Chapter 317

In a day and night, Wu Tie followed the Wu family army, successively destroying three hundred sixty Demon-Suppressing Army forts.

Wherever the Drought Demon Witch Altar passed, the Demon-Suppressing Army's warships turned into green smoke, countless Demon-Suppressing Army soldiers became desiccated corpses, their souls were forcibly strangled by the Soul-Scattering Banner, which was wrapped in divine light all over, its might far exceeding that when it was first forged—how could it be less than a hundred times stronger?

The seven Northern Dipper Soul-Slaying Swords also absorbed the souls of countless Demon-Suppressing Hall soldiers; the seven swords almost lost their substance, becoming flowing light, their power increased a hundredfold, and they left no trace in flight—barely visible to the naked eye.

The Drought Demon Witch Altar's might was unmatched; on this stretch of the Great Rift Valley front, the Demon-Suppressing Army suffered heavy losses, with even high-ranking commanders of the Womb Storage Realm falling by the dozens.

The Wu family army had beheaded countless enemies, accumulating military merits that were an astronomically huge number; if all were given to Wu Jin, they could almost pay off the three hundred ten million military merits he owed the Three Imperial Camp.

The next day, at dawn, Wu Tie followed the Wu family army to a large city thirty thousand li from the Great Rift Valley.

The city walls were a hundred zhang high and three hundred li in circumference; the dark red walls, reeking of a strong bloody odor, were clearly stained with blood. On the high battlements, countless helmeted and armored warriors packed tightly together, each with a fierce gaze fixed on the Wu family army below.

Above the city, more than a dozen wholly dark-yellow Yingdragons with double wings on their backs danced wildly.

When the hundred-zhang-long Yingdragons flew and danced, large masses of cloud swirled around them; as they sped across the blue sky, the clouds on their bodies left long trails in the air.

These Yingdragons belonged to the Great Jin Divine Kingdom; their aura was sharp and overbearing, moreover carrying an innate nobility and dignity. They glared hostilely at Wu Tie and the others, and occasionally an Yingdragon opened its mouth, drool continually dripping from its jaws.

In ancient legend, the Yingdragon is a divine beast, belonging to the Human Emperor, an auspicious object—majestic and noble yet broad-minded and affable.

However, the Yingdragons of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, while their aura vaguely resembles that of their primordial ancestors, have dispositions that have become no different from those of demonic beasts; seeing them drool, it is clear they regard Wu Tie and the others as prey to be hunted and eaten.

On the city wall, a youth walked out from the mass of soldiers, wearing a dark-red robe, a purple jade belt around his waist, and a purple-gold crown on his head; he was extraordinarily handsome, his every gesture bearing an air of nobility.

He narrowed his eyes at the Wu family army arrayed outside the city, then suddenly grinned: 'Hah, you subterranean demons, you truly have no idea of life or death. Is this Demon-Suppressing Iron Blood First City of mine something you dare to covet?'

The Demon-Suppressing Iron Blood Cities are a series of forts established by the Demon-Suppressing Hall of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom behind the Great Rift Valley fort line, numbered from the first to the one hundred eighth, making 108 military cities in total; they serve as rear support for the Great Rift Valley fort line, garrisoned with large numbers of elite troops, stockpiled with countless fine weapons, and stored with immeasurable grain, elixirs, and other supplies.

The Demon-Suppressing Iron Blood Cities garrison huge numbers of troops, with many high-level cultivators, and their defensive power is astonishing.

The Fuxi Divine Kingdom had, in past campaigns, many times organized armies to attack the Demon-Suppressing Iron Blood Cities, but according to verifiable records, the number of times they were truly completely breached totals only twenty-one.

After countless campaigns, the 108 Demon-Suppressing Iron Blood Cities have been breached only twenty-one times in total; the haughty youth on the battlements thus scorns the Wu family army, and naturally he has the confidence to do so.

Xingtian Shan rode out on a giant dragon lizard, arriving at a point less than three li from the city wall.

He gripped a great axe, hooked his finger at the youth, and said: 'Cut the nonsense; if you've got guts, come down—I, Uncle Shan, will take your father's place and teach you how to be a person.'

The youth's expression did not change; despite Xingtian Shan's insolence, he merely gave a faint smile, likewise hooking his finger at him, and said: 'Cut the nonsense; if you've got guts, come up. If you can breach my Iron Blood First City, I'll acknowledge you as my father.'

Xingtian Shan stared blankly, then fixed a harsh gaze on the youth: 'Kid, you must be a bastard of the Sima family—only a Sima could spout such shameless words.'

The youth laughed extraordinarily brightly, nodding at Xingtian Shan: 'That's right, I'm the young lord Sima Xiu… hey, the "xiu" that means "shy".'

No sooner had those three words "that xiu" left his mouth than Sima Xiu fiercely waved his hand.

Suddenly on the city wall, over a hundred bare-armed strongbow archers rose, drawing bows nearly as tall as their bodies; with a "bang bang bang", each loosed three arrows in succession—hundreds of shafts whistled with a piercing tearing sound, trailing wisps of green smoke, and shot swiftly at Xingtian Shan.

In the high sky, more than a dozen Yingdragons simultaneously raised their heads and let out long cries, their massive wings flapping hard as they plunged almost vertically from above toward Xingtian Shan.

During the plunge, these Yingdragons' bodies changed rapidly, swiftly transforming from hundred-zhang-long dragon forms into sturdy men about five meters tall, each covered in dark-yellow dragon scales, wielding long polearms and viciously stabbing at Xingtian Shan's vital points.

Just a moment before, Sima Xiu had been laughing and joking with Xingtian Shan.

The next instant, Sima Xiu's subordinates suddenly launched a killing attack.

Wu Tie watched, his face twitching; he gained a deep understanding of Sima Xiu's conduct, and at the same time roughly figured out what kind of disposition the Sima family must have to produce someone like him.

The Drought Demon Witch Altar standing behind the battle formation suddenly flared with red light; hundreds of powerful rune arrows, before they could even approach Xingtian Shan, abruptly turned into molten iron and fell to the ground.

Even before the sturdy men formed from the Yingdragons could reach Xingtian Shan, their whole bodies were covered with a layer of fiery red light like thick smoke.

The sturdy men's bodies withered at a visible speed, continuously spewing out white water vapor.

More than a dozen Yingdragons cried out in alarm, desperately reverting to their Yingdragon forms and flapping their huge wings in an attempt to shoot up into the sky.

But their reaction was still a step too slow; having just struggled to soar several hundred zhang into the sky, their bodies had already been completely dehydrated, turning into desiccated corpses that crashed heavily to the ground.

With a "thud thud", more than a dozen giant dragons heavily smashed onto the ground.

Xingtian Shan laughed loudly, swinging his great axe to chop off the Yingdragons' huge heads in one blow; dragon-shaped souls issued shrill cries, continually flying out from those heads and being gulped down by the Soul-Scattering Banner.

"All-out assault! Slaughter this city!" Xingtian Shan roared, raising his great axe.

Then he turned his head, glanced at Wu Tie and the others, and pointed fiercely at Wu Tie: "Kid, and also—you, you, you, you, you…"

Xingtian Shan successively named a hundred young Wu family disciples: "You scatter in all directions, patrol the perimeter, scout enemy movements… if any Great Jin demonic reinforcements arrive, report back at once."

Wu Tie and the other Wu family youths exchanged a glance, bowed their hands to Xingtian Shan, then swiftly rode off on their giant dragon lizards, breaking away from the army.

The stirring war drums sounded.

One after another, heavy javelins spewed fire and thunder, howling as they slammed into the Iron Blood City.

Above the Iron Blood City appeared a heavy curtain of light; the light waves flowed, and when the javelins struck the curtain they exploded violently, sending up great balls of flame that shot to the heavens, while rolling clouds of smoke rose straight into the sky.

Dozens of black smoke signals stained the azure sky ferociously; from within the Iron Blood City came a tsunami-like battle cry, as countless arrows whistled out like a downpour, blanketing the Wu family army's formation.

More than a hundred thousand-zhang giants surged out of the Wu family army ranks, their low bellows echoing as they dug their hands into the earth all around, causing massive stone pillars to rise from the ground; the giants seized these pillars, each a hundred zhang thick and a thousand zhang long, and hurled them with all their might at the Iron Blood City.

Moreover, dozens of giants ran to the hills hundreds of li away, uprooting mountain after mountain while howling "ao ao", and hurled each peak toward the city.

These mountain peaks fiercely rubbed against the air.

In the billions of li surrounding the Great Rift Valley, the hills around the Iron Blood City are the only place within a few hundred li where one can see verdant flora.

The flora on the mountain peaks ignited violently.

No one knows what bloodline secret art the Wu family elders employed, but these mountain peaks burned like cotton balls soaked in fire oil; flames rose, and the enormous peaks fell like meteors, shaking the Iron Blood City's defensive barriers to the core.

Vast numbers of Demon-Suppressing Army soldiers on the walls were shaken dizzy and light-headed, and some could not keep their footing, staggering and falling onto the wall.

More than a dozen Wu family giants hoisted a ten-thousand-zhang mountain, stepping on flowing clouds as they soared into the high sky.

They howled with joy, bearing the massive peak straight up to an altitude nearly a thousand li above the ground, then, exerting their utmost, flung the mountain down toward the Iron Blood City below.

The mountain and air rubbed violently, then burned and melted, with copious crimson magma continually shedding from the mountain's surface, forming huge balls of fire that bombarded the Iron Blood City.

Inside the Iron Blood City, dozens of towers supporting the defensive barriers simultaneously burst forth with blinding light.

"Ready! Ready!" a Demon-Suppressing Army commander bellowed hoarsely: "Brace for impact! Everyone, plant your feet, grab hold of anything nearby, and stay steady!"

"Go!" the more than a dozen Wu family giants who had risen into the high sky slammed both hands downward.

A mass of air turned into a turbulent hurricane, fiercely adding a push to the rapidly falling mountain; the mountain's descent speed suddenly increased tenfold or more, almost becoming a stream of light that shot straight down from the sky.

Xingtian Shan likewise transformed into a height of thousands of zhang, wielding an equally enlarged great axe, and pointed it fiercely at the Iron Blood City.

"Lads, get ready to fight!"

"Look at those skulls, all are military merit!"

"Look at that delicate young maiden; seize her and she'll be your servant, maid, concubine—enjoy her as you please!"

"Look at the city's buildings and towers, those huge warehouses piled high with wealth—seize them with your swords and axes!"

Wu Tie rode the giant dragon lizard, already rushing out over a hundred li, driving the giant dragon lizard to climb halfway up a great mountain.

The giant dragon lizard clung to the vertical cliff, and he and Wu Tie simultaneously turned their heads to look toward Iron Blood City.

Several dozen fire lines screamed down from the sky, the earth suddenly shuddered violently, and visible white shockwaves rippled outward from Iron Blood City at high speed, instantly sweeping across a radius of several hundred li.

Wu Tie and the giant dragon lizard's bodies slammed against the cliff, the surrounding peaks shook violently, a hurricane howled in, and some towering ancient trees were shattered by the gust with a boom, turning into sawdust that filled the sky.

Countless grasses bent low, their blades pressed hard to the ground; some blades couldn't withstand the shockwave, snapping at the base, and countless grasses emitted a hiss as they tore through the air, flying everywhere like arrows.

Wu Tie widened his eyes, staring in shock toward Iron Blood City.

Such impact force!

A fire pillar hundreds of li in diameter shot up into the sky, completely enveloping Iron Blood City.

A terrifying attack, the wild Wu clan.

These mountains, tens of thousands of feet high, accelerated their fall from a thousand-li height; their power was so great that Wu Tie stared dumbfounded. Even with his ironclad body, he doubted he could survive such an impact.

The Drought Demon Witch Altar emitted a blinding red light, a heavy curtain of light covering all the Wu clan descendants.

The shockwave pounded the red light curtain; the Drought Demon Witch Altar's might was overwhelming, and the Wu clan army formation lay just over ten li outside Iron Blood City—essentially at the epicenter of the mountain shock—yet the Wu formation remained perfectly orderly, untouched.

Iron Blood City's heavy defensive barrier emitted a piercing crack, the thick light curtain splitting open dozens of huge holes.

Inside the city, a dozen or so prohibition towers cracked from bottom to top with long fissures; countless agile dwarves rushed about, frantically using various tools and materials to urgently repair the shattered prohibition towers.

Light shimmered on the curtain as vast energy continually poured into the barrier; the torn defense was quickly healing, and the dozen large holes would likely be restored to their original state in about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea.

Xingtian Xian and his companions gave Iron Blood City no time to finish a cup of tea.

They barbarically charged forward, a hundred or so giants wielding huge weapons, smashing fiercely at the cracks in the defensive barrier.

The huge gaps gradually widened.

Inside the city, high-level cultivators shot into the sky, their gleaming cold-light flying swords whistling shrilly as they bombarded Xingtian Xian and his companions.

The Drought Demon Witch Altar burst forth with a blaze of light, and a hazy red figure suddenly coalesced within the red glow.

It was a naked woman, hair disheveled, her aura sinister yet her face absolutely beautiful.

The naked red figure in the red light stood tens of thousands of feet tall, she fixed her gaze on the high-level cultivators inside Iron Blood City and suddenly let out a piercing long whistle.

Amidst the whooshing, dozens of Fetal Storage stage high-level cultivators burst into flames all over their bodies.

These Fetal Storage cultivators emitted shrill wails; their flying swords plummeted from the air, their bodies also collapsed to the ground, where they thrashed and convulsed wildly.

Wu Tie's eyes twitched violently.

The Drought Demon Witch Altar's power is too great; it seems this first city of Iron Blood City cannot be held.

Strange, strange, breaking into this Iron Blood City doesn't seem all that difficult...

Wu Tie was pondering what Wu Zheng had said about Iron Blood City being hard to breach, when in the central grand hall of Iron Blood City, two coiled-dragon ornamental columns slowly rose.

They stood tens of thousands of feet high and a hundred feet thick, the massive columns blazing with golden light that enveloped the entire Iron Blood City.

Two Yingdragons shot out from the columns, their bodies engulfed in roaring flames, emitting deafening dragon roars; one claw swatted Xingtian Xian hundreds of li away, then lunged straight at the female figure condensed atop the Drought Demon Witch Altar.

Wu Tie's pupils suddenly contracted.

Could this be Iron Blood City's guardian treasure? The aura of these two Yingdragons, wreathed in flames, gave Wu Tie the feeling that a natural disaster had descended.

Suddenly, Wu Tie's heart seized in a violent spasm.

He slapped the giant dragon lizard beneath him, and the beast lurched forward with a flap of its wings.

A pitch-black lance grazed Wu Tie's arm as it thrust past, ringing with a ding as it buried deep into the cliff he had just been leaning against.

Hiss!

The lance was coated with deadly poison; the toxic corrosion of the rocks caused a stream of black smoke to rise.