Xueyang Dynasty, Blood Mountain Pass.
The Blood Mountain Pass, originally shrouded in the darkness of night, was now illuminated by countless bright torches. Zhou Yu stood atop the city wall, his eyes twitching slightly, his hand, gripping his long saber, slick with cold sweat. He let out a long sigh.
Below the city wall, densely packed and neatly arrayed, were the Vermilion Bird soldiers clad in crimson armor. Each piece of armor shimmered with wisps of Southern Bright Fire, stretching as far as the eye could see—over five hundred thousand strong.
"Screech! !"
"Creak! !"
Catapults were wheeled out by the Han soldiers, encircling the western wall of Blood Mountain Pass from all sides.
Instead of colossal stones, the catapults carried massive black iron balls, each studded with dense iron spikes. From a distance, they resembled maces, only vastly larger.
An unknown liquid coated the iron balls, and under the glow of the Vermilion Bird soldiers' Southern Bright Fire, it appeared a viscous, dark red.
Within the main army, Zhang Liao, Gan Ning, Xu Chu, Chen Gong, Lu Kang, Gao Shun, and Liao Hua, all prominent figures, gazed forward. The army had marched through the night, aiming to capture Blood Mountain Pass, the western stronghold of the Xueyang Dynasty, before the enemy forces arrived.
Liao Hua stepped forward, raising the Vermilion Bird legion's banner high. With a tremor in the void, he roared, "Fire!!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom! !"
A dense volley of black iron balls instantly shot forth. Countless projectiles screamed through the air, accompanied by a howling gale.
"Whoosh!!"
"Whoosh!!"
"Puff! Puff! Puff!!"
Approximately four to five breaths after the iron balls were launched, a series of sharp piercing sounds filled the air. A dazzling radiance instantly obscured the sun and moon. Tens of thousands of black iron balls, about a hundred paces from Blood Mountain Pass, erupted into fierce flames.
Tens of thousands of black iron balls coalesced into a single fiery expanse in the sky, like a fiery carpet descending from the heavens. The brilliant blaze illuminated an area of several dozen miles around Blood Mountain Pass, engulfing it completely.
"Dodge!"
"Quick, dodge!!"
On the city wall, Zhou Yu’s face contorted in terror. His pupils reflected a sea of fire. He turned and fled, shouting, "Use the firelight, I've already seen the iron balls! These massive black orbs, if they strike, will shatter even the sturdiest walls!"
As his words faded, the inferno descended.
"Rumble! !"
"Poof!"
The colossal black iron balls exploded upon the gatehouse. At the moment of impact, the viscous liquid clinging to them ignited with ferocious flames, bursting outward. The devastating shrapnel, like roaring fire dragons, extended the blast radius of each iron ball by dozens of feet.
"Rumble! !"
Some iron balls plunged into deep pits, while others, still burning fiercely, rolled through the city, their thunderous impact scattering sparks everywhere. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Sizzle!"
"Puff!!"
On the city streets, Xueyang Dynasty soldiers collapsed everywhere. Some were vaporized into bloody mist by the explosions, while others were impaled through the chest by the rolling iron balls, their bodies then consumed by flames, reduced to ashes.
The destructive and lethal power of this bombardment far surpassed that of hurling giant stones. On the streets, in the alleys, and within houses and pavilions, there were only screams of agony from those engulfed in fire, as if they were setting themselves ablaze.
"Clang!"
After several volleys of iron balls were launched, Zhang Liao drew his saber and pointed it diagonally towards Blood Mountain Pass. He roared, "All troops, heed my command!"
"Assault the city!"
"Rumble! !"
"Clang!"
The hundreds of thousands of Vermilion Bird troops erupted into action. The western wall was already in ruins, with nine-tenths of it reduced to rubble. Generals like Liao Hua and others, impatient, brandished their weapons, the very air around them humming.
Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, Gan Ning, and Chen Gong did not participate directly but sat together, studying the terrain beyond Blood Mountain Pass and planning possible routes for the Xueyang Dynasty's reinforcements.
Hundreds of thousands of Vermilion Bird soldiers, led by Liao Hua, Lu Kang, and Gao Shun, their faces etched with fierce killing intent, breached the broken ramparts and entered Blood Mountain Pass.
"Clang!"
Amidst the fiery ruins, a pair of black hands dripping with red blood pushed aside a burning boulder, revealing Zhou Yu, who had become a figure of flame.
"By the order of the Human Emperor!"
"All you soldiers, follow me and defend Blood Mountain Pass!"
"We swear not to rest until the battle is won!!"
"Kill!"
Zhou Yu's veins bulged as he roared, his vital energy surging, extinguishing the remaining flames on his armor.
"We swear to defend Blood Mountain Pass to the death!"
"We swear to defend Blood Mountain Pass to the death!"
"We swear to defend Blood Mountain Pass to the death!"
The soldiers within Blood Mountain Pass roared in unison, following Zhou Yu and brandishing their weapons as they charged towards the Vermilion Bird army.
"Bang!"
Zhou Yu’s saber sent dozens of Vermilion Bird soldiers flying, crashing to the ground. These soldiers struggled to rise, their faces contorted with ferocity.
"Divine Mansion!!"
Zhou Yu's eyes widened in disbelief. He had only unleashed a tenth of his vital energy with that single strike. At this level, even a Master-level soldier would surely perish. Yet, as the dozens of soldiers he had repelled stood up, he realized they were all at the first level of the Divine Mansion.
He scanned the battlefield, noting approximately a thousand soldiers at the first level of the Divine Mansion, and they were ordinary soldiers. Had the Han Dynasty's power grown this formidable?
"Hum~~"
A blue sword light flashed before his eyes. He instantly raised his saber, blocking a thousand-zhang sword qi that sliced across the battlefield.
"Hmph!"
"Villainous general, dare you reveal your name!" Zhou Yu, facing Lu Kang wielding a long sword in the sky, asked in a deep voice.
This elegant general, clad in half armor and half robes, frowned. Zhang Liao and Xu Chu, these powerful cultivators at the Sky Fusion realm, were not directly engaging in the assault. With no Sky Fusion realm experts participating, he believed he possessed the power to crush any Heavenly Martial realm opponent. Otherwise, how could the Xueyang Human Emperor entrust such a vital western military stronghold to him?
Zhang Liao, lacking any real command ability, dared to disrespect him, a warrior of the Heavenly Martial realm. Today, he would pay the price for his arrogance!
Even if he died today, he would slay all of the Han's Heavenly Martial realm generals here and offer their blood as sacrifice to Blood Mountain Pass!
"General of the Han Vermilion Bird Legion—Lu Kang!"
As Lu Kang finished speaking, he drew his sword, a cold glint flashing like a silver river hanging in the sky, cleaving through the void.
Zhou Yu gripped his saber with both hands, his body bearing injuries from the relentless bombardment of black iron balls. Viscous blood, a mix of black and red, stained his saber.