Chapter 25

The drumbeats rumbled, the killing cries shook the heavens.

On the Pure Black Land, the battle between the two great armies finally began. This battle would determine the ownership of the Nine Nether Lands, as well as the life and death of the Death God. If Mu Ze were to lose, even if he could save his life and escape, his dignity would be utterly lost; given Mu Ze's character, he would rather die than suffer that. And if the Six Tribes side were to lose, the Nine Nether Lands would have no force capable of opposing Mu Ze, and the Death God's rule would be as stable as Mount Tai. Therefore, both sides are determined to win.

However, judging solely by strength, Mu Ze is clearly at a disadvantage. Although the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe is the largest tribe in the Nine Nether Lands, with over thirty thousand members, the other tribes united can still field a force far exceeding Mu Ze's, totaling over fifty thousand. Moreover, relying on the sturdy, high walls of the Pure Black Land, they have a dense arrow rain for cover. Mu Ze not only lacks numerical superiority, but must also attack the enemy's stronghold while on the defensive, a difficulty that is easy to imagine.

However, as the Death God, this time he must give his all.

"Attack!" Mu Ze waved his short sword, and several evil spirits behind him brandished large banners. Luo Shan drew his long sword, leading fifteen thousand elite troops forward in a charge. The battle cries shook heaven and earth; fifteen thousand evil spirits wielding various weapons, like arrows released from a bow, surged toward the Wind Spirit Tribe's ten thousand or so troops in the center. Mu Ze personally led over five thousand troops on the right flank of Luo Shan's formation, attacking the main force of the Fire Spirit Tribe. The remaining ten thousand or so were respectively led by Pei Er and the deputy chief of the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe, covering the flanks of Luo Shan and Mu Ze while simultaneously launching feints against the other four tribes.

Thirty thousand evil spirits formed a massive wedge formation, their momentum awe-inspiring. However, seemingly bound by their leader's order, the Six Tribes' forces opposite did not react, merely standing in neat formation, awaiting the charge of the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe.

Five hundred paces, four hundred, three hundred—drawing ever closer, Luo Shan suddenly felt a vague premonition of ill omen. Yet the army was already advancing; seeing that contact was imminent, as one of the chief commanders, he naturally could not halt the entire army's march.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Just as the evil spirits had advanced to only two hundred paces, a sharp tearing-through-the-air sound suddenly rang out. Several huge crossbow bolts shot from the city wall, each engulfed in flames, flying straight into the evil spirits' formation and exploding with a boom. Dozens of evil spirits, caught off guard, were set ablaze, hurled in all directions, and fell to the ground, motionless.

"Not bad, Wind God." Mu Ze did not anger but smiled. "The Wind Spirit Tribe has been stationed here for hundreds of years; they even have a few little tricks."

In a moment, another volley of fire arrows was shot. Although the evil spirits had taken precautions, their formation was too dense and the arrows came too fast; casualties in this round were even greater, with over a hundred killed on the spot by the exploding fire arrows, and dozens more severely wounded and felled, then trampled by the evil spirits rushing up behind, clearly doomed. In just the time of two volleys of fire arrows, the main force of the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe had already closed to within less than a hundred paces of the Six Tribes Alliance Army, so that the enemy soldiers' weapons and armor were clearly visible.

Just then, a dense rain of arrows suddenly fell from the sky, passing over the heads of the Six Tribes Alliance Army and pouring down like a violent storm upon the evil spirits' formation. The evil spirits' weapons were makeshift, and few carried shields; moreover, this volley of arrows came swift and fierce, instantly hundreds were struck by arrows, and cries of anguish rose. The tight formation instantly fell into disorder. Yet even so, the vanguard's charge speed did not slow; the Wind Spirit Tribe's army was already within striking distance. Suddenly, a piercing horn sounded from the enemy ranks; the front two rows of soldiers raised their javelins high and hurled them forward in unison. At the same time, the rear Wind Spirit Tribe warriors bellowed earth-shaking roars, drew their short swords, and actually counter-charged against the oncoming evil spirit tribe army!

Originally, the vanguard of the evil spirit tribe had been struck by javelins, many falling wounded; morale had already been greatly affected. At this moment, a charge by the Wind Spirit Tribe immediately showed signs of defeat. These warriors, though utterly loyal to the Death God and knowing this battle was a matter of life and death for the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe—victory or nothing—had summoned unparalleled courage; despite suffering massive losses in the arrow rain and javelin barrage, they still managed to maintain a thunderous charge. However, the Wind Spirit Tribe, having occupied the Pure Black Land where no magic could be released for hundreds of years, possessed superb natural terrain and thus emphasized pure military training. Though their numbers were not large, every member was a well-trained soldier, with close coordination in attack and defense. The soldiers were seasoned and well-equipped, unlike the evil spirit tribe army, which had been hastily assembled; although individuals had some combat ability, when gathered they became a disorganized mob, lacking any coordination. After this powerful counter-charge by the Wind Spirit Tribe, the two formations interlocked. The evil spirit tribe army lost its organization, forced to fight individually, and was quickly overwhelmed.

Luo Shan swung his long sword, executing the exquisite and peerless 'Genesis Sword,' consecutively felling over ten Wind Spirit Tribe warriors. Yet more enemies surged forward in waves, leaving him momentarily at a loss. Meanwhile, the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe's warriors behind him, though more numerous, could no longer hold their ground. Mu Ze was presently engaged with the Fire Spirit Tribe army; his forces numbered only half of the enemy's, but the Fire Spirit Tribe soldiers' quality could not compare to that of the Wind Spirit Tribe, and besides, the Death God's prestige had always been mythic in the Nine Nether Lands. Now, personally leading the charge, his momentum was irresistible; a single charge broke the Fire Spirit Tribe's vanguard, piercing it like a sharp sword and continually expanding his gains. However, though he held a great advantage, if Luo Shan could not defeat the Wind Spirit Tribe, his plan could not be realized; instead, he risked being encircled on all sides and suffering total annihilation.

Mu Ze suddenly regretted; had he known earlier, he should have personally led the attack on the Wind Spirit Tribe. Who would have thought that, despite all his calculations, he still underestimated the Wind Spirit Tribe army's strength—fifteen thousand elite troops plus Luo Shan's exquisite swordsmanship still could not gain the upper hand. At this moment, the Fire Spirit Tribe army had begun to flee in all directions, but his five thousand troops, under the dense arrow rain, had already suffered considerable losses; ahead lay the sturdy city of the Pure Black Land—should he immediately assault the city, or turn back to aid Luo Shan?

He had only hesitated a moment when the situation shifted again: within the Six Tribes Alliance Army, the Frost Spirit, Seven Absolutes, Seven Luminaries, and Seven Rhombus tribes abruptly changed formation and began an all-out assault on the two flanks of the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe. The Wind Spirit Tribe army also pressed forward with all its might, gradually forcing Luo Shan's troops to switch from offense to defense, slowly withdrawing backward. Thus, aside from the already defeated Fire Spirit Tribe, the remaining five tribes' alliance had vaguely formed a huge encirclement, trapping over twenty thousand of the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe. Adding the dense arrow rain pouring down from the city walls, the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe army's situation was now extremely perilous.

Seeing the situation turn bad, Mu Ze did not hesitate; he waved his short sword and led his nearby troops toward the city wall. He knew the enemy's morale was high now; even if this small unit turned back to flank attack, it would likely still be no match for the Wind Spirit Tribe's elite, and defeat would be inevitable. However, at this moment the main force of the Six Tribes Alliance Army was below the city, while most of the defenders on the wall were archers, and the tribes were mixed together. Once he led his men up onto the wall for close combat, he would surely be unstoppable. At this time Mu Ze still had over four thousand men with him; although they had suffered great exhaustion and many were wounded after the bloody battle with the Fire Spirit Tribe, at the Death God's command their morale remained high. They raised their various weapons, climbed the ladders, and surged fiercely toward the top of the wall.

On the wall defended were about five thousand mixed-tribe archers and the operators of the giant crossbows. Seeing Mu Ze's force descend like heavenly troops, they suddenly panicked as he stormed the wall; those who reacted quickly immediately lowered their bows and crossbows and fired down fiercely. Dozens of evil spirits rushing in the front, suspended in midair with no escape, were shot down from the wall; yet more followed, taking advantage of the archers' reloading gaps to surge upward, brandishing various weapons, and on the battlements a stench of blood and gore instantly rose!

In a moment, the Six Tribes Alliance Army fled in disarray; Mu Ze needed only a moment to fully seize the city wall. At this time he had fewer than three thousand men with him; they snatched up the abandoned bows, crossbows, cannons, and stones of the Six Tribes Alliance Army and fired down upon the allied forces below. The Evil Spirit Death God Tribe army, having suffered greatly from bow and crossbow harassment during its earlier advance and being in dire straits, now turned to shoot at the enemy, and their spirits rose greatly. The Six Tribes Alliance Army below was suddenly struck by bow and crossbow fire, falling into panic; knowing the wall had been taken by the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe army, the already heavily wounded remnants of the Fire Spirit Tribe first collapsed, dropping their weapons and ignoring the enemy struggling before them, fleeing in all directions. Subsequently, the chief of the Seven Rhombus Tribe was slain by a single sword thrust from Pei Er; his tribesmen, lacking leadership, and with the Fire Spirit Tribe's collapse, also began to scatter and flee. The Frost Spirit, Seven Absolutes, and Seven Luminaries tribes, though restrained by their respective chieftains and not immediately scattering, also saw their morale affected, and their strikes against the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe's flanks noticeably weakened. Only the Wind Spirit Tribe maintained its fierce assault, tearing open a gap in Luo Shan's vanguard and fiercely attacking the rear of the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe army. If not checked, Luo Shan's forces would likely be split in two.

Luo Shan brandished his sword, barely holding on; the fallen Wind Spirit Tribe warriors beside him had already piled into two small hills, yet more fearless warriors continued to surge forward like a tide, slaughtering the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe army until blood flowed like a river. By now, his fifteen thousand elite troops had suffered casualties nearing half, gradually showing signs of defeat. Although the Wind Spirit Tribe army also had several thousand wounded, its offensive remained as fierce as from the start. Such fighting power was truly unheard of!

Death, a death that blanketed heaven and earth, surrounded him; at such a moment, something within his body began to stir restlessly.

Pei Er had originally been leading a team to guard Luo Shan's flank, but now the Seven Rhombus Tribe had completely collapsed, and the other three tribes' movements were also becoming sluggish; she therefore handed her entire force over to the deputy chieftain of the Evil Spirit Death God Tribe, taking dozens of warriors to Luo Shan's vanguard unit to jointly resist the Wind Spirit Tribe's fierce assault. These enemies' strength was truly formidable; although an individual's combat ability could not compare to that of the Sword God's heir, three or four working together made it quite a struggle for Pei Er to defeat them, and now hundreds or thousands were charging together—one lapse of attention and she could be struck by a javelin or short sword. Pei Er herself was hard-pressed; ordinary Evil Spirit Death God Tribe soldiers naturally found it even harder to resist. Corpses littered the ground, the wounded's cries of agony never ceased; Pei Er stood beside Luo Shan, feeling his breathing grow increasingly ragged, while the force of his sword swings suddenly surged severalfold. A thought moved her heart, and she suddenly felt this scene resembled the battle at Linquan Town. The same mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the same all-out struggle. Could it be that the demonic Luo Shan of that day was about to return?

She had heard from Bavaria about Luo Shan's 'bloodthirsty' soul, knowing that once the bloodthirsty power erupted, it would plunge him into endless slaughter, just like the Venerated God of old—growing stronger with each battle, ultimately plunging the whole continent into a bloody storm. Could Luo Shan ultimately walk down that road? No, it cannot be, absolutely not. If that day ever came, she would rather die than see such a Luo Shan exist in the world.

Now the battle grew ever more tense; the Wind Spirit Tribe warriors roared as they charged, and her comrades fell one after another. Even she herself, surrounded by countless foes, felt overwhelmed, several times nearly pierced by a javelin. If the battle continued to develop this way, they would surely lose. Actually, losing would be fine too; then, regardless of life or death, she could be with the youth in her heart. She need not worry anymore about how to leave this place, or what prospects awaited after leaving. As long as now, at this moment of blades at her side, she could be together with him—just the two of them. That would be enough.

Yes, he does not love her…… but even if…… even if in this lifetime she never gains his love, that would be no matter, right? After all, her love for him is solely her own affair. Being able to journey and fight alongside him as they do now would also be happiness, wouldn't it? Many memories, many stories belong only to the two of them, and have nothing to do with the woman named Qin Yan.

Pei Er suddenly felt that, after all, she was fortunate.

"You idiot." She suddenly flung down her long sword, wrapped both arms around Luo Shan's waist. She pressed her forehead against his back, and tears immediately flowed uncontrollably. Luo Shan felt the warmth coming from beside him, his heart stirred slightly, and the hand wielding his sword involuntarily eased. The originally restless bloodthirsty yearning was thus forcibly suppressed.

Just then, a piercing horn suddenly sounded. Luo Shan instinctively lifted his head, only to see confusion erupt in the rear of the Wind Spirit Tribe army, with cries of alarm rising loudly.

"Death God! The Death God has come!"