Great Wilderness Demon Lord

The wolf-like attacks came wave after wave, without stopping.

On the front of the ice wall, two hundred wolf-like cavalrymen were divided into several groups, taking turns to charge at the base of the wall. They no longer attempted to climb directly, but instead used precise arrows to suppress the defenders on the top of the wall, creating opportunities for the jackals.

More than four hundred jackals, divided into three groups of over one hundred each, bravely charged toward the ice wall under the cover of a hail of arrows from the wolf pack, carrying crude wooden ladders and grappling hooks.

The pressure on the defenders on the wall increased sharply.

Arrows rained down, and jackals fell in droves, but those behind them continued their charge, stepping over the corpses of their comrades. The wooden ladder finally reached the top of the wall, and a grappling hook was thrown up and secured to the battlements.

"Cut the ladder! Cut the rope!" Zhao Meng roared, swinging his knife to cleave a hook rope.

But there were too many ladders and too many ropes. On one section of the wall, three jackals scaled the top using wooden ladders and fought fiercely with the defenders. One of the recruits was pierced in the abdomen by a bone spear and fell with a scream. A veteran nearby, his eyes red with rage, rushed forward and used his body to knock the jackal off the wall, falling down with him.

Blood spread across the wall and congealed into dark red ice crystals on the ice surface.

Xiao Yunlan stood in the central section of the wall, his face as cold and hard as iron.

His bow never stopped, arrows flying one after another, each one precisely piercing the throats of the jackal chieftain or wolf-like archer. But the enemy was simply too numerous; for every one shot down, another immediately took its place.

Behind them, Shi Biao and Zhao Meng joined forces and engaged in fierce fighting with the circuitous Wolf Rong squad.

This small squad of about thirty riders were all elite, skilled horsemen and ruthless swordsmen. They clearly hadn't expected the defenders to react so quickly, and after being intercepted by Zhao Meng and his men, they attempted to break through and retreat back to the north bank.

But Shi Biao's guards held them off relentlessly. A fierce battle ensued on the open ground between the ruins and the riverbank, with flashing blades and flying blood and flesh.

Xiao Yunlan glanced at the battle situation behind him and felt somewhat relieved—Zhao Meng and Shi Biao could hold their ground.

But the pressure from the front is increasing.

The northeast corner once again became the focus. More than twenty wolf-riding cavalrymen charged at that section of the wall. The giant wolves leaped up, their claws carving deep furrows in the ice, while the riders used their scimitars to hack at the wall's battlements.

Tieshan led more than 30 men to hold the line. Logs rolled down and boiling water was poured on them, but the wolf-like cavalry were fearless. Three giant wolves had already leaped onto the wall, and the riders engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the defenders.

"Captain! The northeast corner is about to collapse!" A messenger, covered in blood, ran over.

Xiao Yunlan took down the hard bow, nocked three arrows, and drew the bowstring taut.

Deep within his dantian, the crimson aura of the Courageous Demon surged violently, his fighting spirit gushing like magma. But he forcibly suppressed the urge to personally charge forward and kill.

As the defending general, he must have a comprehensive view of the entire situation.

Three arrows were fired in quick succession.

A hundred paces away, a wolf-riding rider who was hacking at the wall with his sword fell from his horse. Another arrow pierced the giant wolf's eye socket, and the wolf howled and rolled, throwing its rider off its back. A third arrow pierced the back of a jackal leader.

But this damage is a drop in the ocean compared to the overall situation.

The ice wall began to loosen in several places. The jackals frantically hammered at the wall with bone spears, sending ice shards flying and causing cracks to appear in several places.

Even more fatally, they were running out of arrows.

"Captain! The quiver is empty!" came a cry from the top of the wall.

Xiao Yunlan's heart sank.

Without the suppression of arrows, the jackals will pounce on the wall without any fear, and the wolf-like cavalry will be able to fire their arrows more freely.

Just then, a deep and long horn sounded from the north bank.

The bugle call was completely different from the previous attack orders, carrying a sense of desolation and grimness.

Upon hearing this, the wolf-like cavalry, who were launching a fierce attack, suddenly slowed down their offensive.

They retreated like the tide, regrouping a hundred paces outside the wall. The jackals also stopped chiseling at the wall, dragging their wooden ladders and corpses as they retreated.

The battlefield suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

Only the howling wind and the groans of the wounded could be heard.

Xiao Yunlan squinted and looked towards the north bank.

Dust rose again behind the Wolf Rong army.

Another cavalry unit appeared on the horizon, numbering about three hundred riders, all of them black-armored giant wolves. The leader was exceptionally burly, riding a giant wolf nearly seven feet tall at the shoulders, clad in iron armor, like a moving small mountain.

That's the real main force.

On either side of the main cavalry force, even more jackal warriors surged out like ants, numbering no less than five hundred.

The enemy's general offensive has only just begun.

"Everyone, check your weapons, repair the ramparts, and get some rest." Xiao Yunlan's voice remained calm. "Gather the last batch of arrows and distribute them to the best archers. Move all the logs and stones onto the wall. The kitchen is boiling water, the more the better."

With the order given, the garrison, dragging their weary bodies, began their final preparations.

Zhao Meng and Shi Biao also repelled the outflanking squad, losing eight men but killing sixteen Wolf Rong riders, barely managing a victory. They led their men back inside the wall to join the frontal defense.

On the ice wall, the guards were counting their numbers.

Fewer than two hundred men were still capable of fighting. More than half of them were wounded. They had less than thirty quiver of arrows left, and very few logs and stones remained.

The enemy forces, including newly arrived troops, numbered over five hundred wolf-horse cavalry and nearly a thousand jackal warriors.

The disparity in troop strength between the two sides has become so vast that it is despairing.

Xiao Yunlan looked at the busy soldiers below the wall, noticing the exhaustion and fear on their faces, and slowly exhaled a breath of white air.

Deep within his dantian, the golden aura of the Loyal Demon flickered faintly, conveying a clear sense of "hunger."

This team needs faith, a force that can keep them going in dire circumstances.

And there's not much more he can give.

"Zhao Meng, Tieshan, Shi Biao." He summoned three key members.

After the three men gathered at the main barracks, they were all wounded, their armor was torn, and their faces were covered in blood.

"The enemy's general offensive is imminent, and this battle is likely to end badly," Xiao Yunlan said bluntly. "But we must hold on. If we fail, everyone will die."

The three remained silent.

Xiao Yunlan continued, "I will stay on the wall and fight alongside you. The city stands, and so do we; the city falls, and so do we."

Zhao Meng suddenly looked up: "Captain!"

"Let me finish," Xiao Yunlan raised his hand to stop him. "The key to this battle is holding off the first wave. The enemy is powerful, but the ice wall remains strong. If they want to break through the city, they will have to pay a price. What we need to do is make that price so high that they can't afford it."

He glanced at the three men: "Zhao Meng, you're in charge of the left flank. Tieshan, the right flank. Shi Biao, lead the guards to provide support in the center, filling in wherever there's an emergency. I'll coordinate from the central command, and I'll personally intervene if necessary."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "There's one more thing. If something happens to me, Zhao Meng will take command. If Zhao Meng dies in battle, Tie Shan will take over. And so on. Remember, as long as one person is standing, Ice City cannot be lost."

The three men, their eyes reddening, clasped their hands in unison and said, "Yes, sir!"

"Go." Xiao Yunlan turned around and looked north.

The enemy army had begun to organize its ranks. The main force of the Wolf Rong cavalry was arranged in three wedge formations, while the Jackal people were divided into several groups, carrying more wooden ladders and battering rams.

The final offensive is about to begin.

Xiao Yunlan touched the Soul-Stabilizing Jade around his neck. It was still warm and smooth, but its light was as dim as a candle flickering in the wind.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no longer any emotion in them.