The Barbarian Tribe's Appetite

The Heaven-Reaching Tower, top floor.

Amidst the vast expanse of clouds, a tall, slender figure appeared and disappeared, her flowing white dress billowing in the cold wind.

Tianyuan gazed towards the Northern Border, her golden eyes gleaming with an unusual light.

Amidst the churning clouds,

A figure ascended the stairs to the top of the tower and knelt behind the woman.

"Sect Master."

This is a man, middle-aged in appearance, but his hair and beard are already gray.

If some high-ranking members of a sect were here, they would recognize this middle-aged man as Taishi Ran, the leader of the Heaven Void Sect, a major sect in the Southern Frontier.

Tianyuan glanced at him indifferently, without telling him to get up, her cool voice escaping her lips:

"How?"

Taishi Ran knelt on one knee, performing the proper etiquette, and chuckled softly:

"Some old friends of mine have been writing to me; they're preparing to take action, and the timeframe is set for the next few days."

Tianyuan withdrew her gaze and looked towards the Northern Border, where she seemed to be able to vaguely see the scene:

"It has already begun."

Taishi Ran's eyes narrowed, and he lowered his head even further.

"The Pavilion Master possesses Divine Ability abilities, capable of gazing upon the Northern Border thousands of miles away."

He paused, then asked hesitantly:

"But shouldn't we really get involved in this? Perhaps we can completely thwart Li Yaoxuan and Xu Yinhe's scheme."

Tianyuan's veil was lightly draped, her exquisite face expressionless.

"The future is unpredictable. Those two are no ordinary people. Our emergence has already drawn hostility from the world. To rashly participate would only invite trouble. We should simply observe and wait."

"Moreover, that drop of ink has been missing from Di'an City for over a month. If he went to the Northern Border, such an event might be able to remove the ink from the water."

Taishi Ran paused briefly upon hearing this, then said in a deep voice:

"But the saintess..."

Before she finished speaking, Tianyuan gave Taishi Ran a deep look with her divine gaze, devoid of any emotion.

Seeing this Taishi Ran lowered his head and remained silent.

The Northern Border.

Beifeng City is located at a strategic pass and is an important town. It was built on the plain where two towering mountain ranges meet, like a giant beast lying between heaven and earth, firmly blocking the only way for the Barbarian Tribe to invade southward.

But at this moment, a change occurred in this ancient city with a history of thousands of years.

As the attack approached and fireworks lit up the southern part of the city, most of the defenders on the towering city walls simply stared blankly at the fireworks rising below the city gate.

Astonished.

I don't understand.

However, most of the soldiers in Beifeng City were veterans who had fought many battles and were stationed on the border. After a brief moment of stunned silence, shouts empowered by the Source Qi spread across the South City.

"Stop daydreaming, all of you! Get to work and prepare the defensive equipment!!"

"The City Defense Bureau, go check on the damage to the city walls!"

"Send word to the Yulin Army: Barbarian Tribe attacks are possible!"

"Zhou Ziwu, close the city gates for me!!"

"General Tang, there's still more than half of the convoy outside that hasn't entered the city yet. We also have some brothers out there checking things."

"Go to hell! I told you to lock me up! If you don't, I'll come over and chop you up right now!"

"Activate the formation! Activate the formation!!"

Under the organization of the rank-and-file sergeants, soldiers were deployed in squads, siege weapons were loaded, local formations were activated, and alarm bells rang continuously!

At several gate openings, the heavy city gates were slammed down, crushing merchants, cargo carriers, and Demon Beast who were trapped under the gates and unable to escape into a bloody pulp. Meanwhile, caravans and wagons outside the city that had failed to enter were thrown into chaos.

Shouts, pleas for mercy, and cries of people trying to use connections to get into the city were incessant.

But these voices were selectively ignored by the defending troops, or at least by the veteran soldiers.

Following the attack, the South City quickly went into a state of combat readiness.

While the lower-ranking soldiers were actively preparing for battle, a figure flew in from inside the city and arrived at the South City tower one after the other.

He was over fifty years old and dressed in the uniform of a deputy general in the Yulin Army.

Landing atop the city wall, the middle-aged man in military uniform, his brow furrowed, stared intently at the southern horizon. All he could see was a vast expanse of white snowflakes and mist, but amidst the falling snow, he could vaguely discern three dark figures slowly moving towards Beifeng City.

After a few moments of silent observation, the lieutenant's expression grew solemn.

Just then, a whooshing sound came, and another person quickly arrived and landed beside the deputy general.

The newcomer looked very scholarly and was dressed in the standard uniform of a captain. Upon seeing the lieutenant, the scholarly young man immediately gave a simple salute.

"Deputy General Cang"

The middle-aged deputy general glanced sideways:

"Commander Yuan, where are the others?"

"The supplies that Yuan coordinated and delivered today from the market in the south of the city are nearby and arrived quickly; the others should still be on their way."

After a brief explanation, Yuan Hao asked directly, "Deputy General Cang, what is the condition of the city walls?"

Deputy General Cang remained silent for a moment upon hearing this:

"Just now, the chassis of a vehicle transporting Source Crystal exploded."

"The Source Crystal exploded?"

Yuan Hao was stunned for a moment, then angrily cursed, "Damn it, transporting Source Crystal by horse-drawn carriage. Who would be so stupid as to do something like this?!"

Deputy General Cang shook his head:

"I don't know, it's been blown to smithereens, we haven't had time to investigate."

Yuan Hao exhaled a puff of white mist, took two steps forward, and glanced in the direction where the fireworks had risen:

"How damaged is the grass now?"

Deputy General Cang's eyes were somewhat solemn:

"The city wall wasn't badly damaged; only some of the array patterns were destroyed. But the carriage was blown up directly inside the city gate, so the Triumph Gate might not be able to close for a while."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao's heart sank.

The Triumph Gate is a major gate in the south of the city with a large throughput; if it cannot be closed...

The city is now sparsely defended, as most of the troops that were transferred here have already gone north to subdue the barbarians.

If barbarians attack, the city might be breached immediately.

Looking up into the distance,

At this moment, the three dark figures, almost as tall as the Beifeng City, had slowly moved to a point twenty miles Beifeng City, where they stood facing each other from afar.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Hao's pupils contracted:

That is...

The light from the cultivation Cultivation Method gleamed in Deputy General Cang's eyes:

"Ice Beast Colossus"

"The Ice Beast Colossus?!"

Yuan Hao pondered for a moment, then froze. "Why could the main force of the Barbarian Tribe suddenly appear in the south?"

The enormous size represents a huge consumption of resources; feeding such a war behemoth in the desolate wilderness of the Northern Border Snow Plain is no small cost.

In other words, this thing is the Barbarian Tribe's lifeline.

The presence of such coffins in the south of the city indicates that this siege was not a feint.

The next moment,

Yuan Hao's tone carried a hint of murderous intent as he glanced at the several massive military camps within the city. "The Barbarian Tribe would never tamper with the vehicles of our Great Yan. Deputy General Cang, this is blatant treason!"

Deputy General Cang remained unmoved, and simply said:

"Even the most foolish sects in the Northern Border wouldn't do something so stupid. This must be someone else's doing. The most urgent task now is to defend Beifeng City."

As the two were talking,

A graceful figure in a fiery red dress descended gracefully.

Upon seeing the person who came,

Deputy General Cang was stunned for a moment, then quickly knelt down and saluted, his voice trembling as he said:

"Your Highness, you didn't come secretly, so why did you come so suddenly?"

"Shut up."

A cold, murderous gaze swept over the two of them, Li Qingyan said in a chilling voice:

"If I don't step in, who will unite the troops currently in Beifeng City?"

"."

The city walls were shrouded in a desolate, snowy landscape, utterly silent.

In order to wipe out the Barbarian Tribe, almost all of Beifeng City have been deployed, and they are now isolated on the Snow Plain plains due to a blizzard.

The only troops that Beifeng City could directly command were the 10,000 Black Scale Army under Yuan Hao's command, and the Yulin Army who had retreated to the rear to receive reinforcements.

At most, it's only thirty thousand.

However, although the elites of each sect were all holed up in Houting County, they also left some troops behind to guard their home base. The combined forces of the various sects Aristocratic Clan numbered roughly 100,000.

However, if no one with unifying power steps forward to integrate it, it will most likely end up like the previous Beifeng.

They passed the buck, each trying to preserve their strength; neither wanted to fight a hard battle or defend the Barbarian Tribe's main attack territory.

This sudden turn of events forced Li Qingyan to step forward.

Li Qingyan's crimson eyes blazed as he stared at the distant, shadowy mountains, exhaling a puff of white mist.

"Cang Liping, what have you been doing all this time, sending such a large number of barbarians all the way Beifeng?"

Cang Liping opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent, lowering his head.

"I am incompetent and am willing to accept military punishment."

Li Qingyan clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with killing intent, but in the end he sighed:

"Get up. Now that we need your men, how do you expect me to execute you?"

"."

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased slightly, Yuan Hao, who was also kneeling on the ground, interjected at the opportune moment:

"Your Highness Wu Yuan, the fact that these barbarian troops circled around to the south cannot be entirely blamed on Commander Cang. They must have sneaked across from the Xingyuan Mountains on both sides."

Li Qingyan glanced coldly at Yuan Hao, his attitude unchanged despite the Black Scale Army's uniforms, his voice icy:

"I can understand how the barbarians thrived in the natural disaster and blizzard, and I can also understand why they would take the roundabout mountain paths. But tell me, how could such Ice Beast Colossus suddenly appear Beifeng City?"

As he spoke,

Li Qingyan took a deep breath and exhaled a cloud of white mist atop the city wall:

"Cang Liping, I saw this while I was waiting outside the city today. The flying scout left the city at 7:45 AM and returned at 1:15 AM."

"Can you really survey an area within a hundred li radius in just four-quarters of an hour?!"

"Deputy General Cang, tell me, which general is in charge of scouting around Beifeng City?"

"."

Upon hearing this, Deputy General Cang immediately realized that the other party intended to kill someone to establish their authority, and quickly whispered:

"Your Highness, with such heavy snow, if the scouts continue deeper into the snow, they could easily lose their way and not be able to return."

"Cang Liping, do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?!"

Li Qingyan's voice sharpened. "I always taught you to love your soldiers like your own children, not to spoil them like treasures. This is already dereliction of duty. Do you really not know what it means if Beifeng City falls?!"

Deputy General Cang trembled slightly as he respectfully uttered a name.

In the Beifeng City, in the boudoir of Lou Ji.

The relaxed atmosphere of their earlier bickering and arguing had completely vanished.

Xu Yuan sat quietly on Lou Ji's bed, like a mascot.

Meanwhile, Lou Ji, holding the Heavenly Message Source Crystal given to her by Xu Yuan, was constantly contacting all sorts of random people right in front of him.

Two quarters of an hour later, Lou Ji dispelled her Cultivation Method and directly returned the Heavenly Message Crystal Hair to her Sumeru Ring.

Upon seeing this, Xu Yuan's lips twitched, but he didn't ask for it.

Because we know that if we ask now, there's a high probability we won't get it back.

Lou Ji plopped down next to him and sighed softly.

"Changtian, if the situation turns bad, you should go back to the Imperial Capital with your sister."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan frowned slightly:

"From what I heard in your conversation with those people just now, isn't the situation still under control?"

Lou Ji looked into Xu Yuan's eyes, her gaze filled with complex emotions.

"Changtian, this incident is similar to the Nine Lotus Sect Rebellion seventeen years ago."

"The Nine Lotus Sect Rebellion," Xu Yuan murmured, "... the incident that arose from the establishment of the Tian'an Martial Hall?"

Lou Ji nodded, her beautiful face expressionless.

"The sect must have received some information. They want to retaliate against the decisions made by the Emperor and your father, just like they did to the Emperor and your mother more than ten years ago. Back then, the Emperor personally led the expedition but was betrayed and framed. Although he ultimately achieved his goal, you know how it ended."

Xu Yuan opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

lesson.

The lessons the emperor learned from the powerful interest group of the sects.

And this time, how can it be compared to that incident?

After a long silence, Xu Yuan glanced out the window:

"Sis, what's going on outside?"

Lou Ji crossed her legs, revealing her snow-white thighs through the side of her skirt, and said softly:

"The spies blew up the Triumph Gate in the South City in the name of our Tian'an Chamber of Commerce."

"Huh?" Xu Yuan was stunned for a moment.

Lou Ji raised one hand and rubbed her brow with her index finger and thumb:

"Don't look at me like that. There are capable people in the sect too. If you can plant spies within them, they certainly can too."

"The spy has been caught?"

"There are several candidates, but it's not confirmed yet."

"What about the Barbarian Tribe?"

Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment before asking, "The spies blew up the city walls, probably to coordinate with the Barbarian Tribe attack?"

Lou Ji gave Xu Yuan a strange look and asked in return:

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not worried at all, Changtian?"

Xu Yuan was speechless, then shrugged:

"Panic won't help at this point, and the Barbarian Tribe haven't even entered the city yet, have they? Even if the sect wants to replicate what happened more than ten years ago, those two princes in the city should be the first choice. I'm just a spoiled brat; I'm not worth them making such a fuss over."

Lou Ji gave Xu Yuan a complicated look and whispered:

"Alright, the Barbarian Tribe army has appeared in the south of the city."

Upon hearing this confirmation, Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then murmured to himself:

"South of the city? These Barbarian Tribe took the mountain roads they bypassed?"

Beifeng City lies across the plain between two mountain ranges. To bypass Beifeng City, one must traverse through mountainous forests and steep cliffs. Such places are treacherous, where a slight misstep could result in a fatal fall, and large siege weapons would be difficult to transport.

Thinking it over, Xu Yuan sketched out a rough outline of the current situation in the Northern Border in his mind.

From north to south.

Barbarian Tribe harassment troops.

In the vicinity of Dali Mountain, Marquis of Martial Achievement and Zong Qingsheng.

Marquis Pavilion Line Generation 1, 300,000 elite troops from the Northern Border Sects.

Li Qingyan, Beifeng City.

Barbarian Tribe army.

"."

And once this outline appears,

Xu Yuan looked at Lou Ji with an incredulous expression:

"Sister,

"This Barbarian Tribe Alien King"

"Does it intend to directly wipe out the 700,000 elite troops of the Great Yan in the Northern Border?"

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