Seeing that his nemesis wasn’t dead, Mo Xiao’s eyes widened larger than copper bells. He pulled his horse back while shouting hoarsely, “Lin Dan is still alive! Kill her, quick!”

A group of cavalry rushed to surround and protect their chief, but suddenly, Lin Dan, who had been standing atop a horse, disappeared into the mass of horses, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

“Where is she? Where is she? Where did Lin Dan go? Find her, quickly, take her out!” Mo Xiao’s nerves were stretched to the limit. When Lin Dan appeared, he was terrified; but when she disappeared, his heart pounded even more wildly. The once tightly-formed ranks of the Xiongnu army had fallen into chaos because of her alone.

The two armies faced off in a narrow valley and wild horses were charging from behind the Xiongnu forces. If they continued forward, they would soon storm into the Western Army’s ranks, throwing their formations into disarray as well. But as the wild horses neared the Western Army, a loud whistle came from somewhere, causing the horses to abruptly turn back. They galloped wildly within the forces of the Five Hu Alliance, creating utter chaos.

Mo Xiao screamed, “Wherever the whistle is, that’s where Lin Dan is! Go find her! Kill her— We must kill her today!”

But how could anyone find a person amidst a stampeding herd of horses? The Xiongnu cavalry spun in circles in place, wishing they had more eyes to locate Lin Dan. She had become the nightmare of every Xiongnu soldier. As long as she was alive, they dared not set foot into the central plains.

The other four tribes had only heard of Lin Dan’s name but had never witnessed her strength. They were unimpressed by the Xiongnu forces for getting so flustered. At a time like this, they were still focused on killing a woman? Wasn’t their biggest enemy the wild horses and the Western Army ahead?

“Mo Xiao, break through the right flank! We’ll help you contain the horses!” The Qiang general shouted loudly.

Mo Xiao turned to look at him, his expression shifting from tense to horrified. Lin Dan, like a specter, emerged from behind the Qiang general, swiftly climbing onto his horse and easily slicing off his head. Using the mist of blood as cover, she disappeared once again.

This man was the leader of the Qiang army. With his death, the Qiang forces were thrown into disarray.

Mo Xiao tugged hard on his reins, making his mount spin rapidly in place to try to see everything around him clearly. His face was full of panic and fear, like a trapped beast facing imminent death.

Suddenly, not far from him, another fountain of blood shot into the sky, followed by the terrified shouts of the Xianbei people. Their leader had also been killed by the elusive Lin Dan. Using the cover of the herd of horses, she moved like a ghost through the Five Hu Alliance, killing at will and leaving no trace behind.

As the saying goes, ‘To defeat the enemy, first capture their leader; to beat the snake, one must strike seven inches below its head^[1]attack the problem at its core’. In a situation where the enemy’s forces greatly outnumbered their own, a decapitation strategy was undoubtedly the best choice.

Having finally realized what Lin Dan was doing, Mo Xiao turned deathly pale. Before he could even summon his personal soldiers to protect him, the leader of the Di Tribe had already been cleaved in two by Lin Dan’s blade. Blood rained down like a torrential storm onto the man’s snow-white horse, making the beautiful steed let out a mournful neigh.

“Everyone, come back! Come back! Surround me, quick, surround me!” Mo Xiao howled madly. He grabbed the closest cavalryman and pulled him in front of him as a shield. If he had only feared Lin Dan before, now he was utterly terrified, his courage shattered by her.

The Western Army, expecting the herd of wild horses to continue trampling their own ranks, was stunned to find that the horses seemed almost as if they had been sent by the heavens to aid them. The herd only rampaged through the Five Hu Alliance, never coming close to the Western Army’s ranks. This strange phenomenon aroused suspicion in Li Xian’s heart. He was about to charge into the enemy lines to investigate when a familiar figure appeared among the horses. In the blink of an eye, she decapitated a Hu general and vanished again.

“It’s Lin Dan! She’s still alive!” Li Xian stared in disbelief at the spot, the gruesome scene of blood spraying into the sky looking like a firework bursting in his eyes.

“It’s the General! It’s really her!” The five thousand heavy cavalrymen fighting beside Li Xian all showed expressions of wild joy. Their earlier demoralization vanished instantly, replaced with a surge of fighting spirit.

“The General is deep within the enemy lines! Charge! Break through and join the General!” The five thousand heavy cavalrymen swung their swords, quickly cutting a bloody path through the enemy lines and splitting the Five Hu Alliance’s forces in two. The light cavalry following behind shouted excitedly as they killed, their enthusiasm comparable to someone under the influence of a powerful stimulant.

“The General isn’t dead! The General is alive!”

“The General has slain the Xianbei, Qiang, and Di leaders! The General is invincible!”

“Charge! Go meet the General!”

The thrilling shouts spread layer by layer, starting from the five thousand heavy cavalry in the front, followed by tens of thousands of light cavalry, and then the foot soldiers numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Their once disheartened faces were now filled with a fierce killing intent. A fiery determination shone in their pitch-black eyes. As long as Lin Dan was there, their backbone stood firm. Their blood and fighting spirit wouldn’t extinguish. What’s more, Lin Dan, on her own, had slain three Hu leaders, plunging the Five Hu Alliance into chaos. Such a glorious achievement was enough to fill everyone with the belief that victory was certain.

If viewed from above, one would see that the once-weak attack of the Western Army had suddenly transformed into a razor-sharp blade. Three flanks advanced from three directions, tearing apart the Five Hu Alliance and devouring them bit by bit. The five thousand heavy cavalry charging at the front were like a scythe, leaving nothing but blood and gore in their wake. Severed heads rolled as their combat strength surged to unimaginable levels.

And this dramatic change was all because of the arrival of one person.

Mo Xiao was both searching for Lin Dan’s figure and dealing with the frenzied Western Army, which made him panic. In the blink of an eye, three of the four tribe leaders had fallen, and the remaining one, terrified out of his wits, clamored for a retreat. Seeing this, Mo Xiao, too, wanted to retreat.

Just as he was about to give the command, a ghostly figure appeared behind him from the corner of his eye. He hurriedly raised his shield to block it.

With a loud clang, the blade struck the shield, causing a burst of sparks. Lin Dan disappeared immediately after the failed strike, showing no desire to fight head-on. Mo Xiao didn’t even have time to see her face, only catching a glimpse of the cold killing intent in her deep-set eyes.

It took Mo Xiao a long time to recover. It wasn’t until his personal soldiers ran over to check on him that he discarded the shield, now split in two, and shook his numb left arm. A chill ran through his entire body as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. He finally realized that Lin Dan’s true terror wasn’t when she was charging through the battlefield, but it was when she fought one-on-one. If you provoked her, she could crush you with a thousand troops or silently take your life from the shadows. To be her enemy required immense courage.

While Mo Xiao struggled to suppress his fear, the head of the Jie Tribe’s leader disappeared. The blood-soaked Jie cavalry didn’t even have time to scream before the five thousand heavy cavalry charged in, cutting them to pieces. These soldiers of Great Wei who had been demoralized now fought with the ferocity of wolves and tigers, their killing intent soaring. It was because their general had returned— a general who was invincible and unstoppable.

Mo Xiao could no longer contain his terror and shouted, “Retreat! Retreat immediately!”

The forces of the Five Hu Alliance began to flee in panic, but it was already too late. Lin Dan appeared out of nowhere, seizing a horse from a Xiongnu heavy cavalryman and rejoining the five thousand heavy cavalry who had come to meet her. The Western Army’s already high morale seemed to solidify into something tangible, igniting into a roaring flame.

Mo Xiao glanced back and hastened his escape. It wasn’t until they had been chased by the herds of wild horses and the Western Army for several hundred miles that he finally managed to shake off the pursuit, fleeing deep into the grasslands. The remaining armies of the other four tribes were utterly defeated, throwing down their helmets and surrendering, their former arrogance completely shattered.

This war, which once seemed to have no suspense, ended in a resounding victory for the Great Wei Dynasty. Not only did the garrison troops across the land who received the battle report find it hard to believe, but even the Western Army itself was in disbelief. Sitting atop their horses with bloodstained swords, they stared blankly at the battlefield littered with corpses, murmuring, “Where is General Lin?”

“Where is General Lin? I just saw her!”

“Did we see wrong? Has General Lin really returned?”

“We didn’t see wrong. I was right behind her, killing the enemy the whole time!”

Victory meant nothing to them compared to knowing General Lin was alive. Throughout the battle, most of them had not personally seen her after hearing of her return. They didn’t dare think too deeply about it, but they had naturally accepted the idea. They desperately wanted her to be alive, even if it was just a lie.

“I’m here.” Lin Dan rode in while holding a blood-stained sword, bathed in the glow of the setting sun which seemed to cast a layer of gold over her.

The soldiers were stunned for a moment before they all dismounted and knelt on one knee, shouting, “Your subordinates greet the General!” Before the words even finished, many had already burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion.

“The General is alive! The General is really alive!” They stood up, cheering and throwing their helmets into the air, as excited as children. Some rushed forward, wanting to lift Lin Dan up in celebration, but they were swiftly knocked away by Li Xian’s punches and kicks.

“Lin Dan?” Li Xian stared directly at her.

Lin Dan wiped the blood from her face and responded with a smile.

Only then did Li Xian confirm that she was alive. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and hugged her tightly.

Lin Dan briefly returned the embrace, then patted his stiff back. She mounted her horse again and called out with vigor, “The right troops will stay to clean the battlefield. The rest, follow me back to camp!”

“Yes, General!” All the soldiers responded in unison, their voices shaking the skies. Even the vultures circling above, waiting to feast on the corpses, were frightened away, leaving behind only a few scattered feathers.

In the camp, a soldier hurried into the command tent, panting heavily as he shouted, “Military Advisor, General Lin has returned! Our army has won!”

Ding Mujie, who had been prepared to die, suddenly opened his eyes wide, a look of disbelief crossing his face before it was replaced by overwhelming joy. Compared to the victory of the Western Army, Lin Dan’s return was clearly more important to him. This country had disheartened him twice, so what else was worth caring about? As long as Lin Dan was alive…… As long as she was alive, there was hope for everything.