There are seven major battlefronts on the Human–Devil Border.
Of these, the Blood River Battlefield is the most dangerous—each year, more than twenty thousand Human warriors die here.
This battlefield has existed for more than three hundred years.
Here, the Human Race has fought over thirty major wars against the Strongarm Bull Devils, with more than five million Human warriors killed.
Since this battlefield was formed, total Human deaths have exceeded ten million.
And that number continues to rise every year.
The Blood River Battlefield is a vast plain.
A blood-red river splits the plain in two—on one side is the Human army encampment; on the other, the Strongarm Bull Devils’ base.
The Blood River itself is mysterious—no one knows where it begins or ends...
Normally, the river is over twenty li wide. Anyone who enters sinks without a trace; any boat that tries to cross vanishes.
This river has become a natural barrier for the Devil Race.
Strangely, though, the Strongarm Bull Devils can swim across it. Because the river is so long, they often cross at night, sneaking behind Human lines to launch massacres in the rear.
To counter this, the Human side is forced to send out massive patrol forces, fanning out day and night.
Even so, they still can’t stop the Strongarm Bull Devils from slipping behind their lines.
Each Human patrol squad consists of ten members: a captain, usually an early Grandmaster, and nine squad members, all at the ninth layer of Qi‑Refining.
Patrolling is exhausting and extremely dangerous.
Because the plain is so vast, patrol squads are at least ten li apart. If they run into a small group of infiltrators, they might survive; but if they encounter a large force, their fate is sealed—death!
About one million Human troops are stationed on the Blood River Battlefield, organized into ten thousand patrol squads—one hundred thousand men in total.
These hundred thousand patrol warriors are divided into ten battalions, named Heaven, Earth, Mystic, Yellow, Universe, Cosmos, Flood, Desolation, Star, and Dawn. (Note: Mystic and Yellow are localized for clarity; original terms: Xuan and Huang.)
Each battalion commands a thousand patrol squads—about ten thousand men.
At the same time, each battalion is divided into ten Companies, each Company made up of one hundred patrol squads.
The sky above the Blood River Battlefield is gloomy all year round, and sunlight is rarely seen. According to veterans, it’s because the spirits of fallen warriors gather overhead and refuse to disperse.
On the riverbank, a patrol squad was making its way along the shore.
This was the Fifth Squad of the Ninth Company under the Dawn Battalion.
All nine patrol warriors wore black iron armor and carried unsheathed long blades on their backs. One of them wore silver-white armor and carried a longsword.
He was the captain of this patrol squad, Liam Liang.
He had been here for several months, starting as an ordinary patrol warrior and surviving more than a hundred battles.
He had grown from a pampered young master into a hardened, iron-blooded warrior, and his cultivation had advanced to early Grandmaster.
"Captain, our patrol shift ends in two hours. When we get back to the city, don’t forget to treat us to wine and women!" a young warrior begged, his eyes full of longing.
Patrol shifts rotate every ten days.
During those ten days, patrol squads cannot leave their assigned zone—not even for food, drink, or bathroom breaks.
Compared to the patrol zone, where your life could be snatched away at any moment, everyone longed for the days inside the city—there was wine to drink and women to sleep with.
"Don’t worry, I’ll treat you to all the wine you can drink and let you pick any woman you want! As long as you aren’t scared of turning into limp noodles, you can sleep with ten at once!" Liam Liang thumped his chest and promised. After months in the patrol squad, he’d picked up the rough ways of these military hooligans.
"No problem! I want to sleep with eleven!"
"I want to sleep with twenty!"
The youngest soldier shouted out.
"Little Pillar wants to sleep with twenty at once? You’ll be stuck in bed for twenty days straight!"
"Exactly! This kid’s full of it!"
Heh, Little Pillar, aren’t you still a virgin? Remember to ask the lady for a red envelope your first time!
Faced with all the veterans’ teasing, Little Pillar stuck out his neck and shot back, “Who’s a virgin? You old shameless geezers don’t know anything about my skills. When we get back to the city, I’ll sleep with thirty at once—especially since the captain’s paying!”
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
The squad burst out laughing at Little Pillar’s wild boasting.
Even Captain Liam Liang couldn’t help but smile. Little Pillar was always bragging, his boasts so outrageous that the veterans loved to tease him.
But ever since Little Pillar joined, everyone’s spirits had lifted. At least during patrol, they could always joke around with him.
"Captain, look out!"
Suddenly, a veteran pointed at the surging Blood River and shouted in alarm.
Liam Liang instinctively looked up—more than a hundred bull heads bobbed in and out of the churning blood-red water.
"Devils! Quick, send the signal—alert the other patrol squads!" Liam Liang barked, his face grim.
A veteran hurriedly pulled a signal arrow from his coat.
Whoosh!
With a sharp whistle, the signal arrow shot into the sky.
At the same time, Liam Liang drew his longsword and shouted, "Form up! We just need to hold for half a quarter hour—reinforcements will arrive!"
"Yes, sir!"
The nine patrol squad members drew their long blades and formed a tight battle formation. A chilling, murderous aura spread around them.
With a blur, Liam Liang darted to the riverbank and pulled a longbow from his storage ring.
He drew and fired in a single smooth motion!
The arrow turned into a streak of black light, flying straight at one of the bull heads in the river.
Without checking if he hit, Liam kept firing arrow after arrow.
He loosed more than thirty arrows in a single breath.
But only five Strongarm Bull Devils were killed.
Meanwhile, the remaining hundred-plus Strongarm Bull Devils were already closing in on the shore. Liam put away his bow and gripped his sword again, his expression dark and grim.
Among this group of sneaking Strongarm Bull Devils, three had auras no weaker than his—and one was even stronger.
If the other patrol squads couldn't arrive in time, he was likely doomed here.
Thinking this, he quickly retreated to the edge of the battle formation.
With the Strongarm Bull Devils outnumbering them ten to one, their only option was defense.
Soon, the hundred-plus Strongarm Bull Devils landed, crowding together on the shore. A crushing pressure swept over the squad.
Strongarm Bull Devils had bull heads and human bodies—the stronger they were, the taller and bulkier they became.
Ordinary Strongarm Bull Devil soldiers stood about two meters tall.
Their devil energy was only about as strong as a fifth- or sixth-layer Qi-Refining human, but their powerful bodies could fight evenly with ninth-layer Qi-Refining warriors.