rights, the battle should have ended here. Although the Flame Sand Army had superior numbers, building a bridge or finding a detour around the hundred-kilometer chasm would be nearly impossible. Moreover, it was likely that the reinforcements from the tribal alliance would arrive before they could succeed, risking squandering their progress.

However, the Flame Sand Army unexpectedly stayed put on the eastern side, neither attacking nor retreating, as if they intended to engage in a long-term standoff. This left the warriors in the Hanos Tribe extremely puzzled.

Their suspicions were soon confirmed—in flames, blood, and death.

Just as the moonlight returned, the cooling desert abruptly heated up once more. This heat was different from the scorching sun of the day; it was a pervasive, searing heat that seemed to come from within. Even the campfires and torches blazed twice as bright without any explanation, throwing the tribal warriors into confusion.

This pervasive heat was the reason Chen Xuanfeng had lingered for three days. What Chen Xuanfeng, a werewolf in human form, could barely sense before had intensified a thousandfold. Even Jin Luosha, who had just become a Sword Master two weeks ago, could feel it clearly.

It was the "presence"—the overwhelming presence of a Sword Saint capable of influencing everything around them.