Great Wilderness Demon Lord

Xiao Yunlan charged into the enemy lines alone.

The ice surface was covered with corpses, bloodstains, and broken ice. He stepped on the slippery, blood-stained ice with every step, yet his body remained as steady as a rock.

Deep within his dantian, the crimson flames of the Courageous Demon and the golden flames of the Emotional Demon surged simultaneously, intertwining to form an unprecedented power. The fusion of fighting spirit and conviction brought him to his peak state.

The wolf-riding cavalry in front spotted him, and immediately more than ten riders turned their wolves around and charged at him.

Xiao Yunlan neither dodged nor evaded. Just as the two were about to collide, he suddenly turned to the side, and his blade slashed diagonally upwards, cutting across the throat of a giant wolf.

Blood gushed forth, the giant wolf howled and collapsed, and the rider tumbled to the ground. Without stopping, he swung his sword backhand, cleaving the other rider's scimitar in two, and then severed his arm.

The blade flashed like snow, and the figures moved like ghosts.

He was like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep, each strike taking a life, each step treading over the corpses of his enemies.

The wolf-like cavalry were intimidated by his ferocity, and their ranks fell into disarray.

On the north bank, the burly centurion finally moved.

He slowly drew his scimitar, its blade longer and thicker than a typical wolf-riding scimitar, the edge gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light. His giant wolf growled, stepped down from the riverbank, and walked towards Xiao Yunlan.

The royal guard cavalry followed closely behind.

The two sides met in the middle of the ice.

The centurion looked down at Xiao Yunlan from his high vantage point, a deep voice coming from beneath his visor: "Commendable courage. State your name, for I do not kill nameless men."

Xiao Yunlan looked up at the enemy who was nearly two heads taller than him and slowly said, "Xiao Yunlan, the newly appointed captain of the Shuofeng Plain of the Great Yong Dynasty."

"A newly appointed captain?" The centurion sneered. "A mere captain dares to charge into battle alone. Very well, today I'll take your head and use it as a sacrifice to the flag."

Before the words were even finished, the giant wolf suddenly pounced forward, its curved blade whistling as it slashed down at his head!

Xiao Yunlan raised his sword to parry.

"clang--!"

The sound of metal clashing was deafening.

Xiao Yunlan's hand trembled violently, and his sword nearly slipped from his grasp. The opponent's strength far surpassed that of the previous squad leader.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, using the force of the recoil to slide sideways, his blade brushing against the opponent's curved sword as he slashed straight at his wrist.

The centurion flicked his wrist, bringing his scimitar down to barely block the attack. The two men passed each other, their blades grazing and sparks flying.

The imperial guards surrounded them, but the centurion raised his hand to stop them: "I'll handle this."

He turned the wolf's head around, his eyes no longer showing contempt, but instead filled with solemnity: "Excellent swordsmanship. Unfortunately, I am doomed to die today."

Xiao Yunlan didn't answer, took a deep breath, and pounced again.

This time, he unleashed the full power of his unparalleled fighting skills, his blade flashing like a storm, each strike aimed at the opponent's vitals. The centurion wielded his scimitar, his defense impenetrable, occasionally launching counterattacks with force as heavy as a mountain.

The two fought fiercely on the ice, their blades flashing and their figures intertwined, and no one dared to approach.

After thirty rounds, neither side could gain the upper hand.

But Xiao Yunlan could feel his internal energy rapidly depleting. The belief brought by the Extreme Emotion Demon sustained his spirit, but the physical exhaustion was real.

We must act swiftly and decisively.

He deliberately feigned an opening, slowing his thrust. The centurion, as expected, fell for the trap, thrusting his curved blade straight at his heart.

Just as the blade was about to touch his body, Xiao Yunlan suddenly ducked, narrowly avoiding the attack. At the same time, he swung his sword upwards towards his opponent's armpit—the weakest point in the heavy armor.

The centurion reacted extremely quickly, lowering his scimitar to parry.

"clang!"

As the blades clashed, Xiao Yunlan's sword finally gave way and broke in two.

The centurion grinned maliciously and slashed down with his scimitar.

At the critical moment, Xiao Yunlan abandoned his sword, his left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the other's wrist, while his right fist clenched, a wisp of cold, deathly gray aura gathering on the tip of his fist—that was the power of the Plague Demon, which he forcibly drew upon.

"Bang!"

The fist slammed heavily onto the centurion's breastplate.

His armor caved in, and the centurion groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. But more deadly was the chilling aura of plague seeping into his body, making his internal organs suddenly go cold and slowing his movements by half a beat.

Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Xiao Yunlan drew his spare short blade from his waist—the poisoned dagger he had obtained from the library—and plunged it fiercely into the gap between the opponent's eyes and faceplate.

"Pfft."

The daggers were all gone.

The centurion froze, his scimitar slipping from his hand and crashing to the ground. He raised his hand as if to grab something, but it fell limply to his side. His massive body tumbled off the giant wolf's back and slammed onto the ice, where he lay motionless.

The commander-in-chief was killed.

The surrounding cavalry guards stood frozen in place.

Panting heavily, Xiao Yunlan drew his dagger, picked up the centurion's scimitar, raised it high, and roared hoarsely, "The enemy general is dead!"

The sound echoed across the ice field.

The soldiers guarding the wall saw this and immediately erupted in a deafening cheer: "The captain is mighty!"

The enemy ranks fell into dead silence.

The jackal warriors began to retreat, the wolf-riding cavalry formation wavered, and their giant wolves nervously scratched at the ice.

Just then, smoke and dust rose again in the wasteland to the south behind the Ice City.

A border cavalry force of about two hundred riders, carrying the banner of "Conquering the North," pierced the flank of another coalition of wolf barbarians and jackals that was besieging the rear of the Ice City like a sharp sword.

Those were the reinforcements arranged by Han Zhong, and they had finally arrived.

The reinforcement cavalry charged swiftly, catching the combined forces of the Wolf Rong and Jackal off guard and throwing their formation into chaos.

On the main battlefield, the enemy's morale completely collapsed.

The wolf-like cavalry began to retreat, and the jackals scattered and fled.

On the ice wall, the defenders unleashed their last strength, using everything they could—stones, ice blocks, even corpses—to pelt the fleeing enemy.

Xiao Yunlan, leaning on his curved sword, stood on the ice, watching the retreating enemy tide, and slowly exhaled a breath of white vapor tinged with blood.

Won.

A Pyrrhic victory.

He looked down at the heavy wolf-sword in his hand, its blade still stained with the centurion's blood.

Deep within his dantian, the crimson-gold flames of the Extreme Emotion Demon slowly receded, and the blurry female phantom became clearer.

A cool yet tender voice resounded directly in his mind:

"My name is Yu Qingwu. When emotions reach their extreme, they can overturn heaven and earth, and even wage war."

Extremely passionate demon, Yu Qingwu.

Almost simultaneously, the crimson flames of the Courageous Demon surged violently, conveying the satisfaction of having feasted on battle intent. Meanwhile, another dark red aura, which had been dormant, representing "slaughter," also began to awaken due to this bloody battle.

Within the dark red halo, a phantom figure clad in armor and wielding a halberd slowly coalesced, exuding a murderous aura that seemed to be accompanied by a mountain of corpses.

A cold and violent voice whispered:

"My name is Bai Xiao. The wrath of the fierce tiger can leave a million corpses."

The Slaughter Demon, White Fierce.

Xiao Yunlan closed his eyes, feeling the awakening and resonance of the three demonic thoughts within his body.

Extreme passion, unparalleled courage, and carnage.

The three demons awaken simultaneously.

Whether this victory, won with blood and lives, was worth it was beyond his ability to consider.

Throughout the city of Harbin, corpses lay strewn everywhere.

The surviving defenders slumped on the wall, watching the fleeing enemy, their faces devoid of joy, only numbness and the bewilderment of surviving a catastrophe.

A cold wind blew by, stirring up the stench of blood.

Winter in Shuofeng Plain is still very long.