Holy City

"I have heard that some people in the tribe are saying that Marquis of Martial Achievement has gone to the Utterdark Lands?"

A deep voice echoed in the cave, which served as the "temporary tent" of the Barbarian Tribe Alien King.

Without a campfire or any light, the tall, standing figures made the entire cave seem rather small and cramped.

As the king of a million people, the Barbarian King's "council tent" was rather simple and shabby.

After he finished speaking, there was a few breaths of silence.

One of the burly, dark figures replied in a deep, booming voice:

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King sat cross-legged on a cold, massive rock, slowly opening his deep blue eyes:

"Zha Ye, how did this news get to the tribal army?"

A cold wind howled, and snowflakes drifted into the cave entrance, making everything appear gloomy and dark.

Spreading messages to disrupt the enemy's morale has been a practice since ancient times, but in the current situation, it is clearly unrealistic for the Great Yan to use flying Demon Beast to "distribute leaflets," since they cannot find the people involved.

Zha Ye said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, this information was brought back to the main camp by those small groups of wolf riders we sent to harass the Yan army."

"Bring them back to the main camp?" Upon hearing this, the Barbarian Tribe Alien King frowned slightly. "Zha Ye, I remember I specifically instructed you not to let the wolf cavalry that went out to harass the Yan army return to the main camp. If a high-level cultivator secretly follows the wolf cavalry returning to camp and exposes the army's position, everything will be in vain!"

Hundreds of thousands of troops is a huge number, but within the vast territory of Heavenly Water Province, it is still like a drop in the ocean.

The Barbarian King was confident that he could wear down the Great Yan border army to death under this blizzard disaster.

But if you have pigs under your command

Upon hearing this, Zha Ye immediately knelt down and explained:

"The king didn't bring it directly back to the main camp; rather, it was revealed during casual conversation among the tribesmen while the meat was being transported and handed over."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King's voice held a hint of anger upon hearing this:

"I stored meat in so many locations in advance, so why are there people from my camp going out to deliver supplies?"

Since the Great Yan firmly holds the advantage of human resources, they can only make the most of the opportune moment.

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King was well aware of this.

Therefore, he had already made arrangements in advance when the imperial court's elite troops marched south.

Avoid their sharpest attacks; maneuver without striking.

Zha Ye glanced instinctively at the burly Barbarian Tribe beside him, but the next moment, the Barbarian Tribe Alien King's voice rang out, somewhat cold:

"I'm here recuperating from my injuries, and you're all ignoring my orders?"

At the same time, the terrifying pressure emanating from the Barbarian Tribe Alien King was released.

Inside the cave, several burly Barbarian Tribe immediately knelt down upon being struck by this aura.

Zha Ye took a deep breath, performed a Barbarian Tribe salute, and said with some difficulty:

"Your Majesty, some of the wolf riders are injured, and the priests have been entrusted to treat them."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King fell silent upon hearing this, raised his single arm, and rubbed his brow with the hardened keratin at his fingertips, his voice chilling:

"Is he a descendant of a tribal noble?"

"Um."

"."

After he finished speaking, the cave fell silent.

Barbarian Tribe are warlike and can ruthlessly abandon the elderly, the weak, the disabled, and other burdens in order to survive and obtain resources, but this does not mean that they have no concept of blood ties.

Ordinary tribesmen who are wounded and do not heal will be abandoned from their ample military rations, but the offspring of nobles and high-ranking officials will not be spared this fate.

Zha Ye was well aware of this, but he was even more aware that the "King's" iron will not allow such an exception to occur.

After unifying the Holy Clan, the value of all members within the race was determined by their contributions.

When the king's son was seriously wounded in battle, his noble status meant that he could have been provided with a large amount of precious resources for his treatment, but the king directly ordered that the mission be abandoned.

"His value is not enough for the Holy Clan to pay such a price; returning his soul to the Ancestral God is the best outcome for him."

As the cold-blooded words echoed in his ears, Zha Ye looked at the Barbarian King with slight worry, his eyes revealing a murderous intent.

Given the current situation, the Holy Clan cannot withstand another purge.

In the end, the murderous intent in the Barbarian Tribe Alien King's eyes turned into a long sigh, his voice somewhat weary:

"We want our offspring to train, yet we fear their deaths. Forget it. The most urgent matter isn't assigning blame; immediately order this news to be suppressed to prevent it from disrupting morale."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Zha Ye immediately responded, glancing sideways at a burly Barbarian Tribe beside him.

They gazed at each other for a moment.

The burly Barbarian Tribe bowed and quickly retreated from the cave.

The cave returned to silence.

Zha Ye looked at the Barbarian King before him, whose expression was unpredictable, and bowed, asking:

"Your Majesty, this news has already spread throughout the Bitter Calamity Tribe and the Royal Court. I wonder if this news is true?"

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King's heart was heavy, but he remained outwardly calm and said:

"The Yan people want to demoralize our army and force us into a decisive battle. We must not fall into their trap."

Upon hearing this,

As a brother who grew up alongside the Barbarian King, Zha Ye seemed to understand something. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke up:

"Yi Ting, Gong Xiong, you two go out first."

"."

After a moment of silence, the other two Barbarian Tribe also bowed and left.

For a moment, only the Barbarian Tribe Alien King and Zha Ye remained in the cave.

Upon seeing this, the Barbarian Tribe Alien King's tone softened slightly, a hint of a smile appearing in his otherwise indifferent voice:

"Zha Ye, if you wish to reminisce, it won't be too late to do so after my injuries have healed."

Zha Ye slowly rose to his feet, staring at the Barbarian Tribe Alien King:

"Your Majesty, you know I'm a straightforward person, so I'll just ask directly."

"."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King's eyes narrowed, then he sighed and uttered a single word, "Ask."

Zha Ye's tone suppressed some emotions:

"Did that Marquis of Martial Achievement of the Great Yan really go to the Utterdark Lands?"

"It should be," the Barbarian Tribe Alien King's voice was calm. "Otherwise, the Great Yan army wouldn't have sent high-level experts to blockade the two mountain ranges at any cost, preventing us from escaping north."

Zha Ye's heart skipped a beat, and his deep, Barbarian Tribe voice trembled slightly.

"Your Majesty, the Utterdark Lands are home to a million women and children of the Holy Clan."

"Zha Ye, calm down."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King's azure eyes were calm, his tone carrying a hint of reassurance. "The Utterdark Lands are vast and boundless; how easy is it to find my Holy Clan Holy City? Moreover, the supplies that Marquis of Martial Achievement carried should not be much, enough for him to stay in the Utterdark Lands for an extended period."

"But what if it falls?" Zha Ye clenched his fists, the hardened skin cracking. "That's the Holy City."

Holy City.

The city was built using resources plundered over the years after the unification by the Barbarian Tribe Alien King.

It wasn't very big, not even as big as a county town in the Great Yan.

But it was a symbol of the establishment of the royal court, representing the transformation of the Barbarian Tribe from a scattered group fighting each other for resources to a united front against external enemies.

"Alright."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King looked at his old friend who had come all this way and chuckled softly, "Zha Ye, do you think we should finish this quickly and return to reinforce the Holy City?"

Zha Ye bowed his head in respect.

"Wu Yuan has been leading 100,000 elite Great Yan in pursuit of us for over a month. Now, their army is exhausted and we are sure to rout them if we launch a surprise attack."

"No."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King rejected the suggestion without hesitation, saying in a low voice, "Although I don't know the reason, that Wu Yuan seems to be in a hurry, chasing us so blatantly in the blizzard, it's as if he has the words 'Attack me' plastered on his forehead."

As he spoke,

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King stretched out his one arm and stood up, using the boulder for support. He chuckled softly.

"She wants to gamble with me, betting on whether she can hold me off before Zong Qingsheng returns to reinforce us."

Zha Ye took a deep breath and asked:

"My lord, why not gamble? We have won seven or eight out of ten battles on our southward march, but now we are trapped within the territory of the Great Yan, and the morale of our army has wavered. If we continue to avoid battle, it will be difficult to change the desire of our tribesmen to leave."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King slowly walked to the cave entrance, his massive figure almost completely blocking the narrow opening. He looked up at the boundless white expanse:

"The Holy Clan has reached this point largely because of the internal strife within the Great Yan Dynasty. Moreover, every gamble I've made has been based on their internal conflicts. Wu Yuan's eagerness to fight me is likely related to the internal contradictions within the Great Yan."

"However, ever since we defeated 300,000 border troops with the help of intelligence from that high-ranking official in the Prime Minister's Mansion, I sometimes wonder if our Holy Clan's southward expansion has been too rapid."

Too fast?

"Yes, too fast," the Barbarian Tribe Alien King repeated in a low voice.

Zha Ye hesitated. "Your Majesty, didn't you say before that if we don't seize this opportunity to go south, in a hundred or several hundred years, our Holy Clan will no longer have the strength to contend with the Great Yan?"

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King looked down at his remaining arm, staring at the mysterious patterns on its calluses:

"No, what I mean is that we misjudged the conflict between the Great Yan Royal Court and those so-called sects. The situation is not as amicable as it appears on the surface. On the contrary, it seems to have reached a point of no return, with 300,000 elite troops being given away as a gift so readily."

Speaking of this,

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King standing at the cave entrance sighed, "If I had seen this sooner, perhaps the Holy Clan's southward march would have been delayed, and there would have been far fewer obstacles and less risk."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King slowly turned his gaze, looked at Zha Ye behind him, and said in a low voice:

"Zha Ye, your suggestion was right. When the Beifeng Army and the Black Scale Army marched north, we should have retreated and returned to the Utterdark Lands to consolidate the gains we had made over the years."

"The Great Yan is in turmoil, while our Holy Clan is recuperating. Once the Great Yan is weakened by internal strife, it should be much easier for the Holy Clan to march south again."

"Even easier than taking advantage of this blizzard disaster."

"."

Zha Ye's eyes held a complex expression. "Your Majesty, if the Great Yan did not possess the Heavenly Phenomenon Weapons, your decision would not have led to the defeat of the Holy Clan."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King noticed his gaze and spoke with a hint of helplessness:

"It's all about timing and fate. It's too late to say all this now. I overestimated myself and was too confident in my judgment of the overall situation. Now, all of our Holy Clan's retreat routes have been blocked. We can only wait, wait for the urgent upheaval in Wu Yuan to occur, and then seize the opportunity to act."

Zha Ye looked at his familiar friend before him, remained silent for a long time in the wind and snow, and then whispered:

"Your Majesty, I understand."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King suddenly chuckled softly, his deep voice carrying a feigned ease:

"I understand your concerns. Marquis of Martial Achievement of the Great Yan is indeed a remarkable figure, but isn't there still Eji in the Utterdark Lands? He's the smartest of the three of us. Even if Marquis of Martial Achievement really finds the Holy City, he will find a way to evacuate the people from the Holy City."

"As long as the people are saved, the Holy City is just a city; it can be rebuilt."

The Utterdark Lands, an endless expanse of darkness as far as the eye can see. There is not a single ray of light here, and the darkness seems to be eternal.

However, at this moment, the divine light emanating from the Great Yan army formation illuminated almost half of the sky.

A magnificent city stands within the canyon, appearing like a child stripped naked beneath the Great Yan army's ranks.

The sounds of fighting and screams rose and fell, the city was in chaos, and countless Barbarian Tribe corpses piled up like mountains.

Unlike the burly Barbarian Tribe, the corpses here appeared rather short, and most of them had not even grown a cuticle for warmth.

Barbarian Tribe are warlike, and even adult Barbarian Tribe women are capable of fighting.

As the city fell, under the organization of the generals who remained behind, the Barbarian Tribe army, hastily assembled, withdrew in an orderly manner from the city.

However, the release of the Cloud Qi Bomb had already dispersed the surrounding snow clouds. Without the cover of snow fog, the white-armored heavy cavalry of the Beifeng Army were like the scythe of death, cutting through their fleeing troops again and again.

"."

Since entering the city, Niu Yeqing has lost count of how many Barbarian Tribe he has killed.

Unlike his previous experience in suppressing rebellions and civil wars, after entering the city, he didn't need to distinguish between civilians and soldiers; he could simply cut down anything that could move.

This was an unequal massacre.

kill.

kill.

kill.

The blade of his spirit sword was already chipped, and the black blood stained on his white armor was particularly conspicuous. When he came to his senses, the city was filled with corpses.

Niu Yeqing wandered silently through the city streets. Apart from his comrades who were carrying out the order to sweep the streets, there were practically no living creatures around.

However, this is just the beginning.

The Marquis's order was to leave no survivors and massacre the entire city.

"Bang!"

Together with his four comrades, Niu Yeqing broke down the door of the Barbarian Tribe's uniquely styled snow house. His gaze immediately fell on the two Barbarian Tribe inside.

A Barbarian Tribe woman and a Barbarian Tribe child huddled together, trembling.

These two Barbarian Tribe are probably mother and son.

Thinking this, Niu Yeqing, along with his four comrades beside him, drew their already dulled swords.

But at this time,

The Barbarian Tribe woman, who had been trembling with fear, suddenly threw the Barbarian Tribe child out of the window, shouted a few words in a barbarian language that they couldn't understand, and then pounced on them.

The Barbarian Tribe were very tall, including the women, who were about twice as tall as the burly human men.

Ordinary people would be no match for these Barbarian Tribe, but unfortunately, they are cultivators.

"Pfft!"

Several perfectly coordinated flashes of blade light appeared, and the woman's tall figure was now a corpse, but her eyes remained fixed on the direction the child had left in.

Looking at the Barbarian Tribe woman's corpse, one of them hesitated before asking:

"Chief Li, that child should be safe. Should we go after him?"

Li Tou glanced at her, his voice indifferent:

"Chase them! When those Barbarian Tribe brats grow up, who knows how many of my Great Yan people they will slaughter?"

"."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the group varied, ranging from pity and sighs to helplessness and excitement, but no one dared to offer any advice or dissuasion.

After a brief silence, they all activated their internal Cultivation Method and chased after the creature outside.

As soon as I stepped out of the house,

"Buzz--"

With a flash of light, the five saw the Barbarian Tribe child cleaved in two, his unclosed eyes filled with terror.

The man who had drawn his sword sheathed it and bowed respectfully to the elderly man beside him, who was dressed in the armor of a commander.

"My lord, the city has already been massacred. Shall we continue?"

Calmly watching the child die, the old man closed his eyes for a few breaths, seemingly sensing something. He opened his eyes again and said indifferently:

"There are only 300,000 people in this city, but the number of the Barbarian Tribe is definitely more than that. Gather supplies and continue north."