All the heroes of the world are now in my grasp.

The sound of hooves thundered, and arrows pierced the air.

Liu Yao saddled Gao Zidan onto his horse and led his men in a frenzied charge. However, over two hundred Youzhou cavalrymen relentlessly pursued them, their armor clanging and battle cries deafening. The thirty-odd riders from Yongming's unit were all elite personal guards who had fought alongside Liu Yao through thick and thin. Their horsemanship was superb, and they knew the mountain terrain intimately, making their movements as smooth as flat ground. But ultimately, they were outnumbered. After galloping several miles, a series of groans echoed from behind—three of his personal guards, struck by arrows in the shoulders and back, stumbled and fell from their horses. There wasn't even time to collect their bodies; they were instantly trampled to the frozen ground by the pursuers' iron hooves, without even a proper cry for help.

These men were all trusted henchmen who had followed Liu Yao through mountains of corpses and seas of blood; they were the most capable warriors in the tribe.

Seeing his trusted men dead or wounded, Liu Yao's murderous aura surged suddenly, his hawk-like eyes instantly turning bloodshot, and the wildness and rage he had just suppressed erupted completely. He abruptly reined in his horse, which reared up and neighed, its front hooves pawing the air, kicking up a cloud of snow and frozen earth, its iron hooves striking the stones with a piercing crack.

"Damn it! A bunch of chickens and dogs, daring to bite me like that!"

He roared, his murderous aura almost solidifying, and with a backhand shove, he pushed Gao Zidan toward his personal guard. The force was deep and steady, without the slightest hesitation.

"Keep a close eye on them! If they dare to retreat even half a step, you'll have to answer to me with your head!"

Before he finished speaking, Liu Yao had already pulled on the reins with one hand and grabbed the longbow from the side of the saddle with the other. He slapped the quiver open, and three wolf-tooth arrows were already between his fingers. He had calculated that the mountain path was narrow and that two hundred riders would not be able to spread out in formation and could only move forward in a narrow column. Without dodging or avoiding, he directly turned his horses around and, with only four of his most elite personal guards, charged fiercely back towards the pursuing Youzhou army!

Gao Zidan was held down by her followers. She only had time to see a black figure rushing into the enemy formation against the flow of people. Her heart jumped into her throat, and she even forgot to breathe.

When they met on a narrow path, there was not a single unnecessary movement.

Liu Yao drew his bow to its fullest extent, and the moment he released it, the arrow shot like a shooting star! "Whoosh—thud!" The first rider of the Youzhou army was hit by the arrow, his throat pierced through the air, and he fell to the ground, rolling around with his horse.

His horse's speed did not decrease at all, and he fired the second and third arrows in quick succession, each one hitting its mark, and two more people fell from their horses.

In just a few breaths, a gap was forcefully punched through the formation of the pursuing vanguard!

The vanguard officer of the Youzhou army roared and brandished his sword, spurring his horse straight at Liu Yao. His long sword cleaved through the air with a terrifying force: "You barbarian Xiongnu, how dare you retaliate! Prepare to die!"

Liu Yao's lips curled into a cruel and cold smile. He neither dodged nor flinched. The moment the two horses collided, he abandoned his bow, drew his sword, and with one hand, he swung the blade in a sharp flourish. Using the speed and momentum of the horse, the blade slashed horizontally!

"Clang—Pfft!"

A flash of cold light passed by.

The vanguard officer, armor and all, was cleaved in the shoulder and neck by a single blow, falling diagonally off his horse, blood spurting like snow, and he died on the spot.

One move! Just one move! The pursuing vanguard officer was half-dead, utterly dead.

This Youzhou army was a hastily drawn-out contingent of local soldiers, not elite border troops. Seeing their vanguard officer killed in a single blow, chaos erupted instantly. The advance halted abruptly, and the troops huddled together in the narrow mountain path, their formation instantly shattering. Taking advantage of the situation, Yongming's personal guards charged forward with shouts, managing to break through the ranks of over two hundred pursuing riders with just five horsemen!

In the chaos, Liu Yao's eyes, sharp as an eagle's, locked onto the rear of the column—where stood a slightly well-armored officer with the insignia of a garrison commander; he was the leader of the pursuing troops. He had been overseeing the battle from the rear, but now that the vanguard had scattered, he was exposed to the open, with nowhere to hide.

"court death!"

Liu Yao let out a low roar, completely disregarding the enemy cavalry surrounding him, and charged straight at the enemy chieftain alone!

Two guards, the garrison commanders, rushed out from the left and right, their long swords aimed at Liu Yao's horse's head, determined to kill him and his horse together.

Liu Yao neither dodged nor evaded, but instead pressed his body against the side of the horse, avoiding the blade while simultaneously flicking his wrist, sending the short spear flying! "Thud—" A guard was struck in the chest by the spear, screaming as he fell from his horse.

Another man swung his sword again, but Liu Yao grabbed the handle and pulled him off his horse. Then, with a backhand slash, he pierced the man's chest cleanly and decisively, without any hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, both guards were killed.

The village head was terrified, his soul nearly leaving his body, and he turned his horse and fled.

Liu Yao spurred his horse to give chase, the horse moving with lightning speed. When the two horses were only a horse's length apart, he suddenly stood up, put one foot on the saddle, and used the momentum to leap into the air, slashing down with his sword in mid-air!

"puff--"

The sound of the blade piercing flesh was clearly audible.

Before the village chief could even cry for help, he was cleaved to death with a single blow. His body crashed heavily onto the frozen ground, his blood staining the white snow—a horrifying scene.

With the commander-in-chief dead, the group is leaderless.

The already disorganized Youzhou army completely collapsed, losing all will to fight. They turned their horses around and fled back the way they came. The two hundred or so riders who had been relentlessly pursuing them were gone in a short time, leaving behind only corpses, scattered weapons, broken bows and arrows, and dripping blood.

Liu Yao stood amidst the corpses, sword in hand. His black robe was stained with blood, and his long sword dripped with blood. The cold wind whipped his fur cloak, making it flutter loudly. He was panting heavily, his eyes still fierce as a tiger's, and the ferocity and killing intent emanating from him seemed to silence the heavens and earth.

This wasn't just a fabricated display of power by the Chanyu; it was genuine bravery forged in the crucible of countless battles.

Gao Zidan was deeply moved by what she saw. Only after Liu Yao reined in his horse and turned around did she hurried forward, her tone full of amazement and admiration, and she uttered just the right amount of praise:

"The Chanyu is truly valiant! To defeat two hundred men with only five riders, and to single-handedly slay a general—such ferocity in battle is rare even in the vast north and central plains! Having witnessed it with my own eyes today, I finally understand what it means to take the head of a general amidst ten thousand troops!"

His tone was sincere, his eyes were ardent, and every word he said touched Liu Yao's heart; there was not a trace of insincerity in his words.

Liu Yao, who was always proud and valued bravery, was greatly pleased by the praise. The murderous look on his face vanished, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter. He patted Gao Zidan on the shoulder, his tone becoming warmer: "Good lad! You have good taste! These mere Youzhou rabble aren't even enough to warm me up!"

The soldiers were also greatly encouraged, shouting "The Chanyu is mighty!" The atmosphere was lively, and the depression caused by the deaths and injuries of their comrades was greatly relieved by the triumphant feeling of this great victory.

But before everyone could rejoice for even a moment, a sparse sound of horses' hooves came from the path on the west side of the valley.

"Tap...tap...tap..."

The pace was slow, completely lacking the fierce momentum of the pursuers earlier.

The crowd instantly went on high alert, drawing their swords and bows, aiming their arrows at the path. The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Behind them, more than thirty guards had already formed an arrow formation, ready to unleash a volley of arrows at the slightest movement from the enemy.

But when they saw who it was, everyone was stunned.

The opposing force consisted of only seven or eight riders, a very small number. They moved cautiously and slowly, with the column spread out. Even more strangely, on two horses in the middle of the column, there was a person tied to each horse, their hands bound behind their backs, heads bowed, their fate unknown. The entire column exuded an indescribable eeriness.

Upon reaching within an arrow's reach, the leader raised his hand to signal a halt, cupped his hands in greeting towards Liu Yao and Gao Zidan from a distance, and shouted loudly:

"Yongming Chanyu, please wait! We mean no harm! We have important matters to discuss with you and this young man in person!"

Gao Zidan's heart tightened, and she subconsciously looked at Liu Yao.

The other party was few in number, but their behavior was strange. They brought two people bound, which was really suspicious. No one knew whether it was a trap or if they really had something important to do.

Liu Yao frowned, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes. However, having just defeated an enemy general, his momentum was high, and confident in his formidable strength, he feared no one. He reined in his horse, stepped forward, sword drawn, and stood firmly at the forefront, shouting in a deep voice:

"Only you, the leader, are allowed to step forward! The rest of you, stay where you are! If you dare to try anything funny, I'll chop you all up and feed you to the wolves!"

After saying this, he once again signaled his personal guards to be on guard, nocked their bows, drew their swords, and stared intently at the men.

Gao Zidan followed closely behind, equally puzzled—what exactly did this group of Youzhou soldiers want? And who were the two people who had been tied up?