The first student was eliminated, and the audience from the Divine Dragon Kingdom erupted in enthusiastic applause. They were overjoyed and extremely excited because Zhou Yan had taken the lead and secured one point, ranking first.
However, more battles were erupting. As time progressed, dozens of small-scale battles had broken out in various locations among the over a thousand students. These clashes occurred either on the road or during reconnaissance of the terrain. Some students had employed various strategies, utilizing all means to defeat their encountered enemies.
After eliminating his enemies, Sun Wu once again advanced towards the next location. The advantage of their hundreds of thousands of troops was simply too immense; no matter which enemy they encountered, they could effectively annihilate them. Sun Wu and Guo Jia decided to split their forces, with each leading half the army to attack two different territories. This method of dividing troops puzzled many, but Sun Wu and his cohorts were solely focused on acquiring more points, possessing sufficient strength and confidence regardless.
Throughout this battle, Zhou Yan had remained unseen, staying within his territory. This was the choice most lords made, as their primary focus was developing their territory. As long as the territory was sufficiently powerful, they had no need to personally appear. In this grand battle, the focus was more on the strength of the soldiers dispatched by each territory.
The audience had observed a multitude of troop types from Zhou Yan's territory: humans, elves, demon soldiers, ghost soldiers, light cavalry, heavy armored cavalry, archers, spearmen, swordsmen, and lancers. All these soldiers, without exception, possessed mounts. Crucially, these were not ordinary mounts but very high-grade ones. The existence of hundreds of thousands of such mounts was something most individuals could not afford to maintain. The daily cost of feeding such a mount army would be astronomical. They were unaware of the true number of mounts in Zhou Yan's territory; if they had known, they would have been even more astonished.
Only a portion of Sun Wu's dispatched soldiers were deployed; a majority of each troop type remained in their territory, undisclosed. The Flying Cavalry had long since discovered numerous enemies surrounding their territory. Guo Jia set off to the left, while Sun Wu headed to the right. Each troop type was divided in half.
One of the lords discovered the reconnaissance Flying Cavalry and intended to eliminate them. But what were the Flying Cavalry riding? They were Wyverns, their aerial pets. None of the enemy's flying pets proved effective; all were annihilated. This lord possessed means, and although unable to kill the Flying Cavalry, he could drive them away. He then dispatched soldiers to investigate the outside. Soon, news of Sun Wu's approaching army arrived. The enemy lord intended to obstruct Sun Wu, knowing the terrain around him was advantageous. He began dispatching soldiers to set up an ambush on the mountainside. The enemy's methods were cunning; aware of Sun Wu's Dragon Riders, he utilized a certain ability, akin to a high-frequency sonic wave. This sonic wave was indeed potent, affecting the Dragon Riders and preventing them from conducting aerial reconnaissance.
"Report to the Marshal, our Dragon Riders have been affected and cannot fly," a soldier hastily informed Sun Wu. Sun Wu nodded and asked, "Have you scouted the terrain ahead?"
"We have scouted it. To advance, we must use these few paths. None of them are easy to traverse, with mountain ranges and dense forests on both sides. Only by air can we pass more effectively," the soldier explained. Sun Wu observed the terrain and then heard how the enemy deliberately drove away the flying dragons, intending to keep their arrangements secret. Sun Wu smiled and said, "The enemy wants to ambush us, but they don't know we have a Flying Legion, do they?" The enemy indeed did not know that Zhou Yan and Sun Wu possessed troops like the Elven Archers. Had they known, they would not have set up such an ambush.
Thus, Sun Wu commanded, "The entire army advances as usual. Elven Archers, split into two groups and simultaneously eliminate the enemies on both sides of the mountain peaks. The Myriad Demon Soldiers will provide support and annihilate all fleeing enemies." The two legions departed swiftly. The Elven Archers divided into two from the sky, heading towards the mountain range ahead. The Myriad Demon Soldiers, utilizing their demonic agility, rapidly weaved through the forest.
As the enemy finished their ambush, they waited for Sun Wu's army to arrive on the intended path. Sun Wu's army did indeed come, but not in the manner they expected for an ambush; instead, a barrage of arrows rained down.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!"
As soon as the Elven Archers spotted the enemy, they launched their attack. Terrifying arrows descended like dense rain, covering the enemy.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!!!"
"Run! The enemy has a flying Elven Legion!"
"Damn it! How could they possess such soldiers!"
"Retreat!"
They began to flee towards their territory, leaving behind numerous prepared traps. Unfortunately, these traps proved utterly useless. The Elven Archers in the sky pursued them, and the Myriad Demon Soldiers on the ground also joined the chase. The speed of the demon races in the forest was akin to being in their own homes; their speed was something humans could not match. Many demons even transformed into their beastly forms to attack the enemy.
"The enemy is pursuing!"
"Kill!"
"Let's fight them!"
Though they longed to counterattack, regrettably, these demons offered them no opportunity. Their strength was too low, and they were no match for these demons at all. With enemies attacking and pursuing from both the sky and the ground, the enemy's force of seventy thousand ambushing soldiers dwindled. Finally, less than ten thousand people managed to escape back to their territory.
"Insolence!" the lord exclaimed in fury but was helpless. Next, he would have to face Sun Wu's assault. However, having lost most of his army, this lord had no possibility of resistance. Sun Wu's army arrived, employing their previous offensive strategy, attacking from both the sky and the ground. The enemy had to choose between defending the sky or the ground. To defend both directions would depend on whether their defensive towers possessed sufficient power.
As expected, they did not. As the soldiers climbed the city walls, the Elven Archers also destroyed the enemy's defensive towers. Once the entire army entered the territory, they rapidly moved to attack the enemy's crystal. Ten minutes later, the second lord also became a casualty of Zhou Yan's territory. After Sun Wu dealt with the second enemy territory, Guo Jia successfully eliminated an enemy territory thirty minutes later. The first three territories to be destroyed were all accomplished by Zhou Yan's soldiers, a display of overwhelming strength that left many in shock. The soldiers of Zhou Yan's territory were simply too powerful. It was uncertain who would be qualified to challenge them.