86: Chapter 86 The Enemy is at the Gates

Five days later.

The barbarian army finally reached the city gates.

When Gao Feng stood atop the city tower and saw that legendary "Hundred Barbarian Allied Army" with his own eyes for the first time, even with his rock-solid resolve, he could not help but feel a deep sense of shock.

At the end of the horizon, a dark mass, like churning storm clouds, slowly rolled toward Linhuang County, crushing everything in its path.

Countless tribal flags, varied in style and filled with an aura of savagery and bloodshed, snapped in the cold wind.

Sixty thousand barbarian soldiers marched in silence with heavy steps, the earth beneath their feet emitting a rhythmic, heart-palpitating tremor.

Although their formations were far less uniform than those of the Great Qian army, they were filled with a primitive, beast-like sense of power.

Walking at the very front were the "Beast Soldiers" of the Black Tooth Tribe. They drove hundreds of giant wild boars and dire wolves, clad in crude leather armor with red-glowing eyes, their fangs bared as they let out low, deep roars.

Following closely behind were the scouts of the Vulture Tribe. They were lean and moved like the wind, like lone wolves on the grasslands, vigilantly scanning everything around them.

In the center of the army, beneath the tallest royal banner embroidered with a totem of a heaven-swallowing giant python, sat a figure like a demon god upon a massive throne made of giant beast bones and decorated with gold, carried by thirty-two bare-chested giants.

He stood over nine feet tall; even while seated, he was taller than an ordinary person standing.

His body was covered in knotted muscles like blocks of granite, and his bronze skin was covered in strange, mysterious Ba-snake totems that seemed alive.

He was the King of the Southern Wilderness—Longduota!

Just by sensing that faint yet incomparably domineering aura from afar, Gao Feng knew that this person was the strongest enemy he had encountered since his Transmigration!

Without exception!

"Boom—boom—boom—" The desolate and heavy sound of war drums slowly echoed from behind the barbarian army's formation.

The war had begun.

Longduota did not even say a word of nonsense, nor did he engage in any probing.

He simply raised his right hand, adorned with a beast-bone ring, and swung it heavily forward.

"Woo—!!!" The shrill sound of horns pierced the sky!

Tens of thousands of barbarian soldiers, like a breached flood, let out beast-like roars and surged madly from all directions toward the city of Linhuang County, which appeared incomparably small and fragile in their eyes!

"Release arrows!!!" Atop the city wall, Du Wei let out a hoarse yet piercing roar!

The Divine Mechanism Battalion and thousands of archers, who had been waiting for a long time, simultaneously released their bowstrings!

"Hum—!" A dense rain of arrows, like dark clouds passing by, blotted out the sky, carrying the whistle of death as it smashed fiercely into the charging crowd!

"Puchi! Puchi!" Flowers of blood instantly bloomed within that black tide.

Thousands of barbarian soldiers charging at the front fell in swathes, like wheat being harvested.

However, their deaths did not cause their companions in the rear to feel even a shred of fear.

The subsequent barbarian soldiers stepped directly over the bodies of their companions that had not yet gone cold, trampling through the muddy blood, and continued to surge forward! Forward!

Soon, they reached the foot of the city wall!

"Up! Charge up there for this King! The first to climb the city wall will be rewarded with a hundred head of cattle and sheep, and ten women!" A tribal leader roared hoarsely, brandishing his scimitar.

Under the heavy reward, the barbarian soldiers' offensive became even more frenzied!

They pushed simple yet exceptionally sturdy battering rams, crazily ramming the city gates!

They carried massive logs, attempting to smash open the city walls!

The Beast Soldiers of the Black Tooth Tribe even drove those frenzied beasts, charging fearlessly at the first line of defense composed of sandbags and wooden stakes!

More barbarian soldiers threw ropes with grappling hooks fiercely toward the city wall!

Simple scaling ladders were erected!

Countless barbarian warriors, with scimitars in their teeth, climbed upward rapidly along the ropes and ladders like apes!

"Rolling logs! Boulders! Smash them for me!" Atop the city wall, Big Fool's roar, like a great bell, rang out!

Massive rolling logs were pried loose, whistling downward with the force of a thousand jun!

"Bang!" A scaling ladder that had just reached the top of the wall, along with seven or eight barbarian soldiers on it, was instantly smashed to pieces!

Pots of boiling "fire oil," a mixture of tung oil and asphalt, were fiercely poured down!

"Ah—!!!" The shrill screams echoed across the battlefield.

The barbarian soldiers doused by the fire oil instantly turned into burning torches, falling off the city walls in struggle and wailing, igniting their companions below as well.

The most disgusting thing was the "golden juice" boiled by the laborers.

Once poured down, the boiling, foul-smelling liquid not only caused horrific burns, but the large amount of bacteria it carried would cause wounds to fester and lead to sepsis in the following days, making it a more vicious weapon than any blade or sword.

However, the barbarian offensive still did not stop at all.

One barbarian soldier fell, and two more climbed up!

One scaling ladder was destroyed, and three more were set up!

They were like a group of beasts without pain or fear, knowing only how to kill!

Finally, after suffering nearly a thousand casualties, the first barbarian warrior roared, vaulted over the battlements, and climbed onto the city wall!

"Kill!!!"

He had just stood firm, and before he could brandish his scimitar, a cold forest of spears instantly turned him into a sieve!

However, his appearance was like opening a breach.

More and more barbarian warriors, like ants, surged madly onto the city wall!

The most cruel and bloody hand-to-hand combat on the city wall began!

On the narrow city wall, soldiers from both sides were thoroughly locked in a deadly struggle.

Blades flashed, swords danced, and flesh and blood flew everywhere!

A young soldier of the Panshi Army had his left arm severed by a single slash from a barbarian giant.

But he did not retreat, nor did he scream; instead, he used his only remaining right hand to tightly hug the waist of the barbarian giant, and then, using all his strength, roared and tumbled down from the three-zhang-high city wall, taking the enemy with him!

A barbarian Centurion was unstoppable, killing five or six Panshi Army soldiers in succession, and was on the verge of tearing open a breach.

"Looking for death!"

With a violent shout, Big Fool's iron tower-like figure appeared before him!

The Centurion sneered, and the mace in his hand, whistling with the wind, smashed fiercely toward Big Fool's head.

Big Fool did not dodge or evade, directly using his tower shield to forcibly withstand the blow!

"Clang!" A loud noise erupted, and sparks flew everywhere!

The Centurion felt his webbed fingers go numb from the shock, and the mace almost flew out of his hand.

And in that split second he was stunned, Big Fool's other hand, holding that massive, barbed iron hammer, had already swung over silently!

"Puchi!" A dull sound.

The Centurion's entire head, along with the beast-bone helmet he wore, shattered like a smashed watermelon, exploding with a boom!

Red and white splattered all over Big Fool.

But he did not care in the slightest; he wiped his face and roared again, charging toward the next enemy.

The entire Linhuang City had thoroughly turned into a massive millstone of flesh and blood.

Every minute, every second, countless vibrant lives were being ruthlessly crushed here.

Gao Feng did not Move.

He just stood quietly at the highest point of the city tower, like a statue, coldly overlooking everything below.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the best opportunity to strike the enemy where it hurt the most, and make them fear the most!

...

The bloody battle lasted for three days and three nights.

The barbarian army, like an untiring tide, launched one wave of frenzied attacks after another.

The walls of Linhuang City had been dyed dark red by blood.

Below the city, the corpses of the barbarians had piled up in a thick layer, almost reaching the height of the city wall.

And inside the city, the casualties of the Panshi Army had already approached ten percent.

Over a thousand soldiers had fallen forever on this land they had sworn to protect with their lives.

In the armory, the first thing to run critically low was arrows.

Even with the powerful production capacity of the Panshi Stockade, it could not withstand such cost-insensitive consumption.

All reserves had been pulled up to the city wall.

Even the women responsible for logistics had picked up weapons, ready to join the battle at any moment.

The atmosphere inside the city was suppressed to the extreme.

Everyone had killed until their eyes were red; everyone was prepared to die in battle.

The fourth day, dawn.

The barbarian horns sounded again.

This time, their offensive was more ferocious than any previous one!

Longduota had clearly lost his patience.

He had thrown all his most elite troops, the "King's Tent Personal Army" composed of the three major tribes, into the battlefield!

Thousands of barbarian elites, clad in heavy armor and wielding fine bronze weapons, under the buffs of hundreds of "Beast Shamans" from the Black Tooth Tribe, were like they had been injected with chicken blood, crazily charging at the south gate of Linhuang County, which was already on the verge of collapse!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The massive battering ram struck the thick, iron-clad city gate again and again!

The city gate let out a groan of unbearable stress.

The cracks were constantly widening!

"Hold! Everyone hold for me!" Du Wei roared, his voice already horribly hoarse.

He personally led hundreds of soldiers from the Tiger Guard Battalion, using their own flesh and blood to press firmly against the back of the city gate.

However, human strength eventually has its limits.

"Boom—!!!" A loud noise!

The south gate was finally, forcibly smashed open!

Thousands of barbarian elites, who had been waiting for a long time, like sharks smelling blood, let out excited roars and surged madly into the barbican!

"It's over..."

Atop the city wall, a young officer looked at the enemies surging in like a tide, a look of despair appearing on his face.

However, at this very moment, Gao Feng's cold and calm voice finally echoed across the entire battlefield.

"Close the gate!"

"Release the dogs!"

Following his order!

The hundreds of Panshi Army soldiers who had long been prepared suddenly turned the winches!

"Rumble!"

A heavy gate, several feet thick and forged from massive stones and refined iron, descended from the sky, tightly blocking the entrance of the barbican and completely cutting off the influx of the barbarian army behind it!

"Ignite!"

Du Wei's voice, filled with killing intent, rang out from the tower of the barbican!

He calmly pulled the master switch that had been pre-installed, connecting to the underground fuses throughout the entire barbican!

In an instant!

"Boom—rumble—rumble!!!"

An earth-shattering roar, as if it were about to tear the entire world apart, erupted from beneath the barbican!

The earth trembled violently!

The entire barbican, along with the thousands of barbarian elites who had just poured in and had not yet had time to cheer, was instantly swallowed by a black cloud of smoke and flames filled with the aura of destruction!

A full fifteen large "heaven-shaking thunder" gunpowder packs, buried under the barbican, were detonated simultaneously at this moment!

The terrifying shockwave swept out in all directions like an invisible giant wave!

Thousands of barbarian elites didn't even have time to scream before they were instantly torn to pieces by the terrifying explosion, their flesh and blood flying everywhere!

Severed limbs and broken armor mixed with soil were thrown high into the sky, dozens of zhang high, and then rained down like a downpour!

The entire barbican had completely turned into a burning Hell of Shura, filled with the stench of burning and the smell of blood!

This unprecedented, terrifying attack, like the "Heavenly God's wrath," instantly stunned everyone present.

Whether it was the barbarian army outside the city or the Panshi Army soldiers on the city walls, they all stared blankly at the scene of destruction before them, which exceeded their imagination.

Their minds were blank.

"Th-this is... what..."

A barbarian Chieftain's lips trembled, and his scimitar clattered to the ground.

For the first time, a feeling called "fear" appeared in his eyes.

This fear spread rapidly through the entire barbarian army like a plague.

They did not fear swords, nor did they fear death.

But they feared this power, which came from the unknown, was incomprehensible, and was like divine punishment!

"Steady! Everyone steady for this King! It is merely some Demonic Technique of the Qian people! Continue the siege for this King!"

Longduota's angry roar came from behind the army.

However, before his order could have any effect.

Gao Feng's cold voice rang out again.

"Fierce Fire Oil Tank! Prepare—!"

"Fire!!!"

On the city wall, more than a dozen strangely shaped bronze machines, which had long been prepared, let out angry roars simultaneously as the operators pulled the levers!

More than a dozen thick, viscous, orange-red fire dragons erupted from the top of the city wall!

Carrying heat waves that destroyed everything, they covered the most densely packed area under the city wall with an unstoppable posture, where the barbarian army was setting up scaling ladders to launch another ant-like siege!

"Ah—!!!"

The shrill, inhuman screams instantly rang through the clouds!

Thousands of barbarian soldiers were instantly ignited into human torches by the viscous, inextinguishable fierce fire oil!

They rolled frantically on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames on their bodies.

However, all of this was in vain.

This fierce fire oil, mixed with spirit spring water, had extremely strong adhesion; as long as it touched a little, it would burn until it completely burned the host into a charred corpse!

"Devils! They are devils!"

"Run! This is Heavenly Fire!"

Witnessing this scene like Purgatory, finally, the psychological defense lines of some barbarian soldiers completely collapsed.

He threw away the weapon in his hand, let out a desperate scream, turned around, and fled to the rear.

His behavior was like knocking down the first domino.

Panic was completely ignited!

The entire siege line of the barbarian army instantly collapsed!

Countless barbarian soldiers cried and wailed, fleeing in all directions like headless flies!

"Trash! A bunch of trash! Come back to this King!"

Longduota was furious!

He never expected that his proud, fearless warriors of the hundred tribes would be scared like this by a mere "Demonic Technique"!

Seeing that a glorious victory was about to turn into a shameful rout.

This King of the Southern Wilderness finally decided to take action himself!

"Roar—!!!"

An inhuman roar, filled with wildness and savagery, erupted from his mouth!

His tall, demon-like body leaped from the throne!

"Bang!"

The earth seemed to tremble from his stomp!

The muscles all over his body began to swell frantically at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The Ba-snake totem on his skin, which had been still, seemed to come alive at this moment!

Strips of blood-colored patterns lit up with an eerie light, flowing slowly under his skin like magma!

In just a few breaths, his height actually increased by more than three feet again!

A pair of eyes turned blood-red, filled with tyranny and madness!

A layer of solid, tangible blood-red Protective Aura covered his entire body!

The terrifying strength of a Fifth-Rank, "Bone Refining Realm" Major Achievement erupted without reservation!

"Boom!"

With a fierce kick to the ground, he crossed hundreds of zhang in an instant like a cannonball, rushing directly under the city wall of Linhuang City!

Facing the giant ballista arrows shot at him, which were capable of piercing iron armor.

He did not dodge or evade, letting out an angry roar!

"Get... out of the way for this King!"

He directly met them head-on with his fists, which were wrapped in blood-red Protective Aura and were larger than sandbags!

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

A series of explosions of metal clashing!

Those giant ballista arrows, capable of killing Fourth-Rank experts, were actually smashed to pieces by his fists!

"Break... for this King!!!"

He roared, his fists like two indestructible siege hammers, smashing heavily onto the solid concrete city wall!

"Boom!!!"

An unprecedented roar!

That section of the solid city wall, cast from cement and massive stones and eight feet thick, was actually blasted with a huge spiderweb-like breach by his pure, Physical Body punch!

Gravel splattered everywhere!

Dozens of Panshi Army soldiers on the city wall, unable to even scream, were sent flying backwards, bleeding from their seven orifices by the terrifying shockwave!

"Come again!!!"

Longduota, looking like a mad demon, raised his fists again!

Seeing that this section of the city wall was about to be completely collapsed by him!

At this critical moment!

A black figure, like an arrow released from a bow, leaped down from the tower like a meteorite, landing precisely on the crumbling ruins of the city wall, blocking Longduota's path!

The person who arrived was none other than Gao Feng!

"Your opponent is me!"

Gao Feng held the three-pointed, double-edged blade, pointing it from afar at Longduota below, his voice cold and resolute.

Longduota's blood-red eyes were locked tightly onto Gao Feng, and for the first time, his face, which had become ferocious due to the totem power, showed a grave expression.

He could clearly feel that this seemingly young Qian people general before him contained a power of Qi and blood in his body that was not inferior to his own, and was even purer and more refined.

"Very good... very good!"

Longduota grinned, revealing two rows of stark white teeth, his voice hoarse and full of oppression, "You are that Gao Feng who killed Poison Fang? It seems you are stronger than I imagined. However, that is all!"

"In the face of my absolute power, any Move is futile!"

Before the words fell, the ground under his feet exploded, and his whole body turned into a bloody afterimage again, rushing straight to the ruins of the city wall!

He didn't use any fancy Moves, just a simple punch, smashing fiercely toward Gao Feng's face!

This punch was fast! Accurate! Ruthless!

Before the fist arrived, the overbearing wind from the fist had already oppressed the air around Gao Feng, causing it to let out an unbearable moan!

Gao Feng's pupils constricted; he knew this punch must not be blocked head-on!

He unleashed his Fourth-Rank Peak strength to the limit!

Running "Phantom Steps Without a Trace" to the limit, his figure was like a willow catkin blown by a gale, flickering and uncertain, narrowly avoiding this earth-shattering punch!

"Boom!"

Longduota's fist brushed against the corner of Gao Feng's clothes and smashed heavily onto the crumbling city wall behind him!

The entire section of the city wall, as if hit head-on by a battering ram, let out a loud noise and completely collapsed!

What terrifying power!

Gao Feng felt a chill in his heart and dared not be the slightest bit careless. He turned his body, and the three-pointed, double-edged blade in his hand turned into a gorgeous stream of light, with faint purple lightning flickering on the blade!

This was his kill Move that fused the true meaning of "Wind Thunder Guide"!

"Wind Thunder Slash!"

The blade light, carrying the sharpness to tear everything apart and the evil-breaking power of thunder, slashed fiercely toward Longduota's neck!

"Petty tricks!"

Longduota sneered, not dodging or evading, directly raised his left arm, and used his forearm, wrapped in blood-red Protective Aura, to block it head-on!

"Clang—!!!"

A harsh sound of metal clashing rang through the sky!

Gao Feng only felt an unrivaled force coming from the blade, shaking his hand until it went numb, his blood and Qi surging, and he could not help but retreat seven or eight steps before barely stabilizing his figure.