Chapter 350

Additionally, along the way, countless civilians joined Princess Luo Ying's army, slowing down the march somewhat.

Yet although the march took longer, the effect was remarkably good, for the army's momentum grew ever greater.

Even some nobles, after weighing the pros and cons, quickly aligned themselves and joined Princess Luo Ying's massive force!

Now, the number of troops gathered by Princess Luo Ying had surpassed one hundred thousand!

Of course, these one hundred thousand had virtually no combat power—they were mostly civilians armed with their own weapons; on the battlefield, not even ten thousand, but five thousand Lion Clan warriors could annihilate them entirely.

But their purpose was never combat—they were meant to swell the army's spectacle!

Due to the terrifying scale of this army, not a single serious resistance was encountered along the entire march!

"Rest tonight; tomorrow morning we attack Wang Cheng!"

The fox woman Sister Qing Ling issued the order.

The army began setting up camp twenty li from Wang Cheng.

That night, Wang Cheng was in a state of frantic activity.

Wang Cheng's current troop strength was only two hundred forty thousand!

Of these, two hundred twenty thousand were conscripted from regional nobles, ten thousand were the city's original garrison, and another ten thousand were troops recalled from the provinces.

"Damn it! We still had time, but those nobles in the central regions claimed there wasn't enough time and refused to send their conscripted warriors!"

Inside Wang Cheng, the Grand Bishop and several Quyuzhu Sect bishops gathered together.

Among them was none other than Baowenzhu Sect, the bishop of the eastern region.

"My lord, the Yanzhou army is too powerful. Princess Luo Ying has recruited over a hundred thousand troops along the way. Wang Cheng has barely two hundred thousand warriors—we're already outnumbered. This battle is dire."

One Quyuzhu bishop whispered.

The Grand Bishop glared coldly at him: "My god still dwells in Wang Cheng. Are you questioning my god's decision?"

"No, no!"

The Quyuzhu bishop broke into a cold sweat.

The Grand Bishop said: "As long as my god is here, even if those Holy Spirits fail to return, there is no cause for concern. Rest assured—Shenyiding Society will unleash its power and destroy the Yanzhou army!"

"Yes!"

The Quyuzhu bishops no longer dared to voice dissent.

But in their hearts, doubts began to stir.

They had a god—but didn't Yanzhou have one too?

When two gods clashed, the ultimate deciding factor would still be these warriors.

Yet the second wave of conscripts they'd pulled from the nobles couldn't even match the royal army—how could they stand against the mighty Beastkin warriors?

"Wood…"

At that moment, the Grand Bishop heard the voice of the god inhabiting the king.

The Grand Bishop hurried inside.

Immediately, words like "battle" and "divine punishment" echoed from within.

Divine Punishment!

Outside, the Quyuzhu bishops exchanged glances, and a flicker of confidence stirred in their hearts.

Early the next morning, the Yanzhou army's camp rang out with the call to attack!

Two hundred thousand Yanzhou troops advanced toward the Kingdom of Xiling.

Two thousand Bearkin warriors, Holding a Heavy Weapon, led the formation; behind them marched ten thousand Horsekin warriors, Clad in Heavy Armor.

Another ten thousand Horsekin warriors, Clad in Light Armor, flanked the sides.

Behind them came the Lion Clan warriors.

These warriors formed battalions of ten thousand each, advancing in a vast, unstoppable tide until they reached two kilometers from the walls of Wang Cheng.

Behind the Yanzhou army came the hundred thousand troops recruited by Princess Luo Ying, plus several tens of thousands more from two old earls and nobles who had joined en route!

Nearly four hundred thousand troops stretched across the plains outside Wang Cheng like a vast, sprawling carpet—truly awe-inspiring!

"Can we really win?"

On the walls of Wang Cheng, an archer stared down at the overwhelming army below, trembling.

At the very front, the line of Bearkin warriors Holding a Heavy Weapon looked like living mountains.

Their tall, massive shields—his arrows couldn't pierce them; even boulders from catapults might be shrugged off.

Ordinary magic would likely have little effect!

How could they possibly fight?

He wasn't the only one doubting.

No warrior on the walls remained calm.

Even the elite Wang Cheng garrison, though relatively better trained, felt no better than the noble levies beside them.

Each one felt heavier than the last.

Even the thick walls offered them little sense of safety.

For above them loomed a dark, swirling mass of Winged warriors.

The Xiling Kingdom's own two hundred or so flying warriors were nowhere to be found—they'd been sent south to the highlands on reconnaissance.

Even if they were here, facing two thousand well-armed, pinpoint-accurate Winged warriors, those two hundred flyers would barely last half a minute.

Everyone had heard of the Winged warriors' terror.

Lord Slo's three thousand warriors hadn't held for a full minute.

And the walls couldn't hold many troops—only twenty thousand men stood atop them. How many volleys could they withstand under the Winged warriors' precise arrows?

Of course, as defenders, many on the walls were archers with ranged capability—but the Winged warriors attacked from above, holding even greater elevation advantage than the walls themselves!

"Open the gates!"

At this moment, the gates of Chengdecheng Sect actually opened.

Then, row after row of warriors walked out from within.

"Huh, these people actually came out to fight us."

In the sky, witnessing this, the fox girl Sister Qing Ling wore an expression of confusion.

And these people had come out right under the eyes of the Yan Kingdom's army.

At this moment, if the Yan Kingdom's army had launched an attack, it would have been like striking halfway across a river—wouldn't Chengdecheng Sect have been shattered instantly?

"The God's attack is coming—pray, Holy Maiden!"

Seeing this, Meng Ying's expression turned solemn.

There is only one reason for such an abnormal action.

The God of Xiling Kingdom's attack is about to descend!

As soon as Meng Ying finished speaking, the high sky rippled like water; a patch of the heavens glowed with a brewing red light.

Immediately, a pillar of red light descended from the heavens!

This pillar of light came too suddenly!

This is divine punishment!

The most direct form of divine power attack!

It consumes great energy, but the effect is excellent!

Such a tactic can also catch others completely off guard!

But Meng Ying and the Princess had in fact already been fully prepared.

Meng Ying moved fastest; after receiving Lin Yan's highest-level blessing, she possessed permanent instantaneous spellcasting ability.

In fact, even when casting a spell of banishment level, she could still cast it instantly.

However, banishment-level spells require study and comprehension; Meng Ying currently knew only one banishment spell.

Of course, the vast majority of banishment mages actually know only one or two banishment spells.

But to counter this red light, no banishment spell was needed.

Meng Ying raised her hand and summoned a massive fire-red elemental shield to meet it.

"Boom!"

The red light struck the elemental shield, shattering it instantly—but immediately, layer by layer of new elemental shields appeared, completely wearing down the red light!

"Huh, a banishment spell!"

From within Chengdecheng Sect, the "King" let out a soft exclamation.

But this first strike was merely a test!