North of the capital city walls, the fierce wind roared across the desolate land. To the north of the former capital, mountains and clear waters once graced the scenery, complete with intact roads and greenery.
However, as far as the eye could see, it was now a scene of devastation, scarred by the remnants of high-explosive weapons. The ground had long been stained countless times with the blood of both humans and demonic beasts, a dark, reddish hue.
Beneath the city walls lay a moat stretching for thousands of miles. Every step within it, a figure was prone on the ground, monitoring the battlefield.
Tonight, the demonic tribes of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain had not launched an attack. By rights, the soldiers outside the city should have returned to rest and recuperate.
Yet, they dared not! They dared not slacken their vigilance in the slightest!
"At least we can rest tonight. Damn it, shooting all day for the past few days has given me calluses. In my twenty years of military service, I haven't fired as many shots as I have in these past few days."
In the moat, an old soldier, after observing the battlefield for a while, lay down, lit a cigarette, and spoke to his comrade beside him.
Although these soldiers were now all King-level martial artists, they would not engage in direct combat with demonic beasts unless absolutely necessary.
After all, firearms were sufficiently destructive and much easier to use.
From the beginning of the war, the guns in their hands had not fallen silent. In the past, battles involved changing magazines; now, it was changing guns.
Constant firing caused the firearms to overheat and break down.
"Damn demonic beasts, they breed so prolifically. I heard from the company commander that the demonic tribes dispatched over fifty million demonic beasts this time, and that doesn't even count the small ones like snakes, spiders, and rats. If our Great Qin wasn't as strong as it is now, we probably wouldn't have lasted through even one wave."
The comrade beside him replied, his appearance somewhat immature, clearly having served for only a few years.
"That's true. Thanks to the Dragon King, if he hadn't helped us all cultivate into martial artists and hold back the Beast Emperors during the major battles, we would have been finished long ago."
The old soldier nodded and said, then threw away his cigarette and cursed.
"Those idiots, accusing the Dragon King. What the hell, have their heads been kicked by a donkey? Can't they distinguish between good and bad people? Incited by a few words from people online, they've all turned into fools."
"Exactly! Speaking of which, it makes me angry. If the military hadn't forbidden us from going online, I would have unleashed my full fury and cursed them to death! What's even more detestable are those people in the capital. They curse our Dragon King from outside, but those ungrateful people in the capital – if the Dragon King hadn't saved the capital, they would have died long ago! A bunch of ungrateful wretches! I really want to just quit!"
The new recruit said, taking a cigarette from the old soldier's pocket and lighting it.
"Keep your voice down. What are you talking about? Don't forget why we joined the army! It's to protect the peaceful lives of ordinary people! They were also deceived. Don't blame them."
The old soldier spoke, smiling. He had seen and experienced much, and had long become accustomed to such things.
"I haven't forgotten! But even if we protect, we should protect those who are worth protecting! For those who are ungrateful, I'm sorry, but I don't think it's worth it!"
The new recruit continued, his eyes slowly turning red. He looked towards the battlefield and gritted his teeth, growling.
"Squad leader sacrificed himself for them! His body hasn't even been recovered yet!"
On the battlefield, human and demonic beast corpses were everywhere, but neither side dared to retrieve them.
It could be said that the demonic tribes were indifferent to this; even corpses were food for them. Humans, however, were different. They cherished the concept of returning to their roots and wished to bring back the bodies of their fallen comrades for proper burial.
But the demonic tribes offered no opportunity for the humans. Despite the current quietude on the battlefield, implying no immediate danger, hidden perils lurked everywhere.
Small demonic beasts, such as venomous spiders, scorpions, and centipedes, were scattered across the battlefield. The largest among them were only about the size of a human arm, making them difficult to detect.
As soon as someone entered the battlefield, they would be attacked. If not for the array protecting the north of the capital city, no one would dare to remain outside the city walls.
However, just as human corpses could not be retrieved, demonic beast corpses also could not be recovered.
Imperial-level martial artists continuously patrolled the battlefield. As soon as they spotted a slightly larger demonic beast, they would decisively strike and kill it.
"Brother, do you think we'll win?"
The new recruit asked the old soldier. The old soldier was silent for a long time, then looked up at the night sky, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. He said slowly,
"We will win. One day, Great Qin will be as it was before, without war, without oppression, without demonic beasts."
After chatting for a while, the two continued to lie at the edge of the moat, staring intently at the battlefield.
Meanwhile, in the Great Qin Palace's main hall, Emperor Qin Li Xiaotian and others were present.
However, at this moment, everyone's faces were grim.
With the war having begun, Emperor Qin had requested aid from the sects that had previously agreed to form an alliance with Great Qin. The response, however, was meager. Some sects cited the need to search for the Blood Son as an excuse for their inability to dispatch personnel, while others did not even respond.
To date, the combined number of Imperial-level experts from Great Qin and its allies barely reached seventy, a stark contrast to the demonic tribes.
Moreover, among these fifty-odd Imperial-level experts, Great Qin had fifteen. Those from the sects they had subdued sent sixteen, the Dao Sect and the Sword Pavilion each sent ten, and there were also powerful individuals from sects that had previously aided Great Qin.
The number of Imperial-level experts aiding Great Qin did not even reach twenty.
"Hmph! They are all humans, and they are the ancestors of present-day humans. Yet, when the demonic tribes invade, they evade combat and make all sorts of excuses. How laughable!"
Emperor Qin chuckled self-mockingly. The Imperial-level experts from the other awakened sects present also felt a wave of shame.
Emperor Qin failed to mention one point: they, the ancients, were indeed the ancestors of the current human race. By rights, as elders, they should have stepped forward, but the actions of those sects made them feel utterly ashamed.
"What's the point of getting angry? Once this war is over, we'll settle accounts with them one by one. We were too merciful before."
Li Xiaotian spoke, his tone calm, but to the ears of those present, it was filled with killing intent, chilling their hearts.
The Imperial-level martial artists who had come to aid felt a sigh of relief. Regardless of anything else, they had made the right choice. At the very least, Great Qin would treat their sects with respect in the future.
"If we can win this war, we fight. If we can't win, then, heh, we retreat! We establish a new defensive line and lure the demonic tribes into Great Qin. Then, we'll let them resist the demonic tribes themselves!"
Li Xiaotian continued, his tone icy. Even a clay figurine has three parts of anger, let alone someone who was not benevolent to begin with!
"Young friend Li, this cannot be! If the demonic tribes enter Great Qin, it will surely lead to widespread suffering! Although those sects are at fault, the ordinary people under their rule are innocent."
Someone spoke up. It was Jian Lin from the Sword Pavilion, who had led the Sword Pavilion's experts to aid Great Qin during the last resurgence of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain demonic tribes.