In the forest, the Sui general looked on coldly as Samuel Young unleashed his fury. Sui soldiers were dying and wounded in droves, yet he remained utterly unmoved, as if those slain by Samuel Young had nothing to do with him.

Seeing that Samuel Young was about to carve a bloody path out, the Sui general let out a cold laugh, casually grabbed a spear, and with a swing of his arm, the spear shot toward Samuel Young's back like a bolt of black lightning.

“Big brother, watch out!”

Beside him, Samuel Young's brother Benjamin Young rushed forward, using his body to block the spear. With a miserable scream, the spearhead pierced through his chest, and Benjamin Young was pinned to the ground, killed on the spot.

Samuel Young's eyes turned blood-red, his gaze fixed fiercely on the Sui general emerging from the woods. Suddenly, he let out a thunderous roar, “Andrew Carter, today it’s either you die, or I live!”

He spurred his horse and brandished his spear, charging furiously at the Sui general.

The Sui general was none other than Andrew Carter, the adopted son of the Sui Western Army’s commander Thomas Carter, famed as the leader of the Thirteen Yuwen Guardians, and granted the title of General Tianbao by Emperor Yang of Sui.

Andrew Carter, acting on Thomas Carter’s orders, had led three thousand elite troops along a side path to arrive ahead of the defeated army, cutting off Samuel Young’s retreat.

Andrew Carter spurred his warhorse, lifting his phoenix-winged, gold-inlaid halberd as he advanced. His horse, called the Demon Lin Beast, was a superb Ferghana steed presented to Emperor Yang by the King of Sogdiana. After Andrew Carter had pacified the Tuhun Valley people and achieved great merit, Emperor Yang rewarded him with this prized horse.

Andrew Carter narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Samuel Young, though you are exceptionally brave, you are no match for me. Surrender! I’ll spare your life.”

Samuel Young, known as the Tiger Maniac, was a master of martial arts, ranked by the military as the fourth fiercest warrior in the land. Andrew Carter, though a rising star, was renowned for his valor and skill, nearly rivaling the legendary Shi Wansui, once the greatest warrior under heaven, and praised by Emperor Yang as peerless.

Although Samuel Young was well aware of Andrew Carter’s prowess, he could not let his brother’s death go unavenged. He swept his long spear, shaking out nine spearheads, attacking with split focus, as swift as a storm.

“Andrew Carter, I’ll perish together with you!”

Andrew Carter remained calm and unhurried, sweeping his phoenix-winged halberd across. Though it seemed slow, it struck first. With a resounding clang, Samuel Young’s spear was knocked aside, nearly flying from his grip.

Enraged, Samuel Young launched a flurry of eighty-one spear thrusts like a violent storm. Andrew Carter wielded his halberd with lightning speed, blocking every attack without a single gap, his immense strength nearly disarming Samuel Young several times.

After more than a dozen rounds, Samuel Young began to tire. At that moment, Andrew Carter seized upon a flaw, shouted, “Samuel Young, prepare to die!”

The phoenix-winged, gold-inlaid halberd slashed diagonally, swift as a ghost, instantly reaching Samuel Young’s neck with a ferocious momentum. The rushing wind made Samuel Young momentarily unable to breathe.

Unable to dodge, Samuel Young could only throw his head back desperately. Feeling he could not escape, he closed his eyes in despair. With a crack, the golden crown on Samuel Young’s head was struck flying, and the fierce wind from the halberd’s blade stung his face painfully.

Terrified out of his wits, Samuel Young fell from his horse and fled south, his hair disheveled, utterly disheartened.

Andrew Carter let out a cold laugh and gave chase. His Demon Lin Beast was incredibly fast, catching up to Samuel Young in moments. He raised his gold-inlaid halberd and swung it fiercely at the back of Samuel Young’s head. Samuel Young, utterly hopeless, cried out inwardly, “My life is over!”

Just as Samuel Young was about to be smashed to pieces by the halberd, a cavalryman galloped over from afar, raising a command and shouting, “General Chengdu, the commander orders you to let Samuel Young go!”

At the critical moment, Andrew Carter forcibly halted his halberd and reined in his horse, saying coldly, “I’ll spare your life today. Get lost!”

Samuel Young whipped his horse desperately and fled south in panic...

Up in a tall tree, Eric Bolton was nearly breathless from watching. For the first time, he had witnessed a real battlefield clash—the blood, the violence, the brutal courage—all made his blood surge.

After all, Eric Bolton came from a military background and had practiced martial arts since childhood, giving him an innate yearning for martial prowess. Now, having the fortune to witness legendary skills firsthand, he was deeply shaken, his heart surging with waves of emotion.

At that moment, banners fluttered in the distance, and an endless army was advancing in grand formation—Thomas Carter was leading his main force. The army was vast and would soon fill the entire official road. Eric Bolton’s situation became extremely perilous; whether he stayed or left, he would inevitably be discovered by the Sui troops.

Yet Eric Bolton remained surprisingly calm. He grabbed two short spears from beside him, staring unblinkingly ahead, as if prey was about to appear.

Moments later, four Sui cavalry scouts galloped over, passing beneath the tree where he was hiding. As they rode past, Eric Bolton swung his arm, and the two short spears shot out like lightning, piercing the backs of two riders, who fell from their horses with miserable cries.

The other two were shocked, whipping around to look, but saw no one in the woods behind them. As they panicked, a blur of blue dropped from above, and sharp military daggers stabbed left and right, instantly piercing the skulls of both riders.

In the blink of an eye, all four Sui cavalrymen lay dead on the ground, clean and efficient, done in one swift motion. Eric Bolton leapt onto a warhorse, squeezed with his legs, and spurred the horse into a gallop, quickly vanishing into the depths of the forest.