An army of 450,000 surged forward in a mighty torrent,
like a black dragon with no end in sight, sweeping north from Balak City.
Their banners blotted out the sky, and their iron armor gleamed with a cold, menacing light.
The thunder of hooves, marching feet, and rolling wheels joined in a dull roar,
and the earth trembled beneath tens of thousands of pounding feet and hooves.
Along the way, the people hurriedly barred their doors and hid behind their windows, peering out through the cracks in the wooden shutters.
The endless army rolled down the main road, raising clouds of dust that choked the breath from their lungs.
"It's over... It's over..." An old farmer crouched in a corner, clutching his head in both hands and trembling all over. "Is the Empress going to be driven from the throne?"
"Why do you care who's emperor? We're all just dirt-poor peasants. Whoever comes along, what difference does it make?"
"It makes a difference!" another young tenant farmer whispered, his eyes full of resentment,
"The Empress abolished the fiefs and hereditary titles, and established the Imperial Examination!
My son is good at his studies. In a couple of years, he'd have been able to take the exams!
If those nobles drive the Empress out, we'll lose all of that!"
"Keep your voice down! Do you want to get yourself killed?"
The young man clenched his teeth and fell silent, but his fists were balled tight.
It was true. The nobles hated the Empress to the bone, because they had lost their fiefs, their hereditary titles, and their private armies.
But what about the common people?
The Empress's new policies—
abolishing fiefs, holding the Imperial Examination, and establishing the Twenty-Rank Military Merit System—
which of them wasn't paving the way for the common people?
In the past, noble sons could inherit titles, fiefs, and glory without lifting a finger.
Meanwhile, no matter how talented a commoner's son was, he could only scratch out a living in the dirt.
Now the Empress had opened the Imperial Examination to all. Rich or poor, noble or lowborn, anyone who passed could become an official.
Even nobles who broke the law could be executed, and setting up private courts was an act of usurpation.
Which of these measures didn't protect the common people?
But now, with an army of 450,000 bearing down on the capital, could the Empress hold out?
The people didn't dare speak or ask. They could only pray silently in their hearts.
That woman seated upon the imperial throne must not lose.
The army continued north.
Several days later,
the outline of Heaven Dou City finally appeared on the horizon.
Marshal Haierge reined in his warhorse and raised a hand, signaling the whole army to halt.
He narrowed his eyes and gazed at the towering city in the distance. "Pass down the order. We'll set up camp here."
Prince Xue Ye rode up beside him, his brows knitted tight.
"Marshal, why not attack the city directly? We have 450,000 men, while the garrison numbers barely more than 20,000. We could breach the walls in a single day!"
Haierge shook his head, his voice steady. "Your Highness, our soldiers have been marching for days and are exhausted.
"If we attack at once, we'll be using weary troops to storm a fortified city. Even if we take it, we'll pay a terrible price.
"If the assault falters, morale will inevitably plummet."
He gestured toward Heaven Dou City. "Besides, that woman inside is full of tricks. We still don't know what means she has at her disposal.
"We've only just arrived. We don't know the terrain or the enemy's situation. A reckless assault is a cardinal sin in warfare."
Xue Ye was reluctant, but Haierge was a mainstay of the Heaven Dou Empire's military, with decades of experience commanding troops. He was far beyond the prince's measure.
Suppressing his impatience, he nodded. "The marshal is right."
"Set up camp and secure our position." Haierge waved a hand and issued his orders.
"Establish a camp stretching for miles, with defenses as tight as a fortress.
"Each army will set up camp in its assigned sector.
"The Northern Border Legion will take the center, the Balaque Army the left, and the Noble Allied Army the right.
"The camps must be backed by hills and near water. Walls, trenches, abatis, watchtowers—not one can be omitted."
"Yes, sir!"
The army of 450,000 sprang into action.
Tens of thousands of laborers and soldiers dug deep trenches with their shovels.
They piled the excavated soil into walls, then planted sharpened stakes and abatis along them, forming a simple but sturdy defensive line.
A watchtower rose every few dozen paces around the camp. Crossbows were mounted atop them, while sentries kept a wary eye on their surroundings.
Within the camp, the units' quarters were arranged according to their organization. The central command tent stood in the middle, surrounded by Marshal Haierge's personal guards.
Grain and supplies were stacked at the rear of the camp and placed under heavy guard.
Passageways were left between the different units for troop deployments and the transport of supplies.
King Kundera of Balaque had his camp on the left wing, the Noble Allied Army occupied the right, and Haierge's Northern Border Legion held the center and rear.
In just a few short hours, the 450,000 troops had transformed an open area stretching more than ten miles into a vast military fortress.
What they didn't know was that,
on a rise several kilometers from the camp,
a black cylindrical object was trained on the bustling encampment.
It was a monocular telescope. Its lens was made of finely polished crystal, its surface veiled in faint fluctuations of Soul Power.
The one holding it was a figure dressed in a gray cloak.
He was a puppet whose memories had been erased, formerly a Soul Emperor bodyguard in a noble household. Now, he was one of the lowest-ranking informants in the Net.
More than a dozen others like him were scattered across the high ground, their telescopes fixed on the allied army as it made camp.
They had been watching the army ever since it left Balak City.
Along both sides of the road, at village entrances, among the hills and trees,
"people" were always arriving in advance to claim high vantage points,
recording the allied army's marching speed, troop distribution, and the locations of its supplies.
These people were all the work of the Tide Enchantress over the past dozen days.
From among the controlled nobles' private soldiers and retainers,
she had selected a group of "useful people" who were Soul Kings or Soul Emperors, had committed few misdeeds, but had families tied to the nobility.
Yan Lingji had personally wiped their memories clean and implanted commands of loyalty.
This was the Net's first batch of assassins:
unfeeling, fearless, selfless, and knowing only to serve.
Over the past few days, they had already infiltrated every corner around Heaven Dou City.
Every move the allied army made was under their watch.
High above, a flock of birds circled overhead.
Their eyes were no longer ordinary birds' eyes. Deep in their pupils, a tiny black mark of ink could be seen.
It was a minuscule strand of symbiotic tissue Jiang Ce had separated from himself,
attached to the birds and turned them into living "surveillance devices."
The birds looked down over the land, taking in everything in the allied army's camp—
the layout of the tents, the location of the supplies, the command tent, the patrol routes—
every detail was clear, and the symbiotes relayed it in real time to Jiang Ce's consciousness through their shared mental link.
In the woods, in the grass, even on the rats and stray dogs around the allied army's camp, the same black mark of ink could be found.
They lurked soundlessly beneath the enemy's very noses, recording every detail inside the camp.
The army of 450,000 believed its defenses were impenetrable. It had no idea it was already trapped beneath a vast net, with nowhere to hide.
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, rear courtyard.
Yan Lingji, the Tide Enchantress, Xiaomeng, the Snow Maiden, and Na'er gathered together,
watching the allied army outside the city through the sights and sounds of Jiang Ce's Venom symbiotes, which had attached themselves to birds, beasts, and insects.
"An army of 450,000, camped over ten miles with defenses as tight as a fortress."
A trace of mockery entered the Tide Enchantress's voice. "Helge certainly knows how to play it safe."
Yan Lingji chuckled. "Let them dig in. The more secure they make it, the better."
"Do you mean—"
"Tonight." Yan Lingji raised one finger, a cold glint flashing in her peach-blossom eyes.
"On a dark, windy night, it's the perfect time to kill."
Xiaomeng opened her eyes. "The Net and the Bad People have already infiltrated their camp, and the tunnels dug earlier by Earth-Breaking Three are ready. We'll attack from both inside and out. They won't even know what killed them."
Yan Lingji nodded and began assigning their tasks.
"Sister Xiaomeng, take Earth-Breaking Three through the tunnels and strike straight at the central command tent.
"Our targets are Helge and the allied army's high-ranking officers.
"Kill them if you can. If you can't, then scatter them."
"Little Sister Mingzhu, you're in charge of the Net's agents inside the camp.
"When the signal goes out, set off the chaos within. Prioritize eliminating the mid-level officers and sentries."
"Snow Maiden, lead the Bad People in providing support from afar.
"Use your abilities to create illusions and disrupt the enemy's minds, so they can't tell friend from foe."
"Na'er, stay in the city and stick with me. You can learn how to wage war."
The women accepted their orders.
Yan Lingji leaned back on the soft couch, her nine tails swaying gently, candlelight reflected in her peach-blossom eyes.
A black tentacle slipped out from beneath her dress. She reached out and took hold of it,
then leaned forward and pressed her red lips to its cool tip, her eyes full of seductive tenderness.
"Master, what do you think of your servant's arrangements?"
The tentacle brushed gently against her lips, and Jiang Ce's voice came from it.
"Good. We'll attack from both inside and out, advancing along three fronts. They won't be able to withstand it."
A satisfied smile curved Yan Lingji's lips.
She kissed the tentacle once more, her nine fox tails swishing happily behind her.
"Then your servant can rest easy."
She rose to her feet, her long black-and-red dress spreading around her, her nine tails fanning out as her peach-blossom eyes glinted with sharpness.
"After tonight, they'll learn what it means to be outclassed by an entire dimension."
"Sister, you're amazing."
Na'er's eyes shone.
"Is my master amazing, too?"
Yan Lingji pulled her into her arms, pinched her cheek, and teased her.
A tentacle pressed against Na'er's lips as well.
Na'er replied obediently, "Big Brother is incredibly amazing, too."
"Heh heh, is that so?"
"Na'er, you've learned how to be such a smooth talker. Let Big Brother see for himself."
"Mmm..."
For a while, Na'er couldn't say a word.
Before you continue