On the tenth day of the fifth month, amidst the billowing dust, the mountains and plains of Lie City were already covered with the fluttering Purple Yinhua war flags. Feng Jixing had spent five whole days to transport one hundred magic crystal cannons from Shangyang City. It was evident that he was determined to destroy Lu Yan's army.
… …
The weather in early summer was very refreshing. The faint mist turned into dew and sprinkled on the city, causing everyone's armor to be wet. Lu Yan, clad in iron armor, walked on top of the city wall. Looking at the approaching Qin Army from afar, he felt a chill in his heart. They had come too fast.
"Crack!"
Amidst the lightning, Fu Yun broke through the void and arrived. He cupped his fists slowly and said, "Greetings, Commander."
"Lord Fu Yun, you don't have to be so courteous."
Lu Yan's voice even trembled a little, "Lord, you saw it too, right?"
"I went to investigate the enemy's situation just now."
"How many have come?"
"No less than one hundred thousand. The cavalry at the front is already making a detour. Perhaps they will soon surround Lie City. This time, Feng Jixing is serious. I don't think he intends to let us leave Mingshan Province."
"Is there any news from the empire?"
Lu Yan was a little tired. He sat on a sandbag under the battlement and leaned on his sword in front of him.
"There is." Fu Yun said, "Lord Longxi of the Thunder Flame Sect and He Song of the Wolf Valley have joined forces. They have gathered at least one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers. Together with His Majesty the Martial Saint Emperor, we can totally mobilize five hundred thousand soldiers to fight the Qin Army to the death. The only problem is …"
"What is it?"
"We have cleared the forest of Dark Mountain, but we still don't have enough warships. Currently, we only have eight hundred warships. It's not enough to transport enough soldiers here. Also … there are at least three months before the East Wind Current arrives. I'm afraid we can't wait any longer. Why don't we … open the city gates and head straight for the south? We might still have a chance of winning. "
"Forget it …" Lu Yan shook his head. "There are still more than ten thousand wounded soldiers in the city, and they can't march at all. I can't let them die with me … Lord Fu Yun, I'm afraid our friendship ends here. Please quickly lead the dragonriders out of this desperate situation. You can fly in the sky and return to your home. I, Lu Yan, will lead the army here to fight Feng Jixing and stall them."
"No!"
Fu Yun gritted his teeth and said, "His Majesty didn't send me here to bury the Sea and Mountain Army. This absolutely won't do!"
Lu Yan suddenly laughed in disappointment. "You and I are both soldiers of the Empire, so there's no need to be so childish. Go, preserve the strength of the Dragonriders. In the future, avenge me, Lu Yan, and the one hundred and fifty thousand brothers of the Sea and Mountain Army. The iron hooves of the Blackstone Empire will trample over every inch of the Shattered Cauldron Realm and enslave our enemies. Only then will I be able to smile in the underworld!"
"You … have really decided?"
"Yes."
Fu Yun sighed softly. "In that case, Fu Yun will not stop you, commander."
"Go, avenge me."
… …
Not long after, giant dragons rose into the sky one after another, taking the dragonriders with them as well as the peak strength of the army and leaving Liege City. In the blink of an eye, the dozens of dragonriders turned into little black figures in the sky and disappeared from everyone's sight.
Lu Yan looked up for a long time. His neck was probably sore, so he sat down again and said, "When will they start fighting?"
Baili Yan said, "Feng Jixing is currently surrounding the city. He won't make a move before he forms an encirclement."
"How do you think Feng Jixing will attack Liege City, Mister Yan? Will it be a forceful attack or a desperate one? "
"I'm afraid neither will be the case."
Baili Yan smiled bitterly. "Our army only has less than thirty thousand soldiers, but Feng Jixing has a hundred thousand. Moreover, he has powerful magic crystal cannons in his hands. He doesn't need to use these two tactics. I'm afraid that before the sky turns dark … he will order the cannons to attack Liege City. Liege City is just a small county city. The city walls aren't thick and can't withstand the destructive power of the magic crystal cannons."
"Then what about us? Do we have a choice?" Lu Yan's eyes were filled with confusion.
"No."
Baili Yan shook his head. "We can either fight to the death or surrender."
"Surrender …"
Lu Yan pursed his lips and said, "I want to see Feng Jixing."
"What?" Baili Yan was stunned.
Lu Yan stood up. "Men, prepare a horse. I want to go to the Qin Army's main camp to see Feng Jixing!"
"Absolutely not. Commander, this is like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth!"
"Don't try to persuade me."
Lu Yan murmured, "I have to go. Otherwise, Liege City will be in danger."
"This …"
…
Two hours later, Lu Yan arrived at the Qin Army's main camp with ten riders.
Without any pleasantries, Lu Yan strode across the carpet towards Feng Jixing. He nodded and said, "I'm here to negotiate."
Feng Jixing sat there in high spirits. He smiled and said, "You are not qualified to negotiate."
"Not qualified?"
Lu Yan sneered. "Feng Jixing, are you so sure that you will win?"
"That's right." Feng Jixing nodded and said, "When you had the Dragon Riders, you were still no match for me. Now that the Dragon Riders have flown away, what do you have to fight against me?"
"Don't forget, there are still fifty thousand people in Liege City! They are all the people of your Qin Empire. Are you, Feng Jixing, going to ignore these people? "
Feng Jixing couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Lu Yan, do you really think I, Feng Jixing, am a three-year-old child? Five days ago, I received a secret report from Liege City. You have captured all the people in the city and used them as food for the army. Now, is there even a single one of them alive? "
"You …" Lu Yan's face turned pale.
Feng Jixing gritted his teeth. His eyes were filled with fire. "You are a group of animals, barbarians. You treat the people of the Qin Empire as food. If I, Feng Jixing, negotiate with you, wouldn't I be associating with beasts? Get the hell out of here. In two hours, we will officially start the war. We will use the military method to decide the winner. Don't make me look down on you. Lu Yan, get the hell out of here! "
Lu Yan's body trembled. He slowly turned around, almost losing his balance. Two of his subordinates hurriedly supported him. Otherwise, this Commander of the Hai and Shan Army would have a hard time even walking.
… …
At dusk, the magicite cannons outside the city began to spit out deadly tongues of fire. Waves of magicite shockwaves pulverized the walls of Liege City. This city had long since become a dead city. The majority of the commoners had already fled, while the rest had been killed and used as rations. To the Qin Empire, this city was a humiliation that had to be erased. Thus, Feng Jixing was doing exactly that.
The bombardment continued from dusk until deep into the night, and it lasted for an entire six hours. Under Feng Jixing's orders, almost 18,000 heavy Demonic Crystal Cannons from the Artillery Battalion poured down onto the city, and the tiny city was practically razed to the ground. The Darkstone Empire's army within the city was naturally blasted into pieces, and even Lu Yan died under the bombardment.
At daybreak, the imperial army entered to collect the corpses. However, they couldn't find a single complete corpse. Instead, they found some enemy soldiers hiding in the cellars of the city. They were all shot to death. This was how war was, and Feng Jixing had been through hundreds of battles. He had long since tempered himself to the point where he was impervious to fire and water. Benevolence was simply too distant for him.
The next day, a monument was erected at the ruins of Liege City to commemorate the dead people of the Qin Empire.
Feng Jixing left 20,000 soldiers for Xiang Yu to reorganize and use to guard the southern border. Five days later, Feng Jixing led the army back to Lanyan City.
… …
One month and six days in the Shattered Cauldron Realm was equivalent to a year in the 64 domains.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed. Lin Muyu, Qin Yin, Tang Xiaoxi, and the others' cultivation had improved greatly. They had spent most of their time in the Cave of Gods and Demons, so they had gotten used to the temperature there. Lin Muyu had already advanced to the 79th Grotto-Heaven Stage, while Qin Yin and Tang Xiaoxi had reached the 77th and 74th Grotto-Heaven Stage respectively. The one who had improved the most was Xi Yan. Her strength had already recovered to the 62nd God Emperor standard. Although it was still far from the 99th Grotto-Heaven Stage, she had already recovered at least 30% of her strength. Ordinary God Emperors wouldn't be able to do anything to her.
At night, the sky of the 64 domains was as bright as a mirror.
On a hill, Lin Muyu was lying on her back, allowing the starlight to seep into her body. She closed her eyes and said with a relaxed expression, "How long have we been in the Prehistoric Mystic Realm?"
"Almost two years," Qin Yin said.
"Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, two years have passed," Lin Muyu opened her eyes and hugged Qin Yin, "Xiao Yin, do you miss home?"
"Yes, but my family is gone."
"… …"
On the other side, Tang Xiaoxi said, "Don't be so sad. Let's talk about Mu's cultivation. You have been stuck in the 79th Grotto-Heaven Stage for three months. Why don't you look anxious?"
Lin Muyu couldn't help but laugh, "What's the use of being anxious about this? I finally understand what Grandpa Qu Chu said back then. The higher the cultivation, the more important the state of mind is. If I can't break through and prove my Dao, even if I step into the 80th Grotto-Heaven, I'll only be a mediocre god, just like Wu Feng and Dongfang Yan."
As she spoke, Lin Muyu suddenly narrowed her eyes, "Someone is coming. It's Feng Zhanlin."
As expected, a gust of wind condensed in the air, and Feng Zhanlin's figure appeared. He smiled awkwardly, "I'm really sorry to disturb Lin General's quiet cultivation here."
Lin Muyu remained calm, "I'm not cultivating. I'm just flirting with girls here. If you have something to say, say it quickly."
Qin Yin and Tang Xiaoxi blushed, but they couldn't do anything to this guy.
Feng Zhanlin said, "Alright then. Reporting to Lin General, a few hours ago, the Sacred Relic was ambushed. The Celestial Dragon was injured, and two of our Divine Kings were also seriously injured. The treasure in the Sacred Relic, Star Chess, was stolen."
"What?"
Lin Muyu suddenly jumped up from the grass, "Who is so daring to behave atrociously in our territory?"
"They are all masked, but judging from their aura, they should be from the Starfall Domain. Even Zheng Xian is here!"
"The Starfall Domain finally came to us."
Lin Muyu shook her arm, and rays of light bloomed. "I haven't fought for a long time, and my hands are itching. Domain Lord Feng, go back and prepare. We will return to Dragon City in three days. We will discuss this first."
"Yes!"
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