What does hell on earth look like?
Many soldiers had heard various versions of the storytelling, but compared to what they were seeing before them, they could only say that the storytellers of the past lacked imagination.
The entire crust of North Sea City was rummaged through, and the lava ash beneath was unearthed. North Sea City, once the most beautiful and prosperous city in the Northern Frontier, is now a scorched wasteland, littered with writhing chunks of flesh, many of them molting snakes. The stench of decay permeates the entire city. But that's not all; what's most unbearable is the piles of flesh scattered everywhere.
Those fleshy spheres were clearly made of people. A bunch of people who had been swallowed melted into a mass inside the bellies of those giant snakes, then were vomited out, mixed with mucus, and most of them were already mangled and bloody, but a few were still alive, convulsing in pain inside the fleshy spheres, their eyes filled with the disintegrated faces and fallen eyeballs of others.
"Vomit!!"
Most men in the Northern Lands start fighting at the age of sixteen, especially those from aristocratic families. They have seen blood at a very young age and are far more resilient than those in the South. Not to mention, those who came with us this time are all veterans who have experienced hundreds of battles.
However, many people still felt physically uncomfortable from the scene before them and couldn't help but vomit repeatedly.
The prince at the very front also felt uncomfortable, but more than that, he was angry.
The Lu Household, just because a son died, unleashed such a catastrophe. How many lives in the Northern Lands have suffered such a horrific death, worse than that of pigs and dogs?
Seeing all this, didn't they feel even a little bit of guilt?
"Your Highness." The adjutant beside him also had a dark face. If he could, he really wanted to skin the entire Lu Household alive, soak them in a cesspool for half a month, and then feed them to the snake demon, so that they could personally experience such despair!
"Go, get the soldiers focused and careful."
The only good news is that the area seems quiet after the ravages; most of the Earth Serpent must have gone out to hunt for food. If so, perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope.
The moment he thought this, the adjutant beside him suddenly shoved the prince away.
The next second, the giant snake burst out of the ground, bit the deputy general, and shot straight into the sky!
" Uncle Guo!!" The young master's eyes were bloodshot, but before he could make any move, the surrounding land churned, and countless giant snakes rushed out, covering the sky and the dust billowing. The terrifying roars, combined with the surrounding scene, truly resembled the end of the world!
"Your Highness, don't worry about me, let's go!!!"
The deputy general above struggled in the snake's mouth, while the soldiers below were also thrown into chaos. Fortunately, after the training of the previous ten days, most soldiers had developed some psychological resistance to such overwhelming giant snakes.
However, the scene was still quite disheartening because there were simply too many of them!
It's hard to imagine what it would be like to see such enormous creatures appear in droves. It would feel like the entire space is filled with these giant snakes, and the shock and terror would be utterly despairing.
"Charge! All of you, charge forward!"
In an instant, Wang Shiyu realized that he had been tricked. Although there were many giant snakes in the Ten Thousand Snakes Valley, their concentration in the North Sea must have been pre-arranged.
Who could it be?
Wang Shiyu's mind raced. The Lu Household was definitely not going to escape, but the news that he was going to forcefully break into the North Sea was only finalized yesterday. The participants in the meeting were all the highest-ranking elders of the major families, and there were even sorcerers in the hall to establish sorcerer contracts for the participants.
The soldiers and officers involved in this operation were all forced to participate after receiving notification in the early morning. Once their participation was confirmed, they were immediately pulled into the ranks and placed under surveillance to prevent desertion, making it impossible for the news to be transmitted so quickly.
If I had to say, there's only one possibility.
All the powerful families betrayed him!
It's very simple. Spell contracts don't lie. If they don't work, then it's the sorcerers' fault. From the beginning, those sorcerers never truly made a spell contract; it was all an act.
However, when a sorcerer's contract is established, the body experiences a strong physical response, making it impossible for one party to act alone. The only possibility is that even powerful military families would participate in the charade!
But since so many powerful families are putting on an act, why not just surrender directly?
Wang Shiyu closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then quickly came up with an answer.
Actually, he didn't want to surrender; he just wanted to abandon him. He led his troops to North Sea City, spread the word, and lured a large number of Earth Serpent to ambush him in advance, making it easier for them to retreat and escape.
The Lu Household and those behind them probably never imagined that the powerful families in the north had already planned to abandon those billion people.
Thinking of this, Wang Shiyu smiled bitterly.
Ultimately, family interests come first, which is the mindset of most aristocratic families. I underestimated people's moral bottom line!
In the chaos, almost half of the 50,000 cavalrymen fell into the snake's mouth in an instant, but many agile cavalrymen still managed to escape the sea of snakes.
After all, they were riding top-quality horses, unafraid of demon bloodlines, and running like the wind. With years of superb horsemanship, even in such a desperate situation, nearly 20,000 cavalrymen still managed to break through the encirclement with Wang Shiyu!
The numerous giant snakes at the entrance left them with no way to retreat, forcing them to rush towards the sea. North Sea City was now a ruin, but it was extremely favorable for the current cavalry, as the terrain was no longer restrictive and was flat as a pancake.
In less than a quarter of an hour, a group of soldiers rushed to the dock!
"Everyone, prepare. Jump into the sea!!"
The prince mustered his strength and roared loudly.
This was a policy agreed upon beforehand. Now, the ships in the North Sea have been almost completely destroyed. Moreover, these giant snakes are extremely destructive to ships. Not to mention their ships, even ships from Jiangnan that are ahead of their time cannot defend against these terrifying giant snakes. Large ships can only be targets.
Rather than that, it would be better to jump into the sea. The horses in the north all have some Dragon Horse blood, and they can still maintain a fairly good speed in the sea. Although their endurance is not good, those snakes are not necessarily good at chasing.
Tens of thousands of cavalrymen scattered across the sea; some were bound to escape. If they could swim to a nearby island, resupply, they might have a chance to break through to the south of the Jiangnan!
But just as they were about to rush to the dock, their enthusiasm was doused with cold water!
The kind that makes you feel cold from head to toe!
At the dock, a gigantic snake, unlike any seen before, slowly rose from the water. Its terrifying size made the surrounding giant snakes, thousands of feet long, appear like earthworms in comparison!
All the soldiers, including Wang Shiyu, stared wide-eyed. This thing could probably swallow North Sea City whole!
What kind of monster is this?
Wang Shiyu quickly found the answer: it must be the Earth Mother his father had once told him about—the one who had almost overturned the world!
" Mother of the Earth. She truly lives up to her name!" The Lu Household, watching the giant snake head emerge from the city wall in the distance, were all excited.
This terrifying monster's eyes alone were comparable to the sun and moon, radiating a cold light that made even the blazing sun lose its color. The moment it appeared, the entire North Sea City seemed to fall into a state of gloom and coldness. The blazing sun lost its previous brilliance, and a terrifying shadow enveloped the entire city, with a chill spreading rapidly!
"What a spectacular sight!" An old man exclaimed. Most Earth Serpent are afraid of sunlight. The enemy chose to launch a cavalry attack on North Sea City at the height of the midday sun. Although risky, it was undoubtedly a very useful strategy. If it hadn't been exposed beforehand, given the previous arrangements in North Sea City, the enemy might have actually been able to escape.
Unfortunately, the opponent encountered an unreasonable monster who could change the entire situation with just his physical abilities!
Sure enough, after the Earth Mother appeared, the snakes in the entire North Sea City became more active. With the shadows and the unique chill that relieved the heat, they quickly regained their peak vitality, becoming incredibly agile and rushing towards the fleeing soldiers.
The sight sent chills down the spines of the cavalrymen. These snakes were even faster than at night; if they had been moving at that speed, they probably wouldn't have been able to break through to this point.
"Your Majesty the Prince!!"
The lieutenant looked at his commander with despair.
With monsters capable of Heaven Swallowing in front and ten thousand snakes chasing from behind, even gods and Buddhas would find it difficult to reverse this situation!
At this moment, not only the deputy general was in despair, but even the crown prince's eyes were dim and lifeless.
Anyone could see that at this point, there was absolutely no hope left!
"Form ranks!" Finally, summoning his last ounce of courage, the prince pointed his spear at the colossal figure before him and roared with his last breath, "Charge!!"
As the bugle call sounded, the young general, wielding a silver spear and riding a white horse, shone like the brightest light under the obscured blazing sun, fearlessly charging towards the most terrifying darkness ahead!
"Charge!!"
All the soldiers were once again filled with patriotic fervor, following their commander who had never abandoned them until the very end, as they faced the terror they had never seen before!
The countless passionate responses brought a smile to the face of the young general who had been facing darkness.
Perhaps there is truly no hope left in this world.
But neither was my father afraid, nor was I, a northerner, afraid!