Chapter 1086: All-Out War

Dong Rui muttered, "I need to find a way to increase the carrying capacity," as he drove the snail-toad.

Carrying more guards would better protect his own safety.

Meanwhile, Qiu Hu led the landing troops, maintaining their original direction, and continued to rendezvous with the Bailong people.

Wu Lu's quick reaction speed, seizing the opportunity to flee, exceeded He Lingchuan's expectations; he had already covered more than half the distance. Even if the Yangshan army galloped at full speed, they likely wouldn't catch up to intercept him.

This fellow probably started running when the large Yangshan ships landed, and now he was causing trouble for He Lingchuan.

Breaking down the forces, the Yangshan Archipelago dispatched a 3,000-strong guard contingent, while Lu Qingbang and the Bailong clan, after two days of fierce fighting, were left with only 2,000 exhausted soldiers.

On the other side, Wu Lu had brought over 6,000 men. After deducting the more than 1,300 who fell into the water, he still had a strong force of nearly five thousand men.

These were all elites Wu Lu had cultivated over many years, and they possessed primal energy.

In terms of troop numbers, quality, and morale, He Lingchuan and Lu Qingbang's side not only lacked an advantage but also suffered from a deficiency in primal energy.

Wu Lu was currently busy fleeing because He Lingchuan's surprise attack had disrupted his battle plan. The numerous ships arriving from the sea made it impossible to discern their true numbers. Being a cautious individual, he decided to temporarily avoid direct confrontation.

Once Wu Lu determined the number of these reinforcements, he would immediately analyze the pros and cons and change his tactics.

At that point, He Lingchuan and the Yangshan guard contingent would face a grueling battle.

Therefore, He Lingchuan had to intercept Wu Lu immediately.

His current surprise attack on Wu Lu's army, just like Wu Lu's previous ambush of the Bailong people, was all about leveraging a time difference.

About five minutes after He Lingchuan and his group disappeared, a second signal suddenly erupted above the jungle. This time, it was two red smoke signal arrows, signifying something even more critical than the first.

Qiu Hu and his men were already engaged with the Yaguo army. Looking up, they were overjoyed:

Island Master He had encountered the target!

Lu Qingbang had been struggling to hold on.

Wan Qitong was severely wounded, causing the Bailong people's morale to plummet. Fortunately, before falling unconscious, Wan Qitong had transferred command to Lu Qingbang.

He knew very well that Lu Qingbang might not possess the ability to lead the Bailong people to escape alive, but if anything happened to Wan Qitong, the Bailong people would immediately need a new leader to prevent a complete collapse.

Lu Qingbang had exhausted every method to boost the morale of the Bailong people, so upon receiving Lu Feiyan's signal to act, he was overjoyed.

Finally, the reinforcements had arrived!

However, if they launched a full-scale counterattack, they would have to bear the full concentrated fire of the Yaguo army in a short period.

Lu Feiyan had discussed this matter with him in a secret letter, so he was mentally prepared.

Even so, the casualties of the allied forces were rising at an alarming rate.

Although fighting on foreign ground and not in their own territory, the Yaguo people possessed primal energy, giving them a clear advantage over the Bailong people. Wu Lu had committed all his forces to Luding Beach, and the allied forces immediately felt overwhelmed.

If the fighting continued for another hour, both the Bieli elite soldiers and the Bailong warriors would likely be wiped out!

Lu Qingbang had never experienced a battle of such intensity and ferocity on the Bieli eastern front.

This was truly a fight with their backs against the wall, a desperate last stand!

Fortunately, just as Lu Qingbang himself was on the verge of collapse, several unfamiliar large ships suddenly emerged from the thick fog, signaling to them with flags.

"Don't attack, don't shoot arrows, it's us."

Afterward, these large ships docked at Luding Beach.

Besides their names, each ship had a large character "善" (Shàn - Goodness/Benevolence) painted on its bow. Illuminated by the blazing torches, it was clearly visible to every Bailong person.

The exhausted Bailong people had no choice but to brace themselves, preparing to either continue fighting or welcome new arrivals.

Previously, Wu Lu clearly had several large ships at his disposal but chose not to attack Luding Beach from the sea. This was because the Yaren were not skilled in beach landings, and a forced landing would result in excessive casualties. Given that the Yaguo army could simply wear down the Bailong people, why would he take such a risk?

Furthermore, attacking from behind enemy lines sounded wise, but in practice, it was extremely difficult. Once ships approached, the opponent would surely notice.

This fleet also did not dare to land rashly now, to avoid the Bailong people mistakenly assuming an attack. A person appeared at the bow, shouting Lu Qingbang's name with empty hands.

Lu Qingbang recognized him at a glance.

"Isn't that Huang Zhao, one of Island Master He's subordinates? He was also on Suoding Island the night of the Spring Festival. I heard he used to be a pirate leader."

"Young Master Lu!" Huang Zhao waved to him with a smile, and only jumped off the ship when Lu Qingbang ran over.

The two men firmly clasped their fists and patted each other's shoulders and backs.

Even though they had little interaction before, at this moment, they felt like brothers.

"Everyone disembark!" Huang Zhao waved toward the ship. "Send in the fresh troops!"

Immediately afterward, a dense crowd of fully armed soldiers jumped off the ship, each looking spirited, forming a stark contrast to the Bailong people's battle-worn exhaustion.

The Bailong people watched, swallowing hard.

So Lu Qingbang hadn't lied to them; fresh troops truly had arrived!

"Island Master He sent us to fight alongside Young Master Lu!" Huang Zhao said seriously. "Now that the large ships are empty, please quickly transport the women and children off the island, as many as possible!"

Lu Qingbang could only nod vigorously and repeatedly say "Good," unable to utter anything else.

At this moment, fireworks of hope finally ignited in the direction of Storm Bay.

There, the main force of the reinforcements had successfully landed!

Two streams of smoke, one red and one yellow, illuminated the night sky, and Lu Qingbang nearly choked up.

"The reinforcements are here! They've landed at Storm Bay!" he immediately shouted at the top of his lungs. The prolonged fighting and commanding had left his voice hoarse, but he felt no pain. "Charge! We'll push them back to Storm Bay!"

The bursting smoke in the sky and the commander's shouts rekindled a spark in the eyes of the troops who had been numbed by battle.

"Reinforcements?"

Many were slow to react, taking a moment to process before a jolt ran through them:

Reinforcements are here!

They had finally arrived!

They wouldn't die.

Their families wouldn't die.

They had eagerly awaited this for so long, yet now that salvation truly arrived, they couldn't believe it.

It wasn't until their comrades beside them roared and charged forward that the Bailong warriors awoke as if from a dream, following the ranks and rushing ahead.

Counterattack, counterattack!

After enduring such humiliation for so long, they finally unleashed a surge of desperate energy once more.

Immediately afterward, they discovered their opponents had weakened—

Wu Lu urgently redeployed over 2,000 men back to Storm Bay, and the pressure on the Bailong clan immediately lessened. They instantly launched a full-scale breakthrough toward the southeast.

The Yangshan guard contingent marched northeast from Storm Bay, while Lu Qingbang and the Bailong clan launched a fierce assault southeast from Luding Beach, moving towards each other.

The Yaguo army caught in between was attacked from both front and rear, making their situation extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, Wan Qifeng led his clansmen, cutting diagonally northwest. Each person had a Gale Talisman attached to them, accelerating their speed while running through the mountains.

These were remnants from the previous attack on the Qinglong tribe, and now they could still be put to use.

He Lingchuan and Granny Zhu had already gone to intercept Wu Lu, and Wan Qifeng was to preemptively block the Yaguo army from reinforcing Wu Lu.

Wu Lu was surprisingly not with his main army. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! As long as this "snake's head" was cut off, the battle at Storm Bay could end.

The mountain roads were winding. When they finally came across a clear path, Wu Lu and 200 of his personal guards seized the opportunity to spur their horses forward.

He had chosen to encamp on the high ground earlier, not only because its central location allowed him to monitor both Storm Bay and Luding Beach simultaneously, but also because the paths leading up and down the highland were naturally relatively flat, suitable for horses to gallop freely.

Now, whether it was the Bailong clan coming from Luding Beach or the newly arrived enemy forces rushing from Storm Bay, the rugged mountain paths did not support cavalry. They could only run on foot.

No matter how fast an army ran, could it compare to horses?

Therefore, even if the enemy wanted to intercept him, they certainly wouldn't be as fast as him—unless they used supernatural abilities.

In this moment of crisis, Wu Lu's meticulousness and foresight became apparent.

In at most seven li (approximately 3.5 km), he would be able to rejoin his main forces. This distance, for a swift horse, was only about five minutes.

Seeing the mountain path ahead clear, Wu Lu urged his swift horse to accelerate again.

He was surrounded by his guard, with personal guards galloping ahead, behind, and on both sides, protecting him.

Just then, the three cavalrymen at the very front, maintaining their speed, met with an accident—

While still on horseback, galloping along, their heads suddenly fell off!

It was unclear what had decapitated them. Their mounts were so fast that their heads didn't fall to the ground until they had galloped another dozen zhang (tens of meters). Blood gushed onto the ground, staining even the leaves by the roadside red.

The riders behind, unaware, also galloped forward, only to have their necks similarly slit by unseen blades, dying mysteriously!

"Stop, stop!" Wu Lu exclaimed, shouting twice upon seeing this.

He didn't even need to order them; the Yaguo cavalrymen who witnessed the scene were terrified. They instinctively pulled on their reins, and several swift horses reared up with whinnies.

It was utterly terrifying. Their comrades, who had been riding perfectly fine just moments ago, were suddenly brutally decapitated.

What kind of invisible, deadly weapon could instantly claim ten lives?

Before the rearing horses' hooves had even touched the ground, dozens of arrows whizzed out from the tall grass by the roadside.

Upon encountering the ambush, the personal guard's first reaction was to turn back and protect their general. The arrows aimed at Wu Lu were either knocked away or struck shields, none hitting their target.

However, another seven or eight arrows embedded themselves in other guards and horses.

They looked down and saw these were not ordinary arrows, but black spikes about a palm's length!

Although easier to pull out than arrowheads, the wounds immediately caused a searing, burning pain, as if their muscles were dissolving in strong acid.

The spikes were poisoned!

The guards trembled all over from the pain, quickly pulled out antidote pills, and swallowed them whole.

For it to still cause such agony after being weakened by primal energy, how potent must the poison on the arrows have originally been?

The horses knew.

Two well-trained swift horses immediately went mad, bucking off their riders and charging towards the roadside. Shaking their heads and whinnying, they then tumbled down the slope, followed by the thudding sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground.

After two volleys of arrows, the grass swayed twice, and two broken logs flew out, heading straight for Wu Lu.

Each piece was over six chi (approx. 2 meters) in diameter. The cuts were very fresh, and green leaves and branches still clung to the wood.

The opponent's strength was astonishing, throwing large trees as projectiles. Now, with the guard unit clustered together, if hit, many would fall.

Wu Lu could only shout, "Scatter!"