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by adminActually, all "Saint Domain" experts possess their own domain spaces. Once activated, not only does their power greatly increase, but they can also trap their enemies, making escape impossible. Even the Orc King Samanda and I would be as good as dead if a human Sword Saint deploys their domain. However, apart from Lei Men, a completely self-taught Sword Saint, the other human Sword Saints are less proficient in harnessing the power of the Sea of Star Souls. When they attempt to summon their "domain," a momentary lapse in focus is inevitable. This opening is unpredictable and difficult to exploit, and it wouldn't even be considered a vulnerability in battles against other human Sword Saints. However, when facing an opponent with the astonishing combat instincts of a werewolf "Emperor Martial," this momentary lapse can become a fatal mistake, potentially leading to severe injury or even death for the Sword Saint. As a result, human Sword Saints typically refrain from deploying their domains against orcs. Therefore, I am not particularly worried about this situation.
What I didn’t know was that Chi Wu Lie, as the guardian of the Tiele Empire, was regarded with god-like reverence across the vast land of Tiele. Although Tiele had only 20 million people, far fewer than the Yellow Dragon nation, the harsh living conditions intensified the Tiele people's reverence for strength. The "Ferocious Underworld Martial Saint" had been held in high esteem for decades and had never endured such provocation. Furious, he resolved to summon his domain and trap the detestable werewolf, even at the cost of injury.
Just as Chi Wu Lie was about to make his move, a commotion erupted in the distance. The battlefield had been filled with the sounds of slaughter for some time, and generally, other noises wouldn't have made an impact. However, this particular outcry came from behind our orc forces, specifically from beyond the Eight Trigrams Formation pillars. Both Chi Wu Lie and I slowed our attacks, warily watching as we turned our attention in that direction.
We saw around 20,000 human soldiers emerge from both sides of the pillar group, heading straight for the core battlefield. The arrival of these fresh reinforcements immediately revitalized the faltering human forces. If the humans had the same stamina as the orcs, they might have already launched a counterattack. From their attire, we quickly identified the human reinforcements as soldiers from a desert tribe, most of them wielding unique curved blades. They were from one place—the Mercenary Empire.
Seeing the tide of battle turn, Chi Wu Lie abandoned his immediate plan to kill me and instead sneered, "What about you, wolf? Still confident of victory? While I don't know how much endurance your corrupted aura can grant you, your Sword Empress-level battle qi absolutely cannot last more than two hours. When it runs out, let's see if you can still evade my attacks."
Despite my rapid thoughts, I remained unworried. I had prepared ambushes earlier. At that moment, I silently activated the Magic Aura, and the acceleration it provided to the Snow Wolf Knights disappeared instantly. Fortunately, 10,000 Snow Wolf Knights had regrouped, so I wasn't afraid of a combined assault from the Tiele and Yellow Dragon cavalry on the right flank. Just then, heavy footsteps were heard as over 3,000 Minos bull-headed warriors charged out from the pillar group. With the glow of the Magic Aura beneath their feet, they swung their totem poles and attacked the rear of the Mercenary Empire's reinforcements. A smaller Great Labyrinth Formation was quickly formed, throwing the battlefield into further chaos, and the advantage the humans had just gained was lost once again.
These 3,000-plus Minos warriors had been injured by the blood explosion of the Tiele horse herd and were resting inside the pillar group. However, before coming here, I had specially brought over a dozen high-ranking priests from the Radiant Temple that I had subdued in the Northern Country, along with priests who had surrendered from the Duchy of Langton and the Red River Four Nations Alliance. They were hidden behind the lines, and over the past hour or so, they had used divine arts to heal the wounded with all their might, exhausting themselves in the process. Thanks to their efforts, the injured were able to recover just in time to re-enter the battle as an elite force, turning the tide once again.
On the battlefield at that moment, Bloodhoof, the chieftain of the Minos tribe, was battling several Yellow Dragon Sword Master experts. Antara and Oswelly, the only Sword Master experts among the Snow Wolf Knights, were engaged with Xi Luo and Xian Lan, two human prodigies. Among the Mercenary Empire's forces, one individual stood out—a tall, lanky red-haired youth, not much older than Xi Luo and Xian Lan, yet possessing Sword Master-level strength. He was clad in high-tier beast armor from an advanced phantom beast, flames rising from his body as he darted across the battlefield. Wielding no fixed weapon, he picked up whatever was at hand and used it with precision, switching between five or six different weapons in a short time, each handled as if he had trained with them his entire life. His innate talent with weapons was truly astonishing.
Humans truly rely on their vast numbers to produce outstanding elites. On this battlefield alone, I've seen three extraordinarily talented youths. Their future potential is truly something to anticipate. This battle had been unexpectedly difficult, and if not for my prepared backup plans, we might have lost. However, due to this interruption, the duel between Chi Wu Lie and me also calmed down. After all, Chi Wu Lie, having lived for nearly a century, quickly regained his composure once his anger subsided. He no longer pressed the attack but instead maintained a distant standoff with me.
By this point, the outcome of the battle was clear. The humans no longer attempted to advance but focused on reorganizing their forces and conserving strength. When a dragon's roar echoed through the sky and the massive form of the White Dragon "Winter Night" glided past, the humans finally began to retreat, abandoning their plans to push forward. With the Ferocious Underworld Martial Saint holding the line, I dared not pursue them, and I could only watch silently as the Tiele and Yellow Dragon armies withdrew.
Before Chi Wu Lie left, I asked him two questions. The first was why he hadn't saved Xue Lingpei, even though he had arrived earlier. The Ferocious Underworld Martial Saint coldly snorted in response, saying, "It's a relief that all the women from the Moonlight Tower are gone." I was left speechless. The second question was about the bet he had made with Xian Lan. It turned out that Xian Lan was Chi Wu Lie's most promising disciple, but Xian Lan had always believed in his own talent for leading troops and was unwilling to fully dedicate himself to martial arts. So, Chi Wu Lie made a bet with him that if, on the western campaign, Xian Lan encountered someone who could overwhelm his tactics through personal strength, proving that a supreme expert could influence the outcome of a war more than a famous general, Xian Lan would resign from all military duties and devote himself entirely to martial training under Chi Wu Lie. Ultimately, my presence allowed Chi Wu Lie to win the bet.
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