At Red Snake Pass, Velin stood atop the walls and gazed into the distance. He could clearly see Fire Crow Pass, the ninth pass on the Canyon Mountain Ancient Road, thirty kilometers away.
The ancient road was surrounded by venomous snakes and insects, forming Fire Crow Pass's natural barrier.
"Kyle, have the men burn this area." Velin pointed at the hills on both sides of the ancient road as he gave the order.
Hearing this, Kyle asked, "My lord, how far should we take it?"
"Within sight, there must not be a trace of living creatures."
"Yes."
Half an hour later, a thousand-man force arrived at the mountain peaks on both sides of Red Snake Pass. They first created a three-hundred-meter-wide firebreak, then poured down blazing oil and began setting the forest ablaze.
With the efforts of several mages, the wildfire rapidly spread eastward.
Below the pass walls, Kyle merged the holy flames in his hand into the ordinary wildfire.
Beneath the cover of decaying leaves, countless venomous snakes began fleeing eastward.
As magical beasts, they naturally did not fear ordinary wildfire. But white flames were mixed within it; once caught by them, they would be reduced to a complete strip of black charcoal in an instant.
Atop Fire Crow Pass's walls, the defending general Darnell slammed his fist against the battlements. Watching the wildfire spreading toward them in the distance, veins bulged on his forehead, and fury churned endlessly within him.
Along the ancient road between Red Snake Pass and Fire Crow Pass lay three towns and twenty-eight villages, with more than thirty thousand people in total. Now, they were about to be buried in a sea of fire.
Quintina, the defending general of Red Snake Pass, wore a grim expression as she said, "General Darnell, you should know