Longzang

Chapter 897 Enemy Attack
Yan Hu didn't investigate further and hurriedly left, just passing by Zhen Gang who was returning. Zhen Gang didn't feel anything at first, but after entering the courtyard, he suddenly felt weak all over, his legs went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

Zhen Gang understood that he was intimidated by the murderous aura unintentionally released by Yan Hu, and his Dao heart was lost. As a result, he instantly lost his ability to resist, just like a small beast that often becomes paralyzed and unable to get up when it encounters a fierce tiger.

Wei Yuan snorted, exhaling two thin streams of white breath that struck Zhen Gang's body. Only by using the power of the Wild Roar to dispel the Flaming Tiger's killing intent could he move normally.

Zhengang's face was pale, but thankfully the two large boxes he was carrying hadn't been knocked over. One box contained large pieces of roasted meat, and the other contained neatly arranged salted vegetables, along with a few pieces of fruit.

The two large boxes, weighing over a hundred pounds each, were the dinner for the five shamans in this courtyard. Fresh spiritual fruits from the Wilderness were far more expensive than wild steel, comparable to divine iron. These few fruits were specifically for Wei Yuan, a fact known to all the shamans, who none of them touched. Wei Yuan, therefore, didn't refuse and only ate a few spiritual fruits.

During this time, Wei Yuan continuously modified his physical body, gradually adapting to the environment of the Desolate Realm, and the Dao power consumed to resist sunlight was greatly reduced. He could barely make up for the consumption by absorbing the primordial energy of heaven and earth each day, so he no longer needed to eat much.

After dinner, Wei Yuan returned to his room and devoted himself to studying the military system of Fengmang.

The danger is too great, and the mortality rate is too high. If we take a century as a cycle, nearly half of the wild shamans who come here to guard the area will die or be injured. Less than 20% of the powerful shamans can return alive. Therefore, for many years, only by sending death row inmates and serious criminals can we barely make up for the garrison.

The Sharp Edge Fortress is pentagonal, with one corner extending outwards from each side, allowing for cross-shaped attacks against the attacking Flame Demons. The fortress's defenders have abandoned their given names, referring to themselves by titles. The most basic titles are those of weak creatures, such as insects or rodents. Previously, it seems the groundhogs, hamsters, and chipmunks were killed in battle, leaving these titles vacant.

The next level up includes small animals and birds.

Tier 3 consists of medium-sized spirit beasts, Tier 4 consists of large ferocious beasts and birds of prey, Tier 5 consists of unique spirit beasts, Tier 6 consists of divine creatures and sacred beasts, and Tier 7 consists of celestial witches.

Flame Tiger is a mid-to-late stage Desolate Witch, and his title is the peak of the fifth tier. Melting Dragon, on the other hand, is a veteran Desolate Witch at the peak of the sixth tier.

By the same token, Wei Yuan's groundhog is already close to the size of a small animal, which can be called the pinnacle of the first order, while Tian Yu's hamster is not even as good as a field mouse and belongs to the useless rats.

Only Wei Yuan and Tian Yu have official titles; the other three witches are their servants and followers. Their military achievements are attributed to either Wei Yuan or Tian Yu. In return, Wei Yuan and Tian Yu are responsible for the servants' living conditions and supplies.

All supplies in the Sharp Edge Fortress are obtained through military merit, which is extremely fair. It is said that the Molten Dragon hates corruption the most, so no one dares to do such a thing under his nose.

Wei Yuantianyu was new to the area and had no military achievements to speak of; all the military equipment he received was on credit. Tianyu originally wanted to continue using his own specially made weapons, but after Yanhu took a look, he immediately sent someone to deliver a small crossbow and a short sword with a round shield.

These seemingly unremarkable pieces of equipment were actually all made of high-quality raw steel. Tianyu wasn't stupid; he immediately changed into the new gear. After being warned by Yanhu, he understood his situation and had long since abandoned his airs as the richest man in the Witch Domain.

The next day, before Wei Yuan could even go to the library, he was attacked by the Flame Demon.

The piercing sound of horns echoed over the fortress. Tianyu, who was sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun, changed his expression drastically. He grabbed his equipment and flew out of the courtyard, with his old servant immediately following.

The battle cry was of utmost urgency; everyone had to reach the designated assembly point within ten breaths, or face desertion. Under military law, even the carefree Tianyu dared not neglect his duty. Wei Yuan was about to follow when Zhen Gang and Lie Sanyi grabbed his legs and pulled him down from the air. Lie Sanyi shouted, "You can't leave the hospital! That's military regulation!"

"I only said you're not allowed to go to the front lines, so let go of me. I'll be fine. You two stay in the yard and don't go anywhere, so you don't hold me back!"

Since Zhen Gang and Lie San had to be let go, Wei Yuan leaped out of the courtyard, jumped onto his neighbor's roof, glanced at the surrounding sky, and took a look at the neighbor's house. Years of battlefield experience had made Wei Yuan accustomed to jumping around, and he would never float in the air unless absolutely necessary.

At this moment, a large number of Mage Warriors poured out from all corners of the fortress and rushed towards the city wall. They were busy but not chaotic, and each person had their designated position. Several other groups of Mage Warriors entered a low fortification close to the city wall to wait. This was the mobile force under the command of the Molten Dragon, ready to provide support to various places at any time.

Just looking at the troop deployment, it was all very well-organized. The thousands of powerful sorcerers were able to command the troops with ease. Molten Dragon was truly a war god of his generation.

Wei Yuan didn't release his divine sense, but by observing the pre-battle mobilization, he had already grasped the strength of the entire fortress. Although the Fengmang Fortress was small, its guards were extremely elite. If these thousands of power-wielding shamans were deployed to the human battlefield, they could probably directly storm the capital of the Western Jin Dynasty. Without the intervention of immortals, there would be no way to stop their advance.

The Desolate Blade Fortress is equipped with more troops than the Edge of Sharpness, but since the fortress is already quite large, it contains a large number of ordinary soldiers with mediocre combat abilities, as well as artisans and civilians.

In the entire Desolate Realm, there are five fortresses of the Desolate Blade level, and two others are even larger in scale. Based on this, the combined power of the Power Witch in the Desolate Realm is probably a terrifying number, perhaps enough to wipe out a small portion of the Human Domain.

However, on the actual battlefield, few high-ranking shamans could be found, and many of them had questionable combat abilities, their shamanistic magic being flashy but impractical, impressive in appearance but lacking in power. Unlike the warriors of the Vanguard, each possessed a powerful and solid aura.

The Power Witches have always ranked at the bottom among the four great witch clans, and have not shown any outstanding performance in their wars against the human race. But today, Wei Yuan witnessed the strength of the Desolate Realm, and it is likely that the Power Witches have poured a large portion of their clan's strength into the Desolate Realm.

The mere fact that the sunlight here is beneficial for physical training is no longer plausible. The only possibility is that there is a terrifying enemy in the desolate realm, firmly pinning down the main force of the Power Witches and preventing them from withdrawing to support other battlefields.

At this moment, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth trembled, the power of fire began to boil, and the surrounding temperature rose sharply. Zhen Gang and Lie Sanyi, who were hiding in the house in the courtyard, could hardly bear it and could only resist with their witch power, enduring it bitterly.

The shamans guarding the city walls wore strange armor, consisting of several steel plates covering their vital parts and bound with leather straps. Each shaman was slightly different in size, resulting in a variety of armor styles. These steel plates emitted a cool aura, suppressing the fire elemental power.

Another row of black dots appeared on the horizon—those were flocks of avian dragons! Countless fire tornadoes overlapped, transforming into a terrifying storm that stretched from the ground to the sky, its diameter larger than the entire blade!
The once indestructible earth was whipped into countless pebbles by the storm. The fiery wind, sharp as a knife, continued to carve away at the ground, slicing off pieces of rock that merged into the storm, amplifying its power.

At both ends of the storm, vast swarms of dark, fiery demons appeared. Many were the wild insects Wei Yuan had seen before, but there were also several kinds of demonic beasts he had never seen before. Each demonic beast was ridden by a fiery demon.

Only after entering the realm of the Sharp Edge did Wei Yuan realize that the wild insects that had taken him so much effort to kill were merely the means of transportation for the Flame Demon Clan, much like the oxen and horses of the human realm, and were not war beasts at all.

The Flame Demon's offensive consisted of tens of thousands of visible troops, a tenfold difference in troop strength between the two sides. Wei Yuan now understood the kind of war Feng Mang was facing.

(End of this chapter)