Chapter 89: Battle Begins

Wu Tie stood on the walltop.

Not long after, the light beside him dimmed; wearing a helmet and armor, fully equipped, stepping on heavy war boots, with a strange helmet on his head, his total height nearly approaching 3.5 meters, like a stone wall, Shi Meng came to his side carrying a large axe.

Shi Meng obviously did not have Wu Tie's keen eyesight; he protruded half his body from the city wall, squinting at the place where the flames rose, and after a long while he muttered a terribly vulgar, obscene curse.

"These old immortals… they actually handed over that secret passage leading to the Yan Family's interior."

Shi Meng wore thick metal gauntlets on both hands; he habitually scratched his head, the metal glove and helmet violently rubbing, producing a piercing sound.

"This secret passage… hm… no wonder the Yan Family took over a month to send people over; they had ill intentions from the start, wanting to send so many Flaming Gold-devouring Ants through the passage—no easy feat."

Wu Tie looked at Shi Meng.

In Shi Meng's words, there are many praiseworthy points.

The Shi Family had mastered a secret passage leading directly from Great Stone City to the Yan Family's interior? This passage, they originally intended to use it to do something to the Yan Family?

However, the Shi Family's elders also leaked this passage to the Yan Family, resulting in this: the Yan Family dealt a deadly blow to the interior of Great Stone City.

Fiery light swirled across the sky, heat waves rising; one after another, Flaming Gold-devouring Ants the size of wolves spat fire, rapidly advancing toward Great Stone City. Tracts of land were ignited, and large numbers of slaves who couldn't escape were engulfed by the blazing flames.

A large number of fleeing slaves gathered at the city gate.

Great Stone City is one of the three great stone caverns controlled by the Shi Family; here the population of serfs and mine slaves is enormous. Excluding the mine slaves living in the pits and the serfs already consumed by fire, the total number of slaves residing near Great Stone City is no less than one hundred thousand.

Great Stone City has only two gates; for a hundred thousand panicked slaves to rush into the city in a short time is nearly impossible.

No matter how the Great Stone City warriors outside shouted and drove them, the slaves crowded together in masses; the more they tried to flee into the city, the more chaotic their movements became, the order at the city gate descended into chaos, and entering the city became ever more difficult.

"Let them detour around Great Stone City and flee in the direction away from the sea of fire." Wu Tie forcefully knocked on Shi Meng's armor.

"Uncle Six Shi, let the people outside the city flee in the direction away from the sea of fire. They don't have time to enter the city… we will help them block these guys here." Wu Tie loudly roared at the bowing, downward-looking Shi Meng.

Shi Meng widened his eyes, blinked, and nodded: "That's a good idea."

He slammed his large axe hard against the battlements before him; with a loud bang, the warriors busy outside the city all looked up.

Shi Meng loudly shouted Wu Tie's suggestion; the warriors outside the city immediately swung their whips, driving the masses of slaves to detour around Great Stone City and flee away from the sea of fire.

A large group of Flaming Gold-devouring Ants gradually accelerated, rolling up blazing flames, continually advancing toward Great Stone City.

Shi Meng slapped Wu Tie's shoulder with a palm, lowering his head to ask: "Now, those damned fellows—if they split into two teams to hunt down those slaves… those slaves won't be able to escape them. Think of a solution—what should we do?"

Wu Tie looked at Shi Meng, pointing at the fire ahead: "Now it's up to your skill… can you make these Flaming Gold-devouring Ants abandon chasing the fleeing slaves and focus solely on attacking the city? That depends on your ability."

"My ability?" Shi Meng looked at Wu Tie, bewildered.

He wasn't pretending; his mind really isn't very sharp. He is the person among this generation of the Shi Family whose activated Giant Bloodline is the strongest, and the Giant Bloodline naturally has a great influence on him.

Giants have never been big on using their brains.

Look at Shibao, and you'll know what a "normal giant" is like.

Shi Meng looked at Wu Tie, dazed, desperately blinking his eyes. Wu Tie shook his head and hurriedly gave his suggestion.

"Hahaha, you little brat, you're really nasty—just like Lao Er, you're sly, but I love it!" Shi Meng burst into loud laughter, vigorously patting Wu Tie's shoulder, sparing no expression of his appreciation.

He loudly called out, transmitting his command.

Soon, a squad of Wolf Clan warriors rushed down the wall, and not long after returned. They carried up the corpses of those slain in the meeting hall just now—Yan Bao and others.

Shi Meng grabbed Yan Bao's head in one hand, hoisting his red long hair and shaking it vigorously on the city wall.

"Those outside, those of the Yan Family—I know you can see me, I know you can hear me!" Shi Meng shouted while jumping: "What do you want to do? Do you want to seek death on my Shi Family's turf?"

"Look what this is? Yan Bao's head!"

"Hahaha, they say Yan Bao is one of the eighteen outstanding scoundrels of your generation, dubbed one of the Yan Family's eighteen pillars… but I chopped him in half with one axe. Heh, it's no different from slaughtering livestock."

"I only used one axe and split one of your Yan Family generation's pillars—hey!"

"Heh, does it hurt a lot? Does it grieve you a lot? Do you want to die a lot?"

Shi Meng, smug and triumphant, loudly shouted, then simply leapt onto the battlements, swaying Yan Bao's head with one hand while twisting his thick waist, dancing in a weird, grotesque manner.

Such a burly man holding a bloody head, twisting his hips—this scene is simply unbearable to watch.

Wu Tie moved a few steps to the side, distancing himself from the foul-mouthed Shi Meng.

Behind the distant sea of fire, a sharp whistle suddenly sounded. All the frantically running Flaming Gold-devouring Ants halted abruptly, then, accompanied by a piercing hiss, they all sped up, gradually forming an arrow-shaped assault formation that charged straight at the gate of Great Stone City.

The slaves outside Great Stone City had already dispersed to both sides and fled; the heavy city gate slammed shut.

Several tall, stout Ox Clan warriors roared loudly, driving the city's slaves to somehow haul huge blocks of stone, which they neatly stacked behind the closed city gate, sealing it tightly.

Chaotic footsteps sounded; ranks upon ranks of Lizard People archers, Ox Clan warriors, Wolf Clan warriors, and Iron Dwarf and Gray Dwarf warriors surged onto the city wall.

They formed neat rows on the wall, with melee warriors wielding heavy weapons on the outside and archers holding bows and crossbows on the inside; furthermore, large numbers of heavy shields and large equipment were neatly stacked, and Great Stone City had already prepared for battle.

At some point, Lao Bai darted to Wu Tie's side.

"Damn it, I haven't even had a few days of a full meal… how did we start fighting?" Lao Bai sighed while secretly slipping a bottle of rotten bone marrow poison into Wu Tie's hand.

"Little Tie, this is good stuff… smear a bit on your weapon, heh heh, just a nick in the skin is enough to make someone suffer." Lao Bai hid in the shadow beneath Wu Tie's feet, furtively explaining the potent toxicity of the rotten bone marrow.

Wu Tie raised his eyebrows, not yet speaking, when Shi Meng leapt down from the battlements and snatched the medicine bottle from his hand.

"Heh heh, really that potent? Let me try." Shi Meng carelessly smeared the whole bottle of rotten bone marrow onto his great axe; accompanied by a faint 'hiss' of corrosion, his axe blade began to flicker with an eerie, ethereal glow.

While applying the poison, Shi Meng lightly kicked Lao Bai with the tip of his foot.

To him it was just a light kick, but Lao Bai rolled away like a ball, 'gurgling' for seven or eight meters.

Shi Meng lowered his head and laughed: "Lao Bai, your people performed well last time. Well, this time have them ready their bows and crossbows to defend the city to the death for me… heh heh, after this battle, each of your people will be rewarded with twenty catties of fat meat!"

Lao Bai's eyes suddenly lit up, and he vigorously licked the corner of his mouth.

He hastily replied, then turned and was about to run down the city wall.

Wu Tie hurriedly called out to stop Lao Bai, gave him a serious look, then made a gesture meaning "be careful."

This gesture was one Wu Tie had learned from Lao Bai these past days. In wilderness survival, whether hunting or ambushing enemies, sometimes one cannot make a sound; then a 'gesture' or 'sign language' becomes essential for communication.

In wilderness survival, bandits and tribes naturally have a common set of sign language.

Among Lao Bai's people, there is also a full set of gestures used internally.

Wu Tie, after studying this for so long, can now use gestures and sign language to communicate very fluently with Lao Bai and others.

Lao Bai returned a gesture meaning "everything's fine," his body swayed and turned into a white shadow that vanished without trace.

With a "dong," on the city wall a hundred meters away, Tie Bashiba lifted a great axe and bellowed in a hollow voice: "Children… those outside the city want us dead… what should we do?"

Dozens of ox‑clan warriors, clad in heavy armor and with blood‑red eyes, roared in unison: "Cut them down!"

"Ha," "ha!"

Tie Bashiba's clansmen shouted in unison.

Gradually, the Stone City warriors on the wall also began to shout in unison.

No need to argue, no need to give any morale‑boosting words.

Living in this damned age, everyone is aware… if the enemy wants you dead, then kill the enemy.

Don't worry about who's right or wrong, don't worry about who has reason and who doesn't.

To survive is the greatest justice!

The flame‑devouring gold ants drew nearer, the blazing sea of fire pressed up to Stone City's wall, flames rose, heat waves rolled, and Wu Tie and the others had their hair scorched and curled.

Amid the roaring flames, many warriors on the wall let out pained groans.

Clad in full metal armor, with the flames right before them, the roasting heat quickly warmed their armor—it felt as if their whole bodies were being tortured with branding irons, a pain unimaginable to those who haven't endured it.

Shi Meng raised the great axe in his hand and let out a loud roar.

On the wall, amidst the dozen‑high arrow towers and watchtowers, shadows of figures in black robes flickered into view simultaneously.

There were lizardfolk, wolf clan, ox clan, and even ratfolk and stone dwarves.

They released powerful mental waves that spread out; instantly a gale rose on Stone City's wall, blowing toward the sea of fire.

The heat wave was blown away from the wall by the gale, and thick mist condensed above the wall, with large sheets of ice crystals continually drifting down.

The surrounding temperature gradually turned cool and pleasant; Shi Meng broke into a loud grin, holding the flame leopard's head, and taunted the outside again: "Flame Family, why don't you hurry up and come die? The flame leopard is waiting for you to join him!"

Amid his wild laughter, Shi Meng swung his hand hard, and the flame leopard's head traced an arc, landing in the fire outside the city.

In the distance came angry roars and curses, and the sharp whistle sounded again.

Swarms of flame‑devouring gold ants surged forward, they flung themselves to the wall's base and then crawled straight up the wall onto the battlements.

In just a few breaths, the mass of flame‑devouring gold ants climbed onto the battlements, opened their sharp mandibles to bite the Stone City warriors on the wall, and several stout ones the size of calves opened their mouths to spew streams of scorching flame.

Wu Tie gripped a spear chosen from the armory—a "Primordial Weapon" spear—and thrust it forward without a word.

With a "ding," Wu Tie's spear struck the head of a flame‑devouring gold ant.

Sparks flew from the tip; the spear penetrated the ant's head three cun deep. The wolf‑dog‑sized flame‑devouring gold ant shrieked, and Wu Tie's blow sent it flying from the battlements over a hundred meters away.

Wu Tie watched as plasma like blazing fire spurted from the ant's forehead; it knocked over several nearby companions, twitched and struggled a few times, then rose and continued charging toward Stone City as if nothing had happened.

Wu Tie stared wide‑eyed.

How could this creature's head be so hard? The "Primordial Weapon" he picked, already a top‑grade item from Stone City's armory, could easily pierce three‑cun‑thick steel plates.

Yet such a sharp spear could penetrate only three cun into this ant's head.

"Big trouble," Wu Tie muttered, swinging his spear to trace dense arcs that violently smashed the dozen or so flame‑devouring gold ants that had climbed the wall before him.

Amid the loud impacts, a dozen or so flame‑devouring gold ants were heavily struck, their bodies tumbling and flung almost two or three hundred meters away.

However, after being flung, they rolled on the ground a few times, their movements becoming somewhat sluggish, yet they still charged toward the wall.

"Really big trouble," Wu Tie said, swinging his spear to continually slam the flame‑devouring gold ants rushing at him to the ground.

But beside him, many warriors had already cried out in pain and anguish.

The flame‑devouring gold ants' mouthparts were hard and sharp, with tremendous strength; they tore at the warriors on the wall, easily ripping through their steel armor and wounding their bodies.

Even more terrifying, the flame‑breathing ants could spray scorching flame seven or eight meters; wherever it passed, many warriors were burned to blistered flesh, and a burnt smell began to spread along the wall.

Like a tide, the flame‑devouring gold ants kept surging forward, relentlessly charging the wall.