Chapter 242: Blood-Soaked Palace Walls

The killing shouts from Chengtian Gate did not diminish but grew louder, like a frantic tide constantly beating the embankment.

The Iron Crow Army seemed to disregard casualties entirely, throwing more death warriors into the fierce assault on the palace gate and walls.

Corpses piled up in layers at the base of the palace wall, and those following stepped on their companions' still-warm remains, continuing to climb upward.

The blood stench permeating the air was so thick it almost couldn't be dispelled, mixed with gunpowder and a strange sweet-savory odor from some drug, making people nauseous.

After Chen Wen dealt with the assassins inside the palace, he did not return to the Purple Hall but went straight up to the Chengtian Gate tower.

The battle here was far more brutal than it sounded.

The battlements were covered with marks from sword cuts and axe chops, and the splashed blood had congealed on the bricks into dark brown blotches.

Guards kept being hit by arrows or thrown spears, screaming as they fell from the wall top;

And brave Iron Crow Army death warriors kept climbing the wall, their bodies bristling with arrows, still roaring, and before dying from exhaustion they would desperately slash their weapons at the nearest defenders.

"Your Majesty!"

Colonel Shi, responsible for defending this spot, saw Chen Wen arrive in person and rushed forward; the bandage on his left arm was soaked with blood, and his face was mixed with smoke, dust, sweat, and grime.

"The rebels' offensive is too fierce! And..."

His voice was hoarse, tinged with disbelief.

"And they seem unafraid of death or pain! Even with several arrows in them, as long as they aren't killed instantly, they can keep charging!"

Chen Wen swept his gaze over the battlefield, his brows slightly furrowed.

He could clearly sense that the bodies of the relentlessly advancing Iron Crow Army death warriors were wrapped in a weak but existent Nether Energy fluctuation.

This fluctuation resembled that of the elite assassins who had attacked him before, but it was more mixed and unstable, as if forced into them by some external power to stimulate bodily potential and block pain until their last vestige of life was exhausted.

"It's a drug, or some other dark art."

Chen Wen said in a low voice.

"Issue the order: prioritize shooting the enemies at the very front of the climb, giving them no chance to approach the wall top."

"Crossbowmen, conserve your arrows and aim for vital spots!"

His arrival itself was a powerful encouragement.

Seeing the emperor himself arrive at the most dangerous front line, the defenders' slight wavering from prolonged combat and the enemy's eeriness was instantly suppressed, and morale rose again.

However, the Iron Crow Army's means of attack were obviously not limited to human-wave tactics.

Just as Chen Wen observed the enemy situation, preparing to unleash "Ability Granting" again to solidify the defense—

"Hum..."

A low, deep humming sound, as if coming from the depths of the earth, faintly arrived.

The sound was not loud, yet it carried a strange penetrative power, making everyone on the tower feel an inexplicable palpitation.

Immediately after, three points of azure light lit up in a distant building shadow outside the palace gate.

That light resembled will-o'-the-wisp, drifting slowly and rapidly expanding!

They were three crystals roughly the size of a human head, their entire bodies emitting a rich azure glow!

They were mounted on a special launcher, being hurled with great force, tearing through the night sky, carrying an unsettling energy fluctuation, and flying swiftly toward the Chengtian Gate tower!

"It's that kind of blue stone! Watch out!"

Colonel Shi bellowed hoarsely, having heard of the power of these strange crystals in the Northern Border War.

Chen Wen's pupils constricted slightly.

The Fortune Momentum vortex within his body produced an intense repulsion and warning toward the incoming azure crystals!

Almost instinctively, he activated "Ability Granting" again.

This time, the target was not all the defenders, but concentrated on all the archers and crossbowmen on the wall, as well as the soldiers operating the bed crossbows and catapults!

"Concentrated granting, sixteenfold!"

Mental and physical strength were instantly drained, and a mighty power was bestowed upon nearly a hundred ranged attackers.

Their vision became sharper, their arms steadier, and their judgment of timing and trajectory rose to superhuman levels!

"Aim at those blue stones! Shoot them down!"

Chen Wen's order thundered like a clap of lightning in the ears of the empowered soldiers.

No need for excessive aim; driven by instinct and the enhanced power, a dense rain of arrows accompanied by several heavy bed-crossbow bolts, like precise locusts, whistled toward the three incoming azure crystals!

"Bang! Bang! Pfft—"

Two crystals were precisely struck in midair, exploding violently into two flaring azure halos that quickly vanished, their dissipated energy creating an invisible ripple in the air that left nearby people feeling a brief dizziness and nausea.

The third crystal was grazed by a heavy bed-crossbow bolt, deviating from its trajectory and landing on the open ground before the palace wall, blasting a shallow pit; its azure light flickered a few times before dying out, leaving only a small patch of eerie scorched earth.

The crisis was temporarily resolved.

But Chen Wen's heart sank.

The Iron Crow Army actually being able to use Nether Energy Crystal Ore this way proves their research and application of this strange energy is far deeper than previously imagined.

Moreover, they seem not reluctant to consume this seemingly precious resource.

"Your Majesty! Look over there!"

A sharp-eyed guard suddenly pointed downward at the palace wall.

Only to see, in the shadow where firelight could not reach, dozens of Iron Crow Army death warriors huddled around a thick, sharpened log, charging toward the gate of Chengtian Gate!

The top of that log appeared to be inlaid with several smaller pieces of Nether Energy Crystal Ore, emitting a faint glow.

They obviously intended to use the ore's energy to assist in destroying the sturdy palace gate!

"We must not let them ram the gate!"

Colonel Shi urged urgently.

"Rolling logs! Hurled stones! Quick!"

The defenders hurled their prepared defensive devices downward, but the death warriors below pushing the ram were extraordinarily tenacious; even if struck, as long as they weren't killed instantly, they continued to howl, shoulder the log, and press forward.

Moreover, other death warriors fearlessly used their bodies to block in front of the battering ram, creating opportunities for their comrades.

Chen Wen's eyes turned cold.

He took a deep breath and instantly switched the effect of "Ability Granting"!

Target—thirty strength-type guards responsible for hurling rolling logs and stones at the base of the city wall!

"Concentrated granting, sixteen times!"

"Empowerment descends!"

These thirty guards felt their arms suddenly surge with limitless strength; the heavy rolling log that normally required two or three men to lift together felt weightless in their hands!

"Hey—!"

With a unified roar, the thirty guards hurled the thirty massive logs—each requiring several men to embrace—like spears, slamming them down onto the city ramparts!

These logs carried a terrifying howl, striking with far greater speed and force than usual, precisely smashing into the crew pushing the battering ram!

"Boom—Crack—!"

Flesh and blood could not withstand an impact imbued with sixteenfold strength.

The sounds of breaking bones and anguished cries filled the air.

That thick battering ram was instantly knocked off course, and together with the dozens of death warriors crowded around it, they were all crushed into pulp!

The Nether Energy Crystal Ore embedded in the top of the battering ram also shattered under the immense impact, scattering its final blue light before fading completely.

This threat to the palace gate was destroyed in the most violent and direct manner.

The defenders on the city tower burst into a cheer of surviving the ordeal.

Two consecutive precise and powerful applications of Ability Granting not only resolved the crisis but also greatly boosted morale.

The soldiers' gazes toward Chen Wen were filled with near-frenzied admiration and trust.

Chen Wen drew a slight breath.

Continuously deploying high-multiplier Ability Granting, especially switching between different targets, indeed placed a considerable strain on his mind and body.

He could feel a hint of fatigue beginning to spread.

But the battle situation allowed no rest.

The chaos outside the palace continued, the firelight showed no sign of weakening, and cries of battle faintly reached from other parts of the city.

Qian Gui's side surely faced immense pressure.

Moreover, the Iron Crow Army's attacks, as the night deepened, became ever more frenzied and irregular.

They were like tireless locusts, wave after wave, draining the defenders' strength and will with their lives.

"Your Majesty, please rest a moment; I, your subordinate, am here!"

Colonel Shi noticed a hint of fatigue in Chen Wen's brow and hastily said.

Chen Wen shook his head, his gaze still sharp as it swept over the inside and outside of the city wall.

"I am fine."

"Tell the soldiers to hold firm!"

"Before dawn, we must utterly purge all the demons and monsters outside the palace!"

His voice, carrying undeniable power, reached every defender's ear at Chengtian Gate.

The Fortune Momentum vortex within him continued to spin slowly and steadily, drawing on the conviction and resolve gathered in this defense.

The Growth Progress Bar quietly surpassed the 70% threshold unnoticed.

But Chen Wen knew that the true test might have only just begun.

The Iron Crow Army, having plotted for so long and mobilized such vast resources and manpower, would certainly not be satisfied with merely leaving hundreds of corpses beneath the city wall.

Their true trump card, the core of the plan called Blood Moon, has likely not yet been fully revealed.

He gripped his sword hilt, standing atop the highest point of the city tower like a Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, together with this burning city, awaiting the darkest hour before dawn.