My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Seeing that no one was willing to step forward, Du Tianfeng looked around and then his gaze fell on Jin Zhanfei, who was in charge of the Second Battalion.

"Commander Jin, lead five hundred soldiers to sweep away the evil cultivators and restore peace to the surrounding villages and towns."

Military orders are absolute, and even though Jin Zhanfei didn't want to leave the city, he had no choice but to accept them.

"Your subordinate obeys."

The others looked at Jin Zhanfei with a mixture of worry, expectation, and mockery... and so on.

Before long, Jin Zhanfei led five hundred soldiers out of the city to sweep away the evil cultivators.

In a dark valley where the sun never shines, black mist swirls and an eerie atmosphere pervades.

More than ten evil cultivators gathered here. The leader was Fang Tianhan, a capable henchman under the Prince of Fu. His cultivation had reached the Gangqi Realm, and his methods were insidious and ruthless.

The fact that Prince Fu sent him to Anzhou shows his determination to take Anzhou.

The group gathered around a blood-red array platform, whispering amongst themselves.

"Let the vanguard squad expose themselves and lure the enemy deep into their territory."

Fang Tianhan raised his hand and waved it, his eyes flashing with a chilling light as he devised a deadly plan.

"Pass down the order to deliberately feign weakness and lure a large force of government troops deep into our territory."

"Once the government troops enter the valley, immediately seal off the mountain and block the road, activate the ultimate killing formation, and wipe them all out in one fell swoop."

The evil cultivators' massacre of nearby towns and villages was not merely to cause chaos in Anzhou City, but also to lure out the enemy and gradually erode Anzhou City's vital forces.

The stability of Anzhou City is not due to the incompetent government, but to the suppression by thousands of soldiers and Du Tianfeng.

If thousands of soldiers suffer heavy losses and Du Tianfeng were to meet with an accident, the entire city of Anzhou would instantly descend into chaos.

Those martial arts forces that secretly liaise with them will then take the opportunity to make their move.

People in the martial arts world and powerful families are adept at changing their allegiance to the wind. As long as Anzhou City falls into chaos, the entire city will disintegrate, affecting the battlefield at the front.

At that time, Anzhou will be easily defeated and will fall into the hands of Prince Fu.

"Yes, ma'am."

The group of evil cultivators bowed in unison to receive the order and acted swiftly.

After leaving the city, Jin Zhanfei immediately went to a nearby village and easily wiped out some evil cultivators. He also obtained a lot of information about the evil cultivators through torture.

With successive victories, morale soared, and everyone thought that the heretical cultivators who had entered the country were nothing special.

"Speed ​​up the work and quell the unrest as soon as possible."

Based on the information obtained through interrogation, Jin Zhanfei concluded that these troublesome evil cultivators were no match for him and that the chaos throughout the region should be eradicated quickly.

As the army advanced, the villages and towns along the way were sparsely inhabited by evil spirits. Occasionally, they would encounter two or three fleeing evil cultivators, but they would all be defeated at the first blow and run away at the mere sight of them.

The series of easy victories completely lulled the entire army into a false sense of security.

"It seems that the heretical cultivators who entered the territory have been scattered, leaving only remnants."

"Accelerate the operation, clear the mountains and fields, and return to the city to report as soon as possible."

"The heretical practitioners are easily defeated, which is a good opportunity for us to make achievements."

"..."

Jin Zhanfei and his soldiers lowered their guard and pursued the fleeing evil spirits, following their trails deeper and deeper into the desolate mountains and valleys.

Once all five hundred soldiers had entered the narrow, secluded valley, the mountain paths in front and behind them collapsed with a deafening roar.

"Boom!"

Huge rocks rolled down, dust filled the sky, and the valley entrance was completely sealed off, cutting off any way out.

"Huff, huff huff huff..."

The entire valley was instantly shrouded in boundless, dark, and malevolent mist. The sky and earth darkened abruptly, a chilling wind howled, and mournful ghostly cries echoed throughout the valley.

Blood-red patterns lit up on the ground, crisscrossing as a soul-devouring array covering the entire valley was activated.

"Hahaha, you government troops brats, once you're trapped, you won't be able to escape."

Hundreds of evil cultivators surged out from all directions of the valley in an instant, their auras cold and domineering, surrounding and trapping the five hundred government soldiers at the bottom of the valley.

"Oh no, we've fallen for their trap."

Jin Zhanfei's expression changed drastically, and his whole body went cold. He instantly realized that this was a complete ambush.

He was filled with remorse, realizing that he had been careless and had stepped into the enemy's ambush.

"Form ranks and follow me to break out!"

He roared fiercely, and five hundred soldiers instantly formed a battle formation, with spears standing tall and shields linked together, using the iron-blooded aura of the army to resist the overwhelming evil energy.

The deadly formation before us is specifically designed to suppress the blood and qi of an army and devour the souls of its soldiers.

The evil power within the formation doubled in suppression, the cold wind corroded bones, and the blood patterns devoured souls. Countless vengeful spirits and sharp claws emerged from the ground, launching a frenzied attack from all directions.

"what!"

"puff!"

"Well!"

"..."

The soldiers were exhausted, dizzy, and in excruciating pain. Their formation was breached, and countless soldiers were killed or wounded.

"kill!"

Jin Zhanfei, with his astonishing aura and the murderous intent honed from years of battles, led the charge, determined to carve out a path to survival.

"A fool's dream."

The leading evil cultivators looked disdainful and raised their hands to unleash towering black waves. They were all at the Blood Condensation Realm, and each of their palm strikes carried a terrifying power that could corrode bones and veins.

"Bang!"

Jin Zhanfei was blocked by four evil cultivators, and for a time he was in great danger and could not move an inch.

Five hundred elite soldiers were trapped in a deadly situation, with no way to go up to heaven or down to earth. Their fighting power was suppressed by the great formation, and they were brutally slaughtered.

After a brief but fierce battle, the valley was littered with corpses, and blood stained the earth and rocks.

Jin Zhanfei was covered in blood, his armor was shattered, and he was covered in wounds, but he was powerless to turn the tide and was ultimately severely injured by several evil cultivators working together.

"ah!"

With a final scream from Jin Zhanfei, his body crashed to the ground, and the great battle came to a complete end.

Of the five hundred elite troops, not one broke through the encirclement, not one survived; they were all slaughtered and the entire army was wiped out.

Within the secluded valley, mountains of corpses lay piled high, a deathly silence reigned.

Fang Tianhan stood atop the valley, looking down at the corpses of government troops scattered on the ground, a cruel, cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"First, destroy a portion of their forces, then exhaust their entire army, cripple their limbs, and disrupt their morale."

"The next step is to gradually erode and annihilate all the border troops in Anzhou City."