Divine Fire Thunderbolt Cannon! Bloody Battle at Eagle Beak Pass

The southern border of the Earl's territory.

Several villages near the edge of the Star Dou Mountain Range had been reduced to ruins.

The civilians who had managed to escape fled in droves to Eagle Beak Pass, the final stronghold leading into the heart of the Earl's territory.

Eagle Beak Pass stood nestled between mountains and water, earning its name from its eagle-beak-like topography.

Not long after Su Changge arrived at the pass with over a hundred cavalrymen and six hundred able-bodied militiamen, thousands of ice-type Soul Beasts surged from the long border line, completing their encirclement of the pass.

Upon entering Eagle Beak Pass, Su Changge ordered his men to seal the gates with stone blocks and had Commander Mo take a census of everyone inside.

All adult men were to be conscripted, while the women were assigned to logistics!

As for those who harbored thoughts of resistance or refused to carry out orders:

The men were to be thrown into the death row cells, and the women... were kept by Su Changge, to be used as rewards for the soldiers once the Soul Beasts outside had retreated.

"Commander Mo, take the six Divine Fire Thunderbolt Cannons we brought and mount them on the highest point of Eagle Beak Pass! Once the battle begins, I want them to strike the Soul Beasts outside the walls the very first moment."

Su Changge stood atop the ramparts, staring at the thousands of ice-type Soul Beasts outside.

Ice-Snow Three-Headed Wolves, Tyrannical Snow Bear Kings, Extreme Cold Ice Crocodiles, Ice Water Pythons... and many others he had never seen, nor even heard of before.

Although these ice-type Soul Beasts were all under a thousand years of age, each one possessed a massive physique, far exceeding that of an adult human.

Facing such violent, colossal ice-type Soul Beasts, even the Empire's most elite cavalry regiment would be torn to shreds in an instant if encountered in the wild.

Near noon.

At the edge of the vast, snowy expanse, behind the thousands of Soul Beasts, six even more gargantuan figures appeared!

Even from two or three miles away, Su Changge could clearly feel their deep, chilling, and terrifying aura.

"Thousand-year Soul Beasts!"

Su Changge slammed his palm against the bluestone in front of him, leaving a deep imprint.

It seemed... things had truly taken a turn for the worse.

Roar! Howl! Hiss!...

As the six thousand-year Soul Beasts appeared, the thousands of hundred-year Soul Beasts seemed to receive a command; they roared at the sky, some spreading their wings to soar into the air, while others erupted with soul power and charged toward Eagle Beak Pass.

"Lock the Divine Fire Thunderbolt Cannons onto a point two hundred paces outside the gate!"

"All Musket Cavalry, dismount and get to the walls immediately..."

"Archers and javelin throwers, aim at the area outside the gate and wait for my command!"

"Kill them all!!!"

Seeing the Soul Beasts reach the designated kill zone, Su Changge swung his right hand down heavily.

In an instant, bows and crossbows fired in unison, and over a hundred matchlock muskets spat tongues of flame.

The six Divine Fire Thunderbolt Cannons roared simultaneously, their specialized shells whistling through the air to pierce through several ferocious ice-type Soul Beasts, triggering violent explosions.

"Refined black powder still packs quite a punch."

Su Changge watched the gruesome scene outside the walls, but felt no joy.

Those charging at the front were merely the weakest of this army of thousands.

Where exactly was the limit of the Divine Fire Thunderbolt Cannons?

Only by testing them against those powerful Soul Beasts would he know.

After suffering nearly a hundred casualties, a large number of ice-type Soul Beasts reached the base of Eagle Beak Pass.

Their massive bodies slammed into the bluestone-cast walls, causing violent tremors.

Even Su Changge felt the ground beneath his feet become unstable...

Looking at the dense mass of Soul Beasts below, everyone on the ramparts felt their scalps tingle, and a sense of dread began to spread through their hearts.

These Soul Beasts were now... separated from them by only this single wall.

"Throw all the black powder barrels we brought down there, hurry!"

Watching the six thousand-year Soul Beasts advancing toward the pass in the distance, Su Changge hurriedly ordered a dozen soldiers to toss the black powder barrels over the edge.

The intelligence of hundred-year Soul Beasts was limited, and many of their actions relied on primitive instinct!

However, those thousand-year Soul Beasts possessed intelligence and experience that far surpassed their lesser kin.

Even if these six thousand-year Soul Beasts did not participate in the siege themselves, their presence as field commanders was enough to turn the tide of battle!

Boom! Boom-rumble...

One after another, the black powder barrels hit the ground, the terrifying energy of the explosions consuming the hundred-year Soul Beasts.

In just two or three minutes, over a hundred more Soul Beasts had perished.

The thing Su Changge feared most had come to pass.

Under the command of the six thousand-year ice-type Soul Beasts, the remaining eight or nine hundred Soul Beasts slowly retreated, then unleashed their innate skills in unison.

A sweeping blizzard completely engulfed Eagle Beak Pass!

Under the terrified gazes of countless people on the ramparts, a Frozen Ice Bridge rose from the ground, towering even higher than the watchtowers of Eagle Beak Pass.

ROAR!!!

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar vibrated in all directions as hundreds of Soul Beasts stepped onto the Frozen Ice Bridge in unison, charging toward the fortress.

"Hear my command! Everyone, retreat inside the pass... We shall fight them to the death in the inner city."

The space on the ramparts was too cramped; if these Soul Beasts were allowed to charge onto the walls, facing that raw power measured in tons, no matter how many soldiers there were, they would simply be human targets.

As Su Changge led all the soldiers in a retreat, the artillery on the high points of Eagle Beak Pass roared, continuously bombarding the Frozen Ice Bridge.

However, every time the Divine Fire Thunderbolt Cannon blasted a crack into it, ice-type Soul Beasts would release ice skills to mend it in time... making it impossible to stem the surging army of Soul Beasts.

As one hundred-year Soul Beast after another leaped down from the ramparts, the inner city was completely reduced to an Asura purgatory.

Large numbers of recruited militiamen and young men were reduced to fodder for the Soul Beasts in the brutal close-quarters combat.

A soldier had just stabbed a Soul Beast to death, only to have his upper body bitten off by another, even more ferocious beast in the blink of an eye.

Wailing! Terror! Chaos! Death... scene after scene played out repeatedly in the inner city.

"Soul Skill: Titan Ape Demon Transformation!"

Watching the dozen or so hundred-year Soul Beasts hot on his heels, Su Changge's gaze sharpened. He took a deep breath, pushing his soul power to its absolute limit.

A purple soul ring expanded beneath his feet, covering nearly a third of the inner city area.

"KILL!!!"

With killing intent filling the sky, Su Changge transformed into a blur, the Steel Ruyi Staff in his hand moving as fast as a swimming dragon, piercing through one hideous hundred-year Soul Beast after another.

Corpses piled up like mountains, creating a scene like an Asura ghost realm.

However, the soaring scent of blood attracted even more powerful Soul Beasts with higher soul ages.

Among them were many seven or eight-hundred-year, and even nine-hundred-year beasts, infinitely approaching the thousand-year threshold—beasts that could fully match the strength of a Great Soul Master in the late or peak stages.

"Lord Su Changge, we will cover you! Please, retreat to a safe area quickly!"

Not far away, Commander Mo stumbled over with a dozen musketeers. Looking at the Soul Beasts radiating terrifying auras, they stood their ground in front of Su Changge despite their legs trembling with fear.

However, Su Changge remained unmoved.

It was not out of a desire to show off, but rather... there was nowhere left to retreat.

Even if he hid in the deepest secret chamber of Eagle Beak Pass, how long could he hide?

Unless he beat these Soul Beasts until they were subdued, terrified, and in pain!

These beasts would never let him go.

After all, to Soul Beasts that were inherently cruel and had tasted human flesh, human soul masters... were a rare delicacy.

"As the commanding general, how could I, Su Changge, abandon my soldiers and flee!?"

"Soldiers, follow me... KILL!!!"

Although Su Changge had no intention of posturing, his subconscious habits still exerted a subtle influence.