Man on the ark, forced to become king

Without the cover of the dead mutated wolves, all the fallen soldiers were revealed. A count revealed a total of twenty-three men, some of whom had their bodies torn apart and their flesh gnawed open, a truly gruesome sight.

However, all of these men held their weapons tightly in their hands, and not one of them let go until their deaths.

"Pity."

With a sigh, Lin Lu surveyed the battlefield, raised her hand, and suddenly clenched it.

call!

In an instant, pale flames, representing death, swept out, grazed past the astonished soldiers, and then quickly retreated.

Many blurry shadows appeared in the spiritual fire, then were drawn into the outstretched palm, coalescing into a pale fireball the size of a fist.

With a flash of gold in her hand, the fireball was extinguished. Lin Lu bent down, pulled up one of the corpses, and carried it on her back, her voice slightly low.

"Let's go, head north to Yumen Pass."

Chapter 180 I'm Here, and That's the Solution

As the New Year approaches, many cities in Yan Kingdom are gradually being decorated with a festive atmosphere, including Longmen and Shangshu.

However, Yumen lacked that atmosphere; instead, it was filled with an extremely oppressive and chilling atmosphere.

Thick, dark clouds rolled in from the vast desert, stretching endlessly.

The steel city, standing tall amidst the wind and sand, concealed itself, with all visible parts covered by thick metal armor, leaving almost no gaps.

It is unknown which great battle left its mark on the steel-cast wall. Large patches of dark purple bloodstains were smeared on the wall, and the dents connected together, demonstrating the enemy's strength.

The bloodstains smeared on the city walls even corroded the steel, creating numerous tiny holes.

Yumen Pass, now in a state of closed-off war preparedness, no longer opens its gates for daily entry and exit. Whether it's scouts leaving the pass or civilians returning home, anyone needing to enter or leave the city can only do so via a large crane's basket.

This was the first time Lin Lu had used such equipment.

With the bodies of two soldiers on his shoulders, he stood on the slowly rising crane platform, gazing into the distance as his line of sight rose, and saw the gloomy shadows hidden behind the sandstorm.

Black clouds are threatening to destroy the city.

The demonic creatures lurking there are probably only a few miles away from Yumen Pass.

Such a distance is already far for ordinary people, but for those large demons with different forms, it is just a stone's throw away, and they can reach them in an instant.

Even though they were lurking several miles away, Lin Lu could still sense the oppressive gloom and stench emanating from them as she stood on the crane platform.

That was not physical decay, but rather the effect of the demonic power itself.

Living in such an environment for a long time, ordinary people cannot endure it for long and will gradually be corrupted. This corruption is from the inside out, starting with the spirit and will, and eventually spreading to the body.

Therefore, the soldiers on Yumen Pass could not leave the city for extended periods to conduct deep-penetration operations and could only defend the city.

As Lin Lu approached the city wall, she could sense faint energy fluctuations covering it.

As expected, after fighting against the evil spirits for so many years, Yumen must have developed methods to deal with their corruption. These methods may not be very effective, but they can at least ensure the needs of normal combat operations.

Otherwise, how many people in Yan Kingdom could fill this bottomless pit?

Experts need time to grow. If only experts could participate in battles, the country would have been worn down long ago. No country in the world could withstand the endless depletion of its core strength.

Boom!

The ascending crane platform suddenly shuddered and came to a stop. The heavy steel doors slowly opened, and fully armed soldiers stepped out. The leader carried something resembling a lantern, from which light emanated, sweeping over the people on the platform.

"No pollution."

As the lanterns dimmed, the soldiers seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and hurriedly went to receive the bodies of the fallen soldiers.

Who are you two?

The leader, who received the body from Lin Lu and Ling and had a lantern hanging from his waist, seemed somewhat puzzled. He hesitated for a moment before asking a question.

"Are you two travelers coming to Yumen?"

"We are here to support Yumen."

Lin Lu smiled, which surprised the leader.

"Support? Just the two of you?"

He looked at the two men in front of him. Although their clothes were stained with a lot of blood, he could still tell that the style of their clothes was not suitable for combat. They were not carrying any weapons and looked like travelers who came to Yumen to enjoy the frontier scenery. He could not tell that they were warriors.

Sorcerers need to develop their skills to cast spells, and warriors need weapons to fight. These two have nothing; they're just fighting bare-handed.

"If these two hadn't arrived in time, we probably wouldn't have come back."

The soldiers guarding the city were unaware of this, but a dozen or so who had just returned quickly came to explain.

They clearly saw the scene of Ling Zhaolong summoning the dragon's shadow and sweeping away the wolf pack.

"In that case, please come into the city and rest."

The leader said nothing more. With the enemy at Yumen now in dire straits, the fact that someone was willing to travel thousands of miles to provide support was already incredibly valuable. Regardless of their strength, they had to accept this kindness.

"I have a personal letter from the Old Celestial Master here. He wishes to see General Zuo Xuanliao. Please help me make an introduction."

Lin Lu took out the letter written by the old master from her pocket and handed it to the leading soldier. Normally, she would wait until she entered the city to find someone, but she had already seen what the situation was like in Yumen on the way here, so there was no time to wait any longer.

Who knows when those evil creatures will attack the city again? We must race against time and prepare in advance.

Therefore, he needed to see the commander of Yumen immediately.

"A letter from the Old Celestial Master?"

The leading soldier took the envelope, saw the wax seal on it, and clasped his hands in a salute: "It turns out to be a master invited by the Celestial Master. Please follow me, both of you."

There are many Celestial Masters in Yumen, but the title "Old Celestial Master" only represents one person, the pillar of the nation who has guarded the border for three hundred years.

He was not of the rank to recognize the old Celestial Master's sealing wax seal, but in Yumen, no one dared to joke about that old Celestial Master.

"I'm going into the city to find my elder brother, so I won't go there."

Ling waved his hand, indicating he had no intention of following.

As for meeting the Yumen garrison commander, Lin Lu can handle it; it doesn't matter whether she's there or not.

After all, the most she could do was help fight; there was nothing to discuss.

“You, take this young lady into the city, sir. Please follow me.”

Seeing Lin Lu nod, the leader waved to signal the other soldiers to lead their men into the city. He himself walked in front, leading Lin Lu directly through the side gate and onto the city wall.

Walking on the city wall and looking down into Yumen City, one can better appreciate the grandeur and magnificence of this ancient pass.

Those are the marks of time, the sturdy walls built from the blood and bodies of countless people.

They may have died long ago, but their indomitable spirit has permeated every inch of Yumen Pass, lingering there forever.

Taking a deep breath, the air here seemed to be filled with a lingering stench of blood. Being here felt like stepping back into the border region.

Endless bloodshed, an endless stream of enemies, an ever-present killing intent...

Just by sensing the familiar atmosphere, Lin Lu felt her body begin to stir, and she felt a faint excitement.

He was never a peaceful person; he never stopped fighting before he came into this world.

It can be said that the battlefield and fighting are what he is most familiar with.

"Hopefully, I can kill to my heart's content."

Gazing at the distant dark clouds, Lin Lu licked her lips and grinned a bloodthirsty smile.

He was a little impatient.

……

On one side of the city wall, the martial arts practitioners who had rushed up the wall had all dispersed, leaving only Meng Tieyi standing side by side with Zuo Xuanliao on the city wall.

With a major battle imminent, even as the commander of Yumen Pass, Zuo Xuanliao could not completely control those warriors, nor could he simply refuse them from participating in the war.

Fortunately, Yumen still has a sufficient amount of armor and weapons left. By using all the available replacements, it is enough to arm quite a few people.

"I actually dislike you a lot, and I dislike what you've done over the years, but... it's pointless now."

Standing beside Zuo Xuanliao, Meng Tieyi gazed at the deep shadows in the distance, his stern face revealing no emotion.

"I know."

Zuo Xuanliao neither agreed nor disagreed with these words. As Meng Tieyi said, it was meaningless to dwell on past grievances, right and wrong.

With a major battle about to begin, no one dared to say they could escape unscathed. Without reinforcements, even the eldest brother had no idea whether Yumen Pass could be held.

In this situation, what's the point of dwelling on those issues?

“You didn’t need to get involved. You’ve already shed enough blood for this border; you don’t need to die here.”

"We've already bled and lost so many brothers. What does it matter if we die here?"

Meng Tieyi suddenly smiled. He touched the iron hammer hanging at his waist, a hint of reminiscence flashing in his eyes, and said in a resounding voice, "Everyone can leave, but we will not. No matter where the enemy comes from, there is only one battle."

"The Jade Gate is right beneath our feet, our hometown. We have nowhere to retreat, cannot retreat, and will not retreat."

"I just hope that I can take some people down with me before I die, so that I don't lose out."

"It doesn't have to be this way."

Zuo Xuanliao glanced at him and said calmly, "Although we have a powerful enemy in front of us, Yumen is not without the strength to fight. If we can buy time and wait for the imperial court's reinforcements to arrive, we may not necessarily lose."