Chapter 165: Kill Bai Feiyu!

As the enemy generals began to scatter in panic, Bai Feiyu and his companions were finally out of harm's way.

Over on the Zhou State side, the sight of this triggered a storm of furious curses. They were utterly enraged and disgusted by these commanders who had chosen to desert in the face of battle.

Yet, there were also those who understood the generals' actions. After all, they had been driven to desperation; returning would mean facing execution by their own side anyway, so fleeing was perhaps the only way to survive.

Once Bai Feiyu and the others were safely secured, they watched as the garrison commander led a massive army charging forward.

Judging by the momentum, the intention was to wipe out the Zhou State forces completely—an attitude of overwhelming dominance.

"It's good that you're all unharmed! Now, follow the main army forward and eliminate every single one of the Zhou generals!"

"Remember, no matter what, you must protect our soldiers and minimize casualties as much as possible!"

The commander instructed Bai Feiyu before leading the charge onward.

At this sight, Bai Feiyu and his comrades surged with excitement. This time, they had achieved a monumental merit, successfully preventing the vile schemes of the Zhou State from succeeding.

Without delay, Bai Feiyu and the others pressed forward.

Because the scale of the war had expanded, the frontier fortress was facing a shortage of veteran generals. Consequently, Bai Feiyu and the others—who had reached the Shackles Realm—were thrust into the roles of key commanders tasked with slaying enemy leaders.

After pursuing the enemy for roughly an hour, the distance between the two forces suddenly closed to within a hundred meters. Realizing they could no longer outrun their pursuers, the Zhou State forces understood they were trapped.

At this juncture, fighting to the death was their only path to survival; otherwise, their entire force would be thoroughly annihilated.

Seeing his men hunted down like stray dogs, the Zhou commander began to harbor deep resentment toward the disciple who had betrayed them. Yet, he conveniently forgot that had he not ruthlessly pressured that person in the first place, none of this would have transpired. Truly, he had reaped what he had sown!

"Soldiers, charge! Today we must slaughter these Zhao State dogs! They have walked right into our trap!"

"Haha! These fools from Zhao are all brawn and no brain, actually thinking we're at our wit's end!"

"They couldn't even see through the plant we sent in—what kind of war are they even fighting? There are no competent men left in Zhao!"

The supreme commander of the Zhou State roared with manic laughter, drawing his longsword to cut down the advancing Zhao soldiers.

Although these boasts caused a ripple of panic among a few, most soldiers clearly recognized that the enemy was utterly devoid of power to resist and was merely resorting to psychological tactics to boost morale and take a few extra Zhao soldiers down with them.

It had to be said that these individuals were far too clever for their own good, genuinely believing they could turn the tide of defeat through such petty tricks.

By now, many within the Zhou ranks were well aware of the grim reality. Seeing themselves caught, they could only brace themselves and offer desperate resistance. However, while the morale of the Zhao army was soaring, the Zhou soldiers were utterly demoralized. In a flash, countless men were beaten to the ground, enveloped in overwhelming dread.

As time dragged on, this terror spread like wildfire, causing many among the Zhou forces to abandon all struggle.

Some, unable to bear the suffocating fear, even drew their blades and took their own lives on the spot.

Indeed, the battlefield was a microcosm of human nature, displaying every conceivable facet of life and death.

Bai Feiyu charged at the very forefront, sweeping his God of War halberd in a wide arc that cleared a vast swath of Zhou soldiers. The enemies here were merely cultivators of the Vast Qi Realm, utterly insignificant compared to his might. Thus, Bai Feiyu carved an unimpeded path through the enemy ranks, facing zero effective resistance.

"Charge! Take down that arrogant young prodigy of Zhao!"

Midway through the fray, a Zhou general spotted Bai Feiyu's trail and lunged forward with his weapon to intercept him.

This officer was a Third-Layer Shackles Realm cultivator, and he was swiftly joined by three other commanders of the same tier, all converging to strike Bai Feiyu down from his horse.

"Hmph! Old man is here!"

From the distance, an elderly veteran of the Fourth-Layer Shackles Realm emerged, brandishing a long spear as he hurtled toward Bai Feiyu.

The sheer level of attention the Zhou State was paying him was evident; they were thoroughly resolved to have his head.

"Heh, you've come at the right time!"

Bai Feiyu let out a hearty, exhilarating laugh, thrusting his God of War halberd to meet the onslaught.

Despite his outward composure, however, facing a simultaneous coordinated assault by four foes alongside a Fourth-Layer Shackles expert left him hard-pressed and thoroughly battered.

"Bai Feiyu, I'm coming!"

Hearing the commotion, Gu Tianxun spotted Bai Feiyu's predicament. Carving a bloody path through the enemy ranks, he raced over to provide reinforcement.

At this moment, Gu Tianxun was drenched in enemy blood, his appearance fierce and menacing.

"Hmph, your opponent is me. Don't harbor such naive fantasies—that arrogant prodigy is at the very top of our execution list!"

Before he could reach him, another Fourth-Layer Shackles general stepped into Gu Tianxun's path. Originally dispatched to kill Bai Feiyu, he now had no choice but to intercept Gu Tianxun instead.

"Kekeke! That genius of Zhao won't survive today. The losses the Zhao State is about to suffer will be catastrophic!"

Yet another Fourth-Layer Shackles commander closed in, leading several more formidable Shackles Realm warriors to finish off Bai Feiyu.

To them, Bai Feiyu had simply become too significant. A prodigy of such monstrous potential—and one who had inflicted such heavy losses upon them—deserved the absolute highest priority in this war.

Even if the Zhou State forces faced total annihilation today, managing to decapitate the peerless prodigy of the Zhao State would still be a glorious victory.

This was, after all, merely a localized engagement. While it would influence the ultimate outcome of the war, it was not entirely fatal; the Zhou State still harbored a lingering chance of making a comeback.

Faced with two Fourth-Layer Shackles powerhouses and a horde of formidable opponents, Bai Feiyu visibly began to struggle.

No matter how heaven-defying his talent, his baseline was still only comparable to the Fourth-Layer Shackles Realm. With two such foes opposing him alongside a swarm of elite commanders, his situation grew perilous. For the first time, Bai Feiyu felt a profound sense of helplessness, his body aching under the overwhelming strain.