Ju Yi dodged the attacks from the Trap Formation soldiers. He had figured out how to kill them, but he couldn't help but ask himself, "Is it worth it?"
Using his army's soul to counteract the opponent's, Ju Yi realized that it wouldn't necessarily guarantee victory. The previous clash made him aware that when he used this method to kill the enemy, the soul's will didn't dissipate but was directly canceled out.
Without the army's soul, the Xian Deng would only be an ordinary elite unit. If the Xian Deng were to suffer a crushing defeat, as long as the soul's will remained with him, he could quickly train another unit. However, if the soul's will was completely lost, his prized Xian Deng would be gone forever. Even if he managed to train another unit, it would no longer be the same Xian Deng, and the possibility of successfully rebuilding them was uncertain.
Ju Yi's eyes were fixed on the Xian Deng and the Trap Formation soldiers. He was hesitating. Should he destroy what he was most proud of and rebuild it later, or should he preserve the soul at the cost of his soldiers, who might never recover from this defeat?
"To hell with it! I trust in my Xian Deng! I trust in myself!" Ju Yi roared, releasing the army's soul that had been gathering around him. In an instant, the entire Xian Deng felt a shattering of belief. When they looked back, they saw the faith they had once invested in Ju Yi now pouring back into them.
"Unbeatable Xian Deng! You are my elite troops—show them our greatest glory!" Ju Yi laughed wildly. As the army's soul dispersed, the Xian Deng were no longer a cohesive whole. However, at that moment, an unseen connection bound the surviving Xian Deng together.
The process of the army's soul dispersing was irreversible. With Ju Yi's roar, the soul's accumulated willpower surged out of his body like a flood, enveloping all the Xian Deng. A bitter smile appeared on Ju Yi's face as he felt an emptiness inside.
"Unbeatable! Unbeatable! Unbeatable!" The Xian Deng, after being infused with the soul's dissipating power, understood Ju Yi's hesitation. They knew his choice, and with a roar, they charged at the Trap Formation soldiers with all the pain and anger in their hearts.
For the first time, the Xian Deng repelled the Trap Formation's attack. From that moment, their power continued to rise, and the Xian Deng's most brilliant era was about to unfold. However, it would also be their most heartbreaking moment.
The battlefield became a meat grinder, with both sides relentlessly attacking each other, driven by near-superhuman strength, unyielding belief in victory, and an iron will that refused to let them fall, even when gravely wounded.
"Whose troops are these? They're terrifying, and the Xian Deng are impressive too," Liu Ye murmured as he lay in the grass, watching the battle unfold.
"Master Liu, aren't we too close to the action?" Yu Jin asked, his voice tinged with concern. The power displayed by both the Trap Formation and the Xian Deng was chilling.
"What are you afraid of? They're too busy to notice us, and we're far enough away. Once they wear each other down, we can charge in and wipe them out. What do you think?" Liu Ye chuckled.
"It won't be easy. If my entire force were here, it might be possible. Both sides seem to have a death-defying resilience, so cloud energy attacks would be the most effective way to deal with them in this situation," Yu Jin replied calmly.
"Cloud energy isn't the only way," Liu Ye laughed. "Do you know why I rushed here with you so early? It's no coincidence that both the Bingzhou Wolf Riders and the Hebei army arrived right where we were hiding. I've been hurrying here for a reason. Apart from entering Guanzhong, I owe it to Zijian to get some payback for him."
"Master Liu, do you have a plan?" Yu Jin looked at Liu Ye in surprise. Although he had suspected Liu Ye had something up his sleeve when the Hebei and Bingzhou armies clashed, he hadn't expected anything specific.
"Ha! Let's go. This crisp autumn weather is perfect for setting fires and burning down these wild grasses and small trees. They're so confident they didn't even bring a strategist who can control the weather," Liu Ye said with a mischievous grin as he got up.
The day Liu Ye received the news about Ju Yi's camp from Zhang Fei, he had guessed that the battle between the Hebei army and Hua Xiong had been a fluke. Liu Ye quickly analyzed the situation and identified the most likely outcomes, focusing on a particular spot on the map. With his plan in mind, he led Yu Jin and their few hundred men to dig trenches and hide, waiting for the perfect moment.
Not long after they finished their preparations, the Bingzhou Wolf Riders and the Hebei army clashed right at their location. Yu Jin and his men spent the morning watching the battle from their hiding spot.
"Yu Jin, you take a group to start a fire at the windward side. I'll do the same on the leeward side. Once I manipulate the weather to make the winds converge on the battlefield, we'll set everything ablaze. It might not kill those top generals, but it'll be enough!" Liu Ye's eyes glinted coldly.
Liu Ye had no qualms about killing. As a member of the imperial family, he saw the opposing forces as rebels threatening the Han Dynasty. In his eyes, they deserved to be wiped out, no matter how.
"Thud!" Ju Yi decapitated another Trap Formation soldier.
At this point, Ju Yi noticed something different. The army's soul hadn't simply vanished; each of these men had become the army's soul. Even if Ju Yi had been oblivious before, he now realized that, through a stroke of fate, he had taken a crucial step forward.
But the cost was immense. His once-proud Xian Deng had been decimated, and the Trap Formation soldiers, now reunited with Gao Shun, once again held the upper hand. Ju Yi understood that this was no longer a matter of turning the tables—it was about preserving the Xian Deng's legacy!
Ju Yi knew that his Xian Deng's army soul was now complete, but so too was the Trap Formation's. While the Xian Deng had reached this level and could now fight back, their foundation was too weak.
"Damn it!" Ju Yi cursed as he hacked at a Trap Formation soldier. Anxiety gnawed at him—if he couldn't shake off Gao Shun, the Xian Deng would be wiped out today!
"What is that?" Gao Shun slashed down another Xian Deng soldier, his gaze catching a flicker of red. Then, a gust of wind blew towards him. "Wildfire?" As he turned his head, he saw another flicker of red from a different direction, followed by another gust of wind. Gao Shun froze, then his eyes widened in alarm.