Chapter 3070: Painstaking Effort

But Liu Wenxing never imagined someone would come to assassinate him. He was just a low-ranking border officer, and half the time he went weeks without receiving any orders from above.

The visitor waved his hand, and the doors and windows shut automatically.

Liu Wenxing occasionally dozed off after lunch, which didn't raise suspicion. Besides, the discipline of the Qian army had never been strict.

The man then set down a soundproof barrier and whispered to him:

"If you don't want to die, don't make any unnecessary moves. Understand?"

Liu Wenxing nodded, and only then did the man release his grip and step back.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Commandant Liu, my surname is Pu, and I come from the Cangyan army." After saying this, the man raised his hand and displayed a token, with the top characters reading:

Black Armor Army Tiger Garrison Flying Corps Commandant, Pu.

The token flashed with a deep red light.

Such rich elemental energy—Liu Wenxing couldn't help but be moved.

Having served in the Qian army for ten years, he had never imagined the elemental energy on a military token could be this intense.

This couldn't be forged; he had no choice but to believe it. Moreover, he knew the Black Armor Army was the direct imperial legion of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, the elite of the elite.

The Nine Abysses Great Emperor originally rose in rebellion with the Black Armor Army; later, as his territory expanded and his forces grew, the Dragon Spirit Army came into being.

That this ambushers was an officer of the Black Armor Army made Liu Wenxing's mind flash with an absurd thought:

Was he overestimating himself?

"This?" he asked, bewildered, "Why is this happening?"

Cangyan is the leader of the War Alliance, on the same side as Qian—so why would the Black Armor Army's elites infiltrate Qian's border and threaten a mere border officer like him?

The visitor was precisely Pu Hua: "Commandant Liu, my Dragon Spirit Grand Army has already arrived beyond the pass, preparing to exterminate the Heavenly Palace's private forces at Yongshan and Longhu. I need you to go out shortly and grant my army passage."

"Ah?" Liu Wenxing exclaimed, "This exceeds my authority!"

Even if it were a friendly army, if he privately allowed the Dragon Spirit Grand Army to enter Qian territory, the sovereign would surely have him executed afterward!

"You already know the Heavenly Palace is secretly harboring a grand army within Qian, right?"

Liu Wenxing clenched his mouth shut.

He knew Yongshan had catni, but with his rank he wasn't qualified to know the truth.

So that's where the Heavenly Palace's private army is hidden? No wonder—no wonder the sovereign just issued an edict ordering him to let troops out of the pass.

That wasn't reinforcements for the Xuan Yi Kingdom at all—it wasn't even Qian's own army!

They were going to attack the Xuan Yi Kingdom, and possibly even Cangyan!

Just thinking of this made Liu Wenxing break out in cold sweat.

"Good, it seems you've understood." Pu Hua whispered, "Your sovereign has committed a grave error, betraying the War Alliance, betraying humanity! But you still have a chance to correct this mistake and save Qian's people from fire and flood, from the ravages of war!"

Liu Wenxing's mouth went dry; he could not speak.

If he let the Cangyan army in, it would be tantamount to regicide; but if he didn't, would he also be bringing catastrophic disaster upon Qian?

Yet deep down, a quiet voice asked him: Is the sovereign truly a fool, choosing to ally with the Heavenly Demon and infiltrate the War Alliance, without having some sound reason?

Pu Hua seemed to see into his heart: "With just your border garrison's few troops, could you really stop my army? Besides, your reputation among the populace has been decent, and you've let refugees flee—you seem like a reasonable man. Otherwise, I'd have already killed you with a single stroke and forced the gate!"

Liu Wenxing knew the quality of Qian's border troops. Cangyan's army could beat even the vassal demon states of Bekajia—could it not handle Qian's forces?

If he refused, his head would roll immediately.

Pu Hua added: "You're also quite sly, sending your family south before the Heavenly Demon's descent…"

Liu Wenxing startled: "I'll open it, I'll open it!"

The other party already knew the whereabouts of his family—what use was struggling?

Pu Hua patted his shoulder satisfactorily: "Glad you see reason."

Of course Cangyan's army could force the gate, but doing so would inevitably alert the enemy and affect subsequent operations. Having this border commander willingly cooperate is ideal.

Liu Wenxing couldn't help but ask again: "Are you truly capable of exterminating the Heavenly Palace army?"

"Otherwise, why would we be here?" Pu Hua snorted, "After today, this world will be different."

Liu Wenxing gritted his teeth and suddenly said: "Wait a moment—I'll get you the passage documents. If we encounter official inspections en route, we'll be able to handle them."

This document would need to bear his seal.

Issuing private passage documents was normally a capital offense in peacetime—he'd never dare do it. But now that the heavens were about to collapse, what did he have to fear?

Pu Hua readily agreed: "Good."

Liu Wenxing quickly drafted the document, affixed his seal, and handed it to Pu Hua.

The door opened, but the restriction on Liu Wenxing's upper body had not yet been lifted—still, it didn't hinder his walking.

He stood up, took a deep breath, and strode out:

"Sovereign's urgent order: open the gate, welcome the allied forces!"

￥￥￥￥￥

These past few days, the War Alliance has been fiercely attacking the Shan Yu Kingdom.

Even today, this great day, seven great armies continue to fight without rest.

Before the Heavenly Devil's descent, the more territory the War Alliance seizes from Shan Yu, the better—the weaker Shan Yu becomes, the better.

Among these seven armies, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor personally leads the grand army in attacking Ansha Fortress.

He has reserved the toughest bone for himself.

This is Shan Yu's second-largest city, located in the heart of the Vassal Demon States; once taken, it would declare that over half of Shan Yu's territory has fallen, making future conquests much easier.

Both sides know what will happen tonight—the contest for Ansha Fortress has gone straight into white-hot intensity from the start.

At this dusk, when the imperial nectar is about to erupt in a great burst, divine powers fly wildly in the sky, and cannon fire erupts across the ground.

Combined forces exceed eight hundred thousand, slaughtering until blood flows like rivers.

Although the War Alliance's numbers are less than four-tenths of the opposing side's, their combat power is off the charts, having pushed the battle lines to the very walls of Ansha Fortress, with even the city walls, their divine abilities and barriers stretched to the limit, now riddled with scars and breaches in multiple places.

The reason Shan Yu Guo is fighting so hard is that their army's Yuan Li is vastly inferior to the enemy's.

The once-mighty "Between Between Between Beijia" has become a name without substance and can no longer allocate Yuan Li to Shan Yu Guo; it must rely on itself alone. But since the Demon Emperor's death and Between Between Between Beijia's fragmentation, especially after news arrived domestically of the successive falls of Bo Lang Guo and E Ling Guo, Shan Yu Guo's Yuan Li has remained low, even dropping below thirty percent of its former level.

If it came down to a pure contest of military strength, there would basically be no chance of winning.

Ansha Fortress has held out this long only because Shan Yu Guo and Tiangong have, over these past days, desperately reinforced it with the strongest barriers, the finest formation devices, and the most powerful guardian beasts thrown in without reserve. Just the outer walls of Ansha Fortress alone have defensive barriers numbering an astonishing forty-seven layers!

This is a full eight times the number of barriers at E Ling Guo's capital, Ji Cheng.

For tonight's battle, Tiangong has also spared no expense, bringing out all the formation devices they have kept in storage for years.

With defenses this tight, energy consumption is naturally astronomical—but it doesn't matter, as Shan Yu Guo has nearly emptied its reserves accumulated over two hundred years, with plenty of Xuan crystals and other supplies available for unrestricted use!