The barbarian camp remained quiet, still surrounding them on three sides and leaving the Human Race a road filled with hope and despair.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn, cooking smoke curled into the air. Once the soldiers and officers had eaten and drunk their fill, they began their final preparations.
Reports passed up through the ranks of officers. Once everything was ready, Fang Yun climbed onto the city wall again.
Although August was autumn in the north, a chill had already set in.
Looking out, the land north of the Three-Linked War Fortresses was scorched earth, but greenery remained in the other directions, with wild grass growing especially thick to the south.
Far to the east, vast mountain ranges were faintly visible, seeming to hang in the sky.
Below the war fortress, the barbarians swarmed like ants.
Zhang Poyue was tied to a flagpole. Parts of his body had blackened and died, yesterday's fresh wounds had yet to heal, and his clothes were even more tattered. Yet he was sound asleep, his snores shaking the heavens.
A faint smile rose at the corners of Fang Yun's mouth. The other scholars shook their heads helplessly, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Of all the humans in the Myriad Worlds, Zhang Poyue was probably the only one capable of such a thing.
"This Zhang Poyue really is a reckless brute. He can take even more punishment than us barbarians! Void Sage Fang, should I wish you a pleasant journey?" The Barbarian Emperor Lang Yuan slowly emerged from his great tent, dragging an enormous axe and looking at Fang Yun on the city wall.
The autumn wind blew, fluttering Zhang Poyue's ruined clothes. Perhaps because yesterday's torture had been so severe, he was still sleeping soundly.
"Barbarians have keen noses." Fang