Chapter 119: Arrival at Iron Rock City
After being ambushed by those bastards from the Shadow Fiends on the way, the atmosphere in the team completely changed.
Although they were nervous before, at least they still had some spirit for reinforcements; now, they were all like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow, seeing ambushes everywhere they looked.
The flying ship flew so cautiously that it practically stopped every three steps and probed every five, its speed as slow as a crawling turtle.
Commander Lei’s shoulder wound had been hastily bandaged, and while the bleeding had stopped, his face remained ashen, his eyes scanning the wasteland below like knives.
Master Zhao, along with Fang Hao and several other Formation Masters, was even more vigilant, spreading out their Divine Sense like a net, terrified of stepping into another lethal Formation.
After flying with such trepidation for another two days, they finally flew out of that lifeless wasteland of withered bones.
The landscape ahead began to change, with rolling mountains and dense forests appearing, and the Spiritual Qi in the air became much richer, yet that faint scent of blood and gunpowder grew heavier.
"We are almost at the territory of Iron Rock City." Commander Lei stood at the bow of the ship, gazing into the distance, his voice low.
Without him saying anything, everyone could feel it too.
The further north they flew, the more tragic the scenes they saw became.
Burned villages, desolate fields, and the refugees seen along the way were all sallow and emaciated, their eyes numb; upon seeing the army flying overhead, they only numbly looked up for a moment before continuing to trudge along with their heads down.
A suffocating sense of despair blanketed this land.
Fang Hao felt a tightness in his chest as he watched the refugees below, dragging their families along with stumbling steps.
War, that thing, is always most painful for these common folk.
After flying for another half a day, a rumbling sound like muffled thunder faintly arrived from ahead, and even the air was vibrating slightly.
"It’s the sound of battle!" someone exclaimed.
Everyone became nervous and rushed to the portholes to look outside.
They saw that on the distant horizon, there was a huge, dark red halo, and beneath the halo was the silhouette of a towering city.
The city was built entirely from a dark black metallic rock, gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the setting sun, like a silent giant crouching among the mountains.
That was Iron Rock City!
And at this moment, this majestic city was surrounded by a massive army!
Looking out, the plains around the city were densely packed with military camps and siege equipment, banners fluttering, and Killing Intent soaring into the sky!
Countless rays of Spell light and huge catapult stones were smashing down onto the city like a rainstorm!
Above Iron Rock City, a thick, earthy-yellow light barrier held on stubbornly, but under the dense attacks, it fluctuated violently, flickering on and off, clearly bearing immense pressure.
What was even more alarming was that high in the sky, several figures like gods or demons were fiercely clashing!
Spiritual light exploded, roars echoed, and every collision caused the wind and clouds to change color!
That was a Nascent Soul Level powerhouse fighting to the death!
"My god... this Formation..." Little Grandson watched with a pale face, his speech stuttering.
He had previously thought the battle in Luoxia City was tragic enough, but compared to the scene before him, it was merely child’s play.
Fang Hao was also deeply shocked.
The scale of this siege battle at Iron Rock City far exceeded his imagination!
The troops deployed by both sides probably numbered in the hundreds of thousands!
There was more than one or two Nascent Soul Cultivators fighting!
This had completely exceeded the level of any battle he had experienced before.
"Prepare to land! We will bypass from the flank and enter the city from the West Gate!" Commander Lei’s voice pulled everyone back to reality from their shock.
He pointed to a relatively flat mountainous area to the west of Iron Rock City, "That area is under our army’s control, and there is a reception point!"
The flying ship Formation immediately lowered its altitude, flying along the mountain ridges, trying to use the terrain to hide their movements as much as possible.
The closer they got to the city, the more the tragic aura rushed towards them.
Traces of intense fighting were visible everywhere on the ground: scorched earth, broken weapons and armor, and corpses that hadn’t been cleared away yet—some were the enemy’s, and some were their own.
The air was filled with a thick, inseparable scent of blood and burnt stench.
Occasionally, small squads could be seen fighting, with Spells clashing, swords colliding, and roars and screams incessant in their ears.
The entire periphery of Iron Rock City was a giant meat grinder.
The flying ships bypassed to a valley outside the West Gate without any major incidents.
There was a Mingling Empire military camp in the valley, heavily guarded.
Seeing the reinforcement flying ships land, a squad of soldiers immediately poured out of the camp to receive them.
"Is that Vice Commander Lei? This subordinate is ordered to meet you here!" A captain, covered in blood with damaged armor, came up to greet them, his face filled with exhaustion and urgency.
"What’s the situation?" Commander Lei jumped off the flying ship and asked immediately.
"It’s very bad!" The captain said in a heavy tone, "The enemy’s main force is attacking fiercely day and night. The energy consumption of the city’s protective Formation is huge, and it can barely hold on! The city walls are damaged in many places, and the defenders have suffered heavy casualties! The Prince is personally overseeing the battle on the city walls, but... the enemy has a superior number of Nascent Soul Cultivators, and we are under immense pressure!"
He glanced at the team Commander Lei brought, a flash of disappointment appearing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it: "Everyone has had a hard journey; please follow me into the city immediately! The Prince is in urgent need of manpower, especially Formation Masters!"
Commander Lei nodded and, without wasting words, immediately ordered the team to assemble and prepare to enter the city.
Fang Hao followed the team out of the valley and looked up at Iron Rock City not far away.
Now that he was closer, he could feel the cruelty of this war even more.
The towering city walls were covered in shocking cracks and scorched marks; some sections had even collapsed, and laborers and soldiers were desperately rushing to repair them.
On the city walls, the defenders were all covered in blood and grime, yet their eyes were exceptionally determined, mechanically repeating the actions of shooting arrows and casting Spells.
Wounded soldiers were constantly being carried down, and new soldiers were constantly being replenished.
Besides the scent of blood, the air also held a complex aura intertwined with despair and resilience.
"Quick! Enter the city!" the receiving captain urged.
The team moved quickly along a heavily guarded passage toward the city gate.
On both sides of the passage, it was piled with defensive fortifications and wounded soldiers, with groans and urging shouts mixed together.
Just as they were about to reach the city gate tunnel, suddenly, a strange change occurred!
Rumble—!!!
An earth-shattering loud noise came from the east side of the city!
Immediately after, the entire ground shook violently!
Everyone looked over in horror, only to see the earthy-yellow protective light barrier above the east side of Iron Rock City shattering inch by inch like broken glass, dissipating into specks of light filling the sky!
"Oh no! The Formation on the East City has been broken!" The captain’s face turned instantly pale, and he exclaimed in shock!
Almost at the same time the light barrier shattered, a roar of battle like a landslide and tsunami erupted outside the city!
A massive, dark army surged like a tide toward the collapsed East City wall!
Iron Rock City is in critical danger.
