Chapter 328

The cold was extraordinary, with ice mist blanketing the land in an endless, gray haze.

The Le Li beastmen gazed into the endless mist, their breaths growing more panicked. This was the day of battle between Hei Yao and Le Li. Under the tribal leader's orders, all beastmen over fifteen years old had been summoned—but even with so many gathered, they felt no assurance.

The sudden drop in temperature made them tremble uncontrollably. In the swirling mist before them, terrifying beasts seemed to lurk—silent, monstrous predators ready to open enormous jaws and swallow them whole.

A gust of cold wind blew through, momentarily dispersing the fog.

Eyes widened, many Le Li beasts involuntarily stepped back.

What emerged from the mist was a massive formation of Hei Yao warriors appearing eerily, hundreds of meters from the Le Li camp—though far fewer in number, they managed to encircle them.

They were like demons—silent as gods, just as the Wo’er men had warned.

Drums thundered: “Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The drums sounded like the hooves of a titanic army, each thunderous strike hitting the heart of the Le Li beastmen. The beasts at the front paced restlessly, clearly agitated by the drumming.

What sorcery was Hei Yao using?

Just then, the ranks parted, and eight muscular Cang Quan beastmen carried a massive wooden altar through the center.

Cang Xi, clad in shaman robes and holding a bone rattle, performed a shamanic dance, balancing on one leg with fervor.

The moment Cang Xi appeared, Cang Dun raised his arm and called loudly:

“It’s the shaman! The shaman invites the blessings of the Ancestral God—Le Li will prevail!”

But in the rumbling of the drums, his voice dwindled to insignificance.

Cangxie furrowed his brow. Heiyao’s numbers could not compare with his. This was all merely a trick to mislead them. Heiyao must not be allowed to disturb their morale further. Only fearless warriors stood a chance.

Cangxie waved and shouted to the Cangquan beastmen in the front:

“In the name of the Ancestral God… charge!”

They roared:

“Huo He!” “Huo He!”

At the orders, the Le Li beasts surged forward, roaring, charging straight toward Hei Yao’s line.

Yet the Hei Yao lines stood resolute.

Le Li’s scarred leader bellowed:

“They fear the Ancestral Beast! Follow me! Charge!!”

Transforming into full beast-form, he plunged into battle.

“Charge!”

“Slaughter them!”

Lang Ze stood amid the formation. On his sides arced four vanguard squads, with four reserve squadrons behind—like wings unfurled, suffocating the Le Li force with pressure.

Behind them stood fifty war-bow carriages and thirty stone-throwing wagons—the artillery corps—working furiously.

The drums weren’t for ritual—they were commands for battle deployment.

E Lian Niu Yan, startled, watched in awe. The only outsider with the force, he’d been positioned at the rear.

Once the drums sounded, each war wagon team sprang into action: one man yanked off the hide covering the wagon, while two others secured long wooden beams and placed massive stones in seconds.

Tailing the Hei Yao tribe all this way, Niu Yan finally realized why they hauled huge rocks from the river—it was for these weapons.

Before he could process this, a bugle behind Lang Ze flicked black military banners.

The commanders by the war wagons gripped reins:

“Fire!”

With whistling whoosh, long wooden stakes and jagged stones flew through the air.

Niu Yan watched in horror—wooden spikes pierced beast hearts, and massive boulders dented bodies mercilessly.

The once-rampaging Le Li beasts collapsed like withered grass in a winter gale—unable to rise.

He swallowed hard:

“By the Beast God… what is this?”

Zhu Yá, the banner-bearer of the war-bow team, was ecstatic:

“These are Hei Yao’s war wagons and catapults! Weapons that can kill enemies from afar! Isn’t it incredible!”

Niu Yan could only whisper:

“Terrifying…”

This… this was beyond what he thought beastmen could achieve. With these weapons, what enemy could withstand Hei Yao?

Indeed—it was unimaginable.

“Fire!” “Fire!” “Fire!”

The war wagons and stone throwers fired repeatedly. Exposed beasts had no chance—arrow storms and boulder barrages cut them down mercilessly. Even brave ones that reached the front ranks were grievously wounded and defeated by Hei Yao’s vanguards.

Across the battlefield lay a hollow zone filled with carcasses of beasts. Le Li warriors trailing behind soon entered Hei Yao’s range.

Yet none of the four vanguard squads had even engaged directly.

“Leader! We cannot withstand their shamanic sorcery! We’re about to lose!”

Cang Xie clenched his fist. All the trained beasts were falling here…

He had seen Hei Yao's weapons before, powerful, yes, but not enough to fell massive creatures like their beasts. If their beasts could block the weapons, their numbers should overwhelm. Even five or ten attackers could tear a single Hei Yao warrior apart.

So why were the beasts failing?

Hei Yao’s handheld bows and the heavy war-wagons were not the same league.

Cangxie gritted his teeth. He didn’t believe Heiyao had infinite ammo—something had to give. But he couldn’t risk losing.

The beasts behind slowed. Even if they reached Hei Yao frontlines, they could not fight—Hei Yao was rested, well-equipped, ready.

Cang Xie narrowed his eyes:

“Hei Yao’s weapons only fire in one direction—spread out! Flank them from the rear!”

“Yes!”

Several nearby Le Li transformed and sprinted into battle, plowing through masses, trying to divert the advancing force.

Though ad hoc, the tribal bonds held. No one wanted to literally march to their deaths. The pressing mass began to split from the center.

And when they did—Le Li’s army disintegrated, scattering in chaos.

From above, Lang Ze watched it all unfold clearly.

His suspicion was right—Heiyao’s ammo would eventually deplete. The firing rate had already slowed.

But it didn’t matter now. He issued his command:

“Vanguards, block their flanks! Reserves—advance!”

At once the battle drums beat again. Couriers waved brightly colored flags behind him.

“Roar!” “Awooo!”

Leading the vanguard were the war bears and Silver-Moon Wolves—rushing forward into the broken enemy flanks. The front-line warriors, each with high banners, showed their general’s identity—visible guidance in battle.

Separated, disordered Le Li beastmen couldn’t stand against the fierce Heiyao attack.

Especially those recently returned Le Li captives—they trembled at the sight of Heiyao warriors. Their first instinct was flight—not fight.

Placed up front as expendable shields, their panic was contagious. One fled, then another—then a thousand. Within moments, an army two thousand strong collapsed.

No leader’s roar could restore their morale.

“We lost… we actually lost,” Cangdun watched the chaotic retreat, staggering back. His lips trembled.

“Xie, run. We must flee.”

“They won’t spare me,” Cang Xie spoke with calm resolve and steely eyes, as if death no longer mattered. He turned his head.
“Dun… take Cang Xi and leave…”

“No!” Cang Xi smiled faintly at her brother.

“Brother, I will not abandon you.”

“Xi!” Cang Xi turned, looking upon the fallen Le Li tribe they had built—this once-mighty, fearsome tribe now in ruin.

Softly, she said:

“The Ancestral God calls us—we should return to Him.”

As the survivors fled toward both sides through the battlefield, Lang Ze raised his hand to issue another order.

Two Hei Yao squads emerged like spirits from the rear flanks. The Le Li in the back, the last line, turned around in terror—unaware that each blocking team was only about 500 strong.

The battlefield was already dominated by Hei Yao’s crushing force.

With their final escape routes cut off, the Le Li raced toward the frozen waters of the Chen Shui River.

Wide though it was, the ice wasn’t fully solid. Once horse-beast forms stepped on it, many plunged through.

Niu Xi sat astride Niu Cheng’s back. With a war-bow in one hand and a thick grass rope in the other, she ran along the riverbank.

She swung the rope, knocking unstable beasts off the ice.

“City Lord commands: spare those who surrender!”

Niu Cheng ran shoreward as Niu Xi shouted:

“Surrender and live!”

“I surrender! I surrender!”

“City Lord, have mercy!”

One by one, the beastmen on ice shifted back to human form, pleading from the cracking ice.

Soon, all across the battlefield, calls of surrender echoed.

By now, Hei Yao’s vanguard of war bears and Silver-Moon Wolves had surrounded Cang Xie.

“Cang Xie, your warriors are gone. Surrender now!”

Cang Xie locked eyes with Lang Ze:

“Le Li warriors cannot match your Hei Yao warriors—but that doesn’t mean I will lose to you. City Lord, I challenge you—do you dare face me?”

A growl.

A giant panda leapt before Cang Xie.

Victory—no need for our city lord to step in!