Chapter 445: Peerless Air Force! (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
The fight between Zhou Weiqing and Butler had ended in a matter of moments. In the majority of the onlookers’ eyes, all they saw was Zhou Weiqing’s right leg striking down like an axe before being sent flying back. The next thing they knew, Butler had been thrown off his war wolf, and when he got up, he mounted back on and fled.
In the entire battlefield, only a few could possibly know all the details that had happened. Yet, it was without question that Zhou Weiqing had come out the victor. In the eyes of the Peerless Battalion soldiers, their general had defeated the enemy general in an instant, seemingly so easily, and this was a major boost to their morale indeed. In that moment, the arrows seemed to fly faster and truer, arcing across the flame wall and finding their target with unerring aim.
Lin TianAo’s massive body burst out from the ground, standing right beside Zhou Weiqing, a look of surprise and respect on his face. He had been Zhou Weiqing’s backup plan. If Zhou Weiqing had not been able to succeed in defeating Butler in a short period of time, Lin TianAo would be his ace up the sleeve to block Butler. Zhou Weiqing believed that with the two of them working together, as long as his enemy was not at the Heavenly King Stage or higher, they would be able to block anyone for some time. Of course, by this point, this ace was no longer needed.
“Let’s retreat as well.” Zhou Weiqing nodded towards Lin TianAo, who also released his Ghost Demon Horse and mounted it. The two turned towards their own ranks and galloped back.
Previously, if Zhou Weiqing had let Little Red Bean loose on Butler, perhaps the two of them could have a small possibility of killing Butler. However, Zhou Weiqing knew that his current role was not just that of a Heavenly Jewel Master fighting, but also a commanding officer. As a commanding officer, sniping an enemy commander was a good thing, but the most important thing was still to take care of the big picture and ensuring everything went well. Zhou Weiqing’s basic military knowledge might not be fully learned, but his grasp of the big picture and handling of the overall situation was far beyond ordinary. This was also the reason why he had been originally looked on favourably by the Fei Li Heavenly General Ming Yu during the academy applications.
Somewhat luckily for the Swift Wolf Regiment, none of them had seen their leader beaten; otherwise their morale would have suffered greatly. After all, the walls of flame had blocked their vision. Although it was in their path, it was not too huge, and the wolf cavalry soldiers had already split into two forces to charge around it.
On the battlefield, archers usually only had the advantage at the start. Even though the wolf cavalry soldiers had already lost a fifth of their forces, none of them believed that they would lose the actual battle. In their eyes, as soon as they entered the Peerless Battalion ranks, the fight would turn into a slaughter in their favour, and the battle would be over then.
Just as Zhou Weiqing had defeated Butler and sent him running, a fresh unit of troops appeared abruptly. The true trump card of the Peerless Battalion had finally entered the stage.
The Consolidated Wings behind Shangguan Fei’er’s back spread wide open, and the dazzling dark gold light shone brilliantly in midair. Behind her, the three hundred Peerless Battalion soldiers also extended their black Consolidated Wings. Each of them had their Consolidated Bow in their hands as well.
“Cover the retreat. Ready, and Fire!” Shangguan Fei’er’s orders were short and succinct. This was the first time the Peerless Battalion Air Force had actually appeared on the battlefield. From this advantage of height, three hundred arrows flew out like lightning, and in the midst of screams, three hundred wolf cavalry soldiers were shot off their mounts.
These three hundred airborne troops of the Peerless Battalion were the true elites of the entire Battalion. All of their personal cultivation level were at least at the three Jeweled stage or higher,, and they were all Physical Jewel Masters. Hence, they were all equipped with the three Consolidated Equipment – Bow and twin Wings. Also, since they were at least at the three-Jeweled cultivation level, their Heavenly Energy had a strong and thick foundation. Not only were they able to maintain flight for some time, the arrows they shot out from their Consolidated Bows were much stronger than the other Peerless Battalion soldiers. How could the Wolf Cavalry Soldiers withstand that? Three hundred arrows taking away three hundred wolf cavalry soldiers, and more so they were the ones that had reacted the fastest to turn around to surpass the flame walls. Indeed, these Peerless Battalion elites’ accuracy and offensive prowess was shocking.
It was not that the Swift Wolf Regiment lacked powerhouses, however almost all of their officers had been the first few to enter the fire wall trap, and their war wolf mounts had all perished then. In order to bypass the flame wall they had to go around it, and their speed was naturally much slower now. The wolfman tribe war wolves would only listen to their personal owner, and even if they wanted to ride their subordinates’ war wolves, it would be impossible. As such, the major powerhouses of the Swift Wolf Regiment were no longer at the forefront.
This entire battle, it could be said to be perfect choreographed in their plans, added to the fact that the Swift Wolf Regiment had underestimated their enemies, resulting in the current scene happening before them. Every step of the battlefield had been calculated and preplanned, down to their enemies’ reactions all the way. For the Air Force that Shangguan Fei’er was leading to appear now was planned and could be said to be the perfect timing.
Previously, they had not joined the fight, and appeared now to cover their comrades’ retreat. The Wolf Cavalry soldiers did not have any anti-air capabilities, so the Air Force would be totally safe. Between the wall of flames and their flying comrades, the Peerless Battalion soldiers on the ground would have more than sufficient time to retreat to the hillside. It could be said to be a perfect time for killing enemies and covering their comrades’ retreat.
Shangguan Fei’er did not have a Consolidated Bow of her own; it was also the first time for her to be on a battlefield of such scale, and the excitement on her face could not be hidden. Under her command, the three hundred Peerless Battalion Air Force soldiers continuously peppered the wolf cavalry soldiers who streamed from both sides of the flame wall with arrows. With such a high ground advantage added to the fact they were powerful Physical Jewel Masters, it wasn’t long before a thousand Wolf Cavalry soldiers had died under their hands.
Arrows being shot from the ground might still be able to be blocked through formations, but how could one block those that were shot from above? After all, the Wolf Cavalry soldiers never used shields, and they mainly depended on their own speed and valiant strength. Alas, now, they had become live targets.
Butler had just retreated to his Wolf Cavalry soldiers, and seeing the constant barrage of arrows from above, he almost puked out blood. Howling in rage, a strong green light burst forth abruptly from his body, forming a green tornado flying up into the sky towards the Peerless Battalion Air Force soldiers.
Shangguan Fei’er gave a cold smirk and said: “Ascend higher.”
The three hundred Peerless Battalion soldiers flew upwards quickly. The tornado that Butler had unleashed could only reach up two hundred yards. Without a specialised anti-air Skill, it was not so easy to take care of an airborne troop. Furthermore, there was still Shangguan Fei’er leading the troop, specially to take care of such situations.
Still, Butler’s tornado skill was not totally useless. At least, the strong winds had blown away most of the arrows descending from the skies, reducing the casualty rate of the Swift Wolf Regiment drastically.
However, after unleashing this Skill, Butler could sense the cold in his body growing stronger. Although the Dragon Silencing Seal had already ended after forty seconds, he had no choice but to continuously use a large amount of Heavenly Energy to suppress the Tri-Attribute venom in his body.
The Tornado Skill ultimately had a time limit, and when it vanished, the arrow barrage resumed.
However, the short period of respite had given the officers and other stronger members of the Swift Wolf Regiment time to react. They did not attempt to try attacking their enemies, instead launching all their ranged Skills up into the sky to block the descending arrows. For a moment, explosions rang out across the skies, and the casualty rate of the Swift Wolf Regiment dropped once more.