Chapter 1137 – The Distant Horsehooves, the Songs of Grief (2/2)

At the beginning, the human armies would use array masters to clear the battlefield. After the conclusion of each battle on the plains, one would be able to see the clear light from the arrays and the ensuing flames. Later on, as more and more demon soldiers died, as the war grew increasingly tense, this duty was no longer asked of the array masters so that they could conserve their energy.

The temporary camp had been set up at a high point, but the so-called valley was really just a rolling meadow, so their position really couldn't be described as unassailable.

Twilight painted the distant plains and nearby carts. The smoke from the cooking fires was already extinguished and bonfires began to gradually brighten. Someone began to sing a grief-stricken song, though all this did was incur a chorus of curses.

Liang Hongzhuang leaned against the wheel of a cart, watching through squinted eyes as the sun sank. The stalk of grass in his mouth trembled.

He naturally wasn't wearing his red dancing dress, and he also wasn't wearing any makeup. He had always had a handsome appearance, especially his inky brows. They were shaped like slender hooks, their charming appearance imbued with a heroic air. His natural elegance had attracted many stares when he first stepped onto the battlefield, but now, no one dared to say anything.

In this army, he had the strongest cultivation level, had killed the most soldiers, and had the most injuries.

A deep wound had been cut beneath his ribs. One could see white bone through the chinks in the bandage and smell the scent of decay.

A person sat next to him, a mocking smile appearing on his face as he looked at the corpses of the lower-class demons strewn across the grass.

”After so many days, we haven't seen one high-class demon. Were they all killed by the old Demon Lord?”

The one speaking was Feng Guijun. He had been Governor of Xunyang City for several decades, but now he was a general on the front lines.

When he heard Liang Hongzhuang speaking to the Pope that night, he vaguely understood what his end would be.

But he hadn't expected that he would end up in the same place on the front lines as Liang Hongzhuang, nor did he know if this had been the Pope's will or the Holy Maiden's arrangement.

Liang Hongzhuang ignored him.

Feng Guijun jeered, ”The Imperial Court wanted to send me to my death to repay the Liang Estate for half its fortune, but what about you? Why didn't your elder brother come but instead sent you to your death?”

Yes, from a certain perspective, being sent to this part of the plain was being sent to death. Although the humans now occupied the absolute advantage, with the demon soldiers' death toll being twice that of the human soldiers'… people would still die, especially now that many people noticed that the circumstances were rather strange.

Feng Guijun's jeers came mostly from his unease.

Upon entering the plains, the human armies had encountered many of the demon troops, engaging them in many intense battles.

They quickly began to notice something strange.

Other than an extremely small number of officers, no high-class demons had been spotted in these battles.

They hadn't even spotted a hair of the Demon race's most formidable wolf cavalry. It was like they had disappeared.

The troops surging toward the human army like a tide were all the lowest class of demon soldier.

The minds of these low-class demons developed slowly, and they could be called stupid. Even though they possessed an enormous strength that surpassed that of an ordinary human, the crossbows and array masters of the human armies made them nothing but targets for massacre. They normally weren't that hard to deal with.

The problem was that the lower-class demon soldiers the human armies encountered now were different.

Now, they were braver, their personalities even more violent, their methods even crueler. They seemed to have no fear of death.

If one said that the lower-class demon soldiers were of somewhat lower intelligence in the past, they had now lost any sort of awareness, and transformed into tools purely meant for killing.

The countless low-class demons were unafraid of death, and if one fell, another would charge to take their place. This placed a massive pressure on the human armies, both militarily and mentally.

The army that Feng Guijun led had suffered grievous casualties, and it was hard to say how long they would be able to last.

Similar circumstances were probably taking place all over this plain.

Liang Hongzhuang said, ”It's probably some sort of medicine that's made these ugly fellows lose their mind, making them only come here to seek their deaths.”

Many people had speculated this, but they couldn't understand why the demons had resorted to such extreme methods even though the war had just begun.

Such a medicine was bound to have devastating side effects. They were probably so severe that the moment those demon soldiers took this medicine, their lives would begin burning away.

As Feng Guijun gazed at the deepening twilight, the grief in his eyes deepened as well. He muttered, ”Just what do the demons want to do?”

From a certain standpoint, he had truly been sent to his death by the Imperial Court so as to soothe the Liang Estate's old grudge.

But he had still been the Governor of Xunyang City for several decades and was now a general on the front lines.

Liang Hongzhuang proposed, ”The demons want to frighten us into retreating.”

Feng Guijun blankly gazed at him for a moment. He understood, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

They were the most forward army of the vanguard.

If this really was the Demon race's strategy, they were bound to suffer an endless stream of attacks.

Either the commander would order a retreat, or one side would be slaughtered to a man.

”Tell me, since we've all been sent to our deaths, what do we need to be afraid of?”

Liang Hongzhuang added, ”And even if we die now, we've still earned a profit.”

Since the start of the war, he had already killed thirty-some demon soldiers, and the soldiers led by Feng Guijun had already killed three times their number. They truly had earned a profit.

Feng Guijun said no more.

Liang Hongzhuang spit out the stalk of grass and began to sing a song of grief.

Curses rose once more from his surroundings, but this time, he didn't stop.

Liang Hongzhuang's singing voice was rather strange. It was very deep and lingering, just like the rivers slowly flowing through these plains.

”I've been listening to operas in Xunyang City for so many years. I've always felt like your singing style was rather strange, but I've never asked you about it.”

Feng Guijun asked, ”Just which school are you a part of? The Jin clan of Luling or Orangewater Tent?”

Liang Hongzhuang replied, ”I heard that this is the singing style of the operas in Xuelao City.”

Feng Guijun was stunned. Pointing at the corpses scattered over the plains, he asked, ”These things can understand it?”

Liang Hongzhuang shook his head. ”I don't know.”

The night sky resounded with the warning from a Red Falcon bringing urgent orders.

The nearest divisions of the human army were all under attack.

And the primary focus of the enemy attacks was this part of the plains.

The ground shook.

The twilight deepened into darkness.

Countless demon soldiers were surging out from the darkness.

Feng Guijun knew that this battle would last for the entire night, and he couldn't stop his face from paling. ”Will we be able to see the sun rise tomorrow?”

Liang Hongzhuang stood up and looked at the night sky. ”The stars are very beautiful tonight.”