Openly Repair the Plank Road, Secretly Cross Chencang! Black Armor in the Rain!

Wu Ping City, north gate.

The downpour still fell in torrents, rainwater and blood gathering on the ground and winding along the cracks between the bluestone slabs.

Zhu Fan was now in Martial Soul Possession, like a demon god descended to the world. Eight Soul Rings shone beneath his feet, and with every strike, more than a dozen soldiers were sent flying.

Even when facing the sky full of arrows fired by Wu Ping City's soldiers, he showed no fear at all.

He unleashed another massive Blood Claw, knocking aside countless incoming arrows. The endless sounds of "ding, ding, dang, dang" rang out as arrows fell to the ground, splashing up sprays of water.

Behind him, the two hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers held tightly to his flanks in Awl Formation, firmly guarding the gate tunnel.

Their gazes were resolute. Even drenched in blood, not one of them had taken a single step back, and they had now fallen into a stalemate with Wu Ping City's soldiers.

And at that moment.

After hearing the soldiers report the battle situation at the gate, Wu Ping City's City Lord, the old general Li Jinglong, finally arrived.

"Not advancing a single step?"

With just one glance at the situation on the battlefield, Li Jinglong's eyes instantly sharpened, and he guessed Zhu Fan's objective.

"Holding the position while waiting for reinforcements?!"

At that thought.

He immediately roared, "Pass down my order! Close the east, west, and south gates, and leave one squad to hold each of them."

"All other forces in the city are to gather at the north gate!"

"Before Wu'an City's army arrives, you must slaughter every enemy at the north gate for me!"

"Yes!"

The Guard hurriedly turned and went to deliver the order.

Then he looked again at the Heaven Dou Empire soldiers locked in a stalemate with Zhu Fan. "The whole army, charge!"

"The first to break the formation will be promoted three ranks! The second to break the formation will be promoted one rank!"

"And anyone who dares to stop and refuse to advance will be killed without mercy!"

Following the roar of Li Jinglong, the City Lord, the Heaven Dou Empire soldiers, who had been somewhat shrinking back, no longer dared to stop advancing no matter how unwilling they were.

Immediately, Zhu Fan's pressure increased greatly, but the killing intent on his body did not lessen in the slightest.

Every Wu Ping City soldier who dared approach him only felt his vision go dark before he died instantly. Not a single person could last one move in his hands.

Even the two fairly powerful Soul Saints whom Xue Qinghe had specially left behind joined forces.

But under Zhu Fan's fierce attacks, they were likewise soon forced back, coughing blood.

Although Zhu Fan consumed no small amount of Soul Power because of this.

Still, he continued to carry out Dai Chengfeng's order, firmly occupying Wu Ping City's north gate.

Until...

Wu Ping City's reinforcing soldiers arrived!

They came wave after wave, like "insects," yet endless and inexhaustible.

Although Zhu Fan and the two hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers he led feared no death, they were still flesh and blood, and the enemy also had two Soul Saints working together to harry Zhu Fan.

Thus.

Under such fierce attacks from both sides, casualties gradually appeared, unavoidable.

And seeing that his own soldiers had finally begun to gain the upper hand, Li Jinglong let out a long breath of relief.

He finally had time to ask about the causes and consequences.

He went straight to the general in charge of guarding the city today, grabbed him by the collar, and roared angrily, "Bastard!"

"How did the people of Wu'an City suddenly attack us?"

"And they don't even have siege equipment. When you saw them coming, why didn't you close the gate?"

"You actually let them seize the north gate?!"

That general was immediately choked until he struggled to breathe, and he explained anxiously, "City Lord, they... they appeared out of nowhere. We had no idea where they came from. We didn't see them at all before this."

"By the time I reacted, it was already too late."

"Didn't see them... Where did they come from?"

Boom—!

In an instant, Li Jinglong felt his mind go completely blank. He staggered and nearly fell, only three words remaining in his mind. We've fallen for it!

He absolutely did not believe that these people from Wu'an City had descended from the heavens.

Since that was the case, it could only be from underground!

And digging tunnels was not something that could be completed in a day or two. In other words...

From beginning to end, he had been played in the palm of the other side's hand!

"Good, good, good! Excellent!"

"So that so-called road building instead of constructing siege weapons was a smokescreen. They never intended to storm the city by force at all. They meant to use the flatness of the newly built road to charge straight in and overrun my Wu Ping City!"

Li Jinglong did not believe this could be the scheme of Zhu Yan, who had opposed him for so many years.

In an instant, he subconsciously thought of someone...

A youth who, in the last Wu'an Blood War, had turned the tide when all seemed lost and propped up Wu'an City on the verge of collapse—the true ruler of Wu'an City now, Star Luo Empire's Fourth Prince, Dai Chengfeng!

In that instant, Li Jinglong felt his entire body go numb.

He did not dare imagine that a green boy in his eyes could have endured in silence and laid plans for half a year, all to direct such a flawless, grand deception!

"What a move—Openly Repair the Plank Road, Secret Raid on Wu Ping!"

"To think I, Li Jinglong, have spent my life in the saddle, only to be played for a fool by a green boy like you!"

"Humiliation! What humiliation!" Li Jinglong roared.

Even though he was incomparably unwilling, wondering why he had not noticed anything strange earlier and reacted in advance.

Still, Li Jinglong was worthy of being someone who had seen great storms.

Very soon, he drew a deep breath and recovered a little of his calm. "Pass down my order!"

"The enemy generals' stamina has already shown an obvious decline. Now..."

"I'll give you the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

"I only want Wu Ping City's north gate, no matter the sacrifice! If you fail, military law awaits!"

There was a trace of gravity in Li Jinglong's voice, but even more worry and bitterness.

After all, since Dai Chengfeng was no longer hiding his hand, then in all likelihood the "sure-kill sword" in his grasp was already sharp enough.

He was probably out of chances to win.

But!

Li Jinglong did not want to lose, and he could not afford to lose. "If I lose this battle..."

"Then thousands of years from now, how will the history books record me?!"

"Whenever people mention this battle, it will all be about how Star Luo Empire's Fourth Prince planned from within his tent and decided victory from a thousand miles away, while as for me, Li Jinglong..."

And while Li Jinglong was thinking—

At that moment.

Suddenly, a soldier pointed outside the city in terror. "City Lord, look over there!"

His trembling voice pierced through the curtain of rain.

"What is it?"

Hearing this, Li Jinglong turned around in confusion, braced himself against a merlon, and leaned out to look. Yet beneath the dark clouds pressing down on the city, amid a world of torrential rain, all he saw was boundless darkness.

Boom—!

A bolt of thunder tore through the darkness like a flood dragon, illuminating the entire world.

Li Jinglong's pupils constricted slightly.

In that instant, through the heavy rain, he vaguely saw what seemed to be a force of "iron armor" on the distant horizon, rapidly approaching Wu Ping City.

But very soon, as the thunder faded—

That force vanished into the darkness again, as if what he had just seen were nothing but an illusion.

Boom—!

Thunder lit up again, and this time, Li Jinglong was finally certain he had not seen wrong.

Under the ghastly white lightning, countless suits of mysterious black iron armor emerged within the rain curtain.

The armor plates gleamed with an eerie blue chill, and on each person's breastplate was carved the Tiger Head Crest of the Star Luo Imperial Family...

Their steps were perfectly uniform, each one seeming to tread upon the pulse of the earth, kicking up great sheets of water.

Just from the sound of their march, it was clear that the quality of this army was something Heaven Dou Empire's soldiers could not compare to at all.

Boom, boom, boom...!

At that moment, as that armored force rapidly drew near, the sound of marching finally broke through the rain curtain and carried over.

From within the darkness, it bore an endless pressure.

"Wu'an City's army is here!"

No one knew who shouted it, but in an instant, every Heaven Dou soldier on the city wall went tense, their hands unconsciously tightening around their weapons until their knuckles faintly whitened.

Fear spread through their hearts like a tide.

Bwooo—!

Across the rain-scoured wilderness, the sound of horns suddenly rose in waves, like a dragon's roar and a tiger's howl.

"Qi Yue Wu Yi? We share the same robe. The king raises his army; we sharpen our spears and halberds. We share the same foe!"

"Everyone, blood debts must be paid in blood! Kill!!!"

In a single day, two empires looked upon one man!