All troops, fire arrows

A signal arrow trailing sparks lit up the night sky.

The soldiers in the army saw it clearly in an instant.

The pre-arranged mobile forces immediately rushed toward that direction.

Ren Tianye saw it clearly as well.

A surge of joy rose in his heart.

Had they finally found Ye Fan?

Excellent. This Ye Fan was indeed a talent, actually fleeing toward the north. As expected of someone with the aura of a protagonist, his way of thinking was far too different from ordinary people.

An ordinary person really wouldn't have thought of that in the spur of the moment.

Fortunately, he had directly cast a wide net of encirclement.

However, Ren Tianye did not immediately order the main army to press forward. What if it was a trap?

A ploy to lure the tiger from its mountain!

Thus, he only led the mobile cavalry forward, leaving the rest of the men in ambush with strict orders not to move recklessly. This was the rule he had set from the very beginning.

Torches illuminated the path as horse hooves thundered in a wild gallop.

As they drew closer to the location of the signal, they saw more and more cavalry converging there.

By the time they arrived, waves of battle cries could already be heard.

"Great General..."

A man hurried over to report, "Someone tried to escape from the north wearing our army's uniform. After being intercepted, a fierce fight broke out."

"We are not sure if that person is the Ye Fan the Great General mentioned, but his strength is extraordinary. He forcefully snatched a fine horse and, even under the siege of over a hundred men, he still holds his ground."

That was definitely Ye Fan!

Ren Tianye was immediately certain.

After all, anyone with such combat prowess was no ordinary person. Moreover, Ye Fan's master was Xiang Gui, the former Hammer King of the Northern Frontier, and Ye Fan had been able to scale the walls of Yunji City while carrying Su Xiu. His personal strength was undoubtedly exceptional.

Spurring his horse forward, he quickly took in the situation.

Amidst the soldiers continuously surging from all directions, a man clad in armor and wielding a pair of gold-plated wrought copper maces was dashing left and slashing right.

The gold-plated wrought copper maces he used looked extraordinary. They were heavy and powerful, making no one dare to approach, and his martial techniques closely resembled the dual hammers used by Xiang Gui.

"Ye Fan, I've finally caught you."

However, upon closer inspection, he noticed something was amiss.

While Ye Fan was incredibly fierce wielding his dual gold-plated wrought copper maces, he deliberately squeezed into the most crowded areas, causing many arrows to accidentally injure their own men.

Hidden arrows could not be fired effectively.

Coupled with the darkness of the night, this actually provided Ye Fan with a lot of advantages.

Still, it was not a major problem.

If hundreds of men were not enough, then thousands, or even tens of thousands.

Ren Tianye ordered, "Have Zhang Shi bring the heavy cavalry."

"Send another signal. Order the ten thousand troops stationed outside the four gates to come at once."

So what if you, Ye Fan, are fierce?

So what if you, Ye Fan, have the aura of a protagonist?

If these people cannot kill you, what about adding the heavy cavalry?

What about adding another ten thousand men?

You will definitely be killed!

Unexpectedly, just as he gave the order, Ye Fan swung his dual maces, forcing back the people in front of him, and swiftly charged straight at Ren Tianye.

He was clearly harboring the thought of capturing the leader first to subdue the followers.

The personal guards shouted and moved to block him, but they were all forced back by Ye Fan. In the blink of an eye, Ye Fan was just a short distance away from Ren Tianye.

Ren Tianye remained completely fearless.

With a cold snort, he brandished the Sky-Piercer Halberd in his hands and charged directly at Ye Fan.

The Sky-Piercer Halberd was long, giving him the advantage of striking first. He immediately slashed down with it.

Ye Fan instantly blocked with his gold-plated wrought copper maces.

A loud CLANG rang out, like a sudden clap of thunder echoing across the sky.

Both of them were momentarily stunned, the webbing between their thumbs and forefingers numb from the impact.

"Such immense strength!"

Almost simultaneously, both men gave each other the exact same evaluation.

In that brief moment, their horses brushed past each other.

The gold-plated wrought copper maces in Ye Fan's hands moved like swimming dragons, carrying tremendous might as he unleashed several moves in succession. After Ren Tianye blocked them one by one, his halberd struck out like a venomous snake in a counterattack.

It wasn't until their horses pulled apart that the exchange ended.

Ren Tianye already had a clear understanding in his heart.

This Ye Fan's martial arts were clearly not as seasoned and flawless as Xiang Gui's, but his advantage lay in his youth and immense strength. Having received Xiang Gui's true teachings, even if he hadn't fully mastered them yet and hadn't reached his peak, he was still quite extraordinary.

With strength like his, if paired with some tools, scaling Yunji City would indeed be no problem.

No wonder he could take Su Xiu away.

But today, he wasn't walking out of here!

Meanwhile, Ye Fan's heart was churning like a stormy sea!

When his master, Xiang Gui, took him in as a disciple and doted on him, it was naturally because of his exceptional talent and his ability to fully inherit his master's martial arts.

He had also learned about seventy or eighty percent of it.

He had originally thought that with his dual maces in hand, looking across the entire Northern Frontier, or even the whole world, he would have few rivals. He truly never expected this Ren Tianye to be so formidable.

After that brief clash just now, not only was he slightly inferior in strength, but under Ren Tianye's dragon-and-snake-like Sky-Piercer Halberd, he actually found himself somewhat hard-pressed to defend.

"His strength is above mine!"

"If I want to defeat him, I still need three years of bitter training!"

Despite this assessment, Ye Fan didn't take it to heart.

What was the use of having high martial arts?!

Having a good brain was what truly mattered!

At this moment, he already had a plan in mind. He had a throwing knife hidden in his robes. He just needed to lure Ren Tianye in, find an opportunity, and plant the throwing knife into him.

When the time came, Ren Tianye would be injured by him and become his hostage. Let alone escaping with his life, even taking over Ren Tianye's army through this wouldn't be a problem.

Thus, a smile appeared on his face.

"I didn't expect General Ren to possess such strength. It seems I underestimated you before. Meeting you now is truly a delight."

Pausing, he shouted, "Ren Tianye, do you have the guts to tell your soldiers to step aside and fight me for three hundred rounds?"

"If I lose, I will willingly serve under your command and pledge my loyalty to you."

"If you lose, just let me go."

Ren Tianye laughed heartily, "Why wouldn't I dare?"

"I have no rivals in the Northern Frontier. It is rare for me to meet an evenly matched opponent today, and it makes my hands itch for a fight."

"Tonight, I will definitely fight you for three hundred rounds."

"We will not rest until a victor is decided!"

Saying this, he waved his large hand, "All soldiers, hear my command."

"Retreat twenty paces outward and light the torches for illumination."

"I want Ye Fan to taste my Sky-Piercer Halberd!"

The corner of Ye Fan's mouth twisted, a smile spilling over.

He was truly easy to fool.

With all these soldiers running to the perimeter, he could let loose even more. So, with a slight movement, a throwing knife appeared in his hand, ready to strike fiercely the moment the two of them clashed again.

However, he saw that after the soldiers formed a circle on the periphery and lit their torches, Ren Tianye did not immediately charge at him with his Sky-Piercer Halberd.

Instead...

He retreated!

Retreated?

No, why was he retreating?

With this retreat, he had almost backed up to the same position as the soldiers.

Could it be some special martial art that required a charging start?

Using the momentum of the charge to bear down on him with the weight of Mount Tai?

Ye Fan secretly raised his guard, but mocked him in his heart.

Having no brains, he was destined to accomplish nothing.

At a time like this, he was still thinking about using a grand ultimate move, completely unaware that no matter what move he used, he had already fallen into his trap.

But he wasn't careless either; he readied his dual maces, preparing to meet the attack.

Then he saw Ren Tianye raise his hand.

And coldly give the order.

"All troops, hear my command!"

"Nock your arrows!"

"Fire!"