Midnight.
Shanhai Pass, the true northern gateway of the Great Shang Dynasty, has stood for thousands of years. Construction began in the ancient era by the earliest inhabitants, its purpose then to defend against the monstrous beasts from the depths of the mountains and seas. Now, those beasts have cultivated and evolved into legendary demon races, yet they remain the primary threat to Shanhai Pass.
At this late hour, Shanhai Pass teems with life. Countless player guilds have converged here, having learned of the impending arrival of the allied demon and devil armies. The battlements of Shanhai Pass are already lined with armored soldiers, and many high-level players have also ascended to the ramparts. Above, players of the Golden Core realm and above are a common sight. For those unable to find space, some player guilds have already established defenses on the surrounding hills.
On the city wall, the main general, Han Yetang, clad in fiery red armor with a deep crimson cloak billowing behind her, a sword at her waist, exudes a potent sword intent, appearing both heroic and spirited. Beside her stands a female general in deep blue armor, Chen Xi, the lord of Yun Prefecture. Also present are cultivators from the mountains, including Long Dongjun, Lü Fengxian, Xiao Muhan, and Sun Qinghe.
"They're here."
Han Yetang narrowed her eyes, gazing at the rolling dust clouds in the distance. Within her sight, the demon army advanced like a tide across the mountains. The figures of great demons were hidden within the thick, swirling clouds above. To the east, hundreds of thousands of devil cavalry shook the very earth as they approached. Before the entire Shanhai Pass, birds took flight in alarm; a battle for the ages was imminent.
"Activate the formation!"
Han Yetang raised her right hand high.
"By order..."
A deep rumble echoed from the surrounding mountains. In the next moment, two mountain lords appeared, one on the left and one on the right. Further back, a colossal golden figure materialized, the North Peak officially recognized by the Great Shang Dynasty. Within the territory of Yun Prefecture, mountains surged with spiritual energy. The crisscrossing rivers and lakes, blessed with prosperous waterways, gathered their energies, coalescing into a powerful golden barrier at the border.
A barrier forged from the national destiny of a nation and its landscapes was not comparable to the mere mountain-protecting formations of Bai City. This was the Great Shang Dynasty's reliance—its national destiny and the destiny of the human realm to confront powerful enemies!
"Hmph!"
A figure emerged from the wind, clad in a simple grey tunic, dragging a tattered cloak behind. His eyes were sinister; it was the demon king Chen Feng. He appeared in the wind, sword in hand, and without a word, launched three swift slashes towards the human realm's protective barrier above Shanhai Pass.
Immediately, a thunderous roar echoed, and streams of golden light bloomed in the air. Chen Feng's three swords seemed to slice into golden ripples, stirring only a few waves before their power was entirely neutralized by the mountains and waters barrier of the human realm.
"Divine Dragon Crossbows, aim!"
Han Yetang pointed her hand. Instantly, on the hundreds of towering arrow towers within the city, Divine Dragon Crossbows, operated by soldiers, rapidly aimed in Chen Feng's direction. The next moment, a barrage of "pang, pang, pang" sounds erupted from their launches.
"Hmm?"
Chen Feng raised his eyebrows, then swiftly swung his sword, unleashing a torrent of dense sword energy that pulverized the incoming crossbow bolts. However, some bolts still flew through the air, exploding upon impact with Chen Feng's protective sword aura. While not enough to injure him, the intense explosions still caused his blood to churn uncomfortably.
The ingenious mechanisms of the Mo family's ancestral home had always been a painful thorn in the side of the demon race.
"Chen Feng, return."
From afar, the demon ancestor Qing Kui stood in the clouds. With a gentle flick of his sleeve, he summoned Chen Feng back. His gaze remained fixed on the group of human cultivators on the city wall. Long Dongjun and Lü Fengxian, both in the Rebirth realm, were quite troublesome. Furthermore, Xiao Muhan, Chen Mengjun, Sun Qinghe, and others at the twelfth realm possessed considerable combat strength. If these individuals relied on Shanhai Pass for defense, there was a reasonable chance they could annihilate Chen Feng.
Brother Kunpeng had only a handful of direct disciples. Jin Cheng was slain by Lin Baiyi's sword in the Battle of Bai City. If Chen Feng were to suffer any further misfortune, even if the demon race annihilated humanity in the human realm, it would be difficult for Qing Kui to explain himself to his elder brother after his ascension. As an uncle, he felt somewhat derelict in his duty.
"Yu Zhi."
Demon ancestor Qing Kui looked towards the demon army's commander, a woman in a red dress nearby. He nodded, signaling that it was time.
"Yes."
Yu Zhi stepped into the wind on a wisp of flame, hovering above the demon army. Her beautiful eyes surveyed Shanhai Pass, a hint of triumph welling within her. Back then, Lin Zhao had prevented her southward advance. Now, he was powerless to do anything. Once Shanhai Pass fell, the conquest of the human realm would be within reach.
"Warriors of the Demon Army!"
Yu Zhi lightly clenched her delicate fist, killing intent flashing in her beautiful eyes. "Attack the city! First and Second Armies shall lead the assault. Bring your siege engines, make good use of your crossbows and siege ladders. Whoever is the first to storm Shanhai Pass will be rewarded with opportunities in the Upper Five Realms. Whoever beheads Han Yetang and Chen Xi will be taken as a direct disciple of the Demon Ancestor!"
Instantly, the demon army's blood surged. Countless demon soldiers roared, charging towards Shanhai Pass with shields and short swords. Behind them came a dense array of siege crossbows and siege ladders. In the past two years, the demon race had captured many humans in the northern territories, from whom they had selected artisans to build such siege equipment, making their presence unsurprising.
This was precisely why Qing Kui valued Yu Zhi so highly.
Other great demons merely thought of their high realms, their powerful fists, and their potent magical artifacts, believing they could break through the human realm with sheer force, relying entirely on brute strength. Only Yu Zhi considered all aspects of a situation, even learning human techniques, methods, and equipment for her own use.
In terms of siege warfare, the demon realm of the past would simply charge forward in a frenzy. But under Yu Zhi's command, their operations were now organized and systematic, utilizing siege ladders, siege crossbows, and other equipment to maximize the potential of every demon soldier. This was the path the demon realm must take to sweep across the land.
To the east, the war drums of the Nishang Realm also thundered. Countless devil cavalry, raising their banners and torches, tirelessly launched their attack on Shanhai Pass in the dead of night.
For a time, on the city battlements, under Han Yetang's command, thousands of heavy cannons positioned on Shanhai Pass and the surrounding mountains unleashed their fiery maws, spewing forth countless floral bursts of flame amidst the demon and devil ranks.
Although the area before Shanhai Pass was a plain, the mountains flanked it, limiting the number of demon forces that could truly assault the pass. Two armies, totaling four hundred thousand soldiers, were sufficient. As for the devil forces, they deployed only fifty thousand cavalry, but their momentum was formidable.
In the air, figures of great demons loomed. Maintaining a distance that prevented them from being counteracted by the human realm's mountain and water barrier, they unleashed streams of sword energy, conjured magical artifacts, or struck with their fists from miles away, bombarding from afar and relentlessly eroding the spiritual energy of the human realm's landscapes.
On the city walls, all players who could reach the battlements threw themselves into the fray, fighting with all their might. Streams of fire rained down at the base of the city walls, causing many demons and devils to cry out in agony.
This battle was destined to be a protracted war of attrition. Once Shanhai Pass was breached, the spiritual energy of the human realm would be temporarily exhausted.
...
Yangping Pass.
The northwest gateway of the Great Shang Dynasty. Although it was late at night, devil cavalry stretched across the plains before Yangping Pass. One hundred thousand devil cavalry had arrayed and camped outside the pass, dispatching soldiers that very night to gather wood nearby and begin constructing siege ladders and other siege engines.
Beneath the starlight, hundreds of devil cavalry escorted two generals.
One was Su Chan, the commander of the devil army. The other was Yu Feng, the Divine Cavalry Commandant, who had achieved remarkable feats.
Yu Feng's achievements were not insignificant. After advancing south, he had defeated all his enemies with overwhelming force. His only defeats had come at the hands of that Lin Baiyi.
In the court of the Nishang Realm, it was widely acknowledged that Lin Baiyi was the "God of War" of the human realm. Therefore, it was universally accepted that defeat at Lin Baiyi's hands was not shameful, and Yu Feng was still considered the most capable Divine Cavalry Commandant of the Nishang Realm, possessing both literary and martial prowess.
Although Yu Feng was unconvinced and longed to regain his standing against Lin Zhao, the opportunity was gone. Lin Baiyi had been pinned beneath half of Mount Wuwang, facing a situation with no hope of survival. Because of this, Yu Feng felt a sense of schadenfreude—it was truly a shame that someone like Lin Baiyi had died.
"Yu Feng."
Su Chan squinted at the imposing pass in the distance. "Starting tomorrow, you will lead five hundred cavalry to provoke the enemy before Yangping Pass daily. Specifically, taunt Li Chunyang's mother. If you can lure Li Chunyang out for a field battle, you will earn great merit. If not, then we will have to wait. We need sufficient siege ladders before we can assault the city; otherwise, a cavalry charge against a fortified city is a joke."
"Yes, Commander Su."
Yu Feng frowned slightly. "However, a good-for-nothing like Li Chunyang... might not dare to come out."
"It doesn't matter. Wearing down their morale is also a good thing."
"Understood."
Yu Feng took a deep breath and looked towards Yangping Pass, his mind occupied with Li Chunyang, the Grand Executioner of the Great Shang Dynasty. How much merit would his head fetch in the court of the Nishang Realm?
...
The Real World.
Midnight, East Sea.
Within a human marine fortress resembling a bunker, the control hall's signal lights flashed intensely. Murong Feiyue, who had been sitting in the commander's seat, eyes closed in meditation, suddenly looked up. "What is it?"
"Sea beast tide warning!"
Beside her, Ning Yu, in a Colonel's uniform, frowned. "Cruiser '074' has just encountered a massive sea beast attack! Quickly, connect to the cruiser's signal."
Soon, the image of the commander of '074' appeared on the large screen. The video was extremely shaky, and he stumbled, saying, "General, we have just been attacked. Something is rapidly approaching from the seabed. One of our submarines has already been sunk."
"Retreat immediately!"
Murong Feiyue stood up. "Deploy drones to continue monitoring the sea beast tide, collect data on the attackers, and confirm their identity and energy level."
"Yes!"
Just then, a scythe-like sea beast limb sliced through the water's surface. With a thunderous crash, it directly severed the cruiser's shield system, then sliced the at least eight-thousand-ton cruiser in half. The screen went black.
"Quick!"
Murong Feiyue said sternly, "Activate the warship's life-saving system, release all lifeboats. The base must immediately dispatch unmanned rescue aircraft to save them. Nearby drones are to scan for data on the attacker!"
"Yes!"
Ning Yu personally operated the drones. After a meticulous scanning operation, a figure scanned from the deep sea appeared on the large screen. It was enormous, and its body was enveloped in dense, primal energy. For a moment, Ning Yu's face turned ashen.
"Initial energy level exceeds 12,000 points!"
"It's the S-class Kui Armor Mother Beast, codenamed 'Grim Reaper,' which legend says has only been seen a few times. It should be the one that attacked the main port of the Sumerian district five years ago!"